Author's Note:
No triggers for this chapter. Just more of Astrid putting herself in danger and Steve worrying about her. As always please review and let me know what you think.
Astrid let out a calm and steady breath as she patched up the man underneath her. Despite the bullets flying overhead. Explosions roaring through the air. Followed quickly by the cries of men. She knew deep down that she wouldn't be able to get to them all. Though that didn't decrease her frustration. Focusing solely on the man she was working on. Finally feeling his heartbeat in her hands. Finished pulling out the shrapnel that was making its way into his heart.
"What's your status Astrid?" she heard Steve's voice crackle over the radio in her ear. She wasn't sure where he or the rest of the team was. The battle sending them in all directions. Complete chaos was an understatement. The only reason she even knew they were alive was that she had connected her mind to all of them. Not for their thoughts but to feel their beating hearts.
'I'm in a ditch on the northwest side,' she answered continuing to work on the man. Finally closing the wound up. Backing off Allowing his comrades to look after him. 'I'll start heading your way.'
"You're still there?" she heard Morita ask.
Astrid rolled her eyes. 'Tell you what. How about you try to perform open-heart surgery while there is a battle going on and see how well you do.'
"Point taken." She let out a huff. Making her way south as Steve had ordered earlier. Towards the Soviet's camp. Dodging around the bullets and explosions. Taking out Nazis as she came across them.
Their journey through Estonia was easy. Running into few problems compared to Germany and Poland. The true problem was the Nazis. Who decided that two miles away from the Hydra base was the perfect place to have a standoff with the Soviets. Luckily while none of them spoke a lick of Russian it turned out they didn't need it. Steve's uniform being enough to show whose side they were on. She shook her head. Still not believing it actually was helpful.
They were also fortunate that Hydra hadn't gotten involved either. Despite how close they were. If Hydra was here… it would probably be a bloodbath. Even more so than it was now. Stepping over the corpse of a man. Half his body blown off. It was hard to go a few feet without running into one. Soviets dropping one by one but they just kept coming. Never-ending.
Astrid had almost made it to her meet-up point when she felt someone grab her arm. She whirled around to come face to face with a Soviet soldier. Barely standing. Clutching his side. Hand coming away with blood. Looks like her job was never done. Lying the man on the ground. Grabbing the attention of two nearby medics. Starting her examination of her new patient.
This fella was in bad shape. A massive gaping hole in his side. Spilling out blood at a rapid pace. Wrinkling her nose at the smell of burned flesh. Astrid placed her hand inside. Stopping the blood flow. She let out a sigh of relief. Until Astrid felt her hand brush something metal. Gripping it slightly to keep the man from bleeding out. And her own blood ran cold.
Keeping her hand inside as the medics lifted the man on a stretcher. Astrid trying to keep as still as possible. Any movement and he would bleed out. Or worse. Using her free hand to slip off the mask. Hooking it onto her belt.
"I don't suppose either of you speaks English," Astrid asked. Both men giving her strange looks. "Or Polish." That earned her even stranger looks. Making their way off the battlefield. She was going to have to figure out how to communicate with them and fast. Otherwise, they were going to have a problem.
"Doc!" Dugan called out as they got closer to the camp. Falsworth right next to him. "Cap needs to see you."
"Kinda busy at the moment trying to keep us all alive," Astrid responded. Turning back to the medics. "Do you speak anything other than Russian? She shot off something in French but they shook their heads. Finally resorting to German.
"Oh!" one of the medics spoke. A big guy with cropped hair and big brown eyes. "You speak German also." Finally, they were getting somewhere.
"Look I don't have much time so you're going to have to listen to me and do exactly as I say." He quickly translated for his companion. Astrid had their complete attention. "Right now, I'm holding on to an explosive round sitting in this man's chest." The one's eyes went wide. Gaping at Astrid before translating. His companion having a similar reaction. "If my hand moves even slightly, if we jostle anything it will probably go off and take us and half the camp with us." Both of them nodded. Stilling their bodies completely. "We need to get this man as far away from the camp as we can, as quickly as we can." She had to give the Soviets credit. They didn't so much as balk. Adjusting their course and taking them deeper into the woods.
Dugan and Falsworth exchanging a glance. Attempting to follow but Astrid shook her head.
"No! Stay right there." Both of them stopped in their tracks. "I need you to go to Steve and make sure that no one comes anywhere near me!"
"What's going on Doc?" Falsworth asked.
"I'll explain when I know you're next to him." Both of them nodded and took off. Hopefully towards with Steve. Allowing her to focus on her patient. Whatever it was had ripped through him. Extraction was going to be tricky. Especially if she wanted both of them to live.
Once they were far enough away, she beckoned for the medics to put the man down. Judging by the stars on his collar a lieutenant. Astrid couldn't help but feel for him. Luckily, he was completely passed out. She didn't want to think about the chaos that would occur if he was still awake.
"Go!" Astrid ordered. She didn't need to say it twice. Taking off. Once she was sure they were gone she unfurled her kit with her mind. Floating a scalpel to her spare hand.
"Astrid!" she heard Steve's voice crackle. Connecting back to him and everyone else as well. This may be her last chance to speak with them. "What's going on?"
'I love you, Steve.' She had to get that out there. Probably leaving him even more confused. 'Shamira. I'm with you.'
'Forever and always,' Shamira finished replying with her mind. 'What are you doing?'
She didn't want to say yet. Saying her goodbyes to everyone else. Feeling their confusion growing into worry. Finally ending on Bucky. 'Bucky I-'
"Okay enough." he snapped. "What the hell is going on?!"
'I'm performing surgery on a man with a live ordinance inside of him. I don't know how long it's going to take me but there's a good chance I'll be dead by the end.' Silence. Each of them processing what she said. Followed immediately by cursing in three different languages. Astrid cut off the connection. Taking off the radio. She said what she needed to. Anything else would be a distraction. Now to focus on the task at hand.
She was good but she wasn't perform this surgery with one hand good. Leaving her with one choice. Gripping the bomb with her mind. Removing her hand and keeping the bomb in place with sheer willpower. Making sure it didn't slip. Freeing up her other hand. Sticky with blood.
What followed was the meticulous repair work as Astrid slowly pulled the bomb out. Repairing as she went along. Hoping that the fact it was flashing green didn't mean anything. Finally, fully pulling it out. Keeping it at the same angle it went in. Closing the wound up the wound with several carefully placed stitches. Bandaging him up and injecting him with antibiotics. Astrid wasn't going to save him only for him to die of an infection later. When she was finally satisfied, she looked up. Turning her attention to her second problem. The bomb floating a few inches away from her face. Dripping with blood and flesh. Connecting herself to the one person who could help.
'Dernier?' she asked.
'Oh thank God you're alive,' he replied.
'I'm pretty sure you would've heard the explosion indicating that I wasn't.' She sent him an image of the explosive. 'What am I looking at here?' More cursing in French. 'I'm guessing not good news.'
'You need to get out of there.'
Astrid shook her head. Despite the fact that he couldn't see her. 'Can't do that. I'm not leaving this guy with an unexploded bomb next to him. So either tell me how to disarm it or come up with another id-'
Her world went in slow motion. Astrid didn't even twitch the bomb. But it didn't matter. Having a mind of its own. She watched it burst. Ready to rip into her. But her mind was faster. Catching the explosion in a cage of purple energy. The ultimate expression of her power. Creating a purple and orange ball of death. It was almost beautiful in a way. Moving her hands around it as focus points. Trying to keep it in check. Using all her concentration to do so. Feeling it fight against her. Knowing that even the slightest lapse in concentration… There wouldn't even be a body to bury.
She gritted her teeth. Holding out one hand and dropping the other. Palm open. Fingers splayed. Floating the explosion away from her. Still wrapped up in her purple energy. Moving it deeper and deeper into the woods. Away from her. Wishing that Dernier had told her what the blast radius of this thing was. Still feeling it as it vanished from view. Getting harder and harder to control the farther away it got. Until it was too much even for her. Letting out a gasp she felt her knees hit the ground. The explosion rocketing through the forest. Watching it take out the trees. Feeling the blast from where she was. Heat prickling her skin. Panting hard. Blood dripping from her ears and nose. It took all she had left to create a shield. Protecting her from the flying debris. Keeping it up until the explosion settled. Leaving a large hole where a forest should be.
"Astrid!" she heard Shamira call out. She closed her eyes for a brief moment. Summoning the energy to stand and turn around. Wobbling slightly as Shamira crashed into her. Pulling her into a tight hug. "What were you thinking?!"
"I wasn't going to let him die," Astrid replied weakly. Watching as the Soviet troops surrounded him. Placing him on a stretcher. Several of them nodding in her direction. Some things were just universally human.
"Well, the man you saved actually happens to be the Colonel's son so good job there." She squeezed Astrid even tighter. "You do something like this again and I'll kill you myself." Shamira frowned. Looking at the blood still dripping from Astrid's nose and ears. Probably should do something about that also. Shamira letting her go. Allowing Astrid to wipe away the blood. Fishing a pill bottle out of her bag. Small and yellow. Downing two. Blood clotting up immediately. Used to this happening. Smirking slightly.
Back when she was first developing her powers, she would bleed from just moving a spoon. It was through her mother's lessons and her father's support that she started to harness her abilities. Developing the concentration and fortitude to do more and more. Dancing helping the endeavor. Furthering her skills. By the time she was eight, the bleeding had stopped completely. Able to make objects dance and weave. Only when she truly pushed past her current limits did it occur. Being able to count only on one hand how many times it had occurred since then.
"You really like making us worry," Steve added. Astrid looked up. Seeing him standing behind Shamira. Arms crossed. Looking at her with a mix of fondness, worry, and exasperation. Walking over. Hand tracing the dried blood trails down her neck that she hadn't managed to wipe away. Remind her of times she did that with Steve. Bandaging him up after another fight.
She returned his look. "Now you know how I feel. Mr. Let's go fight a guy twice my size and see how it goes."
Bucky tapped him on the shoulder. "She's got you there."
"She does indeed." He placed a hand on her face. "She always does. It's one of the many reasons I love her." He let out her sigh. "As well as her ability to somehow survive everything."
She kissed him softly on the lips. "I love you too." Steve embraced her. Pulling her tightly into his chest. Taking comfort in the fact that she was alive. Astrid signed. Melting into his arms. The safest place in the entire world.
"Don't do that to me again," he whispered. Loud enough so that only she could hear. "I thought I lost you." His hand rubbing up and down her back. Astrid taking a brief second to soak it in.
'Steve...it was my choice. You understand?' He gave a subtle nod. Clearly still not happy but at least he understood.
"Was she always like this or did it develop after she married Cap?" Jones asked smirking at the two of them. Long used to their displays of affections. Astrid looking around. Noticing everyone else had joined them. Looking at her in amazement and amusement. Processing what had just occurred.
"Nah, she was always like this," Bucky answered. "It's why her and Steve work so well together." He thumped her on the back. "That was incredible by the way."
Astrid shook her head. Feeling Steve loosen his grip. Hands gently holding her waist. "How long have you all been here?"
"Just after the explosion went off," Dugan replied. "Thought we were all goners there. Until you…" He waved his hand towards the now partially destroyed forest. Some of the treetops still burning. Filling the air with smoke.
"I honestly didn't know you could do that," Shamira remarked. Arms by her side. Surveying the damage.
Astrid shrugged. "I've been practicing." They all turned to look at her. Steve's grip on her tightening slightly. "Grenades, small controlled chemical explosions. Nothing that large." They continued to stare at her. Demanding more of an explanation. She gestured towards Shamira. "After what happened with our old team, I promised myself that I was never going to watch someone blow up in front of me again." Understanding dawned in all of them.
Shamira shaking her head. Fighting the tears in her eyes. Bucky wrapping an arm around her waist as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Damn you, Astrid. Can't argue that."
"Though next time," Steve started to say before Astrid interrupted. Placing a finger on his lips.
"Honestly Steve, I'm hoping there isn't a next time."
Morita nodded. "I think we can all agree to that." The rest of them patted Astrid on the back as well. Though her focus was mostly on Steve. Who was the only thing keeping her upright.
"As much as I love our group moment I kinda want to pass out for the next several hours and let my brain recover." She rested her head against Steve's chest. "Can you carry my sorry ass back to camp?"
Steve smirked. Picking Astrid up. Hooking an arm underneath her legs. Supporting her back. Astrid encircling his arms around his next.
"I think I can do that." He gave her a quick kiss on her forehead. Astrid could already feel sleep trying to claim her. Knowing what she had to work on next. Endurance. She would have to do even better. Work past her mental limits. Just as her mother and father taught her. For her, this was too close of a call. She couldn't lose them. Wouldn't lose them. So, she had to be better. Because there was always going to be a next time. As much as she may not want it. Maybe not an explosion but something. And Astrid had to be ready for it.