"Do you really think I don't see you trying to prepare your missiles to be fired, Stark? Before you're even able to use them, Farrell will be dead, so drop it." Crossbones clicks his tongue, the gun pushing harder against my head causing slight pain. I want to turn around, I want to check on Bucky so bad but I'll get shot before I have the chance. This is my mistake, I got way too distracted.

Tony hesitantly turns off the Iron Man suit, a sound telling me that he deactivates the weapon. I shoot him a look, asking for Bucky's condition but before he's able to make any signs, Bucky's loud voice is audible. "Let her go!"

Crossbones puts his arm around my neck and turns half around, so we both have a view of Bucky and Tony. The first one picks himself up, the Hydra commander must have thrown him against the wall and used the chance to threaten me. "Stand still, Winter or she'll die! Lift your arms, Farrell! Do what I say, raise them up!"

I do as he says and remain calm, focusing on every movement that he's doing to get a chance to overpower him. This position makes me appear weak and I hate this. I hate to see him that powerful, I hate him to think that he's stronger than me. The torture flashes through my mind and I almost wince, controlling myself and holding my breath.

"We're back at it again, Farrell." He hisses into my ear. His breath disgusts me and I scrunch up my face. Suddenly, he bores the edge of his armor into my thigh and I let out a pained yell, the wound stinging like hell and a warm liquid flooding out. "Me torturing you. It must be destined. Don't move or I'll blow off her head!"

His shout stops Tony and Bucky from moving towards me, I only pant heavily, the pain influences my breathing. Both seem to be angry at the whole situation.

"Soldiers, leave us alone and finish the plan!" Crossbones' finger remains around the trigger as the rest of the army obey and I tense up, not moving a single muscle. "Who do you think you are? Invading my base and ruining my plan to build up Hydra again, you bloody parasite. You wanna know why Howard Stark died? Because he created you, Voltricity. The Red Skull kept his promise."

I admit that Howard Stark's done a great job and he'll eventually pay for it, these were the Red Skull's words. My eyes widen and a pang of an incredible rage runs through my chest, releasing an impulse that drives through my veins. A loud fizzle arises and the pain suddenly doesn't bother me anymore. The blue familiar light streams through my fingers, intertwining with my sight and I slowly turn around, ignoring the pressure of the gun. It's not Bucky's fault that Howard died. It's not even my fault. It's Hydra's.

"You shouldn't have mentioned Howard Stark." I furiously snarl at him and grab the gun as he fires, the bullet hardly grazing my shoulder but the adrenaline and anger numb the pain and I tackle him down to the ground. Blinded by fury, I throw the weapon in his face and start punching him with my electric fists, an enraged scream escaping my mouth. He hurt Bucky. He harmed Steve. And he tortured me. He bloody broke me.

Soon, blood flows out of his face as my fists are covered in his blood, yet my pulse is racing and my head pounding from the anger. My breath is unsteady and my hands keep meeting his face when I think of the name that is marked into my collar bone, a mark that'll stay. I think of his joyful laugh when he had his fun with me, his dirty smirk. "You hurt Bucky! You hurt Steve! You tortured me! You! Tortured! Me!"

My fist slowly sinks when I notice the damage on his face that just looks mashed now and his ceasing struggling, instead of being broken or scared, he only laughs, coughing blood. All of sudden, Phil Coulson's face flashes through my mind, along with Howard's and Pietro's. My breathing slows down when I think of them and I suck in a deep breath, the rage vanishing into thin air. This isn't me. Revenge isn't my style.

"I'm not gonna kill you." I stand up, balancing my weight on one leg because the pain returns as I look down at him with contempt. "Your blood is not worth being on my hands. I'm an Avenger. I avenge those who cannot defend themselves, not myself. You'll just live knowing that I'm the one who granted you life."

My fists are pounding with pain, I would do anything to feel the cool snow on my skin right now until it reaches my bones. Turning around, I catch Bucky's grave glance and notice Tony's absence, he probably has left to stop the soldiers as soon as I started attacking Rumlow. I'm about to walk towards him with a relief in my chest until he suddenly takes out his gun and pulls the trigger.

My eyes widen at the loud pang and I quickly turn around, witnessing how the bullet pierces its way through Rumlow's head. Blood is spilling and the gun in his hand that was pointed at me drops motionlessly to the ground like his dead body. I'm still stunned by his corpse as I stare at him, without life and just left in a pool of blood.

"That's for torturing her." Bucky's last words to Rumlow are cold, without any empathy and I glance back at him, his eyes are as emotionless as the ones of the Winter Soldier. They are filled with concern and compassion, though, as soon as they land on me. "Are you okay? Your leg and your shoulder- "

"It's over." I nod and he walks towards me, pulling me into a tight embrace. Even though blood, gun powder, and metal sting the air, I still feel safe and at home in his arms while I close my eyes in relief and breathe deeply for a moment, ignoring the sting in my shoulder. Pulling back, I look into his eyes. "You need to leave now."

"What? No, I won't leave without you. You're injured." He states, not believing what I'm asking of him.

"You would die the second you touch the water after I electrify it." I tilt my head and stroke his cheek with my hand. "Tony will pick me up, his suit can bear my electricity. I'll come back, I promise. We don't have the time to discuss this now, Steve needs you."

Pressing his lips together, he's aware of the precarious situation. Bucky squeezes my hand slightly and plants a tender kiss on my forehead. "Don't overstrain yourself, okay? Don't carry the burden alone."

"I won't." I smile at him, giving him a push towards the exit. "Now go!"

Before Bucky leaves, he glances at me with concern, then finally walks out of the facility. After the sound of his fast steps cease for a while, I look around, surrounded by dead bodies and among them the man who caused pain upon us. I exhale tiredly and sink slowly to the ground, my hand pressed against my shoulder, trembling weakly. It's one of these rare moments where I actually feel these 96 years in my 29 years old body.

"Scott, how's it going?"

"Metal arm better be out of the building. Vision and I just opened the last one. Did you know that he can carry me like a feather? It's weird but really comfortable at the same time- "

"Scott." I cut him off, reminding him of the short time we have.

"Oh, right. Water's coming, take your last breath." He suggests and I hear a swoosh in the background. "Vision and I are leaving already, good luck! Stark just told me that he's coming to you right now."

"Okay, thanks- " Screams suddenly resound and I turn around, a few terrified soldiers run through the corridor towards me. Before I realize it, a gigantic wave breaks the wall and follows them with an incredible speed and force, almost reaching the high ceiling. They get carried away within a blink of an eye and I try to suppress my instinctual panic, forcing myself to face the wave and stand still. "Today's not my day."

As I take my last deep breath, the water lashes me away, knocking off the air in my lungs and my chest aches at the heavy pressure. The cold water invades my body from my lungs to my veins and I lose the orientation, the pressure catapulting me through the water. Something hard hits my head and my back keeps clashing with the wall. I'm drowning, I'm drowning, I can't breathe. My head is spinning and I try to focus back on the mission, opening my eyes and facing almost a pure darkness.

Come on, Voltricity.

Using what's left of my strength, I create a huge blast of electricity, releasing the impulse to let it spread through the water. The blue lightning improved my blurry view and I at least now recognize the place better. I spot soldiers who scream at the painful and deadly electricity in the water, others that drown and dead bodies. Hydra is dying.

The blood loss and the lack of oxygen make me feel dizzy, black dots start dancing in my eyes and my mind slips deeper into the darkness. Closing my eyes, the tiredness kicks in and the fire in my lungs doesn't hurt as much as it used to do anymore. Besides the power flowing through my hands, I float motionlessly through the cold water, the stream leading me. Bucky.

Suddenly, I feel something metallic grabbing me by beneath my arms and dragging me out until we reach the surface of the water and the fresh air makes me freeze. I gasp as I open my eyes, urgently panting for air and Iron Man's mask faces me while he flies us away. My chest stings from the cold air and I hold onto his chest, the arc reactor. My breath is unsteady, and the coolness awakes me, I cough out the water in my lungs.

"Your electricity partly damaged my suit." Tony complains as we fly out of the building, meeting the late night sky. "Everything okay?"

"Hm..." I hum exhaustedly before I pass out, sinking into a long and urgently needed sleep.

***

"I can't believe it! Reckless idiots! Was everyone from the forties like this?!" Tony groans, looking at Bucky, Steve, and me. Every single one of us is bed-bound. Steve's got a really bad shot wound, I have my thigh and a grazing shot and Bucky received a really bad concussion from Crossbones which he hid from me. "Who do you think pays for this??"

"Could you please lower your voice?" Bucky moans, scrunching up his face and massaging his temples. "I have a headache."

"Oh, please, as if you'd be less rich because of us." I scoff and hiss when I move my leg too much to sit up.

"It's over now, that's what counts." Steve says lowly, not wasting too much energy with speaking. "Tony, could you get me some painkillers, please?"

The billionaire first just rolls his eyes but nonetheless leaves the hospital room to get what is demanded. Bucky shoots his best friend a thankful look for the following calm silence and I only lean back into the bed, enjoying the break for once. Glancing at Steve, I just want to make sure that he really is okay. His surgery was really critical, Clint even had to donate some blood. It's been a week now since Hydra is dead.

"When was the last time that the three of us were on our own together?" Steve chuckles lightly at the thought, his voice drowning in nostalgia.

"The night after the engagement. Before we headed to our last mission together, we wanted to spend a night in the library, just with the three of us. Bucky and I teased you about your love for Peggy and your face was red the whole time." I answer immediately, receiving their attention from both sides since my bed is between theirs. "I remember because I keep thinking of it. It was the last time when we were all happy."

The quietness is oppressed by dolor and sorrow, even with regrets. We changed so much. Bucky slightly grins though, letting out a low chuckle. "Of course, we would end up in the hospital when we reunite. Typical."

The atmosphere loosens up and I smile slightly. "I blame Mr. Recklessness on my left."

"It's called courage and Eve is worse." Steve defends himself, yet he can't help but smirk at the situation. We get interrupted by heavy steps entering the room and my eyes widen when I recognize the new visitor.

"Y'all look like shit." Nick Fury greets us, as always with a black coat, an eye patch and loads of sarcasm and sass.

"Sir." Steve nods respectfully.

"Fury." I welcome him and notice how Bucky tenses up next to me. "Took you long enough to come out of the shadows. We're finally worth your presence?"

"I'm not here for you, Farrell. At least not only you. You did well." The only compliment I'll probably ever get from him. Fury walks towards Bucky's bed with a narrowed eye. "I'm here for him. I'd like to talk to you alone, Mr Barnes."

"Whatever you want to tell me, you can tell them, too." He insists firmly and his voice lightly softens. "About what happened in D.C., I want to apologize for everything. When I tried to kill you... it wasn't- "

"I know it wasn't you." The agent cuts him off, shaking his head. "I saw the trial and I know your story. And on the mission, you proved that you're not Hydra anymore. Romanoff and Barton gave me their report."

Report? I frown and share a glance with Steve who shakes his head, he didn't seem to know about it either. Looking back at Fury, I ask him a question that ran through everyone's mind. "Why are you here, Fury?"

The former director of SHIELD stares intensely at Bucky, his lips forming a little smirk. "Mr Barnes, I would like to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative."

A/N- Finally, peace.