RAISON D'ÊTRE ( bucky barnes ) 一 under editing

THIRTY-FIFTH

RAISON D'ÊTRE
THIRTY-FIFTH

THE FIGHT HAD ALREADY FELT like it'd been going on for hours and hours, but she knew that if were to look at a clock, it'd only really be a few minutes. And yet the exhaustion she was feeling in her body was telling her otherwise. Her legs were burning from how often she'd run from fight to fight, and her fingers were starting to twitch with every flick of her wrist. There was a slight pinching sensation in her head and she felt more exhausted than she normally should have been, but she knew that it was more because of her current state and how she'd used so much magic is such little time. But she managed to surprise herself by staying up, meeting every one of Stark's team with a hardened glare and a spell on her lips. 

At some point, Rome had pressed her back against a large pile of crates and sucked in a deep breath. Her lungs felt like they were on fire, begging for some relief as she inhaled and exhaled quickly and deeply. She heard a slight thud next to her and she jumped, hand already outstretched but she faltered when she saw it was only Steve and Bucky. Rome immediately relaxed, feeling Bucky's hand gently touch her arm. Bucky knew how much Rome disliked fighting; besides this moment, the only time he'd seen her actively fighting or attacking someone was back in D.C. on the bridge. Other than that, she'd always remained behind and let Bucky take care of the rest. 

"We gotta go," Steve panted heavily, blinking rapidly to fight the exhaustion looming in on him. They all knew this fight was taking up too much time in their otherwise busy schedule. They needed to catch up with the mysterious doctor with the red book, the one who'd said those little words and made Bucky lose his mind.

"That guy's probably in Siberia right now," Bucky replied with the shake of his head, and Rome tightly gripped his hand. 

Steve tossed a glance behind him quickly before his eyes landed on his best friend and the witch. "I'm gonna draw all the fliers. I'll take Vision, you two get to the jet."

Rome's eyes nearly widened. There were at least three people on Stark's people who could fly, all of whom were powerful and dangerous, and yet Steve had volunteered to take all the heat. If he got caught, he wouldn't be able to help them with this. "Steve, you can't," Rome said. "We need you and we're not gonna leave without you."

"She's right, Cap," came Aline's voice through the comms. There was a slight pant while she spoke, but she sounded otherwise all right. Though it's not as if she would be gravely injured; her cousin was an immortal tribrid, and anything healed would easily be fixed given her genetics. "You need to get outta here. Get to the jet. All of us aren't gonna be getting out of here like we hoped."

"As much as I hate to admit it," Barton added, "if we're gonna win this one, some of us might have to lose it."

"This isn't the real fight, Steve," Sam agreed.

Rome hated that she agreed with them. She didn't want Steve to have to sacrifice his friends and teammates just so the three of them could escape, to go somewhere and fight someone who might not even be there, and Rome didn't want to give up on Aline. But it was the only option they could do 一 Steve and Bucky needed to be there in Siberia, and honestly, it didn't matter if Sam or Clint or Lang were there. The blonde looked up at Steve, who released a long sigh. He knew it as well, and he hated having to make such a tough decision. "All right, Sam," he said after a long pause, "what's the plan?"

"A diversion!" Aline interjected, and there was an excited lilt in her voice when she said this. "We gotta get something... I don't know, big!"

"I got something kinda big!" Lang replied. "But I can't hold it very long. On my signal, run like hell. And I tear myself in half, don't come back for me."