different » marvel ¹

twenty-one

   Suddenly, the lights begin to flicker and the whole room is enveloped in darkness. "They knocked out the power . . ." I mutter to myself.

   I try to use my powers against the restraints they put on me, and unlike my previous attempt, this time it worked. "An EMP." I conclude, silently thanking and hating the person responsible. As soon as the force of my power left my fingertips, it wrapped around the cuffs and ripped them off.

   With my hands free, I undid the restraints they had across my torso and legs. I stand, looking outside my containment for a lock I could open. With a flick of my wrist, the mechanism for the sliding lock opened outside the door, just leaving me to push the door open.

   As soon as I looked around and saw that it was clear, I took off in a run, rushing out of the room and down the hallway. I reached a staircase and hoped that it was at least somewhat it the right direction. I climb up a few flights and don't stop until I hear sounds of a struggle.

   I slid to a stop once I'd reached the room the noise was coming from. I was met with Steve holding up the psychiatrist from earlier and pinning him to the wall. I stomp over to the two, my eyes filling with a hatred for the man.

   "Raven? What're you—"

   I cut Steve off. "The power went out, they must've used an EMP." I answer, then turning my attention to the smaller man being threatened. "What did you do to him?"

   He merely lets out a raspy chuckle at me. "I only brought him to his fullest potential. I was planning on doing the same with you."

   A rage stings through my body. Unable to stand him trying to play games with the situation, I deliver a punch to the side of his jaw, sending him falling to the floor and out of Steve's grasp.

"What do you want?" I move and stand over him. I hadn't been this angry in a long time and it felt foreign.

It was because of people like him that I was the way I was. If it wasn't for that horrid organization, I would've never forgotten anything . . . I never would've hurt innocent people.

His gaze is filled with daggers as he looks to me. "To see an empire fall."

The sound of footsteps makes my attention turn to a dark-skinned man that walks through. Out of what seems to be nowhere, Bucky shows up and nearly takes the man's head off if the man didn't dodge in time.

Bucky grabs the man's neck and throws him forward, right into the side of the metal cell he'd been previously placed in. He then comes at Steve, who is prepared to defend himself and begins fighting with him.

I turn back to the psychiatrist, trying to ignore the fight to get answers. "Who are you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" He laughs, seeming to be enjoying the events play out in front of him.

I grit my teeth and grab his head with both of my hands, letting myself go into his head as I close my eyes to focus better. I go through his mind, infiltrating any point of it that may give me information.

A light smirk graces my face when I find what I was looking for. "Zemo. Baron Zemo." I open my eyes and look to the man. "You didn't see that coming, did you?" I use our close proximity to the wall to my advantage, slamming his head into the concrete and knocking him unconscious.

• • •

   I run outside the building, seeing an array of people running in fear from the structure. I look up, seeing a helicopter in the air . . . trying to leave the helipad? My gaze flickers between the copter and the figure of Steve Rogers holding onto the railing on the top of the building and the aircraft.

   It crashes into the side of the structure before tumbling off, making me gasp as it falls from the sky with who I assume is Bucky inside and Steve following not too far behind.

   I run to the edge of the walkway of the street, looking down to see a river of water. A sigh of relief leaves my mouth as I climb over and prepare to dive in.

   As I near the water, a blonde head of hair pops up from it, making me stop for a moment. Steve held Bucky above the water, slightly struggling to tow them both to shore. I wade into the water, calling to him to get his attention.

   I meet him in the middle, helping him tug an unconscious Bucky back to shore.

   "We need to get out of here. Now. This is too many people, too public." I comment, searching our surroundings intently as I squat next to the two.

   "Agreed."

• • •

   Zemo sits in a small cafe, listening to a voicemail before placing his phone back in his pocket and turning his attention to the television on the wall.

   "James Barnes and formerly considered missing Avenger Raven Nix—the suspects for the UN Vienna bombing—escaped custody today. Also missing Avenger Captain Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson." The news anchor reported, Zemo not able to ignore it.

   He knew they would come for him, and as much as he didn't like to admit it, he knew they would get what they wanted.