Broken Remains || Bucky Barnes

I Regret Everything

Nikita's POV

I followed Nat through the tunnel, it felt like I was flying.

We landed on a dark planet. Morag.

I made the ship grow and Rhodey and Nebula got the escape pod ready.

Nat kicked a small creature out of the way and it let out a loud screech.

"Hey, can we hurry it up?" I asked the two. This planet gave me the heebie jeebies.

"Guys, chop-chop. Come one. We're on a clock." Nat joined in.

"All that is really helpful."

"Take care, okay?"

"Yeah." Rhodey and NAt said goodbye. "Get that stone and come back. No messing around." He told us. "Hey."

"We got this." I said giving Rhodey a hug. "I'll see you back."

I made my way to the ship.

"You guys watch each other's six." Rhodey said to us.

Nebula had set the coordinates for us so we didn't have to do anything but sit there. As the ship rushed through the tunnel of light it felt amazing with the feeling that we could actually fix everything.

"We're a long way from Bolivia." I looked over at Nat.

When we landed I was shocked.

"Under different circumstances...this would be totally awesome."

We got out of the ship and made our way to the really tall mountain.

We climbed up the side of it and as we got further up, it started to snow.

"I bet the raccoon didn't have to climb a mountain." Nat said.

"Technically he's not a raccoon, you know?"

"Oh, whatever. He eats garbage."

"Welcome." Said a very creepy voice.

We brought out our weapons and aimed them at a floating black cloak.

"Natasha. Daughter of Ivan. Nikita. Daughter of Gabriel."

We kept our guns aimed at him but moved closer.

"Who are you?" Nat asked.

"Consider me a guide...to you...and to all who seek the Soul Stone."

"Oh, good. You tell us where it is, then we'll be on our way."

He made a remark in German. "If only it were that easy." He returned back to English.

He came forward and I was able to see his face. He had no nose, and his whole face was red. I had only seen him in pictures but it was clear he was the Red Skull.

He led us to a cliff with two giant pillars.

"What you seek lies in front of you. As does what you fear." The man told us.

"The stone's down there." Nat looked over the edge.

"For one of you. For the other...In order to take the stone...you must lose that which you love. An everlasting exchange. A soul for a soul."

I almost fell over at his words.

***

"How's it going?" I said to Nat who was sitting on a rock just thinking. "Maybe he's making this shit up."

"No." Nat said. "I don't think so."

"Why? Because he knows your Dad's name?"

"I didn't. Thanos left here with the stone...without his daughter. That's not a coincidence." She said.

"Yeah." I agreed.

"Whatever it takes."

I looked at the ledge. "Whatever it takes."

"If we don't get that stone...billions of people stay dead." She got up.

"Yeah. Then I guess we both know who it's gotta be."

"I guess we do." She said.

I grabbed her hand. Nat was one of the only good friends I had in this world. Leaving her is the worst thing I could do.

"I'm starting to think we mean different people here, Natasha."

"For the last five years, I've been trying to do one thing. Get to right here. That's all it's been about. Bringing everybody back."

"No, don't you get all decent on me now." I said.

"What, you think I wanna do it? I'm trying to save your life, you idiot."

"Yeah, well, I don't want you to. How's that? Natasha, you know what I've done. You know what I was." I told her.

"Oh, I don't judge people on their worst mistakes. Especially if it wasn't them."

"Maybe you should."

"You didn't."

"You're a pain in my ass, you know that?"

We put our heads together.

"Okay." Tears were falling out of both our eyes. "You win." I smiled at her.

I swiped my foot under her leg knocking her to the ground and pinning her there.

"Tell my sister and family I love them." I told her.

She grabbed me and we rolled until she had me pinned to the ground.

"You tell them yourself." She held up her arm and sent an electrical current through my body.

I watched as she ran towards the ledge.

Before she could make it to the edge I knocked her out of the way. I ran past her and jumped off the ledge.

From behind I could feel someone grab me in mid air. Nat attached a grappling hook to my suit and it shot and connected to the cliff wall.

I grabbed the cord with one hand and held onto her with my other arm. We hit the wall and she slipped out of my arm. I grabbed her hand as fast as I could.

"Damn you." I looked at her tears filling my eyes.

I tried to reach her with my other arm but it wasn't going to work.

"Wait." I pleaded.

"Let me go." She whispered loud enough for me to hear.

"No. No. Please no. Nat, I can't lose you too." I cried.

"It's okay."

"Please." I begged.

She kicked the wall and let go of my hand. I lost my grip on her completely.

I couldn't do anything but hang there and watch my best friend fall to her death. I couldn't watch her fall.

As I hung there crying the sky above me started to shine, but I didn't care what was happening.

Nat was gone. And I let her go.

I closed my eyes once more and saw the sight of her dead body before I woke up in water.

I got up and saw Nat wasn't there. This whole thing felt like a really, really bad nightmare. And I wanted nothing more than to wake up.

I looked down and opened my hand.

In my palm was an orange glowing stone. Her life for this dumb rock.

Another wave of tears streamed down my face.