Leave Me Broken [Winter Soldier] II

Criminal [Chapter 7]

"A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out."

Walter Winchell

             "I need you to listen to me."

               Bucky's words rung in Ophelia's head as she stared at the building that was being surrounded by police officers with anything but non-lethal weapons. He was going to be surrounded in a matter of minutes, and there were no good escape routes from their apartment. It was too high up, there were no ladders to climb down. Even if there had been, the police would have had them covered by now. Thinking about who would have known where his apartment was, and why they would be in there before the police even got to the building itself, she had to assume that the person was either there to warn Bucky, or to try and kill him before the police got the chance. She grimaced up at the chopper in the sky and cocked her head to the side. "Sorry, Bucky. Not gonna listen today."

            Taking a deep breath, Ophelia shut her eyes and focused on the apartment itself, the shape of their small place, the minor furniture that was in it. Next, she was able to feel what was out of place, and hone in on the person who was in there with Bucky. Once she had located them, she created the mental bridge. It had been a long time since she had done this last, and it was a bit overwhelming to feel another persons senses and emotions. When she completed the link, she realized who's head she was in, and her heart rose in her chest; Steve Rogers had found Bucky, and apparently he had been searching for the entire two years that they had been off the grid. She could feel his surprise to see his friend in the state he was in, coherent. But that surprise was overtaken when it turned into panic.

             "Ma'am." A police officer grabbed her by the arm. "I'm going to need you to step away."

             Ophelia shrugged him off and snarled. "Please don't touch me."

             The man released her, talking into his walkie, suddenly distracted by the crashing sounds above, and the bullets coming from the chopper. She lost the link with Steve then, but she knew that the fighting had started. There was nothing she could do down there to stop what was happening, all she could do was watch with wonder and a pain in her neck. 

              Beginning to feel the insidious thought creep into her head again, about being absolutely useless, she tried to rack her brain to find something she could do to help. When they were all the way up there, and she was all the way down here, there was little she could do. But it was only a few minutes later than the fight made it's way to her. She watched as Bucky leapt from the roof, and what caught her eye was the man clad in all black following him. It was all a flurry of chaos happening right in front of her, she hadn't even realized that she had walked back across the road. She was standing among the police cars, their lights flashing.

            When Bucky hit the ground, he spotted her standing there and his lips parted as though he was about to speak, but he had no time to do so. The man in black landed just behind him, and Bucky didn't have the chance to say anything to Ophelia. He simply ran because his life was depending on it. 

              Ophelia tuned back into her immediate surroundings and saw a few officers raising their guns to shoot at Bucky, and she growled. She couldn't keep up with Bucky, she couldn't follow him, but she could still do all in her power to protect him as he would have done for her. Walking up to the closest police officer, she grabbed his wrist and used the heel of her hand to bash the gun out of his hand. That got the attention on her from the remaining police officers; a good handful of them had gotten into their vehicles and were pursuing Bucky, and now Steve as well.