afterglow - tony stark

30

There was only one tired doctor as it was the middle of the night. Bucky placed a gun against his head, "Move and you die."

The doctor breathed heavily as he remained frozen. Bucky moved to stand in front of the man with Eira before he commanded, "You're going to remove the chip in her neck..."

"I...yes," the doctor said in a frightened tone. "But she'll have to be sedated."

"No," Bucky said.

"It's...very risky without sedation," the doctor said.

"Then you'll be careful," Bucky threatened with a glare and the doctor could only gulp with a nod.

______

Eira sat up straight on the metal, sterile table as the doctor was behind her on the other side. Bucky had a gun placed to his head as he worked.

He made an incision on her neck and she winced. She had to be very still for this but that was easy after all she'd been through. Who wasn't still was the doctor playing operation on her.

Once he grabbed the chip deep in her neck with a small set of pliers, his hands started to tremble. Bucky narrowed his eyes before he warned, "You hurt her and you get a bullet."

That only made the doctor tremble more. He started to pull the chip out very unsteadily and the pliers went too far on one side, nicking a blood vessel.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," the doctor apologized profusely as he quickly pulled the chip out as blood started running down her neck to her back.

Alarms started to go off, signaling that they found out Eira was gone and Bucky quickly knocked the doctor out. Eira had suddenly lost feeling in her neck and she asked hopefully, "Did he get it?"

"Yes, but..." he frowned at all the blood.

"But what?" she said in alarm.

"You don't feel that?" Bucky stared at all the blood coming out.

"No."

Bucky quickly grabbed a medical cloth lying on the table and pressed it to her neck. "Keep pressure here and don't you dare let go."

She felt for where his hand was and did as he told. Then he grabbed her other hand and pulled her along with him through the place on high alert.

She learned that Bucky was very sneaky. Even though the guards were searching for them, he somehow knew how to be like a shadow and go undetected.

Although, as they went, she got weaker and weaker from the blood loss. As it continued, more numbness followed. She wondered how much blood she was losing as she had to start to lean on Bucky for support. If she had feeling in her back, she would know that it was soaked and dripping with her own blood.

She almost thought that they were in the clear as they got feet away from the exit. But then they heard Valonkov, "Did you really think you could get away?"

Then they heard multiple pairs of boots on the ground as they became surrounded. Valonkov smirked as he approached them, "And you, Soldier, I'm disappointed."

"I'm not HYDRA's soldier anymore," Bucky glared. "You can get somebody else."

Valonkov laughed, "All we have to do is say the words. Shall I?"

Bucky clenched his jaw as his eyes widened. She frowned as she clutched his hand tightly, "The words?"

"I think we should show her, Barnes, how easily you fall back into form," Valonkov stated. "Longing, rusted, furnace..."

Bucky tensed as he stood straight. His face looked like he was in pain as he fought the words and she looked at Valonkov, "Stop it!"

"And what are you going to do?" he held up the device used to control her. "You know the rules..."

"I don't play by your rules anymore," she removed the bloody rag from her neck and his eyes widened. "What was it you said? If I don't comply, pain. If I escape, death..."

"No! Shoot..." But he didn't get to finish his command as she raised her hand and suddenly everything was on fire. The men screamed as Valonkov turned to ash in an instant.

She clutched onto Bucky's arm tightly as she grew weak. His eyes widened at the chaos before he looked down at her slumped against his arm. He picked her up in his arms bridal style before he exited the facility as he lectured, "I told you to keep pressure."

"I'm sorry," she breathed heavily as her eyesight started to blur. "But you were in pain..."

They exited the building into the cold of Siberia. Bucky walked in the direction he knew a small town was. Behind them, the building exploded and she formed a small smile before she passed out.

Bucky had ran to the small town close by, worried for Eira, and he went into the first building. There were many people on their phones and he spoke in Russian as they looked up, "Tell the authorities that Eira Stane has been found..."