So, super short, but I wanted to get it out today.
Tiphanie: Yay! I could totally see you being an empath. You kind of are anyways. Steve is very guilty, though he may not show it on the outside. And I knew you would feel the baby brother thing, since I know you love yours so much. And you say you love me now...
Enjoy!
Anna refused to leave her sister's side as she recovered. She sat, staring at the wall, clutching her hand, refusing to even budge. She'd been out two days, and Anna hadn't moved once. Sam visited her, bringing her food, and to make sure she was still breathing. He knew she wouldn't sleep, so he didn't push it. She wouldn't talk either. Which upset him just a little. He was still hurt by what she did, but he wanted to forgive her. He wanted to talk to her. But he knew now wasn't the time. That was something he felt like he didn't have enough of. Time. He wished he could change time, change everything. Go back, keep her from being kidnapped, get to know who she was before HYDRA. Before everything.
"How is she?"
"Still hasn't said anything. I keep going in there to make sure she's breathing."
"I feel like I should apologize, but honestly I'm not sure she'd listen to me."
"Steve, you were just trying to think of the safety of your team. We weren't wrong to doubt her, she did lie to us."
"But she came clean. I know what it's like, to be willing to do anything to save the one you love. Even sneak away from an army base in tights and a stolen helmet, going against orders from my commander to save one hundred HYDRA prisoners, including the man that I love. How is what she did any different?"
Sam went to answer, but a loud beeping from the med bay made them both turn. Anna was on her feet, leaning over her sister. Sam could see her panic in the way her shoulders were squared. Bruce rushed into the room with two other staff members, both men watching as he tried to get Anna to leave, but she wouldn't. Steve saw her hands start to glow, and he shoved Sam towards the door, following him into the room.
"I'm not leaving her again!" Anna yelled, Steve quickly moving in between her and Bruce.
"Anna, you need to calm down." Sam said, grabbing her arm to pull her back.
She turned, hitting his chest with her hand, sending him flying back across the room. He hit the ground unconscious, his body seizing. Anna froze, her eyes widening in fear and shock at what she had just done. She turned to look at the shell shocked Steve and Bruce before running from the lab, heading towards the stairs. Steve ran after her, already on his phone. An alarm started blaring as Anna made her way to the stairs, running down them. She had to get out. She had to go somewhere safe.
She stopped as three guards came up the stairs, two more following her down. She was trapped, their weapons trained on her. One approached her, restraints in hand, and she panicked, kicking him in the chest. He hit the wall, knocked unconscious. She hit another guard, sending him down the stairs, using one of their guns to knock the other two out. The last one tripped her before she could run, pinning her to the floor. She flipped them, her hands glowing as he cried out in pain, the smell of burning flesh hitting her nose.
A gunshot sounded, and Anna fell to the side unconscious. Bucky stood at the top of the stairs, ICER in hand. The guard she had been burning alive was choking, coughing up blood.
"We need med staff down here, now." He said into his comm, heading down the stairs. None of the guards were dead, just injured. Some more severely than others. "Three guards injured, two unconscious."
''And the target?"
"Neutralized."
6 HOURS LATER
"I don't think locking her up was the right choice."
"She injured two of my staff members, nearly killed a third, sent Sam into a coma with possible brain damage, and nearly sent the Hulk into a rage. She's dangerous. She needs to be contained."
"Containing her won't help anything! She's scared. She was running off fear and anger."
"Then what do you want me to do? Keep her sedated until we can move her to a safer facility?"
"Move her?"
"She can't stay here, Steve. She's put us in jeopardy enough."
"You let Bucky stay, Tony. You let him stay even though he destroyed an entire floor of this tower. And yet, you let him stay. What's so different about her?"
"If I remember correctly, you were against believing what she said before. Going soft on me, grandpa?"
Steve wanted to say something. He wanted to punch Tony in the face. He wanted to do a lot of things, but he couldn't. "Tony, you can't cage a wild animal. Locking her up will only make things worse. It's not the way to handle this."
"Then how do you plan to handle it? Have her go on another rampage when she finds out what happened to Sam? What she did to her soulmate? What if she kills someone this time? Even I won't be able to protect her if that happens."
"You think you're protecting her? Locking her up like that? She needs someone to help her. She needs her sister. She needs us."
"She needs to be in a safe place where she won't hurt anyone."
"Isolating her is the worst thing you can do."
"Right now, it's our only option to keep her from running."
"She was trying to run because she was scared. Because we've treated her so badly."
"She's not telling us the whole truth, Steve. There's more to her than she's letting on. And I intend to find out the truth, without her trying to burn me alive. And if I have to lock her up to do it, then so be it."
"Are you listening to yourself, Tony? Can you think about someone else besides yourself for one moment? Can you look past your ego for one moment and think about what's good for Anna, instead of you? Locking her up makes you no better than HYDRA."
Steve stormed from the room, not trusting himself enough not to punch Tony through a wall. Anna needed help, she needed people she could trust. Not people who would treat her no better than HYDRA. And in that moment, they weren't any better than HYDRA.