Saving Steve (Steve Rogers x Reader)

Chapter 17 - Old Friends

Eventually your tears run dry, leaving behind tight streaks of salted skin as you're left alone to wonder what's going to happen to you. And it feels like you've been left alone for an eternity.

So when the handle turns, you almost feel relieved. Until you see the handcuffs and shackling chains. And the hands of the traitor that holds them. 

"Stand," he says, walking up beside you as you turn your eyes to the ground, refusing to make eye contact with him.

Despite Casey's order, you can hear that it's really a request. 

"So...you work for Ross?" you sneer, hurt oozing from your words.

"Stand up, Y/n," Casey says gently. 

"What happens if I don't? You'll make me?" you scoff. 

Your stare is plastered to the floor, focused on the tips of Casey's black tactical boots. The sight of them make your stomach churn. 

"Y/n, I...you're not on the right side here."

"And what's the right side, Casey? The side of the government that throws its own people in a blacksite without trial? That doesn't feel right to me," you retort bitterly, finally raising your eyes to meet Casey's brown ones. 

And in them you spot unease.

"What?" he asks, brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

With a roll of your eyes you nod towards the chains in his hand.

"Why do you think you're shackling me, Case? Ross is shipping me off to the Raft."

Casey's eyes grow wide as he looks at the metal shackles in his own hands. His gaze flits between you and the cuffs once, twice, thrice before his face suddenly steels - that brief look of confusion gone, replaced by a robotic will to follow orders. 

"You're wrong," he asserts. "You're being transferred to Ryker's. Temporarily. Now stand."

A laugh bubbles up and escapes your lips. "Rykers? That's what he's telling you? And you believe him? Casey...he just told me I was being sent to the Raft!"

Casey ignores you and steps forward, grabbing your arm and pulling you to your feet. You wince as he pulls out a knife and cuts the zip-tie cuffs from your wrist, only to replace them with the metal ones, which he secures with a chain around your waist. He pulls you from the interrogation room and leads you down the hall.

"Casey you know this is wrong," you beg, your fear once more overtaking your confidence from moments earlier as you realize that the moment you leave the Compound, you'll be gone forever. Locked away, where no one will know where you are. "Casey, please," you whimper.

As you pass a corridor on your left, you glance up to see Tony Stark at the end of it, no longer in his Iron Man suit. Instead he wears a simple dark tank top and sweat pants. And he's leaning against a woman who seems to be calming him as she runs her fingers through his dark hair and kisses the top of his head gently. Your breath catches as they both look up to you, and you can see Tony's face is reddened. You widen your eyes, silently pleading with him for help as your gaze flits between both him and the woman, who shares Tony's helpless expression.

He takes a step towards you and your heart lurches, praying he's coming to help you. Clearly Casey won't. He's your last chance.

But the woman puts a hand on his chest, holding him back as she whispers something in his ear. Tony hesitates, but steps back to her side as they both watch you being led away to the elevator. 

Casey leads in silence several floors deeper. Deeper into the ground. Deeper into the dark. 

By the time he tosses you into a cell even smaller than the interrogation room you don't know how long it's been since you were taken from your apartment.