riverviewlogs | catch-all; cross my heart then I hope to die with a peace of mind

It's not a problem.

[Steve answers honestly. He would have been up even if Michael hadn't contacted him, and he's actually more relieved to have a mission to go on. Something to devote his attention to rather than sitting up late in the dark is an escape as much as a way of helping Michael out.

He'd rather fight a pack of monsters in the dark than sit up facing his own memories.]

You said that something could be down here, right? I don't want all that work to go wasted either. And if there is a problem with the power again, I couldn't fix it. I'll follow your lead.

[Steve smiles a little at Michael's talking. It's almost like Tony's habit of picking at details when he's nervous, and the familiarity is nice, strange as it is to be hearing another person worry aloud.]

It means a lot to them that you came down personally.

[That he knows without a doubt.]

It would be easier to send people to check on things, but you took it up yourself. That says a lot about you.

I like to measure twice and cut once. That's what it says about me.

[ Michael walks a little faster, bouncing the beam of his flashlight over the path ahead. There's a lot of junk on the ground. It'll take weeks of construction before Riverview's underground infrastructure is anywhere close to safe.

He's only carrying the map to X each area as they clear it. He's spent hundreds of hours in the tunnels at this point, and knows most of it by memory. It shows in the way he moves. Outside the wall was Steve's territory. Down here, amidst the tunnels, was his.

That's the difference between them. Steve is a soldier, and Michael's just a rat in a maze. ]

And if you want something done right, do it yourself.

[ He smiles back over his shoulder. Michael appreciates the sentiment, but he can't let the sentiment of Steve's words affect him. It's not that Michael thinks Steve is lying. Michael respects Steve, and he believes Steve believes he's a good person.

It's just that Steve's wrong. ]

... Did you hear something?

[ It could have been the water-powered turbines, or it could have been a growl. Michael's ears are only human. ]

Edited 2017-04-04 00:12 (UTC)

Mm. We need efficiency. That's going to keep everything on track.

[It also says that he's a dedicated man that believes in a job done right, but Steve lets Michael duck that point. He's proving himself already. That's enough.

Michael is right that Steve isn't as at home in the tunnels. As good as he is with mapping terrain, he doesn't understand the tunnels the way an engineer does. The layout of the tunnels is a winding knot for him. He trusts Michael to lead.

The noise catches his attention as Michael mentions it. A grinding, or a growling, echoing in the empty path ahead. Steve steps forward, between Michael and the possible threat.]

Hold on. [He waits; listens. Nothing.] Stay here. I'll check it out.

[Steve moves forward into the darkness, investigating the tunnel ahead to check for whatever might be making the noise. He sees the movement at the edge of the dim light as he does, but before he can turn back to warn Michael, a large, lizard-like beast lunges forward and knocks him on his back. That is the warning before three more creatures step into the light, baring their fangs at Michael.]

Steve!

[ Michael drops the flashlight and map, running towards him, only to stop in his tracks upon sighting the other three reptiles.

They're not the biggest of the creatures he's seen, not that it makes them any less dangerous, or intelligent. Their teeth, dripping with corrosive venom, gleam in the dark. Michael hadn't expected more than one, but it makes sense any survivors would travel in a pack.

He's frozen in place. His body has forgotten how to move, how to breathe, caught between fight or flight. If he runs, there's a chance they'll go for Steve first. The easy meal-ticket. Michael knows the way back to the surface, and he's quick on his feet when he has to be. Steve would put up a fight long enough to distract them while he gets a head-start, and maybe there's even enough of him to go around.

He would only scream for a minute or two. Accidents happen. What could Michael have done, other than go down with him? People would understand, or they wouldn't. He'd be alive regardless.

Michael forces his body into action, but he doesn't run. He picks up a brick and throws it, then another one. He won't hit anything, and he doesn't intend to. It's just a distraction. He picks up a long piece of rebar and taps it against a steel rail, walking backwards with careful steps.

Just surviving isn't good enough anymore. ]

Did you guys know you missed the extinction event?

Don't worry, I held your spot.

[The smaller creatures are more aggressive, fearfully grouping together for the advantage in hunting, and Steve absently thinks that they seem like juveniles. Vicious, hyper-alert, and prepared to strike rather than flee.

He's wrestling on the floor with one over-sized goanna, using his arm to keep the snapping teeth from reaching his neck, when he hears the clack of stone on the floor nearby. The monster's packmates snarl in response, drawn by the noise, and turn to Michael instead of Steve. That second is enough. He swings with his left arm, punching the lizard from the side, and grabs it behind the jaws to throw it off of him, claws scratching at his suit as it fights back. The two others hiss, now between Michael's bricks and Steve, unsure of which is the bigger threat. Steve doesn't give them much time for consideration. He kicks the nearest one like a soccer ball, flinging it back before turning on the two others. One lizard, still hurt from his hit, is warier than its friend.]

I didn't realize you were so popular, Michael.

[There's always time for jokes. Or maybe that's just Steve's way of coping with the near-miss.]

I have my moments.

[ As soon as Steve is up, and the reptiles are distracted, Michael makes his next move.

He drops the rebar and looks around him on the ground. He picks up a scrap of thick rubber, one piece of a discarded repair truck tire lying nearby. One man's trash was another man's treasure.

Gripping the rubber like a potholder he uses it to tear one of the temporary power lines away from the wall. The expose wire burns brightly in the darkness, sparks flying and fizzling out in the puddled water at his feet.

Michael rips more of the line away from the wall, darting across the tunnel to stand on the tire.]

When I say jump-

[ There's old scaffolding on the ceiling. An ordinary man wouldn't be able to reach it, but there's no doubt in Michael's mind that Steve Rogers can. ]

Jump!

[ Michael touches the wire to the ground, and every reptile in contact with the ground, even the ones they can't see, will scream in unison.

And so will Steve, if he doesn't act quickly enough. ]

[Steve is holding his ground, ready to fight off another scuffle with the lizard pack when Michael yells jump. He leaps without hesitation, jumping into the air and realizing mid-leap that he can grab the scaffolding and just making it. Most of that is thanks to the super-soldier reflexes and strength. He ends up hanging by his fingers, struggling to keep his grip as he hears the lizards scream below him.

That'll give him nightmares later.

The howls of pain come from more voices than he originally counted. Apparently there were more in the group that he hadn't seen, lurking at a safe distance. But that wasn't enough distance to keep clear of the current. Once the yelling ends, Steve drops to the ground again. He looks surprised by the bodies lying around him.]

Michael? Are you all right?

[That was definitely a risky move. He goes to check on his new friend, worried that he might have gotten hurt defending them both.]

[ Michael's already retrieved and re-mounted the cable by the time Steve pick his way over the bodies to him. Now that the threat's been eliminated, he can have a repair team down to repair it in the morning.

Michael wipes his brow on the back of his sleeve, climbing back down from the wall. The tunnel is thick with greasy smoke, like someone's been barbecuing a particularly fatty meat indoors. He can taste it on his tongue. His stomach turns.

The tunnel is eerily silent now, aside from the soft crackling of the cable and lingering sizzle of the cooling bodies. ]

I'm fine, are you?

[ Physically, he's fine. Untouched. Mentally? His mind keeps going back to what Loki said, that these creatures weren't just creatures, but beings. These are the first he's killed by his own hands, barely a blip on the radar compared to the thousands he'd killed indirectly.

Michael closes the door on that train of thought. He can't banish it from his mind, but he can ignore it. Push it back, and away, into the same dark corner he puts everything else he doesn't have the strength to face right now, or ever.

He needs to get away from the smell. ]

I think that takes care of that. Let's get out of here.

[ His flashlight is fried, and the maintenance lights in this area of the tunnel are down thanks to his abuse of the electrical, but Michael knows these tunnels well enough to navigate them in the dark. He starts walking at a brisk pace back towards the entrance.

What Michael hadn't remembered, because it wasn't on the blueprints, was a large pit almost twelve feet deep where demolition had torn a chunk of the nest straight out of the ground. One moment Michael's in front of Steve, and the next he's gone. There's a dull thump as his body hits the bottom. ]

[In the silence of the aftermath, Steve reaches Michael. He checks to make sure he's not hurt and offers him a hand, a small assurance that he is there for him and going to make sure they leave the tunnels together.

The gesture is also gratitude, since Michael just saved his life. He could have run, and if he had, Steve wouldn't have held it against him. But Michael had chosen to stay.]

Let's go. This way is clear enough for now. We can end more people down as guards later, but for the time being we should go home.

[Steve takes another look around at the mess as they leave, covering Michael's back on the way toward the exit. He sees Michael slip out of view suddenly as he glances forward, but not in time to grab him before he's gone, despite making a grab.]

Michael!

[The alarm is sharp in his voice. Steve leans over the edge of the pit, trying to get a view of the man below.]

Michael! Answer me!

[ Michael wakes up a minute or two later, flat on his back. The fall could have been worse. He sits up, sore, but without any immediate disorientation, or other tell-tale signs of a concussion. ]

I'm okay!

[ The floor of the pit is soft, made up of damp, packed earth, but the walls are rocky. Michael climbs to his feet only to fall over again with a muffled yelp. He'd hit the dirt at an awkward ankle, and in doing so had twisted one of his ankles beneath him, spraining or breaking something.

He tries to get up again, and makes it halfway, holding onto a chunk of concrete. The pain is excruciating. He won't be standing on his own, never mind climbing.

For a split second, panic threatens to overwhelm him. He can't see, has no way out, and wouldn't make it back to the surface even if he found his way back up again. He feels small, and helpless. Trapped. Childhood claustrophobia rearing its ugly head.

When he calls up again, there's a strained edge to his voice. Calm combating fear.

What if Steve leaves him? What if he dies like this, alone in the dark? Would anyone care? Would anyone even notice? ]

Steve? I think I need some help down here.

Michael?

[The minute of silence is enough to make Steve tense, worried that Michael landed hard the wrong way and knocked himself out or worse. He sounds relieved to hear the call back up, to know that his friend isn't badly hurt.]

Stay where you are. I'm coming down.

[With no rope to pull Michael up or a way to see what condition he's in, Steve decides that the best thing to do is just go down himself. The sides of the drop at least aren't sheer, and Steve makes his way down broken stone and concrete packed together in messy patterns until he can jump to the bottom a little way away from Michael.]

You had me worried.

[Steve turns his light toward the other man, frowning when he sees how Michael is using the wall for support. He kneels down to check his legs.]

Can you feel your toes?

Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere.

[ Michael heaves a sigh of relief when Steve's voice cuts through the silence, leaning against a slab of concrete. There's nothing he hates more than being alone in the dark.

He concentrates on his breathing, slowing the frantic beating of his heart to something near normal while Steve navigates his way to the bottom of the pit.

Michael's face is pale, streaked with dirt, sweat, and a little blood from a tiny cut above his eyebrow. He forces a smile, if only for Steve's benefit. ]

Yeah. All eight of them.

[ He attempts to lift his right foot for Steve's inspection and immediately regrets it. His ankle isn't sprained, it's broken, his entire foot bent at an odd angle. ]

Ow.

[The sight of the break makes Steve tense. That will make getting out hard for them. He can see that the pain and effort is already putting a strain on Michael, and the blood on his head doesn't make Steve feel any better. He straightens up and puts a light hand on Michael's shoulder as he looks up the way he came down.]

I don't think we're getting back that way. And you shouldn't move that leg too much.

[He turns to look around the hole to see if there is an opening out of it. If he can find a tunnel, maybe they can walk their way out. Even if he finds one, Steve knows that the tunnels are a maze and that navigating their way to an exit will take some time. But getting Michael back to the top of the drop risks hurting him even more.]

Out of the frying pan and into a crack in the stove, huh? Don't worry. I'll get you back.

[Even if he has to carry him back. Which, considering everything, Steve thinks he might.]

Even I don't know the layout of the sub-tunnels. They're older than anything the city has on record.

[ Michael closes his eyes and listens. If he stops, and concentrates, turning off the mechanisms he'd spent so many years developing in order to function like a normal person, he can hear everything. The sizzle of burnt flesh, crackle of electricity, dripping of water, and the sound of Steve's breathing are just a fraction of the many sounds that threaten to overwhelm his senses.

Somewhere amidst them is an 'quiet' spot, a place where sound disappears. An opening or tunnel. Michael turns and points into the darkness. ]

There's a tunnel over there, behind that pile of rubble, I think. If we go north, and take the first way up, we should the wall. Theoretically.

[ Steve remains still, standing next to Michael like a sentry while he catches his breath and seems to refocus. He doesn't interrupt him, the way his eyes close reminding Steve of others he's seen before; of himself when he needed time to escape the stress of the moment and organize his thoughts. When Michael points into the darkness, Steve nods. ]

I'm going to check it out. Stay here, and I'll be right back. I'll clear us a path, but you shouldn't move around more than you have to.

[ His tone says he means business. Steve follows the direction Michael pointed him in to the rubble and begins moving away the chunks of fallen concrete and metal poles. He goes through the opening after clearing it, checking a few feet beyond before doubling back to Michael. ]

Looks okay for now. We'll need to be careful.

[ He offers his flashlight to Michael. ]

Hold that for me.

Hey-

[ Michael almost tells Steve not to go. That he can keep up, keep pace, and go with him. The thirty seconds Steve disappears into the tunnel, the light going with him, is long enough for his heart to rise in his throat.

He doesn't want to be alone. Abandoned. After all these years, the scared little boy inside of him is still just as present as he ever was. The dark was still terrifying, and the monsters were still real. People still left, and never came back. Not for him.

Almost as soon as Michael is convinced Steve is gone, which is in less than a minute, he comes back. If Michael weren't so relieved, he would be ashamed. All the therapy in the world couldn't fix what was wrong with him. Moments like this proved it.

He offers Steve a tight-lipped smile and takes the flashlight. ]

Did you see any piping, something I could use as a crutch? I'll manage with someone to lean on.

[ Steve, in full scouting mode and quite at home with an objective in front of him, returns from the brief trip in good spirits. With the start of the tunnel clear, he's ready to get them out, and unfortunately oblivious to the anxiety he just put Michael through. His concern in the man's injury. He hands over the flashlight and considers Michael's request, then steps forward and scoops Michael up with both arms, holding him against his body as he moves back toward the entrance to the new tunnel. ]

We should keep you off of that foot. The faster we get you help, the better.

[ He tries to keep Michael as still as he can as he carries him, moving steadily without rushing, but not moving slowly as he walks the path he's memorized. ]

Can you hold up?

catch-all; cross my heart then I hope to die with a peace of mind

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