Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
CHAPTER FIVE it's a waiting game now
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
IT WAS MORNING BY THE TIME they got back to Avengers Tower, and throughout the entire flight, Tony hadn't left Ophelia's side. He sat beside her unconscious body, one hand stroking her hair and the other resting at his side. He didn't particularly like the sight of the bruises that were forming along her cheekbones and jawline, or the blood on her lip and under her nose, but Tony knew that Steve did what he had to do. She wasn't herself, and knocking her unconscious was the only way to save her life. But clearly, that had been a challenge for Steve, as the star-spangled man had a few bruises himself from their confrontation.
They were immediately met by a tired looking Maeve Whalen ⎯⎯ who was still wearing the same pair of sweatpants and tank top from before ⎯⎯ when they arrived at Avengers Tower, and were quick to debrief the woman when she met them on the platform and asked how the mission went. Afterwards, they brought Ophelia to a cell and laid her down on a cot inside so Bruce could check her over for any critical injuries that she may have sustained in Paris and Belgium.
Tony was standing some ways away from the cell, eyes watching Bruce's every move. He wanted to be sitting by her side and make sure that she was okay, but Steve had pulled him aside so they could discuss what they were going to do with Ophelia now that she was in their custody.
"I found this at their base," Steve said, showing him a red leatherback book that had a star on the front.
Tony's brow furrowed as he reached for the leather book, carefully taking it into his hands and opening it up. Everything was written in what appeared to be Russian, so he couldn't tell what it said. But he did recognize one thing, and that was her name.
"What is this?" Tony asked, looking up and meeting Steve's gaze, face twisting with both concern and confusion.
"Whenever me and Romanoff uncovered HYDRA's files, we discovered that they had a book that looked exactly like this one for Bucky," Steve explained. "It was how they activated him. How they activated the Winter Soldier. But this one isn't for Bucky, it's for Ophelia."
