Blue Mist

Chapter 36

Maria POV

I spent the first 10 minutes alone on the jet being chewed out by Director Fury.  I knew when I volunteered myself as a pilot that he'd be angry I was disobeying his orders.

Truth be told, it wasn't an easy decision, Fury has been good to me, and orders should be followed, but I've been close to Romanoff since she joined SHIELD.  I'd normally trust her judgement, I trust her with my life, but right now, where Y/N is concerned, her judgement is clouded.

As I hang up the phone with a sigh, I shake my head.  Maybe her judgement is fine, and I screwed up being here. The kid genuinely seems to care for Romanoff as much as Romanoff has fallen for her.  Hopefully, Fury's own soft spot for Romanoff will mellow him out before we return. Either way, I'm not looking forward to walking back into that compound.

Before I can brood any longer, a blast fills the silence.  I head to the doorway and look out into the darkness, powerless to help from here.  The silence that has returned is heavy, almost suffocating.  I begin to count, marking the minutes that pass, desperate not to think the worst.

Eventually, distant gunshots ring out, and I sigh with relief.  Seconds later, a roar pierces through the darkness, and the noise intensifies.  I draw my gun, my eyes scanning the darkness, but the minutes drag on with no sign of movement.  Beyond the trees, flashes of red and blue light up the sky.

I keep my eyes on the trees in front of me, looking for any sign of HYDRA agents who may have gotten behind our lines.  In the edge of my vision, I see movement above and raise my gun.  Just before I pull the trigger, I recognise the figure as Sam and lower my weapon.

As his feet hit the floor, I notice a second figure,  motionless in his arms.  He runs for the jet, not stopping to talk as he steps inside, carefully lowering the body to the floor.  It takes several seconds for my eyes to adjust, several seconds that feel like a lifetime.

Y/N lies motionless on the floor of the jet, her skin pale and sickly looking.  Blood coats Sam's hands as he looks towards me.

"I need your help." his words help centre my thoughts.

I drop to the ground beside them both, my face low, my cheek hoping to detect any sign of breathing but finding nothing.  I place my fingers against her neck, hoping more than anything to find a pulse but again finding nothing.

"Shit," my voice sounds harsh in the silent jet.

Without thinking, my hands are already interlocking, the heels of my palm on her breastbone as I press, desperately trying to keep the blood flowing. 

On the fourth compression, a loud crack rings out, a broken rib, I ignore it and keep going.  After the thirtieth compression, I tilt her head and breathe for her before returning my hands to her chest.

"Sam," I pant between compressions. "Bruce has a defibrillator,"

He's on his feet instantly, scrambling to the back of the jet.  By the time I finish the next set of rescue breaths, he's back, machine in hand.  Together, we pull her suit down over her shoulders, I stick the pads in place as he turns on the machine, completing another round of rescue breaths while it charges.

As I pull away, Sam hits the button, Y/N convulsed on the floor of the jet before lying still yet again.  Another round of rescue breaths, another shock, motionless yet again.  We keep going, three shocks, four, five.

Sam puts his hand on my arm as I complete the next set of breaths, shaking his head. 

"Press the god damn button, Sam," I snap, not looking in his direction.

Again, she convulses, then lies motionless.  My fingers meet her neck, making a final check for a pulse.

"Damn it," I yell the words in frustration, finding nothing.

"There!" The relief in Sam's voice is obvious.

There's a slight rise in her chest as a faint thump hits my fingers. 

As I collapse to the floor beside her, relief finally releasing the knot in my stomach, red and blue flashes continue to light up the sky in the distance.