Hope Found

The Rescue

I groan as the darkness begins to fall away, pain replacing it. Everything hurts. I try to open my eyes but I am met with only more darkness. They finally turned the lights back off. At least I can't see how bad I look. Against my will, tears leak out of my eyes, spilling down my cheeks. Unfortunately one hits an open cut on my cheek. I gasp as it burns.

"Are you awake?" asks a voice in the darkness. I know it is Captain America. Since he already knows my secret I guess there isn't any harm in communicating with him.

Yes. How long have I been out? Even mentally my voice sounds weak and broken.

"Almost a day I think. It's hard to tell in this darkness." Welcome to my world. I didn't know how long I had been down here. It felt like years. I couldn't even remember the last time I saw the sun. I couldn't remember what the warmth of sunlight felt like. "Are you okay?"

No. But I haven't been okay in a very long time. It was the truth. I don't really remember what it felt like to be okay. It has been way too long.

"What's your name?"

I don't have one. At least not one that I remember.

"Why are you here? What do they want from you?" I hesitate on answering that one. I ask myself the first one all the time. Why am I here? Maybe if I remember more I could answer that one. The second one I know the answer to in detail. They have told me exactly why they want me and what they want me to do with my powers. But I don't trust this man and don't want another person to want to exploit me as well.

I'm here because I won't comply. I sneer the word. They want me to do something that I don't want to do. I know my answer is vague but I just hope he won't push it farther. Before he can ask anything else though the lights are switched on again. I blink letting my eyes adjust.

Once they had, I glance down at my body. Man it is a mess. All I see is red, black, and blue. The gray jumpsuit they keep me in is ripped and bloody. I sigh lying my face against the cold gray floor. The cool surface feels good on my bruised cheek. Suddenly footsteps echo down the hall. It sounds like a lot of people this time. I try to move but I can't. I glance at the Captain and he seems deep in thought with his hand pressed to his ear again. Weird. A group of soldiers led by Him stop outside my cell. He is called many names but I refuse to acknowledge him with a name. He is the devil in this hell. He unlocks my cell and guards rush in picking me up. I gasp black spots appearing in my vision at the sudden pain that the movement causes.

"Time to see if you are willing to comply or not," he taunts. My gut clenches. Not the machine again. It hurt worse than anything they had ever done before. It was excruciating. I heard them talking before that my energy fought it and that's why it didn't work properly. But I know I am way too weak for that to happen again. This time it would work. My body begins to tremble slightly at the thought. I don't want to be their weapon. I don't want to hurt anyone. My stomach churns just thinking about it.

The guards begin to drag me out. I catch only a glimpse of my neighbor before I am whisked away. He is staring at me again but I can't understand the emotion that dances around in his eyes.

Hallways and doorways blur together as they drag me. I am only barely conscious pain shooting through my body with each step. Soon we arrive in the room that I dread above all others. They strap me to the chair. My shaking increases. I thought I would break during Wolf's session but I didn't. Somehow I had managed to get through it. But I know that this is what it will take. I am not making it out of this one. They will finally win after all these years.

Silent tears streak down my face. He is talking to me, taunting me but I can't hear it. They turn the machine on. It feels like my brain is being split in half and stabbed with a million knifes. Before they can recite anything an alarm blares overhead. Chaos follows but I can't focus on anything but the pain. I hear screaming and faintly realize that it is me. I see a flash of red, white, and blue before everything goes dark.

Captain's POV

"Change of plans Nat," I whisper into the earpiece, "Attack now."

"Why Steve?" I hear her question. The mission always comes first but this is different. The girl only looks to be about twelve. They had just drug her out of her cell. She couldn't even stand on her own. I was going to break when the man was torturing her but suddenly her voice appeared in my head with deadly determination. Don't. One word was all it took. It took everything I had not to break down.

I hate seeing another person hurt especially if that person can't even defend themselves and especially when that person is young and scared. I don't know where she is from or how long she had been here but it seems like it has been awhile. Her skin is deathly pale and her hair is stained with dirt and blood. Her eyes are the worst though. I have never seen such lifeless, hopeless eyes.

The look she gave me as they carried her out was something I will never be able to forget. It was one of such hopeless despair. They had said something about making her comply. It could be the machine they used on Bucky. If so we have to move now before it was too late.

"I'll explain later but this base is not what we thought it was. We need to move now." I keep my voice low enough so that the guards won't hear me. Suddenly an alarm blares overhead, red lights flashing through the dark hallways. I hear someone fighting the guards down the hall. It doesn't take long before I hear the sound of two bodies hitting the ground. Natasha stands triumphant outside of my cell holding the cells. I stand up quickly my injuries already mostly healed.

After the door is open I race out Nat close on my tail. I know she wants an explanation but there isn't time. I sprint out of the corridor stopping at a fork. I have no idea where she is. I can hear the sounds of fighting in the distance. The rest of the team must be making their move. Suddenly a piercing scream fills the air. Nat looks startled but I know exactly who it is. I run to the sound knocking out anybody in my way. I burst through a door at the end of the hallway shocked by the sight.

The young girl is strapped into some sort of a machine, screaming her head off. Tears stream down her face as blood begins to leak out of her ears. Horrified I hurry to the controls looking for the kill switch. I find it finally. As the machine powers down her screams turn slowly into whimpers and finally she passes out. Nat finally makes it to the room glancing from me to the girl and back. She meets my eyes and nods her head in understanding.

"Go check on the others. I've got her." I nod and race out of the room. But by the time I reach the others the fight is over. Tony is collecting the information off of the computers while the twins are talking off to the side. Seeing me they walk over.

"Are you alright?" Wanda asks concern filling her eyes.

"I'm fine but we need to move and get back to Banner." Their eyes widen.

"Who is hurt?" asks Pietro. Tony seems concerned as well glancing up from the computer screen.

"A girl who was a prisoner here. She need medical attention." They nod their understanding. After Tony is done we head out. The quinjet is parked behind the facility. Once the sun hits me I sigh in relief. It is horrible being in that cold darkness, and I was only in it for a few days. I can't even imagine how long that girl was in there. We get to the jet and I instruct Clint to leave. Natasha has strapped the girl to a gurney bandaging some of her more serious wounds so they wouldn't bleed out.

The others stare at the girl with shock taking in the severe injuries covering her body. I glanced at the girl watching as her chest rises and falls, the only sign that she is still alive. The physical injuries she has are tremendous but the mental trauma especially from that machine is most likely devastating. I just hope we weren't too late.