A Feeling Of Normality [Bucky Barnes x Reader]

Part 21. Files.

While there's nothing positive about Hydra, especially not the amount of data they owned, it seems to be beneficial for Steve and Natasha. Since there were so many secret storehouses and laboratories of Hydra, S.H.I.E.L.D. could not store all the data itself, but only guarded many facilities. After S.H.I.E.L.D. fell apart, many Hydra bases were simply left behind. The hardest part for Steve and Natasha had been getting here without the government noticing. From [Y/N]'s stories, Steve and Natasha knew roughly where the base must have been at which she had fled from."I don't even remember being here" mumbles Steve, running his fingers over the remains of the base. Almost everything is burned and what has survived is covered in ash.

"That doesn't look like what the Avengers would do. More like classic S.H.I.E.L.D. work" replies Natasha and continues to scan her surroundings. This bunker is too small to carry out experiments but too destroyed to have been unimportant. So there must still be a secret passage. "[Y/N] only told us what she heard when she escaped. Might have been S.H.I.E.L.D. all along."

"Maybe" replies Steve and looks at a metal cupboard that survived the destruction but can't find anything in there. "Or we're at the wrong place after all" he replies discouraged, wondering how they are supposed to find anything useful in this chaos.

"I don't think so" Natasha says, shaking her head. Her fingers travel along everything near her when she discovers a piece of wall that feels different than the rest of the bunker. It's hidden under the smoke and ash but she can tell that this wall hasn't been there originally. "Steve..."

Steve Rogers lifts his head curiously and sees Natasha inspecting the wall she stands in front of. He immediately grabs his shield, which is hanging on his back, and throws himself against the wall, which breaks and reveals a staircase, leading further down the bunker. "What did you just say?" Natasha asks teasingly, without changing a face. That she was right doesn't make things any more pleasant.

"Nevermind" replies Steve, rolling his eyes and walking down the steps in Natasha's company. A long, dark corridor stretches in front of them. Natasha finds a light switch and after some flickering, the corridor is illuminated by weak neon tubes. There are doors with different numbers on both sides every 5 to 10 meters. It's one of the biggest bases the two Avengers have seen.

While Steve continues to walk down the corridor, he discovers a door with the word 'Laboratory' on it. He opens the door with trembling hands and shudders at the sight in front of him. A stretcher similar to the one he found Bucky on is placed in the middle of the room. Fixing straps for arms and legs hang down on the sides, the leather on them is badly worn, presumably because the victims defended themselves against the pain. There are two tables on either side of the stretcher, with various medical equipment on them. Just the idea of what was done to the people who were fixed here makes Steve leave the room immediately.

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Hours have passed and Natasha and Steve are still searching through the base, which is far bigger than they thought. Natasha shudders at the thought of [Y/N] being held here for god knows how long. The data collection is staggering and only gives an idea of how much power and sacrifice Hydra had. The longer they are down here, the more uncomfortable she feels, almost as if Hydra is still here and tries to get under her skin. It could take days until they find what they are looking for and that thought makes Natasha shudder. She actually wants to get out of here as soon as possible.

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Shivering, Natasha turns the pages of the file, which make her more uncomfortable with every passing second. They are pages of misery, suffering, torture and pain. She would like to put the file down and forget what she has read. But these are the pages they hoped to find. But nobody should have to read what is written there. And nobody should have gone through what is documented there. It hurts Natasha to know the person that had to go through this and her eyes well up the more she reads. At some point, she can't take it anymore and closes the file. "Steve!" she calls her friend, who's in another room, also looking for some informations, but her voice breaks. She clears her throat briefly and calls him again. "I've got something."