The Girl Who Had the Universe in her Eyes | marvel [2] ✔

FOUR

CHAPTER FOUR
' RAT'S ARSE. '

Ash limped out of the lift, Natasha slowly walking by her side to catch her if she fell. Her lips shifted to a sharp purse, and her eyebrows furrowed as she fought the pain.

"Why did you refuse the crutches? You're gonna tear the stitches," Natasha scolded.

"Because they look lame, and I can't afford to look lame," she replied, pulling out a chair and falling into it.

"God, you look like shit."

Ash gave Stark the middle finger. "Fuck off."

"Everett Ross," a voice introduced behind her.

"Couldn't give a rat's arse, mate."

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The evaluator's voice filtered through the monitor, reaching Ash, Stark and Natasha from where they together sat at the table. "Hello, Mr Barnes. I've been sent by the United Nations to evaluate you. Do you mind if I sit? Your first name is James?" He paused to let him answer, but Barnes stayed quiet. "I'm not here to judge you. I just want to ask you a few questions. Do you know where you are, James?"

Silence.

"I can't help you if you don't talk to me, James."

"My name is Bucky," he replied finally, and Ash lifted her head from where she rested it against her folded hands.

"Tell me, Bucky. You've seen a great deal, haven't you?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"What is going on?" Ash murmured, eyes narrowing as she slowly got to her feet.

"You fear that... if you open your mouth, the horrors might never stop. Don't worry. We only have to talk about one."

The lights and monitors all suddenly went out, and silence plagued the room for a brief moment.

"Great," Ross seethed. "Come on, guys, get me eyes on Barnes. Go."

Stark rose to his feet. "FRIDAY, get me the source of that outage."

"Evac all civilians," Ross continued. "Get me a perimeter around the building and gunships in the air."

Natasha stopped in front of Stark. "Please tell me you brought a suit."

"Sure did," he replied. "It's a lovely Tom Ford, three-piece, two-button. I'm an active-duty non-combatant."

"Follow me!' Someone ran past them, and Ash shifted to watch them go.

"Who the fuck is that?"

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As Barnes stalked through the building's ground floor, he battered two guards. Ash shifted with a wince, eyes falling to her injured leg before they moved to Stark.

"We're in position." Natasha's voice rang through her earpiece.

Stark tapped his watch and pulled the metal over his hand, becoming an Ironman glove. He shot Barnes with a stun bullet before he could shoot a guard. He ran towards him, firing again, but Barnes ducked the blast. They started to fight, and the Winter Soldier managed to aim his gun and shoot at Stark. He managed to block the bullet with his ironman glove. Barnes pulled the weapon loose and smacked him backwards.

Another agent rushed to Barnes with Natasha in tow. They both landed kicks and punches, but he flipped the blonde head over heels, causing her to smash into the table. Natasha leapt onto him, legs around his neck. Barnes caught her and slammed her onto a table, grabbing her throat.

Black magic then circled him, and his grip loosened on Natasha's throat as he looked at it with confusion. Ash launched him into a wall before limping forward, black curling around her hands. Barnes stood, and she shifted at the quickness of his recovery. A small grunt of pain passed her lips, and her eyes flickered to her leg.

God, the blood loss made her weak.

Clenching her jaw, she launched a piece of magic at him, and it pushed him back. Blocking the raw brunt of her power using his metal arm, his feet only slipped a few inches before he began to force back. Ash's eyes widened before she ripped her magic away and swiped her hand to the side, pulling his legs from under him.

She limped forward, her magic shooting forward and throwing chairs at his body to keep him down as she approached. Just as she stopped before him, a burning sensation erupted through her side, sending her falling to her knees. Her eyes shifted to her side, and her hand pulled away red. Looking past him and through the shattered glass as a person with a gun sprinted away, a gasp escaped her, pain ebbing from her leg and her new bullet wound.

Using her distraction, Barnes pulled himself to his feet and reached down to wrap his fingers around her throat. Ash gasped, but no air reached her lungs. Her eyes flickered as her hands wrapped around his wrists, squeezing as hard as she could. Everything demanded her attention, her leg, her side and her lack of oxygen.

She could feel her consciousness dwindling, and her vision began to haze, whether from the tears brewing in her eyes or from the lack of oxygen. Black magic formed in her palm, and she briefly closed her eyes before launching it at him. It catapulted him into a wall, an indent of cracks exploding from the impact.

Ash fell forward, inhaling desperately but choking on the influx of air. Her eyes found the pool of blood smudged from where she struggled, and lightheadedness hit her like a bomb. T'Challa launched forward, engaging Barnes before he could escape.

A final exhale left her parted lips, and she collapsed in a heap.