Captain America (July 1998)

Isabella gave Serena a big kiss before she left. Even in her suit, it was freezing! It had been cold before, but she was shivering a little bit in her suit. She would need to talk to Tony about adding some heating elements to the suits in the future. Despite the cold, Isabella focused on what she was doing. She and tony were trying to triangulate using the sensors they had placed. They reached altitude and not long after Isabella suddenly received a digitized image from their satellite. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw what it was.

"Tony! I just got a digitized image. It looks like the tip of a wing of an airplane. I don't want to get our hopes up...but we may have just found Steve Rogers."

Once Isabella sent Tony the images and the location his digitizer came online and produced a stronger signal. There was another part of the plane above ground, part of the tail section. He fed the information back to the soldiers and Logan. He instructed Logan to get Colleen to the site as soon as possible.

Isabella was the first one to arrive and when Tony arrived she was standing on the wingtip of the lost Hydra plane with a fist in the air. He took a photo of her as he descended down toward her.

"No life signs, were alone," Isabella said. Her suit could detect body heat far better than his. Everyone else arrived in the armored, tracked arctic vehicles. Everyone was dressed in sub-arctic gear and the soldiers took up position around them and secured the plane while other soldiers used the special digging vehicle to begin uncovering the snow and ice from the plane. Tony and Isabella both had blueprints of the plane and had studied them a great deal. It was a very large bomber and the cockpit was on the second level of the main deck.

Isabella was ecstatic when she saw that the wingtip matched that of the lost Hydra plane. Thankfully, the soldiers arrived quickly to secure the site even though it appeared that they were currently alone. When Logan came to retrieve "Colleen", Natalya knew that this was it...they had found Steve Rogers. Natalya was so close to completing her mission and making Tatiana very happy.

Isabella looked at the blue prints with Tony. "How long do you think it will take them to dig out the plane?"

"Well, if this is the wing and the Cockpit is forward then we could start over here," Tony pointed. We need only make a hole until we hit the fuselage. Then we use our laser cutters," Tony said. The vehicle had to clear some of the ice just to get up there. That took some time.

Logan and Colleen waited. Colleen had the soldiers set up a small tent with a single cot and instrument bench. Steve would need to be prepped here before they took him to the infirmary bungalow where the warming tank and blood transfusions would happen. They had blood, platelets and plasma to infuse him with warm blood. If they did it at the correct rate, his body should begin to come out of its hypodermic state. Logan helped her set up the tent and noticed how on alert Colleen was. As she set out the instruments he put his hands on hers.

"Are you alright? you seem...agitated...are you sure you're up to this?" Logan asked. His nose twitched with the scent of her. And though it was freezing, she appeared to be perspiring.

Natalya and sent out a message via Morse code to the frequency she had been instructed to use. She wasn't sure if any SSB agents were even still around, but she hoped someone got it. She wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. She had been taught everything she needed to know about how to bring Steve Rogers, although she was still no doctor and there was a chance she could kill him. She intended to get the sample she needed though. She had the needle and vial in her pocket. She just couldn't get caught.

"Colleen" began to get everything set up in the infirmary bungalow. Logan was there with her and she felt him suddenly put his hands on hers. She looked at him. "Yes, I'm fine. Just nervous from the excitement of everything," she said with a reassuring smile.

Logan thought that, perhaps, those SSB agents or whomever they were had unsettled Colleen. Either that or she was uncertain of what she needed to do with Steve Rogers. Maybe both?

"Well I'm here to help. I feel like a third wheel when the Starks are on the case. They have all the help they need I think," Logan said, "Is there...anything I can do for you Colleen?" He asked.

"Colleen" was about to tell Logan that there was nothing she needed him to do, but then she decided that there actually was something she could have him do. "Actually, something that would be quite helpful to me would be to have you keep everyone out once they bring Captain Rogers here. I need to be able to concentrate on what I'm doing and I like to work alone." She stepped up closer to him so her body was lightly pressing against his and she kissed him and then looked into his eyes. "Could you do that for me?"

Logan accepted the kiss and kissed Colleen back but his suspicious nature went on red alert just then. His disappointment in her did as well but he smiled anyway. She was a very good kisser.

"I can do that," He said as his hands shifted to her bottom though she was in her snow pants just like he was. He touched her face, tenderly and looked into her eyes a moment before he shifted back and left her alone in the tent.

Tony and Isabella directed team on where to cut through the plane. There was enough space to bring Steve out in a stretcher but Tony had serious doubts about him still being alive. He could imagine his flesh as part of the ice. His blood ice too and he would crack up into pieces as they cut him out.

It took a good bit of time but the machine had cut through, it's circular teeth pulled back to expose the hole they just made. It was about 4 feet in diameter. Not large but large enough. He let Isabella go in first since she found the plane first.

Inside the plane it was dark ofcourse. No light at all save for Isabella's suit lights that lit up the area. Tony noticed she released a light drone. Which she had several that would fly up and attach itself magnetically or by tiny claws to almost any surface. Before he ducked inside she had the whole area bathed in a soft, ambient light.

The plane was on an angle so moving about was not effortless by any means. The plane was actually huge and most of the deck only had snow and ice up to her shins.

"It must have been a very strong plane design to be this much intact," Tony remarked. Dr. McCalister was next followed by Logan. The cockpit was on the top deck though the way the plane was pitched into the ice, that was actually below the place they entered. Both Logan and Colleen had wrist lights and he helped her down from the opening.

Isabella was anxious to get inside the plane. She waited as patiently as she could for them to cut through the metal and open a space up for them to get through. It was going to be dangerous because the plane was at an angle, but as long as they were careful they should be fine. Isabella hoped that Steve was still alive. She knew the likelihood was low, but she didn't give up hope.

Tony allowed her to go inside first and she released some drones that lit up the area and allowed them to see. Tony followed her inside next, and then Colleen, and then Logan. They oriented themselves and Tony and Isabella guided the group down towards the cockpit. They moved carefully, but thankfully the plane was fairly stable because of the snow and ice that surrounded it.

As they neared the cockpit, Isabella's excitement began to grow. "I think we're getting close."

There was a railing and catwalk that was difficult to traverse but eventually they found their way up to the upper deck. Snow and ice had come through the cockpit windows but the majority of the cockpit was still intact. Colors in this light were difficult to see and as they walked Isabella heard an odd, metallic sound as her boot crunched down on something distinctly metallic. When she shined her helm lamp down she saw the red, white and blue of part of a shield. Not just any shield, Captain America's shield. It was flat and only yhr Star in the center was out of the ice.

Isabella and the others often had difficulty traversing through the snow and ice, however, they eventually made it to the cockpit. The cockpit windows were smashed and snow and ice had built up in the interior, but overall it seemed well intact. As Isabella walked further into the cockpit she suddenly heard something metallic underneath her boot. When she shone her light down to see what it was she had stepped on she gasped at what she saw.

"Tony! I've found his shield."

She used the cutting tools on her suit to cut through the ice around the shield and free it. It felt lightweight, but she knew it was made out of vibranium. It felt incredible to be holding Captain America's shield in her hands.

"Well, if that's here, maybe the man is here too," Logan said as he and Colleen made it to where they were. Logan shined his light over toward a corner. There was a man's arm protruding from the ice. At closer inspection though the man was wearing black. "Nope, not him," Logan said as the others continued the search.

"Lost in history..." Tony began. "No,just lost," Logan corrected. All of them were spreading out, looking with their lights. The plane was big but not so big where 4 people wouldn't find him if he were here.

"It's possible he was ejected from the plane...so many possibilities," Tony said to ease the punch if Rogers wasn't here. It was then that Isabella saw an odd discoloration in the ice. A tint of violet. No...the blue and red had blended in her light. It was red and blue...a uniform. A good foot in the ice.

Natalya looked around anxiously for Steve Rogers. He needed to be here. She couldn’t fail Tatiana. She didn’t want to know what her punishment would be for failing her in this. This was extremely important to her and she wanted to remain the jewel in the SSB’s crown. She began to get frustrated when she didn’t see him...until she heard Isabella call out...

Isabella had gotten her hopes up when she saw a man frozen in the ice, but it wasn’t Steve. She continued to look everywhere. She wanted him to be there. They had come so far and invested so much time and energy into finding him. She knew she would be heartbroken if he wasn’t there.

Suddenly, she saw an odd discoloration in the ice. It looked almost violet. However, as she got closer she saw it wasn’t violet, but red and blue...it was Steve’s uniform! She moved closer and could see his face and body through the ice. Her breath caught in her throat.

“I’ve got him! He’s over here!”

With Dr. McCalister looking on they cut Steve Rogers out of the ice. The soldiers brought down a stretcher and Colleen administered the warming agent as soon as she had access to his flesh. Getting him out of the plane was precarious at best but they managed it. With daylight fading Colleen was tasked with giving him the catalyst injections before they brought him back to base camp. Logan did what she asked. She stood guard while she began to work on him. Steve was blue from the cold. His body was still in a state of Cryogenesis. In a state where is body functions were completely halted. She had everything she needed right there to extract the DNA and her watchful guardian, Logan, to keep everyone out.

Isabella's suspicions of Dr. McCalister were growing by the minute. Now that they had Captain Rogers out of the ice Isabella felt very protective of him and she wanted to ensure he was in good hands. His life was at stake. She needed everything to go as planned. Finally, her suspicions got the better of her and she approached the medical bungalow. Logan was stationed outside to keep people out.

"Logan...let me pass," she told him gently, but firmly. "I need to see what's going on in there."

Inside, Natalya pulled the needle and tube from her pocket. She needed to get access to Steve's spine. She cut away the top portion of his uniform and then pushed his body up using one hand. He was very muscular and therefore quite heavy. However, Natalya was in top shape and was able to do it. She used her teeth to pull off the cap of the needle and positioned it near the base of the spine. She then began to insert the needle into his flesh...

Before she could stop what she was doing Natalya heard the tent flap being folded inward and with a quick glance over her shoulder she saw 2 shapes. Logan's and Isabella's. She had no choice but to withdraw the needle and turn to face them. Her eyes met Logan's and in that look she knew she had been made. Not only him, but Isabella's dark eyes appeared to be on fire.

"There's no where to go...Colleen, if that's your real name," Logan said in obvious disappointment.

Natalya sighed as she turned to face Logan and Isabella. Beside Logan, Isabella was nearly trembling with anger. Who the hell was this woman?! She activated her comm link to speak to Tony. "Tony, we need backup in medical. Dr. McCalister is a..." Before she could finish her sentence Natalya attacked. Natalya was fast and strong and caught both Logan and Isabella off guard. On Tony's end the comm would suddenly go silent.

Natalya knew she could take Isabella, but she wasn't so certain about Logan. She tried to flee the bungalow, but Logan grabbed her. The two struggled and each tried to get the upper hand. Isabella moved to protect Steve and she watched as Logan managed to get the woman to the ground. When Tony and the soldiers arrived they would find the bungalow trashed and Logan holding "Colleen" down on the ground.

"I don't know who this woman is, but she's not Dr. McCalister," Isabella told Tony as the soldiers secured her.

Ofcourse Tony had a contingency plan. He almost always did and with something this important? With how much Isabella worked on this project he wasn't about to have something ready to go. "I call it a biobed," Tony explained. "It's only a prototype but I had Hark make room for it on the carrier. He had them bring it in and set it up. Steve Rogers was set into it and it began to synthesize what was required to begin the 'thawing' process. Unfortunately it didn't have all of the necessary equipment but there was already a tub set up in the infirmary.

Tony had decided to give Nick Fury a call to see if they knew who the woman portraying their good doctor was. For now she was in her own makeshift cell next to the German scientist. She had 2 guards assigned to her cell. Logan wanted to talk to her and so he went to see her. The guards let him in and closed and bolted the door behind him. It was dark in her cell and she was only given a sleeping bag with the zipper removed to sleep on.

For a moment, Logan only looked at her. Looked at her and took in her scent. "You don't smell any different though you do smell anxious. I take it whomever you work for isn't going to like your failure," Logan said. "i had a suspicion you weren't telling the complete truth but I hoped...but I wanted you to be Colleen," Logan said honestly. He didn't know why he was talking her this. But he was lonely and he liked the woman she had been portraying. "You're a pretty good actress. Should you decide that the whole spy game isn't your cup of tea," He joked.

Natalya sat in her dark cell and stared straight ahead. While she had been "Colleen" she had smiled and laughed, but that was gone now. There was a dark seriousness to her and she suddenly seemed extremely dangerous. She didn't even look at Logan as he approached her cell. She heard him speak but she said nothing in return. She just stared straight ahead.

Hours later, a helicopter approached the area. On board was SHIELD Director Nick Fury, Agent Phil Coulson, and two other SHIELD agents. They were led to see the prisoner and a short time later they met with Tony, Isabella, and Logan in Tony and Isabella's bungalow. Fury had had a suspicion of who it might be and his suspicions had been correct. He tossed down a file on the table and looked at the group.

"The woman who had been posing as Dr. Colleen McCalister is actually Natalya Sokolova. She's the SSB's top agent. She was created by Tatiana, the SSB's Director, using what was left of the Super Soldier serum. Natalya hasn't been on SHIELD's radar for very long, but she's quickly made an impression. She's killed numerous SHIELD agents, as well as many others. I have a feeling that Tatiana sent Natalya here to retrieve more Super Soldier serum so she could create more ultimate agents."

Gunther's cell was right next to Natalya's. He had injested 2 things. One, a small flexible tube and a tiny vial and a small round ball with liquid in it. First he connected the tube to the vial and he slid the end of one end under the door. He pushed a button on the vial and a clear gas began to come out of the tube. In 3 seconds all 3 guards were on the floor. He pushed the button again.

Next he carefully opened the top of the ball and then sprinkled the clear liquid onto the door jam. It began to melt and corrode almost instantly. After about 30 seconds his door was opened. He pushed a guard far enough so he could open his door then he did the same to Natalya's door.

"We all have our orders, you can still complete your mission...if you hurry," He said. "I don't know what they did with your syringe but I'm certain you can...improvise," He said dryly as her door snapped open.

"Get the guards coat I see they left you your boots and snow pants. They took mine..." He said as he stood in his small clothes. "They think because you are a woman, that you are soft," he said.

---------------------

Logan stood over Steve. Steve was in the biobed again after he had been submerged in the special solution. He held a bottle of beer as he numbly watched the bed pump fluid in and fluid out of his body. He had never seen anything like it.

Natalya heard Gunther moving around in his cell and she curiously looked over to see what he was doing. She raised an eyebrow as she watched him. For a moment, she didn't understand what he was doing, but then she became more interested when she realized he was breaking out of his cell. She waited impatiently as he broke her out of her cell as well. She eyed him suspiciously as she stepped past him out of her cell. He was clearly not the scared scientist he had been pretending to be. She knew she needed to hurry before anyone else came into the bungalow to check on them. She took the guard's coat and put it on. She pulled the hood up around her face before leaving the bungalow and heading towards the infirmary. She paused outside when she realized that Logan and Isabella were inside.

Isabella could tell Logan was upset about Natalya. She asked Tony to give her a moment with him and after he left she approached Logan and stood there quietly next to him before speaking.

"I'm really sorry Logan. You deserve happiness and I know that one day you are going to find it."

Logan took a sip of his beer. "But you don't understand. Some of it...some of 'her' was real. I know it. I know it my bones," He said. "I know part of that was to get me under her finger but the whole deal? No, I won't believe that. I know who and what she is Isabella. But there are some things...you just can't fake," He said.

Isabella listened to Logan and what he said made her heart break for him. She opened her mouth to say something in response, but before she could her comm link went off. It was Tony asking for Logan and herself to assist him with something in one of the other bungalows. Natalya moved so she was downwind and wouldn't be detected by Logan. Also, wearing the guard's coat helped to cover up her scent.

She waited until they were both gone before she stepped inside the infirmary. She approached the biobed and watched it work for a moment. She could see it was pumping fluids in and out of his body. Steve's color was improving. He was looking less blue and more pink. As she looked around she didn't see any needles she could use. She would have to improvise and think of something else. She needed some of the blood that was being pumped out of his body. She didn't want anything that might contaminate the sample. She found a tube and began to siphon off some of the blood into the vial.