Aftershock

The Change of Plans

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Tony

It's a relief to finally pull over, though the bad energy follows me like a cloud. Steve won't look at me. I pretend that I don't want to look at him, either, but there's not much else to see; we've stopped in the middle of nowhere with only trees and assorted wildlife to keep us company.

"Doesn't look much like a facility to me. Is it so top-secret that I can't even see it?" I say.

Sam points into the woods. "We're walking the rest of the way. I've routed a path that should avoid any tripwires. You all know your positions, right?" He waits for our nods and one-word confirmations, before turning and beckoning for us to follow. "Good. Lets move out."

I fall in after Rhodey, and I think Steve's behind me. I try to ignore the burning feeling in my stomach, and the tightness in my chest. This is fine.

It's a long walk. None of us offer to break the silence, not even Scott—and my apprehensions are only solidified when we crest the hill. The facility is a massive brick of a building. Flat, expansive and rectangular, built mostly of steel with very few openings beyond a couple tiny inlaid windows. Most of the traffic seems localized on opposite sides of the building, where operatives are coming and going in single-file lines. It's a bottleneck, tough to get into under normal circumstances, and the only element playing into our favor is that of surprise.

Lets hope our luck doesn't run out.

It's Scott that goes first. He shrinks out of sight and leaves us to wait with bated breath for his cue, as if we weren't tense enough already. Eventually, his voice crackles over our earpieces. 

"I'm in. Shutting down security."

"Waiting for your signal," Natasha replies.

I tap my chest and allow my nano-tech suit to encompass me. At one point it might have felt like an embrace from an old friend. Today, it's prison.

"Are you ready?" Steve says under his breath. He's standing by my side, nearly shoulder-to-shoulder, still not meeting my eyes. Tense. Shield forward. A soldier, ready to fight.

This isn't the fight I care about. What I wouldn't give to take him aside, lay it all on the line, apologize and hear him say it back—instead, I'm left with unanswered questions and no time for answers. Do you still see a future in me?

"Nope," I say, and close my helmet.

Scott's voice returns, this time accompanied by labored breathing. "All set. I think."

"You think?" Rhodey says.

"Their system's tight. I can only hope I pulled the right plug."

"It's gonna have to be good enough." Natasha brandishes her pistol and cocks it. "I'm going in. Cover me." She doesn't wait for a response before sliding down the hill towards the side of the facility.

Sam gives a long, low whistle. That's our signal—no turning back now.

Steve and Rhodey charge to the left, Sam takes the right, and I fly to the top of the tree line to get a better vantage point. Red lights flash from the small windows, one of which Natasha has already blown open with her gun. An alarm shrieks in protest— It seems Scott's apprehension was warranted.

I can see Rhodey controlling the flow of guards, who have started flooding out the door like homeless ants. Steve is making quick work of anyone that gets through Rhodey's fire— He already has one on the ground, and another knocked backwards with a shield to the chest. My breath hitches. Steve fights like a deadly ballerina, hyper focused and graceful, allowing nothing to deter him from his goal. And god, his ass looks so good in those pants.