Eerie silence. Pain. Faint heat.

I'm lying face first in the rain, on the ground. Whatever noises I hear sound like they're at the other end of a tunnel, they're so muffled. I blink slowly, feeling time slow down with me. I'm dazed, I can't gather my bearings quick enough.

Fortunately, while I'm temporarily taken out of action, someone else has his head on.

Bucky pulls me to my feet, firing behind us. The gunfire is faint in my buzzing ears. I quickly jump down to snatch the gun that had fallen out of my hand when the explosion hit. I'm pulled alongside Bucky into the woods once he grabs me again, rain dowsing us.

The longer we flee, the more my hearing starts to come back. The shouts are getting louder now, the gunfire too. My lungs are starting to burn, but everything else is numb from the cold. Bucky practically throws me on ahead, I nearly tumble on the land. He returns fire, I don't look back.

I have no idea where the hell I'm going, neither does Bucky. We can't fight Hydra, it's not a wise choice. Though both of us would definitely love to turn around and stand against them, now isn't the time.

Trees take the bullets for us, and I begin to think this is a smart decision. The ground has become slick, and our vision is blurred thanks to the rain that for some reason won't let up. At least we're not in a storm, just a shower.

I push myself off trees to keep my momentum consistent. We've got to lose them. I twist around long enough to fire a couple of bullets. Of course, I only hit air instead of bodies.

"Watch, Danielle!" Bucky shouts.

I turn around only to slam my shoulder—my recently healed shoulder—into rough bark. I cry out and lose my footing for a second. Tears are being held back, I don't need anything else screwing up my vision.

I'm surprised I haven't collapsed yet. I must have a lot of stamina. Is that from Hydra training or S.H.I.E.L.D.? I think Hydra, as I didn't run around the Helicarrier during training. My legs are whimpering. I turn around to fire another two bullets.

My breathing and my gait aren't synchronizing, they're off beat with each other. One's faster, one's slower. I know Bucky is right behind me, I hear his heavy feet pounding after me, hear him fire at our pursuers.

I wonder if this is how S.H.I.E.L.D. felt in that ambush a while back. Like they had no choice.

Out of nowhere, Bucky pulls me to the right, nearly dislocating my shoulder in the process. My feet tangle themselves and I go down, Bucky lets go. I grit my teeth, pushing myself up as quickly as I can. Hydra agents shout orders behind us.

I don't want to know how close or how far they are, I just want to know that I'm not in their hands right now.

We weave through the trees. The familiar sound of rushing water is just up ahead. For some reason, it pulls me towards it, the sound. It pulls Bucky in too, like we're hypnotized by it. The ground rises under our feet and we both stop at the cliff's edge.

We both look around, hear Hydra agents shouting over the rain again. Loud whirring makes me look up to the skies. Through the dark clouds and sheets of rain, a helicopter is flying overhead. My heart drops into my feet.

I know that's not S.H.I.E.L.D. coming to bail us out.

The spotlight puts the beacon on us. I realize the gunfire on the ground has stopped. They must see that we've stopped. My eyes don't tear away from the chopper above. Will they shoot at us? In a way, we're cornered. Hydra behind us, Hydra in the sky. Who's to say they don't have people in the water?

Wait. The water.

"Bucky?" I yell over the noise around us.

"What's the plan, Dani?" I see him next to me in my peripheral.

"We jump."

He looks at me with wide blue eyes. "You seriously think we can make that gap?"

"I don't plan to make it, Buck." I reach a hand out blindly for him. "It's the only shot we've got."

"We can do this the nice way or the hard way," Jessabelle's voice rings in the air. "I'm good with either way, really, because in the end you'll both come back with me."

I spin around, hold up the gun, and point it right at my sister. She laughs at me, like I'm the most hysterical thing she's ever seen in her life. I'm really tempted to shoot her right now, all because of her laughter. I'm ready to risk death if it comes. There's a good chance I won't die if I kill her anyway, I'm too valuable.

"Don't bother, Danielle. It's not worth the trouble." She tosses her dark hair. "Just be a good little sister, drop it at your feet, and kick it towards me. We don't have to cause a fuss."

"Like hell we don't," Bucky growls under his breath. "Don't listen to her, Dani."

But I do. I drop the weapon and sort of kick towards Jessabelle. It doesn't make it to her, it's still more towards me. It's away from me though nevertheless.

Jessabelle's smile grows bigger. "It'll be so nice to have you both back in our family. It'll be like nothing ever changed." She blinks the drops away from her eyes. "Now, you too, Barnes. Drop the weapon, kick it out of the way. Both of you get your hands up."

Bucky and I look at each other, mutually agreeing that we aren't going to listen anymore. We aren't going to surrender. I feel his metal hand grasp mine. I look down, then up at him. He mutely nods.

He fires one shot, taking out an agent—unfortunately, not Jessabelle—and then he and I both head for the water to jump. Just as we take off and fall, sharp, white-hot pain erupts in the back of my leg, and I fall unceremoniously into the freezing water. I scream, letting bubbles of air escape. I go with the current, try to find Bucky. It doesn't help when there isn't sunlight.

I shoot for the surface, bellowing in pain once I can get enough air into my lungs. I try to use both legs, but the one is in too much pain. I'm reduced to swimming with three limbs, like a three-legged dog.

"Bucky?!" I yell, trying to rise enough above the water to see him. I have no choice but to let the current take me. I groan and grunt in pain as my leg continues to throb intensely.

I couldn't have lost him. I can't lose him. He's a superhuman, for God's sake! I paddle onward, once again hearing words yelled behind. Make us hurry, water. Don't kill us in the process, I want to live through this. I want to live to be old and gray.

I scream as I feel something grab me.

"It's okay, I'm here," Bucky coughs. "Don't let go of me, Dani." He's my lifeline. I cling to him like if I don't I'll most certainly die.

Together, we swim onwards. I cringe, duck my face into the water idiotically, when I hear bullets smack around us. I'm nearly deafened again as Bucky fires another few bullets at our enemies. I curse under my breath, realizing my weapon is in enemy hands.

They run as a herd, taking turns trying to harm us. A few shots come close, spraying water at the both of us. I struggle to stay afloat, my clothes are becoming too heavy for me—that and the searing pain in my leg, which hasn't stopped even with the numbing cold.

I yell as a Hydra agent, his hazel eyes ablaze, jumps straight in the water—and right on top of us. We're all pulled under. It's eerie how silent it is when you're completely underwater.

I'm pried from Bucky, I elbow my captor in the face. I feel like I'm moving in molasses, not water. We stay under, he's trying to swim against the current. Idiot. I claw at him, my lungs are starting to burn again. This time, it's not from running: it's a mixture of lack of air and exhaustion. The man's twisted snarl tells me he's overconfident. I kick at him.

A strong arm around my middle comes of nowhere, begins to hoist me to the surface. But the agent isn't letting that happen: he grabs my legs, using himself as an anchor. I let water in by opening my mouth. Black spots are in my vision. I'm choking, lungs filling.

My heart is racing in terror. I may legitimately die right now, all because we're playing Tug-of-war underwater, me acting as the rope. A foot slams into the agent's face, I see his nose break. Blood filters out, his eyes are now wide with horror. He reaches for my legs as I'm being pulled to the surface.

Too late. He stills, eyes open in a blank gaze at me. Jessabelle may not be happy to see one of her agents sunk. Or she may not even care. I don't know how attached she is when it comes to fellow Hydra members.

Blackness is filling my vision. I don't know how I'm still functioning, let alone living. I become limp in Bucky's arms. I can't be heavy for someone with his super strength. I must be the equivalent of a feather to him.

It seems like we're in the middle of the ocean, not a river. It must be a lot deeper than we thought. It's got to be because I'm losing consciousness, but I'm not worried. It's almost like I've forgotten why we're in this river to begin with, the whole reason why we're even in Washington.

I fight to stay conscious. I've got to fight, for him. For me. For S.H.I.E.L.D. For my parents. For...

My thoughts quiet as the blackness takes me.