My conviction is stronger today
As I fight to uncover your sacred lie
And the fear isn't going away
As the soldiers still die
Let your followers know their lives have been sold
For the good of your sacred lie
For the truth to be told
And the plan to unfold
We must start asking why
Don't you know the war is far from over now?
What a stumbling block we've fallen over now
As our brothers die defending no one
The war is far from over now
Sacred Lie, by Disturbed, from the album, Ten Thousand Fists, released in 2005
Pain and fire, that was what Sparrow had woken up to. And in a hospital no less. Doctors rushed in as she tried to sit up, only to be greeted (pushed back down) by several Doctors and nurses and reversing what little progress she had made.
For a minute, she was afraid she was with Hydra again, the cold bed reminding her of that, until Rhodey was by her side, pushing her down gently (apparently she had leapt back up) and telling her that she wasn't where she thought she was.
She took a brief moment to breath, only to realise how much it hurt. It was almost a stabbing pain (she most definitely knew what they were like), every single breath hurt to take, yet she chose to ignore it.
"What happened Si-Rhodey?"
In times like this, she would automatically fall back on referring to people with a title. Usually, she managed to correct herself, but she was still pretty out of it. The pain was quite a distraction, even if she had felt worse before. But that kind of pain was but a faded memory. He looked at her sympathetically, before he put her hand gently on her wrist, helping to tie her down to the current time, and not her memories. They weren't a good place to be for anyone.
"Remember coming to Leipzig-Halle airport?"
She blinked before it hit her like a ton of bricks. The memories were vivid and visceral, and it was no longer a foggy haze. She even remembered the various dangerous driving charges she'd likely be facing and the even more speeding offences. Sparrow made a note to either pay for them herself, or do some work for Tony in an attempt to pay it off that way.
It was probably quite a bit... She had arrived just in time, managing to separate the two groups by manipulating the air around them, the air pushing them away from the centre. She distinctly remembered both sides calming, not fighting or lunging, and she had used her new business and mediating skills that she had learned from Pepper to try and stop the two from feuding over something so stupid.
It had worked until Steve had been condescending, and acting almost like a hypocrite, saying that she didn't know what she was saying due to Hydra and her age, and when she had calmly argued that he wouldn't say the same about Bucky or that if she didn't understand then surely Wanda didn't either, as he defined her as a kid, and she could visibly see that she had dropped her foot in it.
Following on, ignoring the heated glare she was receiving, she went on to explain how the Accords were good in some aspects- which was when she had been rudely interrupted by a certain shield in the ribs. Distinctly remembering the aftermath of the attack, especially with Tony, she remembered how Lang had gone 'Giant' and Vision accidentally...accidentally hitting...
"Are you okay?!"
She cried out, jumping up and ignoring the protests that her body screamed, and ignoring the whine from her lungs. Rhodey quickly stood up, a bruise on his chin becoming evident, and he pushed her down once more, as the heart meter calmed from its erratic spike of beeping.
"I'm fine, calm down. You managed to cushion my blow enough that I didn't injure my spine, other than some bruising which'll go down by itself. If you hadn't..well...I wouldn't be standing right now."
Sighing with relief, she couldn't help but notice the lack of Tony. She knew what the mother bear was like- fussing and trying to look after her when she had been injured before. His lack of appearance was enough to startle her out of her conversation with Rhodey, who was the only one by her side.
She hadn't thought that anyone else was injured... Some part of her brain was going over everything that Rhodey was saying after he continued on, and she pushed herself up with a slight more ease than before.
"...Peter wanted to be here, but his Aunt has stopped him from going out for a bit."
"Where's Tony?"
She couldn't help but interrupt, as another part of her was glad that Peter was unharmed, another was focusing on the lack of a mechanic. Even if he wasn't here because he thought she was fine (unlikely, even if she had sprained her ankle he would still flock around her), he would've still left a card or something. He was on par with Bucky when it came to fretting.
"He's been locked up in the lab since me and Pepper had to drag him to the medical wing to get checked out. You know what Tones is like when it comes to things like that."
She did know what he was like, but she still couldn't shake the feeling that something was happening. Rhodey's phone was ringing, and he looked at her as if to say 'I have to answer this', and upon her nod, he left quickly. Pushing herself off the bed again, this time without Rhodey to push her down, she disconnected her IV, and turned off the heart rate monitor, knowing from past experience that it would most definitely make a sound if she took the cuff off immediately.
She pushed the pain away to another part of her mind, before grabbing her Starkphone which was on the counter. It had held up pretty well (well, of course, it did. Tony made it) and other than a massive crack through the screen, it was unscathed.
Considering it had been kicked by a giant man, it was lucky to get away with the singular crack. Dialling the numbers she knew off by heart, the line quickly connected to FRIDAY, who's Irish lilt trickled through the phone like water out of a tap.
"Is Tony available to talk?"
She was hoping to get a definite answer from the AI, praying that he would answer. The answer came through clear and fast, without any of her usual AI sarcasm. Craning her hearing, she could make out pacing footsteps, and Rhodey's hushed voice into the phone. She still had a bit of time left, but she could only hope that Tony hadn't requested FRIDAY to be quiet about what he was doing.
"Boss is currently indisposed."
"What's he doing?"
FRIDAY took a very human-like pause, and it reminded her of how much effort Tony had put into his AI's, and how close to human they were. After some more prompting, and deliberating, FRIDAY had adopted an almost worried tone, as she hastily replied.
"He spent some time investigating the bombing. He found what he was looking for, and went to inform them what he had found. He told me not to inform anyone about his trip to Siberia."
He went looking through the SHIELD files to try and prove Bucky's innocence, for whatever reason he had. He found something and went to inform Steve and Bucky before they did anything stupid. He left for Siberia without telling the UN.
The various inflexions in the AI's voice and basic guesswork and deduction allowed her to decipher the hidden message that FRIDAY was trying to suggest. The fact that she'd managed to get across so much, in less than simple ways, implied he'd used a command to keep her quiet.
The AI was smarter then many gave her credit for, and definitely knew when her creator was in danger. Ignoring the fact that she was definitely in no condition to leave the hospital, she knew that she had to get to Siberia, in case Barnes and Rogers sprung an attack on him while he was there. Any trust she had in the two was broken and coming from her about Bucky, she was deadly serious.
Taking charge in the short time span, and not allowing any time to prepare or allow herself to heal further, she began to bark out orders while Rhodey was distracted.
Point of observation one. My healing factor should subdue any injuries for enough time to allow me to get to Siberia and back. Point of observation two, I need transport to get to Siberia. Point of observation three, I need permission- we need permission- to get to Siberia. It is unnecessary to get into avoidable legal disputes.
She quickly locked the door (why was that even a thing in a hospital?) before moving towards the window.
"FRIDAY, clear with the UN that I request permission to head to Siberia with Tony in an attempt to capture the Rogues. Are there any suits that are not mapped to Tony, that I could use to fly to Siberia?"
She continued to push away the pain and could hear Rhodey leaning towards the end of his conversation. She had to be quick, could rest once her last remaining father figure was safe. Barnes certainly didn't deserve the title any more. FRIDAY took a brief moment to no doubt check if there were any such suits that would fit the request.
She was beginning to wish that she had asked Tony to either give her lessons or make one for her, although considering she was deemed as an enhanced, she wasn't as strong as Buck- Barnes or Rogers.
"Done. They are convening in ten minutes to discuss the request. Scanning through all of Boss' suits, the only one that fits the requests is the RESCUE suit, which is only a prototype currently. It lacks basic things that any of the other suits have, such as internal heating, but possesses both repulsers, the uni-beam, prototype ion cannons and basic life support."
"Send it to my location. Remind me to apologise to Tony later. Bring the briefcase suit with the RESCUE suit. If Rhodey asks where I'm going, ignore all override codes, but tell him that I'm going to try and assist the idiot that is Tony."
A hum was all she received as she walked as fast as she could to the window, trying to avoid jarring her ribs. Fast healing she may have, but when they were completely shattered she couldn't heal them that fast. She was not looking forward to braving the cold in a suit that barely had internal heating, but she would do it if it meant that she could help Tony.
There was no definitive answer as to whether FRIDAY would ignore Rhodey's overrides or not, Sparrow just hoped that for the sake of Tony she would. There was no way Rhodey would let her go as she was now. And Rhodey couldn't go because of the War Machine Suit being wrecked.
Throwing open the window, blue and silver pieces of the suit came flying, automatically attaching itself to her like it had been made for her. Which it obviously hadn't, because why would Tony make her a suit? And, even ignoring that, the proportions were completely wrong, the suit being tight and uncomfortable around her form.
She was too tall (slightly) for it, but she would manage for now. She wouldn't be wearing it for long. The blue armour settled upon her body, aggravating her limbs to all hell, as the silver segments (specifically where her ribs were, her thighs were, and the helmet mask bit) tightened, and she masked a groan.
Definitely going to regret this later, but it's the fastest way to get to Siberia. Plus FRIDAY can remotely pilot it.
As the various vents sealed, blue shoulder pads bulging out, and the bright blue of the triangular reactor lit, she could see Rhodey barge through the door. Her ribs were beginning to hurt due to the tightness of the armour, but she ignored it in favour of having better things to do. Grabbing the suitcase, which had been left on the floor when the gauntlet had attached itself, she hovered clumsily.
"FRIDAY, control the suit for me, please. Plot a course for Tony's last known location."
She turned to face the startled and disapproving Rhodey, as he tried to stop her from leaving, but she ignored him like she was doing many different things. He was wearing what Tony called his 'disapproving sugarplum face' and it was one that promised severe retribution.
Ignoring his call out, she flew out the window, FRIDAY controlling the half-finished suit with ease. Once upon a time, she would have never ignored a direct order from her superior, but in this case, it was necessary. The repulsers flared up once they were a safe distance away from any buildings, propelling her forward with a faster rate.
The armours UI was fairly simple to read, but she had a feeling that FRIDAY was simply controlling how much she could see. The air pressure was beginning to go thin, and while the suit was regulating the air pressure and the breathable air, it was still taking its toll in her lungs. If only Barnes and Rogers could have waited until she was healed.
Or Tony had asked someone to go with him. After about half an hour of flying, and still managing to be in the continental US, she was finally cleared to leave the US with Tony. At least this way he wouldn't face charges from the UN, because she knew what he was like. Plus Ross was a bit of an ass-hole, so she could understand that he wouldn't want to tell him that.
Satisfied that their backs were covered politically and with FRIDAY helpfully transferring her calls from the phone to the armour, she continued to ignore Rhodey's calls, and then Pepper's, and then finally Peter's, only replying with a text that said that she was fine, she was going to aid Tony, and that she wasn't going to do anything stupid. She could only hope that she would get there in time and that the two Super-Soldiers wouldn't do anything stupid, but when was she that lucky?
She had managed to sneak past T'Challa with the suits experimental 'camouflage' feature, where several panels on the suit flicked back, to redirect light around her, making it look like there was nothing there. Or at least, that was the simple explanation. The air filtration wasn't doing much good for her lungs though, as they began to burn, and she was slowly beginning to stop shivering.
Which wasn't good, meaning she couldn't spend more time than necessary here. No shivering meant hypothermia was setting in. She didn't want to know how Tony was right now. Upon scanning for heat signatures, she could see three others, with one having a 'missing arm', which wasn't showing up. They looked to be clashing, only serving to make her hurry.
She was struggling to find an entrance, before she finally decided to just breakthrough, the armour throwing itself through with ease yet still jarring her ribs. Just as FRIDAY cried out that she could no longer connect with Tony's armour, Steve, almost in slow motion, slammed his Vibranium shield into Tony's chest.
Her heart stilled, her lungs staying deflated, and her ribs almost shattering into even smaller pieces, and by the pure force of her shock and despair, she blew the one-armed Barnes away with extreme prejudice, using the repulsors. She then repeated the same for Rogers, before flying in front of Tony crouched in a similar position that he normally occupied, fully prepared to do whatever it took to protect him.
How could they do this? How was this the great Captain America? How was that Bucky Barnes, always looking after me, hurting Tony? He doesn't even have any remorse. It's like the both of them don't give two fucks!
Rogers, apparently not knowing when to quit or when enough damage was done, threw his shield as her back was turned. However, Sparrow wouldn't fall for the same trick twice, and with a quick repulsor blast from her palm, deflected it away from herself and Tony. Through the suit's speakers, her voice scrambled into unrecognition, (she was glad FRIDAY had taken that initiative) she couldn't help but snarl,
"Leave!"
They weren't willing to leave, both Rogers and Barnes springing forwards and trying to attack her. Muting the speakers of the suit, so they didn't know who was in the suit (and couldn't counter any orders she called out), she asked for FRIDAY to give her a rundown of the non-lethal weapons installed in the suit. As Steve sprinted to get his shield, in all its patriotic glory, Sparrow did her best to hold the two super soldiers off.
They needed to leave so she could see to Tony, who wasn't looking well at this point. Nobody would be looking 'well' if they had just had a Vibranium shield shoved into your chest by a super-soldier. Despite the fact that Bucky and Steve didn't seem too concerned about Tony, and the fact that they were continuing to fight, Sparrow didn't want to fight any more.
Was it because of her injuries? No. Was it because of her feelings? No. It was because the longer she fought, the worse Tony got, and she could not allow that to happen. It was against every instinct she had.
"The backplates of the armour drops off and will fire non-lethal beams in an area in front of you or behind you. They will respond to either me or to blasts you emit. The suit also contains a powerful uni-beam, but it cannot be used repeatedly."
"Do that."
She grunted as she deflected one of Bucky's punches. With a quiet hiss, she could feel the backplates of the armour detach, as she took a particularly painful kick to her already bruised ribs. A targeting reticle appeared in the hud, moving all around until it finally settled on Bucky. The beam fired, as she kept Rogers distracted, exchanging various blows.
If she thought her ribs were screaming before, well, they certainly were now. Turns out, even through armour, a couple of kicks by two super soldiers weren't good for already delicate ribs. Rogers grouped back with Barnes before the two of them charged for her again. It would not happen though. She would not get beaten here, because she knew it would be a death sentence for Tony if she failed.
Deciding on a risky move, which could possibly result in her identity being discovered, she tried to discretely manipulate the air so that Rogers' shield would go flying out of his hand, allowing her to get the upper hand. Coaxing a particularly strong blast of wind, when Rogers threw his 'mighty' shield, she made it look like she had whacked it out the way.
The movement was so fluid, that it was easy to hide her manipulation of the air. If only she could use any of her other powers. She didn't have the energy to finish the fight, but she didn't want to kill them. HYDRA had made her a killer, but now, she didn't have to be. So she chose not to. It was time for some good old bluffing because Sparrow knew that she couldn't beat the two of them by herself. She couldn't before, she most definitely couldn't now.
"FRIDAY, all available weaponry, display it. I'm going to make a bluff. Turn the speakers back on, but scramble my voice again."
The RESCUE armour, despite being a prototype, had an expansive list of weaponry. Out of the backplates which had fired the repulsers previously, each of the four plates split in half again, so that while she still had four that would fire repulsors, the next four would fire rockets. That was what FRIDAY had told her anyway.
And Sparrow was most definitely inclined to believe the AI. The arc reactor in her chest hummed and burned brightly with blue energy, much brighter then it was formerly. She aimed her hand repulsers, one on each man, as more shoulder launchers popped out, each side loaded with two rockets. Her leg plates expanded open, revealing six mini rockets on each leg, and two more plates popped open on the wrist, with the bottom and top having a blue circle, much like those on her wrists.
"Leave. This is your last chance. If you do not leave, I will be forced to react with lethal force."
Much to her thanks, they actually fell for her bluff. Sparrow wasn't stupid- if they knew it was her, not only would Rogers do his self righteous, you're just a child spiel again, but also that she wouldn't kill them. Which she wouldn't. Despite being angry at the way they had treated Tony, and seeming not to have any qualms about killing him, she wasn't going to go back to killing. Not after HYDRA.
She moved one hand repulsor to cover Rogers' shield- one he didn't deserve mind you- so he couldn't leave with it, and Barnes' arm was just lying discarded in the snow, sparking every so often. Rogers surprisingly left without his shield, leaving both Sparrow and the barely conscious, critically injured Tony by themselves. She asked FRIDAY to perform a scan on Tony, to give her a list of the most serious injuries that need to be tackled immediately before he's stable enough for flight.
The series of injuries that FRIDAY rattled off made her want to vomit, knowing that most of them were due to Rogers and Barnes. While Sparrow thought she had a strong stomach- she had to, during her time with HYDRA- even this pushed her limits. She wasn't afraid to admit that she was disgusted with the actions of the two of them. Any respect she had for them shattered. They were leaving a man behind. An injured one, no less.
Turning back to Tony's injuries, she began to plan out the best course of action, one that would get Tony home safe and sound. That was her number one priority. She couldn't do much for the sternum, due to it being artificial in the first place, but she could do something with his ribs and his almost deflated lung. If she had enough energy she would try and fix the arm too.
She stepped out of the suit, her body sluggish, bruised, and cold before she approached Tony, who was flat on his back in the cracked and splintered armour. She tried not to focus on the curve in his chest, a curve that matched the 'mighty shield'.
"'Roe?"
He slurred, confused, as she tried to find the emergency latches in the suit. She bobbed her head up and down, regretting the dizziness it brought her before she fled to grab the helmet, asking FRIDAY to instruct her where the latches were. Upon finding them, and pulling the armour off with as much ease as possible, leaving the practically wheezing Tony on the cold stone floor of the base.
"You know.."
He said, as she put her hands softly on his chest and tried to summon her healing energy. It was surprisingly unwilling to come, no doubt due to the injuries on her own person that hadn't healed yet. Her body was working overtime to heal her stomach, ribs, ankle (which was still painful despite not being broken) and fight off the hypothermia that was becoming more of a threat with every passing moment.
After a brief moment, it gathered at her hand as she pushed it into his lung, as her own lungs began to burn even more then they had been originally. The fact that Tony was conscious was a very good thing because, for all of the few things she was grateful for from HYDRA, first aid was one of them.
"Some part of me...thought Steve and Bucky were my friends...thought that despite everything, we could forgive and forget...but then I found out that Bucky had killed my parents.."
She paled, before clearing her head and slipping back into her concentration, trying to manipulate Tony's body into healing the lung. Already his breathing was steadying out, and he looked slightly less pale then he had prior. She continued pulsing as much healing energy as she could into him, ignoring the light-headedness and the bluing of her limbs.
"For years...I thought...I thought good ole Dad had killed Maria...thought that his drunkenness had finally caught up with him, taking the only good thing about that family away from me. The fact that...Steve had hidden it from me since the data dump...hurts more than the revelation."
Her training informed her how she should feel, but she pushed that away for favouring how she did feel. Once again feeling light-headed, she fought the urge to be sick, but eventually couldn't fight it, pulling away from Tony to empty her stomach into the snow next to her. She almost instantly knew that she had re-ruptured her stomach, and was not looking forward to having a pissed off Tony and Rhodey later- because she knew Tony was going to pull his 'you shouldn't risk your life for me' shit again.
Apparently it was difficult for Tony to realise that she owed them so much, and would risk her life for him, or anyone he loved, any day of the week. Her stunt at the airport for Rhodey should have proved that enough.
"Did you know?"
Tony asked, trying to push himself up, his limbs flailing as Sparrow tried to keep him down. While she was much stronger then Tony, she didn't want to push him down for fear of causing more harm, or for causing a PTSD or anxiety attack. Plus, she was nowhere near her usual strength, so she probably couldn't lift much.
He ignored her, as he usually did, and his brown eyes hardened yet somehow softened at the same time. It probably should have hurt that he would ask her that, but he had just been severely hurt by two people he trusted. So she couldn't find it in herself to be hurt, especially not over something so traumatising as this.
"No.."
She wrapped Tony's arms around her shoulder, and once again ignoring the agony she was in and the burning, piercing pain in her stomach, in favour of making sure that he was safe and as well as he could be. Sparrow was angry that she couldn't heal him any better then she had already, and wanted to obliterate both Rogers and Barnes, having never felt that away about Season before. No, not Season. He didn't deserve that affectionate nickname.
How about, Betrayer and Destroyer. Because Steve seems good at destroying things, even more so then Hulk. Barnes betrayed me, and the team. He knows that I look up to Tony almost as much as him, yet he still tries to kill him without a second thought. Did I really know them? I guess I get the answer to the question I asked myself a year ago...
No, I definitely need better nicknames... that's appalling.
She passed him the suitcase from the clutches of the RESCUE suit and pointedly ignored how her fingers were beginning to go blue, blood not circulating around her body due to the cold. To her estimates she would be able to stave it off for fifteen minutes or so, making time of the essence. Of course, Tony noticed her fingers but accepted the suitcase without so much as a quip or comment.
Sparrow pressed the button for him and stepped away as one of the Iron Man suits (she had no idea which one was in the suitcase) folded around him, protecting him from the cold. Having seen the previous models of this suitcase, Sparrow was grateful that it had been upgraded to work with nanobots, rather than reaching into the suitcase and pulling out a glove. A button was much easier to apply. His mask popped up quickly, a soft yet soul-shattering smile decorating his face as he finally whispered:
"I trust you."
The impact of the three words stirred something within her, and she nodded and placed her hand on his head. Tony didn't trust easily, and considering that he had A. Had his mind invaded by someone from HYDRA, and B. Had a former friend who was ex-HYDRA betray him, Sparrow was a bit in awe that Tony trusted her, especially considering her past.
Is he hallucinating? I can't see why he would trust me. Not at all, especially due to his past experiences. Someone who is legally is my father, betrayed him, yet here he is trusting the said person's daughter.
It didn't make sense, but she didn't dwell on his decision, nor his out of characters. She didn't have enough strength left to heal him, nor did she have enough strength to do much else, but she looked into his almost teary eyes, and told him,
"I can knock you out..it would be like going to sleep.."
He nodded, and that was the extent of his trust towards her. She knew that he was uncomfortable with anything relating to the manipulation of the mind after Wanda, and she also knew how uncomfortable he was with the idea of magic, which her powers could be described as. Even Sparrow wasn't sure how they would be classed.
They came from the Infinity Stones that much she knew.. but they were often misused. She concentrated on Tony's head, as gently as possible avoiding anything unnecessary, and triggered the reaction in the nervous system to knock him out. It was a mercy, especially if Tony had, however indirectly, asked for it. God only knew how much pain he was in.
After that, the mask slid shut, probably by FRIDAY'S instruction, and she got into the uncomfortable RESCUE suit as it encased her, her ribs screaming and her stomach churning wildly. As she began to feel light-headed again, with it this time being more difficult to push away, and her fingers and her toes not having any feeling, she had to make sure that FRIDAY could get them to the hospital. With the last saps of her strength, she practically whispered:
"FRI, take us both to the hospital- inform Rhodey, Pepper, and Peter about this- and if they wish to see the footage...warn them about the graphic nature and should they still push then show them."
She couldn't hear FRIDAY's answer as she finally passed out, the pain of her body seemingly having stopped for the minute at least.
Author's Note
Hello everyone! How are you all doing?
I know times are tough, but I hope everybody is doing as well as they can. Keep your chin up- it will get better.
I spent the day eating my leftover cake- it was my birthday yesterday you see.
A great time for it, I know.
Anyway, time to address the reviews.
buttermilkbells - I never liked Captain America really, being much more of an Iron man fan, but my opinion of him went incredibly downhill after the Civil War. I just could never like Wanda either- what kind of idiot would let her join the team after trying to kill them.
Elle - Thank you for your repeated reviews! I'm guilty of not giving my characters a chance to have an arc, but I think I've achieved it this time. Sparrow has finally prioritised life over her orders and has learnt she doesn't have to obey orders any more.
Also, in the films, I found it a little bit difficult to believe that Tony Stark wouldn't put an emergency kit in Rhodey's suit. Even just a parachute or auxiliary power.
Granted, that wasn't what saved Rhodey, it was Sparrow, but it was still a point of contention for me.
Also, Random Guest - As you can tell by reading this chapter, Sparrow isn't dead. Don't worry! I promise I won't kill her off half-way through the story!
Anyway, I'd better skedaddle. I've got a few things to do.
Best wishes, and see you next time!
~A Bookworm who had too much cake. (It was carrot by the way)
