The North Star (B. Barnes & S. Rogers)

Chapter Six

The fight still pushes the Avengers hard, North stands with Loki now, his magic flowing around them both, keeping her protected. She's so tired. So very tired. Their break. Their relief comes from a noise down the end of the hall. It's a whistle from down the hall that has the Hydra agents stop pulling back from the fight, confusing the Avengers. North shifts at Loki's side, his hand holding her's tight.

"Little Snowflake" North flinches at the mocking nickname, her handler steps through the Hydra soldiers. He smirks at her before holding up a device in his hand, a portable control for her collar. "Come now, and I could be convinced not to punish you for this"

"She's staying" Steve states, his Captain America voice in place. "With us" North looks to him surprised a little by the way he's standing up for her. The handler's eyes turn dark before he smirks cruelly. He presses the button on the device, North reaches up to grab at her collar as then comes to life. Harder than before. She screams behind the muzzle, falling to the floor as it hits her with force. She seizes and fits against, she's helpless on the floor, her muscles all tight and coiled as the collar sends high electrical shocks through her body, Loki can't do anything but look on heartbroken. A knife pierces the handler's throat and everyone looks to Loki who shakes his head, it wasn't him, Bucky stands with his hand outstretched, his eyes a little wide, he'd thrown the knife. He'd sent that sharp object flying through the air for her. He looks down at North as her body relaxes, she sinks slightly her eyes on him.

"Now we're even," Bucky tells her. Loki frowns and looks to Bucky hearing his sister in his head.

[Not even close] she turns her eyes to Loki and shakes her head, not wanting him to vocalize it. Thor helps her sit up, she reaches up for her muzzle wanting it off of her face so she can breathe properly. Steve, Clint, Natasha, Bucky, Wanda, and Pietro finish off the Hydra guards as Sam grabs the keys from North's handler before throwing them to Loki who moves to his sister, she rests her forehead against Thor's shoulder as Loki pushes her hair at the back of her head out of the way to find the locking mechanism. Loki slips the key in and unlocks it. When the muzzle the collar comes free, North cries out in relief pulling them from her face, Loki grabs her face to look at her, to really look at her. She's skinny, the bones in her face sharp and pronounced, her lips chapped, her eyes dull and sunken. He pulls her into a hug.

"I'm sorry" she whispers to him, Loki shakes his head.

"No, I am" he counters. "I should never have said no" she clutches to the back of his armor. "I should have chosen you over magic" he presses his head to the side of hers ignoring the years of dirt and blood on her. He pulls back and brushes the tears from her cheeks. Years. Decades. Centuries of emotions catching up to her. All of those oppressed feelings just flooding her. She throws her head back and lets out a wail. Loki sniffles as Thor blinks sending his own tears down his cheeks.

"This isn't the place to do this" Steve offers quietly, Loki nods and stands to let Thor lift North up, she curls into his chest, her arm tight around his neck just as more Hydra agents appear around the corner.

"How many of them are they?" Pietro asks with a sigh.

"I thought this was supposed to be a shadow team?" Natasha asks Bucky.

"This is" Bucky answers her shooting her a look. Loki looks to North as she rolls her eyes to meet his, she nods a little to him and Loki then moves to a console on the side and starts to type in commands, following North's instructions in his head.

"What are you doing?" Steve asks Loki, he presses enter and one of the cells further down starts to open, he looks to Steve who nods, seemingly understanding. "Let's move," he tells the others. "Come on" Whatever is in the cell is big judging by how heavy the footsteps are, how much the facility shakes with them. Steve looks back just as a giant snowman walks into the hall. "What the...?" he asks causing the others to turn. Eyes widen. North smirks just as Loki does. Snowmen were always her thing, snow everything was always her thing. Loki looks to her proud, that she created something that big.

"He can take it from here," North tells the others, her voice cracking slightly. Steve nods in agreement.

.................

North closes her eyes once outside of the facility, she lifts her head upwards feeling the sun on her face. She lets out an emotional breath. How long since she felt the sun on her skin? How long since she felt the cold air caressing her? Too long. 20 years is way too long. Thor stands close by just in case. Her shoulders shake and she lets out a sigh. Bucky watches from where he stands with Steve, the Captain talking with Wanda and Sam, discussing what will happen next with North. Loki and Thor are too close to this, to her. She needs to be treated like any other Hydra asset. Just as Bucky was when he was brought in and that means isolation until they are sure all trace of Hydra is gone from her mind. Thor and Loki are not going to like that at all.

..........

North steps onto the jet, she already looks pale and exhausted but now they're out of the darkness of the facility she just looks so much worse. She collapses, Steve manages to catch her this time, easing her down and sitting behind her head, he looks up at Bucky who's eyes are wide, Thor and Loki already moving closer.

"She's fine" Steve assures them. "She's just exhausted" Bucky shrugs out of his jacket and hands it to Steve, who then tucks it under North's head, not wanting to move her or himself now that she's got her head settled in his lap. Her breathing is shallow and rushed but she is breathing. Steve looks to Natasha. "Get word to Banner and Cho; set up medical" Natasha nods and moves to the cockpit with Clint who pulls on his headset. Steve looks to Bucky who takes a seat next to where Steve is sat, Bucky's worried eyes on North. Thor and Loki share a look before finding their own seats, close by but not hovering.