Hydra's Lair

Chapter 13

As soon as the shooting started they all ran. Ward stayed near the back and shot at any HYDRA agents that found them while James led the others through the winding corridors towards the exit. Twice they had to stop when more HYDRA agents cornered them, word had spread fast of their betrayal and the prisoners' escape, and James was beginning to get tired of using his powers to teleport and kill them before going straight back to running. In fact as he turned yet another corner he almost fell to his knees as his shoes skidded across the floor.

            "Keep going James!" Ward ordered as he shot at some agents following them. "We're almost there!"

            "I'm going... I'm... going." He panted back as he continued to run.

            Everything was silent for a moment and the group hesitated, uncertain about what was happening, and then a giant tremor shook the building down to its core as it began to crumble around it. James knew right then and there that S.H.I.E.L.D. had hit the weapons room and caused the bombs and ammunition to blow, this entire building would fall down around them if they didn't pick up the pace and they would be buried in the rubble.

            "Look up ahead." May pointed out the exit that James was too out of breath to announce.

            Another bomb went off as the flames in lower levels spread and James crashed to the ground as the floor crumbled away below him. A firm grip grabbed the back of his shirt and dragged him to his feet and he turned his head to see Hunter let go of him.

            "...Thanks." James nodded to him.

Hunter kept looking ahead. "Don't do it again or I might leave you behind."

            James still couldn't tell when Hunter was joking so he ignored the comment and turned his head as HYDRA agents poured into the hallway and shot at them. Ward gave a wince of pain as a bullet grazed his side and James quickly took out his own gun and started shooting again as his mentor recovered. The others were running out of the building as they were slowly overwhelmed with agents and Ward replaced the clip in his gun before turning to James.

            "Go, now! I'll hold them off!" Ward shouted over the falling rubble and gunfire.

            James shook his head. "You'll be crushed or shot!"

            "I am your mentor now do as I command!"

            "No!" James couldn't let his mentor die at the hands of HYDRA as well and tried to drag him after him towards the door until the ceiling above came down and Ward pushed him through the exit, leaving himself behind. "Ward!"

            Simmons came to his side and pulled him away from the rubble. "Coulson's waiting, we have to go."

            "No, Ward... we have to help him!" James gave her a pleading look.

            "It's too late." May replied, the rest of HYDRA's base collapsing in front of them to prove her point.

            James stared at the ruins in horror as he allowed the others to take him away; he had lost everything, his mentor, his friend, and his uncle... Nothing was left, nothing but S.H.I.E.L.D., from now on that would be his home, his life, but nothing would replace the people he once had.

            "Who's this?" A man, James could guess was Coulson, questioned.

            "James Barnes, he helped us escape along with Ward..." Skye trailed off and glanced at the wreckage.

            Coulson looked him over. "Can we trust him?"

            "Yes." May said firmly. "He has helped us and tried to save a girl we rescued."

            "Tried." Hunter emphasized. "But HYDRA killed her."

            James shook off the shock of what had just happened enough to notice the plan start taking off before gathering the courage to speak. "Sir, I've been with HYDRA my entire life, it wasn't until Ward showed me what they really did that I betray them, I understand if you don't trust me especially with my... shadow traveling ability."

            "You're right." Coulson confirmed. "I shouldn't trust you. Trust is earned. But you seem to be gaining trust with my team, even May, that means I have a bit of trust in you... but we will be watching you."

            "Thank you." James sighed as he leaned back in a chair. "There's another thing you should know, Simmons can confirm this, HYDRA is working with a stone. It has powers, I don't know what they do exactly, but they're using it on people and it's killing them, it ages them, and they die. I wasn't informed what the experiments are for but it can't be something good."

            "Well then, it seems we need to get some help from some friends of mine." He turned towards the cockpit. "Mack go to base, Simmons, get to work with Fitz to figure out what that stone was you were working on! We need to stay ahead of HYDRA." 

Here we are at the end of the book I hope you enjoyed it. For any one-shots or alternate endings just go to My Marvel One-shots to ask for one (or shoot me a PM)