"HELL YEAH!" Sam's excited scream came through the comms and I remembered everyone could hear what we were saying. Shit. I leant back against the plane, Steve's hand resting on my thigh, natural and normal, like it was meant to be there.
"You do not know how long I have been waiting for you two to finally get together!"
"Alright Sam," Steve chuckled. "What's the play?"
"We need a diversion. Something big," Sam said.
"I got something kinda big, but I can't hold it very long," Scott said. I swear, this guy didn't know who the hell anyone was, he was just excited to be here.
"On my signal, run like hell. And if I tear myself in half...don't come back for me."
"He's gonna tear himself in half?" Bucky said, his handsome face mortified. His expression read, 'how the hell did I get into this mess?'
"You sure about this Scott?" Steve asked.
"Yeah, Scott, I've seen a lot of stuff, but I don't particularly want to see you torn in half," I added, skeptical.
"I do it all the time. I mean once...in a lab. And I passed out. I'm the boss," he began talking to himself, giving himself his own little pep talk. "I'm the boss, I'm the boss, I'm the boss, I'm the boss, I'm the BOSS!"
Scott launched himself from the mobile stairs and onto Rhodey's back as he flew past. I saw him close his eyes tight, and then push the button on his suit. I flinched.
He got big. I mean, really big. I'm talking Goliath big. He grew rapidly and as Rhodey tried to fly away, grabbed his leg, bringing him to a halt.
"Holy shit!" The Spider-man yelled. I gaped in awe.
"Ok, Tony dude is big now. He's big," Rhodey said in disbelief.
"I thought I'd seen everything, but I have been proven wrong," I muttered.
"I guess that's the signal," Steve said, and without hesitation grabbed my hand in his and pulled me upwards, avoiding the chaos that Scott was causing and following Bucky in the direction of the hanger where the Quinjet sat.
"It's still kind of crazy that Captain America himself just told me he loves me. I'm kind of in shock," I said, and felt Steve squeeze my hand.
"I'm shocked you love me back," he replied. Bucky rolled his eyes.
"Really? This is not the best time," Bucky said, irritated. I laughed, a deep sound I hadn't heard for a long time. There was a crackle in my comms.
"Am I through, F.R.I.D.A.Y? I am? Good. Keight, you there?" Tony's voice came through, but by the looks on Steve and Bucky's face they couldn't hear him.
"Yeah, I'm here," I said bluntly, my face hard.
"Ok, uh, we don't have much time here. But, just, come back. You don't have to run," he said, the pleading hint in his tone leaking through.
"I can't. I can't come back knowing it's the wrong thing," I said, a deep chasm in my chest. I couldn't stay, but it didn't mean it wasn't going to hurt when I left.
"We can sort this out. We can get you help, we can fix you-"
"Fix me?" I said, my voice low, dangerous. "Is there something wrong with me?"
"No, god no there's nothing wrong with you Keight. I just...I don't want you to leave. I can't..." he trailed off, but I knew what he meant. He couldn't do it without me. We had grown so close, like family, and although we fought at times, and our similar personalities clashed, we had a bond, ever since that day on the SHIELD helicarrier, when he helped me back to my room, and told me to call him Tony.
I gritted my teeth to stop the tears.
"The override code for my mirror cabinet is SHER," I said, voice trembling.
"Keight? Why are you telling me this?" Tony said, surprised.
"You get it? Because its SHERlocked? Uh, anyway, inside, in the bottom shelf is a stack of photo albums. There's one for each of you. They're not full, not yet. I had planned on finishing them and giving them as gifts for Christmas, but I guess I won't ever get the chance," I glanced at Steve, who looked equally sad and touched at the thought of a gift from me.
"Make sure you look through them. I didn't do all that work for them to gather dust. And look after my camera. Don't get the lens dirty, or I won't be able to use it again." I almost choked. It hadn't really sunk in for me until then that I was leaving half my family behind, including my brother. The emotion, the raw grief was like a wave, crashing over me. But there was still work to do, and I couldn't allow it to get to me just. I would have plenty of time to grieve my losses after all this.
Behind me, I saw an explosion of blue, and a plane groaned as it fell over, burning. It seemed my efforts to keep Rebekah out for the count until we left had failed, and she was awake, and she was pissed.
"What the hell was that?" Bucky said, furrowing his brow.
"An inhuman hellbent on killing me," I replied, looking back, anxiety churning in my stomach.
"Why?"
"Well, a couple of years ago HYDRA sent her to bring me in. It, kinda failed. And then apparently, I humiliated her in front of herself? I don't know, she's kind of insane," I answered, feeling Steve's hand squeeze mine. I looked ahead to the hanger. We were close, but I swore I saw a redhead standing just inside, her Widows bite cuffs at the ready. Natasha, I swore in my head.
A bright stream of red energy whizzed past us, colliding with the control tower next to the hanger. We screeched to a halt, and it collapsed, falling over the entrance to the hanger. Vision hovered above, his synthetic face cold, emotionless. Anger gripped my heart, white hot, blazing. I had never liked him, not really, he creeped me out, and although he was smart and useful, I didn't have the same attachment to him that I had to the other members of the Avengers.
Then, red tendrils curled over the falling building and behind us, Wanda struggled on her knees to keep it from falling. But I saw Rhodey come up behind her. I saw, in my mind, what he was about to do.
I knew she wouldn't be able to keep it open for long, and that we only had one option.
I let go of Steve's hand, and I ran.
Both Steve and Bucky yelled out to me, pleading to stop, to come back, or wondering what in the universe I was about to do. Tears pricked my eyes. I heard them run after me, and a woman screamed my name, her footsteps heavy, zig-zagging across the ground towards and, rage in every thud.
Rebekah.
I would remember running for a long time. I never liked it, but I was fast, powerful. That moment where I ran, feet hitting concrete, lungs pounding, ragged breathing, tight chest and hot tears, was the moment I knew, I would not make it out with Steve and Bucky. I didn't care about dying. I wasn't afraid of death, in fact, I embraced it. But the idea of leaving so many people behind who cared about me was the bit that got me. I had hoped there would be more for me, but if this was how I would kick the bucket, then so be it.
As Wanda's power weakened, I slid on my knees across the ground, like Scott across the dance floor in Strictly Ballroom. I was perfectly balanced, a vision of grace and strength.
And as Rhodey blasted Wanda with his sonic rays, and her red tendrils disappeared, I twanged the string in my mind that connected to Loki, and I asked for strength, just this once.
I raised my arms, my whole body buzzing with untapped energy, and as the building continued to fall I directed all my energy, every last drop outwards, creating an impenetrable barrier above me, and the pieces of rubble turned to fine ash as they fell.
I shook, my eyes burning, hands on fire, body screaming to be released from this torture. But I endured it.
Steve and Bucky ran past me, Bucky continuing on, but Steve stopped, hesitated.
"Keight," he said softly, his shoulders slumped, his eyes dark and distant.
"Go," I whispered, and with a look of pure agony he left me, racing through to the other side. A black figure, my brother, raced past me, not even stopping. I sank to one knee, my body spent, my energy draining faster than ever.
Rebekah's scream hit my ears, and she ran in, eyes glowing, hands shaking with lines of blue flame.
I sighed.
She saw too late what I was about to do. She stopped, her face screwed up in fear, real, unaltered fear. I heard shots from the hanger, and glimpsed Natasha stunning T'Challa as Bucky and Steve ran onto the Quinjet.
I smiled at them and said my prayers. I confessed my sins, and begged forgiveness. I think Bucky yelled my name, and Natasha looked away, unable to watch. Rebekah tried to run, but she was not fast enough. Steve only stared, face blank, the tremble of his bottom lip his only movement.
"Keight, don't-"
"I'm sorry, Steve."
I closed my eyes and pictured his face, his lips on mine, the smell of his skin as I let go. What a beautiful memory to be my last.
The rubble fell, Rebekah's screams were cut off and I was pummelled into a deep, dark, abyss.