DEMONS.
( chapter twenty-four. )

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Edited 12/26/2015 @3:12 PM
Edited 07/27/2016 @1:59 AM
Edited 11/30/2017 @10:33 PM
Edited 02/24/2025 @1:57 PM

  ANDREA HELD HIS EYES, waiting for his response as she held her bow and arrows over the edge of the platform. The soldier kept silent for a moment as he stared at her, hesitating until he straightened suddenly. He moved his foot slowly, kicking the knife on the ground over the edge just as Andy let go of her own weapons.

  When the man finally nodded, Andy moved fast, ducking beneath the arm he swung out at her. She turned, coming up behind him and giving a hard push to his back. Bucky stumbled forwards, but quickly whirled around to swing again at Andy, backhanding her and sending her over the railing and onto the safeguard below.

  Andrea landed rough, but got up quickly, scrambling to find the chip. She cursed as she peered over the edge, finding that it had already fallen below. She turned around, prepared to fight her way to it— only to find that she was too late as a metallic hand wound its way around her neck.

  Andy choked for breath and brought her fist to the soldier's still-tender-nose in a quick blow. From the feel of her fist against it, she knew that if it wasn't broken before, it was now. In his pain, the soldier let go of Andy as blood gushed down his chin.

She ducked under his arm as he blindly reached for her, repositioning herself before slamming her body against his. He stumbled back from the impact, closer and closer to the edge. She planted her foot squarely on his chest, sending him flying over it.

  Andrea jumped down after him, searching carefully for the chip while the Winter Soldier recovered from the fall. It didn't take long to find it. But, as she reached out to swipe it from the ground, something hard and fast struck her from behind. Pain lit up every inch of her body and she screamed in agony as she was knocked flat against the floor.

Andy could hardly lift herself from the glass. With her gaze drifting in and out of focus, she watched as Steve's shield clattered against the floor a few feet ahead of her. Stupid fucking frisbee of freedom, she thought as she struggled to bring herself to her feet.

  Steve had to have dropped it in the midst of her sending him back. It had likely fallen down when she set off the explosion. Andrea cursed. In spite of the hard blow, she quickly forced her feet to stand. She had no other choice; there was no giving in.

  She had to get up, even when her body screamed in protest and her limbs felt like iron. She had to. Andrea dove for the shield as gunfire sounded, protecting herself from the bullets that the Winter Soldier shot her way. So much for no weapons.

  But, she'd known from the very beginning— nothing about this fight was fair.

  As the soldier stopped to reload, Andy took her chance and threw the shield back towards him. She knew the action would fall short of the power it required. Yet, she still couldn't help her disappointment as Bucky caught it so easily in his hand. He slammed it to the ground before running towards her, the knife from earlier now clutched tightly in his hands.

  Andrea tried to dodge every slice he made at her, but he was fast and she'd been slowing down long before this. Before Andy knew it, he had brought the knife down into her shoulder, digging it in with all his strength. She screamed in pain and slammed her head forward, a blind attempt that stunned him just enough to loosen his grip.

  The Jones woman lashed out, kicking him back with all that was left of her strength. Andrea pulled the knife out of her shoulder, ignoring the ruby blood that now stained the surface of the blade. Her powers had returned at full force now, drawing the pain into distant memory and replacing it with tired bones and a heavy mind.

She was in no shape to be drawing so much of it all at once, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She had to finish this, even as the blood from her new wound spilled fast. Andy looked towards the soldier and her heart fell as he reached for the chip.

She did it without thinking, teleporting fast and without thought. Careless for the repercussions. She grabbed onto his arm with one hand, using her other to tightly grab his neck.

  Andrea cried out then as she used every last ounce of her strength— her power. She tapped into her abilities, eyes alight with an electric blue as her telekinesis helped her lift him over her body. When she began to feel the spark of her abilities dying out, Andy turned and threw him over her shoulder.

  But, even as he landed, his grip on the chip remained. Andy pinned his metal arm down with her foot while her own arm wrapped around the one holding the chip. She pushed on his head with her free hand, threatening to break his bones if he so much as moved wrong.

  Tears stung Andrea's eyes. "Don't make me do this. Please, don't make me do this," she begged, her voice breaking.

When he thrashed, she pushing harder on his arm, drawing out a cry of pain that left every wound inside of her aching. "Drop it!" She pleaded with him.

He refused, his grip instead tightening on the chip. Andy forced herself to push harder. She ignored the sickening crack and the cry that resounded soon after. Guilt rushed through her, but he still wouldn't let go.

Andy made her choice quickly. She wrapped her legs tighter around his metal arm, releasing his other one to immediately wrap them around his neck. He struggled to free himself, but Andy only tightened her grip.

Every thrash sent a jolt of pain through her. She gritted her teeth and braced herself, holding tight until his eyes fought to stay open. It wasn't long after that they closed and he fell unconscious. The chip fell out of his hands and Andrea choked back a sob. She released the Barnes man before shoving the chip in her pocket and getting up.

  Andrea ran towards the safeguard, jumping up and grabbing onto the upper platform. She heard more than felt the gunshot at first as she pulled herself up. It was only a second afterwards that searing pain cut through her leg. Andy choked on her scream, but continued to move forward, bringing herself over the railing and just barely dodging the bullets shot her way.

  Andy opened the rack and prepared to place the chip inside— only to halt as one last shot was heard.

Andrea couldn't help it then, she screamed as searing pain cut through her back. She looked down, watching with nausea as the blood stained the lower half of her dark blue suit. Andy fell to her knees, breathing heavily as the wound ate away at the last of her strength.

"Ten seconds," Maria's voice sounded faintly through the comms. "Come on, Andy," she pleaded, anxiety in her voice.

  The Jones woman sobbed as she forced herself to get up, failing each time. Tears were falling freely now as she listened to Maria count down. She wanted so desperately to collapse and give in, but she couldn't. There's no giving up, Andrea urged herself as she was brought herself to a staggering stand.

  As the world swayed around her, Andy firmly slid the chip into place. "Charlie locked," she whispered at the last second, choking on her tears as relief washed over her.

I did it, she thought as her knees hit the floor, I can finally rest now.

  "Get out of there, Andy." Hill's voice was such a distant sound. She didn't know. None of them knew. She was already a dead woman.

"Fire now," she insisted, using the last of her strength to even out her voice. Let them think her safe and standing. Let them believe that she might survive it.

She wouldn't. Andy knew it in her bones as her eyes drifted closed and open. Closed and open. She was losing too much blood.

  "But—"

  "Fire now!" Andy begged, her cry cutting off Maria's words as she clawed at the closet railing.

Andy sobbed through the pain as she pushed herself onto her feet. Holding the bar for support, she watched and listened to the sound of the heli-carriers as they began to fire each other down. The pillars and metal bars around her shook with the impact, but Andrea wasn't scared.

  She had been waiting for death for a while already— and now that it was here, she felt unafraid.

  It was until she heard his cry of pain that Andy remembered. She still had so much left to live for. Death could wait. Andrea slipped through the bars of the railings as she caught sight of Bucky, trapped beneath a fallen beam. She was running on pure adrenaline now, and she hoped that would be enough.

  Please, she begged to whatever God was listening, let me save him.

  One last life, she promised as she jumped over the safeguard and onto the platform below. Then Death can take me wherever he'd like. The brunette stumbled and lost her footing before moving towards the beam. She had nothing left to offer but her tears and what little was left of her dying powers.

  But, even so, she would push past the pain and do it for him.

  Andrea cried out as she gathered up all of her energy— all of her strength— and clutched onto the metal beam. Her eyes were on fire, on par with her body as her veins became alight with an electric blue hue. The soldier watched her cautiously, helping as best he could before managing to draw himself out from underneath the metal.

  Andrea's legs were shaking by the time he'd gotten out. Almost as soon as she let go, the Jones woman collapsed to her knees. Her vision was dotted with black, but she continued to push herself. Adrenaline and the sound of Steve's words in her head were the only thing driving her at this point.

  The Jones girl coughed into her hands as she stood. When she pulled back her fingers, her heart stuttered at the sight of blood. The world swayed around her, but she forced her feet to remain steady. She had to get him out. It didn't matter if it was the last thing she did, she was going to save him.

When she looked at the soldier, she found him watching her cautiously. "You know me," Andrea whispered, trying to keep her balance as the heli-carrier shook around them.

  The expression on his face twisted into rage, "No I don't!"

Before Andy could defend herself, he dove forwards. The punch split her lip as she stumbled back. She was weak, but forced herself to stay upright as she wiped the blood from her chin.

  The Jones woman choked back a sob as she faced him once more. "Bucky, you've known me your whole life," she pleaded, tears beginning to blur her vision as she met his cold eyes. Her heart felt like it was breaking now.

It wasn't working. She wasn't getting through to him. But, if she saved him, then that would be enough.

  He bared his teeth, white hot anger in his eyes. "Shut up!" He yelled, his hand bracing on her shoulder before his fist came down again. She cried out, falling to her knees. But, she couldn't stop, he needed to know. He needed to remember.

  She coughed again, feeling the blood all over as she reached out for him. He did nothing. He let her struggle to her knees, clutching the hard edges of his suit to pull herself up.

Those eyes were cold as she met them. An abyss of ice and storm. Her heart writhed in her chest. She let go of him and took a staggering step back.

"I'm not going to fight you, Bucky. I can't. You're my friend." He was more than that. He was everything she had ever wanted but never thought to ask for. Never dared to imagine.

He was the love of her life— and he was lost to her.

Andrea sobbed at the blind fury in his eyes. The way it twisted his expression as he launched himself at her. She hardly felt the impact beyond all her other aches and pains as he tackled her to the ground.

His chest was heaving as he loomed over her, but his eyes were distraught. Wild and searing as they bore into hers. "You're my mission," he seethed before pulling his arm back to strike.

As the blood pooled beneath her, Andy reached out to hold his face one last time. He halted all motion. His entire body going still as she looked adoringly upon the planes of his face. The man she had loved.

Let it end like this, she thought; with her getting to say her goodbyes. It was all she would ask for now.

He had called her his sun once. A bright, burning star to sear the darkness. She would be that for him one last time, she promised herself. Andrea smiled, but her eyes were sad as she traced the outlines of his features the way she'd done so long ago.

  "Then finish it," she said, her voice soft. "Because I'm with you till the end of the line."

She watched the slow horror as it took form in his eyes. Before he could speak, there was a deafening crack before a beam fell. The glass below her gave way to fracture; then from fracture to shattering. Andrea fell towards the Potomac and was unconscious before she even hit the water.

In the abyss, her only thought was this; at least she'd saved him.

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  The Winter Soldier stared down at his mission. The last one, he'd been promised, and then peace would be upon them and he could rest his weary soul. It didn't matter what manner it came in, so long as they allowed him reprieve from the weapon he had become.

Let the gun unload. Let him be forgotten in a dusty cabinet in the furthest reaches of an attic. Some relic left to lie dormant and untouched.

Yet, before he could finish it all, he jammed up. His thoughts a wild, reckless pounding in his head. He wondered then, if peace was supposed to feel this way. Like horror and guilt and a cutting wound so deep he could only clutch his chest and bear it.

Andrea Claire Jones was not his mission. She couldn't be. Not with the way his bones trembled at the very sight of her. Every hurt he inflicted upon her tore out a piece of him along with it. He felt it; those jagged wounds bleeding every time he struck her down.

"I'm with you 'til the end of the line."

Something echoed inside him. A shift of light in the darkness. Memories resurfaced, small images trickling down, down, down, as he recalled the girl he loved and the boy who had been his best friend.

And he was killing her.

Not a lie, or a trick of the mind. Not in the way they said it would be. In that moment, he knew not peace, but clarity.

  He remembered it all.

A loud crash sounded and he was brought back to reality. It was instinct for that metal arm to reach out, clutching onto a beam. Fear, cold and hollow like he'd never known before washed over him as he watched Andy fall towards the water.

He couldn't let her die, he realized. She knew him better than he knew himself and he needed her. Yet, that wasn't why he let go of the beam, free-falling to the Potomac and the woman drifting deeper below it.

It was because somewhere, there was a part of him that felt for her.

And he could not stand lose her, not when she meant so much. Not when she had broken through the darkness he had buried himself so deep inside of. So, he saved her.

  Little did he know, she was also saving him.