Nocturnus | Marvel AU ✓

(35) - Electricity and Escapes

THiRD PERSON POiNT OF ViEW

"It was him. He looked right at me like he didn't even know me." Steve tries to explain the utter possibility of his childhood friend even being alive but Sam shakes his head.

"How's that even possible? It's been like seventy years." Sam denies once again as Natasha watches Nadia's limp body. Wondering what happened and if the girl was alright.

She could see the sweat dripping down her forehead and every so often the girl would twitch as if she were in pain. "Zola. Bucky's whole unit was captured in '43, Zola experimented on him. Whatever he did helped Bucky survive the fall. They must have found him and..." Steve's voice grows somber as they're being pushed into the van.

Steve is basically thrown into Nadia and he winces when he sees her damage. There's blood trickling down the back of her neck as she's restrained in a straight jacket and had a collar like device on her neck. "It's not your fault, Steve," Natasha reassures him but he isn't so sure it isn't his fault. He was the one who convinced Bucky to join him and his ragtag team in defeating HYDRA.

And look where that got him...

"Nadia, come on... please wake up," She gasps for air as she's ripped from the all too familiar nightmare. When she opens her eyes she sees that she's restrained in a straight jacket, her neck is burning, and her head is ringing.

"Wha– what's going on?" Steve shushes her and tries to calm her down as Sam sees the blood seeping from Natasha's shoulder.

"We need a doctor, if we don't put pressure on that wound she's gonna bleed out here in the truck." The guard closest to Nadia pulls out an electric rod and the girl flinches.

"Please don't, not again..." She pleas but the guard just shoved the rod into the side of the other guard and knocks him out.

The same guard pulls off their helmet and is revealed to be Maria Hill, "That thing was squeezing my brain." Sam's face is warped with confusion as Maria asks who Sam is.

"Sam Wilson, think you could get us the hell out of here?" He asks and she nods,

"Can the kid do her thing?" Maria makes a hand motion and looks to Nadia, she seems traumatized.

"Uh, I don–" Nadia cuts Steve off and in a quiet voice whispers, "I can't do anything... this thing on my neck zaps me when I move... I thought you were gonna zap me too." Her voice cracks and Maria nods.

"Good thing I came prepared." She says with a sad smile. When Rumlow opens the door to the holding van he finds two things; a knocked out guard and a hole in the ground.

NADiA'S POiNT OF ViEW

Every time I move, I flinch. Afraid of being shocked again, who even made this thing... It hurts like hell and my arms are stiff from the straight jacket. I walk silently between Sam and Steve as Maria gets Nat to a doctor. A man runs up to us and causes me to jump in fright, Steve puts a hand on my shoulder. He gives me a small smile which I try to return. "Gun shot wound. She's lost at least a pint." The man nods.

"Let me take her." The man suggests but Maria shakes her head.

"She'll want to see him first." We walk for about five more minutes, my entire body hurts from the fall... and even more so from the vivid nightmare. When we reach our destination I stop short, I must be hallucinating because I know damn well Nick Fury isn't laying in a bed twenty feet away from me.

"About damn time." He says with a sarcastic tone but when his eyes meet mine they soften. I think. He eyes the device on my neck and I shift awkwardly under his scrutiny.

"Hi, Nick," Steve states plainly.

LATER

"I'm sorry–" Maria says for the millionth time and I shake my head.

"It– it's fine." I try to smile but every time she tries to pry the collar off it sends a zap straight to my head.

"Lacerated spinal column, cracked sternum, shattered collarbone, perforated liver, and one hell of a headache." Nick suddenly announces from the bed he's lying on.

"At least you didn't fall thirty feet..." I mumble somewhat sarcastically.

"Don't forget your collapsed lung."

The doctor reminds him. "That too, otherwise, I'm good," Nick says with wit. Natasha winces when the doctor pushed too hard on her wound. Maria tries again but I stop her and motion for Steve to come over.

"Do you mind, uh. Trying to pull it off? You got like superhuman stre–"

He cuts me off with a shake of his head, "I got you, kid." I smile at him a bit.

Natasha's brow furrows, "They cut you open, your heart stopped," Natasha says as Steve puts both a hand between my neck and the collar, and I scream so I clench my jaw as it begins zapping me harder than ever.

He pulls back and the collar falls off. I feel the tears in my eyes before they fall and sigh in relief. "Tetrodotoxin B. Slows the pulse to one beat a minute. Banner developed it for stress. Didn't work so great for him, but we found a use for it." I hear Nick say and laugh in happiness at the fact that the collar is gone.

"Wha– what's with all the secrecy?" I pipe up and all eyes on me, the only pair bothering me the most being Nick's.

"Can't kill you if you're already dead. Besides, I wasn't sure who to trust." I nod, getting that. If you're 'dead' you cannot be killed. Simple. I rub the sides of my neck and Maria hands me an icepack, I send a smile in thanks.

My smile drops as images of my nightmare flash before my eyes. So much sadness, everything's turned to dust at the sound of a snap. My eyes are still open but the images were just as vibrant as when I was unconscious. "Hey, you alright?" Natasha asks while looking down at me.

I shake my head no. "I saw things when I was out. And they won't go away." Is what I wanted to say but we have bigger problems on our hands.

"The collar would zap me every time I tried to use my powers... then it thought me moving was an attempt at my powers so it would zap me every time I breathed..." I choke out and still feel the electricity coursing to my brain. I flinch again at the thought.

"I am so sorry we brought you into this..." I shake my head and bite my lip.

"It wasn't you, I could have stayed at the Tower." Natasha shakes her head at me.

"I meant, brought you into everything. Us, the Avengers. It was Clint and I who caught you anyway." Her voice is sad and I nod sarcastically.

"I let you catch me, Widow."

She rolls her eyes, "Sure you did." Nat ruffles my hair and walks away. Leaving me to my haunting thoughts.