Archangel

Two

Natasha hesitantly led the rest of the team down the stairs, inwardly cringing as each step they took was accompanied with a loud screech of metal. Her hand strayed to her waist where her gun sat, and she noticed Cap grabbing for his shield as they reached the hallway at the bottom of the stairs.

With a loud humming noise just like in the stairway, the ceiling lights flickered on as Nat, Steve, Bucky, and Clint walked down the hallway. Nat held a hand out to stop the others, inspecting for any trigger wires or tiles that would suggest a trap. Satisfied, she waved them on. At the end of the hallway was a metal door with frosted glass, allowing some light from the other side to pass through.

"Yep, someone's here," Clint grumbled quietly.

Bucky crouched down to inspect the door, running his hands along the frame.

"This looks a little too modern to be down here", Bucky murmured quietly. Steve looked down at him and nodded.

"I agree- and I don't like it".

Clint and Natasha watched Steve expectantly. "Stay sharp- this might get a little messier than we were expecting".

Natasha grinned and unlocked the safety on her gun.

"Good, this was getting a little bor-"

A BANG cut her off and Bucky jumped back. A large figure had shoved what seemed to be a dining table into the way of the door. They paused for a moment to look at the team, and Natasha was able to make out through the frosted glass that it was a man. Or a really buff and ugly woman. He backed away from the door and sprinted to the left.

Bucky ripped off the left sleeve of his coat, grumbling as he exposed his vibranium arm. "Someone definitely does not want us here".

"And they've got something to hide", Clint guessed, reaching behind his back to string an arrow to his bow.

With a sturdy kick to the handle from Bucky, the door burst open, causing the table to skirt across the room.

Nat, Clint, and Bucky filed in, taking in their surroundings. They were standing in an old kitchen, with hideous linoleum countertops and pale brown cabinets. A dim light flickered over a dirty sink and the fridge was open, door swaying slightly.

Nat whispered to Steve. "Cap, what if this is just some loner's hideout and we just busted into his place? He might have freaked out and blocked the door thinking we were coming in to rob him".

Steve frowned as he took in the humble, domestic surroundings. "You may be right and he might be harmless. We still need to retrieve the vibranium- and the scanner says it's down here. Let's just find him and ask what's going on".

Bucky nodded. "Be gentle with him, but stay alert".

Lowering their weapons, they passed through the kitchen and turned left.  Around the corner was a small living room containing a worn leather couch and a stuffed bookcase. The bookcase contained several science textbooks on genetics, biology, chemistry, and oddly enough, aviary. An overfilled trash can sat behind the couch, reeking of old Chinese takeout and spoiled milk.

Clint gagged at the smell of the trash and even Bucky pulled a face as they made their way through. Natasha tried to hold her breath, but she swore she could almost taste it. Stumbling out of the filthy living room into another dim hallway, Steve paused. Something felt wrong.

Steve held his shield in front of him and both Natasha and Bucky pulled their guns out. Clint drew his bow as they quietly padded down the corridor, listening carefully for any sudden movements.

Suddenly, Natasha tensed, her instincts kicking in as she ducked to dodge a punch. She reached out to grab her attacker.

"What the hell!?", Clint shouted.

Previously hidden in the shadows, a man lunged at them, aiming to kick Bucky in the chest. Clint shot an arrow at his arm, pinning the man's sleeve to the wall. Ripping the arrow out of the wall, he snarled and lunged at them again.

Bucky rolled his eyes and swept the man off his feet with a well-timed kick of his own. "Please".

Steve held the man down with a knee to his chest, pressing his shield against the man's chin.

"So you're definitely not harmless", he concluded. "Why did you even try attacking the Avengers?".

The man glared and Natasha was able to get a better look at him. He had thick, dark, greasy hair and an uneven square jaw. His nose was crooked, like it had been broken a couple times. Probably about 6'2" and 270 lbs. Working his mouth, he grinned and spit directly in Steve's face. Nat snarled and drew his knife on the man.

"Try that again and I'll cut your tounge out", she swore.

He continued to grin as Steve frowned in disgust and reached up to wipe his face. It was quite a nauseating grin.

"I don't care who you are", the man said with a low, gravelly voice. "Get out. The Doctor doesn't want visitors." He glanced nervously at door behind him. "You cannot interrupt".

"What the hell is going on here?" Nat snapped impatiently. "And why are we detecting vibranium in your bunker?".

The man grinned creepily again, and only replied, "The Doctor is in".

Bucky asked with a slight tremor in his voice, "What the actual f*ck is that supposed to mean".

The man only stared back at him and began to repeat his phrase.

"The Doctor is in".

"The Doctor is in".

"The Doc-".

Clint knocked him out with a swift kick to the man's temple. Steve looked up from where he still had a knee to the man's chest with an exasperated look on his face.

"Sorry", Clint said. He didn't look too sorry. "He was freaking me out".

Steve swiftly stood and pushed the man over to the side of the hallway. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed.

"Guys, I think this is bigger than some hidden vibranium", he admitted.

Softly, Bucky said, "None of us are turning around. Let's finish the mission".

Nodding soberly, Steve looked at both Nat and Clint for their approval. After they both nodded, he turned to the locked door, lifted his sheild, and rammed the door open.

Weapons at the ready, all four of them fell into a blindingly bright large room.

It smelled of bleach and blood.

"Holy shit".

*****

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