The Most Important Mission (Captain America x Child!Reader)

Part 8

The Quinjet held a solemn silence as it flew through the clouds, all of the Avengers, plus Ryan, sitting somewhere, preparing for the battle yet to come. Tony was sitting in the pilot's seat with Bruce and Thor next to him in the passenger seats, Clint and Nat were in the cockpit sharpening and loading weapons, and then there was Steve, and Ryan, who all sat in the seats. Nobody talked, nor did they really want to. It was a tense mission, one that would have a dire conscience if they failed... And that was without thinking what would happen if they couldn't get (y/n) back. She had become more important than anyone ever thought she would. Now that there was a chance that she may not come back home, never laugh or ask questions again. Steve sat strapped in his seat, shield on his lap as he stared at it. His face held no emotion as he found it hard to imagine life before the little (h/c) haired girl like he only started to truly live when he met her. No... he only started to truly live because he was given something to live for. Now his world was on the verge of collapsing and it was all on his shoulders. Don't think like that. I need everything you can get to get (y/n) back. I can't afford to get distracted, he told himself. "Hey, you alright?" Ryan asked him. "Hm?" Steve hummed, breaking out of his line of thought. "Well, it's just that you were looking at your shield a little too intensely, so..." Ryan said, looking off to the side as a heavy sense of quiet was laid over them. "Umm, yeah. I'll be ok" Steve told him, a quick uncomfortable smile flashing before he pulled his lips into a thin line. His head turned to the side, his blue eyes wandering to look at something, anything, to focus on. Seconds seemed to agonizingly tick by like time was trying to kill them. The blonde man didn't know what to do exactly. Whether they talked or stayed quiet, nothing appeared to lift the heavy atmosphere in the air. "I know it's too late, but for what it's worth, I'm sorry for all this. I'm not going to ask for forgiveness when I did nothing to earn it, but I just want you to know that. I truly am" Ryan told him his voice low as if he expected to be yelled at any second. Steve watched as he scratching the back of his neck before he sighed. "I don't know if I can forgive you, but I feel a bit better to know that you know what you did was wrong. And I'm grateful that you've agreed to help us, but," Steve started, a pause in his words as he wondered out loud. "Why? I mean, if you are sending us on a suicide mission, you know Natasha won't hesitate to kill you, and that just here alone... And I don't think a dog is enough motivation alone. So why take any risk?" Steve asked. He looked into Ryan's eyes, looking for any hint he could find for any sort of reason, but he saw nothing but genuine emotion. "Well, truth is, the dog is amazing, and I'm offended that you don't think that's enough," Ryan told him in an accusing voice laced with amusement, making Steve smile for a moment and relieved them of some stress. "But, there's a girl. I met her a few months after I started to make a life after HYDRA. She was the one who wanted the dog, and I wanted a cat. So there was a hickup. But god, if it makes her happy, I am prepared to live the next fifteen years with a dog I hate" Ryan revealed, a serine look settling on his features. Something about hearing the ex-HYDRA agent talk about his life put the room at ease like everything was going to be ok. And even if it was a bit of a stretch, it was nice to feel that way for a short while. "You sound like you really love her" Steve said. "Yeah, I do. But that's what I messed up on. I made the best accident of my entire life," Ryan said. Steve's face contorted in confusion. What did he mean? "She's pregnant, about three months along. HYDRA found out, and that's how I got all roped into this shit," Rayn told him. Steve's heart painfully beat as he heard those words. He never considered that Rayn would have people of his own to protect. All he wanted to do was rescue his daughter and didn't really think about anything else. But he was a dad, and it's a dad's job to put their child's life about anyone else's. And that's what he was trying to do. Protect his kid, Steve realized. "Hey, Steve?" Ryan said, grabbing the blonde mans attention. "Yeah?" Steve replied. "If I die today, can you help protect her and the baby?" Ryan asked. Steve could hear the fearful desperation in his voice as Rayn asked him of this favor. "Yes. I will do everything I can... But we won't let you die so easily. Once someone joins us on a mission, it's kinda hard to get off. You may not be an Avenger, but you are apart of the team for however long it'll last" Steve told him. The silence that settled between them wasn't as awkward as it had been before, but a type of silence where each party knows that there was no bad blood left. One where everything was going to be fine. "Get ready everyone," Tony's voice rang out through the speakers, breaking apart any conversations that may have been going on on the ship. "We're here" he finished. Steve's face quickly changed to serious, and he turned to the man he had been speaking to just a few moments ago. "You ready?" he asked the ex-HYDRA agent. "Ready as I'll ever be, man" Ryan replied, sending a smile.

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The hallways of the old HYDRA base remained dark, but there were just enough broken lights to see where Steve, was going. The halls were covered in dust and grime, and he was pretty sure he saw a family of mice feasting upon their dead brethren. It smelled of death and decay, mold, and god knows what else that he didn't even want to think about. Swallowing the lump in his throat, the blue eyed man tightened the grip he had on the straps on the round patriotic shield. Steve's footsteps barely made any sound as he made his way down the hall, listening for any sign or clue of (y/n). He wondered how the others were doing. With the base being rather large, they each decided to search through a different sector of the base. And now here he was, in a creepy ass hallway waiting for a scream or a demon to jump him. This is not how I wanted the first week of school to go, he thought. Then, he heard it. Like glass shattering, and falling to the ground only to smash again into thousands of more pieces.

"Daddy!"

Steve's breath caught in his throat before he broke out into a sprint, no room to think. He'd wing it when he got to his daughter. "(Y/n)!" Steve called, desperate for any kind of reply he could get. "Daddy! I'm in here!" she cried. Steve ran faster, his enhanced speed going into overdrive. Finally, he saw a broken door that was barely hanging onto the hinges that had the smallest amount of light flowing out of it. "I'm coming!" Steve yelled as he finally reached the room. But when he looked inside, he didn't see anyone. The room was obviously a lab, with computers and experiment equipment in various placed of the room. Then he saw it. Gleaming in the dull light was the unmistakable shade of emerald. He ran to it, his eyes staring at it with a small resemblance of hope. One the small table in the middle of the room was a spot of emerald, almost as if that spot on the table was turned into the shining green gem. But however it got there, it meant that she was here on the base, somewhere. Steve looked around frantically, looking for some sign of (y/n), but as he looked, the super soldier saw more and more spots in the room where it was transmuted into emerald. They were all along the walls, floor, counters, basically, anywhere he looked in the room.

"Daddy! Where are you!"

The sound of his daughter's voice caused his head to snap around. His face fell when he saw no sight of his daughter, and instead found the source of the light. It was an old computer screen, cracked and tilting from its natural position. Slowly, Steve walked towards it. The screen appeared to be frozen, having just finished the end of a surveillance recording. But it immediately started up again, only this time it was a different video clip. Noticing the familiar layout, Steve knew that it was the surveillance from the very lab he stood in. He watched as two familiar forms flickered on the screen. (Y/n) and Keeler, he thought. There was one other person there wearing a lab coat as he prepared several vials of a thick gray color. Steve figured he was a scientist. (Y/n) was strapped to the center table while Ms. Keeler stood at her side. "Is it ready?" the older women asked, staring down as (y/n) wiggled her hands, trying to free herself from her restraints. "Yes. But f the brat doesn't hold still, then I could kill her. Should I prepare a sedative?" the scientist asked, opening a drawer from the counter and taking out a needle. "No. I have a feeling she knows it's best to stay still if she wants a chance to live. Inject her now" Keeler ordered, standing aside. Steve could feel his nails digging into the fabric of his gloves. The scientist grabbed one of the vials and filled the needle with the gray substance before stepping towards his daughter. He watched as (y/n) frozen, the needle slowly slipping into her arm. Everything was calm as she was injected, but, then she began to shake. "Ahhhh!" she screamed. The lights flickered, and her screaming got worse. Then, the video cracked and went out, and a buzzing sound took over. "That daughter of yours is quite the fighter," a voice said, causing Steve to whip around and take a fighting stance. Steve's eyes widened as he came face to face with the very person responsible for this mission. "Hello, Mr. Rogers. It's nice to see you again" Keeler spoke from the shadows of the doorway.