Natasha's POV

The sound of exploding ballistics shattered my ears as I dropped to the ground curling up in a ball. This is it, the day you die. It wasn't long before I felt the first bullet followed by dozens more until darkness over took my vision.

At least that's what should have happened. I dropped to the ground, the metal hurtling towards me just as the first of many shots rang out. I squeezed my eyes shut and shook in fear an anticipation. The roar of machinery and bullets was a ferocious snarl so loud it hurt my ears. My senses went into overdrive and I was so disoriented that it took me a while to notice that not a single bullet had pierced my skin. Still I refused to move as long as that agonizing roar was maintained. I could hear the sound of faint plings as bullets ricocheted. It was a snarling orchestra of noise and it felt as if my head were being split in to. It became so painful, so nerve racking, and finally the overwhelm I had suppressed for so long came surging back. I didn't have the strength or heart to repress it. I was almost unaware of my pitiful screams. They sounded like a child's, a cry of such agony it would have broken anyone's heart. My hands curled over my ears as I tried desperately to block out the noise. Tears poured down my face. It felt like I was drowning and no matter how hard I struggled the surface seemed to never come in reach.

I didn't care if I died anymore, in fact I almost wanted to, just one bullet to hit me,to end it all. For the madness to stop. And yet I didn't care to question what unseen force was guarding me. What angel had suddenly now chosen to save me. So loud were my screams that the noise seemed to suddenly stop, being outmatched by my volume. Each cry tore a hole in my throat but the pain was oddly comforting. Everything was suddenly foreign, suddenly terrifying. Something touched my shoulder and I jerked away. No, please, please! No more, I can't do this anymore! The same touch came again and my response was the same. I had no idea how long I stayed like that but eventually reality rushed back in. The soft touch struck a chord of familiarity. Still I didn't want to open my eyes. Rolling over onto my back I cut off my own screamed gasping for air.

Each breath was sharp and painful and when I finally opened my eyes everything was a bright florescent blur. My vision slowly steadied and the first thing I saw was a set of piercing blue eyes. No, no, that can't be right! But it was. I recognized those eyes. A hand slipped under my head and I was pulled gently against his chest. My whole body was numb and limp. "Natasha, its going to be okay now."

His voice was cracking and even I knew something was wrong in my disoriented state. "Steve..." My voice was rough as I gasped his name.

"Shhh." I shook my head at his comforting tone. I needed something to focus on, something to bring me back. I heard it, a soft thud. It was a nice even pace, a soft quiet sound but powerful. A heartbeat. Slowly I regained sense and feeling until I was aware of what was going on.

"Steve how did...how did you get here?" I asked in barely a whisper ,still exhausted.

"Nat I'll tell you later but we need to get going." There was a urgency to his voice. I didn't want to move, not even a centimeter.

"Why?" But as I said it an idea occurred to me. Shifting slightly I glanced over his shoulder to see two horrifying sights. The first was a mangled corpse. The Overseer was drowning in school of her own blood, her skin ripped open to reveal raw, slick, flesh. It looked like she had just passed through a meat grinder. My stomach turned angrily and for a moment I thought I would hurl. My gaze shifted quickly away before settling on the reactor core. It's glassy surface was covered in spider web cracks, small springs of blue liquid energy leaking out. The key pad facing us was a deep red color. As the pressure released from inside the tank, the cracks grew bigger, and with it the leaks. Panic seized me in a moment and this time I was unable to control my stomach. I heaved, the burning sensation of bile rising up the back of my throat caused my eyes to water. After multiple dry heaves I rose shakily to my feet. "Let's go, we have...a short window until...the facility goes into lockdown."

"How do you know?" Steve asked his eyes narrowing in curiosity.

"Same protocol as when I was little." With that I staggered to where I remembered the entrance. The metal platforms shook dangerously beneath my feet threatening to cave at any moment. As I reached the door I heard a loud crack sound from behind me. Spinning I watched as Steve's platform gave way. A look of surprise flashed across his features as he leapt for the edge of the next steady platform. I watched with anxiety as his fingers brushed the edge and clamped down. He pulled himself up in a swift motion before hurrying over to me with a dorky smile.

"I'm good." He said rounding the small corner and stopping in front of the large door. It remained cracked open by a large metal rod shoved between the door and the wall. Steve reached back grasping his shield, from where it rested on his back, and rushed out into the open. I followed still a little shaky. My eyes couldn't help but notice just how many scratches his shield had acquired from deflecting all of the ballistics? As he jogged on ,I followed, slightly hindered by my limp and newly acquired injuries.

"Reactor leaks! All engineers on deck!" A voice blasted over the intercom in such panic and fear it caused my heart to skip a beat. Steve ran in front and I couldn't help but notice the slight hitch to his normally flawless gate, like his leg was bothering him. Shaking my head I focused on just trying to match his pace. I counted the seconds slowly in my head. It wasn't long before the familiar crackle of speakers filled the empty space only this time the voice was entirely different. It sounded like a prerecorded message on a phone, robotic and unfeeling.

"All workers please stay tuned for the message. The reactor has malfunctioned. Please evacuate as practiced and in an orderly fashion. All facility sections will head into lockdown ,as precautionary measures, and an attempt to help contain the explosion. The lockdown will occur in approximately ten minutes. Again please proceed in an orderly fashion." The voice was so out of place considering the situation it was a sickening kind of humor.

"Which way?" Steve called back in a hurried voice.

"Left!" In an instant he was running again. Gritting my teeth I pushed the pace. We had a lot of ground to cover if we wanted to make it out of here. Passing under a speaker embedded in the wall I jumped when all of a sudden a shrill buzzing burst from it. Sprinting down short corridors I followed Steve hoping he knew where he was going. Entering a large vacant room the sound of loud stomps on metal echoed throughout the space. Paniced and frantic yelling joined the chorus. Steve tensed as men came pouring down the scaffolding stairs that connected to higher levels.

It was a sea of people and as they swarmed around us no one made a move to stop us. Noticing that they were heading in the opposite direction I had the urge to follow them. Steve noticed my conflicted expression but urge me to follow him. Shoving people aside I frantically tried to keep him in sight. Our progress had slowed down significantly. Come on! Move, move, keep going! Damn it! How much time's past? Rushing through the mass of limbs I could no longer see Steve's Bright red and white. Turning in a circle everything looked the same to me. Just a bunch of people rushing about from an unseen predator. A shoulder slammed hard into my side causing my knife wound to flare up. Gasping I dropped down onto one knee. Every was a flash of color, a blur, accompanied by the heat of humans sweating in fear.

A hand clasped firmly around my arm jerking me up and onto my feet. "This way!" Steve jerked me out and away from the crowd. His grip was hard on my arm and I had the urge to wince. Hurrying we tore at uncanny speeds for the door across the way.

"Where are we going?" I asked pulling up next to him. Steve slammed into the door sending it off its hinges.

"There's a staircase that leads up. It's faster than the elevators." Sure enough just beyond the door was a swirling spiral staircase. With a jog he leapt easily up onto the second flight. Taking a deep breath I took a step back and performed the same task landing a few steps below him. Resuming the run my feet pounded on the stairs to the same beat as my heart. It was a constant drum, nothing but metal clanging as my feet beat into it. My eyes tried to judge how far we had gone ,but the farther up we got, the darker it seemed to get. I felt like someone was holding me back and no matter how hard I ran I wasn't going anywhere. The sirens continued to sail a constant reminder of the danger at hand.

"How much more?" I called up ahead. Steve slipped missing a step and came crashing down. At least I thought he had missed a step, it turns out he had slammed headfirst into the door. Clambering to his feet he tested the handle but it was locked.

"Back up." Obeying orders I watched as he slammed his shield into the handle sending sparks into the air. With a kick the door opened up revealing a large cavernous space. Tire tracks were black against the concrete, the smell of fuel was thick in the air, bullet shells littered the ground.

"What is this place?" I asked pausing for a brief moment to take in just how enormous this room was. Steve started running towards the far end of the room where a motorcycle ,along with other abandoned vehicles, waited.

"It's the hangar. One of many." My mind filled in the empty space with military equipment and soldiers, a swarm of bloodlust men. This was one hangar, how many more were there? How strong were these people? "Why won't it start?"

Steve was frantically trying to start the motorcycle but each time it hissed and spluttered pitifully. He tried again and it rumbled slightly, a spark of hope returned to his gaze. With another try the engine roared to life a puff of black smoke shooting out of the exhaust pipe. "What's the plan?"

As the words left my mouth the sirens suddenly cut off. For a moment Steve and I froze. He had straddled the bike ready to push the gas while I strained to hear some sort of sound. A loud clang rocked the room, the sound coming from over our heads. Looking up at the ceiling I could see panels pulling apart to reveal thick metal covers. The lockdown had begun. In an instant the large metal sheet began its descent at an uncanny speed. Snapping out of my daze I leapt into the motorcycle behind Steve. He slurred it forward just as the first metal cover behind us touched down. We had a whole entire room to cover and worst of all I saw no exit.

"Use your gun to shoot the emergency keypad to the left." Steve ordered somehow keeping his cool. Letting go of his waist I checked the chamber of my gun. One bullet, one shot. Slipping the clip back into place e I searched for the square of metal that would contrast the wall. My gaze landed on it as the second metal wall clashed with the ground, just after we passed under it. Tapping the trigger the bullet spun through the air easily finding its target. Looking ahead I saw the front wall shudder before pulling apart to reveal the first bit of outside I had seen in who knew how long? It was a blanket of white, legions of snowflakes attacking the air.

We approached the third panel halfway across the large expanse of the room. I tensed as we got closer realizing it would be a tight fit. Steve punched the gas even harder. The bike hummed angrily but as we passed under the third panel we were forced to duck or get crushed. Steve shook his head and I could see him tense his jaw. Again we accelerated at a rapid pace but it seemed that as we did, so did the metal walls. The outside world grew closer and closer, tempting me to lose track of the present, and yearn for its fresh air. My focus wavered as dreams of escaping the compound filled my head. Blinking I snapped back to the current situation and noticed for the first time that the bike was steaming. The fourth panel loomed ahead of us, after it, was the fifth and last one.

Steve jerked the bike so that it skidded just under the door. We barely fit through the opening. The fifth panel was already three quarters of the way down. Steve pressed the gas even harder, the bike struggled so much it began to shake. "Come on! Come on!"

Steve was yelling, each second seemed to take forever but as we were halfway there I knew that it would be a miracle if we made it. Then again I had seen plenty of miracles. Steve arched his arm back and hurled his shield at the door. It was right on target to keep the panel from touching the ground. We had a shot, a long shot, but none the less it was hopeful. We were going to make it out of this. We were going to hell the others. We were going to win this war. The bike neared the gap and I could see us tearing out into the open air finally free of this tomb.

It was a dream come true until the unthinkable happened. The pressure on the shield caused it to pop out of place. The door slammed to the ground with a loud bang. It was seconds before we reached it a full speed, but the world seemed to slow down. The painful realization that our escape was over. We were going to crash. Steve yelled angrily at the sky, turned and leapt off the bike tucking me under his arm. I could feel the sensation of free falling when the bike made contact with the wall. It erupted into flames, a loud whoom sound greeted my ears.

Then everything went black.