Bloodborne: First Blood {1}

Chapter 𝟙𝟚 - And Then, There Were None

(Possible Agent Carter spoilers ahead)

1946

I placed two bouquets on two graves, the graves of Captain Steve Grant Rogers and Sargent James Buchanan Barnes.

It had been a year since their deaths and a lot happened within that year. The S.S.R was disbanded after the war so, I took up a new profession along with Peggy in New York. Howard and I still weren't married and it's wasn't because we weren't ready it was because of a stupid 'law' that we couldn't get legally married. He had gotten himself into a lot of trouble which Peggy and I helped with. He also found the Tesseract Zola had told us about at the bottom of the ocean.

At certain times, I'd remember moments Steve, Bucky, and I had when we were kids, adults, or at any time in our lives really since the day we met at a playground. Again, those moments made me cry at times but then I'd realized how lucky I was to have lived life with some of the greatest people to ever live.

"You all done gorgeous?" Howard said to me as a walked up to him.

"Yep. And, before I forget- tell Ana that I bought her something nice for helping me with my workload last week. It should arrive in a few days."

"Will do now, come on before Peggy gets mad at you for being late."

"Please, she'll understand." Howard walked me to the car where Mr. Jarvis was waiting yet again. We both got in the back seat.

"Evening Mr. Jarvis."

"Evening, I assume you need to see Agent Carter?"

"Yes please and, go as fast as you can, I'm already late."

"Will do." Mr. Jarvis started to sped off to one of our new bases of operation. It wasn't much but, we had to start somewhere.

"You're sure your up for this today? Feeling all right?"

"I'm fine Howard," He looked at me unconvinced. "...I promise."

                                       —♪—
"Levithan," Peggy said as she led me through the base nicknamed the "lighthouse" that was leftover from when the S.S.R was still operating. "We know very little about them but, from my mission with the Commandos. They seemed to train girls from an early age to become operatives."

I had an open file in my hands, it was rare to see me without one these days. "I can see they're more of pain in the ass than Thompson." Peggy laughed at the expense of our coworker.

Then, a man with a cane walked up to us and spoke. "Agent Carter, Agent Harding."

"Agent Sousa, to what do I owe the pleasure?" I said.

"Peggy filled you in on Levithan?"

"Yeah, what about them?"

Sousa swallowed hard, like he was nervous. "Well we uh, got some more intel on them."

"Well, go on." Peggy said.

"You might want to get Stark on this, we think we found an old base of operations if we can get in there we might be able to uncover their true motives."

"We must consider the fact that they could be working alone.

"Actually," I spoke up. "Didn't you say you saw something while you were with the Commandos Peg?"

"Right, a woman attacked us. Your thinking she's the only one involved in this?"

"Bingo. Uncovering her identity is the challenge, no idea what her motive is though." I looked over to Agent Sousa, he grew more agitated as we spoke. "Sousa, you alright over there?"

Agent Sousa leaned closer to both of us and whispered. "Look act normal, there is a mole somewhere in this place. One wrong move and everyone is blown to high hell."

Peggy and I immediately tensed. This was extremely sudden, our enemies have foiled us and the only way everyone would get out of this alive is if we kept quiet.

"One agent wasn't enough so they plan to take all of us down? Amazing." Peggy said in a hushed voice.

"I know, any idea of what we could do?" Sousa said.

I gulped, I had an idea but it was risky.

"I think I know a way out. Howard told me the lighthouse was built for anything. There are exits we could lead everyone through. The only thing is, we don't know who we can help."

"We don't want people to panic now and what if they set blasts off anyway?" Peggy said.

"Alright, how about we gather-" Sousa barely finished a sentence before a loud explosion went off, shaking the whole base, pieces of debris fell onto the floor. In this job, you had to expect the unexpected.

Everyone in the room was on the floor, the explosion caused me to lose my hearing for a little bit, all I heard was a loud ringing sound.

I managed to pick myself up and as the dust cleared I saw Peggy supporting Sousa. My hearing was back and all I heard was people screaming. This building wasn't as strong as I thought.

"THIS PLACE IS RIGGED TO BLOW, WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE," Peggy yelled.

What I did next is what started my own hero's journey, and it continued an ongoing chain of people who 'died' supposedly. But, you could call me stubborn or stupid. Maybe Steve had rubbed off on me because I heard the faintest of screams coming from the room next to us and my first reaction was to save those people.

I knew there were more agents, saving them meant I might've had to give up on my own life. And I'd rather for that base go down with me inside instead of all those people.

"THERE ARE STILL PEOPLE IN THERE PEG."

"AGENT HARDING, COME ON-"

"I'LL LEAD THEM THROUGH THE EXIT."

"CHRISTINA-"

I felt my mouth run dry, tears pricked my eyes, and the mere thought of the consequence of going back battled with my willpower. "I KNOW PEG JUST- IF ANYTHING TELL HOWARD I LOVE HIM." I started trekking through one of the hidden pathways. I heard Peggy helplessly calling after me but my decision was final. I couldn't leave those people like that. Even though my heart ached and my eyes started to water from the thought of leading myself to my death and dust, without a question I still kept making my way towards the other room with no thought of turning back.

I saw people who were part of the science division in corners. They slowly looked up at me.

"Quickly, get in there and don't look back!" I order them into the pathway. Immediately they rushed in.

Some of them looked back at me but I told them just to keep going. I was on the edge, not knowing when a second blast would go off or if there even was a second blast.

As the last person went into the exit, in some type of cruel ironic turn of events, just as I was about to exit the place, another blast went off.

My hearing went out again but, I definitely could feel pain.

A horrible headache plagued me and it was nothing compared to the sensation of my leg being trapped under debris, it had to be broken. Glass and other materials had cut me, and one big shard of glass was sticking out of my arm. I was in a horrendous state. I had lost all hope. I knew if another explosion went off, I would surely be crushed to death.

The pain only got worse and I was so close to fainting or— dying. My body was desperately trying to save me but, recently my powers had grown weak. I couldn't save myself from this any longer.

Something that I thought was a figment of my imagination seemed to phase through my body like an apparition.

It was a silhouette of a person, they seemed cloaked but my mind could barely make them out.

"Tina...it is time." I heard a quiet voice come from the figure. "Don't worry, you'll be up soon." The figure removed the debris off of me and picked me up before I blacked out.

It was my time indeed.