Chapter 37 - Tony Stark
"What do you want?" I ask as I hear the click of boots on the floor. They stop in front of me, their arms crossing. I drag my eyes up from my work to see Natasha, a hint of hope flashing across her face.
"We have some new information on Rachel." She says, keeping a straight face, her mouth trying very hard to turn up into a smile. My eyes widen, and I ignore the beeping of the simulation I've been running on my tablet.
"What do you mean?" I ask, dumbstruck.
"I mean, we found her, Tony. It's time to bring her home."
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Rachel's POV
It has been six months, two weeks, and four days since I've been captured. I keep small tallies on the wall behind my bed, moving it daily to get back there. I counted this morning to check.
It has been two months, a week, and six days since they tried to brainwash me; they failed, obviously. After that one day in the experimentation room, they tried to erase what happened. They wanted to bury what they'd done to me, but I fought it. It worked for a few days, but I was eventually able to piece it together again.
It has been three weeks since they tried to start training me; my powers have only gotten out of control once. They tried to force me to train, but the panic running through me caused me to lose control, a wave of blue power came tumbling from my hands, scaring me enough to fight the training. No training meant my time was bided by beatings. It still hurts to breathe, one of my ribs still broken and unset.
I've been learning to suppress my powers on my own. It takes everything I have to push them aside, the force of them overtaking me.
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Steve's POV
The Quinjet takes off.
Today is the day the Avengers have been waiting for.
Today is the day I've been waiting for.
We are bringing Rachel home.
It's taken months to find her, apparently, she went missing while I was unconscious in the hospital six months ago after D.C. It's taken everything I have not to go looking for her on my own, but Natasha talked some sense into me eventually.
Natasha told me only a few hours ago, and the Avengers were ready to move.
Natasha speaks up from the side of the quinjet. "Guys, be careful. This is a stealth mission but it is also a rescue op raiding a HYDRA base. These people will not go down without a fight. You saw what they did to S.H.I.E.L.D. Be ready."
"Landing in process," Barton states as the plane begins its descent.
"Steve," Tony says, breaking me out of my thoughts. I turn my head to address him. "Be careful," he says, worry filling his features. I nod, then turn to address the team.
"This is a rescue. We find her, we get out. Once we are out, Barton, I'm going to need you to put this place back where it came from." I say, looking straight at Barton. He nods.
"We have touched down," Barton says. "Light the bastards up."
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Rachel's POV
The guards open the door to my cell, grabbing my arms harshly and dragging me off of the bed. They pull me out of my room, past the threshold as the tops of my feet drag behind me. Sirens blare through the base. The guards look between each other frantically, my body hanging loosely between them.
They roughly dump me inches from the doorway and slam it shut, leaving me locked up inside. It takes me a moment to comprehend what happened, my weak limbs trying to get my body up off of the floor.
Unable to fully lift myself up, I pull my body towards the window of my cell. I watch as guards scramble around for a while and they disappear.
They are leaving me here to rot.
I start to pound on the glass, hoping anyone would come to get me out of here. What is going on? The sharp blare of the siren cracks through my head, disorienting my weak body. I feel the power that now lives in me bubble up, my hands forming small bundles of blue power.
I look down at my palms, trying to calm my breathing. The power fades slightly from them, but the blue energy still alights my palms. My breathing becomes ragged and I watch as the bundle grows again. I grit my teeth to keep from screaming.
The tears well in my eyes as I begin to lose control. The steady thump of boots yanks my attention from my hands. My tears blur my vision but the face I see sends a rush of calm through my body.
"Rachel?"
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Steve's POV
After fighting off the initial mob of HYDRA agents, the amount of agents subsides. They aren't putting up much of a fight, many of the agents running. Confusion washes over me as I begin to run down the deserted halls, looking for any sign of life. I search three halls, not finding anything.
My hope begins to fade as a blue glow from the end of a new hall catches my eye. I slow down, putting my shield up, ready to defend. I hear a shaky breath escape from the end of the hall. I try to calm my unsteady breathing, trying to prepare myself for anything.
I walk slowly towards the door, the blue light still glowing. I adjust my grip on the shield, approaching the window next to the door slowly. My breath catches in my throat.
"Rachel?" I ask, my voice cracking. Her eyes are on me, a thick glaze over them. The tears are pooled in her eyes, threatening to spill over. I scan her face, dried blood dribbled from her nose and from her temple. I take in a shaky breath, scanning her body. My eyes stop short on her hands, small balls of blue light forming there. I feel the fear overtake me.
Her chest heaves, the breath rushing from her as her face goes blank and she passes out. I take my shield, throwing it against the door until it breaks from the hinges, flying across the room. I move quickly to Rachel's unconscious figure. My free hand reaches out to her neck, checking for a pulse and finding one.
"I found her," I breathe into the comms. I look back down to Rachel, her beautiful face so hollowed out and her body so thin. I gently sweep my arms under her knees and neck, lifting her frail body from the ground. My breathing becomes even more uneven, her unconscious body reminding me of the time she was shot. I run her out of the building and back to the jet, guilt washing over me. Tears prick my eyes as I gently set her body on the medical bed that we brought along with us.
I stumble back, my calves running into the seats that line the wall of the quinjet as Tony and Natasha rush on the plane and begin to look Rachel over.
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Rachel's POV
Warmth seeps into my body, my fingertips grazing the soft sheets. I open my eyes to a hospital room, cleaner than the ones I've grown accustomed to over these past few months. A small smile tugs at my mouth.
I'm finally free. I must've died, that was the only way out of there. I did see Steve after all. He was the one in the window of my cell. I take in a relieved sigh, finally free from my captors. I look to my palms, free of blue energy, and another wave of relief washes over me. My attention catches on the IV in my right arm. I quickly rip it out and push myself to the side of the bed. I try to get up, but my knees give out. A pair of strong arms catch me before my knees crack on the tile below me.
"Woah, woah. Calm down. You're alright," a voice says. I look up, my eyes meeting Bruce's soft gaze. I gasp.
"Bruce? You're dead?" His eyes flicker with sorrow and confusion.
"You aren't dead, Rachel. You're at the tower. You're safe." I shake my head.
"But if I'm alive then I'll never see Steve again!" I try to push Bruce off of me, tears wetting my cheeks. He takes the soft hits to the chest I land, lifting me gently onto the bed again. He picks up the dangling IV and slips it back into my arm, despite my protests.
"Why wouldn't you see Steve again? He's out in the hall." Bruce mumbles, his concentration still focused on the needle he is shoving into my arm.
"That isn't possible, Bruce. He's dead." My voice cracks as I stop fighting, the realization hitting me again and again. It hasn't stopped for the past six months. Every time I think or breathe his name the realization crashes into me again. Bruce sighs, checking my vitals.
"Rachel, I promise you, he is very alive." His face contorts in sympathy.
"Is Tony okay too?" I ask, my voice quiet. Bruce nods solemnly as he takes a seat.
"Rachel, when Steve found you, your hands were glowing." A shiver runs down my spine, the panic sets in again. Five minutes. For five minutes I thought I didn't have this... this thing anymore. "Can you tell me what happened?" I feel my face drop, my eyes glazing over. Bruce shifts in his seat, taking a notebook out.
"Can you please, please just put that down?" My hands start to shake, my head reeling. "Can I just... just see him, please?" Bruce nods, closing his book and quickly leaving the room. I wait on the bed, eyeing the IV in my arm. I reach a shaking hand over, pulling the needle out again.
I can't take this. Too much is running through my head. Steve is alive? What is going on? Where am I? Bruce said the tower but I don't believe him. I don't believe anything anymore. My eyes stay focused on my arm, a small bead of blood pooling on the wound from the IV. There is going to be a hell of a scar. There are so many scars. So many wounds.
There is a light knock at the door but I don't move, my eyes glued to the blood on my arm. I hear the door squeak open, the hinges groaning as a presence enters the room. I don't move, I don't look up. I can barely breathe.
"Rachel?" the voice says. Steve's voice. The thing that has brought me comfort and companionship when I was at my lowest. I feel the tears well up, my eyes slowly dragging from the blood on my arm, over the bed, and then to him.
For months, I thought he was gone. I thought that HYDRA had taken him from me. For months they fed me lie after lie about him, tricking me into believing that I would never see him again. I take a shaky breath in as I make eye contact with him, the intenseness causing a shiver to run down my spine.
I have no words to say. I stare at him as his eyes trail over my body, his face contorting in pain as he sees the bruises all over me. His eyes finally pause on my hands. The skin has been slightly scarred there from the scientists smacking them with wood or metal to try and get me to test my powers. I hear him exhale, the breath as shaky as mine. I watch as he returns his eyes to my face, my eyes.
"Are you real?" I whisper, the tears coating my throat and making it hard to speak. Steve's lip quivers, a loose tear falling from the corner of his eye. My hands begin to tremble as I reach out. He rushes over to me, causing me to flinch back at the speed. He pauses, pain flashing across his features as he approaches more slowly.
My outstretched fingertips finally connect with the skin of his cheek. He leans into my hand gently, a silent sob heaving itself from my chest. I raise my other hand with it, cupping his face between my hands. Tears pour from Steve's eyes, the pain overwhelming him.
"You're real," I breathe. The corners of my mouth twitch up as he pulls me into a gentle hug.
Steve's POV
I pull her body to me, enveloping her in a hug. My arms feel too big around her. She is so frail and small. These six months have been brutal to her. I tuck my face into the crook between her shoulder and her neck, breathing her in.
For six months, we've looked for her, and now she is finally home. A sob comes from my mouth, muffled by her skin. I feel her heartbeat, moving too fast to be normal. Her breathing is as ragged as mine as we hold each other.
"Steve...?"
A voice calls my name from the hall, causing me to slowly pull away from Rachel. I smile gently at her, brushing some of the loose hair away from her face. My heart shatters, knowing who is calling for me in the hallway. Rachel's face contorts in confusion as I slowly back away from her.
Rachel's voice cracks. "What is it?"
I take a deep breath and walk over to the door, leading Sharon through. I smile gently over to her and take her hand.
"Rachel, this is Sharon. My... girlfriend."