Seeing Beyond

8

Aurora burst into the stairwell, gasping. It echoed and she hated that, her weakness being reflected back into her face. She almost fell as she rushed down the stairs, wiping tears from her face and halting when she saw Steve. Unfortunately, that meant the energy in her body flung her forward and she would have hit her head far too hard on the level ground she'd have landed on. Steve caught her and stood her back up. "What's wrong?" he asked quickly. With this behavior, he assumed that the tower was under attack or something.

"I'm so, so sorry," she shook her head and tried to back up, falling as she hit the stair. "Shit. What's happening to me?" She looked up at the man.

She noticed his eyes were red like he'd been crying too. But it barely registered when she couldn't  breathe again and tears were falling from her eyes without permission. "What--the hell?" the gasped between sobs. "I have--no reason--"

"Hey, hey, hey," Steve sat beside her and wrapped comforting arm around her shoulders. "Shh, it's okay. I think you're having a panic attack, Tony used to get them all the time. It's okay, it'll be over soon."

He coaxed her through the tears until she slumped into his side, out of energy. "What the hell? I don't have anxiety, though."

"You probably have a form of PTSD. From all the HYDRA years and then rehab time here. I mean, you're 16."

She shrugged. "Don't call it rehab. It makes me sound like an alcoholic," Aurora commented which made Steve chuckle lightly. "What's your reason?"

He looked confused for a moment before she pointed toward his eyes.

"Oh, uh," he swallowed. "Peggy--I don't think you'd know her--passed."

"I don't know her. I'm sorry, Steve," the girl sighed and hugged him. She'd always been fond of Steve, he was the one guy she could go to who would listen without judging. He'd make sure she did what she wanted to do. Not Tony. Not SHIELD. Her. "That really sucks."

"Yeah. Yeah, it does. I'll be fine, though."

"Today's just a shitty day, isn't it?"

Steve let out a defeated laugh. "You can say that again."

Aurora was walking back to the hotel with Sam, knowing Steve wasn't going to want company at the church after the service. "Sam?" the girl broke the silence.

"Yeah?"

"Do you know what panic attacks are?"

He chuckled. "Panic attacks used to be my closest friend."

"What?"

"I was in the military. I struggled with a bit of PTSD when I came home. Why?"

"Steve thinks I had one the other day. I don't know why I would have."

"Doesn't need a specific reason. Anxiety's a sneaky bastard."

"I don't have any reason to have anxiety though," she sighed, frustrated.

Sam gave her a look. "You've been tormented as a child, forced to spy, forced to do... unspeakable things... with old men," he pretended to vomit, "you have plenty of reasons. Plus, you had to change your entire life, your identity when SHIELD decided not to imprison you."

"I guess..."

"Kid, do you need help?"

"No! And stop calling me kid."

"Sorry, you just seem so young. Especially to have gone through everything."

"I guess the fact that I actually had friends, had to lie to all of them 24/7, and had to spy on one of my best friends did stress me out."

"There you go, three more reasons. You see a therapist?"

"Not since Bruce went AWOL."

Sam sighed as they walked. "I had a good one in DC, but I don't think you wanna fly out there for weekly sessions. Tony would do it, though."

"Yeah, he's extra, though."

"Extra?" the man cocked his head.

"Like... over the top. He does such crazy, non-needed things."

"Gotcha," he nodded as they walked into the hotel. "Any other kid slang I need to know?"

"With due time, I will teach you."

They were in the elevator heading up to a room when Aurora's phone buzzed in her hand. "Sam, check this out."

BREAKING: 'Winter Soldier' seen walking away as bomb goes off in Vienna at the Sokovia Accords Conference.

"Ah, shit," he muttered as they ran to Sam's room. Getting in, he turned the news on. "We gotta tell Steve."

Aurora couldn't move. That was the man with the long hair, the metal arm, the cold eyes that didn't seem to feel.

"Rory, I need you to snap out of this. Stay here."

"You got ground coverage?" Sam asked.

"Yup. Just chillin' down here."

Aurora was a nervous wreck right now. The man that had beat her and humiliated her in her youth at HYDRA as part of her 'training' was the man that she was going to help? This made no sense at all.

It was better than being at the accords, though. She trusted Steve knows what he's doing. If  Steve will vouch for this guy, he has to be trustworthy, right?

She'd checked the weapons in her suit under her clothes (simple, but easy to move in was all it was with some gadgets that Tony implemented) when Sam hit a helicopter by it's tail.

"Everyone get out of the area!" She yelled and started ushering people away. Based on how fast it was going, she couldn't tell if he'd actually hurt it. It was coming down, though, and a bunch of Romanian people didn't need to get hurt. 

"Rory, get a car," Steve commanded and she obeyed. "We have a guy up here in a black suit. Don't know who it is, stay away from him unless he confronts you." Aurora nodded and hopped in an empty car, quickly finding the keys someone had left in it and starting it as Steve told her where to meet him.

Aurora had barely slowed for Steve when he jumped in. Police were tailing them as the gas pedal hit the floor.

"What the hell?" Aurora looked to Steve as a loud thud hit the ceiling.

"Sam, we can't shake this guy."

"I'm right behind you."

"Don't stop, don't lose Bucky," Steve calmly ordered the short girl driving. "Ah, hell," he mumbled as Bucky threw something on the edge of the tunnel they were in.

"Go, get out!" Aurora cried and skidded to the side. Steve obeyed, the girl quickly grabbing her seat-belt and putting it in place as the flipped multiple times. Disoriented, the girl tried to unclip her seat-belt. Before she knew it, a pair of arms were pulling her from the upside-down car and she was pressing a hand to her bleeding forehead as the world spun around her. Her hand was pulled away from her head and was handcuffed behind her. She saw Sam, Steve, and Rhodey in a suit. Her eyes focused in on one person who made eye contact with her: the one with the metal arm.