[Quiet in the Chaos]

~7~

                                       ~7~

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DANIELLE BOUNCED her knee violently, a desperate attempt at distracting herself. Sitwell's words ring in her ears. Is he right? Had HYDRA allowed her to get a taste or normality? Maybe everything she thought she had managed to get had been gifted to her.

Maybe she is destined to return to the hellhole.

A familiar metal arm rips through the roof of Sam's car, in one swift and violent motion plucks Sitwell from beside her, his screaming body sent flailing into the ongoing traffic.

Natasha lunges into the front seat onto Steve's lap, leaving Dani to flatten herself against the car door as bullets rain into the back seat. Sam breaks suddenly, sending the soldier flying from the car, (and her into the dash), his arm scraping deafeningly against the road as he comes to a sliding stop, his masked face flicking up to attain his target again.

They cry out, an SUV crashing into them, jolting them forward, his car skidding along the highway. Again, a metal hand reaches down, pulling the steering wheel clean off.

"Sam, you don't have a spare lying around do you?" Dani shouts over the chaos, pushing herself onto him.

The soldier leaps to the SUV behind them. They need to get out. Steve pulls them over, the four overcrowding the protection of the shield as the car door breaks, sending them flying onto the motorway. Despite herself, Dani's eyes squeeze shut as she slides off of the shield, the tarmac tearing the skin of her arms, her body rolling helplessly along.

She grunts, blinking back the stinging tears in her eyes as she opens them reluctantly, ignoring the searing pain through her recently broken ribs as she crawls onto her feet. The world sways for a few moments as she realises she's been separated from her team.

Bullets breezing past her quickly returns her to reality. She dives behind a blockade, clutching her head, willing her vision to focus. She blinks a few times, murmuring a few words of encouragement to herself before risking a brief glance behind her.

The masked soldier stalks menacingly toward her, his gait unwavering, his gun hanging complacently in his flesh hand.

"Fuck," she breathes, her eyes darting around her.

Shaking her head, she hops onto her feet, sprinting towards the edge of the bridge. A bullet grazes her calf but she presses forward. She leaps onto the edge with her left foot, reaching out with her right. She bends her knee, the impact of the roof of the bus causing her to yell out in pain as she falls forward, rolling off of her shoulder. She stumbles forward, jumping down onto the road.