Blaze - A Marvel One-Shot

Blaze - A Marvel One-Shot (12)

Landing on one knee, Steve saw in bewilderment how much damaged had taken the structure of the former labs. More people were still running about, escaping from the killer flames and falling ceilings. Steve ran into the collapsing labyrinth.

More and more guards at every corner. Most of them preferred to run for their lives instead of trying to stop his advanced, but for every three that passed him, there was one that stayed and tried to fight against him. It was not a big trouble, in this closed spaces Steve had the advantage, even with him unarmed. Every corner was his shield and every shadow his weapon. These guard were well trained but under theses circumstances, the training was forgotten and the ability went right down sloppy.

Going further into the facility Steve saw all kind of weird artifacts and a great number of cells, almost every single one of them was broken, their prisoners surely left to their luck among the chaos of the attack. Whatever HYDRA had been creating here was already on the run. It might not be a problem now, but on the long run Steve though that was not going to be the case.

Through a long cracked hallway Steve finally saw what he was looking for, or at least his silhouette. He was fighting someone, and through the flames he could recognize the movements of both fighters anywhere. They were Bucky and The Viper.

Steve ran as he had ran only a few times in his life, the ceiling and floor collapsing above and underneath him, the heat piercing through his clothes and roasting his skin. He made it to a big destroyed lab at the end of the hallway, just in time to see Bucky land a massive blow on the woman’s head.

The Viper collapsed in front of Bucky, consciousness abandoning her being.

Bucky was there in his Winter Soldier outfit. His metal arm shining against the orange almost red flames. He had his mask on it, his hair covering the sides of his face, his eyes filled with sorrow and nearly confusion until his gaze met with that of Steve. There was recognition almost instantly and Steve felt this was his chance.

“Bucky! It’s me! You need to stop! Someone it’s gonna get hurt sooner or later. Please, come with me.”

Bucky stood there looking at the flames and the fainted woman at his feet.

“James, please!” Steve said one more time. Bucky reacted at his true name, his eyes were glowing. This time he might just reach him and bring him back home, introduce him to everyone else, make them realize Bucky was not a bad guy, just another casualty in the HYDRA war against humanity. This time he might just do that.

Bucky simply met Steve eyes once again, but this time he looked down at his right arm and there, hanging from it, Steve saw The Shield. Its colors faded since the last time Steve wielded it back at the helicarrier.

Steve smiled at his friend and very casually almost as if the world wasn’t burning around him, he said. “It looks good on you.” He took one, two steps forward and Bucky did just the same. Two heartbeats after that last step an explosion came from under the floor, blowing up the space between both men.

Steve was expelled back from the explosion with so much force that when he crashed with the wall behind him, he knew there was something broken and it was not the wall per se.

While his broken bones were something to be concerned, it was the blinding light and that which was conceived behind it what almost killed him. A long bright katana coming straight to his face. He rolled to the right, dodging the blade just barely.

The blade got stuck inside the concrete wall, thus delaying his wielder from further attacks. Steve got on his feet and saw that, of course, it was The Gorgon. The creature eyes where covered by a new set of sunglasses but it was not necessary to see his eyes to realized that Japanese man was full of anger, no doubt for having been so easily dispatched in his last encounter with the Rider.

Now that’s a real Demon.

The Gorgon took his sword out the wall and attacked Steve once again. Thrust after thrust Steve evaded using the existing tables to make his way around the lab, once all the tables were gone and with no more obstacles in his way, The Gorgon would to slashes and the fight would get more and more dangerous.

A wall of fire was covering the entirety of the lab’s other half where Bucky had been standing just a minute ago. It cannot be. This fight was not going anywhere, he could not defeat The Gorgon, he had tried before and failed.

“I’ll fucking killing you piece of shit!” The Gorgon screamed out his lungs. He did not seem to be bothered by the inferno around him. “I don’t know how to get out of my curse but this time, this time you have nowhere to escape.” The Gorgon’s fingers went up to his glasses, he was going to take them off, Steve would be stone once more and this time the Rider might not come in time to save him.

“Steve!” he heard someone screaming. It came from behind the wall of flames, it could barely be seen but it was there, a dark shadow in the light. Bucky! Oh my God! His friend was alive and standing, and he was getting ready to launch the shield to him. “Take!”

The shield, red, blue and silver flew through the flames and into Steve right hand and then to rest on his left arm. It felt good at the touch, it filled Steve with confidence and joy to have his two long partners having his back once again. “Thanks!” Steve screamed and he covered himself with the last piece of vibranium on earth.

The Gorgon’s curse flashed throughout the room but it hit no target, once the flash had dissipated, the first thing The Gorgon eyes saw was the star embedded on the shield’s center. It hit him hard and fast, Steve knew that he would not have second chance at attacking this monster. He used the edge of his shield to strike The Gorgon stomach, making him bent forward, he stroke his legs and so the Gorgon fell to his knees, another strike right to the monster right arm and the katana left the Gorgon’s grip and fell to the ground. One last strike right to the nape of the monster’s neck and The Gorgon was almost on the ground, Steve picked up the sword on his right arm and stroke downward hitting the monster’s neck. There. That’s why Perseus brought a shield to a Gorgon’s fight. Steve released the sword and it remained stuck inside its owner’s neck. There were no more sounds or curses coming out the creature poisonous mouth.