The next day had started early. Marley wasn't a morning person, but she made it out of bed at five, ready by six. She'd gotten up, gotten into the workout suit they'd provided you, and did more physical activity than she'd done in a year. The running and calisthenics had been brutal and not without several snide mental asides from nearly all of them – most of them were funny or sympathetic.

Then there had been weapons training. Marley had asked if that were necessary, but Steve had insisted so she patiently gave her undivided attention to explanations of various firearms, knives, tasers, and other things that she'd mostly never seen in real life before, much less used. At least she could sit down for that part. Right next to Peter, who she now knew to be Spider Man, who stole glances at her and tried to talk to her through most of it. He was a fairly new addition to the group and was training as she was.

After that, Marley thought she was done and headed for dinner. Steve motioned for her to follow him and though most every muscle she had was aching, she followed him. He led her into a wide, round glass chamber. On one side, people were working at computer screens, and they seemed to be waiting for her arrival. On the other side was an enormous metal shield that looking very familiar.

Stopping in the middle of the room, she looked to Steve nervously. Marley knew what was coming. She also knew she wasn't going to be able to do it.

Everyone still seemed to be waiting, but Marley didn't know what for.

"Bucky, there you are," Steve greeted his friend who had just walked into the room behind her.

Why was he here? Marley knew he thought this was a bad idea. That doubt just about ensured she really wasn't going to be able to show them anything.

"Marley," Steve called out to her from where he stood by the shield. "Are you okay?"

She looks terrified. I told Tony this might be too similar to what happened to her at that HYDRA base.

Bucky watched her with his arms behind his back. His expression was neutral. His mind was quiet.

At your nod, Steve began. "Marley, we really need to see what you can do. Is there any way you can give this a try? Show us what you've got. Just aim for this shield."

Bucky gave his friend a sidelong glance. This isn't going to work.

"Come on. Give it a try." Steve backed away from the shield and Bucky followed.

Now they were both standing there watching her, just like the people on the other side manning their computers and equipment, and Marley just wanted to sink through the floor.

But shouldn't she at least try?

Staring at the shield in front of her, trying desperately to forget about everyone else in the room, she thought about the last two times she'd created the fire, concentrating on what emotions she needed to produce something. Anything.

Damn it, Steve, this isn't going to work. She told you fear was her trigger.

Bucky's thoughts were surprisingly clear and loud in her mind. And they only made this worse. Marley had tried for hours in that cell with those men she now knew were stone-cold HYDRA agents. If she couldn't make something happened until they meant to kill her, how was she going to manage it now?

Now she could hear them arguing behind her, Steve and Bucky. Marley couldn't make out what they were saying. She only knew that Steve didn't like whatever Bucky was telling him.

"It's a bad idea. Forget it." Steve snapped at him finally.

If HYDRA wants what she can do, it's dangerous. We need to know what we're dealing with.

Marley could feel Bucky's frustration and he was more than a little intimidating. But then he was the infamous Winter Soldier that she'd heard about in the news. He was once one of HYDRA's deadliest weapons, saved by his lifelong friend Steve Rogers and still, from what she gathered, struggling to get some semblance of his life back.

Maybe the fact that she'd also came from HYDRA upset him? Maybe he thought she was overreacting to her one run in with HYDRA? Look at what they'd done to him. How could her experience ever compare to seventy years or torture, control, and abuse that he'd suffered?

Truth be told, he probably seriously hated Marley.

None of the symptoms she'd experienced when she'd started the fires was present. Marley was nervous and honestly, felt a little cold, standing there in the middle of all this attention and unable to do a damn thing.

A tear slid down her cheek as she decided to just call this off. She'd tell them she couldn't do it. It was the truth.

Marley turned, and her gaze met with Steve's. "I can't…"

Bucky stormed into her line of vision, his blue eyes dark with anger as he marched directly at her, backing her into the shield in an alarmingly short number of steps.

"Bucky, stop!"

His metal hand came up, closed around her throat, squeezing just enough that the lack of air made her dizzy and had her heart pounding in her ears.

"You're working for HYDRA, aren't you?" Bucky growled. "They sent you to kill more people."

Marley couldn't speak. All she could do was just weakly try to shake her head, try to pull that hand away, as he lifted her off the ground, sliding her up the shield.

"They sent you to kill me? Didn't they? DIDN'T THEY?" he yelled.

The heat came on then, a drop of sweat ran down her forehead. Marley's vision was starting to fade but she could still see Steve heading straight for them.

"Are you going to do something? Because if you don't, I'll kill you," Bucky said menacingly as Steve attacked him from behind.

Bucky was forced to release Marley and she dropped to the ground in a heap, gasping for air, watching the two men fight.

Marley's palms began to itch, to burn. She thought she saw a curl of smoke rise out of the corner of her eye.

Even while fighting Steve, Bucky kept his gaze on her as if Steve was the only thing saving her from his wrath. And in truth, he was.

"Do it!" Bucky screamed at her. "Kill me, little girl."

Pain bloomed inside Marley and just burst its way out of her chest, the first fireball barreled straight at Bucky, hitting his metal arm and dancing along it while his eyes widened. Steve immediately stopped, his gaze flying to her.

"Marley!" Steve's voice called to her, but it sounded far off, even if he stood only five feet away.

The other fireball broke free, this one substantially bigger than the first, hurtling towards Bucky. Steve pulled him to the floor, watching as it blasted the glass right in front of the computer geeks. One young man jumped out of his chair and fled the room.

"Marley!" Steve headed for her and she wanted to tell him to run because now she couldn't control it. Marley didn't want to hurt him. She didn't want to hurt Bucky either.

Bucky shoved Steve behind him, crawling to Marley across the floor while her terror escalated. She waited for him to kill her, unless the next volley broke out of her first…

"Stop," Bucky whispered harshly, looking shaken now. He reached her and gently placing his flesh palm over her forehead while she cowered in fear. He jerked it back. "Shit, you're burning up."

"I'm not with HYDRA," Marley pleaded with him tearfully. "I don't want to kill you or anybody. Please..."

With his metal hand, Bucky smoothed the hair back from her face. The cold metal felt so good. Grabbing that hand, Marley held it flush against her cheek.

Jesus, I've fucked this up, Bucky thought. Marley could see her own pain mirrored in his eyes.

"I can't do this." Marley meant it. "Kill me. It's okay."

"I'm not going to kill you. I did that to see what you could do. You're going to be okay."

It was backing off, the heat fading.

"Just breathe now. Breathe," Bucky whispered, his blue eyes searching hers. He let her hold onto his metal hand.

Steve's eyes held a strange mix of fear and wonder as he peered around Bucky to see her.

As the heat faded, so did everything around her. She reached out to grab something, her hand landing on Bucky's cold metal arm. Leaning forward, she pressed her forehead to it. It was so cool…

"We need to get her to medical," Steve commanded from somewhere in the dark.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered as it all faded to black.

"S'okay, doll," Bucky whispered back. "Rest."