Dancing For Demons

Somnum Mortis

After many congratulations, Anastasia  decided to go and hit the showers. Heading back to her room, Anastasia finally felt like she had done a good thing. She had given them what they wanted and now they would give her all they promised. She was completely safe and for the first time in her life, she felt truly peaceful. It didn't last.
The lights in the corridor suddenly turned off and her instincts kicked in. Her eyes strained to see through the darkness, whilst her ears listened for signs of an intruder. Her reflexes reacted to a tiny noise behind her and herarm swung around and made contact with someone's neck. She hoisted herself onto the intruder's shoulders and swung downwards, knocking the intruder to the ground. Then she ran to the light switch, sacrificing precious chances to attack, and flicked the switch. The light was blinding and it stunned her for a second. Then her eyes focused on the approaching intruder and her heart sank. It was the winter soldier.
She ran at him and lashed out with her foot, but he caught it and flung her against the wall. She had forgotten that he had the same enhancements as her and she realised that her advantage of being more agile and quicker was gone.
"F.R.I.D.A.Y.!" she cried desperately. She barely heard the response, as she engaged in hand to hand combat with the winter soldier. He matched every move she was going to make and the longer they fought, the more intense they got. Finally, she caught him unaware and knocked him to the ground then leapt on him. She gritted her teeth as the elbow of her metal arm pushed into her ribs whilst he tried to escape the headlock. There was a huge amount of pain as one of the ribs cracked under the pressure, but she didn't let go. She just had to hold out until...
"AHHHH!" Anastasia screamed. Her arms relaxed and he ripped her from him, letting her fall to the ground. The pain in her chest was overwhelming and she raised her hands only to cover them in blood. A 20cm long knife had pierced her heart.

....................

Steve was the first to arrive. As he ran around the corner he stopped dead in his tracks. Bucky, whom he had been trying to find since he fished Steve put the river was stood in the middle of the corridor. The wheezing breaths of the slumped body brought Steve back to his senses and he ran to Anastasia's aid. He swung his fist into his friends face, knocking Bucky back. But just as he was ready to deliver another blow, Bucky was enveloped by a red mist and he collapsed unconscious to the ground. Steve turned around and saw Wanda, who he mouthed thanks to. Then he knelt down beside Anastasia and gently rolled her over. Her clothes were stained with blood and a knife was stuck into her chest.
"Take it out!" Anastasia screamed at him.
"No," he replied. "You will bleed to death in seconds." She swore loudly at him. As Steve's attention was taken by everyone else arriving, Anastasia took her chance and planting her hands either side of the knife, pulled it out whilst trying to ignore the pain. A howling scream alerted Steve to what she had done and he quickly tried to stop the bleeding with his hands. But her body went limp as the blood poured out the gaping hole.
"Come on! Come on!" Steve shouted.
He felt Wanda trying to pull him away, but he couldn't stop looking at her face. She was only fifteen. Then Bruce arrived and he finally gave up control, thinking Bruce would try and save her. But he just stood there and quietly murmured, "She's gone."

Tony took charge, whilst Steve stared at the blood on his hands. He remembered how angry he had been with her that she handed over Bucky to Hydra, but that anger had now subsided. She had paid for it with her life. He sat motionless in the hall for a while, before coming to his senses. He stood up and walked over to Anastasia's room to say a proper goodbye.
As he walked in, he saw he body and closed his eyes. He forced himself to look as he approached the bed and took her hand.
"I'm sorry," he whispered as his throat tightened and tears splattered down his face.
"For what?" a voice replied.
Looking up, Steve saw her eyes were open and she was smiling. He was utterly speechless.
"How," he managed to mumble. "You were dead."
"They called it Somnum Mortis. My body completely shuts down until the wound is healed. I'm a lot harder to kill than you think."
Anastasia sat up with ease and swung her legs over the edge of the bed.
"Be careful," Steve urged, but she ignored him. She stood up and walked over to her wardrobe. Realising she wanted to change, Steve left the room, but waited outside. Leaning against the wall, he felt his heart racing and tried to slow his breathing.
"F.R.I.D.A.Y." he said. "What is Somnum Mortis?"
"Somnum Mortis means death sleep in latin," the A.I. dutifully replied.

....................

Feeling refreshed and clean from her shower, Anastasia stepped out the room and saw Steve waiting. As she looked at him, she saw the blood that coated his hands and suggested he go and clean himself up. He reluctantly left her, but made her promise she would rest in her room. However as soon as he was out of sight, she headed down to the labs.
To her disappointment, Tony Stark was in there, working on another secret project.
"Not now, Bruce," he muttered without looking up. Anastasia had quickly learnt that apart from Tony, Bruce was the only other visitor to the labs.
"I'm not Bruce," Anastasia replied and he looked up in shock. As soon as her saw her, he dropped his project on the floor and it broke apart.
"Yeah, I'm not dead. Now that's sorted, I need your help." Anastasia ignored the shocked expression, painted across his face and picked up the broken object on the floor and dumped it on the side.
"Will you help me, then?"
It took him a few moments to find some words. "Err, yeah."