141
Finding Steve is like some kind of game show challenge. The Hydra guys are easy - you shoot most of them before they even see you; the rest you take out fairly skilfully in hand-to-hand combat. It’s the actual finding that’s tough, navigating the control tower with third-hand directions Natasha gives to Agent Coulson from memory and Coulson relays to you over the comms, because for whatever reason (the universe hates you all), the direct line isn’t working properly.
You do eventually find him, though, slumped over in a corner where the others put him for his own safety. He shakes conscious easily enough, and you opt not to tell him about Tony yet, because as it is, you have to sling his arm over your shoulders and help him stagger down the staircase, and you’re pretty sure he’s going to need all his energy for the two of you to get to safety. After all, if you get out of here, there’ll be time enough to talk about the other thing later.
‘If you get out of there’ turns out to be far more prophetic than you ever wanted, because you get to the bottom of the stairs, and you’re suddenly staring at a brand new knot of enemy agents with Really Fucking Big Guns.
To try to run through them, turn to page 142.
To try to fight through them, turn to page 144.