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The Playground
Afternoon
In the Med bay, Barry and Clint watched in concern as Caitlin checked over the unconscious Wanda.
"Physically, she's alright. She's just sleeping. If we had some smelling salts, I'd try to wake her with those, but we're short on those right now," Caitlin said regretfully. "It would help if we knew what they used on her."
"Maybe we should have sent her back home with Laura and the kids until we can figure this out," Clint aid as he eyed Wanda's sleeping form uneasily.
"And do what? We don't know what Hydra shot her with. Honestly, I feel better with her here, knowing Caitlin's looking after her," Barry said, nodding gratefully at Caitlin.
"I'll do the best I can, but right now there's not much I can do until we know what they used on her," Caitlin said regretfully.
"Then we find Hydra and make them tell us," Clint said, his eyes hardening.
In what had once been Phil Coulson's office, Steve was having a conversation on a holographic screen with the new Director of SHIELD.
"Damn, I thought we'd taken out the last of Hydra just before Thanos," Mack grumbled after Steve had informed him of what had happened. "Sorry they crashed your wedding."
"I'm more concerned about Bruce. Whatever Hydra wants him for, it can't be good. The weapons they used are unlike anything I've seen Hydra use before," Steve said and Mack nodded.
"I'll send you all our files on Hydra, maybe something we have could help. We'll keep our eyes on our end," Mack said and Steve nodded gratefully.
"Thank you Mack. We'll be in touch," Steve said before the holographic screen faded.
Unspecified location
Same time
Bruce was suspended in midair, his arms trapped in some sort of machine. Bruce had tried to transform into the Hulk, but it wasn't working, to his shock.
"Hulk, this is no time for performance issues!" Bruce cried out as the doors opened.
"I'm afraid he can't hear you," the red haired woman said as she walked in. "The devices around your arms puts out a pulse that disrupts the Gamma radiation in your body. Hulk won't be coming out anytime soon."
"Look, whatever you're planning, you can't control the Hulk. Trust me, I spent the better part of twenty years trying," Bruce tried to reason with her and she laughed.
"I believe you Doctor Banner. But I have no interest in trying to control The Hulk," she said as she pulled out a syringe.
She then stuck the needle in Bruce's arm, taking a blood sample before withdrawing it.
"All this…for some blood?" Bruce asked in disbelief.
"The blood was just the side benefit. The real goal was getting you and Wanda Maximoff off the board," the woman said with a smirk. "The gun we used was designed to put The Hulk to sleep. She should be out for at least another day, maybe two. More than enough time for my plan to reach fulfillment."
"Who the Hell are you?!" Bruce demanded and she laughed in a way that made his hair stand on end.
"Sin, my name is Sin. I am the granddaughter of the Red Skull," she declared proudly.
The Playground
Not long after
Steve was in his office, the Hydra files Mack had sent them on display on a holographic screen. Steve moved to the next file and paused as he saw an image of himself fighting Bucky on a highway, obviously taken during the Hydra uprising.
"Not one of our better pictures," Bucky noted as he walked up next to Steve, both of them staring at the holographic screen. "Stark and Cisco are looking over the weapons files SHIELD sent us, seeing if anything resembles what they shot Wanda with. Thor, Sam and Rhodey are searching for anything that could lead us to Hydra."
Steve simply nodded, not saying a word. Bucky didn't say anything, knowing exactly what Steve was going through.
"Every time we try to take a step forward, Hydra shows up to haunt us again," Bucky said, placing a hand on Steve's shoulder. "Let's put a stop to it, once and for all."
In the training room, Oliver was working out his frustrations on a punching back, remembering his encounter with the man in League gear. After a particularly strong punch, the rope snapped and the punching back went flying across the room.
"What did that poor bag ever do to you?" Sara joked as she walked in, seeing her boyfriend breathing heavily as he stared at the bag. "You okay?"
"That archer, he matched me shot for shot, almost like he knew exactly what I was going to do before I did it," Oliver said with a frowned. "Like-like he knew me."
"So you think the guy dressed like the League is someone you've fought before?" Sara asked.
"I don't know. They just…I feel like there is something familiar about him," Oliver said with a frustrated sigh as he looked over at Sara, his eyes softening. "I'm sorry. I know this was supposed to be our weekend away and it's turned into a nightmare."
"It's the job," Sara said softly as she put a hand on the side of his face. "The important thing is, no matter what we go through, we do it together."
"Together," Oliver agreed softly as they leaned in close, bringing their foreheads together.
They were unaware they had an audience. Outside the room, in the doorway, Roy watched the scene with a reflective look on his face. Then, his eyes hardening, he turned and walked away.
In the med bay, Barry sat by Wanda's side, holding her hand softly.
"You gotta wake up Wanda. I-I can't do this without you. I need you baby. Freya needs you. So please…open those beautiful green eyes of yours and get up," Barry said in a choked voice, his voice getting more emotional as he spoke.
He waited but Wanda didn't respond. Barry put a hand to his head, trying not to cry. He felt a hand on his shoulder and didn't need to look to know who it was. By now, he knew the feel of her hand almost as much as Wanda's. Without looking, Barry reached over and grasped her hand in his, grateful for the support.
"She's gonna be okay," Caitlin said softly.
"I really hope so. Because I'm not sure what I'll do if she isn't," Barry said emotionally as he lowered his hand, looking back at Wanda's sleeping form. "What I do know…is that I'm gonna kill the people who did this to her."
"And we'll help you," Frost said as she temporarily took control of Caitlin.
"I appreciate that Frost, I really do," Barry said, wiping his eyes. "Sorry your wedding got crashed."
"You should be sorry for the Nazis. Whatever you do to them will look like a kick in the shin compared to what I will," Frost said and Barry chuckled.
"Watch out Hydra, it's about to get cold up in here," Barry joked before looking at her gratefully. "Thanks. I needed that."
"What are friends for?" Frost asked.
It was true, they were friends, Barry mused. He had not expected to become friends with Frost after Savitar. They had thought of her as an extension of Caitlin they were forced to put up with at first. Then Icicle had showed up and she had saved them when it would have been easy for her to join him. After that, things had shifted. She was as much part of Team Flash, part of their family, as Caitlin. And in the end, they would die for her just as they would die for Caitlin.
New York
Same time
Sam landed on a rooftop, looking over the city. After hours of searching, they were still no closer to finding this Hydra cell. It would help if they knew anything about them, but they were as mysterious as they were efficient.
Suddenly, Sam felt something prick his neck. Sam reached up and grabbed something off his neck. It was a tranq dart, he realized as he pulled it out. His vision blurred before his eyes rolled back in his head. He fell onto the rooftop, out cold as Alexi walked up behind him.
"You should really protect your neck, my friend," Alexei told the unconscious Sam smugly. "It may get you killed."
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If you enjoy please support me on my patreon Future 80+ chapters at patreon.com/Darkphoenix11
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