In My Eyes

Ch•23- Blue

             After a few more minutes of trudging in the almost two feet thick snow, a large grey door built into rock appeared in my vision. I blinked through the snow, feeling my hair being blown around in my face. The door was open. Somebody had already been through here before me.

             I glanced over my shoulder to make sure that nobody was following me before entering. The inside of the facility was freezing as well. My black prison sneakers tapped against the floor as I walked, echoing off the walls. I pulled my hood off my head and sighed in relief. My hair fell across my shoulders and down my back. Snow clung to my eye lashes, my whole face seemed frozen from the cold.

             I rubbed my hand on my cheeks for a moment, and then breathed warm air onto my palms.

             The lights were on. A long hallway stretched out in front of me with dim ceiling lights flickering. It looked like a scene from a horror movie. Kevin Wendell Crumb is going to pop out any second I promise you that. I saw no signs of anyone here, not a soul in sight. It smelled like rusty metal and dust, just like every country song.

I'm kidding, maybe. Anyway.

             An old elevator stood before me, the inside looked like an animal cage. There was no other door or stairwell to take so I stepped into the elevator. It squeaked shut once I stepped inside. I looked over my shoulder, still able to see the hallway through the thin bars. There's no turning back now. My old life, my friends, family, lavish life-style is now over.

             None of us will recover from this one, I can feel it. What we did on that battle field, the words that were spewed at each other. Nick Fury once told me that I was the glue that held this group together... and look what happen. My team, my family fell apart right before my eyes. There wasn't a damn thing I could do to stop it.

             My body wobbled slightly as the elevator descended down into the darkness. I reached up to my head and began tying my hair in a ponytail. The gun was tucked under the waistband of my baggy navy blue pants. I tightened the tie around my hair and dropped my hands to my sides just as the door opened.
Two faces stared back at me. My neutral facial expression dropped instantly.

              "Jessi?" Steve called my name in disbelief. He stood there decked out in his full Captain America uniform. Bucky was at his side, holding a rifle at me. I stood frozen in the doorway of the elevator. Steve noticed the gun in Bucky's hands and lowered it so that the barrel wasn't aimed at me. I felt my shoulders relax.

             "Steve" I breathed in relief, a smile crossed my face "I was so scared that I wouldn't see you" I found myself running to him at full speed. He stumbled back slightly when I practically jumped in his arms, and hugged him "I'm so happy you're okay" I whispered. He hesitated at first, but then fully wrapped his arms around me.

             His shield was still attached to his wrist, so it covered my back. Red, white, and blue, the colors of hope and freedom. The colors that we all need a little bit of. I opened my eyes and glanced over to Bucky who was standing off to the side, still holding the gun. He gave a small nod to me.

"How did you get here?" Steve asked, setting me back down on to the floor.

             "I uh..." I decided in that moment not to tell them about Henry, at least not yet. What's the point anyway "I escaped prison, stole a jet, and flew here?"

"By yourself?" Bucky asked.

"Well..."

             Behind me, the elevator door opened again. Steve pulled me behind him and kneeled down in front of me. Bucky stood at my back and readied his rifle. I pulled out my hand gun and held it at my side. A bright white light forced its way through the door, hands pushed the doors open manually. I realized that it was Iron Man himself.

            I stayed put behind Steve, not knowing how to react to this situation. I almost felt scared. He entered the hallway with us and flipped his helmet down.

            "You all seem a little defensive" he said with a stone cold face, yet the signature sarcasm was there. His sarcasm was the first thing I ever noticed about him. He uses it in the most random and unnecessary times. He uses it to hide his pain, to hide the ache of loss and suffering. I've seen it.

             "It's been a long day" Steve said cautiously, still holding his shield out in front of him. I wasn't sure what to do.

           "Jessica dear" he called to me, in a Fatherly way, like he was acting in a play. It was as if he had suddenly noticed me standing there. I was pretty obvious in my messy pony tail and jump suit "how exactly did you get out of prison?" he asked.

           "Broke out, stole a jet. It was easy actually" I shrugged, it kinda was. Prison guards don't notice a thing, just like in Star Wars.

"Seriously?" Dad squinted his eyes slightly, not really believing what I was saying.

I nodded, tucking my hand gun back in the waist band of my pants "Serious as Sepsis"

           "That's pretty serious" Dad agreed, brushing off the conversation. He glanced over in Bucky's direction. He still had his rifle aimed in his hands at Dad "At ease soldier... I'm not currently after you" Bucky didn't move.

"Then why are you here?" Steve glared at Dad.

            "Could be because your stories not so crazy maybe" he admitted, my mouth almost dropped. Did that just come out of his mouth? "Ross has no idea I'm here. I'd like to keep it that way. Otherwise I gotta arrest myself" he leaned against the wall, sounding tired of all the work.

            "Well that sounds like a lot of paperwork" Steve said in a light tone, lowering his shield. Dad smirked "It's good to see you Tony"

"You too Cap"

"Ugh, Manchurian Candidate, you're killing me here. You can put down the gun!"

             I smiled, no, I laughed. That's the moment when I thought that everything would be okay. At that moment, things seemed so light-hearted and friendly that I almost forgot about the battle, and the mission ahead. But, soon I will find out that I was wrong. Utterly, unconscionably, and hilariously wrong.