When Steve had infiltrated the Hydra base, his main thought had been to find Bucky. Of course when he'd discovered the other soldiers locked up in those cages, he'd freed them, but it hadn't been entirely altruistic on his part. He knew the men would want to tear the place apart, which wasn't a bad goal by any means, and if they were raising hell, he'd be more easily able to slip around undetected and find Bucky.
Find Bucky he did, and not a moment too soon. And he'd finally met and confronted Schmidt, the man he held personally accountable for Erskine's death, as well as Bucky's torture. Their violent encounter had been cut far too short, when Schmidt's lackey had pulled back the walkway they'd been on. After that, it had only been a matter of getting back where they needed to, to exit the building.
Except passing by those rooms again, similar to Bucky's and obviously having also housed 'subjects', Bucky had stopped dead at one door, still left half-open. Steve had shouted at him that they had to go, the place was gonna explode at this rate, but Bucky had just shaken his head and dived into the room. Cursing his best friend's damn-fool head, Steve had raced back and followed him in. What he saw...
Bucky had already been helping the woman off the table, but Steve took in details at an alarming rate now: he saw the cuffs left dangling from the table, bloody along the edges even though they were leather, from where she'd fought so hard against them; the tray of instruments pushed to one side; the way she shied away from Bucky as soon as she was remotely steady. Steve had shaken his head. They couldn't leave her there, but there was no way she'd be able to keep up with them if they had any hope of getting out of there before the weapons stores went up.
Steve had gone over and swooped her into his arms in one quick motion, telling her to hold on, then jerking his head at Bucky and taking off through the compound. He hadn't thought twice about Bucky being able to keep up; he wasn't moving as quickly as he could, because of his passenger, and Bucky had been keeping pace with him as soon as he'd been freed and was re-oriented.
Once they'd begun the long trek back to base, he'd put the woman down, but not a lot was said at the time, by anyone really. They knew they were behind enemy lines still, and even after they'd crossed into allied territory, the journey was still dangerous. They could be ambushed at any time, and it had subdued a lot of the men. Reaching base had been rather anticlimactic, although Colonel Philips all but praising him for his actions (in his own backhanded fashion) had been nice.
Steve was ashamed to admit that for a while, he hadn't even thought about the woman they'd rescued. He'd been too focused on Bucky, and then debriefing with the war room, giving them intel from the base, the map he'd seen, giving Howard that strange weapons energy pack... His mind could keep track of a lot, but she'd been pushed to the back, mostly because he didn't know her.
It was Bucky who brought her back to the forefront of his thoughts; Bucky who told him they were questioning her, interrogating her, incensed at the way they were treating her. Steve had had words with Philips over it. Eventually an agreement had been made. Nobody at the base trusted her, and Philips explained why - Steve didn't believe for a second that she was a spy, but he understood their hesitation when he learned about her... gift. Philips basically told Steve he had to take her onto his team, newly christened the Howling Commandos, both because she could be an asset to them - and because none of the other soldiers in his units trusted her enough to be around her, and he didn't want any 'accidents' happening.
If that was what he thought might happen, Steve wanted her with him whether she'd be an asset or not.
Now, he lay by the small fire in their current little camp, eyes closed but sleep a far way off. He didn't need much sleep, and he hadn't expended enough energy to warrant it yet. His eyes were closed, but that only made his already acute hearing even sharper, and he could hear the smallest rustle of leaves, bodies shifting around... and the lowest murmur of Bucky's voice. He'd gone over to sit by the gal, Rogue.
"Hey. Mind some company?"
Steve cracked an eye open, catching a glimpse of Bucky settling beside Rogue, about half an arm's length away and facing away from her, staring out into the blackness of the surrounding trees.
no subject
Find Bucky he did, and not a moment too soon. And he'd finally met and confronted Schmidt, the man he held personally accountable for Erskine's death, as well as Bucky's torture. Their violent encounter had been cut far too short, when Schmidt's lackey had pulled back the walkway they'd been on. After that, it had only been a matter of getting back where they needed to, to exit the building.
Except passing by those rooms again, similar to Bucky's and obviously having also housed 'subjects', Bucky had stopped dead at one door, still left half-open. Steve had shouted at him that they had to go, the place was gonna explode at this rate, but Bucky had just shaken his head and dived into the room. Cursing his best friend's damn-fool head, Steve had raced back and followed him in. What he saw...
Bucky had already been helping the woman off the table, but Steve took in details at an alarming rate now: he saw the cuffs left dangling from the table, bloody along the edges even though they were leather, from where she'd fought so hard against them; the tray of instruments pushed to one side; the way she shied away from Bucky as soon as she was remotely steady. Steve had shaken his head. They couldn't leave her there, but there was no way she'd be able to keep up with them if they had any hope of getting out of there before the weapons stores went up.
Steve had gone over and swooped her into his arms in one quick motion, telling her to hold on, then jerking his head at Bucky and taking off through the compound. He hadn't thought twice about Bucky being able to keep up; he wasn't moving as quickly as he could, because of his passenger, and Bucky had been keeping pace with him as soon as he'd been freed and was re-oriented.
Once they'd begun the long trek back to base, he'd put the woman down, but not a lot was said at the time, by anyone really. They knew they were behind enemy lines still, and even after they'd crossed into allied territory, the journey was still dangerous. They could be ambushed at any time, and it had subdued a lot of the men. Reaching base had been rather anticlimactic, although Colonel Philips all but praising him for his actions (in his own backhanded fashion) had been nice.
Steve was ashamed to admit that for a while, he hadn't even thought about the woman they'd rescued. He'd been too focused on Bucky, and then debriefing with the war room, giving them intel from the base, the map he'd seen, giving Howard that strange weapons energy pack... His mind could keep track of a lot, but she'd been pushed to the back, mostly because he didn't know her.
It was Bucky who brought her back to the forefront of his thoughts; Bucky who told him they were questioning her, interrogating her, incensed at the way they were treating her. Steve had had words with Philips over it. Eventually an agreement had been made. Nobody at the base trusted her, and Philips explained why - Steve didn't believe for a second that she was a spy, but he understood their hesitation when he learned about her... gift. Philips basically told Steve he had to take her onto his team, newly christened the Howling Commandos, both because she could be an asset to them - and because none of the other soldiers in his units trusted her enough to be around her, and he didn't want any 'accidents' happening.
If that was what he thought might happen, Steve wanted her with him whether she'd be an asset or not.
Now, he lay by the small fire in their current little camp, eyes closed but sleep a far way off. He didn't need much sleep, and he hadn't expended enough energy to warrant it yet. His eyes were closed, but that only made his already acute hearing even sharper, and he could hear the smallest rustle of leaves, bodies shifting around... and the lowest murmur of Bucky's voice. He'd gone over to sit by the gal, Rogue.
"Hey. Mind some company?"
Steve cracked an eye open, catching a glimpse of Bucky settling beside Rogue, about half an arm's length away and facing away from her, staring out into the blackness of the surrounding trees.