The Healer 4
Summary: Reader is captured by Hydra again.Â
Warnings: Blood, torture, needles, gore, angsty stuff. Major character death (temporary)
Notes: Writing this has helped get me out of a stretch of writerâs block. I hope to be more active going forward. If yâall have any requests, be they new stories entirely, or continuations of existing ones, donât hesitate to send an ask!
Gn!reader
Words: 4,336
You were just starting to get a feel for how this team operated. Learning how to triage and when to conserve your strength. Dr. Cho was interested to learn more, so you often hung out in the medbay with her. She taught you how to operate almost all the medical equipment, and together you had healed a whole range of injuries. Gunshots were common, but they caused a lot of blood loss, making them hard to fix. Burns were surprisingly difficult, seeing as the damaged tissue was unlikely to comply with the process.Â
On most missions, youâd sit on the jet with a com in one ear, and the injured would be brought to you. This worked really well for large-scale stuff, where there were SHIELD agents working in tandem with the Avengers. Today, you were paired with an Avenger to go inside the area.
âNow, Y/n,â Natasha said when the plan was proposed, âIf you donât feel comfortable being back in a HYDRA base, we can sort something else out.â
âNobodyâs going to force you to go,â Steve added.
âBut?â You prompted.
âBut itâs the best way to ensure everyone comes back from the mission.â
There was a moment where they seemed to hold their breath, and you realized that they were more worried than you.Â
âYeah,â You said, âIâm fine with going in with one of yâall.â
âThank you so much.â Nat said. Their fears were unfounded. You knew you could operate just fine with the rest of them. The funny thing is, none of them could heal as fast as you, so the worry should have been reversed.
Today was your fifth mission with them, the first time you went in with them. They were tipped off about a small new base, in a strategically compromising place. Their plan was to wipe it out before it became too much of a problem.
You and Natasha were dropped off near the southern entrance, and instructed to wait till Steve drew attention at the western one. It was only the three of you on this mission, as it wasnât that high-stakes.
Not too long after, the order was sent out, and Natasha cracked open the vault-like door. She took a few steps inside and waved for you to follow her. She took you through a descending maze of tunnels. You kept going, even after Steveâs com went silent. Even through the seemingly endless waves of HYDRA agents.Â
As the tunnels kept twisting and turning, a realization dawned on you. The maps were wrong, this place was much larger than anyone had thought.
âY/n?â Natasha turned to you. Her voice was strained. It felt strange to hear someone speak in such a place, especially after hours of silence broken only by footsteps, water dripping down the damp walls, and an occasional scuffle.
âYes?â You replied.
âIâm afraid that we must now shift our priorities to getting ourselves out.â
âBut what about Steve?â You asked.Â
âIâm sorry, kid.â She said, âBut we have to leave him.â
âNo⌠No, we have to go find him! He wouldn't just leave us if we were missing! He could be alive out there. If they caught him-â
âStop!â Her voice ricocheted around the hall, ripping you out of your spiraling thoughts. For a second the word hung in the air, waiting to be followed up.
âStop.â She repeated, her voice much quieter now, almost pleading. âI know you were close with Steve, and this canât be easy for you, but we have to assume he is dead. We are both worn out. Even if we were to find him, we would be of no help. I need you to focus on right here, right now.â
âOkay.â You wiped your eyes. Natasha knelt down next to you to get to eye level.
âIâm sorry for yelling,â She said.
âItâs okay.â You murmured, avoiding eye contact. âItâs not easy for you, either.â
âItâs not, no, but that doesnât mean I can yell at you.â She said, âDo you think we can keep going or do you need a hug first?â
One hug later, you were retracing your steps along the cold tunnel. It was now oddly quiet. Like the walls dampened any sound, or the darkness swallowed it.
âNatasha Romanoff, put your weapon down.â Natasha tightened her grip as a man emerged from the shadows. He was a sharply-dressed, impossibly smug, older man. Obviously HYDRA.Â
âNope.â She aimed it at his head. âYou're gonna stay right there, and tell me how you're still alive."
âMiss Romanoff, I suggest you drop the pistol.â Dozens more HYDRA agents materialized out of the darkness in front of and behind you.Â
âHalf of my men have their aim set for them,â He gestured to you, âYou and I both know even they canât heal a shot through the skull.â He was right, and she was worn out after walking and fighting for hours. Finally she relented and dropped the gun. Immediately, an agent with dark hair stepped forward and wrangled her into handcuffs. She resisted a little, but one reminder that your life was hanging in the balance put that to an end.
The dark haired agent then opened a small briefcase, and removed a syringe and vial. He filled it slowly and injected it into Natashaâs inner arm. She winced for a moment, then her eyes rolled back and she lost consciousness.
You gasped.
âNot to worry.â The smug agent said, âThis is simply a precaution. She will wake up shortly after we relocate her.âÂ
âWho are you?â Your voice wavered.Â
âI am Alexander Pierce.â He said, âBut you will only need to address me as 'sir.' Rumlow here is going to sedate you as well.â
âNo!â You managed to scramble a few feet back before someone grabbed you by your shoulder, and dragged you towards Rumlow, who had now filled another syringe.Â
As you lost consciousness, Pierce spoke to you.
âIt seems we have quite a bit of re-training to do.â
Once again, you found yourself waking up in a cold, dark cell. You opened your eyes, and the room spun violently. You curled and uncurled your fingers as you slowly started getting your senses back. After a few minutes of staring at the ceiling, they all seemed to be back, though the room still spun.
A man was walking down the hall. When he peered in and saw you were awake, he swung the cell door open, and grabbed you by your forearm.Â
âUp.â He said bluntly, âThis way.â
You tried your best to walk, but despite your efforts, your legs refused to cooperate, and you ended up being dragged behind him. The cold floor was almost a relief. It was a jarring start back to reality, and helped you to fully regain consciousness. By the time you reached your destination, you were walking behind the man.Â
âSit here.â He ordered. âAnd wait.â
The room was blank, only a small drain in the center, and a wooden chair bolted to the floor to the right of it, and a rolling cart filled with shining tools to the left. You quickly slipped back into the familiar routine of following commands, and sat. Instinctively, you attempted to make yourself as small as possible, shrinking down as much as the chair would allow.
Not a minute ticked by before the door swung open again. In walked Alexander Pierce, followed closely by Rumlow.Â
âAh, Y/n.â Pierce said, âI was beginning to think that weâd given you a little too much sedative. I need you to tell me about the Avengers.â
âBut theyâre my friends,â You meekly replied, âThey loved me.â
With one swift movement he snatched a knife from the cart and plunged it straight through the palm of your hand. Your eyes widened in surprise and more than a little pain, but you didnât make a noise.
âY/n,â He sighed, âThis was all a test. And Iâm sorry to say that you failed. You betrayed HYDRA the very first chance you got.â
Blood dripped down the arm of the chair. Your hand started to heal around the knife, and Pierce noticed this.Â
âFor your betrayal, you must be punished.â He wrenched the knife out of your hand, and stabbed it back through. The skin was fresh and tender, which made it hurt all the more. Still, you choked back any reaction.
âSir,â Another HYDRA agent entered the room, âIâm sorry to interrupt, but the Captain is awake.â
âIâll go speak with him.â Pierce sighed and turned to Rumlow, âRumlow, could you take over here? It seems I have more important matters to deal with.â
âHappily, sir.âÂ
Before he left, Pierce yanked the knife from your palm. You held pressure on the wound, trying to slow the bleeding. A moment later, you removed your hand, and saw the skin knitting itself back together.Â
âThatâs a neat trick.â Rumlow said. âHope youâre good at it. When Iâm done, a small scratch will be the least of your concern.â
He pulled his arm back and landed a blow to the side of your head.
Hours later, even with your increased healing, you were bloody and broken. Ribs cracked, probably a concussion, four fingernails ripped off, and Rumlow had done something to your arm which made it bend the wrong way. Blood and vomit trickled into the drain. Sweat beaded down your face. All you wanted to do was slip into the darkness, but you still fought to keep your eyes open.Â
âBring them back to their cell.â Rumlow ordered.
âBut sir, shouldnât the medicâ?â He protested.
âTheyâll be fine.â Rumlow cut him off. And so you were dragged back through the halls, and thrown into the cell once more. Now that the drugs were mostly out of your system, you could take a look around the room. It had a cot pushed against one wall, and a joint toilet/sink combo on the other. The concrete walls were rough, and the only light came from a yellow bulb down the hall.
You lugged yourself to the cot and wrapped the thin blanket around your shoulders before flopping over. The coarse fabric was like a potato sack, but it was better than lying directly on the hard bunk. Most of your injuries had stopped bleeding by now, and the rest of them could be dealt with in the morning. For now, resting was the most important thing you could do.
It felt like your eyes had just drifted closed, when a uniformed man rattled the bars, waking you up. As you opened your eyes, familiar pain washed over you. You walked over to the cell door, only a little groggy and off-balance. The agent guided you across the hall and up a staircase. He led you into a room, with an unconscious Natasha, tied to a chair. Alexander Pierce was waiting patiently beside her.Â
âHere we have Ms. Romanoff.â Pierce said to you, âShe used to work for HYDRA, but she decided to turn her back on us in favor of the Avengers.â
You nodded. You already knew that Nat had escaped the Red Room, having bonded with her over shared stories of HYDRAâs brutality.Â
âI need you to know what happens when someone betrays HYDRA.â He motioned to the man who escorted you there. He was now holding a gun to the back of Natâs head. Pierce crouched down in front of you, taking your hands in his. He was now at eye level, and you could see the pure evil in his eyes.
âShe will not wake up.â Pierce said, looking you straight in the eye, âEver.â
Hearing that, something snapped. Something deep inside you gave way. Years of pain came bubbling to the surface, along with something new. A novel emotion, one you hadn't felt before.
Anger.
It coursed through your veins and even a decade of HYDRAâs conditioning couldnât hold it back. The energy you felt, the glow when you healed someone prickled at your skin, but it was colder, more painful.
Suddenly, Pierce recoiled, clutching his hand. A hole went straight through his palm, an identical wound to the one he gave you earlier. You lunged towards the man threatening Nat, and snatched his weapon. Without any hesitation, you shot him. He crumpled to the floor.Â
Then you turned to Pierce.
âPierce,â You said, pointedly not calling him âsir.âÂ
âThere has been something Iâve been dying to try. Turns out it works. Can you guess what it is?â
Pierce scrambled backwards, still holding his hand, trying to stop the bleeding.
âThatâs right,â You said through gritted teeth, âI gave you back the injury you so graciously gifted me. Except, I donât need a weapon.â With that, you crouched next to him, mirroring the movement he had done just moments before. You closed your eyes, recalling an extra-painful gunshot wound youâd healed, you touched Pierceâs arm. The cold flash of pain only lasted a split second for you, but as you opened your eyes, you saw the pain and terror on his face, and knew it worked.
You had successfully transferred an injury to someone. Standing, you looked at his shirt, which blood was starting to stain.Â
âPierce,â You said, âYou still have a few seconds to do something good in your life before you bleed out. I just need to know two things. How do I wake Natasha up, and where is Steve?â
âIâllâŚâ He sputtered, âI-Iâll never t-tell.â
âThatâs too bad. I guess Iâll just have to figure it out myself.âÂ
A moment passed, then Pierce wheezed two final words.
âHail HYDRA.â Then he slumped back against the wall. Just to be sure, you unloaded the rest of the clip into his head before walking back to Natâs chair.Â
Finally, you had a moment to take in the room, you saw she was hooked up to an IV of what you assumed was a sedative. You carefully removed the needle, and took a quick assessment of her state.Â
She was bloody and bruised, with a nasty laceration on her calf, which was probably going to make walking hard, but ultimately not anything she couldnât handle. You desperately wanted to take it from her, but decided against it since you were already overloaded with healing your own injuries.
It felt so strange. She was the person who came and rescued you from HYDRA, and now she was tied up in one of their bases. Every day, Nat was so strong. Always protecting you, making sure you felt welcome and safe, and helping you through the memories of HYDRA.
The adrenaline from discovering part of your powers was still flowing through you, and you managed to push the spiraling anxiety down. After all, you had to get Nat out of here.Â
She stirred slightly.
âHey Nat. Can you hear me?â You asked, undoing the cuffs holding her wrists to the chair, âYouâre gonna be fine. Weâre getting out of here.â
âMhmâŚâ She murmured, âPierce?â
âDonât worry. He canât hurt you, me, or anyone else ever again.âÂ
âSteve?â She asked, opening her eyes, but quickly shutting them again.
âI donât know where he is, sorry.â
âWeâll find himâŚâ She sighed. Natasha opened her eyes â slowly this time â and looked at you.Â
âOh, little СаКŃик [bunny], when did you get this?â She reached out and touched the side of your face, which you realized still had dried blood on it from yesterday.Â
âYouâve been asleep for a long time.â You replied, âIf I had to guess, a whole day has passed since we got here.â
âThatâs good,â She said. You looked at her, and the confusion on your face was clear, so she explained.
âIf we donât get back today, the others will know something went wrongâŚâ
âAnd theyâll come get us!â You filled in the rest.
âExactly.âÂ
The two of you stayed there for a few more minutes as Natasha fully regained consciousness. You filled her in on the few events between being caught and now.
âYesterday really sucked, but I did overhear something good.â You said, âPierce was going to interrogate me or something, but he had to leave when one of his goons came in and told him âthe Captainâ was awake. So â as of yesterday at least â Capâs alive! Isnât that awesome?â
Nat started to nod, but stopped.
âDizzy, right?â You asked.
âWhatever that stuff was,â She said, âIt was strong. How long did you say I was out for, a whole day?â
âYeah.â You nodded, âI think they dosed you with way more than Steve and I. They didnât really care if they gave you too much, since they were planning on killing you right here, just a few minutes ago.â
âHowâd you stop them? No offense, youâre not too good at hand-to-hand combat.â
âIâŚâ You started, not exactly sure how to explain, âSo⌠I can take injuries from people, you know that, and I was thinking about that a lot, and I thought âHey, I can take them, what if I can give injuries to people?â I had no way of testing this, because I didnât want to hurt anyone. Today I finally got a chance to try it out.â
âIâm impressed,â She said, looking around the room at both Pierce and the unnamed guardâs bodies.Â
âI bet someoneâs gonna get worried about Pierce disappearing.â You said, âWe should get moving.â
âMhm,â Nat agreed, âHelp me stand up.â
At first, she was a bit wobbly, but she was fine so long as she could lean on you.
âSee if either of them have weapons.â Nat said.
âI already snagged his,â You motioned to the guard. You had pocketed Pierceâs pistol, which you passed to Nat. She probably wouldnât be very helpful, since she was half-draped across your shoulders. It was better than nothing, though. Her being armed made you feel a little safer.
Just as you were starting towards the door, you heard the muted sounds of raised voices and fighting.
âStay here,â You said.
âAre you sure?â Nat questioned.
âI can handle this.â You reassured her, and she lowered herself back into the chair. You poked your head out of the room quietly. All the way down the hall, you could see half a dozen men fighting Cap. His movements were sloppy, so he was probably still under some form of sedative.Â
Rushing down the hall, you got there just as the HYDRA agents started to get the upper hand. Once again channeling your anger, you extended a hand to the arm of a tall agent, and conjured an injury youâd healed before: a broken arm. For a split second you felt a flash of pain in your own arm, then you felt the bones of the agentâs arm splinter and snap, as if they were tearing themselves apart from the inside.
He yelled and turned, swinging at you with this other arm. You ducked and swiped at his torso, transferring another injury. This time red quickly started seeping through his shirt and he collapsed.
By now the other HYDRA agents had noticed, and one approached you with a knife. This might have posed a bit of a problem, seeing as you had to touch him to utilize your powers.
âHey kid,â He said, smiling strangely, âI donât wanna hurt you. If you justââ Before he could say any more you lunged towards him, and threw all your weight into it, knocking him over. Your hands touched either side of his head as you recalled a nasty head injury Stark had once needed help healing.
As you were inflicting brain damage, he stabbed you. While he did manage to puncture a lung, it was a futile attempt at escape. You simply transferred the knife wound to him. His breath sputtered, and he gasped for breath.Â
Rolling off of the agent, you saw Steve was able to take out three of the others. You walked through the hall â now littered with bodies â towards Steve. He still looked off-balance, although not that bad now that adrenaline was pumping through his veins. Super soldier serum was helping with the sedative.
âThank God youâre alright, Y/n.â He said, âIs Nat okaââ
A gunshot reverberated through the hall, and a HYDRA agent that had slipped behind Steve unnoticed fell to the ground. Both you and Steveâs attention quickly snapped to where the shot had come from. Leaning against the door frame, gun in hand, was Nat.
âYou missed one,â She said.
âThanks,â You said, âNow, does anyone know how to get out of here?â
âI remember the path I came in through,â Said Steve, âBut thereâs quite a few HYDRA agents that route.âÂ
âIâll be okay,â Nat said, still more than a little loopy. âWeâll figure it out.â
âYeah,â You said, the concern slipping into your voice, âHow about you two sit down? Iâll grab these guyâs weapons, while you rest a bit.âÂ
They put up a little resistance, but ultimately slid down the wall to rest. Your mind raced as you took inventory of the supplies you had. How were you meant to get two semi-sedated adults and yourself out of here with only a few handguns, a pocket knife, and a whole base of HYDRA agents after you?
You glanced at the two woozy fighters slumped against the wall. Even in their doped-up state, they were bandaging each other up.
âHey Cap,â You said, walking over, âAre you just about ready?â
âYeah.â He said, âRight after I finish dealing with this.â He gestured towards Natâs lower leg. Steve was almost done wrapping it up using a torn strip of a HYDRA uniform.
âCan you support Nat while we move?â You asked.
âI could, but then it would be up to you to fight anyone we encounter.â
âDonât you worry about that.â Nat laughed.
You simply shrugged him off, âJust show me the way, and weâll be out in no time.â
You helped Steve up, and he helped Natasha to her feet. Nat was still rather wobbly, but Steve adapted quickly. The three of you hobbled along, with Steve occasionally stopping to readjust his hold on Nat or to give directions.Â
The first time HYDRA agents stumbled across your trio, it was at a junction between two tunnels. Steve nearly dropped Nat in an attempt to throw himself between you and them. By the time he got into position, you had already killed them.
âHow didâŚ?â He started.
âI discovered some new aspects of my powers.â You replied. Making a mental note to check up with you back at the Tower, Steve nodded towards the left hallway.Â
âItâs this way.â He said. Onwards you went, only encountering a few more groups, and you dealt with them as swiftly as the first. Gradually the walls became less moldy, and the air less musty.
âWeâre coming up on the exit,â Steve said, rounding a corner.Â
âBe careful, we should expect someââ Nat started, but was cut off by the sound of gunfire. Quickly you smushed back around the corner, against the wall, but not quick enough. Steve wasnât hit. Neither were you.Â
But Nat.
Nat didnât look good.
A bullet had ripped through the left side of her chest. Her skin was growing paler by the second. She didnât even get to finish her sentence.
Not thinking in the slightest, you immediately started healing her. Steve tried to push you away, youâd never healed someone this far gone. Even your healing capabilities had limits. Your rage fueled you, blinding you to the pain and stupidity of trying to heal someone who was already dead.Â
Life slowly came back to Natasha. Her eyes flickered open, filling with horror at seeing blood now seeping through your shirt.
âY/n,â Steve said, dread dripping from his words, âWhat did you do?â
âI took the injury.â You gasped, coughing up blood, âThere wasnât anything else I could do.â You stood up, and turned the corner straight into the sights of countless HYDRA agents.
You were at deathâs door, and only rage kept you on your feet. Only anger allowed you to extend your powers over the hall full of cruel, evil people. Only wrath fueled the transfer of this horrible pain from your chest to them instead.Â
With a sickening thunk, everyone in the hall fell to the floor, bearing identical wounds across their chests. A moment later, you lost balance. Pain radiated from where your head hit the concrete beneath you, but at least you had gotten rid of the hole in your chest. Distantly, you saw Steve rush towards you, but you blacked out before he reached you.
A dull ache.
Thatâs all it was.
Distant and floating in an endless void, the only thing tethering you to your body was a dull ache in your head.
Well, that and you could hear voices.
They werenât talking to you, but still you listened. They were worried. Then the rumble of an engine covered what little you could hear, and you slipped back into the endless void.
You opened your eyes, more than a little confused as to how you got here. You knew where you were, it was obviously the medbay. Moonlight filtered through the windows over the machines that beeped around you. Annoying wires and tubes poked into the skin of your arm.Â
You disconnected the machines from you, carefully following the proper protocols so as to not set off any blaring alarms. It was night, after all. Nobody wanted to wake up to the thought of a medical emergency.Â
Next to you there was another bed and an armchair. Both of them were occupied by familiar faces. Nat was in the bed, while Steve seemed to have fallen asleep while reading. A smile grew across your face.
You padded over to Natasha, and curled up beside her.Â
She was in for a surprise when she woke up. A welcome one, but a surprise nonetheless.Â
Part 3, Hair (Medium/Long), Hair (Buzzed)
















