10

Ana couldn't find her clothes.

They weren't where she left them in the dressing room, they were simply...gone. She needed a place to hide her gun and the lacy corset wasn't going to do it for her. Holding her arm up as she wrapped it in old fabric probably used to sew back clothes torn from the night, her blood running through the fabric easily but she knew this was the best she got for now. She went through the clothes laying around, checking through gym bags the other girls had brought in for themselves, pulling together a hoodie and sweatpants. 

She wore the clothes atop the lace, tucking the gun in her waistband as she moved out of the room, now wearing a bright red wig, hoping it helped conceal her identity. Her mind ran with new numbers, furious with coordinations for the next attack and trying to retrace her steps back to the cabin.

She pushed through the back door of the club, stumbling out into the alley as she pulled her hood up as rain began to fall. She moved hastily toward the parking lot, covering her fist with the hoodie as she approached one of the cars, one that wouldn't be missed if it happened to disappear. 

Striking her elbow hard and even into the window, it shattered, the alarm not blaring as she had suspected. Hot wiring it was easier, driving away was harder. 

The glass of the back window shattered and a bullet struck through the front windshield as she ducked, screaming. She looked into the rearview mirror, spotting two guys, dressed like the guards from inside and she cursed to herself, pressing on the gas and speeding away as she pulled her gun out. 

She needed to ditch the car, make sure they weren't following her as she skidded out onto the main road and towards home to warn everyone. She watched head lights chase after her like she was in the Fast and the Furious, cars roaring to angry life. Ana hit the gas and changed gears, turning the car in reverse and spinning it around so she was facing the two cars behind her. 

Revving her engine, she switched gears again and skidded around them, driving the other way and taking a hard left as the cars followed her and onto the entrance ramp for the highway. 

It was easy to lose them after that.

She knew they weren't as good as they probably were, just trying to hold out empty threats with cars and gunshots. 

It was nearly one A.M. as she turned onto the little gravel road, the arm of her hoodie nearly soaking through the blood that throbbed and ached as she killed the lights of the car as she parked. 

She sat still, heart racing at the idea of being held captive for running off, the thought of being taken back to her prison deep inside Torrance's mind...but Ana knew better. She knew she wasn't truly a person, as much as she believed she was, her and Torrance...they were just two of the same monster. Stuck and twisted and manipulated into something they're not.

"I'm really sorry," she whispered to herself as she got out of the car slowly. "But you don't need me right now."

Ana? What are you taking about? 

"You don't need me right now," she said again with a laugh as she looked over the car. "Call me when you need me again."

Ana-please-

She smiled, pressing her hands flat against the coolness of the car. 

You can stay a little longer if you want. It's no problem-we're a good team-you're a good person-

"When you need me," she smiled. "You know what to do." 

She pulled the wig from her head and slammed her face into the glass of the car, feeling her skin break and pull taut as she fell back against the gravel, head spinning as the warm flooded her face and ran through her hair and eyes as she laughed, blinking black dots as she lost consciousness with a deranged smile. 

~

Torrance woke up with her heart racing. She was laying in bed, her face aching, along with her arm. She couldn't go a day without getting hurt, without getting shot. 

Looking around, she noted she was in one of the bedrooms she hadn't discovered the day before in Tony's little safe house. It was dark out and so was the room. The sheets were soft, softer than the ones at the motel and the ones at her apartment. The pillows cradled her pounding skull and she envied the little home, how quaint and romantic it all was. 

She still wore the hoodie and sweats she arrived in but the strain in her arm was less as she pulled the sleeve up to reveal fresh bandages. Her hand went to her forehead, feeling the hardness of stitches that she would only have to pull out in another day as she healed fully. 

Stretching, she slid to the side of the bed, feet dangling off the edge and touching the floor, her feet bare. She was screwed, next to the bed were her heels, but her boots were nowhere to be seen.

"Fuck," she hissed under her breath, she had lost them at the club. Well, not her entirely. She remembered her time with Ana, it wasn't like she forgot entirely what she had done, a part of her was always present when she rolled in. 

She tried to forget her loss, hoping somewhere in her apartment, she had an older pair, one that she can fix and implant new technology with the help of Tony. It was her only hope. She moved to stand, the part of her leg that that snapped the day prior still ached, but it was healed. It was just another steady bone. 

Unzipping her hoodie, she heard the door open and she froze, watching Steve peer in holding a glass of water and a bottle of Advil. He looked started to see her up and she smiled, zipping the hoodie back up and resting back against the bed as she looked at him and said, "So, how much damage did she do last night?"

He laughed, closing the door softly behind him and holding the glass and bottle to her which she gladly took. "Not awful, came as a shock to find out she ran off." His hair was messy on top of his head and he wore the same outfit she had seen him in the night before. She assumed she had slept through most of the day, as the clock by the bed had read a bright neon twelve A.M. 

"Didn't go too far," she said, tossing two pills back and downing it with water in a single gulp. "Went to a strip club, killed five Hydra agents, came home and decided to smash her head into the car, so not that eventful."

He rolled his eyes with a smile before holding back and laugh and whispering, "A strip club?"

She nodded, standing and placing the glass on the bedside table. "Apparently Ana knew someone would be there? Don't know how, not too shocked though. I did get some information out of the men she killed. Coordinates."

"To what?"

"Hydra's next attack. The place where they plan on taking Bucky." She rattled off the numbers and Steve's brows furrowed and said, "Tony's not going to like that."

"Why?"

"Those coordinates are for Stark Tower."

"Well shit, we're in Jersey-how are we supposed to get there in time?"

"How long do you think we have?"

"Either we check the news or we book it back to New York."

He sighed, rubbing his chin. "We need a plan, a strategy. We don't even know how many people are going to be there, how many Hydra agents could be there and with what."

"Pray to God it's nothing like the war," she whispered, moving back from to the table to stand closer to him. "We need to be careful." The room was still dark but she could see him clearly, brows furrowed in concentration and in thought. 

"I'll tell everyone in the morning, make sure they've all had a good nights rest before throwing all of this at them," he murmured, looking down at her, their bodies nearly touching. There was something she recognized only slightly flash in his eyes, the type of hunger she experienced more than once when they were alone. "Let them be happy for once."

"Let them be safe," she nodded, keeping her voice low. "Let them breathe and exhale for once." She shuddered as he got closer, her breathing uneven as she reached out finally to touch him, his skin warm under her fingers and she felt the shock of him as he stood still.

We can't-we can't-we can't do this-can we? Can we do this? Is it alright? What about-what about Bucky? Oh God-Bucky can't know-he can't know what all we've done. He doesn't need to know-does he already know? I'm scared-I want this-I want this so badly-I've wanted this for years-Torrance-Torrance-Torrance-

"What about Bucky?" he breathed out, his own breathing as uneven as hers. 

"We've done it before," she said, looking up at him through her lashes as she ran her hand over his arm and he reached out tentatively to touch her, hand sliding over her waist. 

"Torrance-" he closed his eyes. "-it's not right."

"I know," she croaked, finally resting her face against his as they leaned into each others touch. "I know that, but we-"

He nodded, wrapping his arms around her as she did the same. "We know we can't do this, we can't hurt him or anyone else-"

"It's been years," she muttered, feeling emotion rise up in her throat that felt so foreign and strange she didn't know what to do besides whisper, "We could've been together-all those years before-"

"You were gone."

She sighed, moving to rest her forehead against his shoulder as tears threatened her eyes violently raging against her closed eyelids. "If I hadn't been taken-would we've-?"

Yes, oh God yes. You're all I've ever wanted, all I've ever waited for. 

"Why can't we have one last time together?" she whispered so gently it didn't quite sound like her own voice as she pulled back to look up at him. "One last night? Before our whole world goes to shit?"

He looked at her, he was temptation and everything she had ever wanted and she knew he felt the same. They've always felt the same.

"It'll be only us," she said, sniffling at the thought of loosing him again and again. 

He ran hand over her face, under her eyes. "It's only ever been just us."

She moved first, standing on her toes only slightly to meet his height completely. Their breath was warm and heavy as she leaned forward and their lips brushed only ever so slightly that made her legs shake. This could be it, she thought. This could be everything.

Love-love-love-I loved you. I loved you and they took you away-wiped-you were made to forget-forgotten. I need to be selfish-we can be selfish with this-it's about us-only us right now. It's about you and me-me and you-Torrance-please-only once-

He moved the remainder of the distance. 

He was gentle with her, pulling her closer as they kissed. He was warm and comforting and felt like home as she draped her arms around his neck and pulled him ever closer as he deepened the kiss to a simmering burn as she parted her lips.

She moved one hand to his face, running her fingers up and into his hair. She moved her lips, trailing a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth and then his chin and jaw. He tiled his head up as she kissed his neck before moving her hands down his chest to grip the fabric of his shirt. He helped her pull it up and over his head and she stared at his chest with a soft smile, running her fingers gently over his biceps and then his chest. 

"Remember when you finally finished Project Rebirth?" she asked, running her hands over his chest in awe. "How shocked we all were?"

He nodded, tossing his shirt to the side as he laughed, "What? Didn't think it would work?"

She nodded with a grin, "Pretty much, yeah. Thought you'd be another Schmidt."

"Glad I wasn't?"

She smiled. "Was hoping you'd turn out more gruesome." 

She threw her arms over his shoulders and kissed him, parting her lips and devouring him as he took a step forward and moved them back against the bed, her legs touching the mattress as she touched his face and breathed heavily as he took the zipper of her hoodie and slowly pulled it down to reveal the lace she still wore underneath and his eyes went wide.

What the hell is she wearing-it's dark and lacy- 

"Where the hell did you get this from? And were you always wearing this underneath?" he laughed, grabbing her by the hips and pulling her forward as she placed her hands on his chest, running them up to his neck.

"I always wear this."

"Liar."

They both smiled. 

But she couldn't help but have the same thoughts as him as they moved closer to the bed and the clock ticked down. They didn't have enough time to get back into New York to save Stark Tower and whatever else Hydra planned on attacking. 

Steve knew that, she knew that, hell, everyone probably knew that.

So, when her back hit the bed, they both froze. She stared up at him and he sighed, resting his forehead against hers and whispering, "We can't, not now."

She nodded, running her finger sup his arms to reach around him. They embraced silently, having one final moment before standing. She gathered her clothes, pulling her hoodie back on and zipping it up to hide the lace. This was all she had to wear for now.

"Wake everyone, meet downstairs in five," she said, running her fingers through her hair to undo the tangles. He left, his hands brushing against her side before he vanished, opening the bedroom door and going to the rooms next door. 

I didn't tell Steve the whole truth last night, the little voice in her head said. Anastasia was still present, not entirely but enough for Torrance to hear her, way in the back of her brain like a phantom. 

"What didn't you tell him?" Torrance murmured to herself, sitting gently on the edge of the bed.

Ana's voice was distant when she spoke, like she didn't want to admit her truths, It all goes deeper than them wanting to have us killed, it all goes deeper than that.

"What is it, then?" she said back, hands resting on her knees.

I know how to remake the Super Solider Serum. I know everything that goes into it, and I know where you can find one of the last vials of it ever made.

The blood in Torrance's veins pumped tremendously, even her heart was racing. This could mean everything, especially to S.H.I.E.L.D. but also to Hydra. If they got ahold of that information, she didn't want to think of the consequences.

But a thought came to her mind and she whispered, "But what about Bruce Banner? He recreated the serum, to a point, so couldn't Hydra get him for the information? Why us?"

His didn't work like ours did. It transformed him into something else, something monstrous and hard to tame. 

"They only want us so they can know where the last vial of serum is, but wait-" Torrance paused, brain running.

The explosion rocked the room and Torrance could hear the gunshots raining above her. The body that fell besides her was her friend, a mentor, and he gurgled like a bloody fountain. 

"Wasn't the last vial stolen then broken?" Torrance asked. "Steve and I, we chased down that Hydra spy who had stolen it and it broke. That was the last vial-"

Ana spoke in a rushed voice that made Torrance's head spin, I'm talking about the one used on us, the one used for Bucky. They had the serum but I stole the last vial, then I took all the papers and information they had on it and hid them. I planned on burning them but we got wiped. They didn't know then but now they do. They want the information I have, that we both now have and once they're done with us, they'll kill us. 

"Then what do we do?"

We find it and burn it, or our secrets die with us.

~

Torrance met the rest of the group in the living room, the television on but muted. They were gathered around the couches and lounge chairs, either standing or sitting on edge. They all looked on edge.

"Did you tell them?" she asked once she entered, looking to Steve.

He nodded, glancing at her then back at Tony who stared at the television with narrowed eyes. "We have to get back to New York, get to Stark Tower."

"But how do we know Hydra doesn't have the whole place rigged to blow?" Natasha asked, looking around. "For all we know, it could be a trap."

"Then only one of us goes in," Torrance said, coming to stand by Steve. She crossed her arms and she saw the look in Bucky's eyes across from her. His eyes said don't you dare go in there alone but his body was relaxed. He was sitting in one of the lounge chairs, hands in his lap and hair pulled back messily. She uncrossed her arms, placing her hands on her hips as she said, "One of us can go in and scope it out, figure out what we are really dealing with."

"That could work," Tony murmured, finally tearing his eyes from the screen. Torrance looked behind her, the news was reporting about 'terrorist' attacks near her apartment building in New York. She saw Hydra's name flash across the screen and she had a hard time tearing her eyes from the screen too as she looked at the other man. "The rest of us can keep an eye out or search the surrounding buildings."

"Did the Hydra agent tell you anything else about what they're planning?" Steve asked and suddenly all eyes were on her.

She felt her cheeks redden from the attention because she knew more than she was letting on. She knew what was at stake. She cleared her throat before speaking, "They're planning to frame Bucky for it all, said he was an easy target. Also said they plan on killing me, well Ana, because she gave up the serum to someone and also because..."

You have to tell them, they can protect you. Protect us.

She sighed, "...because Ana took one of the last remaining Super Soldier Serum vial's and hid it, and now Hydra wants it. She hid a bunch of the paperwork and information on the serum with it too, somewhere."

Steve's eyes stared into the side of her face like lasers and her face got hot. "She did-what?"

Bucky was on his feet too, rushing out, "This changes everything. If Hydra got ahold of that serum they would be able to create soldiers identical to us, they'll be able to tame them like us-"

"I know! I know," she breathed, rubbing her temple. "I just found this out too, so don't shoot the messenger." She stared at Bucky, his eyes meeting hers easily. "I thought Hydra already has the serum, has made more like us-weren't there more like us?"

He nodded, sitting down again. "They were more dangerous, untrustworthy. Nothing like us, the brain washing didn't work well with them, the serum was different."

"Do you know what type of serum she's got hidden?" Natasha asked. "Because if it's anything like Steve's, I'd be getting pretty nervous right now."

"It's the serum used on him," Torrance said. "I wouldn't doubt it for a second."

"Hydra can't get ahold of that, how do they even know about it to begin with?" Tony asked, looking at her and she met his eyes with a shrug.

"Wouldn't be surprised if they found part of what Ana hid, but I'm in the dark," she confirmed. "Hell, Ana's in the dark too."

Where the hell did you hide it? Torrance asked herself and Ana answered, leaving her blood to run cold. She felt a sudden chill in the air when Ana spoke and she was sure the other's in the room sensed it too. 

I think you already know where.

Torrance did. She knew from the sound of Ana's voice echoing darkly in her skull and she knew because her gut told herself so.

"Tor, what's wrong?" Steve suddenly asked and his hand met the small of her back. "It looks like you saw a ghost."

"I know where the serum is," she breathed after a moment, looking up at him and felt the warmth leave her cheeks in a gut wrenching moment.

Tony spoke next, "Well, where is it?" 

Swallowing thickly, she clenched her fists and spoke as evenly as she could with the waver in her voice, "My sister's grave."

_____________________________

Notes: 

The super soldiers that Bucky and Torrance reference are the ones from Civil War, even thought Civil War has not happened yet in the timeline I'm writing from. 

It's just a reference, potentially a small foreshadowing to the series.