Alpha/Omega Avengers AU - Lynx/Vamp

Well. This certainly was a surprise.

Not one, but two Barnes were huddled by a tree, a good two hundred yards from the carnage they had left in their wake. He'd never lose sleep over a Hydra base being destroyed, but it was evident that they had done it by the fact they were not only /covered/ in blood like they had /bathed/ in it, but he could barely tell the girl even smelled like Bucky Barnes' daughter, let alone looked like the female version of him. Interesting. A Beta born of an Alpha/Omega hybrid. Mother must've been a Beta. Betas made good spies, as he knew by Clint. Lull Omegas and Alphas into a false sense of security and then yank the rug out from under them.

"This is quite the predicament you two landed yourselves, now isn't it?" Fury drawled, watching them carefully but didn't come much closer than six feet. The girl looked ready to shift, and the Soldier seemed close to passing out, holding his flesh arm tight over his torso. Lots of blood loss and the more time spent wasted, the more he lost.

"Nicolas Fury." Angelina spoke, staying close to her father, but baring her teeth anyway. "You're not a snake. What do you want about us? We just want to go. He needs help. Healing's not kicking in fast enough."

"I can see that." Fury watched her closely. A snake, huh? Was she talking about Hydra or just snake as in a horrible, untrustworthy person? "I can offer him the help he needs."

"You offer me a cell made of white walls." The Soldier spat blood out at him.

"That too, but you'd be alive. You're wanted, Winter Soldier. You brought down everything within less than two weeks. I'm sure you feel quite accomplished." Fury shifted his injured arm for emphasis, "Nearly killed me, destroyed my organization, while you also fleshed out the Hydra sleeper agents, you also nearly killed Captain America, /certainly/ killed a lot of other good men and women. That's not even scratching the surface of what you've done."

"You have red in your ledger too." Angelina stiffened. "Don't blame all of their deaths on us when you failed them too." She looked at her father and then looked at Fury. "All you have are evidences of wrongs. About the rights? About that?!" She gestured to the base. "We did you a favor."

Fury watched James Barnes shift closer to his daughter, in danger of falling off the tree, but he looked proud of her anyway. No doubt for standing up to an Alpha. "You did do me a favor. Which is why I'm offering you help instead of having you both shot on sight." He saw James was fighting to keep his eyes open longer than two seconds at a time, his breathing more labored. "It'd take time and patience, but you don't have to be in those white walls for long."

Angelina shifted and looked at her father. Too much blood and not enough time. "If you can save him from dying, I'll do what you want."

"Anz..." James was cut off by his own cough and fresh blood landed on the grass, "Don't..."

"I don't know anything about you." Fury took a step closer to Angelina, "I just want him. You want to save him? Work for me. Cap was devastated when I saw him last." That got Barnes to shoot upright and his hand clamped down on Angel's shoulder, his eyes wide. The two seemed to share a form of communication that transcended the family ties, and then James fell limp into the tree, out cold. "Now or never, pup."

Angelina watched him for just a moment before she held her hand out. "Save him and I'll do what you want." She repeated. "Just please keep him alive."

~*~

Needless to say, the Soldier had been unhappy to wake up in the holding cell. It was a /very/ good thing that everything was reinforced. Dylan had been terrified of the screaming and yelling. He had never heard someone so enraged, but then the rage turned to tortured screaming and Dylan's fear had melted away. Zan wouldn't be happy about any of this, which is why he never told her anything that happened. Being her twin meant he was the only one immune to her Alpha voice when she demanded it after a hard day.

It took three days, but by the third day Dylan was almost just as terrified as the first time. Instead, he was afraid /for/ Bucky, not /of/ him. He was just...there. Existing. He ate when he was given food through the door, compliant when a guard went in to get him to shower. It made his heart break.

Finally he couldn't stand it anymore. He had to do /something/. Who was the best person to talk to? The woman who everyone knew was Bucky's daughter by now. He had only heard of her, he hadn't seen her yet. They just kept /missing/ each other but he knew by her scent. It was similar to Bucky's. He followed the trails now. She had left Fury's office and was...the computer room? Dylan blinked, but he shrugged and continued on.

Everything turned topsy-turvy, upside down, and inside out as soon as he spotted white hair and blue-green eyes illuminated by the computer screen, pale luminescent skin marred by faint scars scattered around. Her arms were also covered in them as well as her neck. He wanted to throttle those who'd done it to her, but he had this really odd bloom of pride he didn't understand when he came to the conclusion she probably already destroyed them all.

It was the sense of pride that made her look up from the computer screen. In front of the door was a man that had blonde hair and pale skin. He stood casually, not to attention like many other agents. He didn't wear a tie and his suit jacket was unbuttoned and fly away. He rolled the sleeves up some too, probably because it annoyed him or it was a habit, she didn't know. What she did know was that she could tell that this man had something sweet on him. He smelled like sugar and vanilla. He smelled of gun oil and gunpowder. Underneath it all was a firm scent that reminded her of /home/. She didn't know what home was. She didn't really know what safety was. But she knew that he was both. She stood up slowly and approached him. He was an Omega. That was immediate when she got closer. She nearly purred in her throat, but she had a feeling he didn't come here for a quick fuck or to have a bit of fun with her. She shouldn't even /think/ he would honestly. "You're proud of me?"

"Ah...um..." Dylan stiffened and straightened up, pulling his hands from his pockets like he had them and smoothed down his shirt, one hand going through his hair. He was suddenly nervous and embarrassed at being caught. "I didn't realize that had been so powerful outwardly. It took me by surprise. I was just...your scars...it made me happy thinking you probably already...er.../took care of/ those who did it to you."

Angelina grinned, pleased that he was so flustered. "I like your mind. You're one of the few sincere ones I met. Anzhelina Barnes, or Angelina. Whichever is easiest. You?"

God what a pretty name. "Wait...mind? You read minds?" Well he was busted on so many levels already. "Um...glad you like my thoughts? Dylan Wicker. Would you...mind if I called you Angie? I like coming up with or knowing people's nicknames. Makes things more fun."

Angelina grin was wide. "Dyl-dal then." She nodded her head. "I don't mind. Did you come here to pay me compliments?" She teased him. "Or think them in any case."

Dylan's face flushed scarlet, "No! No, that wasn't it at all. I heard about you - and smelled you - through the compound and I wanted to come talk to you about your father. He's...not doing so good. I know I should expect it, but it's...my father was in the military. The haunted look is nothing compared to what I see in Bucky.../yes/, Bucky. He's Steve Rogers' friend. I won't call him the Winter Soldier. He deserves better than that, then /this/." His frown he had before came back full force.

Angelina's teasing fell swiftly. To be honest, she didn't even know what brought it on, her flirting with him. She never reacted like that to anyone else and he had to have been embarrassed though he seemed really pleased. However, the moment he got his mind on track, she could see his seriousness. Her father /wasn't/ doing good, and...

She grew silent, deadly. "Take me." She said immediately, leaving no room for argument.

Her looking so fierce made his pulse quicken, but he nodded and led her back the way he had come, with less detour. When they got to the holding cells, Bucky was sitting placated on the cot, staring at the wall across from him with a blank expression. Glacier blue eyes were void and empty. He didn't have cuffs on, they took them off after the shower-time, but the tacky green scrubs looked awful on him. His face looked shaven, so someone must've hacked off the beard that had been growing which really hadn't fit him very well. His hair was still messy, and it fell in front of his face. He seemed as if he had stepped out of the rain rather than a shower.

"I don't have clearance to get into him." Dylan told her sadly, his heart twisting again. If the Captain was here he would hate this, but even he wouldn't have been able to do anything. No one could do a damn thing at all until Bucky was cleared.

Angelina walked closer to the cell and held the bars. Her heart broke, she couldn't read his mind. His mind was blank and white like snow. Like the snow fog in Russia. "Tată <I'm scared. I can't read you. Can you hear me? Can you see me?>"

The bar she was gripping were the window of the door, but it had a metal slider that came down when he freaked out, or when someone was there to put a tray of food through the slot so he wouldn't strangle them. He turned his head towards her voice, but otherwise made no reaction. Dylan was watching though the side-window and he was even more horrified at the direct blank stare. It made his stomach drop, and he wished for his sister. "He's a mess." His sentence hitched, "He looks so broken." Bucky's eyes flickered in the direction he was now, but Dylan knew he couldn't be seen as it was a one-way glass.

She stood up, her eyes filled with tears. "This isn't saving him. This is destroying him." She turned to Dylan. "Fury? Do I have to talk to him? I need him out of here, somewhere better."

Dylan hated this. He hated shooting her down. He wanted to give her positive answers, but he could only shake his head. "I'm...I'm so sorry. Fury won't do anything. Let you in to see him, maybe? But he won't move him. The only thing I now for sure is you're needed to clear him, Angie. Wasn't that what you were doing in the computer room?"

"Damaging him further goes against everything." Angelina turned back to the door looking at her father. A few tears fell down her cheeks. "Companion. Anchor. He's...he needs me. More than Fury does. I shouldn't have said anything. But he was dying." She gritted her teeth. "I know. I know he keeps his promises. I need to work harder. Work faster. I'm not doing enough." She looked up at her father's eyes. "<I'm so sorry. I'm failing you. I'm trying. I'm trying. Please believe I'm trying, papa.>"

Dylan reached out before he could stop himself, grabbing her hand and was blindsided a second time. This time, everything fell into place. Compatible. People didn't find or fall for Compatibles very often. Gripping her hand tighter, he felt his own tears prick up, but he tugged her to him and with his free hand wiped at her tears. "Let's go talk to Fury, and see what we can do, Angie."

Angelina breathed in hard and deep and took in resolve. She nodded her head a few times. "Take me there." She gave her father another look and prayed with all her heart and soul that he knew, that he knew that she was going to fix it, even if it cost her more of herself than she had.

~

"So, Cap, as you can see, I need discrete. Setting up bombs around the place will be Natasha's and Clint's job. You protect your mission lead at all costs. Turns out she's Compatible with one of my young men, and I can't let anything happen to her on /top of/ everything else." Fury leaned back after showing Steve the blueprints of the base and telling him the plan.

Steve knew that Compatible people were rare to find, and harder to keep around. He had lost both of his, one to a fall in the mountains and the other to time that just no longer existed. Of course, now that he knew that he was back...and missing somewhere, he knew that these jobs would lead him closer to them. "Are they timed bombs or manually designated? Who designates them? Also, if she's Compatible then is he coming with?"

"Manual. You get to blow the place sky high as soon as everyone's clear. Dylan Wicker will be joining you, yes, but only because a fresh Compatibility is sensitive to distance. He'll be saying in the Quinjet and watching the outskirts along with Agent Hill who will be flying the jet. Young Mr. Wicker knows how to shoot a gun, but he's no sharp shooter and hasn't had any field experience. Hill will keep him plenty safe." Fury nodded, lacing his fingers together, "I know it's only been a month since your fight with the Soldier. You fit for combat should you run into any trouble?" Not just physically. Steve had fully healed, but he looked just as hallow inside as James downstairs. If Cap knew how close he was he was sure the other Alpha would wring his neck.

"I'm sure I can handle it." Steve said instantly. "I'm good with protection and as long as she doesn't lead us into a trap, I'm all in. Agent Wicker, he's a good guy." He seen the boy around the HQ. He was smart as a whip though sometimes he fumbled a bit here and there. It was dangerous to have fresh blood, but...well. He had to start somewhere. "Anything I need to know in particular about the girl? Enemies she might have besides Hydra? Abilities? Or is that all classified till I find out myself?" He asked dryly. He didn't doubt it would be.

"Not classified, but she's not very subtle anyway." Fury waved his hand, "She'll tell it to you straight unless it's directly got to do with what I told her /not/ to say. You'll like her. I know I did. Reminds me a lot of Natasha. Those two will get along like two peas in a pod. Now, go, off with you. They're no doubt in the hanger right now."

Steve saluted and headed out of the office, his mind going through circles. Well, it wasn't the first time this was a mission lead mission, but he wasn't sure of what it was that he was going to see. Indeed, he saw Natasha waiting for him in the hanger, looking at her nails like she was bored. "You move slow for an old man." She said in her teasing rasp when he finally got on board.

"Do you ever get bored with the fossil jokes?" Steve looked at her fondly, and exasperated.

"No, not quite. Not yet anyway." Natasha gestured. "Clint and Maria are flying. At least he has a co-pilot and we're not completely at his mercy."

"The day she gets bored with fossil jokes is the day she stops trying to set you up!" Hill shouted from the cockpit.

"You like my flying, admit it!" Clint called next.

"I'll live with your flying." Natasha concluded as she found herself a seat and sat down primly, crossing her legs and buckling herself up. "Steve on the other hand can't handle it. He's too prone to jumping without a parachute he's terrified."

"Thanks for your concern, Maria." Steve called to Maria before turning to Natasha. "And thanks for your ever loving support." She gave him a fun smirk and he rolled his eyes. He found himself a seat across Dylan and another girl with brown hair and green eyes. Contacts, he presumed. They looked off on her. Dylan was reading some sort of comic that he was prone to and the girl was resting her head on his shoulder, reading it as well. Sometimes she'd point to something and he'd murmur an explanation and she'd put her hand back down. She smelled...off. Like she was a mixture of a bunch of different scents and couldn't place one. "Hello, Agent Wicker."

Don't speak. Don't talk. Angelina glanced over across from them to see her Uncle sitting across from them. It took every ounce of willpower to not run into his arms and spill out every little detail. It took even longer for her to look away. It was better if she stayed silent, and let Dylan do the talking. She was too afraid that if she opened her mouth, everything would be at risk and her father's health would only decline further, not better.

"No pain no gain, Angie. If you're scared, you won't ever improve." Dylan chided softly. Steve needed to know things for this mission to work. He couldn't go in blind, and Fury was known for doing that. He hated Angelina's fucked up smell due to the scent changer pill, but he was close enough he could tell just a bit. Looking up at Steve, he grinned widely at him, "Greetings, nice to meet you, Steve. May I call you Steve, or should it be Captain? You can call me Dylan."

"Steve is fine. Captain should be on the field. Angie is it? It's nice to meet you." Steve wondered what in the world happened to her. So many scars littered her body, and he had seen plenty of them on other Agents. Just not so extensive and severe as hers. He didn't doubt that she was cut up more than just her arms.

"Nice to meet you, too." Angelina said slowly. "Angel's fine. Angie's his." She explained bluntly before turning red. "I'm sorry. That's mean."

"No, no I get it." Steve held his hand up with a laugh. "I mean...I had that type of nickname once. I get it completely. I heard you two were fresh bonds. Congrats. Though I am sorry you got dragged into doing something above your level, Agen- I mean Dylan. I will get used to that."

Dylan beamed, his happiness and excitement evident. The jet was getting ready to take off, shuddering with the engine power and the whine filled his ears. It would level out and go silent once in the air, but he did wince a little. He'd never flown in one before, but he had flown in a regular plane. Suddenly he wished for some gum. He focused on Steve for a distraction instead and regulated his breathing, "I'm going to be stuck in this hunk of metal, so I don't think I'll be in any danger unless there ends up being bullets shot into the jet. I just can't be too far from Angie, that's all. I'll probably end up checking in with her every so often so she can chill with the sound of my voice. You still going by /that/ name, Angie, on the field?"

"Probably safer to have a code name." Natasha cut in smoothly. "You could call her, let's see...007."

Steve gave Natasha an unamused look. "Another reference of pop culture?"

"Well, we could call her Charlie's Angel, but that just is insulting now that she has Agent Wicker."
Natasha replied, entertained at Steve's eyeroll. "Well if my ideas are terrible Rogers, then you come up with one."

Steve frowned and looked over at Angelina. "Hmm. Do you already have a code name besides that one? Or is it alright for me to give you a new one? Would you remember it?"

"Companion's alright." Angelina assured. "I don't need a new name." She turned to Dylan. "Companion."

"It's..." It sounded much like one would call a dog. Angelina gave him a a startled look. "It's good!" he said hastily.

"Well you weren't wrong about the dog part I was gonna ask how you know." Angelina said slowly.
Natasha snickered from her seat.

Dylan wondered if Steve even realized if Angel read his mind, as he didn't say anything about dogs out loud.

"There's something about that sentence that doesn't fit. While I agree..." Clint said from up front, "Steve didn't say a word about k9s."

Steve hadn't thought about it, he thought that it was written all over his face honestly. But now that he was thinking about it, it was too specific. Clint even sounded suspicious and Maria was quiet. "I was...wondering about that myself."

"It's not against mission protocol..." Angelina whispered mostly to herself. She nodded once and looked at Steve. "I can read minds. Fury already knows. He doesn't like not keeping secrets from me. Which is probably why he was open for this mission."

That explained too much. Why it was easy to get information out of him and what not. Angelina would have spilled or pointed something out. She was both an assist and a dangerous disadvantage too.

"Well hot damn, we have a mind reader in our midst." Clint whistled, "If Fury likes you, honey, then I think you're going to fit in just fine. He won't make the same mistakes again."

"Sounds good to me, though I'd prefer if my mind is not read." Natasha said slowly, glancing over at her.

Angelina tensed a little. "I can't help it. I read whoever's loudest."

Dylan rubbed Angel's knee, "I'm sure you'll be fine, Miss Romanoff, as you can weave a maze of words besides. Your mind might give Angie a headache, anyway."

Clint cracked up, "Ain't that true! But isn't 'weave a web of words' more accurate?"

"That would be 'weave a web of lies' but you're her Compatible so I suppose you have to be nice." Hill drawled.

Steve on the other hand had to agree with Natasha. He also didn't want his mind to be like an open book to this girl, but he also wondered why she looked so familiar to him. Brown hair, green eyes, she looked so...so familiar. Like a spitting image of someone. But...who? Who in this lifetime could she look like? The first thought was Rebecca, one of Bucky's sisters. The second thought was Allison, another one of Bucky's sisters. Both of them had the same brown hair, but they didn't have green eyes in the family. But...it was hard to shake. It was so hard to shake and he didn't think that he should jump the gun. What if it wasn't any of them and it was someone else?

Angelina frowned deeply. "Well I know one whose making my head hurt right now. You're going in circles."

And he was just thinking that he didn't want her to read his mind. "Sorry. I'm just trying to put your face in my memory."

"Is it working?" Angelina asked, skeptically.

"No." Steve shook his head. "I'm just giving myself a headache honestly."

"You probably should stop that then." Angelina said wisely, making Natasha roll her eyes. "Though I think that just fell on deaf ears."

"It's his job to overthink, don't worry about it." Natasha assured. "How long till we get there, Hill? Barton?"

"Nat, I like her, we should keep her." Clint chirped.

"Mm...not too much farther. It was a base in the mountains. How typical, right?" Hill answered smoothly.

"Not always in mountains." Angelina muttered to herself. "But pretty common yeah." Luckily her voice was drowned out by the airplane and the only one that heard her was Dylan and possibly Steve.

Natasha pretended to think about it. "I don't know, Clint. You barely keep track of Lucky. How are you going to keep track of an Agent and his runaway bride?"

"She's more like a cat. She'd take care of herself, but she's going to be fun to be around." Clint wasn't daunted at all.

"A Companion referred to as a cat. How do you feel about that, Angie?" Dylan arched a brow.

"I like touches." Angelina said thoughtfully. "As long as they're the nice kind and not the mean and inappropriate kind. At least in this setting. My hair. My face. My shoulders maybe."

"So you'll feed off of affection." Natasha nodded her head. "Very catlike. Steve are you going to try to bid to keep her or is Clint going to just run away with her?"

"I think Dylan's kind of spoken for so," Steve gave Natasha a small smile. "Unless you can get him to think otherwise, I think you and Clint are outta luck. Same with me."

"We can keep them both. Dylan did make that weaving words comment, I like him, too." Clint added.

Dylan snorted, "You gotta fight my Alpha Twin for me, so I think you are out of luck."

"Naaaahhhh, Nat we can have triplets! You could charm the twin sis no prob." Clint waved his hand dismissively.

"You going to start collecting people?" Hill arched a brow.

"Yes." Clint grinned from ear to ear.

"Oh boy." Natasha shook her head from side to side. "Steve's got you beat on that." She turned to Dylan. "She works at a cafe right. Milk and Roses? Steve, you go there often."

"Spying on me, Nat?" Steve asked, a little dryly.

"Well, you and Sam aren't strangers." Natasha said kindly. "I consider it looking after you."

"Yes, young entrepreneur, my sis." Dylan nodded, but he had to smile. He was glad to be making these connections now. When Steve found out, he'd be angry and upset, but it'd be easier to be accepted into the fold than if he didn't have these blooming relationships.

"Landing in just a few more minutes. Good thing this jet travels fast or we'd be stuck in here talking about nothing for hours." Maria made a few clicking sounds as she changed switches.

"You going to be okay, Angie? Finding what you're after?" Dylan murmured in his Bonded's ear.

Angelina nodded and she held her hand to him and leaned her forehead against his. "Repeat after me. You're safe with me." She watched him as he repeated it. "That's our phrase." She explained. "Assurance. Reassurance. I'll tell you more about it later. But say it only when you think I need to hear it. When you think it's really bad."

"I will." Dylan promised, kissing her temple sweetly. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to.

~

"How's things going?" Dylan asked on the radio after too long with silence. Most of the base was covered with explosives, and there weren't very many Hydra operatives which made it easy to get around. He knew Steve had been getting suspicious with how easily and quickly Angie moved around the base, too. It was how his body patterns changed on the heat radar he and Hill were using. Steve was really stiff and cautious.

"So far." Angelina said after a moment of silence. Apparently she had gotten a little preoccupied. "So far things have changed. Things haven't changed too. I should be getting the thing soon. When I get the thing, we should be alright. It'll be one step closer anyway."

"Who's exactly privileged to know what the thing is? Just you, hon?" Clint asked kindly, not surprised nor upset she would be like Fury and skirt around things.

"Um...if you meet me face to face and your not Captain America, I'll tell you." Angelina offered timidly. "I like that you call me hon. It's not a name I hear much."

"I suppose we /are/ adopting her then, along with two others." Natasha said, her voice filled with mirth though breathless. It was clear that she had been in a middle of a fight, or had just finished one by the tone of her voice.

"Why can't I know about it?" Steve demanded. "I understand you're leading the missions, but is it something they can do?"

"It's not about what they can do. It's about what you can't do." Angelina replied. "Mission protect. You stick out too much."

Well when she put it that way...

"You okay, Widow?" Clint asked furrowing his brows. Of course she was okay, but he had to ask. "What's your location, Companion? We'll decide who meets you on who's closer. I'm sticking another pack on the wall."

"Um. I'm about to head into the basement. There's an elevator." Angelina answered after a moment of hesitation and then she let out a surprised shout and the man let out a loud grunt before they heard a metal clang. "Don't startle me!" She told the man that she had knocked unconscious.

Natasha was amused. "I'm fine by the way, Hawkeye."

"I'd say...Widow's closer to the elevators. You got it the Companion?" There was a 'snap' sound through Clint's mic as he set off his bow.

"I'll meet you at the elevators, I'm heading your way." Natasha said quickly.

"I'll stand by." Angelina agreed before everyone heard a loud CLANG in the coms. "That wasn't me this time!"

"No me. Why did Stark put in enhanced coms in our ears? It's too fucking loud for me." Steve said, picking up his shield.

"Cap's not a happy camper. Don't mind him, that ringing tone to the clang is his shield." Clint assured.

"It is pretty loud." Angelina admitted. "I wonder if there's volume control on it. I'm gonna play with it."

"Don't play with it when we're in the middle of a mission!" Steve sounded horrified.

"Not now." She agreed. "Later when we're back on the plane. It'll keep me awake."

"You're gunna...play with Stark's equipment?" Clint sounded unsure how he should feel about it.

"Companion's a hacker!" Dylan chirped.

Natasha started laughing. "Stark's gonna have a field day. I'm getting close to you, Companion."

"Still waiting." Angelina assured. "Bored. Oh. Hello! Down the elevator we're going guys. I don't know how well the signal's gonna be."

"Be careful." Dylan murmured.

"I'll continue my way around setting up the place." Clint hummed, "Unless you'd like a little company, Cap?"

"Whichever you want to do. I think we knocked out a good majority of the bad guys." Steve said as he placed his shield back and started looking around at the base properly. It was a decent base, two stories high and apparently a basement that no one knew about. At least, not in the plans. Something was down there, and he wasn't allowed to know what. Then again, it was like Angelina said. He wasn't a spy, he'd out them pretty fucking quick. Angelina probably had someone down there that would respond quite well to the Black Widow. He could smell blood, both old and fresh from the fight. He could almost hear screams that echoed, even though he knew that they were the only ones there. A place for living ghosts.

Clint had decided to leave Cap to himself for a minute, to take a breath and cool off, and then when he was done with his explosives he came to land gracefully beside him from the catwalk in the rafters, "You wanna talk about it?"

"I'm worried we're being lead into a trap." Steve said after a moment.

"No. Angel's not a Hydra. She might have been, but so was Nat. Harming us would harm Dylan, or separate them because Hill would take off. She's safe, Steve. I /do/ agree that the two of them going down to the basement with no signal bugs me." Clint let just a little bit of calming pheromones free to take the edge off his Captain. "If anything happens, it's because an alarm goes off because something was tripped. But when /doesn't/ an alarm go off?"

"That's true." Steve thought about it for a long time before he spoke again. "She reminds me of a face I can barely remember. I thought of Bucky's sisters. I thought of Bucky. But none of them make sense to me, unless one of Allison's or Becca's kids decided to have another and I didn't know." He sighed softly. "But her eyes are all wrong, her scent's off by a mile. I don't know what to think of her. But I feel like...I feel like I'm staring at a ghost. It's not a good feeling."

That got Clint's mind ticking, "I guess we'll have to wait to find out. If Fury wants to hide something from you, he has a reason. He /always/ has a reason. At least Angel's free to tell us. You know you have ways to get us to tell you if it's okay without /really/ saying anything, mind reader or not."

"True." He rolled his shoulders back and down. "You seem taken with her. And Dylan. That's pretty fast. I know Nat has trust issues, but she didn't seem to mind it either."

"Nat told me what she thinks of Zan, Dylan's sister. We got them in the bag. If Angel's his Compatible, she's got her heart on her sleeve, even if she doesn't know it. She's skittish like Nat was when I met her. It'll be..." Clint released a heavy sigh as the halls of the compound suddenly went red and a really annoying, blaring alarm went off. "Aaaaand there it is. At least it's going bye-bye."

"Natasha, status!" Steve shouted into the coms, hoping that they were on their way up or something. "Damn. They really are blocked off of the signals. We need to get out of here, and hope that the other two can find us outside."

"I got your six, Cap." Clint got his bow at the ready, the two of them bolting off.

~

Natasha and Angelina had managed to accomplish exactly what they wanted. The Chair was a leather chair that was connected to electrical currants and a half-helmet that was connected straight to the brainwaves. It was easy to see how someone could be wiped. It was torture, and it was a way to scramble the wavelengths. They took pictures and Angelina grabbed all the files that she could remember, holding them tight against her chest.

"You can't tell Uncle Steve about anything you see here." Angelina said after a moment of looking at a large square. It was a safe.

"I wasn't planning to, but why?" Natasha asked, looking at the equipment. "This was used to subdue the Soldier right?"

"The Soldier," She agreed, her voice sad. "His best friend."

"...Who exactly are you?" Natasha asked, her voice hard. "Not Hydra."

"I can't tell you that." Angelina looked upset, "Though I was trained by the same man. Just when I was older."

"So you're not a Black Widow." Natasha relaxed a bit. "Though your speech patterns would give that away immediately. We're taught how to talk like people in the culture we're trying to invade."

"I know." She turned back to the safe and got it open. Natasha wanted to see what it was that was inside, but decided against it. She barely got the girl's trust anyway. "I'm not a spy either. I'm just a Companion."

"What does a Companion do?" Natasha asked, but her question was drowned out by the sound of alarms blaring.

Angelina look startled and then made a sad noise. "Weight sensor." She said mournfully, taking out a red leather bound book. "I didn't know."

"Well, it was bound to happen. Captain and Hawkeye are probably getting out now. You were right about the signal being jammed down here." Natasha said, "The elevators are probably useless."

"Only way up too." Angelina frowned. "Wait, not useless." She looked at Natasha. "Fastest."

"Fastest?"

"Alarm makes it go a bit faster in case the Soldier has to be deployed up. It's happened a few times." Angelina explained and she held the files tighter as well as the book. "You'll have to watch me. I can't fight holding these."

"Don't let a paper loose." Natasha warned her and they headed into the elevator. Angelina was right, the elevator that was once so slow to get to the basement, was actually a lot faster now. Apparently the bad guys liked to give out the tension and anxiety. The Soldier would always know who was coming down the elevator and would have to wait as he listened to it come his way.

The bad guys, Natasha thought as soon as the elevator opened and one of them tried to shoot her, certainly forgot who they were dealing with. She grabbed his gun and flung herself up to his neck and twisted so that her thighs would wrap around it like a cobra's. She did a rotation with her muscles and the guy was knocked unconscious. "Come on." She said, grabbing the man's holster gun. Like hell she was going to use a rifle and ran off.

"Captain. Hawkeye. We're back on the floor."

"Good. We're heading to the Quinjet, we'll cover you as you get out of the building."

"Roger that."

"Please stop."

They ran through the building, Natasha shooting those that dared to come close and would shove Angelina periodically behind something so that she could get better aim. By the time they got out of the base, she could see that Clint had helped out with his arrows since he was picking some of them up, and Dylan was also on the field along with Maria, both of them with guns steady.

She grinned. Dylan did say he was no sharpshooter, but he certainly knew how to provide cover.

They all got into the jet and the moment they did, Clint and Maria got into the cockpit to start the quinjet up. It wasn't till they were up in the air did Clint press the button and Angelia watched from the window to see it burn down to the ground.

Dylan offered Angelina a bag to put all the files and the camera in, now that she had time to organize things. Then he patted her back and sides, nosing her temple and murmured "You're safe with me" low in her ear once he was satisfied she was physically fine.

Clint sighed and leaned back in his chair, the jet stable and the flight home secure. "We all good, Nat?" He asked, glancing over his shoulder at her.

"We're good. Mission accomplished." Natasha sat down heavily on the chair and ran her fingers through her hair, like she was trying to keep it from going too wild. "Might as well take us home, I'll kill for a bath."

Angelina leaned into Dylan's hold, "You're safe with me too." She said softly and looked over at Steve who was biting his lip. His mind was still going in circles, but now it was about those files and the red leather book. She decided to take some pity on him. "They're to help." She said after a moment, making Steve look up at her. "The red book controls the Soldier. It's the only copy. No one has it memorized. Even the Russians. You have to say the words in a particular order and he doesn't wake up enough for people to have it down."

"Well, that's sloppy." Natasha said, frowning at the information. "Having it memorized would be the fastest way to go wouldn't it?"

"But if that person was to defect Hydra, we'd have all other problems." Angelina explained. "No, best to kill the handlers when they're done. Or have the Soldier do it."

"What about you?" Steve asked, his eyes narrowed.

"I don't know the words, I just know what they are." Angelina said quietly. "I never activated him, and I never will."

()

It was hard work. It took a lot of effort and Fury still felt prickly, but he finally made it down to James' cell and unlocked it, swinging it open. Empty eyes slowly moved to look at him. "I can't have you a vegetable when I try to hold court to get you cleared, James." He cleared his throat a bit and then his tone changed, becoming a deep rumble and it snapped through the air. "Get up, and come with me." Alpha voice. He had to use it a lot, but that didn't mean he liked it. He preferred people such as Angel, Natasha, Clint, Maria, who used their own brilliant minds to make their own decisions. Still, it was necessary a lot of the time in his job.

James slowly got up, and walked purposefully towards him. It made Fury sick, how much of a puppet this man was. "I'll have you free by mid November. Just put up with it a while longer." He didn't know who he was talking to, himself or the shell in font of him, but he turned and trusted that he was too mindless right now to bolt.

He got James to a bedroom he had set up. It was simple, a full bed because he was going to let Angel stay here instead of the bunker she had taken in the living quarters of the compound they were in. A dresser for basic, casual clothes and the walls were a dark blue instead of white. There was a dial instead of a switch for the lights, and it was dim. "Here you go. Bathroom's through that door in the far corner. You'll be monitored still, but your daughter will join you eventually. Just don't run off once you come back to yourself. She's trying her hardest for you. I don't usually do kindnesses like this, but I /need/ you to be able to speak for yourself. I know you can hear me in there." Fury tapped his own head, and then sighed, going around the other man.

He flexed his Alpha voice again. "At ease, soldier." The tense set to James' shoulders dropped, and Fury walked out. A key card was needed to unlock the door, just like his cell, and the floor would continue to be guarded. Angel had told him she was used as a reward and punishment system before, but he hoped he had been successful in simply giving him incentive to behave.

~

Later that night, when Angel used her key card to unlock and then throw open the door, James had managed to shower and change of his own accord. It had taken several hours to do those two simple things, but now he was sitting on the edge of the bed. His eyes weren't nearly as empty as they were before, but still dark and his mind was sluggish and muddied. He did manage to croak out, "Anz...heli...na...?" before he 'omphed' as she tackled him backwards onto the bed, causing him to sprawl out on it. That made him dizzy.

"He did what he promised!" Angelina cried, holding him tightly as she got up and sat on his waist. She didn't care if it looked wrong or not, she was just happy that he spoke and that she could see just a bit of his mind. "I missed you," she wiped her hands across her cheeks as her tears fell. "I missed you so much. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I made mistakes. I'm trying so hard though. I met Uncle Steve. I didn't tell him anything. I have a Bond...<I'm so happy and so sad.>"

"<Too...much.>" James stared up at her. Her scent had sent a spark through his brain, and he blinked at her again. "<Slow down.>" He reached up and wiped at a tear, perplexed by it. He was still trying to come back online, and a lot of her words did not compute.

Angelina just cried harder and she buried herself back into his shoulder. Even though he was still confused and trying to come to terms with what was going on, his natural instinct was always the same. To soothe and protect. He was careful with his touchings, still trying to fight through whatever haze he was going through and while he was fighting that, she fought to get her emotions back under control for she worried that if she made too much of a fuss, they'd make her leave again.

She didn't ever want to leave his side again. She was thankful that she was allowed here. "<I'll slow down.>" Her voice rasped and teary as she pulled away again. Her nose was a deep red and she could taste blood in the back of her throat. She didn't doubt she'd get a bloody nose soon. "<Hold on.>" She got off of him and found a tissue and kept it at the ready, just in case. She sat back down, this time off of him so that he could sit up. "<I missed you.>" She decided to start there. "<You were dying. The blood wasn't stopping. I didn't know what to do. S.H.I.E.L.D found us. Fury talked to us. Do you remember that?>"

"<I do.>" She couldn't see the images playing through his mind. Picturing things was a little easier than thinking words right now. He frowned. His throat already hurt and was raspy from not being used. How long had he been silent? He saw her eyes widen. His first rational thought. 'Told me you were working hard.' He was quick to come back once the ball started rolling. "Companion." He stroked his fingers through her hair. She helped him through these rough times. "<Talk...tomorrow. It is...difficult right now.>"

Angelina nodded, understanding completely. He wasn't at his top form. She sniffed and rubbed her eyes. She closed her eyes as he continued to stroke and run his fingers through her hair. He knew it was comforting to her and it was soothing his nerves as well. A repeative little motion that required little thought. "<I'm staying.>" She said softly, "<They're letting me stay.>" She didn't need an answer, he seemed to relax more when he heard that. She laid down beside him and curled against his side.

Tomorrow, they would talk and she would do her best not to fail him again.
~+~

When he woke, the first thing he realized was he wasn't being blinded.

The walls weren't obnoxiously white, he didn't feel like he was in a too sterile room. His clothing wasn't scratchy and uncomfortable, but soft and warm just like the blankets which actually had some weight and plush to them, not thin pieces of scrap. It was...nice. Comforting. As he tried to move he felt a weight on his metal arm.

Angelina was curled on her side and he couldn't quite tell if he was hugging her or if she was hugging him. She did this often and while she had the blankets as a buffer where her head rested on his shoulder, he could never understand how she could sleep on it. His stirring was waking her up, though, and he watched her roll over and blink at him sleepily. He couldn't help his smile. She was so adorable.

"<Morning,>" She said, stretching and nearly hitting his face. "<sorry.>" She brought the blanket closer to her and laid there for a moment longer."<Sleep well? You look better. More easy thoughts. Less winter.>"

"I wasn't even Winter, I was just a mindless Soldat." Bucky scoffed, "That was a horrible setback. I still feel the effects and things are still sluggish and hazy. At least I can think, yes, instead of going through the motions. Everything's just been...a blur. How long has it been since we've been here?"

"Two months." Angelina said softly, sadly. "I've been trying. Trying really hard. And when Dyl-dal saw you withering away, he got me. He was sad, and angry. I was sad, and angry. I did something reckless. I made a deal with Fury. He got you in here. I can be here too now. I don't have to be away from you anymore."

"Fury told me he would have me free by November. I have a long way to go." He sat up and worked out the kink in his neck and rolled his shoulders. "Who is Dyl-dal? I don't remember much of last night, just that you were crying. It's hard to focus when my daughter, Companion, and Beta is upset. I remember you asking me if I recall almost dying, but besides that nothing much."

Angelina felt her heart break and she sat up too, stretching again. She crawled off the bed and went to find some clothes to wear. She was silent, trying to think for a moment before she turned to him. "It's my fault." She said her voice cracking at the words. "I didn't know what else to do. You were bleeding so badly. Healing wasn't kicking in. I told Fury I'd do anything he wanted me to do. I just wanted you saved. But saving you hurt you. I didn't see you for months."

"A devil's deal." Bucky sighed, throwing his legs over the edge and he came over to her, wrapping her into a hug, "We're together now. At least this time, it's not years. I am glad to have you with me. I love you, Angel. It's okay. We just...need to wait and see what happens. This isn't nearly as bad as being held in Hydra care. Fury wants me conscious, wants me to speak for myself. As long as I behave, and you keep working, it will turn out."

Angelina nodded, biting her lip. She hugged him back, only briefly so that she could pull away. He looked at her confused, and a little hurt. Very rarely did she pull back so fast. "Something to tell you." She said, and she watched him suck in a breath, prepared for the worst. "I mentioned Dyl-dal. You asked me who he was." She explained and he let it out. "He's my bond. I found my bond here. I worked with Uncle Steve. I didn't tell him who I was. But he thought of Aunt Becky. He thought of Auntie Al too."