𝐒𝐀𝐌 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐍𝐄𝐃. One moment everything was quiet and the next every single alarm within the compound had gone off. Through the flashes of blinding red lights, several guards passed through the room. No explanation was ever given, but he could see that they were all uneasy about whatever had set off the alarms. Sam kicked the wall of his cell, but it didn't budge. Despite the commotion down the hall, it seemed as if the locking mechanism on his cell remained intact. Movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention.

From his own cell, Steve waved his arms in the air as if trying to tell him something. Sam shook his head and gestured to his ears. "Still can't hear you, Cap."

Before anything else could be said, one of the guards that had just left the room a moment ago slid across the floor and slammed into the wall on the opposite side of the room. Sam looked up, startled by the guard's sudden appearance. The idea of an explanation was present as Crystal sprinted into the room and closed the doors behind her. Squeezing her eyes shut tight, she braced herself before thrusting her elbow into the keypad beside the door. A few battered pieces of the device sparked and fell to the ground.

She rubbed her elbow and then muttered under her breath, "That should buy us a minute or two." She then jogged over to the prison units where he and Steve were contained. "I think we've overstayed our welcome."

As the cell opened, Sam looked the girl over in confusion. "How did you escape?"

"I really don't have time to explain," she replied before opening Steve's cell. "Besides, we haven't actually escaped yet."

Sam nodded his head. "Alright, we'll talk later."

"Sure. Whatever," she agreed without actually meaning it then looked around for what he could only assume was a way out.

Sam looked around, just as lost. "Which way?"

"How should I know?" She shrugged. "I was unconscious when they dragged me here."

"Touché."

Pounding on the outside of the doors caused the girl to jump. She caught her breath, but it was clear she was still uneasy. Her eyes widened and glazed over while her breathing grew heavier. She refused to look away from the ground as her feet carried her backward as if trying to find a corner to hide. Sam had seen this specific response within several individuals under extreme pressure. Cautiously, he moved in front of the girl and bent down to her eye level. He gently took hold of her shoulders and grounded her.

"Hey, Crystal, right?" he asked but after receiving no immediate response he continued to speak to her in a soft, reassuring manner, "I need you to focus, okay? We're going to get out of here, but I need you to stay with me. You're going to be alright."

She slowly nodded, but her eyes moved past him and focused on the sounds coming from the door. The open circuitry sparked and the doors blew open. The pair of metal sheets flew off to the sides of the room, but both Sam and Crystal ducked down, reacting to the possible danger of collision. As Crystal's panic attack grew more severe, Sam stepped in front of her, acting as a shield. Once the smoke cleared the air, Rumlow stepped forward, aided by several dozen agents.

Rumlow lifted his rifle, reloaded the ammunition, and taunted them with a sick grin. "Going somewhere?"

Despite the gravity of the situation, Sam's eyes refused to leave the tender scar tissue that marred Rumlow's skin. "You should really get those burns looked at."

Rumlow frowned, but before he could reply, the Skull cleared his throat and stepped into the center of the room. "Stop playing with your food, Rumlow. This has gone on long enough."

The girl shook her head fervently. Barely audible a whisper could be heard under her breath. "No."

"No?" The Skull tilted his head as if amused. "I don't believe you really have a say in the matter."

"I'm so sick and tired of everyone else controlling my life. I'm not just a lab experiment, I'm not a weapon, and I'm not a monster!" Her clenched fists trembled and rage flashed across her face as she finally looked up from the ground. "I'm done letting everyone else call the shots, so unless you want to burn... get out of my way."

The silence that fell on the room was heavy, but brief. The once still air quickly grew violent as if complying with her emotional state. The HYDRA agents looked toward their leaders for orders, but received none. They stood in place, shocked by the girl's outburst. Just like it had in the laboratory, the unpredictable winds grew stronger and swept all of the lightweight materials into a twister that moved along the walls. Although HYDRA had trapped their prey, they were now trapped themselves.

The strength of the wind had increased to deadly, proven the instant one of the agents rethought their life decisions. Although the air current wasn't strong enough to drag him through the air, the helmet on his head was crushed, killing him in the blink of an eye.

"Rumlow!" the Skull shouted over the wind. "Get her under control!"

Rumlow snapped out of his wide-eyed daze and nodded his head to imply he'd heard the order. He lifted a hand into the air and signaled for the troops to close in on the two. In response, the agents lifted their guns and several small red dots lit up on the girl's skin.

Crystal remained unaware as her head had drifted toward the ceiling. Her feet barely touched the ground as if the tempest within had possessed her the second it had been revealed. It was clear she had no control over the storm as rain now pounded from the cloud formation that had blocked out the ceiling. Sam frantically looked around for anything that might shield them from the inevitable attack HYDRA was preparing, but everything useful had already been destroyed by the sudden weather change.

However, for a brief moment, luck was on their side. The ceiling collapsed, creating a barrier divide between himself and the girl from the Skull and the rest of HYDRA. The storm ceased, but dust filled the air from the outside world, implying they were deeper underground than he initially thought. Sam swatted the dust that tried to suffocate him, but couldn't help the laugh, masked by a cough, that escaped his throat at the sight of the red and gold tin can standing before him.

"Is this what following at a distance looks like?" Tony asked sarcastically.

"Did you stop to change?" Sam asked as he noted that he hadn't before seen the version of the Iron Man armor that was currently worn.

"Just an upgrade or two," Tony replied nonchalantly as he took a second to model the armor. "Why? Do you think it's too much?"

A pair of arrows were shot over their heads at the barrier where a few HYDRA agents had started to climb over. Clint dropped down into the room as he knocked another arrow into place. "Show off your new suit after we take care of Hydra."

"Where's the big guy?" Tony asked, ignoring the retort.

"He'll be down in a minute," Clint replied, releasing the next set of arrows. "Last I saw, he and Nat were finishing up."

"Great." Tony nodded, shot a repulsor blast toward the barrier without looking, then directed his attention back to Sam. "That just leaves Cap and the kid."

"They're right—" Sam frowned as he turned his head, now facing nothing but an empty expanse. "They were just here."

Tony sighed. "When this is over, remind me to buy a leash so we never lose him again."