Not That Lucky

#26: There Are No Strings On Me

Meanwhile, Tony had already broken into the castle and found their main headquarters of operation. Most of the rooms were already evacuated as HYDRA agents began to surrender. He flew into the top room and spotted a man rapidly typing at the console in panic. He glanced over at him with a gasp of surprise, and Tony quickly fired at the man. He fell backwards hard, knocked out from the pulse blast, and Tony glanced around looking for any other threats. When he spotted none, he let the suit open in the front and stepped out. The chill of the late winter air cut through his thin sports shirt. Tony turned and held a finger up to the suit, "Sentry mode."

The suit folded back up and raised its hand ready to fire if the need arose. Tony walked over to the computer system and let his eyes glance over all the bells and whistles. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and hooked it up to the console. Tony's eyes landed on the screen in front of him. It was various medical reports and brain scans. He tried to undo whatever the man had been doing when he came in. Probably deleting anything he could get his hands on.

"Okay, J, you know the drill. I want it all. Copy Hill ay HQ." Tony said and watched as JARVIS went to work on the other screen. Tony continued to dig at what was right in front of him.

"Clint's secure." Natasha said, and Tony couldn't help but nod at himself. That was one worry taken off the field.

"Good. Get to Banner, time for a lullaby." Steve said next. The lullaby was still a relatively new thing. One of the many plans set in place to manage the Hulk out in the field. This was one of Banner's favorite because never before had he thought anything would be able to calm the Hulk down enough to phase out.

Tony focused back on his own work. He didn't like what he was seeing right now, and he knew it was only going to get worse when he sat down to actually read through it all. Tony glanced around the room and mumbled to himself, "I know you're hiding more than files." He spun around to take in the entire space around him. "Hey, J, give me an IR scan of the room real quick."

"The wall to your left." JARVIS said after a moment. "I'm reading steel reinforcement and an air current."

Tony moved toward it, "Please be a secret door, please be a secret door, please be a secret door..." He shoved his hands against the wall, and it released with a hiss then swung open. He smirked, "Yay." Tony stepped in and peeked around the corner to see a long metal staircase that led to more darkness. He bobbed his head once, "Well, this isn't at all foreboding."

Steve peeled his mask off and stepped into the stone corridor. Tony was on task of looking for the scepter, and he was going to make sure Strucker didn't escape. Their intel told them he was here with his band of merry HYDRA agents, but that was it. The inhumans were a surprise, but there were no escape routes that they noticed when flying in. Strucker wasn't getting away from them.

A soldier with a gun spotted him, but then immediately turned to run back in the way he had come from. Steve lunged forward after him, catching up in only a few long strides, and kicked the soldier in the back sending him sprawling forward into the ground. Steve continued forward, though the guy looked out cold, and was pleasantly surprised when Strucker himself jogged up a set of stairs only to come to a screeching stop in front of him.

"Baron Strucker." Steve smirked. They were due for some good luck today. Strucker looked sheepish as he let out a breathless laugh. Steve stepped toward him and Strucker mirrored his steps to try and keep distance between them. "HYDRA's number one thug."

There were three exits in the room. The door behind him, the staircase leading to the floor below, and then a smaller door across the room behind Strucker. The HYDRA scientist chuckled, "Technically, I'm a thug for SHIELD."