Winter Soldier (Book One)

Chapter: 13

DAY: 7
Winter Soldier

Our eyes met and all I could do was just look back. I was frozen, like some fate had taken hold of ever muscle I possessed and gripped me tight, stiff like death.

I quickly turned away, my face burning red. I stood up from the seat, leaving behind the blanket she just gave me and turning around to distract myself with the many color buttons and switches above our heads. To my left, a man was intently working, tacking his fingers against a keypad attached to a beat up looking screen. his eyes lifted for a moment and caught me watching, quickly going back to his work as if it were just a reflex.

My attention went back to the buttons and switches, some began to flash rapidly and others only pulsed. Any guess I had about the purpose of each one was probably wrong, and trying to guess which one operated the com link to the head of the jet was going to be a mistake altogether. 

Distracting myself with those buttons, my mind began to wander in all directions. Why couldn't I shake the feeling that Fury was up to something behind our backs? Why couldn't I shake the feeling that Lark was part of something much deeper than it seemed? I'd been going over what Black Widow had said to me. About how I should have ditched her when I had the chance, how I should have just left her alone. But how could I? How could I just leave Lark to run on her own and fight one man to S.H.I.E.L.D.? But then again, Lark can stand up for herself, she can keep herself together. I've seen her with a gun, I've seen what she can do.

"We're nearing the Helicarrier." Fury called out. I turned and walked towards the head of the jet. Through the windows, which were somewhat unclear and covered in grid lines, I could see the Helicarrier. It looked exactly like the ones, three of them actually, that I saw blow up.

"Look familiar?" Fury asked me. I just didn't answer him, he already knew what I was going to say anyway.

Something fumbled and fell behind us, back in the hull. I turned around and that horrible feeling that something was wrong just took over. I hurried back towards the center of the jet and found Lark laying there on the floor, a man standing over here with his hand held down close to her mouth, and odd green mist fell from his palm. He muttered something to her and she squirmed, arms and legs contorting at terribly odd angles.

I made my move to run at him, to charge and tackle him right into the floor; but he heard me coming, and made a leap into the air, disappearing with a wisp of smoke. Lark laid there coughing, sputtering and gasping for breath. I got down on my knees, turning her head so I could see what he'd done. Her eyes were glassy but fading out to a white. Her hands were against her neck, as if she were choking. Her body went into convulsions, trembling violently.

"Lark, come on, stay with us." I tilted her head back and forth, hoping for a response of some kind. My stomach was sank as I rolled her over onto her side, she jerked and coughed."Help! Fury!" I shouted as loud as I could over the roaring in my ears.

Fury stormed out angrily, stumbling as he saw us on the floor.

"Shit." He turned back and grabbed a rough looking box off the interior wall of the cockpit, breaking it open over his knee. "What happened?" he asked as he stepped over her body and knelt down.

"Some guy, he was choking her. There was green mist-" I swallowed and Fury pushed me back, making room for himself above her. Fury then pulled out a needle  from the pack, shook a tiny vial and snapped them both together. I pushed up her sleeve and he jabbed the need into her arm. Almost immediately, Lark stopped shaking and her eyes fell closed. She was still, near lifeless movement, save for the light breathing.

"She'll be out a while." I gave him a look, "I gave her a sterilizing agent, it'll help her system while trapping whatever it is with a safe field of nanoparticles, but the process takes a bit of time. There's a tranquilizer that will keep her relaxed enough that she won't hurt herself or others."