Tony manipulated the console, zeroing in on the coordinates on the piece of paper that had been slipped into Nat's pocket.
"Where are we headed?" Bruce asked from the pilot's seat of the quinjet.
"Looks like an old, abandoned water station," Tony remarked.
"What else is there?" Steve asked from where he was still standing over the unconscious Winter Soldier, seemingly studying his face.
Tony perused the satellite image while tapping away, searching for any archived plans of the water station.
"Nothing," Tony replied with a shrug.
"Perfect place for one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secret bases," Nat stated.
"You think there'll be allies there waiting for us?" Sam asked.
Nat shrugged. "Won't know 'til we get there."
"Any who are there who are not allies will find themselves in a world of pain," Thor stated, twirling his hammer in emphasis.
"Especially if Sparrowhawk there stops holding back," Tony said, pointing an accusatory finger at Mage. "And don't deny it, Mister Magic Man. We've seen what you can do now."
"What was that spell anyway?" Steve asked.
"Terrae motus pulsus," Mage replied. "The earthquake shock spell. And you're right, I have been holding back somewhat. Some of the spells I know are a little too dangerous to use, especially in a city."
"Too dangerous?" Bruce asked, looking back with raised eyebrows.
"Yes," Mage nodded. "A little more power in that spell today and it might have eroded some of the foundations of the nearby buildings, not to mention injuring the civilians in the area. For the most part, the spells I already use are powerful enough without using the extras that I have in my arsenal."
"Nice to know that you've got something extra in the tank if we ever need it," Tony stated.
"What's our ETA to the coordinates?" Steve asked.
"Fifteen, twenty minutes maybe," Bruce replied. "I'm taking us out and around in an arc and trying to stay under the radar so that S.H.I.E.L.D. or whoever it is can't track us."
"Good," Steve nodded. "Hopefully then we can finally get some answers to what's going on."
ooo00ooo
"Jarvis?" Tony asked.
"Infrared scans are inconclusive," the AI replied.
"So, if there's anyone here, they're below ground," Steve stated.
"What about him?" Sam asked, nodding at the unconscious, bound man on the bench.
"Bucky," Steve put in.
"Right. Bucky. What are we going to do with him once we land?" Sam asked, even as Bruce was in the process of doing exactly that.
"Ordinarily, those spells would have a normal person out to it for another two to three hours," Mage stated.
"Bucky's not 'normal'," Steve stated. "Back in forty-two, Bucky was captured by Zola and experimented on. Whatever happened to him, it made him so that he hardly seems to have aged a day since then."
"Even with an enhanced metabolism, he should still be unconscious for at least another hour. But just in case," Mage said before snapping his wand into his hand and transfiguring the ropes wrapped around the Soldier into heavy chains.
"That'll hold him," Nat deadpanned.
"Right, now that Sleeping Beauty's been fawned over, let's go," Tony said and promptly snapped his helmet shut while simultaneously hitting the button to lower the quinjet's ramp.
As the group hit the ground, they immediately spread out, with Iron Man and Sam instantly taking to the sky
"Hey, you got a name?" Iron Man asked as he hovered beside Sam.
"My name's Sam; I already told you that," Sam replied with a frown.
"Nah, I meant a code name," Iron Man clarified.
"Not really," Sam replied.
"Well, what's the name of that gizmo on your back?" Iron Man asked.
"EXO-7 FALCON," Sam replied.
"Good enough, Falcon it is," Iron Man stated before firing his repulsars and shooting off around the perimeter of the facility.
"I am detecting a tunnel into the facility to the north-east," Jarvis stated.
"Everyone hear that?" Iron Man asked.
"Copy. We're on our way," Captain America stated.
Iron Man continued his circuit, not seeing any dangers before making a beeline for the tunnel. He banked hard and cut his repulsars, dropping exactly between Cap and Mage, one with his shield up and ready, the other with wand drawn and raised. Thor and Widow were on Mage's side, also ready, as were Falcon and Bruce on the other.
From out of the shadows of the tunnel, a lone figure walked, their hands raised nonthreateningly.
"Took your time getting here, didn't you?" Maria Hill asked as she stepped into the light. "I slipped you that note half an hour ago."
"That was you?" Nat asked.
"What are we doing here?" Cap asked, speaking over any answer Hill might have given.
"I'd have thought that was obvious, Captain; you're here to get answers and to form a plan to stop the Insight Helicarriers from launching," Hill replied. "First, though, you'd better follow me; there's someone you're going to want to see."
Without waiting for a reply, she turned and strode back down the tunnel.
"Any idea who she's talking about?" Tony asked, flipping up his face mask.
"No," Steve replied seriously before striding off after her, the others following along behind.
ooo00ooo
"About damn time."
"Fury," Steve breathed, his eyes roving over the man propped up in the hospital-grade bed.
There were a number of machines spaced near the bed looking completely out of place in the old, dimly lit room. Fury's arm was in sling and he was wearing a pair of pyjamas, but it was definitely him and he was most certainly alive. The man was even wearing his trademark black eyepatch.
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