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This is it.
According to the blueprints and the information they got, the door Steve was now standing lead to the next project Hydra was working on. And Steve was there to collect it. But if he deemed whatever was in there too dangerous, he would destroy it. Orders be damned.
Steven Grant Rogers had joined SHIELD so he could have access to the necessary resources to take Hydra down. After what they did to Bucky, he swore he would not rest until every member was out of the equation. But by doing so, he also promised himself he would not let himself become whom he was trying to destroy. That also meant he would not let SHIELD become the new Hydra, no matter if their intentions were apparently good.
Next to the closed door was a panel which required a key card and a code, so access could be granted to the other room. Steve used the card he was given by Natasha, after attaching the decoding device that should be able to hack the panel without the need for the passcode. It took some seconds, but soon after the door was sliding open, and Steve ran inside the semi-dark room.
Steve gasped at he was seeing.
The room was large, with a high ceiling, the space reminding him of a warehouse. In the middle of the room was a large illuminated fish tank, like an aquarium. The tank was rather empty, only with sand, and few plants and rocks. Not that Steve noticed any of it, because on a large rock at the center lied such beauty he had never seen in any aquarium in his life.
The creature had its back turned to Steve, but it was undeniable that he was looking at a merperson, probably a merman.
A merman.
That could not be possible, could it? Those were creatures from fairy tales. And what one Earth did Hydra want with a merman? Was this one a human, once? Were they trying to create underwater soldiers or something? That just sounded crazy.
The merman moved. His shoulders tensed.
In a swift move, the creature rose to his elbows and looked at Steve's direction. Alarm on his eyes.
And what eyes.
He was stunning. Dark brown wavy short hair, big doe eyes surrounded by long thick lashes, a what seemed to be a neatly trimmed goatee around a pair of lips with a pretty cupid's bow. His skin was as if it was shining in golden tones, probably due to the small scales that concentrated on some specific areas of his torso and arms. His tail was long and beautiful, vivid red with golden stripes. The fins started red and ended in gold.
The merman gave him a frown and moved into a what Steve believed to be a defensive stance. He didn't trust him. Of course he didn't. Steve was clearly an outsider.
To show he meant no harm, Steve put down his shield and raised his arms, to which the merman gave a curious look. A Hydra soldier entered the room and attacked Steve, who easily subdued the man by rendering him unconscious with a single blow on the man's head. Really, didn't they know by now that one single non-super soldier had no chance against him?
When Steve looked back at the merman and was surprised to see him smiling slyly. He was clearly amused for having witnessed a Hydra agent having their butt kicked. A prisoner, then.
"Can you hear me?" Steve tried, not sure if the sound of his voice even reached the creature.
The merman just tilted his head.
Steve looked around and noticed a metal staircase that led to the top of the tank. Once there, he noticed two hatches. A smaller one, probably used to feed the creature, and a bigger one he proceeded to open. Hesitantly, the merman swam to the opening and peeked at Steve, keeping his head out only at eye level.
"Are you able to come out? Can you even survive outside the water?"
The man -could he be called such?- nodded but didn't say anything nor moved. Well, at least he understood him.
"Look, I know you probably don't trust me. And I understand why. But I mean you no harm, and I'm not with them," Steve pointed at the unconscious man on the ground, "These are bad people, and I came to take them down."
Steve paused to think.
"Is that your original form? Are you- I don't- Are you from the sea?" He tried.
He got another nod as a reply.
"Okay, look. The truth is, I didn't come alone. And I am not sure what the procedure for this scenario is, to the people I am currently working with. But I promise you, I will do everything in my power to help you find your home."
At these words, the merman moved out a bit more, with what appeared to be a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
"Do you have a name? Mine is Steve," He said with a smile.
The merman looked pensive for a few seconds and finally made a sound.
"Dony?" Steve thought he heard.
A shake of the head, and a new tentative at pronouncing his name in a way Steve could understand.
"Tony?"
Steve was flashed with a bright smile followed by a nod and a chirping sound. So precious.
"Alright, Tony. Let's get you out of this terrible place."
He was about to say he'd help him by carrying him after Tony got out of the tank, but was cut short when the tail began to shift into human legs. How about that.
"Wow. That is practical."
Tony grinned. Steve could get used to that smiling face.
Only when Tony slowly started to get up, Steve noticed something important. The man was naked, of course he was.
"Oh! Wait just a second, I'll give you something to cover yourself," He said, feeling his face burning a bit hot.
He missed the eye roll given by Tony and descended to the floor below where he looked around, trying to find something that he could use. In the end, the only piece of fabric lying around was the one covering the knocked-out man. It would have to do.
"Here," he said as he gave the merman the other man's pants.
Tony, who had been sitting while waiting, frowned at the clothing.
"I know it's not ideal. Believe me, I did not like having to take it off the guy over there either."
With a now smaller frown, Tony took the pants and fiddled with them a bit before putting them on. As he got up again, SHIELD agents entered the room, making the merman freeze and show alarm in his face once again.
"It's okay, Tony. They are with me." Steve assured.
"Is everything okay here, Captain?" He heard Natasha ask.
"Everything is fine," Steve replied, "Tony here was imprisoned by Hydra, and we are going to help him find his way home."
Natasha narrowed her eyes and looked around, evaluating the situation. "Sure," she finally said. It wasn't much, but Steve noticed there was a tone in her voice he came to associate with honesty. Which actually surprised him. He believed he would have to argue at least a bit for that decision.
"Let's go, then," Steve said to Tony, who nodded.
As soon as Tony gave a step, he tripped, almost falling into the floor if not for Steve catching him.
"Not used to walking, I presume."
Tony just smiled sheepishly.
Steve then wrapped his arm around Tony so he could lean on him to walk, but as soon as they got to the stairs, Tony hesitated.
"Yeah, you are right," Steve said, understanding, "Don't worry, I'll help."
He picked Tony up, bridal style. The merman yelped, in surprise, and gripped Steve's shoulders.
"Ready?" Steve asked, when Tony relaxed.
Tony gave him a small smile and nodded, eyes bright looking right into Steve's.
God, Steve was sure he would do anything to protect this person.