American Oxygen ~ Captain America's Daughter story [0]

Chapter 23: Ominous Message

The empty meeting rooms of the tower had found themselves to be useful for the young super-soldier. Every time she had homework to complete, she would find a quiet place throughout the upper floors reserved for the Avengers, and since most of the team was away, there were plenty of quiet spaces. Adeline wondered when she would get to meet the other Avengers, she liked to think that she and Thor would be great friends, but the Asgardian rarely made an appearance on Earth.

A knock at the door grabbed her attention away from her English homework. Adeline looked up to see the courier man with his cart, an envelope in his hand. She thought that it was pretty late for him to be still working, the sun long gone behind the city's skyscrapers. He placed the envelope on the table before her, and exited the room with a smile. Her name and the tower's address were written on the brown paper with a marker, but there was no sender's address which made her furrow her eyebrows. Adeline opened the letter and unfolded the paper. The words she read made her blood run cold, her grip tightening on the paper, leaving creases in their wake.

East 18th Street & Park Avenue South
New York, NY
40.737°N 73.989°W
Come alone if you want them to live

Adeline spent quite a few minutes staring at the paper, frozen in place. She was scared, angry, and worried. She wondered how Hydra managed to send her a letter without it being intercepted by Shield agents. Didn't they have systems in place to prevent this? Was someone simply not paying attention or were they not doing their job properly?

But most importantly, she wondered how she would be able to save them. She did not doubt that the "them" hastily written on the note referred to her adoptive parents, and she knew she would do anything to save them. Adeline had an important choice to make; either she went to the location by herself or she would get help from her dad and the others.

Following the instructions on the note could be a wise decision, but she couldn't help but think that every time a character in action movies decided to go meet the villain alone, it ended badly. Reassured that the phone Tony gave her would be impossible for anyone to hack, Adeline texted Steve and hoped for the best.

Meet me in the hangar in five.
Suit up, don't tell anyone.

Should I ask why?
Sincerely,
Steve Rogers.

No, and you know you
don't have to sign your texts?

The girl quickly went to her room and put on her suit. It was only the second time she wore the ensemble but she knew she would never get tired of the confidence it gave her. Since her and Steve's floor was located in the top twelve levels of the tower, she didn't have to sneak her way to the hangar for too long. She stood beside some storage crates and took the time to examine the note and inform herself on where the meeting could be. A few minutes after her arrival, Steve made his entrance into the hangar.

Adeline met him halfway. "Did anyone see you?"

"No, what is going on?" He worried. Adeline pulled out the note from the pocket and handed it to him. Steve unfolded it and read the words carefully. The man frowned, and she knew that the gears in his head were running a hundred miles per second. "When did you get this?"

"A few minutes before I texted you." She clarified, making her father hum in acknowledgment. "Look, Dad, I know your job is to protect me and everything but, I wouldn't ask you for help unless I knew it was serious..."

Steve interrupted her rambling, "Adeline, it's okay. I trust you." He patted her shoulder comfortingly. "Honestly, I'm just glad you didn't take off on your own this time."

She smiled. "I looked up the address while waiting; It's an abandoned subway station from the 40s."

"He probably chose that place for a specific reason." Steve theorized, "Those abandoned stations are all still connected to the active subway lines, maybe it's a way for him to escape..."

"Or maybe, it's a way for him to blow up most of the city from the underground." Steve and Adeline shared a look and immediately sprung into action, the urgency of the situation making itself known, "The location is a 10 minutes drive from here. Should we take your bike?"

Steve shook his head, "No if we take the motorcycle, everyone will notice us."

"Right. We can use one of Tony's cars then?" Adeline proposed.

Steve raised an eyebrow. "Don't you think that Tony's vehicles are a bit too flamboyant for this kind of mission?"

"Alright, alright." She paused, looking for a solution. "We could ask Coulson. He'd say yes to anything if Captain America asked."

╚»★«╝ • ╚»★«╝ ╚»★«╝ • ╚»★«╝

The Rogers father and daughter duo were now in Phil Coulson's vehicle, driving down Park Avenue. Luckily for them, it seemed like the citizens of New York had retired to their homes, leaving the sidewalks empty enough for them to go around unnoticed. During the drive, Adeline contacted the NYPD and urged them to verify all subway stations for possible explosives.

"You should park a block away and well go on foot by then," Adeline suggested and her father followed her request. Steve found a secluded alleyway where he hoped Coulson's car would be safe and parked the vehicle.

"Heres the plan; we enter from..." Steve started, but Adeline cut him off.

"I have to enter alone." She stated firmly. Her father was about to protest but she didn't let him, "You saw the note yourself, Dad, if I'm not alone he will kill them!"

Steve sighed, "You can walk down the stairs alone, but I'm staying at the entrance and I will not hesitate to barge in if I have to."

"Deal." They exited the car and entered the station through the gate on the sidewalk. The air was heavy and filled with dust, making the girl hold her breath. Steve walked in front of his daughter, holding his shield before him, bracing for a potential attack. The ground they walked on was filthy, years of grime covering the tiles that had once been a pristine white. They reached the top of the stairs leading to the lower level of the station, she wondered if Steve could hear her heartbeat thumping against her ribcage. They turned on their earpieces, sharing a look of encouragement, and Adeline headed down the stairs. Before she could make it down the second step, her father grabbed her arm and handed her his shield. Adeline hesitated, almost as if she didn't esteem herself worthy of wielding it, but he insisted. She placed it on her arm and with a newly found confidence, marched down the staircase.

It was complete darkness and the only thing she could hear was her own breathing. She hit the recording button that was placed on the star in the middle of her chest when a light suddenly turned on.

"Hello, Adeline."