The Last Stand
Steve's brow furrowed as he looked down at Katy's sleeping form, his hands clasped together in front of him. They had managed to make it to a secret SHIELD facility, directed by Agent Hill, where yet another bombshell had dropped. Nick Fury was alive. He had faked his death, something which left a bad taste in Steve's mouth. He had a lot of questions for his now-former boss, but they would have to wait. Steve's head shot up as he heard footsteps approaching, relaxing when he saw Sam limping over to him.
"How is she?" Sam inquired, as Steve ran a hand over his face.
"Still breathing. Whatever Rumlow gave her, it was strong. She hasn't stirred since we brought her out of the van" Steve replied, as Sam came to sit beside him.
"C'mon then. What is it? If you frown any harder your gonna' get wrinkles, man" Sam stated, watching Steve let out a long sigh.
"I should have known" Steve muttered, in a quiet voice.
"About Bucky? Now how the hell could you have known?" Sam complained, as Steve shook his head.
"I should have looked for him. I should have found his body—" Steve went on, but was immediately cut off by Sam.
"There was a war going on, Steve. I hate to say it, but your friend wasn't the only man left behind" Sam explained.
"And now? I let them take him. Again…I could have saved him" Steve mumbled, with clenched fists.
"Is that why you're so determined to help her?" Sam guessed, ushering to Katy's sleeping form.
"She's been there for Bucky when I couldn't be. I'm pretty sure that means I owe her something" Steve retorted.
"Steve, I need you to listen to me when I say this, alright? I've met a whole lot of broken people in my time, but those two? Jesus, man. Hydra has stripped everything from them. There's barely anything left—" Sam went on, as Steve cut him off quickly.
"So, what? I should just give up on them?" Steve snapped, anger burning behind his eyes.
"No. Of course not. We need to try. But…you need to accept that this might not be something you can fix. You can't save everyone, Cap" Sam explained, watching Steve shake his head, ruefully.
"Are you trying to convince me…or yourself, Sam?" Steve pointed out, as a small smile twitched on the other's man's lips.
"You always been such a pain in the ass?" Sam scoffed, causing Steve to huff out a laugh.
"Pretty much—" Steve started but was cut off by a panicked cry.
Katy suddenly bolted upright, her hands clutching at her neck, her gaze out of focus. She was trembling as Steve reached out to touch her arm, only realising a second too late that it was a mistake. Katy let out a louder scream this time, pushing herself to her feet, stumbling away from him as her eyes darted around their dim surroundings.
"Katy! Katy, it's us! You're okay, you're safe!" Steve called out to her, seeing how she was panting.
Her eyes snapped to his, a hint of recognition behind them but the shaking of her body continued. She started clutching at her chest, seeming to gasp for air, eyes bulging. Steve cautiously approached her; his hands high in the air to show he wasn't a threat.
"I…I can't…" Katy stuttered, barely able to get the words out.
It was clear now that Katy was hyperventilating, her face growing red, chest heaving from exertion. Steve's own eyes widened as he watched the lights above them flicker, the bulbs dimming even further. He shared a concerned look with Sam, who began to approach Katy, knowing all too well how important it was that they calmed her down.
"It's alright, Katy. Keep your eyes on me, alright?" Sam insisted, as Katy shook her head violently.
"N-no…I can't…can't breathe…" Katy panted, looking like she was close to passing out.
"Yes, you can. You're panicking, but I'm gonna' help you, yeah?" Sam informed her, seeing how her forehead wrinkled, not seeming to understand what he was saying.
"Give me your hand" He instructed, as she immediately did so.
"One…two…three…" Sam exclaimed, slowly extending her fingers as he counted.
He continued his count until he had all ten of her fingers extending against his palm and ordered her to start counting with him.
"O-one…two…three…four…five…" Katy wheezed, holding up her shaky fingers by herself this time.
"That's it. Keep counting. Six…seven…eight…nine…ten" Sam told her, slowly pulling away until she was doing the action by herself.
She soon lost count of how many times she had counted to ten, and found her voice slowly began to steady, as did her hands. She let out a long breath, feeling the tightness in her chest start to decrease as Sam placed his hand on her shoulder.
"There you go. Using your head, voice and touch…best way to get out of a panic attack. It's alright. You're safe" Sam told her, giving her shoulder a small squeeze.
"What's wrong with me?" Katy mumbled, running a hand through her hair.
"You just got scared, that's all. There's nothing wrong with that, Katy" Sam insisted, but she didn't appear convinced.
"…I was…I think I was dreaming…or it might have been a memory…Rumlow was…" Katy trailed off, tapping at her neck, as Sam decided he didn't want her to finish that sentence.
"He's not here now" Sam stated.
"He has Buck. We need to get him back. I promised him" Katy muttered, through her chapped lips.
"We will" Steve insisted, as he caught her gaze.
"I'm gonna' go check on Natasha" Sam mumbled, a few moments later, deciding the pair needed a moment alone.
"…I'm sorry…" Katy trailed off, watching Steve's forehead wrinkle.
"What are you talking about?" Steve frowned.
"I shouldn't have run without Buck. He should be here now. Not me" Katy muttered, as Steve reached out to touch her arm, with caution.
"Hey, don't say that. I'm glad you're here. We were all worried about you" Steve admitted, watching her eyes widen a fraction.
"You were?" Katy asked, with a twitch of her lips.
"Of course. You're one of us now, Katy" Steve replied, as her smile grew larger, as she seemed to decide something in her head.
"He remembered you, Captain. Buck. He used to dream about you a lot" Katy admitted, as Steve inhaled sharply, his eyes instantly starting to water.
"You're sure?" Steve questioned, causing Katy to nod quickly.
"Yes. He remembered when you were small. He…he called you Stevie" Katy replied, as a smile grew on Steve's own face.
Katy watched in confusion as a tear rolled down the blond's cheek a moment later, confused as to why he was suddenly crying. She reached out innocently to brush the tear away, watching as Steve's face scrunched up in pain. Perhaps she shouldn't have told him. She never wanted to hurt Steve.
"Have I said something wrong?" Katy inquired, watching Steve shake his head.
"No…no. It's good. Thank you for telling me" Steve smiled.
"Then why are you crying?" Katy pushed, her tone filled with concern.
"Because I'm happy" Steve said, with a small laugh, causing Katy's brow to furrow.
"You can be very strange sometimes, Captain" Katy pointed out, making Steve laugh a little harder.
"You know, you can call me Steve now, right?" He stated, as Katy mulled over it for a few seconds.
"Thank you…Steve" Katy replied, in a proud tone.
"Can I…can I ask you something?" Katy queried, a moment later, seeming to have remembered something, earning a quick nod from the blond.
"When is Buck's birthday? He could never remember it" Katy explained, as Steve's smile slowly fell.
"March 10th" Steve answered, the date having been burnt into his memory a long time ago.
"We should tell him that when we find him" Katy suggested.
"We will…" Steve trailed off, a question on his lips.
"He asked you to call him Buck?" Steve asked, as Katy nodded in response.
"It's the only name he remembered. It's what you used to call him" Katy pointed out, causing Steve to let out a shaky breath.
"Did he—" Steve began, but a voice cut him off before he could finish his sentence.
"Hey, Cap. You're gonna' want to hear this!" Sam called out to him, as the pair turned to him, unease seeping into them when they saw his stern expression.
Katy listened intently to the group discussing their next moves, while she stayed in the room she had awoken in, knowing it wasn't her place to be involved in such decisions. Their voices echoed through the abandoned facility as they spoke about how they planned to bring down the helicarriers. They would need to swap out a server blade on each of the three crafts, something which would be extremely dangerous, if not impossible. It sounded like a suicide mission to Katy.
"One or two won't cut it. We need to link all three carriers for this to work, because if even one of those ships remains operational…a whole lot of people are gonna die" Agent Hill exclaimed, as Katy crept closer to the door, listening carefully.
She had heard of Maria Hill before, and knew she was a resourceful and experienced Agent, one which even those in Hydra was wary of. Katy knew there was no need to question her loyalty to the group. Hill was someone who would do what needed to be done.
"We have to assume everyone aboard those carriers is Hydra" Nick Fury continued, as Katy peaked out from behind the door, eyes sweeping over the older man.
He wasn't as intimidating as she had been expecting. She remembered Rumlow telling her once of the rumours of how Nick Fury had lost his eye, in a mocking tone. He hadn't thought much of SHIELD's director. Rumlow always had a way of underestimating people, and Katy had a feeling Nick Fury was a good example of that.
"We need to get past them, insert the server blades, and maybe, just maybe, we can salvage what's left—" Nick began, but was quickly cut off by Steve.
"We're not salvaging anything. We're not just taking down the carriers, Nick, we're taking down SHIELD" Steve stated, firmly.
"SHIELD had nothing to do with it" Nick retorted, in a challenging tone.
"You're wrong" Katy announced, the words tumbling out of her mouth before she could stop herself.
"Excuse me?" Nick's voice boomed, tilting his head to glare at her from where she was still standing in the doorway.
Katy's eyes darted over to Steve's for a second, unsure if she should continue talking. Interrupting a superior officer would have resulted in a beating in Hydra's ranks. It still felt wrong. Steve appeared to notice her uneasiness and nodded for her to approach them, interested in what she had to say.
"Over forty per cent of SHIELD agents are loyal to Hydra, the majority of those in high-ranking positions. Every part of the organisation has been infected. They know everything" Katy went on, watching Nick quirk an eyebrow.
"They? From what I hear, you were a part of Hydra only last week" Nick pointed out, as Steve slammed his hand down on the table in front of him.
"She was brainwashed. She didn't have a damn choice. Hydra, SHIELD…they all took away her choices" Steve spat out, as Nick's jaw tensed.
"And how many people has SHIELD saved? The whole country will fall into chaos without us—" Nick began, but Katy was quick to cut him off, approaching the table with rigid shoulders.
"Hydra believes the same thing. That the world needs to be brought to order. Is that your belief, Director?" Katy challenged, as Fury's mouth went slack for a moment.
"You know I didn't mean it like that" Nick stated.
"Hydra was only able to commit the crimes they did because of SHIELD. Because of the control and power the organisation has. If anything remains, Hydra will find a way to resurrect itself again" Katy warned, as Natasha let out a long sigh.
"Cut off one head, and two more grow in its place" The redhead muttered, in a dark tone.
"She has a point, Nick" Maria nodded, as the older man ran a hand over his face.
"Are you really sure the world is ready to hear this truth?" Nick questioned.
"People might surprise you" Katy stated, turning to her friends with a small smile.
"I'm guessing you didn't bring her along just to rip me a new one?" Nick scoffed, turning to face Steve and Natasha.
"We brought her because she's saved our asses more than once. If anyone's going to bring down Hydra for good…it's her" Natasha announced, as the two women shared a fond look.
"Sounds like there's a place on the team for you, kid. You in?" Nick asked, leaning back in his chair.
"Your plan has an eighty-nine per cent chance of failing and will likely result in the deaths of everyone in this room" Katy responded, as silence came over them all, appearing shocked by her blunt words.
"…I like those odds" Katy exclaimed, with a small grin.
"Time to suit up then" Steve smiled back at her, placing his hand on her shoulder for a moment, giving a tight squeeze.
Katy watched with unease as the group prepared themselves, all of them suiting up apart from Steve who was planning to take one of his old suits from a museum he appeared to know well. Natasha would not be joining them on their mission, as she would instead attempt to infiltrate the World Security Council, a task that made Katy's heart race a little faster. She knew if the redhead made one wrong move, she would be killed. Natasha would have no backup. She was on her own.
"So, what do you think?" Natasha questioned, approaching Katy who had been staring off into space.
Katy's eyebrows shot up as she took in the blue dress Natasha was now wearing, expensive jewels covering her neck…and a brand-new face. They had spoken about how Natasha would be wearing a disguise, but Katy never realised that would mean she wouldn't even be able to recognise her friend. Even Natasha's voice had somehow changed. After getting over her initial shock, Katy debated on what her response should be, figuring humour would be suitable.
"…It's an improvement" Katy responded, with a lopsided grin.
Natasha's mouth went slack for a second, before she let out an amused snort, quirking an eyebrow at the younger girl. Natasha could never predict what Katy would say next.
"I was attempting a joke. Sam told me that humour may improve my people skills" Katy explained, as Natasha shook her head, fondly.
"Your people skills don't seem too bad to me" Natasha replied, as Katy's grin grew a little wider.
"I think the lack of stabbing and shooting at you has helped" Katy added, making Natasha laugh once more.
"…You know, you can miss this fight out, right? No one would blame you" Natasha pointed out, coming to sit beside the brunette.
"I would" Katy replied.
"They'll be there. Rumlow. And Bucky. You'll have to fight them both" Natasha went on.
"I won't be alone" Katy stated, her eyes flickering over to Sam and Steve who were discussing their next moves.
"Make sure you come back in one piece" Natasha exclaimed, patting the girl on the leg, as she went to stand up, but was stopped as Katy's hand grabbed onto her arm.
"You must not hesitate on your mission. Hydra will not. The true believers will give their lives without a second thought to ensure the helicarriers fly" Katy explained, as Natasha slowly nodded.
"So will I" Natasha admitted, watching Katy's face fall.
"…If it was between stopping Hydra or your death, I would choose you, Natasha. You are more important than any singular mission" Katy explained, as the redhead's eyes softened, her lips twitching into a smile.
"Even after everything they've done?" Natasha asked.
"You have misunderstood my words. You are more important to me" Katy insisted, watching as Natasha seemed to become choked up with emotions.
"Увидимся скоро" Natasha smiled, reaching down to hold the younger girl's hand, giving her a reassuring squeeze.
Katy suddenly lunged forward, pulling Natasha into a hug, resting her chin on the redhead's shoulder. Natasha clung onto her for a few moments, wrapping her arms around her friend's back, amazed at how much she had already changed in the past few days. The girl didn't even seem to understand what a hug was or what it meant before.
"Будь осторожен" Katy exclaimed, pulling away, as Natasha gave a sharp nod.
She then turned on her heel to walk over to Nick Fury, who had been watching the pair, the surprise evident on his face. Neither woman were usually so open about their feelings, but perhaps that's what made their friendship so easy. They had an understanding that few could ever comprehend. Katy hoped Natasha would remember her fondly. She didn't believe she would ever see the Avenger again. Katy had helped bring Project Insight into a reality, and she would give her life to make sure the helicarriers never saw the light of day.
The Winter Soldier felt lost. Disorientated. Confused. He had failed a mission. He was supposed to kill two high profile targets, but something had got in the way. That girl. He had seen her before. She was…familiar.
Bucky.
That's what his target had called him. The name seemed right somehow. Perhaps it was an old codename? Was that where he knew the pair from, had they worked together before? No. They had been…the word was on the tip of his tongue—
"Mission report" A voice echoed, a figure coming into his peripheral vision.
"Mission report now" The voice repeated, more firmly this time.
All of a sudden a hand was colliding with his cheek, causing the Soldier to straighten his back and meet the eyes of the person who had hit him. Alexander Pierce. Hydra's leader. His primary handler.
"The man on the bridge…who was he?" The Winter Solider inquired, the words tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them.
"You met him earlier this week on another assignment" Pierce replied.
The Winter Soldier brow furrowed, as the image of the blond flashed behind his eyes. He was important. Something about the man's blue eyes made his chest tighten and an emotion grow inside of him. Longing?
"I knew him" The Soldier mumbled, unsurely.
"Your work has been a gift to mankind. You shaped the century. And I need you to do it one more time. Society's at a tipping point between order and chaos. And today, we're going to give it a push. But if you don't do your part, I can't do mine. And Hydra can't give the world the freedom it deserves" Pierce informed him.
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
Hydra was the enemy. He worked for Hydra. He wanted freedom. He wanted order. Which was right? His head burnt with uncertainty. He wanted things back the way they used to be with…
"Katy…where is she?" The Winter Soldier spoke up, meeting Pierce's eyes for the first time.
"The Machine. She has become defective. She needs to be brought to order, no matter the cost" Pierce corrected him, watching the man in front of him frown.
A memory flashed before him, the girl in question had her arms wrapped around him, but not in the form of an attack. It was…comforting. Their words echoed in his mind, as he shut his eyes and tried to concentrate.
Even if they wipe me again…I'll come back for you. I promise.
That was his voice. His promise to Katy. He was supposed to find her. But not to bring her back to Hydra. They were supposed to get away. To be…free.
"I-I need to find her" Bucky exclaimed, eyes wide as they darted around the room.
"It's as I told you, Sir. He's fixated. Obsessed. He needs to be wiped" Another voice announced, as the Winter Soldier turned to face the person who had spoken.
Agent Rumlow. He had to force himself to stay in the chair, as a sudden urge came over him to rip the man limb from limb. Something burned inside him when he looked at the agent. He knew it had something to do with Katy, but he couldn't remember what. Rumlow had hurt her, that's all he knew.
"It seems you were right, Rumlow. Prep him" Pierce ordered, as the Soldier felt his heart stop for a split second.
He knew what that meant. He knew the pain that was about to come. He didn't fight the hands that pushed him down or the restraints that wrapped around his arms. He accepted the mouth guard gratefully, remembering how once he had awoken to find half his teeth chipped, and his tongue a bloody mess. His flesh hand shook violently beside him, as he balled his hand into a fist, chest heaving up and down. He couldn't stop the muffled scream that left his lips as he felt the metal entrap his skull, as pain ripped down his entire body. His ears rung with the sound of his own cries, a coppery taste growing in his mouth that he recognised as blood. His arms strained against the chair, the pain growing too much for him to bear. He needed to escape. He needed to find…to find…
He couldn't remember.
Katy kept her head down as she walked through the halls of the helicarriers, trying her best to hide the limp she still had from her fight with the Winter Soldier. Getting onto the craft had been easier than expected, as she was dressed in a black SHIELD uniform, and followed a group who had been heading for the helicarriers. She didn't know whether they were SHIELD or Hydra, not that it really mattered, she supposed. She had a mission. She would ensure it was completed. She slipped away from the group soon enough, walking down to the next level of the aircraft. The helicarriers were similar to a maze, but eventually, she found herself on the lowest level, just above the glass dome of the hull where the sever blades would be. It was then that she heard Steve's broadcast over the aircraft's speakers, informing everyone in the Triskelion. She slowed her pace when she heard footsteps down the hallway, and quietly pulled her gun from its thigh holster. With silent steps, she peeked around the last corner to find a group of agents covering the stairwell. None of them seemed surprised by Steve's words, as he finished his speech, stating the price of freedom was high, but it was one he was willing to take. And so was she. There was no other way to the hull, she had thoroughly reviewed the schematics of the ships. Her eyes darted around, counting seventeen agents before she backed away, composing herself for her attack. Something similar to fear crept up her spine, but she immediately pushed it aside. She had no time for fear.
Katy crept out of the shadows, approaching the nearest agent who had his back to her. She kicked the back of his shin, throwing him off balance, before grabbing him by his hair and slamming his head into the wall, the sickening cracking sound echoing down the hallway. She could tell the man had died on impact from the way he flopped into her arms. The other agents quickly began firing on her, as she used their teammate as a human shield, covering her from their onslaught. Raising her gun, she rained bullets down on them, managing to get three headshots, watching the agents closest to her drop to the floor with a thud. Her bullets soon ran out, as she threw the dead body in her arms towards an agent who was charging at her. She then turned on her heel and raced back behind the wall to begin to reload her gun. She managed to arm herself within a few seconds, eyes flickering up to see an agent sprinting towards her. He was on her before she had time to take aim, instead opting to strike the man in the face with the barrel of her gun. He stumbled backwards, making it easy for her to sweep him off his feet with an efficient kick. Katy then shot the man in the head, before stepping over his body and rushing out from behind the wall. Two bullets hit an agent directly in front of her, as he fell backwards against his teammate, throwing off the man's aim. Katy let out a cry as a bullet whizzed past her hand, causing her to lose her grip on her gun, which clattered to the floor. With a growl, she reached down to pull a pocketknife from her belt, sending it towards the agent who had shot her, watching as it hit him in the neck, causing blood to spurt out. Racing towards him, she plucked the knife from his skin, as the man dropped to the ground, dead before he hit the floor. Katy then charged towards the next agent, slicing his arms into ribbons, before headbutting him in the face, and wrestling him for his gun. With a hard shove, she managed to grab the gun, and quickly shot the man in the face. She crouched down to the floor then, using his dead body to shield her, as bullets whizzed past her, missing her head by mere inches.
"Strike! We need backup on Alpha Helicarrier. The Machine is here, we can't—" An agent had begun to radio in for help but was quickly cut off as Katy's knife hurtled through the air, hitting him in the chest, right where his heart was.
She managed to get a direct hit on the agent beside him a second later, as their bodies flopped to the ground simultaneously. Four men remained, their hands shaking as they used up the last of their ammo. Katy slid to the ground, as their bullets uselessly hit their fallen comrade. Thirty seconds later, she could hear their guns clicking but no bullets leaving their chambers. They were defenceless. Throwing her arm out, she shot an agent directly in the head with ease, before turning the gun to the next agent, who ducked at the last moment, her bullet whizzing past him. Knowing she to was out of ammo, she threw her gun towards the man, striking him in the head, disorientating him. She jumped over the dead body in front of her, marching towards him and striking him in the face with the heel of her foot. She then crouched down and pulled him into a headlock, pulling until she felt his neck snap underneath the force. One of the remaining men then charged towards her, grabbing her by the waist and throwing her into a nearby wall. The other man was racing towards her instantly, his hand going to her neck, as he dragged her upwards. He then pulled a knife from his thigh holster and raised his arm in the air. Katy managed to grab his wrist just as the knife brushed against the skin of her chest. The man's eyes widened as she clenched her fist, letting out a howl as she crushed the bones in his wrist. He dropped the knife from his hand a second later, which Katy easily caught in her free palm. She then plunged the knife into the man's eye, killing him instantly, as she shoved his body away from her. She then turned to the other man, who stumbled backwards, a look of horror on his face.
"P-please, I…I didn't want to…I'm sorry…please don't—" He was cut off as Katy lunged forward, grabbing him by the neck.
"You had a choice. I never did" Katy spat out, gripping the man's neck tighter, as he gasped for breath.
Just as the man's eyes rolled into the back of his head, a realisation hit Katy. She did have a choice this time. No one was ordering her what to do. She had the freedom to make her own decisions. What good would she do by killing the man in front of her? With a sigh, she threw the man to the ground, who was still panting heavily, trying desperately to catch his breath. She wasn't going to be like Hydra.
Swapping the server blades was an easy task, taking less than ten seconds to complete. The issue was her escape. She had barricaded herself in the glass dome that contained the server drive, but that meant there was no way out. She could hear agents banging on the door, gunshots ringing out as they tried desperately to get to her. With no other choice, she pressed a finger to her earpiece, her hands becoming sweaty.
"Alpha lock. In need of extraction" Katy announced, eyes flickering to the metal door as she heard a power tool turning on.
"I'm on my way. Where are you?" Sam replied, immediately.
"The hull of the ship. I've got thirty seconds" Katy advised, jumping down onto the glass below the walkway, moving onto one of the metal beams.
She then slammed her foot down on the glass with all her strength, watching as it started to splinter. With another hard kick, the glass shattered below, as the sudden wind from outside threatened to throw her off balance. Katy's head snapped up as the metal door swung open, and over a dozen agents poured out into the glass dome, their guns raised.
"Make that five seconds" Katy exclaimed into her comms.
"Wait—" Sam's cry was cut off, as Katy jumped down from the beam, beginning to freefall towards the river below.
She kept her arms and legs raised out, hoping to slow herself down somewhat when she felt a hand grab her shoulder, stopping her sharp descent. She looked up to see Sam grinning down at her, his mechanical wings pushing them back up into the sky.
"Heading towards Bravo Helicarrier" Sam announced, as he flew them towards the second aircraft.
They were only a few metres away from the helicarrier when a Quinjet appeared in front of them, having had its cloaking technology on. Sam came to a sudden halt, his eyes widened as the ship's guns took aim at them. But no gunfire ever came. His eyes flickered down to find Katy's hand raised out, her face contorted with strain. Her fingers flicked upwards as the ship changed direction, it's guns now aimed at the glass dome nearby.
"I'm so glad you're on our team, man" Sam smirked, as they watched the Quinjet's gunfire break the glass of the structure.
He watched as she then made her hand into a fist, hearing the aircraft's engines splutter a moment later before it was hurtling down towards the river below. Sam was then pulling them upwards, flying through the gap in the glass and dropping Katy down onto the metal walkway.
"Now, that's what I'm talking about!" Sam cheered, as he raised his hand out in the air.
"High five, yeah?" Sam pointed out, ushering to his hand.
Katy frowned at him, the confusion evident on her face, raising her hand in the air, nonetheless. Sam snorted out a laugh, as he watched her jump onto her tiptoes, thinking he was trying to see who could lift their hand higher.
"Glad I didn't try a fist bump" Sam chuckled, as Katy tilted her head, dropping her hand.
Sam then patted her on the shoulder, as the pair went rushing towards the server blades. Once they stopped the Bravo helicarrier only one would remain. By now Steve would already be on the aircraft, perhaps only seconds from locking Hydra out as well. Katy allowed a smile on her face as they reached the drive, watching as Sam typed in the code to bring the blades down. A loud bang had her smile dropping, eyes flickering down as she felt a sharp pain in her stomach a second later. Her eyes widened when she watched her shirt become stained a red colour, reaching down with her hand to see blood dripping down onto her fingers.
"Sam" Katy mumbled, in a quiet voice as he turned to her in horror.
"Shit—" Sam cried, as he ducked for cover, just in time as a bullet whizzed past his head.
Katy fell to her knees, pain radiating from her stomach with every muscle she moved. Her eyes found a bloody bullet on the floor beside her, only then realising she had been shot. She looked up to see a figure moving towards them, feeling her heart stop.
Rumlow.
Katy started to desperately try to crawl away, leaving a slowly growing trail of blood behind her. Just as Rumlow came to loom over her, his face contorted in a scowl, Sam lunged at him, almost sending them both tumbling onto the glass below. Rumlow was quick to headbutt the other man, before elbowing him in the face, and shoving him away. Rumlow then raised his gun out, aiming for Sam's head, who managed to grab Rumlow's wrist at the last second, pushing the gun down, but not before it fired, a bullet piercing through his thigh. Sam let out a cry of pain, but didn't lessen his grip on Rumlow's hand, wrestling the Hydra agent for the gun. Rumlow suddenly kicked out at Sam with his leg, throwing Sam off balance, and allowing him to get the upper hand. Katy let out a scream as Rumlow then slammed the barrel of his gun down onto Sam's skull, disorientating the man further. Sam still didn't give up, kicking out at the older man, who managed to block the blow with his other hand. He then struck Sam again in the head with the gun, watching as Sam flopped to the ground, blood now dripping from his forehead. Meanwhile, Katy had managed to push herself up to her feet and was stumbling towards the pair.
"You chose the wrong side" Rumlow muttered, aiming his gun between Sam's eyes, finger ready on the trigger.
Suddenly, he felt something collide with his back, and a moment later he was tumbling off the metal walkway onto the glass below. Rumlow blacked out for a split-second, his eyes fluttering open to find Katy beside him, breathing heavily and clutching at her bleeding stomach. Realising she must have thrown them both off the walkway, he went to grab her, a furious expression on his face.
"You're really becoming a thorn in my side, you know that, Rookie?" Rumlow snapped, grabbing her by the hair, roughly.
"Likewise" Katy snapped, her hand slipping into her belt, fingers finding the push dagger she had been equipped with.
She then slammed the dagger down into Rumlow's hand, who let out a howl, pulling backwards and clawing at the blade implanted in the back of his hand. While he was struggling, Katy sent a hard kick to his face, knocking him onto his back. Her eyes widened as she spotted his gun a few metres away, and began to crawl towards it, almost slipping on the blood that was dripping out of her stomach. She let out a cry when she felt a hand grab onto her leg, trying to pull her back. Using all her strength, she lunged forward to grab the weapon, fingers wrapping around the handle. She was then tugged backwards and thrown onto her back. Rumlow's eyes went wide as she suddenly raised the gun at him, appearing taken aback by this action. Without a second thought, Katy pulled the trigger, her hand shaking when no bullet left the chamber. She pulled the trigger again and again, but nothing more than a click happened, watching a smirk pull at Rumlow's lips.
"I never wanted it to end like this" Rumlow sighed, as he roughly shoved the gun out of her hand.
"But you've given me no choice…" Rumlow trailed off, as Katy tried to kick out at him, only for him to dodge the blow.
She let out a piercing scream as he sent a hard punch to her stomach, the pain being so severe that she almost blacked out from it. Suddenly hands were wrapped around her neck, suffocating her slowly as her face reddened. She tried to hit out at Rumlow, but she was growing weaker by the second, her offence doing little to throw him off. Raising her hand out, she grabbed his face, her thumb pushing down against his left eye until she felt blood beginning to stain her thumb. Rumlow let out a scream of pain, trying to brush her hand away, but refused to pull his own hands away from her neck. Katy pushed her thumb deeper into the socket, feeling something pop underneath, as blood now dripped down her hand. With a shout, Rumlow suddenly slammed her head against the glass below, causing her to lose her grip on his face, as the glass below them splintered from the force. By now, Katy was letting out small gasps, her lips beginning to turn blue, hands shaking as they clawed at his hands. Her vision soon began to turn black, her heart threatening to beat out of her chest as she let out a gurgled gasp.
"We could have had everything! I fucking loved you!" Rumlow cried, his grip tightening further as Katy could feel herself slipping away.
"Well, I…fucking…hate you!" Katy spat out, before raising her fist into the air.
Rumlow realised what she was doing a second too late, as Katy slammed her fist down onto the glass that was already splintered below them. A look of horror dawned on his face as the glass shattered below them, and they were falling. His hands fell away from her, as the wind whizzed past her, and Katy took one last deep breath. She found that she wasn't scared as she continued to fall. She had done all she could.
Maybe this was how it always needed to end.