Angels || Steve Rogers¹ ✓

𝙨𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 | 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙠𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙚

KALLIE LANDED ALONE IN THE WOODS. When she looked up, she remembered why. One of them, it seemed, was still in need of a parachute. Still, it was only minutes later that he was cutting away his harness, and they both started off towards the Hydra installment together. When they did, that was when they encountered their next barrier. Literally. The place was sealed off with a watchtower and everything. 

Seeing headlights just down the road, Kallie dropped to the ground, yanking down Steve by his arm. "Jesus," he muttered. "What is your..." He trailed off when he noticed the vehicles. After a moment, he rushed out after the last one, leaving her to follow.

"Yeah, no, it's fine, you're welcome, anytime." She whisper-hissed, chasing after him. They jumped into the truck in unison only to find Hydra soldiers inside.

"Fellas." Five seconds. The fight lasted five seconds before they were subdued and tossed out of the truck's rear, just out of view of the tower's lights. When the truck pulled to a stop, Steve's shield smacked back the guard, and they were on foo the rest of the way. Kallie let out a long breath, taking a moment to catch up with the fact that they had just successfully infiltrated a Hydra base. 

"This is absolutely mental." She giggled quietly.

"Come on."

They wove between parked trucks and tanks, avoiding the guards as they made their way up on top of the buildings, a short climb, really. From there they could make their way in, taking men out one at a time, keeping up their tactical advantage; the element of surprise. From one of the guards, Kallie retrieved a bigger gun. "You know," Kallie whispered. "You're pretty light on your feet for a guy that size."

"Yeah, thanks, it's all the time I spent as a little guy." He muttered back, only half focused on the words leaving his mouth while the other half of him was concerned with watching for any more men. His brows furrowed, however, when he caught sight of a partially-assembled glowing machinery piece on a nearby table. "Hey, check that out."

Kallie's own eyebrows lifted at the sight, and she turned one of the small pieces over in her hand before slipping it in her pocket. She and Stark could take a look later, but this was neither the time, nor the place. 

Locating the cells wasn't any harder than the rest of the trip, and Kallie's knife quickly found it's way into the back of the guard's skull. From beneath them, the prisoners looked on in slight confusion. "Who are you supposed to be?"

"I'm... Captain America."

Kallie smiled. "I'm just Kallie."

One of them chuckled good-naturedly. "Just Kallie? You seem like a little more than just anything, dear."

"Is there anybody else?" Steve asked as they released the men. "I'm looking for a Sergeant James Barnes."

"There's an isolation ward in the factory, but no one's ever come back from it."

"Alright. The treeline is northwest, 80 yards past the gate. Get out fast and give 'em hell. I'll meet you guys in the clearing with anybody else I find."

"We, Rogers." Kallie corrected, yet again.

He sighed. "Kallie..."

"We started it together, we're gonna finish it together. Two go in, two go out."

"Wait," One of the men interjected. "You know what you're doing?"

"Yeah. I've knocked out Adolf Hitler over two hundred times."

Kallie rolled her eyes. "He'll be fine. He's with me, just Kallie, remember?"

They fought through man after man, corridor after corridor and bridge after bridge until they reached a brick hallway, lit in green. Fleeing from one of the rooms was a strange little man. Kallie's internal compass was going wild now. That's where they needed to go. While Steve debated whether or not to chase after the man, Kallie slipped inside, eyes widening at the sight before her. "Steve? Get over here." In seconds he was at her side. "Is that your James Barnes?"

"Bucky." He moved to the table where the man was strapped down, muttering random numbers. "Oh my god..."

"Here." One slash of a knife and the bindings were reduced to ribbons. 

"Is that..."

"It's me." Steve assured him. "It's me, it's Steve."

"Steve?"

"Come on."

"Steve." He smiled as the supersoldier pulled him to his feet. 

"I thought you were dead."

"I thought you were smaller." He blinked at Kallie, bleary-eyed. "Who's the girl."

"Kallie Johnson, nice to meet you." She looked about as the compass spun faster and faster. It was a warning now, just like the lab explosion. "Now let's get the hell out of here."

"What happened to you?"

"I joined the Army." Kallie would have laughed had the situation not felt so dire. Along the way though, while Bucky regained his ability to walk on his own, Steve explained. 

"Did it hurt?"

"A little."

"Is this permanent?"

"So far."

"But not if we're dead." Kallie pointed out. And the factory blew to hell. They reached one of the balconies just in time to see their exit blow to hell. "Shit, I knew it." She hissed. "Run!"

Steve took the stairs up, Bucky following behind and Kallie bringing up the rear. Couldn't have either of these idiots falling behind. 

"Captain America! How exciting!" They stopped short at the sound of the voice. Schmidt's voice. "I am a great fan of your films. And a gift from the gods." He raised a brow at Kallie. "So," He refocused on Steve, Kallie keeping an eye on Bucky as the two men strode forward to meet in the middle. "Dr Erskine managed it after all. Not exactly an improvement, but still, impressive." 

Steve's fist clashing with Schmidt's face made Kallie's stomach twist. Whatever lay beneath that skin, there was something very wrong with this man. "You have no idea."

He only grinned. "Haven't I?" His own strike hit Steve's shield, leaving a sizeable dent before the younger supersoldier was knocked to the ground. Still, he kicked back, sending Schmidt flying before his little scientist reeled in the drawbridge, pulling them apart. "No matter what lies Erskine told you, you see, I was his greatest success!" Kallie watched himself peel back the skin of his own face, her suspicions confirmed at the strange red surface left behind. Still, she nearly gasped. Erskine had never told her the extent...

"You don't have one of those do you?" Bucky's voice wobbled.

"No." Kallie supplied quietly.

"You are deluded, Captain. You pretend to be a simple soldier, but in reality, you are just afraid to admit that we have left humanity behind. Unlike you, I embrace it proudly. Without fear!" He strode towards his exit -- an elevator opening in the wall.

"Then how come you're running?!" Steve demanded. To that, they gained no reply but for another explosion as the elevator shut. When Kallie spotted a new exit, they began to climb once more. One beam stretched between them and those doors. They had to hope it would hold. "Let's go, one at a time." Bucky went across first, gripping the other rail tightly when he made it. Then Steve. But when he was almost to the other side, it gave out beneath him, leaving him just enough time to leap across, making it there. When he turned back though, he found Kallie stranded. "Kallie!"

"Go!" She cried. "You made it now go!"

"No! There has to be a rope, or-"

"Steve, run! Get out of here!"

"NO! Two go in, two come out!"

She let out a shaky breath. "Fuck." She retreated back a few steps before taking a running start and jumping. Her feet kicked off the bar, and she thrust her hand out, leaving herself a small stepping stone of energy to push off of in the middle... and another explosion rocked the room. She screamed as she landed, a sizeable shard of metal stabbed into her side, wedged between ribs. She could hear the other two shouting, panicking, trying to get her up, but she pushed them back, wrapping her hand firmly around the debris before ripping it out of her side. She cried out again, gritting her teeth in pain, but she could get back to her feet now, with a little help. Steve gripped her arm as they ran out, destruction raining down at their backs.