They began in earnest at first light, with the taste of frost still in the air. The conundrum of how to approach the facility- whether they should try to negotiate or treat them as openly hostile- was solved for them when they came under fire. Harry was grateful that Natasha had had the foresight to bring his suit with her when she first set off to track him down. He'd felt a little naked going into combat without it, but it was quite distinctive, and as soon as they'd approached the vicinity of the fortress it became clear that the occupants had no issues shooting on sight.
It made a lot of their decisions from that point much simpler.
The bullets pinged harmlessly off Harry's shield charm as he and Skye methodically advanced through the forest, ducking and weaving behind trees for cover. The facility was away from Sokovia proper, separated from the city by rough, forested terrain that favored guerilla tactics. Natasha, who had broken off from them earlier, used the opportunity the terrain granted to scout out and snipe at their attacker's positions, identifying and silencing them one by one, and then relocating before she could be pinned down.
"Looks like they're setting up an ambush. Several dozen people, including armored vehicles in the staging area ahead." Natasha said over comms.
"Let's turn the tables on them." Harry returned with a knowing glance toward Skye as they looped around the concentration of troops. They'd kept her abilities under wraps, knowing the advantages that came with being underestimated. They thought they were dealing with only one person with superpowers, and that assumption was going to cost them.
Harry opened with a supercharged 'lumos'. The blinding intensity of the light had the soldiers reeling back and covering their eyes while Skye launched a shockwave that threw bodies across the clearing and impacted dissonantly against the armored cars. Harry followed up with a volley of blasting curses at the vehicles that easily tore them apart, triggering an explosion with each of them. In less than ten seconds, the entire force had been neutralized.
"Good work." Natasha said, already stalking ahead of them to scope out the next target. "Bunker up ahead." She announced "You wanna bring in the firepower, Harry?"
-----
"Shall I initiate the House Party protocol?"
"Can we, Pepper?" Tony mock begged, pouting in a way the Pepper refused to admit she found adorable.
Pepper rolled her eyes. They'd held off on unleashing a hoard of AI directed Iron Man suits on their attackers out of a fear of avoiding collateral damage. New York was still recovering from being the site of an alien invasion. The last thing the city needed was to play host to another one of the Avengers' battles.
But she realized that worrying about that was an exercise in futility, now. On screen, the Abomination threw Hulk straight into the scaffolding of an under-construction building, collapsing it on top of both of them and sending plumes of dust to obstruct the camera's view of the scene. The Abomination had been tearing through New York for over an hour now, and the Hulk's intervention had done little to slow the rate of destruction.
The assault on Avengers Tower had slowly built up over time. At first their automated defenses had been sufficient, but that had changed when a gunman had charged the building. He'd been downed easily enough, but Pepper had instantly recognized the telltale glowing that could only be the result of Extremis. They'd been rocked by the explosion of a self-immolating super-solider, and while the structural integrity of the tower wasn't in danger it was clear that additional measures were needed.
"Looks like we don't have much of a choice."
The assault on Avengers Tower didn't last long once several dozen Iron Man suits were in the air. Whatever Iron Man technology… their enemy (and god, did it irk Pepper that they didn't even know who was attacking them) had been able to cobble together, it didn't hold a candle to what Tony could create. Even extremis soldiers provided little more than glorified suicide bombers.
That just left one major problem, her focus turned back to the screen, where the Hulk and the Abomination had stumbled out of the wreckage of the collapsed building and resumed their brawl. She hoped they could keep the fighting to the deserted road, and away from any other buildings where people were no doubt hiding. The only upside was that it was the middle of the night, and the business district wasn't nearly as busy as it would have been at any other time. It also made the battle even more difficult to follow- as if the sheer chaos and confusion weren't enough to handle.
It didn't look like this was a fight that the Hulk could reliably finish on his own. Thankfully they had a backup plan. "Rhodey, you ready to join the party?" Tony asked over comms.
"I'm trying to get to the fight, I'm a lot slower than I'm used to being. You know, you've really been holding out on me." Rhodes snarked.
"Not really, Veronica's still… experimental." Tony told him.
"That's reassuring."
"Oh, you'll be fine. Probably." Tony said lightly. "I've fought in far less tested armor than this."
"That's still not reassuring, Tony."
Pepper shook her head at the byplay, returning her focus to the news feed. Officially, Shield had put out an arrest order for Steve Rogers- the charges were obviously bogus and the internet had erupted in conspiracy theories. For once, though, the conspiracy theorist might by right. Obviously, something had gone very, very wrong at Shield. There was still no sign of Steve or Clint. That was probably better than the most likely alternative, finding out that they'd been pinned down and were about to be killed. As long as they could lay low until help could get to them, they might all make it out of this okay.
Another notification, and Pepper's eyes went wide as she realized it was from Maria Hill. The only contact Pepper had had with Shield were the 'official' ones- the ones that were saying that Steve was a war criminal.
Coup at Shield. Hydra.
"Shit." Pepper muttered as she began to type out a response.
She and Tony shared a look, the humor leaving his expression in an instant as they communicated silently. "You should go." "I should go." They said simultaneously. Steve needed backup.
Meanwhile, across the city, James Rhodes slammed into the Abomination, the unexpected impact of the Hulkbuster armor sending the monster staggering back and giving Hulk the opportunity to recover.
"Boom! You looking for this?"
-----
"Eyes on the prize." Natasha announced, her voice cold.
Harry filed in behind her, looking up at the imposing fortress. He drew a shaft of wood from his pocket and used the 'point me' spell to confirm that the staff was still there.
"So far, so good, I guess." Skye said, a touch breathless. "I mean, aside from the fact that Shield's apparently been infiltrated by Nazis, or something."
Yeah, the first time one of the agents shooting at them had shouted 'Heil Hydra' had been unsettling, even for him, and he had less of a stake in this than many of his teammates. Skye was handling the implications as well as could be expected, but Natasha had gone utterly pale. He wished he could offer some comfort, but now wasn't the time.
God, he hoped that Steve was alright.
"You know." He said, observing the activity in the hilltop castle. "I don't like that they have the high ground."
Natasha glanced at him, a ghost of a smile appearing on her lips "What are you planning?"
He offered an arm to the woman on each side of him "Want a lift?"
-----
Steve wasn't used to going underground. Even before the serum, he felt uncomfortable laying low and just… letting things happen. But that was exactly their position right now, he'd barely been able to fight his way out of Shield Headquarters and he had no illusions about the outcome if they got caught now. The firepower arrayed against them was too overwhelming, and that wasn't even accounting for the Winter Soldier.
He was lucky that Clint had been able to link up with him, and lucky that Sam was willing to take them in. They had a safe place to lay low at, for the moment. They could rest, recuperate, and plan their next move.
"So, you're saying that you guys uncovered some sort of… conspiracy?" Sam asked them.
"We knew we'd uncovered something." Clint grumbled "If I had known it was so extensive I might have reconsidered our course of action."
Steve grunted in agreement. He'd never have guessed that so much of Shield- so much of the organization that Peggy and Howard had built- had been subverted. It left him feeling vaguely tainted. Shield was part of his legacy, in a way, so what did it say that Hydra had been able to ruin it?
Clint was right, if they'd had known how serious the forces arrayed against them were, he would have wanted the team together. He was worried- about Tony, Pepper, and Bruce, about Harry and Natasha, about Hill, about Coulson. It didn't feel natural for them to be separated like this. He and Clint were too isolated, they needed backup, they needed a team.
Then again, that might just be where Sam came in. Pepper had given him dossiers for potential additions to the team, people with unique skills that would allow them to play an important role when paired with core members of the team. The list had been pretty thin to start with, with the main concern being how reliable and trustworthy the selection of special forces veterans really would be. It was not lost on Steve that Sam Wilson had been on that list, and was a very worthy inclusion.
He glanced at Sam, who was brewing coffee for them, and felt some confidence return to him. He'd built a team from scratch before, and he felt that he was a pretty good judge of character.
The only question was if Sam would heed the call.
-----
It was safe to say that no one had been expecting the ceiling to explode and for Harry, Natasha, and Skye to drop in. After all, they were at the center of the facility while Harry and company had just been at the perimeter. The occupants of the room stared, gobsmacked, before one of the men stumbled back, shouting something in a language Harry didn't recognize. Whether that man was in a position of authority or if he simply snapped everyone else out of it, Harry didn't know.
Everything seemed to happen at once, almost in slow motion. The man who was possibly in charge had put himself behind two guards- they'd both been caught flatfooted by their entrance and were slow to respond. Faster on the uptake were the two men stationed at the far end of the room, they had the air of seasoned professionals. They were about to open fire, but their shots were only going to ping harmlessly off of Harry's shield.
The final two occupants of the room were young- younger than Harry- but they had a hardened edge. They had been surprised, but they were used to combat and near-death situations. The man and woman shared a silent look, the man nodded and disappeared. A split-second later Harry felt a jarring impact against his shield- it was so strong and surprising that the spell nearly failed.
The boy had… teleported? No, he had just run, really fast, straight into his shield. The resulting impact had knocked him out cold, bouncing him back and toppling him to the ground. For a moment, the woman stared at her partner's limp body, shock quickly morphing into fury. A fury that was directed solely at Harry. "PIETRO!"
Shit.
A few things occurred to Harry. The man, whoever he was, had been enhanced. The woman, who was probably at least a close friend, was also probably enhanced. People with powers tended to be very dangerous when angry.
He'd barely had time to reinforce his shield when the attack came, and it wasn't one that Harry had been remotely prepared for.
It had been years since Harry had needed to be worried about legimancy.
She dove into his mind with a desperate fury, images, scenes, emotions welling up and being pushed aside faster than he could keep track of. She followed the linkages and associations between his memories, occasionally doubling back, ripping through his mind. Harry had never taken to Occlumency, though he at least partially blamed Snape's horrible teaching…
Clear your mind! Snape invading his mind again and again, taking a sadistic pleasure in dragging up all of his worst memories. Every time he'd almost died, those lonely nights locked in his cupboard, dreaming that some unknown family member would whisk him away, wishing he had anyone who cared about him…
Harry hunched over his desk in his run-down studio apartment, focused on capturing the details of his friend's face. He'd already hung-up pictures of Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Sirius, and Luna, but he knew that Neville (brave, loyal, good) also deserved to be remembered. He could feel time slowly wear away at his memory of them… their faces, their voices, their mannerisms. These pictures would be the only thing he had to anchor his memories of them. His memories were all he had, that and his dreams…
It does not do to dwell on dreams. Harry sat spellbound in front of the Mirror of Erised, wanting nothing more than to phase through it and join his parents on the other side.
Stay with me. The resurrection stone was clutched in his hand. His parents standing in front of him, so achingly real, but so distant. He'd be with them soon. Always.
Harry, you are loved, so loved. Mummy loves you. Daddy loves you. Harry, be safe, be strong.
Lily Potter screamed as Voldemort murdered her.
Harry awoke in the cabin on the Hogwarts express, his mother's scream ringing in his ears, and deathly chill clinging to his bones. Professor Lupin handed out chocolate to him and his friends, and explained what that thing, that Dementor was. Ron and Hermione were shaken, Neville looked small and pale, Ginny looked like she was back in the Chamber…
(Don't be dead, please don't be dead. Harry sprinted to the prone form of the small redheaded girl, dropping his wand in his haste to check on her.)
Rage. He banished the Dementor back through the veil. This had been Shield's doing, and they had sacrificed lives to create that monster. He would make them pay. He hadn't been this angry since…
Harry roared in grief and fury as he smashed yet another one of Dumbledore's priceless instruments. He'd been lied to all his life. Sirius was dead.
Sirius fell through the Veil. Harry screamed his name and tried to run after him. Lupin clutched him as Harry broke down.
(Oh, come on. You heard them, just behind the veil, didn't you? Luna giving him solace. She had stood by him when few had. He'd be her friend until he drew his last breath.)
Does it hurt? He asked Sirius. Its as easy as falling asleep. Harry didn't want to die. Ever since he was eleven he'd accepted that his life could be cut short, but he never realized how desperately he didn't want to die until he realized it was an inevitability. Hermione…Ron… Ginny… already he missed them so much it hurt.
(The three of then huddled around a slowly dying fire, quietly discussing their next move. Hermione and Ron were leaning against each other. Harry moved to get up, wanting to give his friends their privacy, but Ron's sudden grip on his forearm stopped him. Hesitantly, Harry shifted into him, tears pricking at his eyes. Calling them his friends didn't them justice. They were his family.)
The boy who lived, come to die. He had to die, it was the only way to beat him, to save his friends. All his life, he'd been destined to die. He never had a chance.
Kissing Ginny in the common room, her blazing eyes inviting him, daring him to lean in. Like something out of someone else's life. Every detail of that moment was burned into his brain. His last thoughts before he left this world.
And Harry died. He stood in an ethereal train station that looked remarkably like King's Cross. A woman appeared, seeming to congeal into form from thin air. She was cloaked in darkest black. Skin white as bone. Endless eyes regarded Harry, and she winked.
Then she turned to Wanda, and her voice boomed-
ENOUGH.