The obnoxious blaring of the facility's multiple alarms were giving her a headache. Lizzy was sure that, at this point, everyone in the building had been made aware of their presence. The need for the alarms had surely passed. The plinking sound of her rushed steps was almost entirely lost beneath the racket. "Can someone turn those damn alarms off?" She could barely hear her own words amongst the din, but Nat's answering words sounded clearly in her ear.
"I'm on it," the obnoxious ringing halted almost immediately. Lizzy's steps ringing louder now, as though thundering through the halls. The footsteps chasing her seeming to increase in pace at the sudden silence. "They're converging on your position," the faint sound of keyboard strokes seeped through Lizzy's earpiece.
"That's the idea," she huffed in response. "How's he doing?" Approaching an intersection she veered to the left and paused for a moment. The heavy following footsteps were fading somewhat, they're closeness to her easier to manipulate now that the blaring sirens had disappeared.
"He's at the cells, just keep 'em on your tail a little longer."
Yelling caught her ears and as she looked back she could just make out the shadows of approaching figures. "Got it," just as the first of them rounded the corner and spotted her, Lizzy took off running once more.
A few sharp corners later and Nat's voice rang through her head once more. "He's got em, they're heading to rendezvous now."
Settling into a jog, she nodded to herself. "Got an exit strategy for me?"
"Up."
Glancing obediently upwards, Lizzy found a small hatch jutting from the low-ceiling. Wrapping her power around the handle she felt the hatch give way under a single sharp tug. The first rungs of a metallic ladder were revealed, with the ladder itself appearing to ascend into infinite darkness.
"I'm gonna cut the lights in your sector, okay? Cover your escape."
Jumping up, letting her hands close around the first rungs, she replied. "Thanks." The lights died immediately and she could distantly hear yells of confusion echoing about the now darkened hallways. With a groan she pulled herself higher on the ladder, feeling no small relief when her feet found purchase on the bottom rungs. Beginning her ascent, she whispered into the dark. "Where am I heading?"
Her eyes were beginning to adjust but uneasiness clawed at her insides; fingers fumbling for purchase over the rungs. "There's a room above you with another hatch, which will bring you up to me."
Gritting her teeth as her foot slipped from the rung, she tightened her grip. "How much further?"
"You're about halfway."
Lizzy could feel it; the unsettled air, the almost oppressive darkness. For a brief panicked moment her mind conjured the image of these already close walls encroaching further, crushing her between them. A hand left the rung before her, her progress halted entirely, to slap against the wall behind her. Was it closer than it had been before? She couldn't tell.
"Lizzy?" Shaking off her strange new fears, Lizzy let out a breath and kept moving.
"Keep talking to me." Her grip was now constantly faltering; the strange slickness of her palms paired with her now hurried pace proving an almost deadly mix.
"A few more metres, you're nearly there."
She stopped in her tracks again. It felt as though something were approaching her, slinking towards her unseen in the dark. "Something's wrong," she choked out, squeezing her eyes shut.
"I can't see anything, keep going."
Breaths forcefully pushing from her lungs, each gulp of air more shallow than the last, she felt her fingertips grow numb. Pushing forward, forcing her body to comply and finish the ascent, she raised her palm and felt the ceiling above her.
"Okay, just push it open."
Nausea gnawed at her insides, leaving her hands shaking and weak as she attempted a push. "No, so-something's wrong."
"Lizzy, trust me," her voice seemed so far away, as though Lizzy were drowning and Nat were yelling from the shore. "Open the hatch."
Pouring her strange fear into the push, a desperation to escape driving her, she felt a moment of relief as the hatch swung open. A rush of sterile air invaded Lizzy's lungs and her relief retreated. Metal clinking seemed to echo through her head, drowning out Nat's voice entirely, and her heartbeat seemed to thunder so heavily her entire body shook. The lights began to flicker. Illumination giving way to darkness in an unnerving cycle of buzzing lights. Illuminating her surroundings entirely, blank faces seeming to peer at her from all angles, before plunging her back into darkness. Each descent into darkness seemed to claw her further into fear, the sound of shuffling, scuffling feet drawing nearer each time the lights were extinguished.
The sound of scraping increased also, until the ear splitting whine of screeching metal rang through her head like a bell. Something frigid and cold seemed to close over her trembling arm with a suddenness that terrified her. The shock sent her limbs flailing, both hands slipping from the ladder, leaving her falling, falling, falling.
The fall felt endless, the darkness devouring her as she fell into its maw. A pain crashed into her skull and the darkness devoured her entirely.
"What is that?" Something in that voice tugged at her, a familiarity that she couldn't concentrate enough to place. This familiarity was soon overwhelmed by a harsh thudding in her skull and a burning in her lungs.
A sharp pain pierced through her skin, its location hard to pinpoint. Her entire body feeling alive with the same sharpness. "A sedative, her heart's beating too fast." That voice struck her also, even as its specific timbre was overwhelmed by the sound of Lizzy's own ragged breaths. A warmth smoothed over her hand, a light squeeze that Lizzy immediately feared would break her hand entirely. Wrenching her hand back with a loud, unsettled, yell, Lizzy suddenly felt a coolness seeping through her.
As the coolness spread through her veins a strange calm seemed to wash over her alongside it.
Slowly, her breathing evened; relaxing back into a steady rhythm. Her mouth felt strangely dry, her skin clammy, and her fingertips still tingling as blood seemed to rush back into them. Eyes flickering open the harshness of the lights stung her but her sudden calm pushed her to stay alert. Sitting up, ignoring the dizziness that quickly bloomed, Lizzy brought a shaking hand up to cradle her head.
"How are you feeling?" Nat's voice was almost a soothing balm after the strange panic of the previous seconds.
Taking stock of herself, she groaned. "I'll live."
An awkward cheer sounded behind Steve's crouched figure. Looking to the source she found the strange ant guy - Simon? Scott? - lowering his hands and glancing sheepishly to Sam beside him. "We don't…we don't do that here?"
After a long look, Sam crossed his arms. "Read the room, Scott."
"Would you class this as a room?" Scott asked, with a serious curiosity that did not suit the question. "I mean, it's more of an airplane, but it's enclosed so I guess it could count as a room."
Mouth hanging open as he listened, Sam turned his eyes away. "Oh my god," he muttered slowly.
Grinning as Sam rolled his eyes at her, Lizzy raised her eyebrows to Steve. "We did it, huh?"
"Just about," he replied, eyes looking her over. Raising into a stood position, he grasped her shoulder. "I'm glad you're okay," he smiled, "but we're definitely going to talk about this."
"You bet," she groaned as he walked to the control interface.
The sun here would take some getting used to. It was now well past midday but the intensity seemed not to have reduced at all. Even from his position, huddled in the small shady spot by the wall, Bucky could feel the heat bearing down on him. He wasn't sure exactly how long he had been waiting out here but he knew it had been too long considering the sweat on his brow and the dull ache starting to form in his head.
The door beside him opened with a creak. Subconsciously shifting away from the emerging figure his left side immediately became drenched in sunlight. Ignoring the now unbearable heat pouring through his body he watched, somewhat nervously, as T'Challa appeared. Relaxing slightly, he shifted his gaze back to the small landing strip before him.
After a short pause, T'Challa spoke, his own eyes fixed into the middle distance. "They should be returning soon," with hands clasped behind his back he turned to glance at Bucky, "you were welcome to wait inside."
From the smirk Bucky could hear in his voice he knew T'Challa could see the challenge the heat presented him. Shrugging in response, too exhausted by the heat and the thoughts ringing loud in his mind to form a response, he shifted back into the shade. Their aircraft was approaching, slowly becoming larger as it drew near, and he could feel nervousness pulling at his insides.
Despite his misgivings, Steve had been supportive of his decision to go back on the ice. Lizzy had tried, he could tell, to hide her true disappointment and, likely, anger with him. Her true feelings, however, had seemed too intense to be hidden. He turned the situations over in his head again and again, how would he react if the roles were reversed? He had barely wanted to let her go this morning, he doubted he would have been thrilled if she had made the same decision as he.
The aircraft was likely minutes from landing at this point, and he couldn't seem to stop shifting from foot to foot. He was supposed to have been frozen for hours at this point. He hadn't changed his mind. He still knew what he needed to do and how he could keep the people he cared about safe; even from him. But he couldn't do it. He had at least half convinced himself that seeing her one more time, explaining his reasoning more completely, and reassuring her that he would be back, would be enough. That afterwards he would be able to go through with it, that everything would be okay.
The roaring sound of the aircraft overwhelmed the sound of his pounding heart. The aircraft touched down, sending wisps of dust in all directions. The silence following the engine cut off felt incredibly jarring; the sudden absence of so much noise setting his subconscious on edge. Shaking off his discomfort, he stepped forward – allowing T'Challa to approach first.
Bucky watched the aircraft with an agitation; the ramp not lowering immediately and allowing him access to his friends. A small delay was to be expected, and suffered through, he supposed. They had returned from some far-away place and perhaps needed to reorient themselves before exiting.
This reasoning grew thinner as time marched on.
Seconds ticked by laboriously, melting into minutes that felt, to him, more like hours. Why weren't they leaving? Shoulders tensed around him, spears gripped with a readiness for action, and even T'Challa seemed cautious to approach further. Nervousness of an entirely different sort now gnawed at him, compounded by the fact he could sense it in those around him also.
T'Challa hummed lowly, concern and confusion mixing in the tone, and stepped closer. Unclasping his hands, he sent a staying signal to the guards rushing to flank him. The hiss and whir of the ramp halted the guards well enough, cautious attention now fixed upon the aircraft ahead.
A balm of relief washed through the group as Steve appeared, attention fixed into the jet as he motioned for others to exit. A somewhat familiar face moved past Steve, blindly rushing to greet the baking, late-afternoon, sun. Sam followed close behind, watching the man before him with humoured agitation. T'Challa had approached entirely now, his guards settled enough to remain a distance from him, with Bucky following cautiously behind. Steve had quickly greeted them both, surprise and a strange strain coating his voice as he looked to Bucky.
"Is everything alright, Captain?"
"Apparently it is," he told them, a wry but tired smile twisting his lips as he looked to the top of the ramp, "I'm not convinced."
Lizzy stepped into the light then, having finally torn her attention from the women flanking her. A purposely careless cheer took over her features as she looked to Steve before her. "Nice to be back, huh?" The tone was light and overly friendly, a sure sign that something had happened that she hadn't dealt with. Eyes darting from Steve's extended stare, she finally looked to Bucky.
A definite shock misplaced her exaggerated joy for a brief moment before a real smile burst from her. "Bucky," she breathed through her smile. Despite the strangeness of their return, the odd unspoken words seeming to hang over them, he let a smile of his own slip out.
Slipping past Steve, almost bouncing on the heels of her feet, she hopped down from the ramp. She was beside him in seconds, a quick relief washing over him at her nearness. The relief of her closeness quickly clashed with concern as she embraced him. Her arms were tight around his shoulders, forehead pressed into his neck, and he could feel the tremble of her figure. Returning her embrace, a light hand soothing over her back, he looked to Steve with an arched brow. Curling his lips downwards, Steve's only response to the silent question was a tired sigh and a shake of the head.
Still with her pressed against him, he turned his attention to her more fully. "You okay?" Even back before the war she hadn't been entirely comfortable with such an open display of affection; not letting others witness the vulnerability she allowed only for him.
Breaking away from him, a flush overtaking her as her eyes darted about, she nodded. Keeping her hands upon his shoulders she maintained this new distance between them. "You're still here?"
"I thought we should talk about it more." He told her, too focused in this strange concern for her to analyse the way her shoulders deflated at his words. "Did something happen?"
Averting her gaze, she shrugged. "Let's go inside," placing her hand against his forehead she huffed a laugh, "you're like a hundred degrees. How long have you been out here?" Moving past him, she kept a hand upon his arm – pulling him with her.
He resisted, letting the others pass them by as she stepped back to him. "What happened?" he pushed.
A light smile and raised eyebrows greeted his question, until she really looked at him. Smile fading, remaining as a whisper of itself, she raised a hand to his cheek. "I'm not entirely sure," she told him, more honestly, "we can talk about it inside."
"Will we?" He asked, trying not to smirk at how she rolled her eyes.
Pulling him more insistently, she laughed freely. "Yeah, as soon as I know you're not gonna melt."
"We need to fix whatever this is first," Steve punctuated his words with a general wave of his hand over her.
Groaning, she crumpled forward over the table. Pressing her forehead into the cool wood, she let out a few muffled words. "Well, we can't stay here much longer either." Lifting her head, she jerked it pointedly to Sam and the others; laughing just through the open doorway, "not having brought the others back here."
Nodding, Steve tapped an empty rhythm upon the table. "I know," he murmured, sounding resigned. "Do you know what's happening? What this…fear is?" He asked her blankly, leaving no room for deceit and dishonesty.
Hands flying, palms up, before her she answered, "I have no idea."
Bucky's hand smoothed over her back as he leant forward beside her, craning his neck to find her eyes. "You've never felt this before?"
Looking to his creased eyebrows, she shook her head quickly. "No, I sw-" cutting herself off, she met his gaze sharply.
His lips twisted as he looked over her features; her sudden realisation projected clearly from her features. "You have," he stated rather pointlessly.
"I think so," her voice cracked in the middle of the word. Groaning, she ran her hands over her face – pressing her palms into her closed eyes. "With Killebrew."
"That last place?"
Nodding to Steve, she sat back in her chair. "But why would I start feeling that now?" She asked, not expecting an answer. "That was just normal fear."
Neither man provided an answer. It didn't seem as though there were any to give; the whole situation strange and confusing.
"Maybe, it would be best for you to stay here for a while." Steve suggested, leaning forward with his elbows now upon the table. "Just until we figure out what we're dealing with."
"He's right." Bucky interjected quickly, emphasising his point by grasping her hand. "Whatever's happening, it's safer to work it out here."
Immediately, Lizzy shook her head before imploring; "No, it's really not that bad." Steve fixed her with a look brimming with scepticism. Eyes boring into hers with eyebrows raised as though to ask an exasperated; really? "Okay," she relented, free hand held up in defeat. "It's not great but…" the laughter from beyond the doorway punctuated her, "I don't wanna leave you. Not now that you're a fugitive."
Smirking, he shook his head. "Well, it's not the first time." He tapped the table decisively. "Think I should have the fugitive thing figured out by now." Laughing despite herself, she bit her lip and looked down to her hands. "Besides, Bucky will be here too."
Feeling his hand squeeze hers she looked to Bucky as she released a long breath. The corners of his lips were fighting to tug upwards as he nodded subtly, "you might like it here." He told her quietly. There was too much hidden behind his words, his tone, for her to entirely decipher. The pile of things they needed to air with one another becoming heavier seemingly every second. The one thing she could decipher was how much he wanted her to stay.
She understood that. Lizzy felt the same way. She wanted him to stay beside her, wanted to know for sure every second that he was safe. The idea of letting him go again, after everything that had already happened, was terrifying. The decision to stay with him, however, had been taken away from her.
Were she to stay in Wakanda, he wouldn't be with her – not really.
"I'll think about it," she told Steve, eyes stuck on Bucky. She watched him swallow thickly, eyes darting to their joined hands, before he nodded slowly.
Looking back to Steve, she gave a tight smile. "Can I go say hi to those guys now?" She asked, some cheer returning to her at the prospect, jerking her head to the doorway.
Unclasping his hands, Steve raised them and nodded. "Of course."
Chair scraping lightly against the floor as she stood, she pulled her hand free from Bucky. Resting it instead upon his shoulder, she smiled as he looked up to her. "You staying here?"
Laughing, averting his gaze to the group still congregated outside, he raised his eyebrows. "Oh, yeah." Looking back to her, he shook his head. "Yeah," he repeated, "don't think I'm ready for that."
Squeezing his shoulder one last time, she left him with an "I'll be back."
Hey guys!
Another of my sporadic updates; ta da!
I find it amazing how long I've been writing this story! I will continue to update this story, as I do love it and am excited to explore lots more with these characters; Lizzy and Bucky deserve to have a little bit of peace together at least aha! The next chapter, whenever it comes about, will probably involve a lot of Lizzy/Bucky (Lucky? Bizzy?) so they will finally have a chance to have a good talk...
To anyone reading this thank you for sticking with me! I love writing this story and I love getting to share it with you; let me know what you guys think and how you're doing! I love to hear from you!
Lots of lava.