Everest

Chapter Five

The rest of the plane ride, Y/N went to the back for some privacy, and Bucky took the time to review the files she had come up with and handed off to him.

There was still no background on who the head facilitator was for the whole operation, but they learned that the group was known as The Chimera. And if you can't guess from the name, they were a branch of Hydra. Real original picking another Greek monster with three heads, huh?

Anyway, for the last 40 years, they had been hunting down children who were a part of the mutant gene pool and scouting them. Majority of the time, they sold the idea to the recruits that they were starting a new group like the Avengers that they would be able to train on. Other times, they promised them a safe place and new home where their powers were appreciated. 

With these types of promises, there wasn't much need for convincing. But in it, there were harsh experiments that ended with many dead and others wishing they were dead instead. The terrorist group didn't care as long as they had them at their disposal.

It seemed as though the operation was the same one that Marley had been a part of, but after all this time, it was being led by a new group of scientists and divisions. Whoever they were, they knew what the original purpose was and were staying true to them.

However, they were being tracked by SHIELD as soon as they picked up on their activity. But it seemed as though each location found was a shell of what actually had been going on there.

There were leftover experiments, failed serums, and what looked like ransacked dens as they packed and moved to their next location. Clearly, whatever was going on, they were steering clear of SHIELD and what would be the downfall of their operation.

The evidence showed that Marley seemed to be once again used as their main guard dog. She had been left behind at operations to tack off any agents that came to pry.

The first few raids seemed to be clear, but as of the last two missions, Marley was left as a message to show SHIELD what exactly they were going up against. It was a scare tactic to keep them from following them, but all it did was now put one very pissed-off and powerful Avenger on their trail.

And God, was she tracking them... All the research of some high-level agents and Tony himself came nowhere close to what Y/N was able to put together. It helps when you've gone against these people before and know how they work. When they've hurt someone you love once, you dive into who they are and how to make them extinct.

Unfortunately, rats can easily flee without being noticed and build their nest all over again.

After 13 years of thinking they had killed off the group, just this last month, Tony got more intel and thus brought it to Y/N's attention. Now, they were headed to Plyos, Russia, in hopes of finding some run-down building where they normally would set up camp and operate.

Y/N and Bucky had been to two different warehouses and one abandoned barn so far, and nothing had come up. Each time, both of them being just that... abandoned. Not even a sliver of evidence of a possible evil scientist's lab being of use at some point in time.

They were back on the jet at this point. It was close to seven at night, and a blizzard was making its way into town.

Bucky slowly approached a defeated Y/N as she sat staring at the same papers that got them there—hoping that something new would catch her attention and point her in the right direction after so many wrong turns.

"Y/N," he said quietly. She stayed staring at the notes. "Listen, I know you want to keep looking, but there's a big storm moving in. As great as Stark's Tech is, I think it would be better if we found a motel or something to stay at for shelter."