A/N: *bounces excitedly* Hello ya'll! I'm finally back with an update for this story and just in time for Captain America: Civil War to be released in theaters. What makes it even more awesome is I'm going to see it with my dad for a rare father and daughter date tomorrow! :D I can't wait!
Ahem, but back on task.
Thank you so much to all those who have reviewed, favorited, and followed this story. You guys are amazing and I am hope you enjoy this update. :)
Before that I want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for His great mercy and patience with some as weak and faulty as me. I am every day amazed anew at His great love.
Disclaimer: Not mine, I'm just borrowing. :)
Also this isn't beta'd so please forgive any mistakes!
My Mission: Part 5
10 minutes prior…
Natasha slumped against the wall, exhaustion lending weight to her bones. She looked at the Stark phone in her hand, giving to her by the man himself when he arrived a couple hours ago.
After getting cleaned up, knowing Rogers was safely under the Falcon's watchful eye, she started making calls. Maria was occupied with cleanup and coordinating with Capitol Hill. But they needed more help. So her first call had been to Pepper Potts. If there was anyone who could handle the looming fallout from the destruction of SHIELD and HYDRA as so publicly seen over the Potomac, it was Pepper.
Thankfully, Tony had been with her and Natasha had not needed to repeat what happened twice. Both had already known about the destruction of the helicarriers but had not known any of the details, largely because the operation to stop the Insight Carriers and take down SHIELD and HYDRA had been played extremely close to the vest with only five people (six if you counted the doctor) in the know. Stark had naturally been furious he hadn't been called in.
He'd gone quiet when Natasha snapped back that he'd destroyed all his Iron Man suits a few months before and was still recuperating from an extensive surgery. Involving him had not been an option.
Pepper had broken the icy silence, asking what the condition was of the team. She had told them about Rogers.
"He was shot how many times? Where was his shield?" Tony had demanded, fuming. "Stupid flying Frisbee. Need a magnet or something to make sure he can't drop it…"
Natasha had let him rant. She'd been going on missions with Steve regularly for the past year. The super soldier was more than capable of fighting without his shield. From what Hill had told her during the initial wait while the captain had been in surgery, it seemed Rogers had been shot in the minute before the Insight carriers were going to open fire. The shots were fired from a distance, which meant Rogers had probably taken the Winter Soldier down, but not fatally, resulting in him being shot as he scrambled to get the last chip into place. But Stark didn't need to know that yet.
"You're all coming to the tower," Tony had said. "There's no way all of HYDRA is dead if they were so deep into SHIELD. They'll be gunning for Cap."
"Yes. But he just got out of surgery," she'd said. "He can't move yet."
"Fine, then I'm coming to you."
"How?"
"I'll build a suit," the inventor had snapped. "Won't take long and clearly with Rogers out the picture you're going to need help. I'll send my security to the hospital. Which one are you at? Never mind. Jarvis."
"On it, sir."
"While the boys take care of that," Pepper said, a slight tremor in her voice, "How are you, Natasha?"
The other woman's kindness had almost undone her. But she couldn't afford to lose face. Her past was out there now for the whole world to see. Stark had decided to come, just like she had predicted he would, bringing much needed security with him which had eased her worries. But it wasn't enough though. The person she needed to talk to most she didn't dare contact with an insecure line. She'd had to wait.
"I've been worse," she'd said. It was a half-truth. But Natasha couldn't bring herself to share anymore. With a polite goodbye, she hung up. She'd then called Hill to let her know that Stark and Ms. Potts were involved.
She fingered the tiny golden arrow around her neck. Before the assault on SHIELD, she'd managed to send a quick coded message to Clint to stay away from D.C and destroy anything he had related to SHIELD. He would have gone to ground, waiting for her to contact him.
Natasha needed to talk with him. Clint had brought her in to SHIELD, had been beside her every step of the way as she'd transitioned from a KGB assassin to a SHIELD agent. Calling on a Stark phone was more secure than anything else, but she hoped that Stark's A.I didn't track the call and that Clint was at a bar like he should be, waiting to hear from her.
She dialed the emergency number she'd memorized and put the phone to her ear. Natasha knew once she spoke with Clint her defenses would be done for. He would see right through her; he'd know how raw she really was.
Clint answered on the second ring. "Nat?"
"Here Clint."
She heard the loud whoosh of air as he exhaled sharply. "You safe?"
"For the moment."
"I've been on the internet. Is it true?"
Natasha closed her eyes and told herself the ache inside her came from the gunshot wound. "It's true."
Clint swore. "Casualties?"
She swallowed hard. The full truth would have to wait until they could meet. "Fury. Rogers took multiple hits."
More swearing. "And you?"
"Shot and electrocuted with one of my stingers."
"What?" Clint shouted. "How the—"
"I did it to myself. It was necessary," Natasha quickly explained. She listened as the older man growled on the other end, clearly not pleased with her explanation.
"They'll be coming for all of you."
She was glad he didn't press. Clint would demand a full explanation, but he knew as any good spy did the necessity of keeping things to the point.
"Stark's here. We're taking Rogers to Stark Tower in an hour. We'll be safe there."
"Natasha."
You sure you don't want me there?
Natasha felt the fear and uncertainty easing at her best friend's concern. "I'll call Tuesday."
"Better make it Monday." Message received. He'd be expecting her as soon as she could get away. Relief pulsed through Natasha. Not even after she had defected had she been so thankful to have a safe place to go to. The world now knew everything about her past; that was on record in SHIELD's database anyway. But Clint's past remained partially obscure. And in that obscurity there was safety, for a short time anyway.
Her first concern, however, was keeping Steve safe. Wilson was coming toward her. She hung up quickly. "What is it?"
"Stark's on his way up with Steve's shield," Sam said, inclining his head. "I figured it would be better to meet him out here than risk waking Steve."
Natasha smiled. "Yeah, Steve would wake up as soon as he hears Stark's voice."
"I'm surprised he let him take the shield, to be honest."
She inclined her head in agreement. The vibranium shield was a part of Steve, like an arm or a leg. That he'd willingly allowed Stark to take it demonstrated his trust in the billionaire. Tony had not really expected it either, Natasha thought, recalling his expression when after berating the injured captain for its condition and rambling about it needing to be cleaned up how Steve had calmly cut in and asked Tony if he'd clean it up. Naturally the billionaire agreed and babbled more to the amusement of the rest of them before he took off.
That was several hours ago. What Stark had been doing in those hours was a mystery because it certainly did not take that long to clean a shield. Natasha suspected the inventor had been taking measurements and designing a magnetic gauntlet like he'd mentioned when she called him.
The elevator chimed and Natasha and Sam looked to see the billionaire as he stepped out, shield in hand.
"Well, it's definitely clean," Sam said, amused. Natasha couldn't blame him. The shield looked brand new and the colors were more vibrant than ever.
"Yep!" Tony declared with a broad grin on his face. "This is the new and improved patriotic Frisbee."
Natasha tuned out as the billionaire began to brag about the first prototype gauntlet he'd made for the shield. It was strange to see it like that after so many months of the 'stealth shield' as Natasha had dubbed it. Sam was clearly intrigued by the high tech that Tony had. Pleased, Tony pulled out a pad to show Sam some of the designs he'd also begun for a new Falcon pack when the AI, Jarvis, suddenly spoke up with some urgency from it.
"Sir, I'm detecting an intruder in the Captain's room. It's the Winter Soldier."
Natasha felt her heart skip.
Steve.
Then she was running, Sam and Tony fast on her heels. As they ran she heard Tony barking orders to Jarvis and the whir of the Iron Man suit unfolding and encasing its maker. Iron Man moved in front of her as they came up to Steve's room.
"Steve!" Natasha cried as she saw the Winter Solder looming over the bed. The Winter Soldier spun around and for a brief moment he looked like the spooked, protective figure she'd encountered at the river bank, guarding Steve's broken body. But as Stark charged forward in his Iron Man suit, she caught his eyes narrowing, a furious snarl twisting his features as he surged forward.
His focus wasn't on Tony, though. It was on Steve's shield.
A blast of energy came from the Iron man's hand, but the Soldier easily dodged.
"Tony!"
He heard the Captain tumble from the bed behind him with a pained grunt as he dodged the blast. Roaring, the Soldier flew at the figure, wrenching the shield from the Iron Man's grip and slammed it into the metal form. The Iron Man slid back several feet. Before he could attack again another blast came from the metal form's glowing hand and it smashed into his shoulder, sending him spinning into the hospital wall.
He fumbled to get a better grip on the Captain's shield as the Iron Man flew towards him. He brought it up just in time to block his opponent's next blow. Slithering away from the Iron Man as he attempted to pin him, the Soldier brought the shield up in a hard uppercut to the thing's jaw with force that would have shattered a person's jaw. The Iron Man staggered back and the Soldier pushed his advantage, striking with both the shield and his metal arm repeatedly.
The Iron Man staggered under the onslaught. Sneering, the Soldier moved in to finish his opponent. He was not expecting the glowing power circle in the suit chest to blast him. It sent him careening through the hospital room window. Pain coursed through his body, his earlier injuries practically screaming. Grunting, he rolled just as the Iron Man stamped down on the spot where he landed. He scrambled to his feet, swearing as he realized the blast had knocked the Captain's shield from his hand.
"Tony stop!" The Captain yelled from his shielded position between the Wing Man and Black Widow. The Iron Man growled. "No way."
The Soldier didn't allow the Iron Man to say anymore, attacking once again. That power circle in the middle of the suit chest was the key to taking down his opponent. It seemed the Iron Man realized this because he grabbed the Soldier's metal arm.
"Time to take this away from the patient."
The next thing the Soldier knew they were blasting through the roof. With a twist and a kick, the Soldier broke the Iron Man hold and dropped to the roof of the hospital. No longer contained indoors, his opponent had just become more dangerous.
The Soldier staggered to his feet, tasting blood. He glared at the Iron Man as it prepared to attack him again.
"That's enough!"
The Soldier and his opponent both froze as the Captain's shield flew in-between them and ricocheted off the wall to hit a pipe before returning to the hand of its owner. The Captain stood on the rooftop, dressed in a thin robe with Black Widow and Wing Man flanking him, glaring at them.
"Stark, stand down."
"He put four bullets in you, Steve! And you think he isn't going to finish the job?"
Steve? Stark? Fear lanced the Soldier in the gut. Why did he know those names?
The Soldier shook off the feeling. Now was not the time to be distracted. The Iron Man was a hard opponent, especially with all of his current injuries, but the Soldier knew he could take him down. The fiery pain lancing his shoulder and blistering his leg were nothing. He had worse. He should attack now, while the enemy was preoccupied; wrench out the glowing circle that powered the suit. Yet he didn't. The Captain was on his feet, had interfered in the fight. More importantly, the Iron Man no longer had the Captain's shield. The Captain had it. It looked right in his hands, natural; a part of him. Like the Soldier's guns.
To the Soldier's surprise it was Black Widow who answered. "No, he wasn't."
The Iron Man made a strange sputtering sound. He tried to cover his own surprise, but he caught the knowing tilt of the woman's head. Black Widow had assessed his change in mission. She knew he wasn't a threat to the Captain. He gritted his teeth. He'd given her the advantage. Idiot!
"Stand down," the Captain barked again. His authoritative voice belied the shaking in his legs and trembling of his wounded torso. The shield hid the worst, but the Soldier knew the damage he'd wrought. A scowl formed. The Captain should be in bed resting, not out interfering in his mission to protect him! The Wing Man was beside him, hovering close enough to catch the Captain should he fall, scowling fiercely at the iron man and him. For some reason acid burned in his throat at the sight.
Too late the Soldier realized he'd made a fatal mistake as he unconsciously shifted his weight toward the captain. Exhausted, he couldn't avoid the energy blast that shot out of the Iron Man's palm. It blasted him across the roof. Pain lanced his limbs and his metal arm screamed. He hit hard and tumbled and rolled. Right off the edge of the building.
Suddenly he was falling and terror ripped through him, as hot and loud as the energy from the chair. He screamed. Something warm and solid wrapped around his arm, halting his descent, sending a fresh wave of pain through his shoulder blades and his cried out. For a moment he thought it was the Iron Man intent on finishing him. Then he heard the labored breathing and saw the blue eyes of the Captain, blown wide with fear.
They stared at one another, the Captain holding the Soldier tight, refusing to let him fall. He thought he'd been in this situation before. He knew he had. That time the Captain had not been able to save him. But this time the Captain had. Something in his mind crumbled and he shuddered.
With a grunt, the Captain pulled him up on the roof and the two collapsed side by side, gulping in air.
"Bucky…"
It was barely more than a whisper, a plea. He wanted to scream. Who was Bucky? Why did the Captain keep calling him that? Why did it make him hurt? It was wrong, so wrong, and yet it felt…right. Why? Why? Why?!
There was no time to answer. The Iron Man was coming toward them despite the Black Widow stepping into his path. The Wing Man was racing towards the Captain and him, apparently unprepared for how fast the Captain had moved. The Soldier met the Captain's desperate gaze. "Don't do anything stupid, punk."
He had no idea where the words came from, but as soon as he spoke them he knew they were right. The startled expression on the Captain's face was the last he saw of the blonde man before he leapt off the roof.
No one pursued.
Still he ran from the building, from the Iron Man, and most of all from Captain Steve Rogers like he was under fire. That was the mission's name. The Soldier knew it and he couldn't explain the flurry of feelings it triggered. No longer was his mission just the Captain, he was Steve and somehow that changed everything more than ever. As the words, "Don't do anything stupid, punk" had rolled off his tongue the name had cemented in his brain. The red-head woman had called the captain by his name on the river bank but he had overlooked it; too caught up in the disorientation of his new mission and his malfunctions.
Steve.
Steve.
Steve.
"I'm with you to the end of the line."
"Bucky, no!"
"I had him on the ropes."
"You know me."
His heart raced and sweat gathered in his palms. He didn't pay attention to where he was going, relying instinctively on his training to disappear into the shadows. But most off all, he didn't stop moving. He couldn't. He was being hunted…if only in his mind. The Soldier did not dare stay still. The thoughts trying gain traction in his mind were far too painful, too dangerous to consider stopping.
So he ran.
*cringes* So yeah, the fight scene between Iron Man and the Winter Soldier was horrible to write and I really am not that happy with how it turned out, but I figured I might as well publish it otherwise I never will.
So thank ya'll for reading! Hope you enjoyed it.
Please leave a review and let me know what you think!
Cheers! - Noelani
