You could feel the bones in your shoulders pulling and threatening to dislocate from their joints, and the bones of your wrists ready to snap under your own weight. Any shift would pull harder, and you were certain that the excruciating pain under your right shoulder blade was a slow tearing of the muscle fibers that held it in place. The fatigue was beginning to be too much for you and your legs were no longer trustworthy. The more your body sank towards the ground, the harder the restraints would pull and slowly tear you apart.

"I wasn't expecting HYDRA to be run by cowards who can't even take part in their own torture," you gasped, your breathing becoming more labored from the pressure on your chest. "Having me hang myself is pathetic."

"Perhaps if you would cooperate, then we wouldn't have to go to these measures, (Y/N). Are you ready to tell us what we need to know about the Avengers?"

"Are you ready to go to hell?" you groaned, the straps around your wrists tightening more.

The man sighed and crossed his arms; he was obviously frustrated at his lack of progress with you, and began to question if he underestimated you when you were taken. "No, (Y/N), I am not. But I believe that you are."

~~~

"I can't help but feel like we're close," Steve mumbled as he searched the information in front of him; anyone he could think of to contact was involved in the search for you, and Fury had pulled in every resource at his disposal. Despite the risk that they could find out, even Coulson and his team were working day and night to find someone that they had never even met.

"We've felt that before, Captain," Wanda sighed, rubbing her eyes to release the fatigue that stung them. "I have yet to read her at all."

"I know, but I can't give up yet." He stretched his arms out across the table with a yawn, pulling them back and folding them in front of himself to rest his head. "She's expecting me to find her."

"This is personal for you, isn't it? Do you love her?"

Steve's head snapped up at her words, surprised at the turn in the conversation that he certainly wasn't expecting. "Why would you say that? Why would you assume that it's personal? She's a part of the team, and I'm her Captain. This is my job."

"Okay," she nodded, "but I can see there's more, Steve."

He leaned back in the chair with a defeated posture filled with exhaustion and no desire to argue. "I could love her. Very easily. But I don't know how she feels." He nodded slightly and held her gaze, "satisfied?"

"Not until we find her, no."

~~~

"So, tell me, (Y/N), is this less cowardly? Do you feel that my participation is adequate now?" The man pulled on the straps behind you, squeezing the corset around you tighter with each pull to slowly crush you until your body was destroyed. "Is this more to your liking?"

"You're still not looking me in the eye," you said with air that you could barely force out.

"(Y/N), are you going to cooperate?"

"I'm not afraid to die. You chose poorly."

"Yes," he said with a strain in his voice as he pulled again, "I can see that."

This pull was the worst so far; you could feel your ribs cracking and splintering under the pressure. All that it would take to kill you would be a bone fragment in your liver or spleen, and you were guaranteed to bleed to death. At least it would be peaceful; a little pain and then sleep. You were trying so hard to hang on, to wait for your team to find you, but you could only take so much and it was almost time to let go.

"They aren't going to find you in time," he whispered in your ear, his breath hot on your neck. It sent chills through you and an overwhelming sense of disgust at his proximity to you. "So you may as well tell us what we need to know before you die and have no use to me."

He gave another pull, and you let out a small scream; another resonating crack and a stabbing pain in your chest brought you one step closer to the end. It became harder and harder to breathe and the room began to spin; he had punctured one of your lungs.

"Okay," you gasped, struggling to speak, "I'll tell you."

He leaned in close so that he could hear you, smiling to himself at the victory he had finally reached. Through the pain you pulled yourself towards him, forcing the ropes to pull tighter with the resistance.

"They're going to kill you, and I'm sorry that I won't be here to see it."

The man's face turned a deep red and his eyes darkened with rage. He stood and walked around you, wrapping the straps of the corset tightly around his hand. You looked down and saw him plant his foot next to you for leverage so that he could finish you off in one more pull.

"Do it already," you said with an emotionless tone. You would never give him the satisfaction of knowing how terrified you were in your final moments. Not after everything else that you had survived. You closed your eyes and made sure that your final thoughts would be of your friends and family, and you began to think that you could hear them here with you.

"Let her go, asshole."

You opened your eyes to prove to yourself that it wasn't your mind playing tricks on you, that Tony was really standing in front of you and here to take you home. It had become almost impossible to breathe now, but you fought to stay awake to see this moment.

"You're too late, Mr. Stark," the man growled, giving the straps the final pull before Tony could fire on him. You started to scream at the pain, but it was cut off without enough oxygen to feed it. He rushed to you and cut the straps and pulled the corset away, frantically calling for anyone to help him as your body became limp.

"No, (Y/N). There's no way in hell I'm letting you die now, understand?" He gently picked you up and took flight towards the jet, carefully placing you on the table at its center. He finally had a moment to really look at you, with your body covered in cuts and bruises, and you were pale and malnourished. If he were being honest, he would think that you should have been dead already.

Steve and Thor ran into the jet at full speed, with Steve coming to a fast halt at your side to look at you carefully from head to toe. "Stark, take her home then come back for me," he said in a cold and deep voice. "I have something I need to do." He ran from the jet towards the building that held you moments ago, ripping the door from the frame as he entered.

"Steve!"

Tony waited for a response but he never answered, and as the jet door closed he heard sounds of vengeance and rage that he wouldn't soon forget.

~~~

When Tony finally brought Steve home and they were nearing the hospital, he pulled him to the side to prepare him for what he was about to see. You had already been through one surgery and likely had several more before you could begin to actually heal. And those were only your physical wounds; the psychological would take even longer.

As the two men approached your room, Bruce exited and met them at the window, gathering to look in at you. "We've had to restrain her and she's heavily sedated. She might not be awake for hours yet, if not even until tomorrow," he paused, looking down and appearing unsettled. "I can't imagine what she's been through. She barely made it, and she's still critical."

Steve nodded silently to pass the doctor and enter your room, pausing for a moment at the door. He never liked the smells and sounds of the hospital, bringing back memories from his endless visits for his multiple illnesses in his younger years. He finally pulled up a chair next to you and ran his fingers over the straps that held your arms at your sides.

"I got them all, (Y/N)," he whispered, "every one of them." Tears began to sting and well up in his eyes; he cleared his throat and sniffled, sitting back in his chair to wipe away the ones that finally began to spill. "I'm sorry I wasn't faster."

~~~

Each time they had tried to wake you over the next two days, they had to sedate you again; you fought to get out of bed, when you spoke you didn't make sense, and if anyone touched you, your screams would echo into the halls. Any time it began, Steve would leave the room because he was scared to make it worse, and because it was too painful to watch.

"Steve, we're going to try again," Bruce said, "but this time I want you to stay."

"Banner, I don't think that-"

"Steve, you need to stay here. You're not leaving just because you get a little twitchy."

He was visibly uncomfortable, shifting in his chair and shaking his head. "I don't know if I can. I've never experienced anything like this before, and I don't want to make it any worse."

"Well, that's just it. We think you're what will help her the most. She's been saying your name in her sleep."

"Okay," he reluctantly agreed. He stood next to you, opposite of Bruce, ready to try to calm you for the first time but his nerves were almost too much. "Okay," he whispered to himself, "this is going to work."

The doctor turned down the sedation and you began to wake, immediately pulling at your restraints as you had done every time before. Steve quickly reached down and released them, not listening to Bruce when he tried to stop him. It did seem to help a little, but the more awake you became, the more upset you were getting.

"(Y/N), open your eyes," Steve commanded, "look at me, (Y/N)."

"No, leave me alone," you sobbed, "don't touch me." You tried to sit up but he held you down, keeping in your line of sight. Every movement brought more pain, but you needed to keep them away.

"(Y/N), please look at me. I'm right here to protect you now. Please."

After what felt like an eternity of fighting against him, when you finally agreed to look, your breath caught in your chest at the sight of the only person you had wanted to see for the past month. Your mind began to accept that you were really there and in a safe place for the first time, and you started to settle enough for them to finally keep the restraints off.

"Hi," he whispered, trying to keep his face calm despite his urge to laugh and celebrate that you were safe and awake.

"Hey," you replied in a harsh and raspy voice that barely sounded like you, "I was waiting for you." You shuddered when you glanced down at the restraints that had just been removed and the bandages and IV's stuck into your skin. Memories of being strapped to a table, repeatedly shocked and cut systematically flashed through your mind. The images were so vivid that you could feel the sensations, and you felt your mind slipping into that reality again. "I don't think I can do this...I should've...it would be easier..."

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, (Y/N). I'm going to be right here for as long as you need me, okay?" He brought your hand to his lips then held it against his cheek, still processing for himself that you were really in front of him. "You won't have to wait for me ever again."