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2014, New York – a few months after the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D.



‘Steve?’ a whispering voice called out to him. ‘Wake up. We have to move before they find us again… Steve?’

    A silent throb sent shots of pain through the super soldiers head as he slowly regained consciousness. He squinted his eyes, opening them slowly, holding his hand above his head to block out the sun.

    ‘He’s back,’ you cried out to someone behind you and Steve instinctively reached for the guns on his belt, only to realize Hydra had taken them – though useless anyway – from him. Everything slowly came back to him and he pushed himself from the soft, muddy soil once his vision had cleared.

    ‘What happened?’ he groaned, feeling every single muscle in body protest as he straightened himself, looking into your doubtful and worried gaze.

    ‘You passed out,’ a familiar voice explained. Bucky walked up to the Captain, offering him his hand as you pushed yourself from the mud, your hair and clothes still wet. The still surface of the water before you still rippled from your fall into the large pond in Central Park. ‘We pulled you out.’

    ‘Yes, we did and we can talk about that all you want later. Right now, we need to go,’ you quickly added, nodding at the sky. ‘They’ve already set in the descend.’

    Bucky agreed. ‘You need to get back to the rest of your friends. They don’t know yet what happened to you.’

    ‘We need to confront Stark…’ you swallowed hard. ‘Who knows what else he has planned.’

    Steve nodded at your words, knowing you were right. Not to mention Tony could have already found the “orb” – the only thing that could get Steve back to his own universe – and the super soldier wasn’t sure yet if that was a good thing. ‘One question though,’ he started, rubbing the pain from his eyes as he wondered what had exactly happened after you had all jumped from the helicarrier. ‘Why did you help us?’ he asked Bucky, looking in his friend’s familiar blue , but seeing only faint recognition. ‘How did you even find us?’

    ‘The world has gone to hell. Even Hydra knows that. I’ve been following the girl and her friends for a while, trying to help them repair the damages.’

    ‘I haven’t seen you before,’ you frowned, wringing the water out of your hair.

    ‘I remained out of sight, because I knew what you would think, but none of that really matters now. You have a traitor among you.’

    ‘Tony,’ you hissed. ‘That bastard better have a good explanation for all of this.’

    ‘We need to be careful, though,’ Steve said. ‘I doubt Stark told Hydra about the underground hideout, but agents will be scouting the city, looking for us.’

    ‘We gotta move,’ Bucky agreed. ‘Fast. It will be dark soon. The city is not a good place to be when it’s dark.’

    The Winter Soldier started moving, walking along the muddy shore of the pond, making his way to the other side swiftly. You and Steve followed him silently, both trying to figure out what had happened to Tony to rat everyone out like this. Steve thought he knew why, but he couldn’t be certain until he talked to the former billionaire. Sooner, rather than later, but it was still a long way to the underground parts of the Avengers Tower and he didn’t know if he would be in time to stop his friend from doing something foolish.

    ‘What do you think happened?’ you asked in a whisper as you kneeled behind a wall, observing Bucky as he made sure the way was clear of Hydra agents.

    ‘What do you mean?’

    ‘With the others… You think they succeeded?’

    ‘I don’t know,’ Steve sighed. ‘If they were waiting for us, maybe they were waiting for the rest as well.’

    ‘You think he knows?’ you said even softer, nodding in Bucky’s direction. ‘He was part of Hydra, right? Can we even trust him?’

    ‘If he was still part of Hydra we’d be dead. Don’t worry. I’m sure the others are fine. I don’t think Tony meant to do us any harm.’

    ‘I’m not so sure…’

    ‘It’s clear,’ Bucky signalled, interrupting your conversation. ‘Come on.’ He pushed himself out of hiding and ran out onto the streets soon disappearing into the shadows. Only the shimmer of his metal arm gave his direction away.

    You and Steve followed his example, letting the darkness of night swallow your forms as you ran through the rubble of New York, reminding yourselves of the tall buildings that had once been part of an iconic horizon. Now all that remained was dust.

    Steve tried to determine where he was, but everything was unfamiliar to him and after a while he gave up orienting himself and trusted Bucky and you to lead him back to Stark. In the meantime he explained to his friend how it was possible he was still alive, even after the Winter Soldier had watched him die. The story got easier to tell each time Steve had to tell it, but if even he couldn’t truly believe what had happened, how could he expect other to?

    Luckily Bucky had been through a lot to know nothing was impossible anymore and promised he would help the super soldier get back home.

    ‘Look,’ you whispered to Steve, pointing at the horizon after you had walked in silence for at least half an hour. ‘We’re almost there.’

    Bucky slowed his pace and gestured the two of you to stay quiet and get down. ‘It’s crawling with Hydra agent,’ he said, as you slowly made your way over to him and kneeled beside him. Big lights were shining on the ground a couple of feet below you – the crater where the Avengers Tower had once been – and over a dozen agents were inspecting the ground carefully, trying to find the hidden entrance to the hideout.

    ‘You think they found the entrance?’

    ‘No. If they had, they wouldn’t be up here.’

    ‘What do we do?’

    ‘Isn’t there a second entrance?’

    You smiled. ‘Tony would have me say no, but considering he betrayed us… Yes. Yes, there is. But it’s barred shut.’

    Bucky nodded, a serious frown on his face. ‘That won’t be a problem. Where?’

    ‘Just south of here. It’s more of an exit than an entrance. It’s a long tunnel running underneath New York. It’s very old. Most of it collapsed when Hydra bombed the city, but the way to the hideout should be clear.’

    ‘Good,’ Bucky nodded again. ‘Lead the way.’

    You did as you were told, slowly backing away from the ledge you had been standing on to observe Hydra. ‘This way,’ you said in a whisper, gesturing Bucky and Steve to follow you.

    You led them a couple of feet back into the darkness, placing your feet carefully in the path that had already been made. Broken pieces of concrete, pipes and parts of metal frames were sticking out of the rubble everywhere and you all had to be careful not to bump or fall into anything.

    ‘I think it’s right here…’ you said, walking inside one of the destroyed shops that had once decorated the streets of New York.

    ‘You think?’ Bucky asked seriously, walking past you inside the shop and getting a flashlight from his pants.

    ‘I’ve only been here once before and it’s was still light. There should be a large bookcase somewhere in the back.’

    ‘This one?’ Steve asked, caressing the burned and weathered books that lay scattered in a seemingly new and untouched closet with shelves.

    ‘Yes!’ you cried out, rushing towards him and inspecting the bookcase with care. ‘Okay, somewhere around here there should be a switch. These passages date back to the cold war, so it would be something old.’

    ‘What about this?’ Steve asked, pointing at the oil lamp stored inside one of the cabinets underneath.

    ‘Too old.’

    Steve wanted to look further when suddenly there was a soft creak, followed by a loud whining, sigh. The bookcase moved a few inches – just enough for the super soldier to pry it open – and a musty smell filled his nostrils.

    ‘It was a bar,’ Bucky explained, letting go of the beer handle that had opened the secret door. ‘Traders used these kind of tricks to hide their illegal liquor trade in the 1920’s. The tunnels must be much older than you think, [Name]. We should be careful. Do you have any idea where they lead?’

    ‘Well, Tony said they lead straight to the lab. In case anything would happen, we would always have an escape plan.’

    ‘Any idea where he is now?’

    ‘Probably in the lab,’ Steve sighed. ‘If my suspicions are right, at least. We don’t have much time.’

    ‘Let’s not waste it then.’ Bucky turned his flash light into the tunnel ahead and made his way inside, not waiting for you or Steve to follow him.

    Steve swallowed hard, taking in a deep breath and looking at you before following his friend inside the decades old tunnel.

    ‘What?’ you frowned, a small smile curling your lips. ‘You’re not telling me you’re afraid of the dark are you?’

    ‘No,’ Steve sighed. ‘It’s just… The last time I went on a mission with my best friends… I lost them.’

TO BE CONTINUED...