Chapter Twenty
The next morning, Stygia came for the couple. In her giddiness for the new day of torture, she missed the gleam of defiance in Malone's eyes. She didn't notice the way James stood, slightly to the side, observing. She didn't even hear Malone repeating the number of guards under her breath.
In fact, it seemed Stygia had become comfortable in her routine. She no longer watched them warily, or made sure they were tied down properly. Finally, she had became sloppy.
And so the planning began.
Malone found that it was easier to endure the torture when she had something to look forward to. When the visions began, she could convince herself they weren't real, simply because she had something Stygia couldn't take away.
No matter how much Stygia tortured Malone, she couldn't take away her hope. If Malone felt her hope wavering, all it took was a glance at James to set it right. Defiance once again scorched her veins like fire.
The couple planned for a week. They memorized the rotations of the guards, the hallways to turn down, and somehow, they kept it from Stygia.
Malone began exercising in her cell. If she wasn't planning, she was shadow boxing, doing pull ups, squats, and all other manners of exercise. She began to stretch, limbering up her muscles so she could use the flips Black Widow had taught her.
James sat for hours, his mind running over the possible scenarios. The longer he planned, the more daunting the task seemed to become.
The next morning Stygia walked into Malone's cell. Like every morning, she snatched Malone's arm and lead her roughly down the corridor. But something was different this morning. The air was tense and stifling.
Malone looked with wide eyes back to Jame's cell. He was still locked behind the door, looking out of the small window with concern. Stygia jerked Malone around a corner, throwing her down onto the floor.
"You know what happened today?" Stygia snarled.
Malone trembled, "N-no, I don't."
"Captain America tried to rescue you," she spat.
A slow smile appeared on Malone's face, but Stygia made sure it didn't last long. Stygia's rage made her powers stronger than ever, and when she entered Malone's mind, it was not with caution. Malone let out a scream of pure pain. She seized on the floor, her nose and mouth dripping blood down her face.
"Malone?!" James's yell echoed faintly down the hallway.
Malone screamed again, her throat feeling like it was tearing from the force of the scream. James looked frantically around his cell. He made his decision, breaking through the wall and into Malone's cell. He ripped open the unlocked door, stepping out into the hallway.
The two guards rushed towards him, one of them grabbed desperately for their radio. James stepped out to meet them, settling down into his fighting stance.
Down the hall, Stygia let out a howl of rage as she read Malone's mind. "You thought you could escape from me?" Stygia yelled in fury. Malone cried out, her words too jumbled to understand. Stygia kicked her viciously in the side, "How did you contact Captain Rogers?"
Malone shook her head tiredly. "I d-didn't," she choked out.
"Liar!" Stygia screeched, "He's still trying to get in as we speak! You contacted him, now tell me how!"
"I didn't!" Malone wailed, "I swear I didn't!"
James ducked a punch, grabbing the guards hand and flipping them over. The radio clattered from their hand, and James crushed it beneath his foot. The guard struggled to get up, clutching at his shoulder.
The second guard charged at James, running blindly towards him. James moved to the side, watching in vague amusement as the guard ran past him. James turned and punched the guard squarely in the face, knocking him out.
The first guard finally got up, running towards James. James grabbed his arm and smoothly dislocated the man's shoulder. The guard screamed in pain as James moved on to a choke hold. After a few moments, the man slumped over. James put him down on the floor, running towards where he had heard Malone.
A dull explosion thrummed through the building, shaking the floor. James ignored it and ran towards Stygia.
When he turned the corner, his blood froze like ice in his veins. Stygia stood over Malone, a dagger poised to kill.
James roared in rage, tackling Stygia to the ground. He punched her in the face, knocking the knife from her hands. She gasped in shock, looking up at the face of her attacker.
Her eyes glowed gold, her power surging over him. He paused, struggling against her mental control.
Malone slowly crawled over to the fallen knife, her hand grasping the jeweled handle. She stood precariously. Stygia was still pinned down by James, but it was clear she was winning the mental fight.
James's fist wavered in the air for a moment. His arm shuddered with the effort of moving against her power. She had an iron grip over his mind, controlling him like a puppet.
Malone's face twisted into an unpleasant sneer. She silently came up behind Stygia. The bejeweled knife glinted as Malone sliced Stygia's side.
Stygia gasped in shock, her eyes returning to their normal hue. A shock wave of pure energy threw James and Malone back. They hit the wall painfully.
Stygia looked down in disbelief at the deep cut that ran from her shoulder to her hip. Her blood leaked out onto the pavement in an unnaturally dark puddle.
James got up, tugging Malone to him. "We've gotta go, now!" he said desperately. She nodded at him, intertwining their fingers.
Stygia's blood bubbled up into her mouth. She made a horrible, wet, choking noise. Her body began to glow. "This isn't the end," she muttered. The couple watched in shock as Stygia disappeared in a strange gold light, leaving only an almost-black puddle of blood.
James tugged Malone's hand, leading her away. The couple ran down the memorized corridors. Any guards they ran into were short work for the two. They might've been weakened, but they had something to fight for.
Malone broke into a hard run when she saw the glass doors to outside. Her hand tightened around James's as they crossed the threshold.
They broke out into the chill of autumn, both breathing heavily. The two noticed belatedly that half of the building was in rubble.
A hovercraft landed in front of them, a hatch opening. Malone could hear the sound of legions of guards coming to recapture them.
Captain America stepped out of the waiting hovercraft. Malone whimpered in relief. James smiled at his old friend.
They all climbed silently aboard the hovercraft, lifting off seconds before the corrupt agents spilled outside.
"I never thought I'd be so happy to see you, Steve," Malone said tiredly, "What took you so long, anyway?"
Captain Rogers smiled grimly, "We found the mole, but he gave us rotten info. We bombed the whole wrong side of the complex."
James smirked faintly, "Yeah. We noticed."
Malone sat down tiredly on a seat. James sat beside her, his arm wrapping gently around her shoulders.
Malone looked up at Steve, "Thank you."
Steve only nodded, "Anything for my friends."
A/N
Okay! Whew! This was mentally tiring to write. (I just spent like three minutes trying to remember how to spell "write" I was like, wright? rite? right? Idk man I'm so tired rn)
Anyway. So we don't know if Stygia is dead or not... OOOoooooOOOO!!! *wiggles fingers*
Wellllllllll at least they escaped right? We'll deal with the PTSD and memories... Next chapter... I think...?
So I had Steve swoop in and save the day like soooo predictable but whatevs.
I hope it was alright!!!
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The Kind You Save → Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier
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