You and Clint hurry to the mission room, where Tony and Bucky are waiting. Tony walks up. "We found him, Jo. As soon as he surfaced, Friday alerted us." He says with a soft smile, but there is a hint of sadness in his eyes.

Steve walks in, followed by Wanda, Sam, Nat, and Bruce. "Good, everyone's here." Steve says as he walks to the head of the table.

"Where is he?" You say coldly.

Steve looks at you, concerned by your tone. " We caught sight of him in Quebec. He hopped a small plane that we traced to a small airstrip in Eureka, Canada. There's some kind of base about 20 miles east of Eureka." A holographic map appears, everyone following the red line that represents Rumlow's path.

"What do we know so far about the place?" Nat asks first.

"Not much. We've checked every database to see who this compound belongs to. Nothing, all we know is he's still there. Satellites haven't picked up any activity since he arrived." Tony replies.

"Can we get some infrared scans to get some idea of how big this place is or how manned it is?" Clint asks while watching you stay silent.

"We're redirecting some satellites to try and get some pictures now, but it's going to take at least two hours for them to get in range, " Steve replies.

Bucky has also noticed that you've been silent this whole time. He's worried about what is going on in that head of yours. You stand up and look at Steve.

"Then let's gear up and go." You say bluntly

"Joey, we can't go in blind like this. We need to wait for the satellite images first." Steve says forcefully.

"We can't wait that long. If we don't move now, we could lose him again." You argue back.

Bucky can see that look in your eyes and knows what's coming. Steve's back straightens as he looks you in the eyes. "Jo, we can't risk going in there without knowing at least how many we will be up against. You know that."

"What I know is that this is our shot to get Rumlow." You start to walk towards the door. "I'm going after him. I don't care if it's with a team or alone, but I'm going. I won't lose this chance."

Bucky knows you, and you mean what you're saying. He looks up at you, then Steve. "You know she's right. She'll go in alone if she has to." Bucky turns to you. "I'm in." he says as he stands up and steps toward you.

"If you think for one instant that I would let you go it alone, you're crazy. I'm going too." Tony states as he stands next to you and takes your fingers in his.

"Damn it, Joey! This could be a trap, and you know it." He takes a deep breath and lets it out. "This may be the worst decision I've made, but you can count on me."

The rest of the team stands up and Nat speaks for all of them. "In for a penny, in for a pound. We're behind you, Jo."

Your eye wants to well up at the family you have gained but there will be time for sentiment after. "QuinJet 20 mins. Rumlow goes down today for good."

The flight to Eureka was relatively quiet as Nat, Clint, and Steve continue to try and get some intel on what you're walking into. Tony lands the Quinjet about ten miles from the base, not knowing what kind of security they have set up. The back door drops down, and you walk out into the cold and snow. Bucky walks up beside you as you both take a deep breath of the frosty air.

"Takes you back, doesn't it?" Bucky says as his lungs fill with the stinging air. It reminds you both of your time in Russia with Hydra.

"Yeah, it does." You turn as the rest of the team steps off the jet to join you and Bucky.

Steve takes the point as usual: " OK, Tony, Jo, you'll take the west side. There's a side door that should be easy to breech. Bucky and I will take the east side. Nat and Clint, you take the south, while Sam and Wanda will take the north side. Bruce is going to stay back and monitor the satellites and feed us any info he can get. Is everyone ready?" He states in his down-to-business tone.

"Just remember, if you find Rumlow, do not engage. He's mine, understood?" You say coldly and abruptly.

Tony looks at you with a tinge of worry in his eyes. He's only seen this side of you when Alpha still had control. "Hey, look at me?" He takes your hand. "Don't do anything rash, okay? I want both of us to make it out of here in one piece."

You take his hand and squeeze it a little. "I can't make any promises when it comes to Rumlow. But that's what I have you for, to help pull me back, right?"

"I'll always pull you back from the dark." Tony says as he brings your hand to his lips.

Bucky looks over at you. "Are we good?"

You nod your head "Five by Five."

You head to your corner of the base and make your way inside. You sweep several hallways, finding nothing but empty sleeping quarters. Tony hears noise over the comms and checks in with Steve.

"Everything good, Cap?" He asks over muffled sounds.

After a few grunts and groans, Steve replies. "Yeah, just stumbled across a not-so-warm welcome." He says sarcastically.

You tap the comm in your ear. "Do you need some help?" You ask. " You sound a little winded."

Steve turns and hits one of the last Hydra soldiers with his shield. "No, I think the party is dying down, but thanks. Anything on your end?"

"No, just empty rooms." You say with a hint of disappointment in your voice.

Tony pulls on your arm, stopping you from moving forward. He cups your face hurriedly and kisses you. He looks you in the eyes. "Do you still mean it when you said after we take down Rumlow, you're done? Are you ready to start a life with me?"

"One life ends today, and our new one starts." You say as you touch his face through his open helmet.

Tony turns around and looks down the hallway you've worked through. "Keep us posted, Cap."

From the corner of your eye, you see movement. Turning and looking down the other end of the hallway, you see a glimpse of Rumlow. "Rumlow!" you yell as you start to run in that direction.

Tony turns, hears you yell, and sees you breaking away from him. "Jo, what are you doing?"

You yell over your shoulder. As you reach the corner, you see Rumlow turn down. "It's Rumlow! I saw him." You continue searching for a dead man.

"Jo, wait!" Tony hollers after you as he starts to lose sight of you.

You quickly check the doors; they are all locked. You look up as you hear a door open, and Rumlow rushes through. You stand at the side of the door, take a breath, and kick it in. Another hallway. You can hear Tony tracing your steps down the first hallway. You see Rumlow at the end, keying in a code to a large metal door with a small window. You raise your Glocks. "Rumlow, stop! It's over."

He throws a grin over his shoulder at you as he steps over the threshold, and the door starts to slide shut behind him. You act quickly and slide one of your Glocks down the hall, jamming the door open. Sprinting down the hall, you reach the door and pull your gun out, replacing it with your body. Tony's body fills the doorway you had just stood in. "Jo, don't go through there." He yells as a pit in his stomach grows.

"I'm sorry, I can't let him get away." You step beyond the thick metal door, letting it slide shut behind you. As your eyes adjust to the sudden darkness, you catch a glimpse of Rumlow's silhouette at the other end. You hear his chilling voice. "Welcome home, Alpha." He slips through another thick door at the other end. Bright lights suddenly turn on overhead, and you get a chance to get a better look at your surroundings. It's some kind of containment pod.

Tony reaches the door and can see you through the small window. He quickly pounds on the metal as he calls your name. You turn and run to him, realizing you're trapped. You try punching the glass, but you can't even crack it.

"Stand back, I'm going to try cutting through," Tony yells. He lifts his repulsor glove and tries to cut his way through the steel. As he does, you try punching a hole through the steel with your vibranium arm. You are barely denting it. You look up, suddenly hearing a hissing sound. Valves have opened in the ceiling, and gas is now filling the container.

You turn to face Tony with fear in your eyes. "Tony, hurry!" He looks behind you and sees the gas as you try to hold your breath. The gas burns your eyes, and you start to cough as things start to get blurry.

"Jo, hold on. I'm starting to cut through." He can see you starting to succumb to the gas. He starts to bang on the glass to break it from his side. You put your hand on the glass as you slowly slide down to the floor.

The room rocks suddenly as the ceiling opens up. The container is in a hangar and is being lifted by a Quinjet. Tony furiously tries to cut through the door, but it's not fast enough. He hollers through his comm. " They've got her Cap!"

"What? Tell me you're joking, Tony?" Steve says as his heart starts to sink.

"Does it sound like I'm joking? She followed Rumlow straight into a trap. They're lifting her out with a jet. I'm trying to get her out, but it's not working." Tony shouts out, fear overtaking his voice.

" We're on our way towards you now. Hang on, don't let them go." Bucky yells over the comms.

Tony watches as the jet lifts you higher into the air and starts to fly away. He takes to the air, following the jet, and fires a warning shot over the jet's wing.

A very familiar voice comes over the airways. " I wouldn't do that, Stark. Not unless you want me to cut the cables and let her fall into the ocean. Do you think you could get her out before she sinks to the bottom? I don't?" Rumlow says coldly.
Tony instantly backs off from the container. He can still see you unconscious on the floor through the small window. While he stares at your limp body on the floor, FRIDAY's voice comes through his earpiece.

"Boss, you have an incoming projectile." The AI voice says quickly.

Tony barely has time to look up before the small missile Rumlow has fired hits him straight in the chest. The suit quickly starts to malfunction, and he starts to lose altitude. As he free-falls, Tony frantically works to get the suit's thrusters back online. With seconds to spare, the thrusters engage, but it's only enough to help buffer his landing. As he comes to a hard landing, he drops to his knees.

Steve and the rest of the team run up to him as they watch the jet disappear into the clouds.
"Tony, where is she? Where's Jo?"

The face plate on Tony's helmet raises with a shutter and a spark. Tony's voice is shaky as his eyes start to well. "I couldn't get her out. Right before he shot me down, he threatened to drop her into the ocean. I would never be able to get her out."

Tony slumps back onto his heels as his body shudders from the adrenaline. "She's gone, Cap."

"I knew this didn't feel right. It was a trap for Jo all along! Rumlow let us find him to draw her out and straight to him." Steve says through gritted teeth.

Nat and Clint kneel down on each side of Tony. He looks at Nat, broken and lost. "I couldn't stop them and now they have her. I was so close, but it wasn't good enough."

Nat looks up at Clint as she rests her hand on his. She knows that look; she saw it when Thanos won the first time. "We'll find her, Tony. We will get her back. I promise."

Clint stands up as well as Nat, both of them helping Tony slowly to his feet.