For the next few weeks, Rachel is trained again and with the bracelet still attached to her wrist, the amount of energy and strength she has is significantly low. She's taking more hits in the training sessions than she usually would, and she usually trains with Steve, a super soldier. Although, he probably holds back on her during training. Her energy drains much faster and with each hit she takes, she gets a flashback to her time being trained as a teenager. She remembers going back to her cell, covered in cuts and bruises and curling up into a ball and crying herself to sleep. The memory of her parents deaths haunted her dreams, only for her to wake up and live a different kind of nightmare.
She groans as she hits the mat after a man kicks her abdomen. She lies on the mat, panting as she tries catching her breath. Her entire body aches and she feels exhausted. She does her best to relax but she's aware of the group of men in the room with her who will continue to 'train' her without any hesitation. She wishes that she, at least didn't have to wear the bracelet that causes her to feel drained 24/7. She wishes she didn't have to go through any of this and she could be at home with Steve and the rest of the team. If anything, her wish to be home is further motivating her to take this place down and stop them from hurting anyone else.
She tries to get as much information about the building, by studying it and asking inconspicuous questions to people, mainly the mistress. She's desperate to get the information as quickly as possible so that she can be done with this place and go home. The sooner she gets home, the better. And the less likely Steve and the team will come looking for her. If she's gone for too long they'll get more worried and come searching for her anyway. She refuses to let that happen.
---
Meanwhile, at the compound Steve and the rest of the team are sitting in the living room. The tv is playing a movie but Steve is barely paying attention to it. "Steve?" Nat repeats but Steve still doesn't respond as his mind is elsewhere. "Steve" she says more softly as she rests a hand on his arm pulling him out of his thoughts. "What?" she asks, wondering what he had missed. "Are you sure we shouldn't look for her? We could help her with whatever it is that she's doing" she asks him while everyone else watches him, waiting for his answer to the question they've all been wanting to ask. "No" he answers, remembering her note, that's still sitting on his bedside table. Everyone watches him as he stares at his hands and he notices the uncomfortable silence.
"Believe me, I want to be out there helping her too. Protecting her but she asked us not to look for her. She said she left to keep us safe, she wants to know that we're here and safe. She's strong, she knows what she's doing and she'll be home soon. I'm sure of it" he explains with a confident nod. However, he seems to be assuring himself more than anyone else. The will power it's taking for him to stay here instead of searching for her to help and protect her is monumental. He's sleeping in their bed. A bed that feels so much bigger without her in it. He finds himself turning to her side, expecting to see her sleeping beside him, but he only finds her empty and untouched side.
Every day he worries that she's alone somewhere and hurt, or worse. He feels the urge to find her and make sure that she's okay. While she may not be hurt at the moment but she could certainly use his help. But her clever and stubborn self has made him promise to wait for her to come home. He fights the urge to leave and find her every day. He's never had an urge as strong as this one and with each passing day he prays that she'll walk through the door in one piece and everything will go back to normal. Or that he'll at least get a call or text from her to let him know that she's okay and she'll be home soon.
Yet, every day he feels the disappointment and he lies in their bed after a day of waiting for her to walk through the door and his phone empty of any texts or calls from her. But every night, he assures himself that she's perfectly fine and she'll be home in no time.
That night, Steve arrives in their bedroom, changes into some joggers and a shirt before sitting on the bed. He glances at his bedside table to see the note that she left behind but behind it is a framed photo of him and Rachel. The photo shows them in the park, Rachel dragged him out on a walk when he was working non-stop. He finds himself remembering when she walked into his office and insisted that he go with her.
"Hey babe" Rachel greets as she enters Steve's office. "Hey" he replies, raising his head to smile at her before turning his attention back to the documents spread out in front of him. "Maybe you should take a break. You've been in here for a few hours" she suggests as she starts massaging his shoulders. "No, I'm okay" he refuses as he continues making some notes. "Come on. You can get back to it in a bit" she states. He starts to object further but she takes the pen from his hand and pulls him to his feet by his arm. "I'm not taking no for an answer" she states as she drags him out of the room. He chuckles at her and follows her out of the compound.
While they walked through the park, Rachel spontaneously pulls out her phone and takes a selfie. He instinctively smiles as she wraps her arm around him and takes the selfie.
He smiles at the memory as he stares at the framed photo. "Please, come home soon" he whispers before placing the frame back on the table and climbing into the bed for the night.