We'll Fight Together (Romanogers / Steve X Natasha)

Breaking and Entering

After Natasha entered the lions den, Steve, Clea, and Sam commenced their end of the plan. The three heroes had moved closer to the facility, desperate to distance themselves from the now-decimated alder tree. Clea kept apologizing for destroying the tall beauty, as cracking it was never her intention. In truth, she didn't realize what she'd done until after one of large branches fell to her feet. Still, Steve didn't mind and assured her that it was okay.

In fact, the incident worked out in there favor. As soon as the trio fled to a new location, a group of operatives filed into the field to investigate the sound. The perimeter now unguarded, Sam took flight so he could scout the area.

After what seemed like forever, he announced, "The close is clear. Should we move in now, or wait another 15 minutes?"

Steve assessed the situation. They were technically ahead of schedule, but there was no better time than this. Less guards meant less of a chance for them to be captured. They couldn't pass this up! Besides, Steve knew that they'd be inclined to throw Natasha in a cell the moment they had her. And, memories of the war plaguing him once more, he wanted to get her out of there as soon as possible.

"Let's move in now," Steve asserted into his earpiece as he looked at the sky. It was growing dark now, but not as dark as he would've liked. "Can you carry both of us?"

"Don't worry about me," Clea prompted, as she glanced at the towering walls. "This should be easy enough." Then, without a second thought, her feet lifted from the ground as she began to hover. Her ascent was steady at first, as if she had never attempted this feat before. Then, before Steve could even ask what she meant, the teen shot into the air, reaching the height of the wall before beginning to fall again. Before she plummeted, however, her hands hooked onto the ledge. She hung for a second, probably calculating her next move. Then, slowly but surely, her body levitated again, lifting the rest of her up and over the wall.

Steve grinned proudly. "Scratch that, Sam. Can you carry me?"

"On it!" In that moment, Sam swooped down and grabbed Steve's waist. He let out a grunt as they took lift off. "Damn, you're heavy."

.....

Granting access to the warehouse took longer than they all had hoped. They stood there for a few minutes longer than should've, trying to figure out how to hack into the keypad that controlled one of the side entrances. However, as one would expect from two militant soldiers and a foreign teen, it didn't go well. They couldn't cut the wires or smash the controls because that would alert the operatives of intruders. Clea couldn't use her powers either. "I'm not a technopath," she eventually told them after a few moments of trying. "The door runs on an interface, not moveable gears.

Steve looked around the lot. Those guards would be back soon, and he didn't want to be standing in the open when they returned. "We'll have to find another way in." Looking up and taking a few steps backwards, he detected potential. "How about a vent?"

Clea located the entry point Steve was referring to. "I can fit through there."

"I spotted an entrance on the roof. It seems to be a landing pad, but there's nothing there. I can fly us up while the kid opens the door from the inside," Sam said immediately.

Steve heard yelling beyond the wall. The operatives were seconds away from detecting them, which meant there was no time to lose. Nodding to Clea, he imparted, "Good luck, kid. We'll meet you at the roof."

Clea gave a thumbs up before vaulting into the air once more. Her blond curls bouncing like springs, she used to powers to rip off the vent, condensing it into a round, compact sphere before catching the corner of the new ledge with her other hand. Within seconds, she disappeared into the depths of the facility.

"Okay, here we go again," Sam breathed as he locked onto Steve's arm and began to take flight. They soared along the colossal wall, avoiding windows and circling around to avoid being potentially spotted by the foot soldiers. The two of them neared the roof in no time, achieving touchdown on the large landing pad. Finding the door, they bounded towards it and attempted the lock. However, realizing that it ran on the same system as the ground level entrance, they decided to wait for Clea.

The teen emerged from the door about 10 minutes later, her expression a mixture of exhausted and extremely irritated. Slouching slightly, she motioned the men inside.

"Report?" Steve's voice was hushed as he listened for footsteps.

"I made it past some of the operatives without problem but others really wanted a 'nap,' if you know what I mean." Clea toyed with a knot in her curls before reaching over her back and grabbing Natasha's staff. She tossed it to Steve. "With luck, they'll be out for awhile."

"What happened to the vent cover?" Sam asked her as they began their trek through the corridors.

Clea shrugged. "I needed a distraction to leave the vent, so I threw it down the hall. The guards ran after it."

Clever, Steve thought has he peered around a corner. When the coast was clear, he signaled the team to move forward. "Any word on Natasha?"

"Third floor, cell 12. Heavily guarded," Clea remarked.

Steve looked down at Natasha's staff, which he was still gripping. He ran his thumb along one of the grooves. Once again, he pictured her smiling face. "Then that's where we're going."

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This chapter took a lot longer than I wanted it to. Idk, I ran out of motivation halfway through. I'm back, though!