DEMONS.
( chapter twenty-three. )

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Edited 12/26/2015 @3:06 PM
Edited 12/26/2015 @11:05 PM
Edited 11/30/2017 @10:06 PM

[ PLEASE. READ THE BACKSTORY BEFORE COMMENTING THINGS LIKE 'WHY DOESN'T SHE JUST TELEPORT?' THANK YOU. ] 

  ANDREA LEFT STEVE BEFORE she could second-guess herself, teleporting the rest of the distance to her assigned heli-carrier. There was no point in holding off on using her powers anymore. Nothing was more crucial than completing the mission as quickly as possible. If it meant draining herself, then that was fine. A reliance on her abilities was a weakness she could afford.

At the very least, the time she had spent scouring the blueprints and maps of the heli-carriers had helped. Getting into the area holding the Insight targeting chips was easy. With little security left to guard the entrances, Andrea found herself making quick work of the stray agents unfortunate enough to cross her path.

She ran across the grating leading to the targeting chips and worked fast to open the tray. When it slid down to reveal itself, the female plucked one of the microchips from inside, replacing it quickly with the one given to her.

  "Bravo-locked." She spoke into her wrist before teleporting back to where she'd left Steve. The female knew he'd be gone before she arrived, but followed the direction he'd last went and found him running towards the edge of the platform. The brunette watched him with distress, pausing to shake her head.

  So much for not doing anything stupid, she thought to herself.

  Behind him were agents, readying an enhanced rocket launcher at his seemingly unaware back. The Jones woman teleported fast, kicking at the weapon just as the explosive device was launched. Andrea dove then as guns were fired, but refused to run as she took cover behind a crate.

  Andrea gathered the energy inside her, letting it accumulate to the point where it pulled against her restraint. When there was a lull in the gunfire, she stepped out, launching the telekinetic blast at the agents. As the energy exploded, Andy hurried to follow Steve, who dove over the edge of the platform and began free-falling towards the ground.

  "I've got him!" She called out to Sam as she teleported the rest of the distance. She enveloped Steve in her arms, teleporting again to get the pair back to safety. She'd originally aimed for them to land closer to his assigned heli-carrier, but felt her head explode in pain before they landed back on another platform.

  Andy collapsed to her knees, clutching her head as the headache slowly faded. Her abilities were sparking on and off again, reaching the cusp of what little power Andrea had left. Steve reached out to help her, but the woman waved him off just as Sam landed next to them.

  "I'm fine," she breathed out, forcing herself to stand on shaking legs.

  However, her insistence didn't stop them from watching her with concern. They all knew she was far from 'fine.' But, with time running out, what more could be said?

  Andy closed her eyes, shoving down the energy trying to forcefully heal the damage. After a moment, the hum in her chest died down. She breathed a sigh of relief. The exhaustion faded, replaced with a pain she hadn't known she'd been feeling. But, she could breathe easy again and that was good enough for her. Steve gave her an inquiring look as she met his eyes.

  "I'm good," she nodded. Nothing more was said as the group resumed their path along the edge of the helicarrier, rounding the corner of a large stack of cargo.

  Before anyone could comprehend what had happened, there was a whir of black, blue, and white before Steve disappeared over the railings. Andrea stumbled back in surprise, eyes wide as she watched the scene play out, too fast for her to stop. It wasn't until the Winter Soldier turned to her that Andy realized what had happened.

  He was here— he was here and he was standing in front of her again. The mask was gone now, leaving his face out for Andrea to see all-too-well. A choice she knew HYDRA had engineered to throw them off.

   And it was working.

  All Andrea could do was stare. As his eyes held hers, she didn't think of the winter-cold, but rather the summer-blue she still remembered so clearly. How could she fight him? When all she saw was a man she fell in love with.

  Sam called out to Steve, activating the Falcon jetpack to reach him. But, before he could, the soldier grabbed his wing, clutching it with his metal arm before tossing it behind him. Sam yelled out in surprise, quickly regaining his momentum before pulling out his guns and shooting at the soldier.

  However, Bucky easily dodged Sam's bullets before ducking behind cargo. Andy was senseless, watching the scene play out, unable to move. When Sam tried to escape again, the soldier pulled out a device. He aimed and the wire that fired at Sam latched onto one of his wings. Bucky gave the metal cord a hard tug, slamming him back onto the ground.

  The soldier proceeded to break the cord off of the jet-pack, taking the wing along with it before he pushed Sam off the carrier. It was only then that Andrea felt reality kick in as Sam disappeared over the edge. Her heart gave a sharp jolt of fear.

  Her eyes met the Winter Soldier's. Andy knew no hesitation was going to stop her now as she was overcome with anger. She rushed him, jumping onto Bucky— only to be flipped over his shoulder with ease. Andrea felt her teeth grind together as she was laid out onto her back, quickly rolling out of the way as his metal fist slammed against the ground where her head had once been.

  The woman turned her body towards him, still on the ground, and took the opportunity to swipe his feet out from under him. Her kick lacked any gentleness. She was prepared to break and fracture bone if that was what it took.

  As his own body met the concrete platform, the Jones woman rose fast and took out the knives attached to her belt. There was a dangerous glint in her eyes as she stared over at the man, the weapons in her hands ready to be released. But, as Andy looked at over Bucky, she struggled to push her emotions to the side.

  She knew that it was important for her to stop him. She had to if she wanted to get to the carrier and cease the Insight launch. But, there was still an ache in her chest; one that refused to leave no matter how much she tried to push it aside.

  Andrea exhaled a deep breath of air, closing her eyes momentarily to calm her racing heart. Then, when she re-opened them, she began to toss the knives without pause. They sailed through the air, waiting to embed into their target. However, the soldier easily dodged, stepping closer and closer with every knife that Andy threw.

  The brunette backed up, continuing to throw her knives until she had nearly run out. She had one left, but was persistent to keep it until the soldier pulled out his own knife, forcing Andrea to use her last one as well. The pair instantly engaged in combat and Andy did her best to avoid every swipe of his blade.

  However, his movements were quick and never-ending, making it harder for the Jones woman to find an advantage. But, before she knew it, Andrea was being tossed through the air as he swung his metal arm. The female went rolling across the ground, struggling to regain her breath as the soldier made his way towards her.

  She looked up to see his figure looming over and, in one final attempt to escape, she teleported a small distance to where Steve was. The impact of using her abilities was instantaneous and Andy struggled to stand and regain her breath as Steve grabbed hold of her.

  "I'm fine." Andrea insisted after taking a few moments to regain her equilibrium. Steve reluctantly nodded before the pair continued to head in the direction of the carrier. Their breaths soon became labored due to exhaustion and all Andy wanted to do was collapse.

  However, they needed to finish the mission before time ran out and, fortunately, it wasn't long after that the two finally arrived. Unfortunately, though, the soldier had gotten there before them and his expression was telling of his determination. He would stop at nothing to keep them from completing their mission, because he had his own that needed to be finished.

  Andy pursed her lips, feeling her eyes sting with tears. She was scared─ not of Bucky, but rather of what he could do and what he was being forced to do. How could she face him when she knew everything he was capable of? And could she let Steve when she knew it meant risking his safety?

  As Andrea turned to look at the Rogers man, she knew the answer and it came easily. "I'm sorry." She whispered, mustering the last of her powers as she clutched Steve's hand. "Old habits die hard." She joked, but the humor in her voice fell flat when her smile came out sad.

  The Rogers man furrowed his brow in confusion, but that was before the sensation of energy washed over him. "Andy, don't!-" the sound of his voice was cut off as he disappeared from sight. Andrea remained behind, struggling to maintain her control as she attempted something she'd never even imagined doing before.

  When she was sure he was safe, the brunette collapsed onto the railing. But, even in her weak state, the soldier made no approach. It seemed he wasn't fond of making things easy for himself. Andrea smiled bitterly. She was drained and barely holding on, however, she forced herself to get up. Steve was safe, and that was enough to strengthen her for one last fight.

  So, she'd make it count.

  Bucky stood still, unwavering as he faced off against the woman who'd once been his closest friend. Andrea stared over at the soldier, watching him as the pain in her chest returned. Looking at him and knowing what would happen hurt. She knew that stopping him would be almost impossible and, in order to do so, she would be forced to fight him with everything she had left.

  "I don't want to do this," she whispered, but the words did nothing to phase him. "Please, don't make me do this." Andrea's plead fell on deaf ears, and she knew this as her heart ached inside of her ribcage. The soldier could only stare, not acknowledging the words even in the slightest.

  She was sure he'd heard begging one-too-many times to count, and no amount of weeping was going to make him care about hers. But, she owed it to him to at least try. "A whole lot of people─ innocent people─ are going to die if you don't let me stop this." Andy couldn't help it. She continued to press on, taking a step closer to Bucky.

  However, she froze when he tensed and readied himself to fight. Approaching him without ill-intent wasn't going to help her now. His brow furrowed slightly when the Jones woman paused, but it wasn't long before his eyes returned to glaring at her coldly.

  Andy inhaled a shaky breath. With her abilities at their limit, she no longer held the advantage. Seconds kept passing, and the female knew that stalling was helping nothing. If she wanted to face him, she would have to shut down the way HYDRA had taught her to. This whole time, she'd been terrified of what they'd done to her; the person they'd crafted her into.

  But, if she wanted to finish this job and not hurt Bucky in the process, she was going to have to start by evening the playing field. Even if it meant letting go of all emotions─ even if it meant letting go of him.

  The person who stood before her wasn't the same man she grew up with, and Andrea didn't need to force herself to believe those words. If there was anyone who understood the difference between human and machine, it was her. And realizing it made it all the more easier to fight.

  The Jones woman took off at a sprint towards him, almost too fast for the soldier to comprehend. But, he was ready, and prepared himself for what he thought would be her oncoming attack. However, when the female dropped to slide between the soldier's legs, Bucky was left unable to react.

  The female then turned, kicking at his back and sending the man stumbling forwards. Andrea shot up quickly then, reaching for the bow at her back before the man could even regain his footing. She grabbed an arrow just as fast, setting it into place just as the soldier turned to face her.

  There was anger on his expression, but he wouldn't get the chance to utilize that emotion against her. The brunette fired and, as the arrow struck the grating between them, it exploded. But, the Jones woman was ready for the impact and braced herself as she was sent flying back.

  She fell against the post where the rack of chips lay, disorientation overwhelming her senses. She wanted to take a minute to regain her composure, but Andy knew that even mere seconds were precious and she had no time left to waste. The female got up quickly, punching in the code with deft fingers.

  As she waited for the rack to open, Andrea knew better than to panic in anticipation and didn't bother to steal a glance behind her. She didn't think Bucky would be getting up anytime soon, nonetheless have the time to make it across the gap her arrow had left between them.

  However, when the window to the rack finally slid open, Andrea was proven wrong as she found herself being suddenly struck in the jaw. The blow came as a surprise and the brunette stumbled sideways, falling away from the tray and onto the railing. The Jones woman turned to glare at the soldier, who didn't bother wait for the female to recover this time.

  He drew back his arm once more and anger lit a fire inside of the female's chest. So, she held onto that feeling. Emotion was blinding, it always had been. The Jones woman ducked as Bucky threw his punch, lifting her leg and using the railing to support herself as she then kicked him back.

  He stumbled and fell, creating distance between the pair and allowing Andrea time to come to her senses. Her jaw was aching and so was everything else in her body. But, she could feel the onslaught of adrenaline kicking in and she was ready.

  Andy dove, faking a punch as she went, and Bucky quickly dodged to block the attack with his metal arm. But, Andrea wasn't done. She reached out with the hand she'd used to punch him, clinging and holding his metal arm in place as her free hand curled into a fist.

  Bucky's head snapped back with the force she used as her fist came in low, crossing just beneath her left arm with ease. Andy grinned wickedly, grabbing onto his throat and wrapping her hand around his neck tightly. He struggled for breath, swinging his free arm wildly and without aim.

  Andy easily dodged his fist, continuing to keep his metal one in place as she tightened her grip on his neck. He was losing conciousness and energy fast, but Andy didn't let go. Instead, she released his metal arm suddenly, using her newly freed hand to land punch after punch with her fingers still wound around his neck.

  He was still fighting, though, and that was admirable. When he was too disoriented to make another attack, Andy placed her foot onto his chest and released her grip on his throat before kicking him back. He stumbled slightly before falling, the sight causing Andrea to smirk before she turned away from him.

  She took out the chip from the rack and carelessly tossed it to the side, taking out the chip Maria had given her instead. But, the female was caught off guard once more as she was suddenly shoved from behind and pushed into the rack. Andrea cried out as her head slammed against the wall, but she had no time to recollect herself.

  The soldier grabbed her shoulders roughly, throwing her against the railing and sending the targeting blade flying from her hands. However, before it could fall to the platform below, it slid across the safeguard before stopping.

  Andrea felt her jaw working in agitation; teeth grinding against teeth as she whirled around to face the man. She kicked up her legs as she went, aiming for the face and landing the blow easily. Blood fell past his fingers as he clutched his nose, and the anger in his eyes mirrored Andrea's own.

  With the expression on both their features, the Jones woman knew that getting the chip back wasn't going to be easy. The female took a deep breath, calming her heart before she pushed herself forward. Bucky dodged her fists, quickly responding in kindness as he began to throw his own punches.

  It wasn't until a knife was brought into play that Andrea realized how she was now at yet another disadvantage. In response to this, the brunette quickly lifted her leg, kicking the knife out of his hand before backstepping quickly.

  "No weapons." She told him as she met his gaze evenly, tossing her bow and arrows onto the platform below.