Shadowbreath: The New Avenger

Chapter 19

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As soon as elevator doors closed, cutting off Peter from the atrium, his spidey senses went off. Not two seconds later, a blast shook the entire compound and he was thrown roughly to the ground. Peter coughed as dust settled in the air, and he pushed himself up shakily. Panic set in as pounded on the elevator doors, yelling at F.R.I.D.A.Y. to open up so that he could check to see if everyone was alright.

"I'm sorry, Peter." And she sounded sorry, too. An AI that pretended to feel human emotion was NOT what he needed right now. "Boss has directed me to keep you here for your safety."

Peter could have screamed. In fact, he did. "For MY safety? F.R.I.D.A.Y., you have to open the damn doors! Tony and Alex could be hurt right now! They need me!"

"I am detecting a device that would paralyze you the moment you stepped out into the atrium, Peter. There is nothing you can do." She informed him, suddenly weary.

He shook his head in disbelief and pounded against the now distressed metal, not leaving so much as a dent, even with his super strength. Whatever hit them must have really shaken the compound. Peter suddenly realized who could be attacking...and what that would mean. His heartbeat soared and frenzied dread began crawling up his throat. "NO! No! F.R.I.D.A.Y., they're going to take her!" Peter could feel the tears pooling in the corners of his eyes. "He's going to take her back! She's going to be in the hands of a monster, you have to let me save her!"

"I'm sorry, Peter. Both Miss Anderson and Mr. Stark were worried about your safety first. I cannot allow you to leave this elevator until the danger has passed."

Peter fell to his knees, and kept his ministrations at the doors until twenty minutes passed and the terrifying noises and screams on the other side finally ceased. He looked up and wiped the tears from his face.

As the doors slid open, F.R.I.D.A.Y.S.'s voice was quiet and somber. "I'm sorry, Peter. The authorities have been alerted."

The atrium was a disaster zone. The lights had been blown out, and the dust surrounding the room floated heavily in the air. Bodies were scattered randomly around, blood pooling and mixing together between people who had died too close to one another. "Oh, God..." Peter cried out, stumbling to his feet. He forced himself to pick through the bodies, begging and sobbing for Alex and Tony. He honestly didn't think he could handle it if he saw them here, lifeless and cold, but the alternative was unthinkable. "TONY!" Peter screamed when he confirmed that the billionaire was missing from the dead. He spun around, hoping that someone, anyone was around to help him. When he did, he saw it. Painted right there on the elevator doors in fresh blood.

The Hydra Symbol.

Peter dropped to his knees, his sobs wrenching through his body, and pulled out the cell phone.

XX

Steve Rogers was a simple man, really. He loved hot dogs and the Dodgers. He hated bullies. He liked to draw. He didn't sleep much.

And he kept the burner phone that contained only one number on his person at all times.

Guilt was a terrible thing, Steve knew that. He almost drowned in it when they first broke him out of the ice. Steve woke up to a world where all of his friends and family were dead, the woman he loved was steadily losing her mind, and Hydra had found a way to thrive despite his sacrifice.

He lived on while the people he was closest to lost their lives. Over time, he accepted his fate as a soldier. The soldier. His country needed him, and following orders was familiar. Sooner than he expected, the world needed him again, and he was thrown into a fight he wasn't prepared for. A team that wasn't really a team.