Winter's Ballerina-WINTER SOLDIER FANFIC

fourteen

"And if it gets harder, then I don't wanna break all alone I wanna break in your arms."
-Christina Perri; I Don't Wanna Break

America-2014
(Vera)

My wound was almost fully healed over by the time my sister came to pick me up. I had already changed out of the hospital gown and back into my suit.
"Are you sure you're up for this?" She asked as I got in the car.
"I'm fine." I snapped. We drove a short distance past the Pentagon and to a SHIELD base.
"Here's the plan; I'm posing a member of the Council." She held up a wig and suit jacket.
"You need to sneak in through that door and Cap will meet you at the Project Insight Headquarters. If the three Helicarriers there reach three thousand feet they will triangulate with Insight satellites and become weaponized. The only way to stop it is to replace their targeting blades with the specialized ones Cap has."
I didn't completely understand what she had said, but I knew the general plan well enough. I nodded and wished her luck before running off to find the Captain.

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"Ready?" Someone asked. I hadn't bothered to learn names. I know the man with wings was often referred to as Sam, but the woman speaking now seemed more like a military officer than friend of Steve's.
"Do it." Steve replied. I was a bit confused as to what exactly was going on. I knew they had been going on about static interference and coms but wasn't able to piece two and two together until the woman hit a button and the technicians on the other side of the door gripped their ears and exclaimed something about the static.
"I'll check it out." I heard one of them say as footsteps pounded closer. They opened the door and I immediately cocked my guns and had them aimed for major organs.
"Excuse us." Steve says as he entered the room. The technician took one look at the four guns trained on him and threw his hands in the air.
"Smart move." I muttered.
Steve makes his way over to a microphone while we still held the technicians at gunpoint. Steve turned the microphone on so everyone in the building could hear him. He made a five minute long, rousing speech about freedom.
"Did you write that down first or was that off the top of your head?" Sam asked what was on everyone's mind.
"Seriously though, when you can't sleep at night do you just compose speeches about freedom?" I added.
"Show some patriotism!" Steve said as he rolled his eyes. I raised my hand like I was in a classroom.
"Yes?" Steve asked, exasperatingly.
"I'm Russian."

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"Hey Cap, how do we know the good guys from the bad guys?" Sam yelled as we ran into battle.
"If they're shooting at you they're bad!" Steve yelled back. With that Sam's backpack sprouts wings and he flys away. I would've been amazed but I was way too distracted.
"Vera, take this and switch the targeting chips." Steve handed me a chip before he ran off. I took off in the direction of the nearest Helicarrier. I made it on the deck, nearly out of breath. I ran into the control center only to find him there waiting for me. He doesn't remember me.
"James? It's me, Vera." I whispered.
He didn't even show any signs he understood me so I began to walk forward to the targeting chip.
"If I don't do this a lot of innocent people will die, James. Please, I know it's hard, but Hydra does not control you." I took another step. And another.
Then I went too far.
"You're wrong." He said before his fist connected with my face. So I kicked him in the ribs. He quite literally pounded my shoulder like a hammer would a nail. At the impact my fingers flexed and the targeting chip fell out of my hand. I grab his metal arm and pull it behind his back, locking it in and pull. I ignored his screams of pain the best I could. There were tears dripping down my face intermixing with sweat. After a few seconds longer he regained strength and twisted himself out of the lock I'd had him in. There was about a meter of space between us now so he grabbed his handgun and shot. The gun dropped. I dropped to the ground grabbing my shoulder to stop the bleeding.
"James I will always love you." I whispered but I wasn't even sure if he heard me.
I would bleed out before I even knew if Steve managed to secure all three chips. I watched as James walked away from me without looking back.
A minute later Steve came in and I saw him pick up the chip that I'd dropped. He gives me a nod before confronting James.
"People are gonna die Buck, I can't let that happen. Please don't make me do this." Steve's pleas got him nowhere. The shield was thrown and the battle began. For a moment I thought Steve might of been able to slip the chip in but he was stabbed. James had taken possession of the chip and Steve was pulling the knife from his shoulder. I was pulling myself to an upright position, desperate to stand. If was going to die here anyway, I might as well be useful. I could hear punches being thrown as I half dragged and half crawled across the floor desperate to reach James' dropped gun. Once my fingers touched the cool metal I calmed down. Instinct kicked in. I stood up to see Steve breaking James' arm in a struggle to get the chip. I aimed the gun and checked the safety.
"Drop it, now!" I yelled. Nothing happened so I shot him in the shoulder. The chip clattered to the floor and Steve grabbed it frantically. I collapsed to the floor a wave of pain hitting me. Steve was struggling to insert the chip but I couldn't move my body.
So this is how I die.
Another gunshot rang through the Helicarrier.
"What now?!" I cried.
Steve had been shot in the shoulder and was falling. I watched as he pulled himself up and struggled to get the chip out. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see James reload his gun.
"No!" I screamed. With a new rush of adrenaline I shot up and ran toward Steve. The bullet was aimed for his stomach. It hit my shoulder blade.
"Charlie locked."

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"I just wanna love you, don't wanna lose me, don't wanna lose you."
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