Hello

It has been awhile. I have been suck on this chapter for awhile, which is why i kept switching to my other Story.

SO i am sorry, but here you go!

Chapter 17:

Mind Snap

Clint was not happy. No, he was downright pissed; besides the fact that he felt left out of the 'let's kick everyone's ass' group, (Hello, Nat was his best friend and he was a damn kick ass spy) someone had taken his favorite genius for some non- Clint approved fun. That was unacceptable. Sure, Toni got on his nerves sometimes, but everyone got on his nerves at point for one reason or another. It was normal. No one was likeable all the time. Hello, humans here, but that did not mean that someone had the right to take HIS genius. And whoever did, they were getting an arrow through the knee. No, they were going to get two arrows in the knees, because he bloody felt like it, and he was pissed. No one took his friend/genius and not get killed.

He, with his ears to the ground, had been touching base with Sharon Carter every few hours, comparing notes. Sharon, though not Toni's biggest fan, was also pissed that had taken her and was also searching for her, and if they were both looking for Toni, they might as well work together. Clint, who hadn't been quiet about it, had never been a fan of the whole creepy neighbor thing that Fury had set up, but he didn't hold it against the woman, who was simply doing her job even if the whole thing stunk like shit. Anyhow, after speaking Agent Carter and hearing her take on what was happening within SHIELD, Clint knew who had taken Stark. Well, he knew who physically took the genius; before, he only thought something was off. Now, he knew that the Strike Force was dirty. He also knew that Rollins was getting two arrows in each knee. Rumlow will get two in each knee as well.

Tracking Rollins had been easier than what it should have been, considering the situation. Barton would've expected the traitor to be better than this; however, if he was better—and not some fucken traitor-, Rollins and the rest of the gang would not have betrayed them like the shits that they were. Barton was teammates with these men, he had fought beside them in some of the deadly places on earth. They had shared jokes and meals. Yes, the Archer had done the same when he went undercover, befriending criminals, but this was different. They were supposed to be the good guys. They were supposed to be the heroes, but yet, here they were. It hurt more than he cared to admit. He was just fucken glad that he didn't mention Laura and his kids to any of those fuckers.

Yet, they had still taken his family. He had taken one of his closest friends.

Frustration growing, Barton, a master spy, didn't know where exactly Rollins was, but he knew in which direction the man was heading before his signal went offline. He knew Rollins was heading out of town and on which road the traitor was taken, but if the man had taken any side roads on that road, that could put some real distance between the two. However, it shouldn't take long for Clint to pick up the trail, but no one was perfect. No matter what you did, you left tracks. Plus, Rollins was a meat head working with limited smarts, while Clint eat this shit for breakfast, lunch and dinner. He hunted for fun and this was a hunt with no escape. By the end of this, Rollins was going to be dead and his head was going to be Clint's prize.

*O*O*

While the car was no longer there, Clint knew what a car accident looked like. They may clean it up—or attempted to clean it up: the car, the debris, the witness, etc., but there was no cleaning up the aftermath, the mark that was left to the surrounding area. To the normal eye, no one would notice, thinking nothing happened here; but Barton knew better. He noticed the dented tree a mile away. He noticed the snapped branches and the dishevel dirt compared to the rest of the ground. It was were overturned, revealing dirt that had not seen the sun in months. There was also the fact that the highway railing that lined the road was brand new; the cleanup crew may have tried to murk it up, but it had yet to see the years in the sun like the rest of the railing. Lastly, there were too many footprints for nothing to have happened. "Rookies," he muttered. He was following a bunch of idiots.

God, Toni would've eaten these idiots alive if she was in the right mindset. She would've roasted them, and Clint would be laughing at the destruction she left behind. However, she wasn't. He wanted to ignore it, pretend that the genius was okay, but they all noticed the ghost lingering in her eyes. They had noticed the fake smile that she sported. They noticed her guilty eating her alive. She was drowning in it, and it was clouding her judgement, making her doubt herself. Making Tony think she was crazy. Clint doubt she could kick Rollins and friends' asses in her current state, which worried the Archer.

Clint lowered himself to the ground and ran his fingers over the raised edges of the footprints. They may all have the same shoe, but each footprint was different. His heart skipped, counting the number of footprints he was seeing; Toni was outnumbered. He could make out her footprints clear as day, as hers were much smaller than the others. The other—four, if he was counting correctly—were larger, and they were clearing SHIELD agents—could they still be called SHIELD agents? They betrayed everything that SHIELD stood for, and he refused to think of them as agents. Pushing those thoughts away, he recognized the tread of the shoes for SHIELD standard issue combat boots. Toni was in trouble.

There was no doubt, however, that Toni still had some sense as she was the one who caused this accident and had taken off into the woods to escape her capturers. "That's my girl," he uttered as he got to his feet. Granted, Clint didn't have the best feeling, because if there was one thing Toni was not, she was not a country/wilds type of girl. She and the woods did not get along, though that didn't mean she didn't like to get her hands dirty. She was just nothing without her tech, which Clint was going to work on with in the future. Sure, Natasha was training hand to hand combat, but Clint was going step in, as this was not going to happen again. Though, it wasn't every day that SHIELD was taken over and Toni had no access to her suit.

"Not the time," he muttered to himself, as he followed the tracks. Clint wasn't the best tracker—that title went to Nat-, but he followed these tracks like he was reading a map. Toni, clearly sporting an injury, took off into the woods as fast as she could with a heavy limp. Her footprints were anything but graceful; there was no doubt that she had fallen a few times, landing hard. Her pursuer had no such issue and followed her like he was taking a walk in the park. Though it was hard to tell from the tracks, the- Okay, Barton didn't know what to call him as he refused to call him an agent- faker had caught up with Toni easily and played with her like a cat toy. The Archer could tell this due to how the footprint changed after a few yards. At times, the man had walked sideways and walked cycles around her, which struck Clint as odd. Why in the hell would the man play with her? She was a hostage that caused an accident and took off. If they wanted Stark, why not just take her? This did not make any sense, unless... they were trying to break her.

Clint pushed those thoughts aside, noticing blood in several places. Judging from the crash and the distance from Toni's prints, the blood was from one source, and considering how graceful the pursuer was, the blood was Toni's, which boiled Barton's insides. He had lived a long life, seen things that would make people shudder. He had done things to bloody his hands, things that he could never wash away. Did things that he was ashamed off, and because of that, he put up shields like most people do. Stark was known for that; Rogers was too, but he denied it more than anyone. That aside, he was fucken pissed. His shields be damned. There were only a small number of people that Barton would burn the world down for. He could count them on one hand: Nat, the first person he truly cared for; Laura, his everything; and his kids, his soul. For while, it had just been them, but shit, Toni had warmed her way into his heart and took hold. She was a sister he never wanted. Even if she was scarred, she was innocent. She was true.

That was one reason why he almost killed Steve, when he noticed that bruise on the genius's arm. Heck, he still wanted to put an arrow through the super soldier, even if it was an accident. No woman should hold a bruise from a loved one: accident or not. So why Steve might not have meant it, Clint was never going to forget it, and no doubt, Natasha would as well. It wasn't like they didn't care or like Steve. They did, but he was super Soldier, while Toni was a naïve genius, who put others first. Sure, Toni could take out enemy base like it was nothing, but she was overly judgmental of herself and had no self-preservation. That woman would die of starvation before she would leave her lab. Shit, Barton didn't know how she was still alive. She was always second in her mind's eyes.

All that side, the sight of what Clint assumed to be Toni's blood pissed him the hell off. Forcing himself to take a few deep breaths, he touched it with his ungloved hand. The idea would probably disgust others, but it was a useful tool to the archer, as it could tell him a few things. "Mother fucker," he cursed. He hoped he wasn't this far behind, but he was at least an hour or so behind. The blood was almost dry with only a tact to it. "If this was where the fucker grabbed her, where did he go?" he asked, his anger breaking through his voice. It was like the kidnapper had vanished after he had taken the genius, as there were no other footsteps.

Okay, Clint could guess to where the man had headed: back to the road. Did the man walk back in his steps with Toni in his arms? "Shit," he cursed as he turned back to the road. Before he could take a step, he noticed a red and gold phone buried halfway beneath the leaves. He lowered himself to the ground and picked it up. "Shit," he repeated, as he examined it. The phone was shattered, which spoke volumes. Toni had bragged to anyone who would listen how unbreakable her phone was; Steve even had a go at it. With a tear that Toni would deny, Steve did break it, but he had to put some force into it. So for her phone to look like this, there had to have been a super soldier here, and fuck, the bad guys had one. Did assholes really send a super soldier after a suit-less Toni? What the hell did they want with Toni that they had to a send a super soldier?

Crap. Fucken crap. Getting back to his feet, he pulled out his own phone and dialed Nat. They had a serious problem.

*O*O*

Finding themselves in Sam's guest room, Steve wasn't sure what to tell Natasha, not that he was in the right mindset. Like her, his mind was all over the place, and he could not make heads or tails out of anything, not that he could focus on anything. Zola's words kept replaying in his head like a track on repeat: "Stark's New role." It felt like someone had punched him hard. It was at times like this that he wished Bucky was here. Bucky, who wasn't always levelheaded, was a voice of reason to Steve. He kept Steve's head on straight. Bucky would know what to do, know what words to tell him, even if Bucky cursed every five seconds. Please no, Steve begged, holding back his tears. He already lost Bucky to Hydra; he could not lose Toni too.

"When I first joined SHIELD, I thought it was going straight. But I guess I just traded in the KGB for HYDRA. I thought I knew whose lies I was telling, but I guess I can't tell the difference anymore." He vague heard Natasha uttered.

The words came out of his mouth before he realized that he was speak, "There's a chance you might be in the wrong business." It brought SHIELD to the forefront of his mind, that shit show would end all shit shows. If he wasn't careful, he would drown in that, especially when he remembered the howling commandos. It hit him like a ton of bricks, and he felt sick. It was too much; his heart was about to burst. Steve worried about Toni, who hydra—fucken Hydra—wanted to turn. The thought turned Steve's stomach. Toni would never help Hydra, but she wasn't seeing Hydra. She was seeing Bucky. She was chasing James Barnes, giving everything way in the hopes of saving him.

A rush of anger boiled up in Steve at the thought of Hydra used his best friend's face to destroy Toni. Bucky would be rolling in his grave if he knew… his ice grave. Shit, he thought, as cruel, bloody images pop into his head. God, he couldn't handle this. He really wished Bucky was here. God, he just wanted Bucky to be alive and together be with Toni in the Tower. That idea didn't last long, the nightmare of the situation destroying it. There was this terrible, panic feeling in the pit of his stomach. When they got Tony back—not if, when-, would she be the same woman that he fell in love with? Would she be okay?

Sam Wilson peaked his head in and with a soft smile, he spoke, "I made breakfast. If you guys eat that sort of thing."

Steve didn't answer at first and just smiled at the man. The friendship with Sam had been an accident, something that he wasn't expecting. Toni, with her playdates, would laugh at this friendship, but Steve would not deny how much he wanted this friendship. He had thought it would just be a 'On your left' kind of thing and never grow beyond that, but now, he didn't know what he would've done if Sam wasn't here. "Thanks, Sam," he replied, getting to his feet. He glanced back at Natasha who still looked shaken. "You okay?"

Natasha glanced up to see both Sam and Steve looking at her. She shook off her grim expression and put on a smile. "As I will ever be, Rogers. I should be asking you that."

Steve could tell her the truth, could tell her the nasty feeling turning his stomach, but he kept that to himself. He was Captain Fucken America and he didn't, couldn't do this right now. He wasn't allowed to be weak. To be anything then perfect. "I'll be fine after we deal with Hydra and get Toni back." It may not be the whole truth, but it wasn't a lie. He would be okay once Toni was back in his arms. He just had to believe that, and if Toni was shattered, he would be shattered just alongside her.

*O*O*

"Dude, Captain America needs my help. There's no better reason to get back in." Sam said, smiling as he stared down at file. He had slimmed the files down on the table seconds ago with a grin on his face.

His name really did inspire people to follow him, didn't it? Steve wasn't sure how he felt about that at this moment. "Where can we get our hands on one of these things?"

"The last one is at Fort Meade, behind three guarded gates and a twelve-inch steel wall," Sam answered, his eyes drilling into Steve, silently reading him. It was like he had put on his counselor glasses and was taking Steve a part inch by inch. It was unnerving.

"Shouldn't be a problem." Steve answered, firmly.

"We go-" The phone suddenly rang, echoing through the kitchen. Everyone froze at the sound of the loud ring, as if they were expecting it to explode. They were all expecting the worse, sitting on the edge. "Expecting a call?" Natasha asked, her eyes cold. Just like that, her mask was up and she was ready for a fight.

Sam, letting out a sigh, shook his head as he crossed to the phone. "Hello?" he answered, picking up the receiver. Sam didn't say anything else before he was handing the phone over to Natasha. "For you." He said holding out the fold. His stare hard. "He said to put on speaker phone."

Natasha, narrowing her eyes, gave him a calculating look before taking the phone and putting it on speaker phone. "Romanoff." She said, her hard expression still planted firmly on her face.

"Nat," came Clint's familiar voice. He sounded exhausted and apprehensive as he spoke. "Rogers, you there?"

Steve's jaw locked, trying to put on his Captain's voice. It wouldn't be good if Clint was calling and sounding like that. "I'm here. Did you find her?" he asked, though he knew the answer already.

Clint didn't answer right away. It felt like they had to pull the answer from him. "No, and I lost the trail. I'm still waiting on Agent 13 to see if she has anything, but—"

Just like that, he lost his Captain's cool. He turned back into that hot mess he was a few moments ago. "What do you mean you lost the trail?" Steve snapped, his hand shaking at his side. It took everything that he had not to flip this fucken table right now. Shit, what? Okay, he had to take few deep breaths. This could not be good for anyone. He was high-strung right now and he knew it, but he didn't realize how bad it was. He was ready to punch someone.

Sam sported a confused look. "Who are you looking for?"

"Stark," Natasha answered, her eyes glued to Steve. Worried stretched across her face as she took in the super soldier. "We haven't been able to find her."

"Steve," Clint replied, his voice heavy. "I'll not rest until I find our genius. I promise you this, but…" He drifted off, looking for the right words. "They have her."

It wasn't like Steve didn't know that, as Rollin took her when Fury died, but to hear it? God, it felt like someone stabbed him, especially when they had no idea where they took her. "Clint," he uttered.

Clint continued, his anger flashing through. "I'm not sure why they took her, but judging by the footprints, they were toying with her. I don't know why they were playing this game but they-"

"It's Hydra. They want to turn her," Natasha interrupted, looking over Steve, who looked like he was going to be ill. She briefly explained what they learned from Zola. They were using ghost of a dead man to do it. A ghost of James Barnes.

Sam looked alarmed. "So this entire time, Hydra was playing with her with a dead man?" He asked, his anger breaking though. "The fact that someone would do that is repulsive! They played with her like toy, breaking her with the face of a friend. God, if I can punch those Nazis in the face I would." He paused for a second, taking a deep breath. "I should've tried harder. I should've pushed harder. I knew she was showboating, and I just let her go."

He may already be breaking, but it came rushing at Steve like a semi-truck. He knew she was seeing Bucky. Knew she was seeing him everywhere. God, how long had have Toni been seeing Barnes? How long have she thought she was losing her mind but wasn't? He failed her. Failed her! "Fuck," he said, slamming his fist down onto the table, which didn't stand a chance. It split into several pieces under his straight, crashing loudly to the ground.

"What was that?" Clint asked over the phone.

Natasha looked down at the table, just staring. "Rogers just broke the table."

Sam looked just as alarmed as Natasha did at the sight of a raging Rogers, but he was just as angry. This man worked with vets all the time, helping them with PTSD along other things. "I get it. As someone who wrong with vets, this pisses me off too, but we have to keep our heads."

Steve, who knew he had to, had no interest. He wanted to break down every door until he had Toni in his hands. He wanted to rip apart everyone who had ever looked at Toni funny. He wanted to run Rumlow through with his shield, before turning his attention to Rollin. He wanted to rip apart the man who dared to put on Bucky's face, for destroy the memory of his best friend. For the first time in a long time, he wanted to kill someone. He wanted to let his anger take over him. He wanted to- No, he couldn't let himself go down this path. Toni needed his head in check. He needed to levelheaded to save her. "I know," he said through his teeth.

"Steve," Natasha uttered. Her voice softer than he had ever heard. "We will find her. We will not rest until we do. I can promise you that."

"Same here, buddy," Sam answered.

Clint wasn't far behind. "I will personally put an arrow in everyone. And then you can make an honest woman out of her Stark and marry her. And Nat and I will watch any future kiddos."

When he didn't respond, Natasha added, "Steve. We'll find her. They don't realize who they had pissed off. We're the avengers. We have a hulk." Her voice was soft but firm.

"And what if she isn't…What if she isn't?" Steve started, forcing himself to take a few deep breaths. "What if we're too late. What if they…"

"They won't," Clint growled, his voice startling them all. "I will promise you that."

Steve wanted to cry, flashing back to Toni finally telling him she loved him. "Okay." He said, forcing his Captain America mask back on. God, she had just given him an answer to his proposal. She agreed to be his wife and he had never been happier. And now it all went to hell. What the hell happen? How could he had allowed her out of his sight? "Let's go get Jasper Sitwell," he hissed. The plan was not to kill the man, but right now, Steve was so angry he didn't know if he could control himself.

*O*O*

The Asset was sure he was going to be punished as he was not obeying his handers when they ordered him away from the Brunette, from his Toni. He still didn't know where these feelings were coming from, but they were there building with each passing second, and they weren't going away. It was a weakness that neither his handers nor himself could get rid himself of, even with the chair and treatments. It was odd, but here he was, watching her sleep. Any attempt to move him was met with a hard shove and a deadly glare. He was expecting push back but nothing. They let him be.

Rumlow and Pierce gave him a look before turning to each other and whispering to the other. They were attempting to keep their words to themselves, but being enhanced, the Asset heard every word. They planned to break Toni, to bend her to their will by any means necessary besides reconditioning as they feared that would break the genius's mind, which they wanted more than anything. The Asset, their weapon and tool, did not like the idea of turning her into a tool like him, but if it kept her near, he would do anything. She called to him on the DNA level, and he would not lose her.

The Asset gently traced the side of her face, putting it to memory. Toni's skin was smooth to the touch, and it song to him like nothing else. Leaving her face, he twisted her hair in his finger, taking note of how soft her messy felt. Toni had not been tied down, laying unconscious on the bed. It would've looked like she had fallen asleep if it had not been the dried tears on her face. There was a feeling boiling deep within the Asset at seeing her like this, but he made no move to correct it. She was-

"Asset," Rumlow called, stepping to him. His eyes drifted to Stark before settling on him. "Let's get you out of that,"—That being a torn WW2 Army uniform— "and back into your combat gear. We have an assignment for you." The Asset narrowed his eyes before glancing back at Toni, which did not go unnoticed by anyone. His hand drifted down to her chest. "You want to keep her?" Rumlow asked, his voice dripping with annoyance. "Then we need you to take out these targets. They will try to take her. Do you want that? We can keep her safe. We can protect her. You need to stop them."

If it was odd to hear that from Rumlow's mouth, the Asset did not comment. "Very well," he replied.

Pierce smiled as he stepped toward the man. "Our window is limited. Two targets, level six." Asset nodded. "They already cost me Zola. I want confirmed death in ten hours."

The Asset would do it in less. He would do whatever it took to get back to his Brunette. He would burn the world if he had to. He ignored the feeling in his pit of stomach at the thought of killing Captain America, but he pushed it away as fast as it formed. It was ghost that he would rid himself of. All he needed was the mission and he would do it.

*O*O*

Toni felt like she was on fire when she awoke. Her heart called for Steve as her soul cried, recalling the previous nightmare. She could never forget Barnes' face, drilling into like two lasers. Everything felt like she was being burn live. She was set a flame in the pit of hell, feeling like her insides was in a state of protest. God, she could feel the tears run down her face as she recalled Barnes's nasty words. All she wanted to do was hide in Steve's arms… if he still wanted her. All she could see was Steve standing next to Barnes, wishing for her death as if she was the devil himself.

"Toni."

Panic forgotten, Toni's head shot up, turning toward the voice. Her heart leaped, seeing her Father leading across the doorframe. He held expression that she couldn't read. "Dad?" she asked, her entire body was shaking as Howard took a step forward.

"Who else would it be?" he asked, his voice turning soft. His eyes were glued to her.

She couldn't believe her eyes as she looked him over. He looked exactly like the last time she had seen him: tired and worn down. Toni couldn't help but stare at him, feeling like someone was ripping her apart from the inside. Though his hair was stark white, he didn't look a day older, even though 20 years has passed. Doubts popped up. God, why did she push him away? Why didn't she let him reconnect with her? She knew he was tired, but she was putting up walls. He tried weeks leading up to his death and she pushed him every time. "How?" she asked, her voice shaky. "You're dead."

Howard's eyebrow rose, his lip curled. "Did you forget the promise you made Barnes? You said you would do anything for him? I'm here to help you with that. Have you already gone back on your word?"

Toni's whole world spun on that and black started to pierce through her vision. "What?" She uttered, her throat feeling like tight. "How?" She could barely recall anything, just remembering Barnes's cruel smile. She remembered agreeing. She remembered feeling this trepidation bubbling inside of her, but this wasn't possible. Both her father and Bucky were dead, dead because she refused to do anything. Her fault as she let it happen.

But yet, her father was standing in front of her just like Bucky had been. The room was spinning as she stared at her father, who stood mere feet from her. "This isn't real. This isn't real." Her lungs refused to work as she struggled to breath. She could barely feel her nails against her chest as she pulled at her shirt. "No. No. No."

"You think I would leave my little girl?" he asked. "Not when she has worked to do?"

Her heart was about to pop out of chest, her mind going into a downward tailspin. She tried to remember how she got here, this room with no windows, but all she saw was Bucky. Bucky in his bloody uniform. "This isn't real. You're both dead." Her voice was shaky, and she felt like she was drowning in everything that she had ever hoped for. "I'm dreaming. This isn't real."

Howard crossed to her, and ever so slowly, kneed in front of her. With a smile, he placed a gentle hand on her knee, like any father would to comfort a child. "Oh, but we aren't. We couldn't leave you. We love you." There was something just behind his eyes that stuck the genius. "We need you like you need us."

Toni's eyes dropped to his hand on her knees. He heart was pounding in her ears, wanting nothing more than to jump into her father's arms. But how was this possible? How was any of this possible? "Are you really here?" she asked, her voice shaking. "Please."

Howard looked up and placed a kiss to her forehead. "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere, Toni."

Like a curse, Bucky kept playing in her head, and god, she would do anything to help him, to save him. She would do anything to stop this pain that threatened to rip her open. "Am I going mad?" she asked, barely above a whisper. "You can't be real." Her heart was praying this was real.

"Can't you feel this?" he asked, his hand traveling to her face. He gently traced her jaw line before cupping her face. "How can you say this isn't real?"

There was this feeling bubbling in her chest, a mixture of everything that she was feeling. It was hard to think straight, and all she wanted to do was jump into this man's arms and bury herself in his chest. She was tired of this war within herself. She was tired of all this fighting. She just wanted to rest. "Dad," she uttered, her heart breaking.

Howard smiled as he pulled her into his arms. "I got you, Baby girl. I got you." He rubbed circles into her back. They remained like that for a few long minutes. He whispered sweet words into her ears, as she buried herself into his chest. "You'll never to fear losing me again. I am right here."

Tears ran down Toni's face. "And you aren't going anywhere?"

"No, I am not." She let out loud sob hearing his words. "Now, lets get to saving our boy, Barnes needs us."

*O*O*

Maybe, it was the fact that Toni was still missing. Maybe, it was the fact everything was crashing down around him, but something cracked inside of him when the Winter Soldier was unmasked. "Bucky," he uttered, his voice cracking. No, No, this wasn't possible. This couldn't be happening. Bucky, his Bucky, was alive. Toni wasn't seeing thing. Wait, why would Bucky harm Toni? Would Bucky hurt him? Bucky was his friend. Bucky was family, his everything. How could the man he grew up with try to kill him?

"Who the hell is Bucky?" Bucky snapped.

It was like that that Steve's world snapped apart, and he was like butter under Rumlow's hands.

The Author end:

So in case you wonder why I skip certain scenes, I don't like giving you movie quotes if nothing is changing- nothing major. Why give you scenes that you already seen in the movies? That seems like something to add to the word count and not the story.

As for Toni's age, I am making her younger than MCU Tony. I believe i mentioned this before, but I will state it before. No, she isn't some 20 year old, but she isn't as old as RDJ. In my story, i am making her around 35.

Anyhow, let me know what you think and if you are still reading this hot mess.