VITALITY ↝ B. BARNES [1]

[4]

"Alright, here we go." Sam said excitedly as the Quinjet left the ground, rubbing his hands together in anticipation, and Elysia watched from the window as they left the Avengers Compound behind, the massive building shrinking further and further the higher from the ground they soared. "Let's go kick some HYDRA ass."

"Alright everyone, just a recap." Tony announced, pulling up a hologram from the onboard monitor, the images shimmering in front of their faces as each member began to gear up for the trip ahead, and the fateful mission once they'd reach their destination. "Sparky, you and Vision are on power duty. Get in, take out the lines, and get out of there. Maximoff, Romanoff, Cap, that's your cue to go in and grab Barnes. Wilson, you're with me on defense as our eyes in the sky. We have to make sure nobody gets into that building while they're bringing out our guy. Everybody clear?"

"Sir, yes sir," Elysia replied with a salute.

"Just remember everyone, this is HYDRA we're dealing with." Steve reminded the group. "If they're given the option, they will not hesitate to kill you. Eyes up."

The group settled into silence as everyone processed Steve's words, Elysia's gaze still trained at the window to her right. Despite it being the middle of the night, she'd never felt more awake, the electric buzz beginning to feel like a second skin as she grew more and more used to the feeling, though she'd be lying if she said she wasn't itching to get back home as soon as possible, back to the way she had left things before Tony had broken into her apartment to recruit her. Although, after tonight, the Winter Soldier would be theirs, and she'd be on the first flight back to Tempe to forget this trip had ever happened.

She finally looked over to see Steve sitting alone, staring pensively outside of a window of his own, and Elysia rose from her seat, walking over and sitting next to the super soldier. At the feeling of someone sitting next to him, Steve looked over, a strained but still friendly smile crossing his face.

"Hey, Sparks," he said.

"Are you ready for this?" she asked, voice low enough not to be overheard by the other members of the team.

"You know, I've replayed any possible outcome of tonight in my head about a thousand times, but none of it feels real." Steve admitted. "If we'll get him, if he'd ever remember me otherwise. We came close, the last time we saw him, but I'd be naive to think there's a chance they didn't brainwash it right back out of him."

"This is going to work, Steve." Elysia assured him. "We're going to get your friend out of there, and you're going to save him."

The strained smile returned to his face as he nodded gratefully. "I don't think I can ever repay you for helping us with this." he said then.

"You don't have to repay me." she assured him, an agenda of her own on her mind that she wasn't too keen to admit to Steve that, once she was done with this mission, she looked forward to them never needing to cash in favors of her ever again.

"Alright, everyone, this is us." Tony announced finally, pulling everyone's attention back to him as the back door of the Quinjet slowly opened, revealing the night sky beneath them. "Vision, Sparky, you two are up."

"Miss Sparks, are you ready?" the mechanical voice of Vision sounded to her left as she rose to her feet, nodding.

"Ready," she confirmed, exchanging one last glance with a nervous looking Steve, and nodding in his direction before turning back to Vision.

Vision picked Elysia up bridal style and stepped towards the edge of the open Quinjet door, jumping from the aircraft as they began to hurtle towards the ground. Out of instinct, she braced herself for impact, tightening her arms around his neck and hiding her face before the descent slowed, and they instead appeared to be floating rather than falling as the wind slowed around her body. She finally looked back at the scene in front of her, at where they hovered near a massive power grid, which hummed loudly from the sheer force of the electricity that powered the massive expanse of a complex in front of them.