Eunoia [Bucky Barnes]

chapter 15

"Is he gonna make it?" Ava stood beside Nat as they watched the doctors operating on Fury.

"I don't know." Steve mumbled, looking forward at the man.

"Tell me about the shooter." Ava asked Steve as she managed to tear her eyes away from the procedure.

"He's fast and strong. Had a metal arm." Steve recited the facts as Agent Hill joined them to stand by Ava.

"Ballistics?" Nat whispered out into the stiff silence.

"Three slugs, no rifling. Completely untraceable." Maria answered her, causing Nat to let out a shaky breath.

"Soviet-made." She thought aloud, causing Maria's head to turn to her.

"Yeah."

Suddenly the doctors in the theatre began moving faster and a loud beeping alerted Ava that Fury's health must have deteriorated in the last minute. Tears formed in her eyes, not falling as she refused to blink. The Nick Fury wasn't about to die, he couldn't.

Nat began muttering to herself, and probably to Nick too, as the doctors began stopping their efforts with the defibrillator and peeling off their masks. Ava blinked, allowing her tears to begin the steady stream down her face. Nat began breathing heavily beside her as Steve turned to leave the room. Nick Fury, the one who had brought Ava under his wing, taught her all he knew, made her feel like maybe living in a totally different world could be worth it.. was dead.

Fury had been moved to another room in which Ava, Steve and Nat were standing. Ava leaned on a wall as she stared at Fury's body in front of them, face damp from the tears that had fell. Steve was beside Ava, but Nat was right up beside him, still trying to comprehend that he was gone.

"I need to take him." Ava heard from her left to see Maria standing in the doorway. Steve also looked in her direction before walking towards Nat.

"Natasha." He whispered to the girl, but there was no response. Instead, she pushed past him to walk out the door, causing Ava to follow her. "Natasha!"

"Why was Fury in your apartment?" Nat stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Steve. He began trying to think of why he may have been there before giving an answer.

"I don't know." He answered sincerely as Ava saw Rumlow approaching them, making her raise an eyebrow.

"Cap, they want you back at SHIELD." Rumlow informed Steve as he just ignored the other two standing there.

"Yeah, give me a second." Steve tried to wave off the agent, but Rumlow didn't move.

"They want you now."

"Okay." Steve turned back round to look at Natasha, who stared back, disappointed.

"You're a terrible liar." She exclaimed before walking in the opposite direction. Ava turned to go after her but didn't know whether to wait with Steve. A gentle nod from Steve told her she could go after her other friend.

It was in a setting like this that Ava was happy Nat had red hair, as she turned a corner after her. Nat stopped and turned to see Ava standing a couple meters away as she walked forward and grabbed her hand before pulling her in the exit's direction. Once they were outside, Nat turned to look straight at Ava.

"Do you know why Fury was in Steve's apartment.. and don't lie to me." Nat ordered her as Ava just looked back with wide eyes.

"Nat, I was with you, remember? Why would I know." Ava spoke quickly, trying to figure out what Nat's next move would be.

"Because you're his closest friend, wether you like it or not." Nat took a deep breath before turning to look back at the entrance to the hospital. "I'm going to stay here for a while. You can go back to the compound or stay here with me, but right now I'm not on Steve's 'side' if you will. I'm finding out exactly why Fury was there." Ava took another glance at the hospital before seeing a patch of grass on the other side of the road.