HOWARD WAS completely against Evelyn going into a fortified Hydra base until she told him who was captured in there. She had no choice. Bucky Barnes was not dead, she could feel it. It was stupid and nothing to go off of, but she had to go in there and see for herself. She was so glad Steve would be coming with her.
Peggy came aboard as well, refusing to allow her best friends to fly in dangerous territory alone. She watched Steve from afar, the man placing his stolen helmet on his head. She watched how he reached over to grab Evelyn's hand that was shaking on her bouncing knee.
"We'll find him," he said, more so to himself.
Peggy noticed they were getting close, and there was a slight chance Howard would be able to get them close enough despite what he thought. "The Hydra camp is in Krausberg, tucked between these two mountain ranges. It's a factory of some kind," Peggy explained to Evelyn and Steve. Steve watched Evelyn soak up the information as she planned in her head.
"We should be able to drop you both right on the doorstep," Howard added, turning his head slightly to yell.
Steve shook his head, worried for Peggy. "Just get us as close as you can," he paused before adding, "You know, you two are gonna be in a lot of trouble at the lab."
Peggy scoffed. "And you both won't?"
"Where we're goin', if anybody yells at me I can just shoot 'em," Steve said cheekily.
"They will undoubtedly shoot back," Peggy said.
Evelyn shrugged. "I think we'll be okay."
"Let's hope it's good for something," Steve added, knocking at his fake shield on the ground next to him.
Howard flew steadily for a while before calling back, "Agent Carter, if we're not in too much of a hurry I thought we could stop off in Lucerne for a late night fondue," he joked as Peggy looked awkwardly at Steve.
"Howard," Evelyn called, "shut up."
Howard let out a loud laugh. "Just trying to diffuse the tension and pretend I'm not about to send my sister to her death."
"Charming," Evelyn said as she stood to grab the two parachutes, handing one to Steve.
Peggy saw Steve frown. "Stark is the best civilian pilot I've ever seen. He's mad enough to brave this airspace, we're lucky to have him."
Steve stammered, trying to form his right words. "So are you two—Do you–Fondue?"
"This just keeps getting better," Evelyn said to herself as Peggy gave her a look to which the Stark replied with a teasing smile.
Peggy handed a black box of technology. "This is your transponder. Activate it when you're ready and the signal will lead us straight to you."
"Are you sure this thing works?" Steve asked.
"It's been tested more than you, pal," Howard cracked just as the plane began to be attacked. Evelyn groaned as she was thrown to the side. Steve and Evelyn locked eyes, knowing they had to go now.
Evelyn clicked her parachute in place as she opened the door. Steve followed.
"Get back here! We're taking you all the way in," Peggy yelled to them over the wind.
"Evelyn, wait!" Howard shouted.
"As soon as we're free, you turn this thing around and get the hell outta here!" Steve said just as Evelyn jumped. He knew he had to follow.
"You can't give me orders!" Peggy called.
"The hell I can't! I'm a Captain!"
Evelyn landed as gracefully as she could through the trees, clicking the strap of her parachute to get it off of her. Taking out a gun with a silencer on it, she held it close to her as she waited for Steve. Hearing rustling, she turned sharply and pointed her gun at Steve falling less than gracefully. Muttering under his breath, he was glad when Evelyn walked forward to help unlatch thr parachute from his body.
"Come on, Cap," Evelyn said with a teasing grin.
The pair took off through the dark forest, their eyesight allowing themselves to be able to see. Steve and Evelyn ran at the same speed, which surprised Steve that he could even run that fast to begin with. After all, they had not done any tests on him.
As they made it to a road, Evelyn had Steve crouch as she listened intently. Hearing what she wanted, she said, "Two or three cars. Get in the last one. That'll be our ticket in." Steve nodded at her words.
When they saw the few trucks pass, Steve took off to the last truck. He jumped inside, and Evelyn quickly followed to latch on the truck. She hanged on the outside while grunts of pain were happening. Sighing, she waited until two Hydra guards were thrown out.
"Clear," Steve called, knowing she was there. She quickly rolled inside, taking deep breaths to calm her nerves.
They rode the truck all the way inside the Hydra factory. Steve followed Evelyn's lead in steaking the blue shining cartridges that way the Stark siblings could study them.
"Let's go this way," Evelyn told Steve. Once they hid on the shadows of walls, they had made it past more guards until they were in a room of cages. The prisoners were inside. Evelyn found the keys hanging on the outside of the room, so she quickly grabbed them as Steve jumped down after killing a guard to land on top of a cage.
"Who are you supposed to be?" a man asked.
Steve hesitated before saying, "I'm... Captain America."
"I beg your pardon?" another man said.
Evelyn walked in as Steve jumped down. "Cages go all the way back," Steve told her since he was able to see from above. She handed him the keys as she kept her gun cocked at the door.
"What, are we taking everybody?" as the door was opened, a man glanced over at a Japanese-looking prisoner and said this causing Evelyn to smile when the second man pulled out his dog tags.
"I'm from Fresno, Ace," he said snarkily before he noticed Evelyn. "Stark?" he asked.
"Yeeeep," she dragged it out as she handed him one of her guns. She handed the others a few weapons, making sure she had two on her person left. "Any of you know a Sergeant James Barnes? Is he here?"
Steve let the men pass the keys around so that every cage could be unlocked as he stood next to Evelyn's fierce stature.
"There's an isolation ward in the factory, but no one's ever come back from it," a soldier responded.
Evelyn nodded. "Thanks."
Steve looked at the large group of men before commanding, "All right. The tree line 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."
Evelyn and Steve began to run out of the room when a man yelled back, "Wait! You know what you're doin'?"
Steve only shrugged and said, "Yeah. I've knocked out Adolf Hitler over two hundred times."
Evelyn and Steve ran through hallways, not bothering to try and hide since they could hear the soldiers giving Hydra hell just as Steve had requested. Evelyn turned a corner, pointing her gun at a short man holding a bunch of blueprints in his hand. The man froze—she recognized him as Arnim Zola from briefings. She waited until he ran off before she and Steve made their way into his office.
"Look," Evelyn pointed to the nearest wall. "Map of their bases. Memorize it." She and Steve stared for a moment before taking off again to look through rooms until Evelyn heard a faint mumbling.
She felt her heart beating faster as she turned sharply and made her way into a lab. Steve followed hesitantly as Evelyn finally found a body strapped to a table.
"Sergeant. 32557," Bucky began just as Evelyn's face came into view.
"James," Evelyn said, patting his face softly as his eyes seemed to clear and focus on her. "Hey, baby."
"Bucky? Oh, my God," Steve said as he and Evelyn ripped off the straps that kept him to the table.
"Is that—" Bucky began as Steve pulled him to sit up.
Steve smiled and nodded. "It's me. It's Steve. Evelyn's here. We're here, pal."
"Steve?" Bucky asked softly as if his mind could not focus that the pair were truly in front of him. Evelyn saw him trying to figure out what was real and unreal.
"Come on," Evelyn said, caressing his cheek once before turning and holding her gun up.
"Evelyn," Bucky called brokenly. "Why are you—What?"
Steve grimaced, helping him stand. "I thought you were dead."
Bucky's eyes looked Steve up and down. "I thought you were smaller."
Steve and Evelyn grinned as Evelyn checked the hallway. "It's clear. Come on."
"What happened to you?" Bucky asked Steve as Steve let him go. Bucky quickly made it to Evelyn's side.
"I joined the Army," Steve said cheekily.
"Did it hurt?"
"A little."
"Is it permanent?"
"So far!"
Bucky gripped Evelyn's hand tightly. "Wh–Why are you here, Lyn?"
"To rescue you," Evelyn replied as they turned through another hallway. Bucky was about to say something when Evelyn cut him off. "I love you, Buck, but give me the lecture later."
Bucky nodded, refusing to let her hand go as they made it to a catwalk above explosions happening below. In front of the trio stood Schmidt and Zola. Steve stood in front, a glare on his face.
"Captain America! How exciting! I'm a great fan of your films," Schmidt began, tsking with his tongue. "So Dr. Erskine managed it after all. Not exactly an improvement, but still impressive."
Steve ran forward, punching Schmidt in the face.
"You've got no idea."
Evelyn was about to run and help, but Bucky did not let her hand go. "S-Stay with me," Bucky asked, breaths still coming out ragged from whatever experiment Zola performed on him. Evelyn took a deep breath before nodding.
"Haven't I?" Schmidt asked as Steve blocked a punch with his shield. Zola suddenly pulled a lever that had the catwalk recede. They were separated now as Evelyn grabbed Steve's arm to pull him back. "No matter what lies Erskine told you, you see I was his greatest success!"
"No," Evelyn said quickly. "Erskine knew you were his only mistake!"
"Stark," Schmidt scoffed. "His apprentice. Too smart to allow Erskine to take all the credit for the work you did, yet you do. You're a fool."
"Yep, I'm all kinds of stubborn," Evelyn called back as he sneered her way.
Schmidt began to rip off his face, allowing red to peak through. Suddenly, he was staring at them as the Red Skull. Not Schmidt.
"You don't have one of those, do you?" Bucky asked quietly. Evelyn squeezed his hand.
"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!"
As Schmidt and Zola ran off, Steve called, "Then how come you're running?" They realized the place was going to collapse soon. They needed to get out. "Come on, let's go. Up." Evelyn led the way up the stairs.
On the next floor, the only way across was over a thin metal gantry that was sure to collapse any minute.
Steve looked over the edge with a shaky breath. "Let's go. One at a time."
Bucky grabbed Evelyn's waist, lifting her over the rail. She took a deep breath, keeping her arms extended as she walked briskly to the other side. Bucky let out a sigh of relief as she made it. The flames below licked higher as more explosions went off. Steve helped Bucky over as it was his turn to walk across.
Evelyn reached her arms out to link with his just as the gantry broke beneath his feet. Evelyn was holding his arms, using her strength to pull him over the rail. Once he was stable, she realized Steve was stuck on the other side.
"Gotta be a rope or something!" Bucky yelled as Evelyn looked around to calculate the best course of action.
"Just go! You and Evelyn get out of here!" Steve yelled.
"No! Not without you!" Bucky screamed, his voice full of pain.
Evelyn did quick calculations before nodding at Steve. "You can jump!"