ROMANOGERS: PAST TO PRESENT

Chapter Twenty Five

Steve's POV

I was blindfolded and cuffed with what I did not know. I had struggled to break free multiple times but it seemed impossible. I was being dragged across a smooth presumably metal floor based on the sound of the soldiers' boots. It was cold and everything seemed to echo. I'm most likely underground, in a room somewhere. Shivering slightly I counted the turns in my head trying to remember them but there was so much twisting I became disoriented. We rounded yet another corner when a piercing cry tore through the velvet sack on my head. I had the urge to cover my ears. It came again and again steadily growing louder before a voice broke the screaming. I recognized the tone immediately though she was pleading desperately.

"Scarrlet?" I questioned jerking to my feet. She needed help, somebody was hurting her. "Scarrlet! Wanda! Where are you?"

Another jab of electricity dropped me to my knees leaving my lungs empty. My fingers twitched in response to the electricity. Shaking the fuzziness from my mind I tried again to follow the noise of her screams only to be kicked forward by a boot to the back. I was yanked to my knees again before the dragging commenced. I'm sorry Scar. I'll figure a way out of this just hang in there. The sound of a click followed by the grating of metal signalled the opening of a door.

I was released dropping to the floor with a loud thud. My blind fold was removed carefully, my vision swimming because of the light. A sharp pain in my shoulder caused my skin to crawl. I jerked away only to receive two more jabs. It felt like needles. A numbing sensation spread through my arms and back slowly crawling down my legs. It became awkward to move. My eyes steadied just as large chains linked me to the ceiling stretching my arms apart in a painful way. Wincing I glared angrily at the man before me. Struggling I tried as hard as I could to pull my chains wanting them to break. There wasn't a budge.

"Vibranium. You should be familiar with it." There was the nonchalant flip of his hand that wanted me reaching out and breaking it. "We'll use the same on Dr. Banner. Got to keep him from shifting."

"Where are they?" I snarled lunging futilely in his direction. A mocking laugh slipped from his mouth, a biker's mask still covering his face. I had yet to see what he looked like, the dark playing in his favor, and the helmet concealing his features.

"Your friends are being taken care of. In fact, would you like to see them?" He laughed banging on the door and soon a large screen was wheeled into my cell. I was surrounded by four thick walls of metal shrouded in shadow. "Now watch carefully. I think you'll enjoy this."

The screen clicked on and at first there was only darkness but slowly I made out the shapes of people by the faint glow of light slipping under a door. It was Scarrlet hanging limply on a vertical platform, sweat coating her skin. A man stooped over her whispering in her ear. She shivered her gaze resting in the direction of the hidden camera. Her eyes looked haunted, like she was surrounded by demons I couldn't see. It switched to show Bruce in a similar state as me, a girl looming over him with a vicious smile. Her hand had two stone rings on them and as Bruce ignored her questions he received a brutal punch. Almost instantly two large bruises formed where her knuckles had hit. It switched to Clint who was upside down, dangling by the ankles from the ceiling. He was being spun around blood rushing to his head occasionally receiving a kick. Tony appeared tied down to a chair that was bolted to the floor. He already had a black eye somehow smirking all the while as his predator circled above. Hope was strapped to a medical chair wires sticking in and out of her body. Her face was scrunched in pain and deep pitiful moans resonated from her throat.

"Turn it off!" I bellowed turning my head away. I couldn't watch, it made me sick. He laughed again turning his back to me and looking at the screen.