Let Me Go (Book Four)

Chapter: 18

DAY: 271

Winter Soldier

It was like I was watching a bad dream right in front of my eyes. I just woke up, Clint was telling me to find Lark and make sure that she got to one of the jets but I wasn't listening. Steve was there asking questions. All around us shots were being fired, people where shouting or screaming. It was going to turn into a blood bath before long.

"Why's S.H.I.E.L.D. here?" Steve asked Clint.

"Intervention, our specialty." he answered.

"I have to go find Lark. I'll catch up with you guys." I hit the sand running.

Lark laid there, her eyes shut and her breathing went shallow. Clint and Steve both ran over. Clint swore under his breath and radioed in. Lark's skin began turning grey, ashen and pale like before. The Aether was coming back stronger, spreading back through her body. Which means the serum that I gave her was corrupted by whatever Braxton gave her.

I should have come back sooner, I should have woken up. Someone should have done something, or. . . I don't know. 

"Lark, come on." I shook her shoulders, listened for her breathing but I couldn't hear it over everything else around me.

"We need to move, board her onto the jet. We have a medical team there that can figure what we should do." Clint said.

Steve helped me lift Lark into my arms, positioning her arm over my shoulder. I followed Clint down the beach towards a jet, the ramp was lowered so we boarded quickly. I laid her out on one of the cots that one of the soldiers set up. A medic ran over and started hooking Lark up to leads, he even put an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth. I stood right there with her, I didn't leave her side. I was too afraid that if I did then she'd die on me.

The medical team that Clint was talking about was only two people, but they were quick and spared no time talking. They only spoke after they were done.

"She's stable, for now." One of them said, a woman. "But her condition is bad and we don't know if she'll survive this."

"What happened to her exactly?" Steve asked.

"Aether injection. From the needle wound on her arm we can gather that much. Aether count spike tremendously, which has left her vulnerable." The man answered, "We need to reach base as soon as possible, Lark won't survive otherwise."

"And the baby?" I asked, swallowing hard. 

"We don't have the proper equipment to monitor the baby's condition, but we've picked up it's heartbeat with Lark's." The woman glanced over her shoulder, "I wish I could tell you better news."

"Thank you." Clint took towards the helm, Steve sank down to sit beside the cot Lark was strapped into. 

I stood nearby, afraid of getting too close yet even more fearful if I moved at all she'd give up. 

It was a last stretch to go to S.H.I.E.L.D. I knew that none of us wanted to deal with them but we had to for Lark's sake. They had technology up there that could help her, maybe even save her life. When the jet landed on the Helicarrier Lark was transported out first, I followed quickly behind, Steve tried to stay in pace with me.

"They're not going to let her die." Steve said to me.

"No guarantee of that." I said to him as we entered. Lark was rushed down to the labs, Steve went with them as Fury pulled me to the side.

"Bucky, you are now giant pain in my ass." Fury told me, "How many times are you going to be compromised by Hydra?"

"Last time." I told him, I wasn't in the mood for games or lectures on how I'm supposed to act or the way I do things. There was an uncomfortable silence between us as I stood there. I almost wanted to turn and find Lark but I knew Fury had something that he wanted to say.