Burn and America (Avengers/Captain America Fan Fic)

Chapter 26

Steve Rogers - Captain America

Freya's been gone for a week and a half now. We had tried to track her using her ear piece, but it was either broken or she was somewhere deep underground or high up, because we couldn't pick up her signal.

I imagined her face again now, as I normally did at this time of day. Her dark, slightly wavy dark brown hair falling down her back, her bright green eyes with the flecks of gold. Her easy smile, her warm and bubbly personality. Her award winning charisma, that beautiful smile, and the way she fights.

Her flame sword, engulfed with flames, shooting fire rays and fireballs from her palms. Our conversation before Loki took her..

"Steve!" I heard Freya's voice say over the ear piece.

"Yeah?" I asked, hitting two chitauri over the head, and blasting the third with a fallen chitauri blastor.

"I think I'm gonna have to take a rain check on that date." She said over the ear piece. I slam my shield down on a chitauri's neck and turn to look in her direction. "What?"

"I'm sorry." she whispered. I heard a loud thud over my ear piece, then silence.

Her words, her comment about the rain check on our date...

That's exactly what I had told Peggy before I had plunged myself into that ice.

Was this how Peggy had felt, all those years ago? Was she in constant agony, not knowing if I was dead or alive? Worrying, that I was going through something worse than death itself?

If she was, I hated myself for putting her through that, because right now, I felt like I was in hell.

I was miserable, constantly worrying about what Loki could be doing to her right now.

Was he torturing her?

Was Maggie torturing her?

Was she dead?

And if she was, did she suffer?

Thor had gone to Asgard to search for any clues of Loki's whereabouts there. So far, he hadn't returned.

Agent Hill and Clint were constantly watching the screens, searching the data and images for any sign of her.

Stark and Bruce were sifting through news and weather reports, anything that might signify any type of correlation to Freya, Maggie, Loki, or any of his soldiers or chitauri.

Natasha and I were interrogating Devin Santorina. Well, Natasha was. I was slamming my fist into his face whenever he didn't answer correctly.

"So. Not going to cooperate again today?" Natasha asked, wearing her black shield uniform, arms crossed and legs spread in an intimidating stance. I was standing beside her, wearing my Captain America uniform, minus the mask, in case we had to go at a moment's notice.

To my credit, I had really done a number on his face. He had black and blue bruises all over his face, and he was still handcuffed to the metal chair of the interrogation room.

Everything in the room was bolted down except for Natasha and I. The chair, the table, and Santorina, chained to the bolted chair by four handcuffs. One on each wrist, and one on each ankle.

"You know how this works. First, we ask you simple questions, to test the water. Then, the questions progressively become more and more important until we hit you with the million dollar question; where is Freya? But today, I'm not in the mood." Natasha says, voice stern and even.

"So, we'll start right off the bat. Tell us everything you can about Freya's whereabouts, Loki's whereabouts, Maggie's whereabouts, and what the two are planning to do." Natasha says.

Santorina quirks an eyebrow. "Why do you want to know where Maggie is?" He asks, an edge of worry in his voice.

For a moment, Natasha doesn't say anything. "This whole week, you've been hostile, unwilling to comply. But whenever Maggie Taschereau is mentioned, you act differently. You're not so hostile, not as angry. You seem almost... Happy. Why?"

Devin glares at her for a moment longer. "She won't be Maggie Taschereau for long." He says quietly. "Why?" Natasha asks, voice even, stance and facial expression never changing.

Devin makes a vain effort to move the hair away from his face. His dark brown eyes do look almost happy, like Natasha suggests. "In a few weeks, she was supposed to be Maggie Santorina." He says.

I raise an eyebrow. "She was going to marry you?" I ask despite myself. He nods. "We were supposed to get married. But then Loki approached her and told her there was a way for her to exact her revenge. I didn't want her to, but she accepted his offer. I joined her in working for Loki." He says.

"Don't you want her back?" Natasha asks gently. He nods. "She's pursuing this crazy idea of revenge that she swore she had given up. I couldn't break up with her, I love her to much to do that. But I want her revenge seeking days to end, and soon, so we can get married and live some normal life together." He said.

"But that can't happen." Natasha says. "Well, it can. If you tell us where they're keeping Freya, then we can let you and Maggie go. We won't send you to jail, won't imprison you or anything. You can go and live that dream of yours; live your normal life and be married, have kids and be a wonderfully domesticated couple." Natasha says.

"All you have to do is say the word, and tell us where Loki's keeping Freya, and we'll let you off the hook."

"No arrests, no parole officers, no more shield breathing down your neck. You take your girl, you get hitched, have kids, buy a house, with nothing from us to bother you."

"If we were to find Freya without your help, then we'd imprison you both, charge you as war criminals in alliance with a well known enemy of our world, and depending on the council's decision, could possibly be executed." Natasha says.

She keeps a straight face, as if everything she just said didn't bother her.

"What will it be? Freedom, and a normal life with the woman you love, or a possibly shorter life span, with the certain imprisonment of both you and Maggie in the near future?" Natasha asks rhethorically.

Devin Santorina's face changes instantly as she finishes speaking. You can practicall hear the cogs moving in his head.

"Perth, Scotland. Under the River Tay."

Natasha moves instantly, turning on her heel and heading for the door, with me fast on her heels.

"Wait!" He calls after us. "You said you'd set me free!" Natasha freezes, and I almost crash into her. "Once we find Freya," Natasha says. "We'll let you go, and you can go find Maggie. Assuming Freya leaves her alive, anyway."

We shut the door to the angry yells of an anguished lover, his cries and rantings not very different from my own.