Just Rest (I've Got You)

Clark land with a heavy thud, his cape whipping viciously back and forth in the wind. He strides over to the Hydra base and pulls the door from its hinges and sets it aside. The harsh, cold wind of the mountain whistling loudly against the rock and stone is outdone by the shrill cry of the alarm.

He makes his way through the endless corridors of the base, making his way towards the prisoners. The walls are cold and damp, water lays in icy puddles at his feet, none of this phases him. His eyes never leave his targets; the prisoners. He powers through, knocking out all the Hydra goons that come his way.

It doesn't take him long to reach the prisoners. He runs his hands along the door frame, seeking purchase to pull the door from its hinges, but the door is sealed flat against the wall. Clark takes a few steps back and burns a whole through the door with his heat vision.

The cell is worse than the corridors. The walls are a mix of old glacial ice and stone. The floor isn't any better. There are buckets of icy water by the door, but he has a feeling that the water isn't for drinking.

Clark walks over to the cages at the back of the cell. There are three, two large and one small. Six of the seventeen prisoners are in the large cage on the left, ten are in the other large cage. There is a fair amount of room for them but they are all huddled together to ward away the cold. Clark makes short work of the lock on the cages before quickly heading over to the man in the small cage.

The other prisoners watch silently as he stops in front of the small cage, the one containing Steve Rogers.

Steve is slumped heavily against the side of the cage. There wasn't enough room for the man in the cage, no matter where the man sat his broad shoulders would be pressed uncomfortably against the cold bars. His skin was unnaturally pale save for the unhealthy red flush to his cheeks. The skin around the gag they placed in Steve's mouth was an irritated red and rubbed raw. His eyes were glazed and unfocused. He looked half asleep, Clark wondered if he was aware of what was going around him.

All over the Steve's bare chest was electrodes and cable clamps, all of which were connected to a series of car batteries. There are deep burn marks around the cords attached to the man, layers of flesh burned away, blackened and oozing. Scabbing appears to have started and is seeping over the wounds. It must have been a while since the man's last shock, but with Steve's healing it was hard to tell. Steve's breathing is shallow, his heart is slower and a little weaker than it was normally, but still held a healthy rhythm. If Steve were any regular man, the eight car batteries should have killed him without question.

Clark unclips the cables from the batteries, careful not to jostle them were they were attached to Steve's chest. He would remove them from Steve himself, but it appears that the man's skin was already starting to heal over the cords. They would need to be treated professionally.

He brakes open the lock to Steve's cage and gently shifts the man out and then lays him flat on the floor.

Carefully he removed the gag from Steve's mouth, wincing at the congealed blood on the backside of the cloth and around the corners of his mouth. He sets aside the gag and opens up Steve mouth to assess the damage.

It's a mess. If he were to guess, Steve had bitten his tongue when Hydra shocked him with the car batteries. Steve's mouth and teeth were bloody, his tongue lays limp and swollen in his mouth. Horribly inflamed cuts from Steve's teeth were all over Steve's tongue, and in places Steve's teeth had cut straight though the flesh of the tongue. Even the sides of his mouth were swollen and cut up by Steve's teeth. Thankfully it looked like his tongue was whole and no part had been completely bitten off.

"What happened here? What was Hydra aiming for? I didn't get that much in the way of answers form SHIELD or the UN." Clark asks the other prisoners as he checks Steve for any other injuries.

"There was talk that Hydra had plans to abduct a member of the World Security Council. The treats were fairly credible. Captain Rogers was called in to go undercover as the WSC member." One of the prisoners says. "Hydra attacked. They had intended to only take the member but there were agents there to ambush them, a fair few of them died, Hydra felt pressured by our counter attack and took all of us hostage. Those three over there" the man gestures to a small group of people talking closely to one another "are what is left of the agents. The rest of us are desk hands for the member."

"I'm guessing it didn't take long before Hydra realised they had the wrong man." Clark says.

"No, it didn't" the man says. "Hydra wasn't happy. They kept trying to get the location of the WSC member from Captain Rogers, but he wouldn't give in. They kept torturing him." The man's voice wavers, braking on the last word.

Clark sighs.

"Is- Is the member safe?" the man asks.

"Yes, he is." Clark removes his clock and wraps it around Steve's bare chest, being mindful of all the clamps hanging from his flesh. He lifts Steve up into his arms carefully. "We best be heading out. Follow me."

Clark guides them all out of the base, Steve cradled gently in his arms. Before long they reach the exit with everyone safe and accounted for. The former prisoners happily sit and soak in the sunlight, the cold winds warmer than the icy cave they were kept in. Clark sends off a short message to the League for assistance moving everyone down from the mountains.

Steve shifts with a pained groan in his arms. Clark tucks the man closer against him. He brushes his hand comfortingly over Steve's forehead.

"I got you, you're safe" he whispers to him.

Steve attempts to say something but ends up chocking. The former prisoners all go silent and stare as Steve hacks and wheezes painfully in his arms.

Clark shifts Steve in his arms to keep him from choking as the man's mouth starts bleeding again. "Steven" he pleads. "You're safe. It's going to be okay. Breathe."

Steve looks up at him, his face twisted in agony. Tears leak from his eyes. "Chlergh?" Steve chokes out miserably, unable to form the sounds needed without the full use of his tongue.

"Yeah, sweetheart, it's me" Clark responds, his voice pained. "Just rest. I've got you". He presses a soft kiss to Steve's head. "I'm gonna get you home. Just get some rest".

Steve shuts his eyes and presses closer to Clark. Clark watches the sky waiting for the pick up to arrive.

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The End

Notes: For the Hurt/Comfort Bingo April Challenge. Prompts: Bites, Cages, Electrocution, Mistaken Identity.

Cages => Hydra's prisoners are kept in cages, Steve in particular is kept in a very small cage.
Electrocution => As part of the torture Hydra puts Steve through in attempts to get information Hydra attempts to Electrocute Steve with multiple car batteries.
Bites => Steve had bitten his tongue multiple times while being tortured by hydra.
Mistaken Identity => Hydra had mistaken Steve as the World Security Member they were after (this is purposeful on Steve's part in order to protect the WSC member).