The Riot
“What do we do?” Jared asked her nervously. She paced the hall for a few minutes, thinking, putting a finger up to Jared every time he asked her that. She stopped and looked up at him.
“Get in the car.” She told him. She pulled up the news on her phone and saw that there were indeed rioters in downtown Dallas. They were surrounding the police station, and there were officers armed in riot gear marching toward them.
What were they even rioting about? Yes, the world had gone to shit, but it was happening everywhere, nobody was getting singled out of that. Maybe they were rioting over living conditions, or jobs, or lack of goods. It was probably a combination of all three. Kat told Jared where to drive and it didn’t take them long to get there. He pulled over way down the street because there were cars and people everywhere. Kat turned to him and thrusted her hotel key into his hand.
“I want you to go to the store and buy a first aid kit, the biggest one you can find. Go back to our hotel room and wait. It’s room 2506.” She told him. He nodded. “Uh Kat? Why would I need a first aid kit?” He asked, afraid of the answer. She put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “Just in case okay?”
She hopped out of the car and started running toward the chaos, trying to find Steve. If she knew him at all, which she did, he would be trying to make some peace between the rioters and the police.
“Steve!” She yelled. A normal person probably wouldn’t be able to hear her, but with his enhanced hearing, Steve just might. She pushed through the crowd, making her way towards the police station. She was starting to get worried. There were more people here than she thought, and if this got more out of hand, a lot of people were going to get hurt. She was getting pushed forward as the rioters moved toward the police officers.
“Steve!” She yelled out again. She couldn’t see him anywhere. But then she heard him.
“Everyone! Please calm down. We can all work this out together. We are here to help.” She heard him say. She turned to see him standing atop the steps of the police station, talking into a microphone. That didn’t seem to please the rioters.
“Fuck you Captain America!”
“You should have saved everyone!”
“What good are you!”
“Some hero you are!”
Oh God. This wasn’t Steve’s fault. But after hearing this today, she knew he was going to be even harder on himself. She pushed as hard as she could, ducking under and around to people to get to him. They needed to get out of here. His presence was just agitating the rioters. She flew to the ground when she heard a gunshot. Then a second. And a third.
When she looked up Steve was no longer standing. He was lying on the steps of the police station with blood pooling out of him from two spots. Oh, fuck. He’d been shot. Everyone started running in every direction, screaming and crying. Kat screamed out Steve’s name again, pushing and getting pushed on her way to him. She finally made it up the stairs and slid to her knees next to Steve. “Steve, can you hear me?” She asked him. He turned his head and looked at her. “Kat, what are you doing here? I told you to stay at the school.” He said in his Captain tone. She pulled off the light jacket she had on and pressed it to his side, where the bigger amount of blood was coming from.
“Yeah well, we all know I don’t like to do what I’m told.” She said, wincing when he hissed out in pain. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” She said. “What have to get out of here. Can you stand?” She asked him. He nodded and went to sit up when another gunshot rang out, and Kat fell forward a little, bracing herself with her right arm, a searing pain in her left.
“Oh, fucking shit.” She gritted out, watching blood trickle down the side of her arm. Thankfully it had just grazed her, and when she looked up, she saw that the police had gotten the shooter down on the ground. That’s why it had missed her. If they hadn’t tackled him, it would have been much worse.
“Kat, are you okay?” Steve asked, tugging on her right arm. She nodded. “Yeah, just a graze, I’m fine. You’re not though. We need to go, where is your car.”
“At the back of the police station.” He told her. Okay. They could do this. She stood, then leaned down and put Steve arm over her shoulders, the one that didn’t have a bullet hole through it and helped him stand. She was barely able to hold him up, and he was so heavy. “Okay, come on. It’s not that far.”
They slowly made their way to the car, Kat fishing the keys out of Steve’s pocket. She got him in the backseat and ran around to the drivers and got in. She turned the car on and then turned to Steve. “I don’t know what to do.” She said softly.
“Hospital.” Steve whispered.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea Steve. What if they come there next? They weren’t happy with you being at the riot, that’s why you got shot. I can’t take you there and there’s only a first aid kit at the hotel room.” She told him. He nodded in agreement. There would be a media circus there anyway.
“Dammit, dammit, dammit.” Kat chanted, resting her head on the steering wheel. Then it was like a lightbulb went off in her head. “Enact Sparkles protocol.” She said and the screen in the center of the car came to life, the brilliant Stark Industries logo shining through. Before Tony had left and given her the keys to the car, he told her he had installed Friday if they ever needed anything or if there was an emergency.
“Good afternoon Katherine, I sense you are in distress, what can I do to help?” The cool female voice said as it entered the car. Steve raised an eyebrow at her.
“Friday, call Pepper Potts please.” She asked.
“Right away miss.”
It only took a few rings for Pepper to answer and Kat had never been so happy to hear her voice.
“Hello? Kat? Are you alright?” She asked.
“Not really Pepper, is Tony with you?” She asked.
“Right here Sparkles, what’s wrong.” Came Tony’s smooth voice. She relaxed, only slightly, before throwing a guilty glance at Steve. She knew they still weren’t on the best of terms, but they needed help.
“Steve and I are in Dallas setting up support groups and homes, and there was a riot, and things got bad, and well, Steve’s been shot, and I don’t know what to do and we can’t go to the hospital and-“ She rambled until Tony cut her off.
“Slow down Kat. Tell me what happened.” Tony said.
Kat took a deep breath, closing her eyes, trying to block out the pain from her arm. “There was a riot. Steve was trying to make peace, and someone shot him twice. Once in the shoulder, and once in the side. I think the shoulder is a through and through, but his side isn’t, and now there’s blood all over your car Tony I’m sorry.” She told them, her voice cracking.
“Okay, here’s what were gonna do. There’s a med kit in the trunk, in the back. Get that out, put pressure on his wounds. I’m gonna send Friday a gps location and you’re going to go to that and I’ll met you there in a jet with a doctor I trust. I can be there in an hour. Okay?” He told her.
“Okay.” She whispered, nodding. She glanced over at Steve who was looking worse by the minute. “Tony?”
“Yeah?”
“Please hurry, Steve doesn’t look so good.” She told him. There was a pause before he spoke. “I’ll be there as soon as I can Katherine. Don’t let him fall asleep okay?” The line disconnected and Kat jumped out of the car and ran to the trunk, wrenching it open and grabbing the giant medical bag. She got in the back of the car and Steve opened his eyes, squinting at her.
“Help is coming Steve, you’re gonna be okay. Just stay with me. You can’t fall asleep on me okay?” He nodded and grabbed her hand, squeezing it. “Will you sing for me? It might help me stay awake.”
She nodded. “Friday? Does this car have a self-drive feature?” She asked.
“Yes miss, would you like me to enable it and take you to boss’ meeting place?”
“Yes please, thank you Friday.”
‘You’re welcome Katherine.”
The car started moving as Kat took a deep breath and pulled out the gauze pads, opening them with shaking hands.
“You with the sad eyes, Don't be discouraged, oh I realize
It's hard to take courage, In a world full of people
You can lose sight of it all, The darkness inside you
Can make you feel so small”
She carefully leaned Steve forward so she could tape some gauze on the back of his shoulder, then gently sat him back against the seat. She took some more and pressed it into the front of his shoulder, taping it as well, and he whimpered in pain. “I’m sorry Steve, I’m so sorry.”
“Show me a smile then, Don't be unhappy
Can't remember when, I last saw you laughing
This world makes you crazy, And you've taken all you can bear
Just call me up, Cause I will always be there”
She moved her jacket off his side and more blood trickled out. “Oh God.” She said. She pressed the gauze into it and held it there. She maneuvered him so that his head was in her lap, and she pressed into his shoulder, which was bleeding steady still.
“Kat.” He whispered. She shook her head, a tear falling down her face. “No, don’t do that. Don’t fall asleep on me. Once a doctor sees you, the serum will heal you and you’ll be fine okay?”
“And I see your true colors, Shining through
I see your true colors, And that's why I love you
So, don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors are beautiful
Like a rainbow.”
She ran a hand through his hair as they waited. His breathing was evened out now, and he hummed every few minutes to let her know he was still away.
“Friday, how much longer?”
“Fifteen minutes miss. Boss would like me to tell you to just hold on a little longer.”
“Kat.” Steve said. “I’m so tired. I need to sleep okay, just five minutes.” She shook her head, placing a hand to his face. “No Steve, Tony is almost here okay? Please just stay awake for me okay?” She said. He didn’t respond to her.
“Steve?” She whispered, shaking him gently. He didn’t move. He was passed out. She put her forehead on his, tears sliding down her face.
“Please wake up Steve, please don’t leave me.”