Rumors of War || The First Avenger

Chapter Thirty-Eight: To Die By Your Side

Picture is Tatiana Maslany as Emma Jane Barnes.

Music is "It's Been A Long, Long Time" by Harry James & His Orchestra.

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CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT: To Die By Your Side

{February 4, 1945 - Present Day}

When the wheels come to a stop inside the Valkyrie, Steve and I climb onto the metal bridges that connect different portions of the aircraft. We move slowly, silently, as to not arouse suspicion. Schmidt doesn't know we're here, and that's a very good thing for us.

I turn my head and spot three, large bombs lined up like soldiers. They're marked, each with the location of their target.

Boston. Chicago. New York.

Before we can react to what we've found, four HYDRA soldiers start flooding the bridge. Steve gives me the hand signal to hide, and we pull ourselves above the bridge, onto the pipes overhead. As the four soldiers pass us, Steve swings down and knocks one of them off the bridge. 

The three remaining soldiers turn towards us as I land beside Steve, pulling my bowstaff from my back holster. One HYDRA soldier pulls out a small knife, fighting Steve hand-to-hand with it. I take on the second soldier in line, knocking him over the head with my weapon and using my electric shock setting to stun him.

The third HYDRA soldier starts to flee. I pick up the knife that Steve's enemy dropped, throwing it as hard as I can manage towards him. It hits my target in the back, and he falls into the bomb.

Unbeknownst to me, while I'm throwing knives at HYDRA soldier number three, number two escapes from both Steve and I. He runs to the nearest bomb, the one heading for Chicago, and hops inside.

While Steve fights off his soldier, I run to the control panel, trying to figure out a way to stop the bomb from taking off. I open the floor out from under the bomb, and it falls into the sky. Soon after, the soldier who was trying to pilot it falls as well, screaming on his way down.

A HYDRA soldier comes up behind me, throwing a punch in my direction. I take a hit to the jaw, throwing one back at him before using my bowstaff to fire a bullet into his chest. Steve comes to my aid, picking up the soldier and tossing him out the open part of the plane where the Chicago bomb dropped.

"I had him on the ropes," I say, breathless, wiping my bloody lip.

Steve sighs, his shoulders heaving as he attempts to catch his own breath. "I know you did."

We both turn around as the sound of another bomb about to deploy echoes throughout the aircraft. The remaining soldier has climbed into the New York bomb, about to take off.

Steve launches himself towards it, using his shield to try to break the cockpit window. A fourth soldier comes out of nowhere, attacking Steve from behind. I run over, pulling the fourth soldier off Steve and back into the Valkyrie as the bomb deploys into the sky with Steve still on top.

"Steve!" I shout, but am unable to see what happens to him due to the fourth HYDRA soldier throwing punches my way. My best friend might have just died, and I can't take a single moment to process that. 

I spot Steve's shield on the ground beside me and stoop down to pick it up. I turn back towards the soldier, holding my bowstaff in one hand and the shield in the other. "All right, then, you wanker. Fight me." The soldier pulls two large knives from his hip holsters, holding them expertly in his hands. I sigh. "Didn't see that coming, but okay."