"Try again." I could hear Bucky talking but I still had my eyes closed. "You can do it, Jesse, focus!"
We were on the roof to our building, the sun was setting and we had been at this for several hours already. Every night for the last 6 months we had been meeting up here at sunset. It was a standing date, but it was work! Bucky was doing everything he could to help me. He had told me that his last line of work might attract trouble, so he wanted me to be ready. He also didn't want me to burn the apartment down.
"I know... " I sighed as I lifted myself from the floor and stood again. There was a small, round, metal target mounted to the ledge of the roof. It was my target, but Bucky was ready with a fire extinguisher in case we needed it. He's only used it on my once, but that was when I lost my temper at him for pushing too hard. It had worked, I launched into a full body of flames and Bucky said he thought he saw wings on me.
I pulled my arms to my front and held them like I was praying. I didn't need to, but it helped me focus on my breathing.
"Think about your memories of the fire." His voice was near me, closer then I wanted but I knew he wasn't going to leave me.
I made and audible sigh and I heard him step back a few paces. His boots clicked on the cement of the roof. I knew we were running out of time to get some practice in, it would be hard to explain sudden explosions of fire in the dead of night.
I took my thoughts back to the first memory I had of heat. The heat rose from my feet up, so I focused on the rising heat. I pressed my toes into the cement of the roof top and took a deep breath.
I could see the cement wall of a cell, the window was higher then I could reach. The bars to the window were thick and barely allowed for light to come in. I turned and I saw the solid steel door and noticed how there was no opening for food or water.
"She's this way." I heard someone in the hallway shout as I stood in the middle of my room.
"If she hasn't evolved then it's time to call it." I heard a woman's voice, she sounded very similar to the voice of the nurse that had held my hand as a child.
I pulled my mind back to me for a moment, I could feel the hear rising in my feet. I forced myself back into the memory I was in. Something about it was different and I had to figure it out.
I watched the door to the room I was in, I was waiting for someone to come in. I took steps back, until I felt the cold cement on my back and shoulders. I took a deep breath, were they coming to kill me? I watched the door open and I braced myself for what was about to happen.
The woman that stood in the doorway was, in fact, the nurse from my childhood. She approached and grabbed my chin roughly. She forced me to look in her eyes, and she scowled at me. I felt betrayed, as she squinted her eyes in my direction.
"No change. Terminate her." She said it so matter of fact, that I didn't know how to respond.
Suddenly there were two men grabbing my arms and shoulders, they were forcing me out of the door and down the hallway. I was trying to fight, but they were stronger then I was. I kept kicking and began to scream over and over.
"No! No! You can't do this!" I would kick my legs and try to pull my arms from their grasp, but nothing changed.
They dragged me into the middle of a field. I was outside for the first time in over a year. I squinted as my pupils adjusted to the light of day and I held my hand over my brow to try to see better. They backed away and shut a metal door with a slam. I turned behind me and saw as a metal gun whirled to life.
They are about to shoot me!
I screamed one more time... "NO!"
"Jess! Holy crap!" I could hear Bucky's voice as I stood as still as possible. I felt warmth that seemed to radiate from my chest. The muscles in my arms felt tight from tensing up through that memory. I stretched them out to my sides and I heard Bucky again.
"Jess! Stop! You're going to cause damage." He was trying to get me to calm down. I slowly opened my eyes and I saw Bucky, he was looking up to me. Up to me?
I turned my head slowly to see my surroundings. Just across the way was a small glass window, it allowed just enough of an idea of what my reflection was. I took in the bright light of the fire that my body had ignited in. How Bucky was right, I did look like I had wings. I couldn't tell how big I was, except that Bucky was looking up to my face. I looked to my right, to examine my hand and there I was a bright fiery wing, instead of an arm. I looked back to Bucky as he ran for the extinguisher.
I was not about to get sprayed again, I thought of everything that caused me joy. I thought of How much I loved Bucky. How I looked forward to being in his arms everyday and how I loved to wake up next to him. I thought about his lips on mine and the embrace of his arms after he had a long day.
Nothing was working. I was frantically searching my mind. Bucky was already at my feet and he started to spray. The white cloud went up and engulfed me, but the fire didn't cease to blaze. I closed my eyes as Bucky threw the extinguisher to the ground. I thought of every moment that Bucky and I had together. The first time he held me, as we escaped the prison I was being held in. I thought our first time sleeping next to each other, the first time we made love. Nothing was diminishing the fire within me.
I gave an exasperated sigh, which my ears betrayed me and heard a loud screech. I took a slow deep breath and suddenly I saw Bucky's finger drawing a large circle on my palm. I took another deep breath and felt his finger draw a medium circle within the space of the large circle. Again a slow deep breath exited my lips. I saw his finger draw a small circle inside the medium circle. I took a slow deep breath and I opened my eyes. It was just in time to watch Bucky's metal hand hold my right hand firmly in his grasp. The flesh of my palm facing up and the soft point of his first finger made contact with my palm. I took a slow deep breath and felt my body collapse.
Bucky's arms wrapped around me and carried my safely back to our room. I slept for several days straight. If anyone had reported the sighting, we didn't hear anything about it. I stayed in for a few weeks, just in case. We opted to not practice on the roof top anymore, as it was no longer safe to be out in the open.
Bucky had found a few abandoned warehouses that we might be able to use, but it was undecided as to if that was going to be possible.
"Maybe we could hold off for a while?" I asked, as I selected a few apples from a cart and told the cart attendant, "O să iau astea." Bucky had taught me a few Romanian words and statements. He was a good teacher and I was a willing student.
He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye as he picked a few plums from the adjoining cart. He handed them to the attendant and turned to me. "I suppose a break isn't a bad idea." He took the bag from the attendant and put his right arm around my shoulder. He handed me his bag, which I put with my apples in a small canvas sack I was carrying.
We were less then a block from the carts when we stopped to cross the street. He glanced beyond me to a newspaper stand. I looked over and the attendant was staring at us. I felt my heart race and looked to Bucky. He leaned down and kissed me, which I returned. The kiss was soft but quick. When I opened my eyes, Bucky was breaking away from me and heading over to the stand. I turned and watched as the attendant ran away. I was confused by his behavior and came up behind Bucky, placing a hand on his lower back.
"What's going..." I looked at the paper he was holding. "How?" My brow furrowed and Bucky sighed.
"Looks like we are moving after all." He spoke quickly and then guided me straight to our apartment.
"I hear there are some nice country side homes available." I smiled as we walked briskly up the stairs to the house.
He smiled at me and then we both froze. Our door was open, Bucky moved me behind him as we walked cautiously down our small hallway and into our room. Bucky had taught me to move silently, so I stepped lightly and came to a stop next to him. I stood to his right, the back of my left hand barely grazing the back of his right hand.
In front of us stood a man, he was dressed in blue pants with his shirt having mostly blue on it. It was red and white stripes around the midsection.
"Copy that." I heard his deep voice, as he lifted Bucky's book from the top of the fridge. I furrowed my brow at him. Something felt very wrong.
He turned around and looked Bucky up and down, then looked me over. He looked like he was ready to fight, and I felt my fists begin to clench.
"Do you know me?" He spoke deeply.
I watched as Bucky took a deep breath before responding. "You're Steve. I read about you in a museum."
"I know your nervous." His eyes looked to me, "and you have plenty of reason to be." He placed Bucky's book on the counter and looked back to Bucky. He squared up his stance and straightened his back, making himself appear larger. "But your lying."
"I wasn't in Vienna." He looked at me, "I don't do that anymore." I smiled at him in response and he turned his head back to the man in our home.
"Well the people who think you did are coming here now." He took a step forward and I felt myself tense up. "And they are not planning on taking you alive."
"That's smart. Good strategy." As Bucky finished talking I heard foot steps overhead. Someone was on our roof. He turned and nodded to me, motioning toward the wall. He moved with me away from the window and I sat our bag down on the small table near the hallway.
"It always ends in a fight." Bucky responded, as he began to remove his glove and I felt the tension rise in my legs and shoulders. I started to feel the heat rise in my chest.
"You pulled me from the river. Why?"
"I don't know." I could hear the desperation in his voice. I knew how straining it was for him to be around Steve. We had talked about him often and how he never wanted to put his friend in danger.
"Yes you do." Steve said and then I could hear the yelling in the communication device that came from Steve.
The next few moments blurred as grenades burst through our windows and Steve and Bucky worked like a synchronized team to deflect them and prevent them from hurting us. Bucky kept trying to say something to me, but was cut off by the sound of banging on our door.
Another bomb came through the window as Bucky lifted our mattress to deflect it. I saw him reach for the table and I dropped flat as it flew over my head. Men broke through our windows and Bucky engaged instantly. I felt the heat rising in my chest and it was taking everything I had to not let it erupt. I backed myself into the hallway, trying to keep from going nova. I was focusing on my breathing. I didn't hear the clatter of fists or gunfire.
The only sound I could hear anymore was the whooshing of air in and out of my lungs. It was the sudden shout from Steve that brought me out of my trance.
"Buck! Stop!" He yelled as he grabbed Bucky's shoulder. "You're going to kill someone"
Bucky turned around and shoved Steve on to the ground. I watched his left arm reel back and punch right next to Steve's head. I didn't hear what Bucky said to him, I only heard the words that came after he lifted our emergency bag from the floor boards.
"Jess! Get out of here!" I watched him toss the bag and I couldn't control myself anymore.
I watched the bag leave the window and I heard the familiar shreek the came when I lost control. I watched Bucky's eyes go wide and he moved away from the window. I stretched my arms and pushed as hard as I could with them. Suddenly I was pushed passed Bucky and Steve, I was out the window and I could look down and see our bag sitting on a nearby rooftop. I spiraled myself downward and landed nearby it. I lifted it from the floor and waited in a crouched stance for Bucky.
I watched as moments later Bucky came toward me, jumping from a balcony on a lower floor of our apartment. He hit the ledge and rolled. I ran to him, we were up and running quickly. I turned to hand him the backpack, as I did a black blur came down upon us. We rolled head over heels for a moment and Bucky returned to his feet quickly. I looked on as he and this man in a black suit fought each other.
I saw a helicopter come around the corner and I felt the fire in my chest again. Instead of holding it in I focused my eyes on the tail of the helicopter and released a scream that was building in my chest. I listened as the familiar screech left my lips and fire burst forth from my mouth. It pelted the tail of the chopper, as it did I watched as another man that had wings flew passed us.
It was mere moments before we were up and running again. We reached the edge of the roof, Bucky grabbed me by my waist and we jumped to a ledge below us. When we landed I pulled from his grasp, fire filling my chest again. I knew if we stayed close I would hurt him.
He looked at me and then we both looked to see the man in the black suit sliding down the wall of the building. I jumped first, letting the fire in my chest release and stretching my arms as I did. I felt myself take flight and I watched as I came in alongside Bucky as he ran down the street.
He gave me a half smile and I screeched in return. Eyes on the road. I thought to him, as his head turned back. Bucky was fast, and I was thankful I was able to fly, otherwise he would have left me in the dust. Shots began to sore passed us, Bucky jumped to the underpass and leaped down. I glided down behind him, trying to stay close but not too close. While gliding along I continued to familiarize myself with my wings and fire.
Allowing myself to be consumed by the desire of the fire and relax into what felt like a smaller form. It must have worked, as I saw my reflection in a passing car I was not the size of a giant bird. I was barely smaller then a macaw at best. The brief moment of pride I had was lost in dodging the oncoming traffic and the sirens around us.
I missed Bucky slowing down, as I zoomed passed him. I glanced back and saw him suddenly on a motorcycle. I missed him getting that. He was back in the other direction of traffic. I zoomed over at my first chance but was losing ground with him. He was much faster then I was, but I was not going to give up.
I continued to try to keep pace with him, moving as fast as my body would allow. I saw him reach in his pack for the small charge he had. I quickly went into on coming traffic to avoid what was coming.
I made it through the debris as the dust was settling. As I did I saw Bucky standing there with Steve and the man in the black suit. I rushed to Bucky's side. Trying to douse the fire as fast as I could as I came to land near him. I collapsed into him, his arms coming up to hold me as my feet planted. I was panting and trying to catch my breath.
I felt weak and my body was trembling. I blinked multiple times, as I heard men around me yelling. I felt him pull me close and then he said something just as my knees started to buckle.
"Steve, look after my wife." I felt his grip tighten around me as everything went dark.