Girl At War

Rescue - 31

**Ok, so I changed Kulpan La Inyan, the highly trained warrior, to Kersia. Sorry for any confusion! Comments and likes always appreciated!**

"Oh, you remembered me?" the man chuckled dryly. Eloyse snarled an unintelligible response and shifted as far away from him as she could. 

Gauging her reaction, Steve replied accordingly. "What were you doing down here? How come we didn't see you?" he interrogated, his every word full Captain. Maxter smirked.

"I saw you two run past me headed downstairs, and so I followed. You didn't see me, because you didn't look." He smirked. "Fine soldier you are, and fine Kersia-in-training you are." he added for Eloyse. Steve cast him a withering glare, then turned.

"Kersia? What...?"

"A warrior." Eloyse mumbled. "A highly trained warrior."

"Assassin!" Came a corrective shout.

"Also known as assassin." Eloyse rolled her eyes. Suddenly her head shot up. "How'd you know that?" she angrily demanded. Maxter gave her a tantalizing grin, although her back was to him so she couldn't see. Steve saw. He stuck out his tongue in retaliation. Eloyse was muttering something to herself and rocking back and forth. Steve leaned over, ignoring Maxter for time being. 

"You ok?"

"Uh hu."

Steve just stared at her, unconvinced. She broke.

"Nobodywassupposedtoknowthat." she rushed out. Then talking slower she explained more, "Malentals aren't allowed to be a Kersia. They're too valuable to waste fighting. They are always kept behind the lines, heavily guarded, in order to heal the wounded." She stopped, but after an encouraging look from Steve, pressed on, "I never wanted to just be behind the scenes. I wanted to fight, to help. One of my parents was a Kersia. They were training me and my brother."

Maxter's voice haunted them again. "You wanna tell your friend how your Kersia parent escaped the life-long commitment to serving their King?"

"No." Eloyse snapped, whirling around. "If these bracelets were loose..." She stopped for breath, glared spitefully at him through the small hole by which they could see each other. He appeared to be caught under an ibeam. He grinned delightedly back.

"Oh, honey. I know what you'd do. That's why," he held up something with a bit of difficulty, "I have this."

Eloyse's eyes widened. She whirled away from the opening and dejectedly curled up in a corner again. Puzzled, Steve peered at Maxter. What he held was barely visible with the faint light, but it looked like a remote.

"The controller for my bracelets." Eloyse despondently answered his unasked question in a muffled voice. "And we're stuck with him."

The maddening voice drifted over again. "Or am I stuck with you?"

*********************

"Shots!" Bucky froze, flinging out an arm to stop Thor. They both listened, heads tipped. The shots were muffled, and echoey, but clearly came from the south side of the ruined building.

"That was near Eloyse!" Natasha urgently tapped her comm. "I could hear it from outside and through my comm too!"

Tony landed near the south side. "Eloyse? Are you ok?"

"Hey, what about me?" Steve's sharp voice across the comms was never more appreciated. Everyone cheered, but the celebration was broke short by Steve's somber announcement. "Somebody else was crushed under the building. They had a gun. Hold on." There was a long moment of silence, "Ok, now I'm fine. But more importantly, he shut off our air supply."