The Last Hope

Chapter 14

****Demetra’s POV****

“Well look at that, he can do magic tricks too!” I muttered under my breath as my fist closed around air. I dropped my arm in a huff and when I turned around I noticed the horror stricken look on the young face of, wait for it, Peter Parker!

“I’m sorry, you just missed him and he won’t be doing an encore performance,” I said sarcastically and sat down on a chair at the table.

“I didn’t come for a show, I have information,” he said, walking into the room breathlessly.

“What kind of information? And how did you get back in here without setting off the alarms?” Fury questioned.

“Oh that? The security system really isn’t that hard to slip around,” Parker said and I bit my lip to keep a laugh from coming out.

“Rodgers,” Natasha ordered, suddenly appearing in the room and a little breathless herself. “We need you.”

“I saw something down on 52nd Street,” Parker whispered, almost as if he didn’t believe it himself. I saw tears well up in his eyes and him desperately trying to blink them away. My heart immediately softened a bit.

“What happened,” I asked gently, placing my hand on his shoulder. He looked me in the eyes and I saw pain, fear, confusion, and most strongly, regret.

“I saw my uncle. But he’s dead. Or was.”

And that steel wall came crashing down.

****Steve’s POV**** ****4 hours later****

I strapped on a parachute and got ready to dive off the plane. Natasha had called me in and had briefed me on an assignment. There was a man terrorizing an area in Russia, too powerful for the other authorities. The National Guard was going to be involved but S.H.I.E.L.D. had convinced some people to let them take care of it, since this person seemed to have hard core training.

“1 minute Cap!” the pilot shouted over the drone of the engines. I gave him a nod in return and opened the door. I counted down and jumped.

Wind rushed past my face, feeling as though it was going to peel off. I loved this feeling, the ultimate rush. The green of the forest neared and I tilted my body a bit to go faster. I hit the ground, rolling and letting my shield absorb the impact.

Coming up on one knee, I stood up, brushed myself off, and observed my surroundings. I took out my compass, found north, and headed in that direction.

********

An hour later of walking, at twilight, I found a rundown house, literally in the middle of nowhere. The roof sagged inwards, looking ready to collapse at a moment’s notice. The house itself was a log cabin, most of the wood green, dark, and moldy. The windows were broken though the edges didn’t look jagged, they were rounded smooth with years of wear. The door was half off the hinges. It was a miracle the house survived for so long, since this part of Russia got some snow though not too badly. I wondered how the house was still standing, or why it was even here. Was it once some village…?