Ardent || MCU

Chapter Twelve

*PRESENT*

Louise tore the page of the file, her hand clumsily folding it and tucking it into her scarlett tank top, that was beneath her black torn suit jacket. She peeled the jacket off, feeling her body temperature rising steadily as she pushed off to get to the door.

Louise skipped her tattered boots, leaving them in the lab room as she walked silently in her socks. She tossed her fallen wig back into the room, leaving it behind as she followed her mind to follow the most gathered amount of thoughts, she presumed were prisoners.

Louise achingly beat down multiple guards at different stations, only using the same knife she had stabbed Scmidt with. She slowed as she felt the most presence behind a door with a single guard outside. She took a step back and sprinted, falling to her knees to slide and slice the guard's leg out. The guard yelped, but she grabbed his mouth and clamped her palm over it. She grabbed the top of his head and his chin and snapped his neck swiftly, knowing something from the serum Dr. Zola had given her, changed her. Making her movements, actions more aggressive, less controlled and openly harmful.

Louise grabbed a pair of keys from the guard, and slid his body to hide. Louise slipped through the door quietly, her feet quickly moving her crouched body to a cylinder shaped barred cell. Her eyes see many other cells just like it as she moves close to speak.

"Be silent." Louise spoke out in the quietest voice she could, alerted the six soldier men who stopped moving at the sight of a guard above them. She took the cell key and softly turned it, the men staring at her beauty and the shock of having a woman rescue them. She controlled the guard above them, her mind unconsciously knocking the man out from the head pain.

"Continue on." Louise says almost silently, as she opened the gate enough for them to slip and handed them a set of keys. The men nod and split the keys to let prisoners out. Louise continues on as she lets a few more men out before reaching a cell where a guard fell to the ground above them.

"Who are you supposed to be?" A black man says, staring up to see the guard laying on the bars above them and another man.

"I'm Captain America." Louise hears Steve say, and she speaks up from in front of the bar.

"Cap!" She yells slightly, and Steve looks at her, seeing her pale-ish body, bright red tank top with her arms free, crimson pants, and no shoes.

"Lou!" He does the same, as he takes off as she stands to let the men out and continues on, shocking all of the prisoners as Steve joins her.

"Lou, what happened?" Steve asks, and she makes sure everyone is free.

"Schmidt and Zola. I will help explain later, but we need to keep moving." She slightly orders and the men stare sort of funny.

"Is there anybody else? I'm looking for a Sergeant James Barnes." Steve speaks, nervously glancing at Louise who checked the soldiers.

"There's an isolation ward in the factory, but no one's ever come back from it." A man, presumably French says, as they walk alongside Steve and Louise.

"All right. The tree line is northwest, 80 yards past the gate." Louise says, turning back to face the men next to her.

"Get out fast and give 'em hell. I'll meet -" Steve adds, Louise interrupting him.

"We'll meet you guys in the clearing with anybody else we find." She finishes and Steve gives her a worried look that she passes over. She steps away, Steve next her as the man from earlier speaks up.

"Wait! You know what you're doin'?"

"Yeah. I've knocked out Adolf Hitler over two hundred times." Steve responds, and Louise rolls her eyes, picking up her movements as they all split into divisions.

-

Louise kicks heavily, using her fists occasionally as they fought through the factory, her mind focused but still aching. She felt the mental manipulation still lingering as many H.Y.D.R.A. guards attacked, and they made their way into the isolation ward.

Louise felt her head begin to ache, her mind expanding and shrinking as guards fell from her unfiltered mental wave, making her stumble. Steve caught Louise easily as he helped her run towards the ward. Steve slows as they both see Dr. Zola freeze in the dark hallway before taking off. Louise pushed to stand as the pain lessened, Steve held her hand as he helped her stay up. Steve paused in front of the doorway Zola exited, Louise the first to enter as she felt another close mental presence.

Louise paused as she felt James, Bucky's mental state she had memorized from New York, though a bit tortured and scrambled.

"Steve." She shouts, and moves to the table. Bucky came into full view as she approached, his dazed state, tortured, and strapped onto the table.

"Sergeant, three-two-five-five-seven." Bucky mumbled as Steve came in on his left side.

"Oh my god." Steve says and tears free the straps holding him.

"James-" Louise says as she pulls the straps off and he looks towards her softly.

"Is that-"
"It's us. Steve and Louise." Steve says, grabbing his shoulders as Bucky's right arm lifts to touch her. Louise grabs his hand and helps pull him up. Bucky becomes more conscious and aware as Steve helps him stand as Louise moves towards the doorway.

"I thought you were dead." Steve responds, and Bucky gives him a quick glance up and down.

"I thought you were smaller." Bucky responds as he looks to Louise, giving her a better look as Steve looks towards a map showing the H.Y.D.R.A. factories.

"Come on." Louise urges as Steve helps Bucky move and Louise gets his left side to help them move quickly. Sounds from the factory build up as they move to leave the lab.

"What happened to you guys?" Bucky asks as they speed walk on.

"We joined the Army." Louise says, and Steve nods along.