Avengers: Age of Ultron | Saviors | The Hope of Life
A strangled gasp rattles through Steve's body, a sharp pain ricocheting through his veins, an almost dagger-like spike piercing his heart. He stumbles on his feet before falling on his knees. He doesn't fully understand what's happening to him, but the moment Bucky's horror-filled yell hits his ears - something in his own mind clicks. A hole scars his heart and it suddenly feels empty inside - it's like half of him has been ripped out by force.
Thor is next to him, stunned into what he's seeing in front of him. "Steve?" He questions in a concerned tone, putting a hand on the man's shoulder, bending down to see what could have hurt his fellow teammate. But it's like Steve can't focus on any one thing - the surroundings around him just seem to melt away from existence.
The only word leaves Steve's mouth is, "Ava…" Choking out and his twin's name comes out in anguish.
Many, many hours later, Ultron is completely vanquished from Earth, and the Avengers are back at the tower to reconvene. The last people that were stuck in the flying city of Sokovia are saved and Fury is currently setting up certain things so that those Sokovian's can get on with their lives. It isn't going to be easy but the good thing right now is that they are alive.
Not much can be said for the Avengers, though, because there's one missing member - Avery Rogers. During the last fight, she sacrificed herself to save James Buchanan Barnes and a small boy from dying by terrible means. She pushed a car to become a shield and it was moved with all her might, however, there wasn't enough time to shade herself from the incoming blasts.
In Avery's room, her body lays on top of the bed, only a few drops of crimson blood leaking into the sheets as her blood stopped pumping a long while ago. Her death was quick - one shot went directly through her heart and with the amount of adrenaline that was running through her body, she probably never felt a thing as she passed away.
Sitting against the wall, his head staring numbly at her body is James, the man and lover she saved. There are tear stains practically drawn against his cheeks and he's still in his uniform, all covered in dirt and a good quantity of his own blood. He can't stop staring at her whitened face - almost praying that his mind is playing tricks on him, that somehow in a sick sense that this is all just a practical joke. But it isn't…she doesn't move…she doesn't breathe…and there was no shine in those beautiful hazel eyes the moment he looked into them back on the battlefield.
James' heart is broken, knowing now that Ava isn't missing like she used to be and presumed dead because this time…she's just that. This isn't how it was supposed to be…Steve needed her here with him…he needed her with him. They had plans after the fight was over; he was going to take her travelling, finally, like they promised each other all those years ago. He wanted to show her the world, even though he's still learning a lot about this new one himself. But now, it'll never happen and a big part of him is just refusing to believe it.
The pain is just too great.
Bucky slowly drops the now unconscious boy to the ground gently but makes sure his head doesn't get hit. His vision never leaves the unblinking eyes of the woman he loves. Her body is laid front-first on the ground, her head twisted sidewards with it painted towards him, like he was her last living look before the park left her eyes.
The reality starts to hit him the moment he inches closer, his shaking hand grazing against her shoulder. "A-Ava," he breathes, his breath hitching with emotion. He carefully turns her body over so her back is now on the ground, her eyes gazing upwards towards the partially clouded covered sky. The seconds draw on as he picks up her upper half, curling her body up to his, beginning to pray that this isn't happening. Not to her.
But it is. The moment he looks down into hazel eyes…they are as lifeless as her body is, every part of her motionless. His breathing deepens, almost heaving with a heavy weight. "Ava!" His yell can be heard for miles, his voice full of grief and loss.
The room stays silent; only the breathing of the two men that meant the most to Ava appear in the air, each dealing with their own grief and realization of what's happened. The nightmares they've had even before Zola first stole her from them are coming true.
The moment Steve dropped to his knees back in Sokovia, he could barely lift himself, and in the end, Thor had to do the most work in getting him on a boat. He was in a kind of stasis of stares - not replying to anyone, almost like he was trapped in his own mind. It wasn't until Wanda, actually, brought him back out of his head. Sure she used her power but she also used her words - only Pietro and she know exactly what he could be feeling. Losing a twin is literally like losing a part of you. The feeling that neither of them want to go through, ever.
Steve is the first to cut through the silence from where he sits over to the side, his back also against the wall. "She's gone, Buck." His voice cracks, salty water leaking out of his eyes in pain. His eyes still never leaving her remains. She's laying in the middle of the double bed, her bloody uniform on and it's very distinctive as to how many shots she took. There are six in total - only one being purely fatal to a super soldier. "She's really gone this time."
"It should have been me," Bucky murmurs in return, shaking his head slowly, wishing Ava hadn't done the stupidly heroic thing that saved him and in return - it killed her instead. He feels so guilty, he's practically drowning in it. "I should be the one laying in that bed. Not her."
As he speaks, Steve is shaking his head, understanding how his best friend is feeling but it's no use - it's neither of their faults and that's what they're having difficulty accepting. "Don't," he says, knowing Ava wouldn't want them to think those things. Because, as painful as it is to admit, she sacrificed herself for someone she loved, including an innocent child. It's a brave and heroic thing - something of which he itches to strangle her for doing, but it was her choice.
With everything that's happening in the past few years and everything in between, part of him knows deep, deep down that she might have done something like this. He knows how guilty she felt about a lot of things - especially when it comes to her past in becoming The Winter Soldier. She was looking for redemption from her dark past, the one that left her scarred and broken.
The part that pains him most of all was the fact that she was getting better - he could see it, everyone could.
The full force of his twin's death is coming back. Part of him should have known something else would try and break the trio again - it was too good to be true…too good to last. It's like they never got the happy ending they deserve.
"Just…don't," Steve's plead hangs in the air and everything goes silent again. He knows Ava wouldn't want him talking like that - she wouldn't want either of them talking like that. She would probably come back from the grave and murder them herself for even thinking the notion.
A small knock sounds from the door and it's a second before a head pokes through, followed by a female body. Natasha. Her red hair flat, wounds still grazing parts of her skin and sections of her uniform are ripped around her stomach region. Her skin is pale and looks similarly like the American Heroes do - losing Ava is essential like losing a part of family for her. Having to grow up in the KGB meant no contact or knowing who her real parents are - even if she had any family at all. Winter has pretty much stepped into that role the moment she arrived at the organization that trained young girls to become spies.
She owes a lot to the woman in some sense - if it wasn't for her, she probably would have become one of those broken bodies that resulted at the end of a death match within the circle. She would never have made it to the Graduation Ceremony either, no matter how much she wanted to escape that fate anyway.
Usually with the deaths of ones closest to her or even with someone that's injured, she's able to detach herself and become as emotionless as can be. Something else that was also taught to her by Winter. But, for some reason, she can't seem to fully get a grip of that technique in her moment of need for it. She's finding it hard not to break down - she's had enough experience with acting to hide it enough from the outside to stop people from worrying, though.
"Hey," Natasha speaks softly, her head barely glancing over to the body of Avery Rogers and the woman she used to know as the Winter Soldier. Neither Bucky, nor Steve react to her voice, not even saying a word to let her know if they heard her.
Usually, she knows what to say at least act like she knows, but in this instance, she really doesn't know what to say. It's been several hours, nearly a day since Ava's heart stopped beating and she knows very well what happens to a body when that happens. She was the one to volunteer to talk to the two - she's the closes to the two after Ava.
Natasha quietly closes the door behind her. "Guys, I know…I know this isn't something you want to think about - let alone talk about, but…" her head glances over to Ava's body again to silently let them know what she's trying to say, her voice losing its power to say words.
But then, something suddenly catches her eye, something in particular on the woman's stomach. There was a shot fired through that region and it's gone. Taking a step forward, her eyes observing the spot closer and indeed, there's only clear skin where the wound should be. The clothing is still ripped of course - it's why she realizes without a doubt that it's gone.
Steve swallows hard, looking away just as Bucky did, feeling his throat slowly clogging up with tears again. "We know," he says quietly, still not looking towards anything other than the floor. He knows exactly how long it's been since her passing - he remembers the hole being ripped out of him during the fact. He's starting to steadily accept that fact that some miracle won't happen - if it was going to happen, Ava would be up by now and most likely being squeezed to death by hugs whether she wanted them or not.
Bucky glances over to Natasha and a spark of something in his gut makes him notice the looks on her face, especially as she inches just a little closer to Ava. There's confusion leaking into her features and it's like she can't believe something. "Natasha, what is it?" Not sure what she's particularly looking at other than…Ava - his heart constricts again.
Natasha is shaking her head. "I-I don't know," she honestly states, bewildered. Her eyes bounce between all the places a notable hole was on Avery's body and they are all gone. "The places where she was shot, they're all just…gone. Like they were never there to begin with."
And suddenly, no one in the room has a chance to speak or even think another second, because deep gasp leaves Avery's mouth and her eyes snap open. Natasha stumbles back harshly into the chest of drawers next to her with a hard thump, her eyes widen with a mixtures of shock, disbelief and surprise. A common set of emotions that suddenly fill everybody in the room.
The two American heroes are shocked stiff, their heads startle up towards the direction of the bed - their jaws drop, eyes blinking ten to the dozen and their hearts probably stop at the sight before them.
Ava was surrounded in darkness like before, it's like someone slammed her with something and it woke her right up. As the lively gasp falls out of her mouth and her eyes open again with sharpness, her body jerks into a sitting position and she's met with the blue eyes she's been looking for. Her brother next to him and quickly she notices Natasha back up into a drawer set.
The three just blink - all thoroughly bouncing between shocked and stunned. They just can't seem to move any part of their body to fully comprehend what has just happened.
Unaware of the fact that she has been dead for almost a day, Ava looks down at her arm and an immediate sigh leaves her lips at the sight of it being connected to her body. Winter's signature metal arm is back. "You know," she finally speaks, her voice is a little croaky but clearing her throat deeply gets rid of the problem. "I don't think I've even been so glad to see this arm in my life." Letting out a small chuckle, giving out the honest truth.
The seconds feel like hours but as soon as she said those words, she has to stifle a gasp when she feels three people crashing into her body from all angles, arms wrapped around her tightly into a crushing hug. She winces slightly, still feeling a few wounds around parts of her body. But, the pain barely puts a dent in her mood through because as she closes her eyes, she leans into the gestures, knowing in her heart that this is where she's meant to be.
'This is real…this is definitely real,' she thinks, breathing a deep sigh of relief.