𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 the dust that filled the air was minimal, Rumlow felt like he was suffocating when the ceiling had collapsed. His eyes played tricks on him as all the walls caved in and suddenly he was back on the forty-first floor of the Triskelion, rapidly falling back toward ground level. He could feel the phantom weight of his ribs cracking under the weight of the concrete crushing his chest.

He could hear the last words he'd spoken just before the incident, ringing through his head like a sign of bad karma. "This is gonna hurt. There are no prisoners with HYDRA, just order, and order only comes through pain. Are you ready for yours?" The word 'pain' was repeated over and over again in his mind, ringing against his skull. His eyelids were closed tight, but it did nothing to block out the sound of his thoughts.

His breathing grew rapid and thin, making it even harder to breathe. His hands gravitated towards his throat, pulling at the collar of his shirt as if it were strangling him. He needed a way out, so when the dust cleared and he saw an opening, he took it.

It sounded like he escaped the prison block just in the knick of time as a tumultuous roar shook the very ground he stood on. Although he had yet to meet the Hulk in person, he'd heard enough rumors to know it was better if he never did.

His feet carried him backward even though his mind screamed at him to stop being such a coward. He only stopped moving when he met a force that interrupted his own. He turned around, scrambling for an explanation, but it was the helmet held in his superior's hands that kept his mouth sealed shut.

The Skull hadn't shown his face to anyone within the organization aside from his own family. Whispers had filtered through the air of what the man might look like beneath his mask. Rumlow least of all expected to find a distinguished gentleman; however, the sick grin the formed on the Skull's face made him rethink the description 'distinguished'. He'd too easily allowed his darker side to show as he motioned for Rumlow to follow, aiding in the abandonment of their own troops.

"Our agents—"

"Are capable of handling themselves," the Skull interrupted, barely casting a glance back over his shoulder. It was clear the Skull had no intention of turning back, nor did he encourage Rumlow to do so either. Realizing his options were courage and survival, he elected to live by the latter. He'd tried the first option and the scars on his face revealed how that had gone.

The walk was silent between the two, but his thoughts were loud enough to compensate for the lack of conversation. However, it was unbearable and he risked his superior's wrath, implicitly pleading for another voice aside from his own. "Where are we headed?"

"The Red Queen has arranged for our relocation," the Skull casually explained. Considering the mask was still at his side, rather than covering his face, Rumlow assumed that something had changed. The Skull seemed to notice the inquisitive look on the soldier's face and answered the unspoken question. "I knew there was something special about you from the moment I saw your mangled face."

Rumlow frowned, assuming the statement had been an insult. The Skull shook his head to correct the misunderstanding. "I've been told you had quite the complexion before the accident... But I'm more a fan of what followed. There was this deep-seated anger contained within your very soul."

"My soul, huh?" Rumlow scoffed, muttering under his breath. He was quickly losing respect for the man beside him, seeing him as just that: a man.

The Skull nodded his head. "Your screams of agony tore through the medical ward during the first week, but something changed. Your anguish was suddenly more than just pain. I could see a desire in you for revenge. Now that is the kind of man that I can work with, and man that knows what he wants. So tell me, Agent Rumlow..."

Rumlow looked over at the Skull expectantly, but the following statement wasn't finished. He sighed, but begrudgingly played along with his antics. "Tell you what?"

The corners of the Skull's mouth grew wider into a grin that taunted and toyed with him. "Are you a man that knows what he wants?"

Rumlow hesitated. He'd thought about the moment a dozen times over, but had never settled on one conclusion until finally asked the question. He took a breath, opened his eyes that had hardened, and seethed as he answered the question, finally acknowledging the feelings of resentment that he'd kept buried. "I just want them to feel the pain, the loss, of everything they took from me. And make them pay for it: in blood."

The Skull chuckled, directing him down another path. "That is exactly why I've chosen you."

"Chosen for what?" Rumlow slowly questioned, uncertain whether he actually wanted to be dragged down into another HYDRA scheme.

The Skull paused. There was an uncomfortable silence as the other man looked him over as if suddenly reconsidering his implied prospect. The uncertainty was dismissed though as the Skull suddenly broke eye contact and pressed a hidden button along the wall of the room they had entered.

Rumlow hadn't initially realized it, but they were nowhere near the original HYDRA base. The walk had felt short, but perhaps that had been because they'd been walking so long. The first sign that they'd arrived at the new base was the surplus of technology around them, and the second was the woman standing in the doorway. She wore a seductive grin beneath the mask that concealed her identity; however, it was enough to know she was the Skull's partner-in-crime, The Red Queen.

"You didn't tell me you were bringing company, Hans." The Red Queen leaned up against the wall while crossing her arms. "I might've gotten dressed up."

The Skull frowned, not at the informal use of his name, but instead the flirtatious personality that his sister had suddenly adopted. "I thought you were seeing someone."

"We're just friends," the Red Queen corrected before winking in Rumlow's direction. "With a few additional benefits."

"Whatever." The Skull waved her away as if she were nothing more than a pest. "We'll discuss it later. Now where was I?"

The Red Queen gestured to the open secret panel along the wall. The Skull released an excited gasp as he suddenly remembered, acting as if he hadn't been reminded in the first place. He pulled the hidden objects out of the panel then offered them to Rumlow.

The soldier curiously eyed the armor and helmet, but accepted them to further examine them. The Skull grinned, pleased with his own decision before actually explaining his intentions. "It's a well-known fact that every Skull needs a pair of Crossbones to strike fear in the hearts of their enemies. I thought you might fit the mantle."

Rumlow examined the helmet before placing it on his head. The darkness took a moment to adjust to, but for the first time since the incident, the fire burning his flesh was quenched. An unseen grin formed on his face; however, the Skull could see through the soldier's posture that he fully intended to accept the role. Rumlow donned the rest of the armor and straightened to attention as if awaiting his first order under his new identity.

The Skull rubbed his hands together with glee before signaling for Rumlow to follow. The soldier complied without complaint as the Skull continued to relay orders. "I want you to oversee a side project I'm arranging. But I think you'll be pleased to hear it involves robbing the S.H.I.E.L.D. storage units and armory."

Crossbones frowned beneath the mask and stopped in his tracks. The information given wasn't what he wanted to hear. HYDRA had been stealing from S.H.I.E.L.D. for decades and nothing had actually changed. He was tired of waiting in the shadows. His desire to smite those that had wronged him overpowered his soldier instincts as he stepped out of line. "And what of the super-soldier?"

"HYDRA has taken that path of deja vu, chewed it and spit it back up again until it was unrecognizable." The Skull beckoned Rumlow to follow without any concern for the brief moment of insubordination. "Alexander Pierce may have offered you the strength of ten men, but I offer something far more valuable: the immortality of gods."

Crossbones considered the extended offer. He stood a lot to gain, but there was no guarantee his patience would remain firm. He was torn between desire and logic... until he recognized a situation in which he could have his cake and eat it too. He slowly nodded his head in agreement. He'd accept the immortality of gods, but use it for his own purpose to drag the captain down to the depths of hell where he'd devised an entirely separate circle of torment specifically for America's golden-boy.

The Skull either remained oblivious to the soldier's plan, or simply didn't care. He'd gotten what he wanted and was already moving along to the next phase of his plan. All they needed now was the proper Asgardian relic; fortunately, he had just the contact to retrieve it. The idea of reproducing the serum had been forgotten in an instant along with the HYDRA base that he'd left to burn in the Avenger's wake. He had more important things on the brain than insignificant trifles. Although the enhanced heroes posed a serious threat, he already considered himself a god, and gods didn't quarrel with ants.

———

Smaller than the average ant, it took Steve much longer than he expected to reach the entrance of the room. By the time he did, the boy was long gone. His frown deepened and he paced to keep from lashing out in anger. Although he couldn't do any damage to the environment around him, the serum that coursed through his veins hadn't been acting right since the moment he was miniaturized. In his current state, lashing out would only harm himself, and that wouldn't do the girl any favors.

He took a deep breath and worked on determining his  next step in the course of action; however, his thought process was interrupted by a giant pair of metal boots. As Steve looked up, the metal faceplate belonging to the suit of armor looked down.

As Tony spoke, Steve could tell he was grinding within the suit. "And what do we have here?"

"Where's the kid?" Steve didn't offer a greeting, nor did he play along with Stark's antics.

"Jack ran off with Jill," Tony explained in his usual manner, unable to do so without a snide remark, smart comment, or wise-crack. "He left behind his pail though, not to mention tore down the ceiling to cover his tracks."

Steve frowned and looked beyond Tony's boots, down the hall. He didn't need to think about his next move any longer, his mind was made up. "I'm going after her."

"Woah, woah, woah." Tony took a step forward which blocked Steve's path. "I think we've got bigger problems."

Steve rolled his eyes, ignoring the other few puns that Tony quipped. He had enough clever word play over the past few days for his entire lifetime. Instead, he tried to walk around Tony once more. "There's an antidote in the room somewhere. Now they couldn't have gotten that far—"

"First, we fix you, then regroup with Fury," Tony interrupted, relaying the orders he'd received less than an hour before their infiltration. "From there we'll work on tracking the kid."

The two stared at one another in silence before Steve finally conceded with a nod of his head. As if the motion was contagious, Tony nodded his head in acknowledgement then entered the room to find the aforementioned antidote. Time passed by in the blink of an eye and Steve could hardly remember how long they spent investigating the HYDRA facility. Once the Hulk had joined the fight, it hadn't taken HYDRA long to evacuate. As a result, the team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents that Fury had sent in as backup were free to explore the facility and gather anything that may eventually be of importance.

Now restored to his super-soldier stature, Steve silently paced outside of Fury's office. The serum had worked like a charm, taking about an hour to regain every lost inch of height. Although some of the S.H.I.E.L.D. medical officers were hesitant about using the formula they knew nothing about, Steve had no doubts whatsoever. The girl had failed to mention that the vial was only a test trial, so worry wasn't even a factor he considered. After their ordeal, he trusted her, possibly to a fault. They'd been through a lot in seventy-two hours, more than most people bond over in a lifetime. As he reflected over the events, she was right about one thing: the two of them were stuck together, brought together by something greater than coincidence. He wouldn't say 'fate', but he was fond of the kid, almost to the point of claiming her as one of his own. That slice of life was the closest he'd felt to normal since waking up from the ice, and it made him realize that maybe it was something he actually wanted one day.

As the door to Fury's office slid open, Steve took a breath of composure before entering the room. Fury hardly looked up from his desk before offering a curt greeting. "Captain Rogers. I see you're feeling like your old self again."

Steve nodded his head, but didn't offer his usual formalities. His mind could only focus on one thing, and until his concerns were addressed, everything else had taken a backseat. "What have we done to find Crystal?"

"Project Celestial?" Fury questioned. He didn't notice, but Steve glowered at the way she was reduced to nothing more than one of the files scattered across Fury's desk. "Nothing."

The frown on Steve's face deepened and he opened his mouth to object, but Fury quickly jumped to explain himself. "We only found you the first time because of the credit card fraud and some hidden Stark technology. I'm afraid that now it'll be like looking for a needle in a haystack."

"Then I'm going after her myself," Steve announced.

"I don't think that's a wise decision for either of you," Fury replied and added, "I don't know if you remember this, but while you were off gallivanting around Pittsburgh, we were left to deal with the mess created by HYDRA that started this whole ordeal in the first place. According to the media, you're still their poster-boy."

Steve glumly nodded his head as he understood but didn't agree. "Then what now?"

"You wait." Fury stood from his desk. "It doesn't take much to see that you're fond of the kid, but it's going to take time to sort this thing through. We'll find her eventually."

'Eventually' wasn't good enough for him, but it was clear the discussion was over. He turned back toward the doors; however, he halted as he remembered something from his brief conversation with the boy that hadn't sat right with him. "Before the enhanced individual took her, he said 'Lord Kaos sends his regards.' Does that mean anything to you?"

Fury shook his head, unbothered and unwilling to discuss the matter any further. "I'll have someone look into it."

Steve nodded his head and the doors closed behind him as he left the room. After receiving no answers, he found himself wandering without a specific direction in mind. It wasn't until a second voice joined his thoughts that he snapped out of his daze and realized that he'd been standing out on the deck of the roof.

Noticing that Steve wasn't entirely present, Sam repeated himself. "It's unsettling that HYDRA was still hiding under our noses in our city."

Steve was silent for a moment before realizing that Sam expected him to reply. "They never really disappear. Cut off one head..."

"And the ugly bastards come back again, twice as strong." Sam joined Steve, looking out at the horizon without any intentions in mind. The silence lingered and Sam's concern only grew. "You know there wasn't anything you could do right?"

Steve didn't face him. "Doesn't mean I won't wish there was."

"We'll find her," Sam insisted. "It might not be today or tomorrow, but we'll find her."

Steve looked over at Sam with an appreciative look. "I know."

Slowly, they turned their heads back toward the horizon. The air smelled of fresh rain and the rainbow overhead bound their word as a promise. Sam couldn't help but chuckle under his breath as something else dawned on him. "This is quite the list we're making."

Steve raised an eyebrow. "What list?"

"First the Winter Soldier, now the girl," Sam explained. "Anyone else I should keep an eye out for while we're at it?"

Steve shook his head, smiling softly as he too recognized the growing number on their search list. "Not at the moment."

Sam nodded but suddenly frowned as another thought surfaced in his mind. "And don't think I've forgotten about your little joyride with my credit card."

Steve released a genuine laugh, the first Sam had seen in awhile. "Of course. I'll cover the bill... though you might want to cancel the card. I think it was left behind at the hotel."

Sam sighed despairingly and shook his head. "I knew I shouldn't have assumed that I'd get it back."

Steve gently chuckled again and faced the sky as Sam offered a reassuring smile while placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. The moment was brief as he left the soldier alone once more. While the sun slowly set, the city lights blinked on one by one. A gentle breeze blew through the soldier's blond hair. He closed his eyes and a soft smile formed on his face.

After a deep breath, he opened his eyes and some of the initial conflict that he'd wrestled with earlier was resolved. He cast one last glance at the city before making his way back inside the building. Although he didn't know who exactly had taken the girl, he'd seen the fear in her eyes whenever they were implicitly mentioned. It was enough for him to come to the conclusion that he wouldn't stop searching until he knew she was safe. One could only hide in a storm for so long before it passed.

———

𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞| Thanks for reading! This chapter marks the end of act four, the final act. As we prepare for the epilogue/end credit scene, how are we feeling? Any feedback is welcomed and accepted.