Repercussions
Their was a silence in the room that no one had any intention in breaking. Every one had been briefed about what had just occurred an hour ago. Bruce was used to loss at the table, but he hadn't expected for Angel to be one of those medical failures. Wanda was stifling tears while Pietro refused to look at her. He knew he shouldn't blame her but Pietro couldn't help himself. As for Bucky, he was still in shock. Something in his mind was refusing to believe that she was actually dead.
The other part of the team were surprised at the news. They hadn't even spoke a word to the girl and now she was dead. Pushing their feelings aside, Steve and Tony took it upon themselves to make sure the team would get past this. Sam was ready to offer any counseling needed, though he needed a bit of time to recover from the very mutual shock.
"Should we recount what happened?" Natasha pipes in. "Because I was watching the whole thing and I am still very confused as to how this happened."
Bruce sighed at this, rubbing his face before leaning over the table.
"I administered some drugs to help her sleep. The mask on her face was meant to release the gas in short doses to keep her unconscious. She fell into an induced sleep and the drugs were still being given to her but it seems that her body adapted to it. Hence, why she woke up mid-procedure."
Bruce took a deep breath before continuing.
"Angel was already afraid of having the mask placed on her. I theorize it had something to do with Hydra's treatment of her, perhaps they placed her in a muzzle or something along those lines. Anyways, Bucky an I managed to convince her into putting on the mask. When Angel woke from her sleep, she started to have a panic attack and Wanda wasn't able to stop the already unwired tracking device from cutting her. She died due to major blood loss."
There was their awaited explanation and no one could find the words to respond.
"How could you have not noticed?"
Everyone snapped their heads to Bucky who's head was hanging low. His crystal blue eyes were on fire and the tension in his seated stance was a cause of alarm for most of them.
"Excuse me?" Bruce asks him.
"How did you not notice that her body could adapt to this?" Bucky exclaims. "You ran a complete check-up on her! How did you not notice?"
"What kind of medical exam could I have run that would have shown me this?" Bruce argues back. "There is no way I could have known her tolerance to the drug."
"You should have been more prepared!"
"She knew the risks of this procedure and she still wanted to take them." Bruce continues to respond. His temper rising. "It is not my fault, neither it's Tony or Wanda's fault, for Angel's decision. This is a result we all warned her about but she still wanted the procedure. Don't blame me for your decision to support her in this."
Natasha placed a hand on Bruce's shoulder, motioning him to leave the room. She was already sensing his other self wanting to make a presence. Natasha led Bruce out of the room and Bucky was left to silently contemplate what the doctor had just said to him.
"He's right." Bucky muttered under his breath as he rubbed his tired eyes. "This is my fault."
"Buck..." Steve calls out to him, but Bucky had already risen from his seat and was leaving the room in defeat.
She was laughing at him. The Soldier couldn't recall what he had said to make that beautiful sound escape her lips but she was laughing. She ran away from him every time he tried to reach for her, escaping his grasp by a mere second. She would laugh again and run further down the hall. Her dress was a midnight black, flapping around her as she ran further and further down the hall.
"вы так медленно, солдат" her voice taunted him.
(You are so slow, soldier)
"если я поймаю тебя, то игра закончена." the Soldier said smiling at her.
(If I catch you, then the game is over.)
"возможно," she answered. "но если вы ловите меня, то вы получите приз."
(Perhaps, but if you catch me, you'll win a prize.)
"И что этот приз будет?"
(And what will that prize be?)
"Что бы вы хотели, чтобы это было," she giggles out, continuing to escape his grasp once more.
(Whatever you want it to be.)
The Soldier looked around the deserted hallways. Their current station being an old one, all of the security cameras were inactive.
"Мы не должны быть здесь слишком долго," the Soldier warned her. "Они будут наказывать нас за это."
(We shouldn't be out here too long. They'll punish us for it.)
The smile that once graced her face slowly fades away. He hated himself for being the voice of reason in the situation, but for the safety of them both, he had too.
"Еще несколько минут больше, пожалуйста?" she asked him quietly. "Мы никогда не видели друг друга больше ... не то, что я помню, так или иначе."
(Just a few more minutes more, please? We never see each other anymore... not that I remember anyways.)
The Soldier couldn't help but give in to her whims. She was right. They never paired them up anymore and if they did, it was wiped out of him.
She smiled at him, illuminating the room once more. He began to go after her and she continued to slip through his hold. They made it out onto the balcony in which the Soldier was finally able to corner her between the railing and himself.
"Я вам, красивый." the Soldier states as she just looked for a way to slip from his hold. "Теперь, где мой приз?"
(I got you, beautiful. Now where's my prize?)
She looked up at him with such joy before looking behind her. There was a mischievous glint in her eyes before she pressed a kiss on his cheek and turned away from him.
"Вы хотите узнать секрет?" she asked him.
(Would you like to know a secret?)
The Soldier was confused at her question. What possible secret could she have that he already didn't know?
She turned back to face him with a very crazed smile. She let go of his arms and pulled herself over the railing. Before the Soldier could make sense of what she was doing, she flung herself back. The Soldier immediately ran to the ledge, his heart in his throat, waiting for her body to hit the floor.
Bucky woke up with a light layer of sweat on his skin. The sheets were tangled around him due to his incessant twists and turns. He placed his hand on his chest, feeling how fast his heart was beating. Bucky knew that Jarvis must have already sent out a message to Steve, warning him of his night terror, because he could hear Steve rushing to his room. Right as the bedroom door swung open, Bucky was getting out of bed and shrugging a shirt on.
"What's going on?" Steve asks him, any evidence of sleep was gone from his face.
"Get out of my way," Bucky grits out as he made his way out. Steve was pushed into the wall as Bucky stormed out of his room and made his way towards the medical bay.
"Bucky, what's going on?" Steve asks him concerned. "What did you remember?"
Bucky ignored his question as he had a set image in his mind. Her body falling over the ledge was being played on loop in his mind. Over and over again, Bucky could see Angel's smile that was directed towards him before she made the jump.
Steve followed after him, a few steps behind as Bucky entered the medical bay. No one was in there this late at night.
"Do you mind telling me what's going on?" Steve asks him once more. He just wanted to know what was causing this out-of-character behavior. "Are you ok? Are you hurt?"
Once again, Bucky ignored his question as he pushed the doors of the morgue open. He stopped as he looked at the wall of freezers that could contain her. Steve stood beside him, confused as to what would lead Bucky here.
"Buck, what are you..." Steve begins to ask before he hears it, before they both heard it.
A loud thumping was echoing through the walls as if someone was trying to get out. The piercing scream came next before short gasps of air were taken.
"Oh my god," Steve states as Bucky runs forward and starts to open the doors, desperately looking for the source of the sound. Steve followed his example, opening the multiple freezer door until Bucky opened the right one.
Angel immediately gasped for air and sat up. Bucky helped her out of the cold container and onto her feet. She immediately latched onto him, part of it because of comfort and another because of the need of warmth. Bucky let her into his arms, brushing her hair and hushing her crying. He slowly looked up at Steve who clearly had questions about the whole thing.
"I'll explain later," Bucky whispered to Steve. The single statement was enough for Steve to back off, leaving the room in order to give them some privacy.
Angel continued to shiver in his arms, grasping onto him for dear life. Her breathing had turned to normal, but it was evident that panic was still running through her. Bucky continued to hold her, hushing her as he slowly drew circles on her back. She buried her face into his chest, crying quietly.
Bucky couldn't imagine what she must have felt like. She had died in fear and had awaken in fear. He didn't know if they had placed a muzzle on her, but he did know that waking up in a freezing chamber, burning your skin with harsh cold temperature must have been an awful reminder of their painful past. Her crying turned to soft whimpering and he could feel her slowly falling asleep against him.
Bucky slowly lifted her up his arms and made his way out of the morgue. Dr.Banner was waiting for him in the medical bay, but Bucky quietly told him to wait till morning. Surprisingly, Dr.Banner agreed and let Bucky take Angel upstairs.
Most of the team seemed to have woken up to the late night commotion and were silently watching him carry Angel through the halls. They all seemed concerned, whether it was for her wellbeing or this new development, Bucky didn't know and didn't really care to find out. He ignored all of their stares and carried Angel into her room.
He tucked her into bed, careful not to stir her from her sleep. Bucky made sure to instruct Jarvis into warming up the room to make her forget about the cold. Bucky then dragged the armchair in her room to the edge of the bed and took a seat. Any thought of sleep was no longer in his mind as he supervised Angel in her own slumber. Bucky knew that she wouldn't like to wake up alone.