Fire and Ice - (Bucky Barnes x OC) 18+

Chapter 23

Storming inside the compound, Tony headed straight to the research room where all the tech was and began trying to find anything he could. Sightings, news, anything while Sam was left having to explain what happened to the others, showing the video footage with help from Friday.

"Oh dear god.." Peppers voice was soft as she placed a hand to her chest and looked away from the screen. She couldn't bare to see it.

"Alex.." Natasha breathed and lowered her gaze while chewing the inside of her cheek, equally she was fuelled with rage.

"I'm gonna kill every single Hydra agent alive," Wanda promised, red eyes joining the party and red sparks circled her fingers, she exchanged a look with Natasha.

"I knew this plan didn't feel right...i knew it." Steve muttered, folding his arms against his chest with worry lacing his features. 

"I should of been there," The shook his head, in truth he had no idea if things would have been different if he was in Malibu with them or not.

"Thinking about what you should have done won't help them now, Rogers," Natasha said, dragging her gaze to meet Steves. 

"We need to find out where they were taken,"

Bruce stood grasping the edges of the table and lowered his head, it was one thing to hear that one of them was taken, but to actually see footage of torture like that to one of their own hit him a little too much, he was controlling his inner hulk from wanting to break free. Tantrums wouldn't solve the issue.

"Well, how do you suggest we find them?" Sam asked, exhaling through his nose. "The jet they escaped in had a cloaking screen so neither myself nor Friday was able to track it on site,"

They all looked at each other and collectively sighed, Pepper headed out of the briefing room, into the research room where Tony was.

"Tony... Sweetie," She gently placed her hand on his shoulder while he kept his gaze on the screens.

"Tony"

He turned his head and looked at her, noticing the others standing by the entranceway too.

"I know this is hard but we need you okay. She needs you...you can't lock yourself up and withdraw into one of your solitude moments. We're all here to help, every single one of us,"

"What if they..." Tony stopped himself with a shake of his head. 

"I can't lose her, Potts..." He scratched the back of his neck then cracked each finger.

"I need to find my sister." He whispered, glancing back at the screens and Pepper stepped forwards, taking hold of his hands to stop him fidgeting. 

"We will, we'll find them. This isn't your fault," she said. 

"If i stayed with her, if i didn't go help you, she'd still be here...they would still be here," Tony stated, addressing Sam and thinking of a thousand different case scenarios, but the what if's and the we should've's were not going to help them find their friends.

"You can't do that Tony. You can't blame yourself, it wasn't your fault, none of us could've known that Hydra were there," Sam re-assured, but hearing that organisations name mentioned aloud had Tony snapping his reply.

"Yeah but she's suffering now!"

When he met Pepper's gaze in the tension filled silence, a deep breath left him and he slid his gaze to Steve who stepped into the room.

"We'll find them, i swear to you," Steve said, his tone holding a promise. He wanted to find his bestfriend's just as badly. Tony looked away and with a huff of breath through his nose, he walked out needing some air.

"What've we got so far? What do we know? Let's get it out on the table, the hunt starts now." Steve said, stepping up and being the leader they all needed.

"Wanda and i can check the computers, see if there's anything within the radar," Natasha stated, and Wanda gave an agreeing nod as they headed to do so.

"Point me in the direction you need me, cap," Bruce said.

"Let's get everything we have on Hydra, and i mean everything. Maybe there's bases i missed back in the 1940's," 

At Steves suggestion, Bruce gave him a nod and went to start cyphering through files.

"I'll go check on him," Pepper pointed to the way Tony walked.

"Let us know if you need anything," Steve offered, understanding that they needed a bit of time alone to work through this situation before Tony would be back in action and helping alongside them.

The captain exchanged a look with Sam, and the falcon clapped his hands together.

"Alright, let's do this," He said.

The team began putting all their time and effort into finding their friends, their mission and only mission now was to get Alex and Bucky back no matter what it took—no matter the cost and in the process, they would take down any base that crossed their path.

If Hydra wanted to play dirty, then they were prepared to do so too.