Phantom ▷ b. barnes [1] ✔️

xxxxiii. in the end

"The saints can't help me now, the ropes have been unbound. I hunt for you with bloodied feet, across the hallow'ed ground." -- Howl, Florence + the Machine

~ ~ ~

Dugan propped her against the wall of the transmissions room. Sam faded in and out of consciousness, struggling to stay awake. They'd taken the base, but Steve was still radio silent. She had to know he was okay.

He had to be okay.

"Don't you dare die on me, freshie," Dugan said, crouching in front of her. Worry was written across his face. "What the hell happened out there?"

"Schmidt," she gasped. "New weapons. Zola's a bastard."

His wide eyes glimmered. "Well, at least you've still got your sense of humor."

"I'm gonna kill him."

"That's... a conversation for later."

Peggy paced the room back and forth, her face unnaturally white. Her brows were furrowed, red lips pressed tightly together. Sam struggled to sit up, meeting her gaze.

"I'm sorry, Peggy."

"Why?" The woman paused. Guilt washed though her and Sam lowered her eyes. Her voice shook.

"I didn't blow up the plane, I didn't board it with him--"

"Clarence."

She cut off, looking back up. Peggy shook her head.

"No."

It was a simple order, but a firm one. Sam managed a smile, though she was too worried to truly feel it, and nodded. "Thank you."

"Steve is going to be okay."

"Yeah," she swallowed. "He's a fighter."

The woman went back to pacing and Sam slumped back down, her mind flying back to earlier events. She kept seeing William's face over and over again. Meg, her mother. She nearly couldn't believe it was true.

Ghostwalking, Meg had called it. Touched by the space stone.

Did she mean the Tesseract?

Sam would like to believe it was all a hallucination, but their appearance was exactly like the first one she'd experienced upon coming into her powers. It was too similar to be a coincidence. She clenched her jaw, glaring at the floor.

She didn't know who to talk to about it. Howard, maybe?

She'd seen those that should be dead. Suddenly, her heart twisted and Sam realized there had been one face she'd missed. She'd seen all those she loved.

Why hadn't she seen Bucky?

Sam clutched at her tags. Her thoughts spun too fast. She felt sick again.

Suddenly, the sound of static filled the air.

"C--come in. This is Captain Rogers. Do you read me?"

Peggy started toward the controls, pressing the transmissions button. Sam sat straight up, her heart leaping into her throat.

"Steve, is that you?" Peggy's voice cracked. "Are you alright?"

"Peggy!" He sounded relieved. Sam struggled to stand and Dugan hurried over to support her side, wrapping an arm around her waist. She stumbled to Peggy's side.

"Schmidt's dead," Steve said. 

Her heart stopped.

"D-dead?" Sam barely rasped the word. She leaned heavily against Dugan's side, trying to take in the information.