"I had strings. But now I'm free. There are no strings on me."
Margaret Maribel Carter; the granddaughter nobody knew about. Taken at a young age, she became something that could destroy cities in one night. After finding out her brother is taken...
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"That's why I trust my instincts.
They're more reliable than what I'm told to believe."
Chapter Eleven
Hours passed by and Peggy could only focus on her fear. Fear that she would lose Jeremy and fear of what that place held for her. The Red Room was her hell as a child, just as it was Nat's. No one ever truly escapes that place, it leaves a mark, a memory so burned into the brain that you become branded as one of theirs. In their case literally.
Peggy and Nat were branded as children, the symbol of a spider. While it may be small enough to be hidden and never seen, they always knew it was there. Their reminder that they were never fully free.
"We will be landing soon," Clint called to the people situated in the back. Peggy felt herself tense up; clutching Bucky's hand tighter.
"Are you ready for this?" Nat asked as she came to sit across from her.
"No. Are you?" Peggy saw the grief in her best friend's eyes. They weren't mentally prepared to go back, but they had no choice. Somehow that place turned two strong women into two little girls again. Peggy knew Nat was thinking the exact same thing.
"Here's the plan everyone. Extract Peggy's brother. Maybe we can find some info on who took him," Steve said with confidence and ease. No one would doubt that he was the leader of this mission, but they all knew that the decisions would be up to Peggy and Nat. They were the ones who knew the place inside and out.
"We destroy it," Nat said. Steve turned to look at her in surprise.
"Nat..." he began. Peggy knew Fury gave him orders to keep the place put together so Shield could come and investigate, only Peggy wasn't a part of Shield.
Nat glared at Steve. "We burn the place to the ground. I don't care what Fury said Steve."
He nodded in defeat understanding what all of this meant to her and Peggy. That place didn't deserve to be standing once they left.
The familiar sight of the snow-covered mountains caused Peggy's heart to twist inside of her. Memories that she didn't know she had played in her mind and one look at Nat told her that she was experiencing the same thing. Each peak and cliff of the mountains reminded Peggy of how cold and uninviting the place looked. Nothing like her home in London where she grew up.
They landed in a clearing outside of the building and gave everyone time to get their weapons ready. Peggy held nothing in her hands, neither did Nat as they exited the quinjet. The cold air from the snow hit them, but they didn't shiver. After having spent years there, they were no longer bothered by it. The rest of the team complained slightly, but most of them marveled at the sight before them. If it didn't have such a painful history, Peggy might have been able to admire its beauty. Yet every time she looked around, all she felt was pain.
