Steve knew they'd arrived at the right place as soon as he saw a guard on a watchtower.  Clint had shot him before Steve could even point him out and Steve nodded his thanks. Clint just pushed him forward and they darted across the field and towards the large building.  Tony had hacked all their weaponry and Sam and Rhodey were taking out everyone outside. Clint, Wanda, Steve, and Vision made it inside without much trouble only to face a small army when they turned the corner.  Vision cut them all down with the mind stone while Wanda used her magic to kill the ones that managed to avoid Vision's attack. Clint led them further down the hall, shooting arrows at anyone they came across.

The small armies came in waves.  They'd barely have time to advance before another group arrived and they'd have to take them out.  They weren't making much progress and the more they fought, the more people arrived. Steve was just about to grab a guy's gun and start shooting them down when they all fell to the ground.  Steve looked up behind him and saw Iron Man closing the compartment to what looked like a bunch of tiny missiles on his shoulder.

"Keep going,"  Tony told them, flying overhead and shooting down everyone in the next corridor.  When they came to a split in the hall, Tony quickly scanned the building and found Natasha's stats appearing to their right.  They all turned and hurried down the hall before another army of soldiers came, but they remained alone. Steve slowed his run as they approached a heavy door at the end of the hall and glanced at Tony.

"This is too easy,"  he muttered. Tony nodded in agreement, scanned the hall and room ahead.  There didn't appear to be any explosives and aside from Natasha, only two men were inside.

"Whoever it is, they're expecting us,"  Tony said, stopping the team down the hall from the door.  Steve was itching to at least see inside and find out just how hurt Natasha was.  She hadn't been gone very long, but that wasn't necessarily a good indicator of how injured someone could be.

"I can hear them,"  Wanda said quietly, looking at the door as the team gathered.  "He is expecting us. He's been waiting for this."

"Who does he think is coming?"  Tony asked. Wanda went silent as she searched their minds then listed off Tony, Steve, and the man who stole her (Clint).  Wanda frowned but couldn't find any more information. She could feel something blocking her from continuing and added herself to the list.

"He knows how to keep me out of his head,"  she told them. "He has to be expecting the entire team."  Steve sighed and glanced up at the door in front of them. They couldn't stall too much longer or they were sure to get caught by agents.

"Well, we've already stalled enough time for agents to overtake us any moment,"  Steve said, adjusting his shield and staring at the door ahead of them. "Let's go say hello."

* * *

Natasha didn't move when she heard the door open.  Alexei was still standing behind her, the knife he'd used earlier at his side and slowly dripping blood just like her cheek.  She dared to look up, slowly so Alexei wouldn't notice her movement and choked back a gasp when she just saw Steve. He had his shield on his back and while he looked visibly pissed, she could tell he was worried about her.

"Where are your friends?"  Alexei asked, twirling the knife in his hand.  Natasha had barely blinked when he quickly cut her shoulder.  Her shoulder dropped in pain and she grimaced from where she was kneeling on the floor.  Steve's hand twitched as he moved to reach out to her, but he refrained.

"Taking care of your agents,"  Steve answered, looking at Natasha.  She didn't look back at him and whether he was thankful or disappointed, he wasn't sure.  Her hair was tangled as blood dried in it. One of her arms was already cut up pretty bad and now Alexei had stabbed her other shoulder.

"So you came here alone?"  Alexei mused, glancing at the man who stood against the wall.  Steve glanced at him, quickly sizing him up. "You must know I don't believe that."

"Check yourself,"  Steve invited. Alexei narrowed his eyes and snapped at the second man.  He moved from the wall and stalked towards Steve. Steve stepped out of the way and the man looked down the hallway.  The man nodded at Alexei; sure enough, Steve was alone.

"Oh, then this will be much more fun,"  Alexei said. He drew his knife again, slowly pulling it down Natasha's arm.  Natasha bit her lip to prevent herself from making a sound, but Alexei grabbed her arm harshly, pressing on the fresh cut, and she cried out in pain.  "It will be less painful if you cry,"  he coaxed, squeezing her arm when her short cry stopped.  Natasha gasped, breathing heavily as he pushed the knife all the way to her wrist before stopping.

Suddenly Alexei was surrounded in red light.  Natasha breathed as her pain became less if only for a minute then looked up to see Wanda.  She had both Alexei and the second agent surrounded in red. Alexei looked both thrilled and terrified to see her, but he kept the terrified part better hidden.  Nonetheless, Natasha could see it in his eyes when she looked up at him.

"You don't deserve a merciful death,"  Wanda growled, glaring at Alexei. "I hope you rot in hell."  She snapped the other man's neck first then focused on Alexei.  As Natasha realised Wanda wasn't going to let Alexei go, she dropped her head to her chest and nearly toppled over.  Steve was at her side in an instant, holding her upright but being careful of her open wounds.

"Steve,"  Natasha breathed, limply wrapping her arms around him.  She slumped against his chest and Steve stared at her helplessly, not sure how to pick her up without putting her in more pain.  Asking her to walk was out of the question. "Just get me out of here," she told him, picking up on his hesitancy to carry her.

"I just—"  he trailed off at a loss for words.

"I'll be fine,"  she assured him, moving to look up at his face.  His eyes immediately found the cut on her cheek and he gingerly raised a hand to brush the skin around it.  She tensed as he reached towards her. Even though she didn't flinch, he could tell she was fighting the urge.  He pulled his hand back and gently picked her up. She sucked in a breath and Steve froze, but she promised she was fine.  Steve didn't believe her, but he didn't object as he turned to face Wanda. He'd almost forgotten she was holding Alexei hostage and from the look on his face, her magic was doing more than just keeping him still.

"You will fail,"  Alexei said, struggling to talk as he strained to see Natasha.  "Just like you do with everything."  Natasha didn't react, but Steve's hold on her tightened and he stormed out of the room.

Even though Natasha had taught him Russian many years earlier, he'd never heard anyone other than Wanda or Natasha speak it.  He resisted the urge to kill Alexei himself and turned his head enough he could watch as Wanda pulled his bones apart then kill him.  That would have to be enough.