Sergeant Barnes: The Last Mission (COMPLETE)

Chapter 41: Raven

Ow.

Fuzzy.

I rubbed my head, which was throbbing. Might be a concussion, check later.

Then I remembered that I was on mission, and I froze. I listened, despite hearing my own blood pump through my veins, and when I didn't hear footsteps, I lifted my head.

Ow, ow, owowowow. Bad idea, bad idea. I got so dizzy, I sunk my head face-first back into the snow. Which was cold.

I tried to control my breath. I gave myself a precious minute to calm down, breathing in and out, in and out. After awhile, I tried again. I was still dizzy, but the throbbing lessened. I opened my eyes for the first time.

All I saw was the base of a tree. I guess I had hit it after I fell unconscious. I pressed to all fours, and took a once over to feel for injuries. Still possible on the concussion, might have bruised my side from rolling down the hill, and my throat hurt. I almost laughed. I hacked and restored Captain Rogers' mind, and the first thing he does is choke me, and throw me down a hill.

I lowered my gaze, and saw blood-stained snow. Was I bleeding? Now that I think about it, my cheek really stung. A lot. I raised a hand to the left side of my face, which only made the stinging worse, and when I examined my hand, my fingertips were a dull red.

Great. So much for subtlety.

I pushed to my knees, working towards moving to my feet. If someone tried to attack me now, I was a sitting duck. The sooner I got moving, the better. I couldn't just get up and go, though, or I would pass out again.

I pulled my knife from my hip again, and used the blade as a mirror. A large gash, almost as long as my finger, streaked from my ear to my mouth, and it was bleeding very quickly. I actually had droplets of blood running down my cheek. Whether I had time or not, I needed to cover it up.

I reached into the belt pouch on my back and pulled out some medical tape. It wasn't the best option, but this was too big for a band-aid. I really ought to get it stitched up once I get back to SHIELD. I created a small patch, folding a strip over itself, then lining it around the side. I used the knife to line up the tape, and gritted my teeth as I pressed it on. It wasn't great, but it should slow the blood flow until I get somewhere safe.

For now, I needed to get out of the open. I sheathed my knife and used my other hand to steady myself on the tree as I rose to my feet. My vision went spotty for a second or two, but eventually, I was able to stand on my own power. I rubbed my neck (Captain Rogers had a strong grip), and looked around for signs about where he and Bucky might be.

There was a large patch of displaced snow, where I had rolled into the tree. A few feet from where it started, a large rock, the one I had seen before I was knocked out, was jutting out of the ground, and the sharp tip of it was definitely red. So that's how I started bleeding.

Other than the snow and the blood, nothing seemed out of place. I hadn't dropped anything, other than my phone back when I was being choked, and I didn't see anyone. Yet when I listened, I heard a faint whirring. It sounded like a motor, but I knew that our vehicle had been destroyed. Who else was here?

I was about to investigate, when I heard footsteps coming from the direction of the road. I turned to look the way I came, and I saw Bucky and Captain Rogers, thankfully not fighting each other anymore. I walked to meet them, still not trusting myself to stay conscious.

"Raven, you okay?" Bucky asked. I noticed that he looked quite a bit happier than when I had last seen him, and that the skin around his eyes looked a little red. I suppose the occasion did call for some manly tears.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," I replied, even though I probably didn't look that great. I had blood all down my face and on my suit, and some on my hand too. Not to mention I had snow all over, especially in my braids.

Captain Rogers seemed to notice the blood. "I did that, didn't I?" He pointed at me.

"No, the rock did," I assured him, jerking my head backwards towards it.

"I meant your neck."

Well, he had a point, but I had a better one. "That was HYDRA. It's not your fault they made you into something you're not."

He looked at me, then smiled. "Steve," he said, offering his hand.

I took it. Obviously. "Raven."

"So I've heard." He looked back at Bucky. Then he reached into a pocket and pulled out my phone, with the cord still attached. "You might need this."

"Thanks." I put it into my front belt pouch.

"You know," Bucky said, "Natasha is training her."

Captain Ro-Steve smiled, then fear crossed his face. "She's gonna kill me."

I smiled. I made a mental note to have my phone ready if possible. That would make an excellent video. "Only if we can get to her, though. She, Mr. Stark, and Mr. Parker are all walking into a trap."

Bucky sighed, remembering the problem at hand. "How are we supposed to get to them? We can't catch them on foot." He glanced at me. "Unless you have some kind of super serum, too."

I shook my head. As far as I knew, I was not a super soldier.

"Are there more trucks at the base?" Bucky asked Steve.

"There are, but it's not safe to go back."

"Then what's the plan? We need to get to Berlin."

I remembered the motor I heard earlier. I turned and looked in the direction I thought it had come from. I couldn't see through the dense forest, but if I focused, I could still hear it.

"Ca-Steve? Is anything that way?" I pointed, praying for as positive answer.

"That way?" He asked, squinting.

Bucky walked next to me, trying to see what I couldn't. "Why that way?"

"I hear some kind of motor running, that way. Since we don't have many options..."

"Actually," Steve interjected, "there's a HYDRA resource base half a mile in that direction."

Hallelujah.

"Do any of those resources include a car?" Bucky asked.

"It should."

Steve started jogging, and Bucky followed him. I went behind them, trying to ignore my pounding skull as I went.

By the way, when a super soldier jogs, it's equivalent to a normal run. Just in case you were wondering.