Old Ghosts

Chapter 7

He'd expected a trap. The ghosts never brought him anything but pain and he'd seen what came from giving trust a chance. Hell, he couldn't even trust himself. Fury had seemed real enough, but he hadn't exactly tried to hide his agenda. Another person who wanted to manipulate him, to use him, to send him after their enemies. After Hydra. That part he didn't mind so much. And so far Fury's intel had been good.

He crouched on the ridge above the base, using the trees for cover. His escape had given him the opportunity to resupply – weapons, cash, even a vehicle. Sighting along the scope of his new precision rifle, he scanned the cluster of buildings below. The first two locations on Fury's list had been small – half a dozen agents in a safe house outside D.C., a farm hiding a Hydra weapons lab. Neither one had given him much trouble.

But this was something else. The compound had been built into the mountain and, according to Fury's blueprints, extended deep underground. Once, it had belonged to S.H.I.E.L.D. He'd seen enough of the news stories to know that meant it had been Hydra's all along. It wasn't a comforting thought.

Resting the gun against his knee, he sighed. Things were different now, even he could sense that. There was no plan, no one in control. The war had gone underground. It was being fought player-by-player, piece-by-piece. But underground was where he lived. And it was hard to get thrown off balance when you'd started out that way.

He reached out for the ghosts and found them waiting, eager. They'd been with him at the safe house, whispering to him as he breached the door. They'd followed him to the farm, trailing him across the field as he left the barn burning behind him. For a little while, they'd gone quiet. But it was never enough. And it didn't stop the dreams. In fact, they were getting worse.

He pinched shut his eyes. How long had it been since he slept? He knew better than this, knew that he'd need to be alert to have any hope of making it out of the compound below. But that was the point. He knew that now. The more the ghosts came to him, the less he slept. The less he slept, the more the world blurred. And one day it would cost him.

They would have their revenge, but it would never be over, not as long as he was able to walk away. He hadn't seen any activity below, but who knew what might be lurking in the tunnels beneath the mountain. There was only one way this mission ended. The question was how much of Hydra he'd be taking with him.

His hand strayed to his pocket, to the envelope Fury had given him. The guy knew what he was doing. There'd been a list of objectives, sure, but that hadn't been the bait. The rest had been personal – abbreviated files, service records, even some of Hydra's own documents about the Winter Soldier project. Was Fury trying to goad him? Did he really think he needed reminding? He knew what they'd done, couldn't close his eyes without seeing it again.

Picking up the gun, he scanned the buildings again. There was movement on the north side now, a pair of sentries patrolling the perimeter. Only two guards for a facility this size. Either Hydra had pulled out, or it really was a trap. A betting man would pick the latter.

The ghosts were whispering again, the ache throbbing behind his eyes. It would be easy enough to sneak past the patrol, but that's not why he was here. They were Hydra. Finger ready on the trigger, he steadied his aim. He had the shot.

Before he could fire, the first guard dropped out of sight. He adjusted, searching for the other, centering him in the crosshairs just in time to see a fist connect with his jaw. Someone else was down there. Someone had beaten him to the punch.

The second guard fell as quickly as the first. Squinting through the scope, he saw why. They'd never stood a chance.

Captain America pressed his back against the wall, checking his shield as he scouted around the corner. Steve. His head whipped around, searching, calculating, looking everywhere but at the ridge. From the look of it, he was alone. But it wouldn't be the first Hydra base he'd stormed without backup.