The Raven

ALWAYS - FOUR

After making a quick stop at her motel room, Where Sofia grabbed all of her emergency cash and changed from the bloodied sweater and into a plain t shirt.

She also gave Bucky an oversized zip-up hoodie she had packed to sleep in, It barely fits the beast of a man, But she convinced him to wear it seeing as his metal arm is bound to stick out in broad daylight.

Now they both sit in yet another cheap motel she paid for in cash, In Oulu, a good six hours from where they met in Helsinki.

Bucky excused himself to the bathroom almost immediately, Thrilled by the thought of taking a nice hot shower.

Sofia sees this as her opportunity to use the burner flip-phone she picked up along the way, And call the one person she knows will be able to help.

He answers on the third ring, Pausing to hear a coded message, Or else he knows to hang up.

"Of all the creatures that breathe and move upon the earth." Sofia hums quietly into the phone, Unaware of Bucky ease dropping from against the bathroom door.

As much as he wishes he could climb into the steaming hot shower, Now that he's seen what Sofia is capable of, He knows he can't trust her.

"Nothing is bred that is weaker than man." Rick Mason answers on the other end of the phone.

"How're you doing Mas?" Sofia smiles, sitting curled up in the middle of the creaking bed.

"Better than you if you're calling me, Although I'd be lying if I said it wasn't nice to hear your voice after all these years... Are you and Tasha alright?"

"She's fine, I seem to have gotten myself in a little bit of a situation though ."

Mason chuckles, "Honestly surprised your sister was able to keep you going straight for this long, So what do you need?"

"The VIP package." She tells him, Meaning a new identity, A Passport, And a vehicle.

"And it's just you, Yeah?" He asks, Plucking a yellow notepad and pen from his kitchen drawer and tossing it onto the counter.

"Actually, I'll be needing one for a man too."

"мне нужно позвонить твоей сестре?" He asks cautiously in Russian.
[Do I need to call your sister?]

Sofia laughs, Hearing the concern in her old friends voice.

"You're not going to tell Scrunch anything about this, Mas." She says, Her tone growing more serious as she continues, "I'm running, And for the first time in my life it's my choice."

"How do you think Tasha is going to take it?"

Sofia sighs, Pushing the thought of how her sister will react when she inevitably returns to Shield and learns that Sofia has gone on the run, To the very back of her mind.

"She made her choice a long time ago, Now I'm making mine."

She knows what fate awaits for her back at Shield, The rest of her days would be spent at best shoveling paper work, And at worst? Fury would finally get his way and ship her off to The Raft.

A prison where Shield keeps their most dangerous criminals, Most of whom Sofia, Natasha and Clint have put there personally.

"So what you're telling me is, I'm going to be the last person to see Sofia Romanoff before she ceases to exist?"

"Do you always have to be so dramatic, Mas?" Sofia whines.

"When you're trying to get my head blown off, Yeah I do." He scoffs, tossing the pen against the countertop.