Shadows (BuckyxOC)

Limits

The evacuation was going slowly, but well. I just hoped we managed to get everyone out before all hell broke loose. I was using the shadows to enter people's homes and telling them to evacuate. It didn't always go over well, but once the imminent danger was explained; they hurried up.

We started the evacuation in the early morning light. For summer, it was quite brisk in Sokovia. It was mid-morning when the ground started to split and legionnaires came crawling out of the cracks. It was like every zombie movie ever created, except its robots instead of dead people. This was not good, the evacuation was nowhere near done yet.

The Legionnaires flew into the sky and just started shooting randomly around the street. Some shots fired at us, some at civilians, and some at nothing. They were here just to cause chaos and panic and over the comms my dad said Ultron was 'buying time'. That was not a good sign.

"Come on everyone. I know it's scary, but don't run back inside. It's still safer to leave." I shouted as I ran into the building. The civilians were running to take cover.

"You expect us to go out in that?" One man said, stepping forward, "You're crazy! We're safer inside."

"If you stay here, you'll die. If you run, you have a better chance of survival. I promise you." I tried to reason as I looked out the door.

There was a Legionnaire headed straight for us, so I moved my hand and used a shadow to grab its arm and whipped it into another that was flying by. They both exploded into a million pieces. I turned back to tell the civilians to move it, but the building started to shake and crumble down around us. It was too late, they wouldn't exit in time.

I didn't even think about what I was doing. I just ran into the center of the crowd and pulled all the shadows over us like an umbrella. I grunted as the bricks hit the top of my shadow and brought me to my knees, but I stayed strong and held it, even after the rubble settled over us. This is the most I've used this ability and I could feel it draining me.

"I need," I panted, "some back up... on the south-west end... of the city." I said into the comms, "We're surrounded by rubble... I don't know how much longer I can hold it."

"On my way." Wanda said, "I'm around the corner."

"Me too." Clint said.

They came quickly. Wanda used her power to clear a path to the outside and Clint helped direct the people out from under my protective shadow shield before coming back to me. He tried to get me to come with him, but I shook my head.

"If I move, we will both be crushed. Get out of here." I said. Part of the shadow retreated back to the ground, causing some rubble to fall around us.

"Wanda! We could use some help." Clint called out.

"On it!" She said, her thick accent coming through the comms.

"What's going on? Nell, are you alright?" My dad asked through the comms.

I didn't even have the concentration to speak anymore. I was purely focused on holding my shadow in place so that Clint and I didn't die. Eventually, all the rubble lifted off my shadow and was thrown to the side, and I no longer felt anything weighing me down. I let my shadows retreat back to their original position and shakily stood up. I'm not sure I like that flaw in my ability. That is a crappy flaw, I thought, trying to shake it off. Feeling everything my shadow feels sucked!

"You good?" Clint asked, turning to shoot an incoming legionnaire.

"Yeah, yeah... I'm good. I just need a ten minute recharge." I said breathlessly, sitting on a rock.