Steel Hearts

- 21 -

Truthfully, I didn't care that the new King T'Challa had revealed himself as Bucky's attacker. My brain threw me into a loop of flashbacks, dancing around my head. The mantle of the Black Panther had been passed from generation to generation within Wakandan warriors and that was the extent of my knowledge.

My ears were ringing at the simple clinking of handcuffs, nonetheless, the lights and sirens surrounded us. The hair on my head felt as if it were on fire; like every neuron in my body was firing at the same time. My bloodcurdling screams had faded to whimpers as I held my head between my knees. I could feel my eyes glowing purple even though I was far from using my powers. The collar was sending enough electricity through my body to trick my brain as if I was.

"Sam," Steve murmurs, his words were melancholic, "You can't..?

"Steve, I tried. Stark has to take it off himself."

Even the smallest crack in the road resulted in another shockwave and every muscle in my body tensed. Period cramps wouldn't even compare. My vision went in and out of focus. I just wanted this thing off of me.

Once the van had rolled to a stop, the doors opened and T'Challa was escorted out first. I wasn't allowed to move for myself, nor would I have been able to.

"Hey!" Steve snaps from behind me as I'm yanked from the van, guns focused on me. I wasn't able to catch the shield, wings, and my cuffs being taken from us. My eyes slammed shut in an attempt to keep them from moving, though that just made the flashbacks worse. It was a lesser of two evils.

The ringing in my ears was too much for me to hear anything, Steve was holding me upright as best he could. I was about to collapse any second. He had swept my feet off of the ground, carrying me to wherever they were taking us. I could feel him glance down with every step because every step resulted in a whimper from me.

"For the record, this is what making things worse looks like," Nat's voice pierces the ringing.

"Worse? Can't get much worse than this, right?" Steve answers sarcastically, referencing the collar on my neck. I open my eyes for a split second, pleading to anyone in my line of eyesight.

"Romania was not Accords-sanctioned. Colonel Rhodes is supervising cleanup." Tony's voice was loud and clear. He was on the phone.

"Try not to break anything while we fix this," Nat says, walking away.

"You already broke one thing!" Sam calls after her, obviously referencing me.

"Consequences? You bet there'll be consequences. You can quote me on that because I just said it. Anything else? Thank you, sir."

"Consequences?" Steve asks, still cradling me in his arms avoiding movement as much as possible.

"Secretary Ross wanted you all prosecuted. Had to give him something."

"Take it off," I whimper, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Had to be done," Tony states, not daring to look at me.

"Do you know what you could've done?" Steve was upset.

"Take. It. Off!" I squirmed out of his arms, purple energy surging through the floor as I fell. A yelp had escaped me and I glared up at him through the tears, my eyes flaring in a menacing purple glow. All eyes were suddenly on me as the lights flickered.

"They think you're dangerous."

With a warning yell from Sam, Steve, and Nat, Tony tapped his phone and the collar dropped from my neck onto the floor with a metal clang. Steve crushed the metal, tossing it aside. His hands were on either side of my face in an instant, brushing his thumbs over my cheeks with his eyes searching for any reassurance that I was okay. Wiping my tears away, he pulls me into his chest once more.