Chapter Four
They had been dodging around the bunker for what felt like hours. Alessia didn't know what was more amazing: that in all that time the security hadn't pinned them down, or that in all that time they hadn't managed to come any closer to finding an exit.
In defense of both parties involved, the four of them had mostly been slinking through utility closets and making their way around in the ventilation system, which didn't help them get any closer to finding a way out.
Bucky had managed to disarm two of the guards that came after them, and had given the bullet-proof vests to Pepper and Jane, and gave Alessia one of the guns, keeping the other for himself. He had exhausted the gun Alessia had gotten from the man in the white coat earlier.
They were walking down a hall in single file, Bucky in the lead and Alessia in the rear, when suddenly the entire hall went dark. For a split second Alessia thought that the power had gone out, but a moment later lights came back on in red, and a loud siren sounded. Bucky dove into the nearest doorway, and the women followed him, Alessia closing the door quickly behind her. They seemed to be in the kitchen now, but the blinking red lights and resounding alarm made everything disorienting.
"Whats going on?" Jane shouted over the alarm.
"My guess is that your friends are here," Bucky replied.
"What should we do?" Alessia asked.
"We should stay here-" Pepper replied "they'll be able to find us."
Alessia stuck the gun she held into the waistband of her pants, and started rooting through the cabinets.
"What are you doing?" Pepper asked.
"If I don't eat I'm really not going to be useful anymore," Alessia replied, pushing a bag of flour to the side and grabbing a mesh bag of oranges. "I can't use my powers if I don't eat. I don't run on nothing, you know."
"I am getting kind of hungry too," Jane said, starting her own search while Alessia ripped into the peel of the orange.
"How can you even think about eating right now? What if the alarm went off because they caught one of the Avengers? It could be Thor or Clint!" Pepper said, voice raised over the resounding alarm.
"Pepper, it's been hours since we woke up." Alessia said, fruit juice dripping out of her mouth as she dug into the orange. "Plus however long we were unconscious for. Have an orange, your blood sugar is probably dropping." Alessia tossed the fruit in Pepper's direction.
Bucky was still standing with his gun held at the ready, back to one door, eyes on the other.
"What about you, Buck, ya hungry?" Alessia asked, passing an orange to Jane. Bucky shook his head almost imperceptively.
Alessia was just peeling the last orange wedge out of the peel when suddenly the door on the other side of the room burst open. A swarm of men in black helmets ran in. Alessia dropped the last bit of orange and ducked behind the metal counter for cover, motioning Jane over as well. Trying to fish the gun out of her waistband as quickly as possible, Alessia peeked around the corner of the island. Bucky had already disarmed three of the guards without firing a single shot, and deflected two bullets with his right hand before shooting the gunman responsible in the shoulder. Alessia got her gun out and aimed at one of the four left standing, carefully pointing the barrel at the gunman's hand, she pulled the trigger, and his gun skittered across the floor. Pepper picked it up and pointed it at the guards, but didn't attempt to take a shot. Instead Bucky dropped one of them so quickly he couldn't think to shoot. Alessia took another shot at the guards hands before he could shoot Bucky or Pepper, and he fell to his knees clutching his hand in pain. The final guard standing was down with a shot Alessia didn't fire. Alessia realized with a jolt it had come from Pepper.
Bucky was gathering up the guns of some of the fallen guards and had un-clipped the vest from one. He made his way around the island and tossed it too Alessia.
"Put this on," He said, walking back to the door where they had entered. He held it open for Jane and Pepper to walk ahead of him, handing Jane a gun as she went by. As Alessia went to pass him he stopped her, dropping his metal arm across the doorway so she couldn't walk through.
"Next time you need to be more prepared. Don't hesitate." He said, voice serious, eyes piercing. Alessia stepped back instinctively. Suddenly, she felt tears welling up behind her eyes.
"I-I was trying my best..." She said helplessly.
"Do better." Bucky said coldly. He turned to follow Pepper and Jane, who were standing in the hallway looking back in curiously.
I'm not going to cry because this asshole said I'm not doing well enough with being kidnapped and held for ransom, Alessia thought, running after Bucky, Pepper and Jane. If anything I'll cry because this is hopeless and we're going to die.
Alessia wasn't running as fast as the other three as they sped through the hallways. She was fighting back tears of anger, frustration, and fear. She kept her eyes on Jane's figure, since she was the closest to her, but even she was running faster than Alessia, who found herself slowing to lazy sprint. She stopped for a moment, bringing a hand up to wipe her moist eyes. fuck all of this, She thought, fuck all of it.
Suddenly, from nowhere it seemed to Alessia, grouping of five or so guards, guns lifted, ready to shoot, were upon her. Almost before Alessia could form thoughts of her next action, she found herself throwing her arms forward, a blast of fire erupting from her palms. A horrible smell of burning fabric and flesh reached her nose, and she lowered her hands, no longer aflame. She squeezed her eyes shut and didn't look to see if they were alive or dead as she ran. She didn't want to know. She ran with her eyes closed until she was afraid she wouldn't be able to find the others.
The lights were still flashing on and off in red, and a loud whining alarm was still ringing. It made Alessia feel strangely nauseous and dizzy, and unable to get her bearings. As they turned down another hall, three red figures blinked in and out of existence as Alessia sped after them, terrified that she would lose them- or worse, that she had scared Pepper and Jane so bad they wanted to lose her.
The hallway let into a room again, this one smaller than the one with the window from before. This room did not have windows. There was another doorway at the other end of the room, and the four of them dashed towards it.
As soon as Alessia was in the room, she heard an earsplitting, wrenching crunch from just behind her. She whipped around in time to see a thick metal slab closing over the door from above. On the other side of the room, a slab was closing down on the door as well, but slower. Alessia sped up to catch it.
Bucky got there first, and grabbed the door with his metal arm, slowing it considerably. The metal groaned and whined in protest. Through gritted teeth Bucky hissed: "Go, what are you waiting for?"
Pepper, who had been standing apprehensively next to him, took a deep breath and dove underneath the metal door. Bucky fell to his knees, the door coming down a few feet with him, but his metal arm kept it raised enough for Jane to slip through.
Sweat was beading on Bucky's forehead as Alessia knelt down to go after the other two. She dropped down to her knees to slide under, but before she could do it, Bucky's arm gave out under the pressure, and the metal door slammed onto the concrete beneath it.