In Another Life | Sergeant James 'Bucky' Barnes / The Winter Soldier + Ikaris

Chapter 18

December 29th, 1949 - Malibu, California

Scarlet stood in front of Peggy in one of Howard's tank tops and a pair of shorts, her hands out next to her.

"Try it again." Peggy told her.

Scarlet closed her eyes and focused drawing all the lights and energy around her into her hands and threw them as if the light in her hands were balls. Scarlet grinned as she ran past Peggy and ran up the wall to grab the ball of energy then threw it back to the light in came from. She started falling from the wall and flipped, landing on her feet crouched.

She looked at Peggy, "How was that?"

"Scary." Peggy said with a grin.

Scarlet shook her hands and Peggy frowned, "your hands are hurting you again?"

"It only lasts a few minutes now." Scarlet told her as the lights went out again, "Damn it"

Scarlet felt her eyes focusing into night vision mode as she mentally called it.

"Scarlet!" Howard yelled.

"Sorry! Go to the breaker box and flip the breaker!" Scarlet yelled trying not to scream out too loud and shatter any of the glass.

The lights came on a few minutes later and Scarlet practiced manipulating light from one source to another as Howard walked into the room a few minutes later dazed.

"What's wrong Howard?" Peggy asked confused at the look on his face.

"One minute I was in the kitchen making a sandwich." Howard said pointing towards the kitchen, "The lights went out... then I was in the basement at the breaker box." Howard said confused.

Scarlet and Peggy looked at each other.

"Wait what?" Peggy asked, "You don't remember Scarlet telling you to flip the breaker?"

"No, did she?" Howard asked looking at Scarlet.

"Yeah I did." Scarlet said confused.

Peggy bit her lip, "Wait... Scarlet tell him to do something."

Scarlet looked at Howard and crossed her arms over her chest, "Howard jump up and down." She told him.

Howard looked at her, "Why would you tell me to do something? I don't get it."

"No... yell it." Peggy suggested, "Not loud enough to break the glass though."

Scarlet cleared her throat. "Howard jump up and down!"

Howard's eyes got wide and glassy then he started jumping up and down.

"What the hell!" Scarlet said in shock as she yelled, "Stop!"

Howard shook his head. "What was that?!"

Peggy frowned as she looked at Scarlet. "I think we just discovered a new ability."

Scarlet groaned as she held her head. "God my head hurts."

Howard barely got to her in time to catch her as she passed out.

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December 30th, 1949 - Brooklyn

Paying the cab driver, Scarlet stepped out of the cab and he drove away. Scarlet looked up at the house of her only remaining family and for the first time since she married into the family, she was terrified to enter it.

She sat down on the front steps and sighed looking out into the night. Thanks to her enhanced sight, she could see birds flying around and animal scurrying around. She squeezed her eyes shut when the street lights started flickering, willing herself to try to calm down.

The door behind her opened, "Can I help... Scarlet?"

Scarlet smiled at her, "Hey Becky."

"What are you doing on the steps? Did you knock and we didn't hear it?" Becky asked pulling her sweater around her tighter.

"Let's go inside, I don't want you to catch a cold." Scarlet said as she got up and followed Becky into the house and listened. "Where is Scott and Jamie?"

"At his mother's house for the night. How did you know they weren't here?" Becky asked confused.

Scarlet sighed. "Do I look different?"

"A little... more muscular and... lean I guess but no not really" Becky told her.

"Let's sit." Scarlet said as she led Becca to the sitting room and they both sat down, "Remember how I told you Steve got a... drug to make him into Captain America." She told her.

Becky nodded.

"They tried to recreate it on me." Ellie told her with a sigh. "But there were... issues with it. Not good things either."

"What's wrong?" Becky asked as she took her hand, "Did it hurt you?"

"No but... I'm...not right." Scarlet told her as she took her hand away from Becky, "I can mess with light. Like..."

Scarlet held her hand out to the lamp by the couch and willed the light into her hand, "Like that."

Rebecca's eyes were wide in the light that shone on her face.

"I have Steve's speed, strength... I can have increased stamina with some things, I heal fast like he did and my reflexes are amazing but... I can see in the dark now. I manipulate light and... I can yell or I shatter glass." Scarlet told her as she willed the light back into the lamp and prayed it went back in without exploding.

"So what can you do?" Becky asked.

"I'm trying my best to keep sane at this point. Best part of it is my back is healed. No pain." Scarlet told her as Rebecca took her hand again. "Sometimes I hate being... religious. Believing in something higher."

"Why?" Rebecca asked.

"I thought of ending it... I asked Peggy to kill me. I have a feeling this." Scarlet said as she held up her hand and energy pulsed around it. "Its killing me anyways."

"Did you know that your eyes glow when you do that?" Rebecca asked.

"Howard says they sparkle." Scarlet told her with a sigh as she put her head in her hands. "I don't know what to do"

"What would Bucky tell you?" Rebecca asked.

"Well he probably would ask me what the hell I said yes for in the first place. Then he would tell me to Buck up... then laugh at his own little joke." Scarlet told her.

"Exactly. Unless you are a danger to yourself or others, learn to control it. Push yourself." Rebecca told her as she took her hand and squeezed it, "I believe in you."

Scarlet gave her a tearful smile.