Aftershock

Quake

Steve knew he couldn't resist seeing Willow, even if she was encased in glass and ice. He just had to see her, had to know she was alive. Thankfully, he had a friend at the new base she was being held at.

Agent 13 shifted her weight around in the elevator, watching Steve lean against the chrome plating across from her. "I don't like this Captain." She told him honestly. "If someone finds you.."

"I'll make sure they won't Shannon. I really appreciate what you're doing for me. You didn't have to."

"I'm only doing what I think my Aunt would." Steve smiled a little. "Did you try asking her about Willow, if it's true that she's an ex-HYDRA Agent?" Steve nodded his head sighing.

"She didn't seem to understand what I was talking about half the time though. It wasn't a good day for her. " Agent 13 nodded, looking at the floor as they continued to head further into the base. "She did manage to tell me that Willow was alive last time she saw her but.. She got upset by some old memory. I don't know what it was about."

"Yeah she has a lot of those." The two of them were quiet as the elevator doors opened. Agent 13 stepped out and looked around. "There's no one here. Come on." Steve followed her out of the elevator and together, the two of them jogged down the hallway. "We have to move quickly. I'm not even sure if I have access down here." Agent 13 slid her card in the panel and to both of their relief, the door slid open. "I'll keep watch, go on in."

"Thank you Shannon. I don't know how I can repay you." She smiled.

"Go find your girlfriend." Steve chuckled and ducked into the room, the door closing behind him. This part of the base was a large underground warehouse. There were tall shelves filled with boxes and gadgets and all sorts of other things. Some Steve recognized, others he didn't. There was decades worth of classified items and files down here. So how was he going to find Willow?

Moving down one row of shelves, Steve just decided to follow the walls of the room. If she was frozen alive in here somewhere, her containment unit must have been pretty big, maybe even taking up part of a wall so this was his best bet of finding her. As he moved along, some of the rows cleared up, becoming more organized. When Steve heard a low humming noise, he took off at a run. That had to be Willow.

Turning around a row of shelves, Steve stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her. Willow was encased in a glass cylinder, laying on her back. The machine keeping her frozen was about twenty feet long with a control panel on one end. The entire thing hummed and made the air cold around it. "Willow." Steve breathed out, rushing over and wiping at the frost on the glass.

She was wearing what looked like a a black jumpsuit. Her hair was splayed out behind her. The image sort of reminded Steve of Snow White except he couldn't kiss her to wake her up. Steve moved to the control panel, wondering if he could unfreeze her himself. There was no way he was just going to leave her here. Too bad there weren't instructions.

Steve analyzed the panel carefully, reading the faded words above the buttons and levers. There was one to control temperature, one to open the pod and several others with names that confused Steve. He decided to give it his best shot and began carefully pressing buttons, seeing how they would affect Willow's state.

The first one he hit made the entire machine shudder and pause. The air around him seemed to became a bit more heated. Slowly Steve lowered the temperature of the pod. He could hear the ice crinkle as it began to melt. Steve glanced over at Willow in the pod and saw her draw a breath. "Willow!" Steve shouted. The pod had now become room temperature, the ice completely melting away. Slamming his hand on the door release button, he ran over to Willow's side as it began to open.