Hawkgirl #2 (Sequel to Arrow)

XXIX

Still in extreme pain and her hand almost numb by now she managed to get to the helicarrier's panel room.Her breath heavier than before.The cuts on her face had reopened again and droplets of blood rolled down her cheeks.Along with a big bruise forming on her chin.

As she entered the room with groans and a lot of difficulty she noticed Steve running back up at the panel to enter the chip on it.He was going to make it.He was so close.

A gun shot was heard,making Steve yell in pain.Bucky was there with him.Shooting him.

She ignored her pain and literally threw herself on the man,taking him by surprise,knocking him on the floor.She pressed her knee on his throat with a grunt of pain.Her head raising slightly to look at Steve who was climbing to reach the panel.The man beneath her clenched her body and threw her across the room, her head hitting something hard.She screamed before she fell on the ground her body twitching from pain.

Another gunshot.She heard Steve grunt."Steve!"she exclaimed through her hazy mind and pained body.After that silence followed for a few seconds.Her breath stuck on her throat.

"Charlie locked."she heard Steve groan.She breathed in pain as she raised her body to sit up against the glass wall behind her.He was okay.

"Okay,Cap,get Hawkgirl and get out of there."Maria said on her earpiece.

"Fire now."said Steve as he tried to get up even though shot several times.

"But Steve-"Maria started.

"Do it,Maria."Valerie said as she held her pained arm.It didn't take much time for the helicarriers to start getting shot.Her body trembled and shook from the shots firing.She was loosing contact with the world from the pain she was in.She wasn't trained.Her father warned her.That thought ate her with guilt inside.

A loud scream was heard from somewhere and she turned to see a huge piece of the vehicle had crashed Bucky.Steve jumped from his spot to where Bucky was and tried to approach him as the vehicle was dropping from the sky.

This time,this was the end,she didn't knew if she was going to see her family this time.She had only left them a letter and nothing more.

So as the glass broke beneath her she let her body fall.She was already in tragic pain both physically and emotionally that feeling the cool air against her skin felt so soothing.She heard someone yell her name as she fell from the sky.

Her body landed with force at the water.Despite the force her wounds stung but felt soothed as well.Her lungs filled slowly with water.She was slowly loosing consciousness as well.Maybe this is what they meant when they said that death could be soothing as well.

Her brain then decided to have a flashback.When she thought she was going to die up there in that building fighting off those aliens but the impact never came.

Her father's smile flashed behind her closed eyelids.His archery lessons and his crazy dancing.

Her mother's soft kisses and the smell of cookies every other Saturday.Her delicacy when she dressed her new born sister and her loving stares with her father.

And last but not least her sister's and brother's toothless smiles.Their bickering and warm hugs.

Her eyes opened inside the water slowly,her hazy eyesight seeing the arrow necklace above her,floating slowly.She had forgotten she was still wearing it since her birthday.

"Dad helped me make it.I made the string!"

"Dad said you had to look like a princess,so I painted a dress!"

Her fist clenched it as an unknown force of adrenaline filled her veins.She kicked her legs and arm.Her lungs burning as she reached the surface.She gasped for air and coughed as the salty water left her lungs.She was alive.In pain but alive.She wasn't going to leave her family anytime soon.She pulled her necklace over her head,stuffing it inside her vest to keep it safe.

It took her a long time to swim all the way to the shore.With only one arm and bruised legs.Sam's and Steve's whereabouts unknown to her and her earpieces gone as well.With her fall in the water,the force took them out of her ears leaving her in pure silence.She was lucky anymore damage wasn't made.She could bleed from them but she was okay.A little dehydrated maybe but she was so thankful she was alive.

Her whole body went limb as she went on shore.Her breaths heavy and her throat dry.She lied there on the ground looking up at the blue sky that was filled with black smoke from the destroyed helicarriers falling from the sky.

The pained expression of Bucky and Steve trying to approach him were the last she saw before she fell.Yet her mind kept putting Bucky's images before her eyes.He was a pained man.Just like Steve out of his time with no knowledge of what he was doing.

A broken man.And Alexander was behind all of this.HYDRA brainwashed him and put wrong information in his head.Making him a weapon that could make Steve weak.His best friend.The idea of it only was painful.

She was glad though that the plan moved accordingly with Natasha getting in disguise inside the building and releasing all the data.Now it would be known to everyone who she was HYDRA or even S.H.I.E.L.D.'s people were exposed everywhere.It would not take them much time to learn she was Valerie Barton,daughter of Clint Barton aka Hawkeye.

She winced loudly as she sat up,her clothes soaking wet and her hair sticking to the sides of her face.Slowly and with the support of a tree she raised herself on her feet.Wobbly she walked slowly across the shore.
Someone would be there to find her a doctor or Nick or anyone who could help her.

The last helicarrier had fallen from the sky and into the water.This was over finally.But was it really?She didn't knew where everyone else was and she had no communication.She only had her bow which was slightly cracked and a small number of her arrows if not none.

She suddenly noticed people in the distance,getting out of the water.Maybe they could help.She quickened her steps until she finally was close enough to recognize the silhouettes.Bucky was dragging Steve out of the water,the blond unconscious."Steve."she said under her breath.She started to jog their way as Bucky let the blond on the shore.He turned to look at her.An unreadable expression across his face.

"Steve."she said again as she kneeled by his side.His face bruised and filled with cuts,but he was breathing.As she looked up she noticed the man with the metal arm walking away.She pressed a button on her bow and pulled out an arrow,her arm screaming in pain as she armed her bow,releasing the arrow to the man.

His reflexes must've been still on edge since he turned and caught it on his metal arm.The arrow exploding.His eyes didn't even flinch as it went off.

He wasn't glaring at her like before.He was confused and pained.He had seen too much on his long life and right now he must've tried to recall so much it hurt him.Especially now since Steve was there to try and remind him who he was.But did it work?And seeing his state didn't exactly answered to her question.

He then threw the arrow down and went on his way,his arm glinting in the light.Valerie watched him leave as she collapsed next to Steve.