Old Soul (Captain America/Steve Rogers)

20

<Narrator's Pov>

"Captain," Banner says in surprise as Steve enters the conference room. "I thought we'd never get you to come here."

Natasha walks up to him. "How's Avalie doing?"

"She's good," Steve says. "She's still unconscious but I got to see her."

"Did you leave her there, unattended?" Fury asks.

"No, sir. Pepper is looking after her now," Steve says, walking over to examine the battle plans scrawled on the white board.

Suddenly, Tony, who was very focused in his writing, dropped his pen. He looks up at Steve, his eyebrows furrowed. "I'm sorry. What did you say?"

"Pepper is looking after Agent Daniels," Steve says, not even glancing at him as he read what was wrote on the board.

"Steve," Tony says, the room falling silent as they hear the tension in his voice. "Pepper is away on business."

That got his attention. His head snapped to Tony, realization, hurt, worry, fear, and confusion in his eyes.

Before anyone could say anything else, Steve raced out of the room, sprinting to the lab faster than normal, due to the adrenaline and panic coursing through his veins.

Natasha was right on his tail and the others were on hers, all of them charging to the lab. Steve's legs carried him so quickly, many would wonder whether they would fall off or not. But he didn't. All he was wondering now was whether Avalie was still safe.

~

All seven of them charged into the lab, papers flying up as they burst through the doors. Steve immediately ran to Avalie's bed.

Everyone hung back in the door way and watched as he found the lab completely empty. Pepper was gone, and so was Avalie.

Steve banged his fist on the table once he realized this, his face growing red. That's when the Avengers decided to come forward, carefully making their way into the room.

"She's gone," Steve says, his voice cracking. His shoulders slumped, everything about him suddenly drooping like a dead flower. "They took her."

"How did that happen?" Fury asks, marching over to the table where Avalie had laid just moments before. "Stark: the security footage."

"On it," he says. "Jarvis, pull up the security footage from the last thirty minutes, Dr. Banner's lab."

"On it, sir," Jarvis replies as the screens in the lab flicker on, an image popping up on the screen.

Everyone in the room crowds around the screens, Steve darting over to one. He looked up at the footage wide-eyed, hoping that there was something, anything that could lead them to her.

"That woman looks exactly like Ms. Pots," Fury examines. "Even our technology can't get the image that close."

"What are you saying?" Banner asks, his arms crossed as he watches the footage. "That they have some sort of hologram?"

"Maybe, maybe not," Fury replies.

They watch the video for a bit longer, up until the point where Pepper sits down next to Avalie. "See that, right there?" Banner examines, pointing at the screen. "She's touching her. It can't be a hologram."

"Then possibly a clone?" Steve suggests without having any knowledge on modern technology, whatsoever. He was just eager to figure it out, though, so everyone ignored him for his stupid comment.

"No, not a clone," Wanda speaks up, walking closer to the screen. "A lab experiment."

Everyone's focus is torn from the screen, their eyes landing on Wanda. "What do you mean?" Natasha asks.

"I know her," Wanda says, her accent thick. "She was created by the man that held my brother and I."

"So this is Hydra's doing," Steve says, his lips pressing together in a firm line in anger.

Fury shakes his head in frustration. "What does she do, Agent Maximoff?"

"She is a shape shifter," Wanda says before shaking her head and laying a hand on her forehead, upset. "I can not believe I forgot about her. We never thought the experiment would work. She was supposed to be dead. I though she was dead."

"What does that mean?" Steve asks. "What are we up against?"

Wanda looks up at him, fear from the memory in her eyes. "The worst wild card in the deck."

Recognition hits Steve as he realizes that's what Avalie said herself, about the meeting she attended. She mentioned something that they had in store that they wouldn't be able to stop. Now he knew what she meant.

"We need to plan an attack," Steve says after a moment of letting her words settle in.

Fury sighs in annoyance. "Captain, I-"

"No," Steve says. "War was declared long before, but today marks the continuance of the battle. They surprised us, they found us with our guard down, but we can still turn the tables," Steve enthuses, one of his big pre-battle speeches coming out. "We are no longer on defense. We will no longer have to stand and protect our ground. Now we have the advantage, because we have something you can't hold on the defensive side. We have the element of surprise. They may have a shape shifter, but you know what we have? We have a team, and we sure can kick some ass."

"Steve," Tony says, appalled. "Watch your language!"

Steve rolled his eyes. "That was one time. Now lets get serious! Any suggestions or ideas?"

"Well," says Banner, speaking up. "We'll have to track their base. And we don't know how many people we're up against."

"Point taken," Steve says. Then he turns to Fury, "I want you to call in Rhodes and Wilson."

"Yes, sir," Fury says, a hint of humor in his tone. He turns to leave, but before he is out of the door, he turns back around to look at Steve. "Anyone else."

Steve looks down at his shoes for a second, his eyebrows furrowed as he thinks. "Yeah," he says after a moment. "I have a small request."

Fury spreads his hands out. "You're giving the orders now, Captain."

Steve stares at him, his gaze hard and firm. "I want Barnes."

------------

Okay, so there's my last update until next time. Hope you enjoyed! What do you think about this? Leave me comments, I love to read them. Now, if you'll excuse me, Mexico awaits me.

Hasta la próxima,
Fandoms_Is_Bae