Radioactive | Bucky Barnes

IRON MAN: CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Blood dripped from Rhiley's nose. She had held him back long enough for Tony to save Pepper. She slipped back onto the ground, hidden from the chaos. She keeps herself upright by a large blue trash can, looking at where Howard stands over her. 

"You've still got it." 

"Can't you just go away?" 

"Hey, wow - Rhiley it's me." Phil had startled her at first. She almost punched him in the nose, but he grabbed her hand before he could. "I'm going to get you out of here." He grabs her arm and wraps it around his shoulder before pulling her up from the ground. 

"Pepper?" 

"She's fine." 

Rhiley nodded, "I need to help." 

"You've been shot." 

"I took care of it." Rhiley was too tired to hide any sort of secret at this moment. "Shouldn't you be helping, too?" 

"I am." 

"I don't need help." 

"This isn't your battle, Stark." Phil puts his foot down in the way he says this. Rhiley paused, she stepped away from Phil, able to stand on her own, she didn't care if he saw the burned handprint. She was processing what he had said --- what he had called her. "You're a Stark, aren't you?" 

She looks into the sky, where the battle continues. "That thing is going to explode." Rhiley finally looks down at Phil, "I can delay it, at least until someone stops it." 

"What are you talking about?" 

"I can't explain, not right now." Rhiley looks over at the crumbling building, "We need to get to the reactor." 

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"How the hell do I shut it down??" That was Pepper's voice as she struggled with the reactor, trying to find anything to get it to shut down. "I'm in the control room, now what?" 

"Central panel. Red button. Pressit." 

Rhiley stops, not wanting Pepper to see her. She looks over at Coulson. "Go, do what Agents do, I swear I can handle this. I just can't have you here if it blows." He doesn't move. "Do you trust me?" She asks, "Because I trust you. I need you to trust me." 

Phil points at Rhiley, "You're telling me everything after this is dealt with." 

"Deal." Rhiley agrees, pushing Phil along to leave. 

Rhiley didn't know exactly what she was going to do. She didn't know if her powers could hold this thing. She just needed to try. At least, until Tony could get Pepper out of here, until he can stop this. 

She needed to help. 

Then this could all be over. So, Rhiley kept out of sight. Didn't let anyone see her. Made her way around the retractor, trying to feel her power like the day with the rocks. She lifted them. She moves things with her mind. That's special. She was born special. Those things weren't just erased. 

"If I can stop it from moving." Rhiley stops, closes her eyes, and focuses on the movement of the reactor, only for it to blow her back and into a wall. "Shit." She muttered, seated on the ground. She raises her hands to her temples, pushing her fingers against them, she braces herself against the wall and takes a deep breath. 

She listens. 

"Thanks for checking in Tony." She hears Pepper, "Delta's at 2300. It's not going down."