Hi guys!
Happy (early) Easter, for those of you who celebrate that. The rest of you, happy (almost) weekend :). The poll for "who to ship Dani with" is UP. It is on my profile. If you don't have a fanfiction account, you can use a comment to make a vote (yes, you can comment without an account. I wish I had known that about a year ago.) If you don't see someone that you want her paired with, I count comments and private messages as a vote.
Additionally, I know this chapter is just a tiiiiiiiiny bit early (like, half a week early) but I realized that I would be busy this Thursday/Friday/Saturday/Sunday and might forget to upload this. So, here it is. To make up for the wonky timing, I will post a chapter on Tuesday. After that, back to Sundays again. Hope you enjoy the chapter!
-Stax
Disclaimer: I only own my OC, everything else is Marvel's
Chapter 9
The next morning, Dani and Steve headed to the Colonel's tent to see about having her join Steve's team. They were surprised when he met them at the door and pulled them in. He gestured for them to sit down. Dani was slightly concerned; he had an unreadable expression on his face and sweat dripping down his forehead.
"You-" he said, pointing at her. "You need to to help the Captain on his campaign. Your friend visited me and showed me what happens if you don't." Dani leaned foreward in shock.
"The sphere? It was here!?"
"Yes. You need to go see Stark for your gear now." Steve looked confusedly between the two.
"What?" He asked, furrowing his brow. Dani stood up and grabbed his hand to pull him with her.
"I'll explain later, lets go" she said, slightly worried that the sphere had bothered to show up. It must be important that I go, then... She dragged Steve out of the tent and in the direction of the bunker Howard was in.
Dani facepalmed as Steve was pulled into a kiss by the obnoxious blonde woman.
"Steve, you're gonna want to-"
"CAPTAIN!" She was cut off. Steve pulled his lips away and gasped in shock. Peggy had seen, and she was pissed. "Mr. Stark will see you now" she said, her voice laced with venom. Steve hurried after her, followed by a slightly amused Dani.
"Peggy it's not what you think-"
"I don't think ANYTHING, Captain. It seems that finding the right partner wasn't so hard after all."
"Well what about you and Stark? How do I know you two aren't... fondueing?" Dani couldn't help but laugh at that. Steve glanced at her, slightly shocked.
"You still don't know a thing about women, do you" Peggy snarked. Howard came up behind him. Dani tuned out as he explained fondue to Steve and showed him the shield options. She noticed two silver gauntlets that could fit her wrists quite well, that would stretch from her wrist up to four inches short of her elbow.
I could use these, she thought. She remembered several times when she was in battle and time had slowed down as a bullet whistled towards her. She had ruined several guns blocking those- she winced as the remembered the bullet wound on her stomach. While bullet wounds healed surprisingly well in this universe, she would like to avoid similar injuries in the future. Something like these would really come in handy.
"Peggy, what do you think?" Steve asked from behind her.
"Bang bang" Dani said without turning around. Immediately, gunshots echoed through the bunker. A bullet flopped past her ear, all its foreward momentum sapped by the vibranium shield. Steve made a squeak that she could only hear because she was next to him.
"It will do" Peggy said composedly and walked away.
"Howard, what are these?" She asked, pointing at the gauntlets.
"Those? Those are gauntlets to deflect bullets and bayonets, they're made of adamantium and a tiny bit of vibranium" he said. "But they don't really work, nobody can move fast enough to deflect bullets with them." Dani nodded.
"So you're saying you don't NEED them" she inquired.
"Nope. What, you want them?" Dani just grinned in his general direction, causing him to shrug. "They're yours, have fun" he stated. She slipped them on and they fit surprisingly well. Now just to test them... maybe Peggy would shoot at her if she pissed her off enough.
QUITE A BIT OF TIME LATER-
"Oomph!"
Dani was beginning to enjoy the sound Nazis made when you punched them in the stomach. She idly wondered if that made her a bad person. It was a surprisingly effective stress reliever, however.
"Bwuff!" She followed up the punch on that one by smacking him on the back of the head with her gun. For the life of her, she couldn't figure out how to save Steve and Bucky. Steve HAD to make it to the future or thousands would die, and Bucky HAD to be the Winter Soldier so that Steve would find Hydra in SHIELD and stop project Insight. Every time she even considered altering either of those events, she was flooded with images of people who would die.
"Aaauuugh!" Oops, she had crushed that one's nose... she hit him on the back of the head to knock him out as well. While the blood still disturbed her, she was grateful she had some way to take out her stress on something. There HAS to be a way. She blocked a bullet as it wizzed dangerously close. Steve took out the one who had fired the shot, and Dani realized that the whole platoon was down. She sighed. Bucky was going to fall down the chasm in a few short days and she REALLY NEEDED MORE NAZIS TO PUNCH-
"You ok?" Dani turned to see Bucky looking at her concernedly. She realized she had her face scrunched up from thinking.
"Yeah, its easier to administer the beat down when you have a badass expression on your face" she said, breaking into a fake smile. She was grateful to have "I was punching Nazis" as an excuse for the sweat trickling down her face. It was, in actuality, from guilt. Here she was, looking into his face, and practically lying to him. He always knew when she was hiding something, he would figure out eventually.
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It was taking all of Dani's concentration not to cry. It was the night before Bucky would fall off the train, and the howling commandos were camped on an icy cliff. Steve had fallen asleep with his compass in hand, the one with Peggy's picture inside. He had no clue the heartache he was about to go through. Bucky wasn't asleep. He was staring at the tent above him, obviously lost in thought. Steve and Bucky had made her sleep between them so she wouldn't freeze, which meant any wimper she made would instantly be heard by them.
"So you wanna tell me what's going on?" Was whispered into her left ear. Dani snapped her head to look at Bucky, who had a serious look on his face. "Don't lie, I know something bad is going to happen." She nodded. "Is there anything you can do about it?"
"Not that I can see yet. Don't worry, I WILL find a way." Bucky squinted his eyes doubtfully. "Really, I will. Please don't ask." He rolled his head back so he was looking at the tent roof again. "And... whatever happens tomorrow, I want to say in advance that I am sorry." He closed his eyes and sighed.
"If it's not your fault, then it's not your fault. Whatever it is, I know you will do what you can. Try to get some sleep." She nodded and closed her eyes, knowing she wouldn't get any rest from the icy butterflies in her stomach.
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The sunlight streaming in through the open tent flap, along with the cold air, woke Dani up in an unpleasant way. For a moment she was able to enjoy the warmth under her blanket, the sun, being alive-
And then she remembered what today was.
Scrambling outside after throwing her boots on, she saw the Howling Commandos already setting up by the side of the cliff. Her phone said it was almost ten thirty...
"Why didn't you guys wake me up?" She asked, stomping over to them angrily.
"We didn't need to. Besides, you seemed stressed" Steve said, giving her a sideways glance. Crap, he's on to me too, isn't he. Bucky was by the edge of the cliff, shooting some manner of giant grappling gun across the chasm. After the line anchored itself in the rock face, he attached the other end to the wall of stone behind them.
"The train is coming in about twenty minutes" Gabe noted. Dani felt her heart drop into her stomach. I'm out of time...
She started thinking desperately, trying to dream up some way, any way, that she could save Bucky from his fate. Vision after vision flashed before her face, causing her to become dizzy. Her sight began to go fuzzy and black around the edges, and she could distantly hear concerned voices. She felt a pressure on her arm and waist, supporting her. She kept going. Then, suddenly, it hit her.
The solution was so easy, so simple. The real world came flooding back and she laughed. She realized she was sitting in the snow. She looked up and saw Steve and Bucky's concerned faces.
"What the hell was that" Bucky asked. The two men knew what it looked like when she viewed future possibilities, but they had never seen her react so violently or for so long.
"I know what to do" she said, smiling up into Bucky's face. Bucky relaxed visibly. Steve was clearly confused.
"Dani, maybe you should stay on the cliff-" he began. She grabbed his shirt and pulled his face close to hers.
"No. I am coming. I HAVE to come. Understand?" Steve, surprised, just nodded. She released his shirt and flopped to the tent to gear up.
Shortly, the train was heard coming. Steve prepared to slide down. Dani gave Bucky a comforting pat on the back, knowing he didn't like heights...
"Remember that time I made you ride the 'coaster at Coney Island and you puked?" Bucky asked Steve.
"Yeah?"
"Is this payback for that?"
"Now, why would I do a thing like that" Steve joked. Dani snorted. She remembered that day well. A shiver ran down her spine at the thought of what she was going to have to do shortly. What wouldn't she give to go back to that lovely day.
Suddenly, the visions began flashing again. The train was going to slow down as it came around the bend! Steve would fall IN FRONT OF THE TRAIN!
"STEVE WAIT!" She yelled, grabbing his belt.
"WHAT? DANI I NEED TO MOVE!"
"NO LOOK!" Sure enough, the train was slowing down. She pushed him forward. "Ok, NOW go" she said, puting her hook on the line as he pushed off. For a moment her feet were dangling free, in a complete rush of adrenaline. Then she was lined up with the train and for one terrifying split second she was free falling. Then her feet touched the roof. She felt a tear run down her cheek, from the wind or from the fear of what was coming, she didn't know which. Steve ripped the door off off the side of the train and they swung inside.
Time felt like it was moving at a snails pace. It wasn't the artificial slowness that came at crucial moments, it was fear. She felt numb as she shot at the Hydra agents, as she and Bucky got locked in the compartment with the gunman, as Steve busted the door and threw Bucky the gun-
It was time.
Dani shoved Bucky to the opposite side of the train, the side by the cliff wall. As Cap's shield bounced towards her, she picked it up. The bolt of blue energy streaked towards her and she closed her eyes. The impact was terrible, but worse was the cold rush of air that sucked her out of the train. Her hand met a metal bar and she grabbed it instinctively. She opened her eyes to see Steve and Bucky kill the agent and turn to her.
She was out of reach but that was necessary. A tear ran down her cheek. They were trying to grab her hand but she wasn't moving towards them- her light weight was letting the bar stay in place, she could at least tell them what was happening-
"SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME FOR A SECOND!" She yelled in their direction. They froze. "I'M SORRY. I REALLY AM. BUCKY WAS SUPPOSED TO FALL DOWN THE CHASM. I COULDN'T LET HIM, BUT EITHER HE OR I HAVE TO FALL DOWN. IF I DON'T, THEN SO MANY PEOPLE ARE GONNA DIE. I... BUCKY NO!" She yelled as Bucky got far enough to grab her hand. He was pulling her back to the train! "BUCKY STOP!"
Just then, the train hit a bump. Her mouth flew open to scream in horror as Bucky lost his footing and fell out of her reach. She couldn't tear her eyes away as he fell into the white void. She kept screaming his name hysterically. She felt a hand on her arm again as Steve pulled her back into the train. He had a completely shocked expression spread across his face as he stared where Bucky had been moments before. His grip on her arm was painful, he wasn't aware of his surroundings at the moment. Dani couldn't stop sobbing. I screwed up, I screwed up so bad. Bucky, Bucky, I'm so sorry I'm so sorry...
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"You could have told me."
"People would have died, Steve."
"I could have gone. I could have fallen instead."
"Hydra would have won then. You have no idea."
"It didn't have to be one of you two."
"What should I have done, thrown the Colonel down there? I went with the best option."
"Then you didn't look at all the options."
"I've been trying to find a better way for months."
"What if you both had fallen down there? What then?"
"Then I would have screwed up worse than I already did."
"Dani, don't ever die."
"I don't plan on dying soon, don't worry."
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"Johann Schmidt belongs in a bug house. He thinks he's a God. He's willing to blow half the world to prove it, starting with the U.S.A." Col. Phillips stated. Howard spoke up.
"Schmidt's working with powers beyond our capabilities. He gets across the Atlantic, he will wipe out the entire eastern sea board in an hour."
"How much time we got?" Gabe asked uneasily.
"According to my new best friend, twenty four hours." The Colonel informed them. "Hydra's last base is here." He gestured to a picture he had in his hands. "In the Alps. Five hundred feet below the surface."
"So, what are we supposed to do. I mean, it's not like we can just knock on the front door." Jim asked, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Dani looked over at Steve. He had a hardened look in his eyes.
"Why not? That's exactly what we're gonna do." Steve said. Dani stood up and slammed her hand on the table.
"Then what are we waiting for? Lets GO!"
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What's going to happen next, Dani wondered. Down the futuristic hall she ran, right behind Steve. Schmidt was not far ahead. Am I going do die in the ice? I bet I die in the ice she thought. Maybe it's for the best, there isn't much else I can do. It's too bad, I wanted to meet Spider-Man and The Hulk too... she was pulled out of her thoughts as she and Steve ran into a room full of Hydra Agents.
"Crap?" She stated, more of a question then anything.
"Crap" Steve confirmed.
They dodged the bullets, running after the Valkyrie. It pulled away surprisingly quickly for a plane of its size. The Colonel pulled up beside them with Peggy in the passenger seat.
"GET IN!"
The two complied and shortly they were under the plane. Dani fought a tear as Peggy kissed Steve.
"Go on, I'm not kissing you" the Colonel broke them out of their stupor. Steve easily jumped onto the rising plane wheels. Dani almost missed them entirely but he grabbed her wrist and hauled her up. She gave him a sad smile. It would all be over soon, but he didn't need to know that. She couldn't find a way to save him. She couldn't even take his place. At this point, I suppose all I can do is be there for him she thought. Then, the wheel was up in the plane. Steve began taking out the Hydra agents, and Dani managed to shoot the knees of two.
She turned around and realized that Steve was out of the plane on the tiny bomber, fighting for control with an agent. Visions flew through her head again- the back door of the plane needed to be opened so he could fly in or the bomber would explode on impact. She began scrambling with the various buttons until, with a gust of cold air and some alarms beeping, it opened. Right on cue, the mini plane flew in with Steve in the cockpit. Dani had to drag herself away from the hole, which was sucking air out at an alarming rate.
"You ok!" Steve yelled over the wind, grabbing her shoulders.
"I'm not dead yet!" She joked. His face was grim.
"Keep it that way!" He hollered. He grabbed his shield from where it had lodged and they headed towards the front of the plane. Dani hung back as Steve snuck in. When she heard Schmidt talking, she just walked in and shot the back of both his knees.
"Save the monologue for somebody who cares" she said with a dead look in her eyes. This guy is the reason Bucky is dead she reminded herself. Surprisingly, Schmidt was still standing. Just barely, but he was standing. She ran forward and tried to wrestle with him for the energy cannon he had, causing him to shoot a decent sized hole in the ground. She lost her grip in surprise, giving him time to knock her over the head with the weapon. As she fell over, she heard Steve yell. She turned to see them scuffling- knocking the tesseract over. Schmidt picked it up. Dani turned her head away at the gruesome sight of him dissolving into the fissure above his head. Yet another aspect that the movie didn't do justice to the gruesomeness of. Then, Steve was pulling her to the front. She couldn't barely hear him over the buzzing in her ears.
He began talking to Peggy through the radio. Dani suddenly felt time slow down in a familiar way and felt a presence to one side. She turned to look.
Of course, it was the sphere.
"You need to jump off" it said in her mind. She made a face at it.
"The Captain will not crash this plane while you are on it. If he does not, then it will blow up when it lands. So many deaths." The images of all the people who would die began flashing before her eyes.
"I didn't need the visual" she slurred through her fogged thoughts.
"Time has run out. You need to jump NOW. I have depleted my energy and for now I must go" The sphere insisted, as it faded from sight. Dani slumped in her seat and let out the longest of sighs.
"Steve."
"Peggy it has explosives, you need to find a large place for us to land."
"Steve."
"And I think the fuel tank is leaking, it has to be by the coast."
"STEVE."
"Dani now isn't-"
"Steve, you have to crash the plane."
"What!? No!"
"Lots of people are gonna die. Thousands. I've been here-" She pulled out her phone- "Exactly two years, one month and ten days. My time here is done now." She re-pocketed the phone.
"Dani, I can't crash this plane as long as you're on board. I can't have you die too."
"Steve... I know. I'm sorry." She pulled herself out of the chair and ran to the hole that Schmidt had blown in the floor when they were wrestling for the gun. Time slowed down. Steve called her name, panickedly, his voice unusually deep due to the rate time was going. She moved at just the right time for him to miss her arm as he grabbed for it. Feeling like she was running through syrup, she dashed as quickly as possible towards the hole. She heard Steve's heavy, slow-motion steps behind her. A grim smile flitted across her face. Steve was stronger but she was faster.
And then, there was the hole.
She jumped at exactly the correct time to smoothly slip through the gaping opening into the void.
Steve's fingers brushed across her back in one last desperate attempt to stop her.
Then, there was nothing but air.
Cold, violent air.
Steve, I'm so sorry.
She turned as she was falling. She didn't want to see the fast-approaching ice.
Just for a brief moment, her blue eyes met Steve's equally blue ones.
I didn't want to leave you alone.
She saw him mouth her name but the wind rushed away the sound.
Then the plane was no longer above her and time was back to normal.
Please forgive me...
With a sickening crunch, backbone met ice and she was enveloped in a penetrating coldness. Then darkenss.. then she felt no more.
It's not the end of the story, we've only just begun. Don't forget to vote on my profile. I'll see you guys on Tuesday.