I Still Believe In Heroes

Chapter Fifteen

Sam climbs out of the car and swats away a tree branch before quietly shutting her door with her hip. She sighs while running her finger over the edge of the shield before breaking from the treeline. Her eyes watch the supposed 'rundown' base, stopping when she sees a small light (something from a candle of some sorts). 

"Rundown my ass." Sam scoffs before walking forward through the field to head towards the base. She ducks down into the brush as light sweeps over the field, looking something like a lighthouse beam.

Finally, she stands again and starts walking, pushing the weeds out of the way until she reached the front of the building. The doors were blocked off by some kind of black barrier, Sam purses her lips and starts to walk around again. 

After fifteen minutes, Sam had scaled the whole building and hadn't found a way in that wouldn't get her caught. By now, Sam was already angry with the world, because who isn't, so this whole 'not finding a way in' really wasn't helping the anger that grew inside the pit of her stomach. Just waiting to burst by another act of stupidity.

Finally, Sam stops and looks at the window that was closest to where she stood on the ground. The fact that it was the closest one didn't help her nerves because the damn thing was probably about the height of a five-story building, whoever ran this base really didn't like visitors.

As Sam stares up at the window, trying to find a way in, a figure steps in from the shadows and looks down at her. Sam gulps and slowly moves back to the treeline, both of them watching each other with careful eyes. 

The man, a soldier that worked at the base, scans Sam up and down to see if she were to be a potential threat but his eyes widen when he sees the shield tightly held in Sam's grasp. The guy opens and closes his mouth, trying to find something to say to hide his surprise; he had nothing. 

Another soldier calls for him from down the hall, the man looks in that direction before looking back towards where Sam was. Except, she was gone by the time he turned his head back to the window. With a small nod of respect, the soldier quickly throws a rope out the window after tying it to the side wall; where it was out of sight from any suspecting eyes.

"Hey, Ward! What are you doing?" A soldier questions while running up to him, 'Ward' shakes his head while leaning against the wall.

"Perimeter check. What's the problem?" Ward demands.

"We have a perimeter breach, I think it's the X-Men." The guy shakes his head, Ward purses his lips before nodding at the man.

"Tell the others we're in lockdown mode, no one gets in or out. Got it?" Ward orders, the guy nods before running down the hall again. Slowly, Ward looks out the window again with a small sigh. "I owed you, Samantha. You better not waste this."

With that, Ward walks down the hall as if nothing had happened. Whistling while waving his gun around and after a few seconds, he joins a few soldiers running down the hall. As if everything was normal.

~~~

Sam stares at the rope for what feels like ages, her stomach twisting and turning at the mention of the man who was staring down at her. He shouldn't be here. He was supposed to be dead. But then again, so was Sam. She shakes her head before quickly grabbing the rope, Ward had made it clear that this was a now or never situation. 

Sam reaches the window in a matter of minutes, she quickly rushes down the hall and hides in a corridor as more and more soldiers gather in the area where she had come up. As Sam decreases her fast-paced breathing, tears start to gather in her eyes.

He had gotten out, he had 'found her'. Just as he promised.

Flashback

"Sam, this is too dangerous." Ward shakes his head while placing his arm in Sam's path. "Hammer's just going to have to get this himself or send more than two people."

"Grant, he trusted us to get this item. We can't just give up like this, we're his best-"

"I get that, Sam!" Ward hisses. "But I can't have you getting caught in the crossfire again, you almost died."

"Almost." Sam gruffs.

"Samantha," Ward warns.

"Don't call me that." Sam orders.

"Please, we can pick up Taco Bell or something on the way home," Ward speaks again.

"That's tempting." Sam nods.

"I'll rub your feet," Ward smirks.

"Alright, I'm sold." Sam sighs as he kisses her forehead but their moment of peace is short-lived when a loud crash comes from across the building. "Son of a bitch. Rain check on that date?"

"Absolutely." 

Not everyone made it out that day, at least to Hammer Tec's knowledge. After they did a sweep of the building, Grant Ward and Samantha Mills were pronounced dead, missing, blown to bits. 

Reality

Sam sucks in a breath as a hand claps itself over her mouth and an arm holds her body to whoever was grabbing her. Sam quickly bites the finger of the man while elbowing him in the gut, he quickly lets go while keeling over with a groan.

"Jesus Christ, Sam," Dean grumbles with a cough.

"I'm not apologizing, you deserved it." Sam mumbles. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"I came to get you," Dean whispers while standing again, grabbing Sam's arm with a small glare. "This is too dangerous."

"Don't you say that to me." Sam hisses while ripping her arm from his grasp. 

"I'm trying to protect you." Dean pleads. "It's why we were together all this time-"

"Yeah, our friendship was all falsely created, thanks for reminding me." Sam deadpans.

"Okay, yeah, it was in the beginning," Dean admits. "But it's not now! I care about you, Sam. Really, I don't want to see you getting hurt with what you find behind that door."

"Dean, you found your family. Maybe the Avengers can help me find mine, maybe we can set this world back to where it's supposed to be." Sam whispers. "I tried to do that years ago and lost someone so close to me in the process and now I see him here, alive. I want...no I need to do this so I can talk to him and find out where we stand."

"It's a him?" Dean raises his eyebrows. "Because I don't think that's going to work."

"Shut up, you jealous bitch."