In the world of military intelligence, there was no such thing as a covert operation. Every operation was covert, unless stated otherwise. Of course, it was a little difficult to hide the approach of a plane across the ocean and into unfriendly airspace above the frozen Arctic, but S.H.I.E.L.D. had already thought of that. Beneath the ice, the non-covert part of the plan was advancing in a sub, more than prepared to make as much noise as possible when they arrived. Within the body of the stealth plane flying miles above the ice, Captain Steve Rogers' handpicked team were preparing for the drop to come. Well, three of them were. Lucy was having a quiet panic attack as far away from the loading door as she could get. No one had said anything about jumping out of a plane!
Even Captain American and the Human Torch were prepping for the drop. Neither really needed a parachute, but this mission, as most, was all about stealth. They couldn't risk being found out, and so, there would be no fireball streaking across the sky or vibranium shield smashing through the ice. Though Steve looked the epitome of calm, Johnny was secretly a nervous wreck. Fire and ice didn't mix well, and water was one of two elements that could prove disastrous for him, but at the moment, everyone seemed more concerned about Lucy's nerves than anything else. After all, she wasn't a superhero, even in the slightest. Though Johnny had promised Liv to watch out for Lucy, it was Steve's job as her husband and team leader to calm her down. Johnny wondered if it was really necessary to have Lucy along for the ride, but he knew Steve had his reasons.
Finished with his own gear, Steve moved over to Lucy to help her prepare, not only with her equipment, but with her state of mind. Had he made a mistake insisting she be here" He didn't think so. They were going to need a doctor once they got inside the facility, and he trusted her more than anyone else, but unlike the other three on board, Lucy wasn't a soldier, a superhero, or a spy.
"You don't have to do this if you don't really want to," he told her quietly while he went about adjusting all the buckles and belts of her parachute. He wasn't sure exactly what they were going to find down there, but if she wasn't up to the mission, they'd have no choice but to go without her. He could have picked someone else, but he didn't want to risk Banner hulking out or Tony's smart mouth.
Pale and shaking, Lucy looked up at her husband with the peculiar stubbornness that he hadn't really had a chance to see up close before. She'd called on it fairly often while she'd been working in various ERs, but since joining S.H.I.E.L.D., she hadn't needed it. Until now. "Yes, I do," she argued, letting him adjust her straps while her hands clenched and unfurled at her sides. "No one else knows exactly what they're looking for on the research side. I just ....I didn't think I'd be jumping out of a plane." That, and she knew full well how humiliating it was to be panicking about what was the easiest part of this mission. It wouldn't be so bad if it was just Steve and Johnny, but the fourth member of their group had more capability in her little finger than Lucy possessed in her entire body.
Perhaps that was true in Lucy's mind, but Steve had hand-picked this team for a reason. Each of them had their own capabilities, their own special abilities and talents that were needed to make this a successful mission, and that included Dr. Lucy Rogers. "Look, I know it's scary, but I'm gonna be right there, and I promise I'm not gonna let anything happen to you," he told her, knowing words were sometimes not enough assurance, even from him.
"You'll be fine, doc," a drawling voice added from not so very far away. The fourth member of their team, Natasha Romanoff, looked up from where she had been securing her weapons, and nodded to the couple. "You're the brains."
Whether that was meant to be a reminder, or a reassurance, Lucy wasn't certain, but she nodded to the redheaded woman before looking back to Steve, taking a deep breath. "Let's just get this over with."
"You know, if I wasn't already married, I might ask you on a date," Johnny smirked, unable to stop himself from flirting with the redhead, even though everyone knew his heart belonged to Olivia. It was likely the nerves talking. He never could keep his mouth shut when he was nervous. It wasn't the jumping out of the airplane that made him nervous, so much as the prospect of water and ice, but he knew his part, and he was proud Steve had trusted him enough to include him on this little venture.
Steve ignored the other two for the most part, his focus on Lucy for now. "First time is the scariest," he assured her, leaning close to brush a reassuring kiss against her lips. First time and hopefully the last time.
"Sorry, Flame Boy, too busy saving the world," was Natasha's answer to Johnny's flirting, offered with her usual sardonic grin as she straightened up. The pilot flicked the intercom to let them know they'd reached the drop zone, the loading door of the plane beginning to open to let the Arctic wind sweep around them.
Lucy shuddered, half with the cold and half with mild terror, and leaned into Steve for a brief moment. "It's now or never," she muttered, tugging her gloves on tightly. "Just ....don't be out of my sight until we're down, okay?"
"Flame Boy?" Johnny echoed with a chuckle. "Flame Man, maybe," he corrected, fond of the redhead already, and they'd only just met. What wasn't there to be fond of? She was hot, for one thing, and well, she was hot. "Is it true what they say about redheads?" he asked, unable to keep his mouth shut, even as the door slid open. The Arctic air didn't bother him in the least, nor did the jump. There wasn't much Johnny Storm was afraid of, though he'd likely have to face his own demons before the mission was through.
Steve was secretly starting to wonder if he'd made the right choice in picking Lucy to come along. There was no denying she would have been safer back home in New York, but he'd ultimately left the decision in her hands. This had been her choice, not his order. "I'll be right beside you. Promise," he told her, holding her close a moment longer and pressing a tender kiss to her temple.
"Only if what they say includes broken bones," Natasha smiled at Johnny, walking calmly straight past him and out through the loading door. She was revoltingly calm about the whole thing, which wasn't helping Lucy in the slightest.
Sighing softly, the doctor swallowed hard and nodded. "Okay," she nodded to her husband. "I can do this." She fingered the pull that would open her parachute, as though reminding herself it was there. "Here goes nothing." Squeezing her eyes shut, she moved to step out of the plane behind Natasha, and not even the wind could disguise the squeal that erupted from her in the process. Hopefully she wouldn't scream all the way down, though.
Even Captain American and the Human Torch were prepping for the drop. Neither really needed a parachute, but this mission, as most, was all about stealth. They couldn't risk being found out, and so, there would be no fireball streaking across the sky or vibranium shield smashing through the ice. Though Steve looked the epitome of calm, Johnny was secretly a nervous wreck. Fire and ice didn't mix well, and water was one of two elements that could prove disastrous for him, but at the moment, everyone seemed more concerned about Lucy's nerves than anything else. After all, she wasn't a superhero, even in the slightest. Though Johnny had promised Liv to watch out for Lucy, it was Steve's job as her husband and team leader to calm her down. Johnny wondered if it was really necessary to have Lucy along for the ride, but he knew Steve had his reasons.
Finished with his own gear, Steve moved over to Lucy to help her prepare, not only with her equipment, but with her state of mind. Had he made a mistake insisting she be here" He didn't think so. They were going to need a doctor once they got inside the facility, and he trusted her more than anyone else, but unlike the other three on board, Lucy wasn't a soldier, a superhero, or a spy.
"You don't have to do this if you don't really want to," he told her quietly while he went about adjusting all the buckles and belts of her parachute. He wasn't sure exactly what they were going to find down there, but if she wasn't up to the mission, they'd have no choice but to go without her. He could have picked someone else, but he didn't want to risk Banner hulking out or Tony's smart mouth.
Pale and shaking, Lucy looked up at her husband with the peculiar stubbornness that he hadn't really had a chance to see up close before. She'd called on it fairly often while she'd been working in various ERs, but since joining S.H.I.E.L.D., she hadn't needed it. Until now. "Yes, I do," she argued, letting him adjust her straps while her hands clenched and unfurled at her sides. "No one else knows exactly what they're looking for on the research side. I just ....I didn't think I'd be jumping out of a plane." That, and she knew full well how humiliating it was to be panicking about what was the easiest part of this mission. It wouldn't be so bad if it was just Steve and Johnny, but the fourth member of their group had more capability in her little finger than Lucy possessed in her entire body.
Perhaps that was true in Lucy's mind, but Steve had hand-picked this team for a reason. Each of them had their own capabilities, their own special abilities and talents that were needed to make this a successful mission, and that included Dr. Lucy Rogers. "Look, I know it's scary, but I'm gonna be right there, and I promise I'm not gonna let anything happen to you," he told her, knowing words were sometimes not enough assurance, even from him.
"You'll be fine, doc," a drawling voice added from not so very far away. The fourth member of their team, Natasha Romanoff, looked up from where she had been securing her weapons, and nodded to the couple. "You're the brains."
Whether that was meant to be a reminder, or a reassurance, Lucy wasn't certain, but she nodded to the redheaded woman before looking back to Steve, taking a deep breath. "Let's just get this over with."
"You know, if I wasn't already married, I might ask you on a date," Johnny smirked, unable to stop himself from flirting with the redhead, even though everyone knew his heart belonged to Olivia. It was likely the nerves talking. He never could keep his mouth shut when he was nervous. It wasn't the jumping out of the airplane that made him nervous, so much as the prospect of water and ice, but he knew his part, and he was proud Steve had trusted him enough to include him on this little venture.
Steve ignored the other two for the most part, his focus on Lucy for now. "First time is the scariest," he assured her, leaning close to brush a reassuring kiss against her lips. First time and hopefully the last time.
"Sorry, Flame Boy, too busy saving the world," was Natasha's answer to Johnny's flirting, offered with her usual sardonic grin as she straightened up. The pilot flicked the intercom to let them know they'd reached the drop zone, the loading door of the plane beginning to open to let the Arctic wind sweep around them.
Lucy shuddered, half with the cold and half with mild terror, and leaned into Steve for a brief moment. "It's now or never," she muttered, tugging her gloves on tightly. "Just ....don't be out of my sight until we're down, okay?"
"Flame Boy?" Johnny echoed with a chuckle. "Flame Man, maybe," he corrected, fond of the redhead already, and they'd only just met. What wasn't there to be fond of? She was hot, for one thing, and well, she was hot. "Is it true what they say about redheads?" he asked, unable to keep his mouth shut, even as the door slid open. The Arctic air didn't bother him in the least, nor did the jump. There wasn't much Johnny Storm was afraid of, though he'd likely have to face his own demons before the mission was through.
Steve was secretly starting to wonder if he'd made the right choice in picking Lucy to come along. There was no denying she would have been safer back home in New York, but he'd ultimately left the decision in her hands. This had been her choice, not his order. "I'll be right beside you. Promise," he told her, holding her close a moment longer and pressing a tender kiss to her temple.
"Only if what they say includes broken bones," Natasha smiled at Johnny, walking calmly straight past him and out through the loading door. She was revoltingly calm about the whole thing, which wasn't helping Lucy in the slightest.
Sighing softly, the doctor swallowed hard and nodded. "Okay," she nodded to her husband. "I can do this." She fingered the pull that would open her parachute, as though reminding herself it was there. "Here goes nothing." Squeezing her eyes shut, she moved to step out of the plane behind Natasha, and not even the wind could disguise the squeal that erupted from her in the process. Hopefully she wouldn't scream all the way down, though.