"Y/n!" Steve's voice called out again over the earpiece. But, there was no reply from y/n.
She could hear Steve loud and clear. She could hear the whole team yelling at her through the earpiece. But y/n decided to ignore them. She had one thing on her mind, and that was revenge. If Rumlow wanted to support the torture of Hydra soldiers, he could die at the hands of one.
This level of determination wasn't like y/n. Usually she wouldn't let her impulses get the best of her when it came to something as serious as this. She almost looked brainwashed. But, being reminded of her Hydra past had struck a serious nerve. The fact that this man was still walking free was messing with her head. Nobody in Hydra deserved to walk free, and it was obvious that Steve couldn't catch Rumlow, so y/n decided that it was her turn.
The only disadvantage that she had was the fact that she couldn't mimic any other powers except super soldier strength. Super soldier strength was the only thing keeping her upright and numb from the pain. If she let go of that, Rumlow could easily take her down. There was no way in hell that y/n was going to show any kind of weakness to him. She was strong, far stronger than him, and he'd tortured far too many helpless people for y/n to let him get any sort of advantage on her.
Rumlow sprinted as fast as he could, weaving between rubble and destroyed cars in attempt to lose y/n. However, the heavy armour that he had on was slowing him down. He cursed under his breath, quickly pulling a gun out of the holster on his thigh. He had to slow y/n down somehow, there was no way he could outrun her, especially not in this heat. Rumlow begun to shoot behind himself, shooting over and over and over. He didn't care if he killed her. He just needed y/n off of his tail. But, there didn't seem to be any reaction to the gunshots. No yelling, no cursing, nothing. He frowned under his mask, turning around to actually check if he'd hit y/n. There was nobody there. Nobody behind him at all. Rumlow's running came to a stop, trying his hardest to catch his breath as he glanced around in confusion. "What the..?" He murmured to himself. Y/n had just been chasing him, where had she gone? However, the sound of someone whistling quickly caused him to freeze.
It was the same whistle that he used to use on Hydra soldiers. The whistle that had been programmed in their brains, almost like dogs.
Rumlow didn't even have time to turn around before he felt a boot on his back. The kick sent him flying for several metres, the sheer force of it leaving him winded. He finally ended up smashing face-first into one of the destroyed cars, the body of the car seeming to cave in around him. He grunted in pain, slowly rolling onto his back so he could have a good look at who just did that. But he already had a pretty good idea of who it was. The armour surrounding him crumbled away as he rolled, the mask on his face barely staying intact. Rumlow blinked hard, trying to refocus his vision after being launched so hard into a car. The dust in the air created a thick fog, but Rumlow could just about make out a figure making their way toward him.
It was y/n.
Y/n was 'deathwalking' toward Rumlow, a gun in one hand whilst the other swayed by her side. She was taking her time making her way toward him. She wanted her face to be the last thing that Rumlow would ever see. The team were still screaming in her ear, but y/n continued to ignore them. This was her time. Her time for revenge.
It didn't take long for y/n to approach Rumlow, pressing her boot against his chest so he couldn't get up. She didn't even say a word, a look of pure aggression and determination in her eyes. There was no smile, no hint of hesitation. She knew exactly what she was doing. Y/n ripped the mask off of Rumlow, tossing it to the ground beside her with ease. It was almost robotic. Her breath was steady and her mind was clear - well, as clear as it could be after crashing a motorcycle. She had a firm grip on her gun as she lifted it up, calming pressing the gun in the centre of his forehead.
Y/n was going to kill him.
But, instead of acting like any normal person would when threatened with death, Rumlow just seemed to smile. It was a smug, mocking smile. He made direct eye contact with y/n, patiently waiting for her to pull the trigger. "Oh, I didn't think Avengers acted like this! Did I miss something? Do Avengers kill innocent people in cold blood now?" He teased, tilting his head to the side as if he was being genuine with his question. "I thought you guys were superheroes! I wonder how everyone will feel when they watch you shoot me in the head." He hummed, closing his eyes mockingly as he pretended to think of the world's reaction to y/n. "You haven't changed at all! You're still a Hydra soldier, aren't you? You're not a hero. No hero would do this. You're a killer! Captain America, Iron Man, and the murderer." Rumlow laughed, the same smug smile staying plastered across his face.
Y/n's grip on her gun only seemed to tighten as she listened to Rumlow. Her jaw was tightly clenched as the anger and frustration begun to build. The fact that he was teasing her and laughing was seriously getting on her nerves, and he knew that. This wasn't how her plan was supposed to go. Rumlow was supposed to be begging for his life. Hell, he shouldn't even be talking. He should be dead already. "Shut up." Y/n snapped through gritted teeth, her finger ready to pull the trigger. She wasn't a Hydra soldier anymore, she didn't need to listen to him.
"Y/n. Stop." A third voice suddenly chimed in. It was Steve. He was stood just a few feet away from the pair, afraid that if he came any closer y/n would pull the trigger. "Don't do this. You don't want this and you know it." Steve said seriously, holding a careful hand out as a sign of peace. His face was riddled with concern at the sight of y/n. He thought she'd mentally healed enough to deal with people that used to deal with Hydra, but he was wrong. He was so wrong. Steve almost felt stupid for even bringing y/n along to the mission, but the team needed her. She was powerful. But that power seemed to get the best of her when it came to her emotions. "This won't solve anything, y/n. This won't make you feel better. He wasn't even an important person for Hydra, he was just an asset to them. Pulling the trigger won't bring anything back, and it won't make all the things that happened to you disappear." Steve said slowly, taking careful steps toward her. "Trust me, I hate this guy as much as you do. But pulling the trigger will just make everything worse."
Rumlow's smug smirk just seemed to widen as he watched the anger build in y/n. He kept eye contact with her as Steve begun to try and talk her out of it, almost as if he was still trying to tease her. "Don't listen to him, y/n. You're not a hero." He hummed, shaking his head mockingly. "Go on, shoot me." Rumlow cooed in a sweet tone. He pressed his forehead against the gun, beginning to grow impatient with y/n. "Shoot me!" He suddenly yelled, beginning to laugh at the fact that he made her jump. Y/n was crumbling right before his eyes, and he was going to soak in every moment. "Do you need help pulling the trigger? Here, allow me." Rumlow teased, reaching up to touch y/n's hands.
But, just before Rumlow could touch her, y/n pulled the gun away from his head. Her chest felt as if it was about to explode from the frustration and inner turmoil. She was overwhelmed, conflicted and stressed. Her eyes burnt from the tears that were threatening to fall, the pure adrenaline causing her hands to shake. Y/n could've pulled the trigger. She should've. But Steve was right, killing Rumlow was just going to create more problems. Yes, it would've been a satisfying kill. It would've been one of the first kills that she had control over. But y/n wasn't a killer anymore. She was better than that. She had changed, or at least she tried to convince herself that she had.
Steve quickly stepped in between y/n and Rumlow just in case she changed her mind. But, his frown just seemed to deepen at the sight of her. Y/n's nose was bleeding. Her nose hadn't bled ever since she worked on her powers in Wakanda. She was overworking herself. No, y/n was fine. It was probably just because of the crash. "I know how you feel, I know. But that's not what we do here." He murmured, gently taking the gun out of y/n's hands. "Go on, go help Wanda. I'll sort this out." Steve sighed, emptying all of the bullets out of the gun.
Y/n nodded, trying her hardest to regulate her breathing. "Okay." She whispered, unable to stand still. She was so angry at herself and Rumlow. All of the adrenaline had been built up to shoot him, and now it had nowhere to go except turn into frustration. She needed to escape the situation before Rumlow said anything stupid. But, just as y/n turned begun to leave, he did exactly that.
"Run along now, princess!"
Y/n froze.
Princess. Rumlow had just called her 'princess'. It was probably a coincidence, but she didn't care. He used to be in Hydra. The man in the suit used to always call her 'princess'. It must've been on purpose. This was more than just revenge for Bucky, this was revenge for herself.
Y/n swivelled on her heels to face Rumlow. A look of pure anger in her eyes. "What did you just say to me?" She snapped, beginning to walk toward him once again. She slowly pulled a dagger out of her pocket as she walked, holding it with a firm grip. She was going to wipe that smug smile right off of his face. But, a forceful hand on her shoulder quickly stopped y/n in her tracks.
Steve held her back from Rumlow, moving to step in front of her once again. "Go." He commanded in a serious tone. Rumlow knew exactly what buttons to press, and if y/n didn't leave now Steve feared that she'd actually kill him.