Frostbite

Eighteen

I had taken the stairs two at a time, trying to surprise Rumlow before he figured out I was coming. I hit the forty-first floor and dashed to the door that he would have to come through to go up any farther. I hid myself out of view and waited for him quietly. There was no word still from Steve and I prayed he was alright and that the chip would be placed in time. Suddenly there were footsteps, and I could hear Rumlow's voice.

He passed through the doorway, heading for the stairs. I quickly shot an array of ice shards his way, causing him to hit the floor and yell out in surprise as they cut him. Sauntering forward, I grabbed his shoulder and punched him in the face. Before I could land another hit, he shoved me away and clambered back up to his feet. He took his fighting stance, and I mirrored him, light blue energy flaring from my hands like small flames.

"You think that's a good idea? You might hurt someone Melly. We both know you've been lucky up to this point," he mocked, circling towards me.

"You knew this entire time. You hate me so much that you let me be their lab rat? Your dad would be ashamed of what you've become," I snapped, not in the mood for his arrogant attitude.

That pissed him off, and he jumped over the desk between us and backhanded me. I stumbled back but stayed on my feet. He struck out again, but I blocked it and shoved him backward. Flicking my fingers towards his feet, I encased them in ice so that he was stuck to the floor.

"You'll never be in control," he sneered, not even fazed by his predicament.

"Vom vedea," I drawled in Romanian, smirking as his face turned hard. We had frequently used the language when we were younger, and I knew he hated when I spoke to him in it.

"What- you can only beat me with help? Can't do it the old-fashioned way, huh?" he taunted, trying to break free of his icy prison.

"Fine. We'll do it your way," I shrugged, swiping my hand and making the ice vanish once again. I let the power slip away and let him regain his composure. Without warning, he grabbed onto me and tossed me across a desk. Everything scattered everywhere as I slid over its surface and rolled to my feet.

He jumped over the desk after me, but I somersaulted out of his grasp. I turned and hooked my foot around his leg, yanking him down. I attempted to get up, but he pulled me back to the floor and elbowed me in the face. Blood spurted from my nose, and I hurriedly wiped it on my sleeve. That would hurt later.

"That's all you got?" I taunted while jetting out of his reach.

"Oh baby, I could fight you all day."

He charged me, and I grabbed onto his arm, flipping him onto his back. He thudded to the ground, and I straddled him, managing to punch him several times before he snatched my wrist mid-punch. It twisted at a horrible angle, and I cried out in pain. Ignoring the throbbing in my wrist, I kept him pinned and hit him again. Several of his cuts were bleeding, and his cheek was already swelling. He would pass out soon if I kept it up.

I gripped the collar of his shirt, lifting him up and slamming his head into the ground. His hands fell away, and I lifted him to slam him one more time so that he would pass out. Before I could, I felt a punch in my side. Confused, I glanced down to see a knife sticking out of my side; blood was seeping from the wound. The asshole had actually stabbed me.

I fell backwards, gasping as the pain hit me all at once. It was as if someone had put me into a boiling pot; I immediately began sweating. He staggered to his feet and cracked his neck. We stared at each other as I grabbed ahold of the knife's handle and yanked it out, letting it clatter to the floor. I flinched but didn't break eye contact.

"I think that counts as cheating," I growled vehemently, clambering to my feet, using a nearby chair for help.

"If you say so," he grinned wickedly, stepping closer. Fine. If he wasn't going to play fair, then neither was I. He swung at me, which I managed to dodge sloppily. Without thinking, I shot an ice beam his way, the light-colored streak knocking him back. He didn't get up. I was panting heavily now; that move had cost me more than I had thought.

Turning my back to him, I started walking to the door. There was a roar from behind me, and I was suddenly knocked forward to the floor. Rumlow flipped me over and punched me hard in the jaw. My head cracked against the floor and my vision blurred around the edges.

Sam suddenly charged into the room and barreled straight into Rumlow, knocking him off of me. With him out of the way, he back peddled and helped me up from the ground.

"You good?" he asked, looking at me with concern. I knew I looked like shit.

"Never better," I croaked with a small smile. Rumlow got back up and stared at Sam in distaste.

"You're out of your depth, kid," Rumlow scoffed. Sam had a hard glint in his eyes as he squared up with him. They both lunged at the same time, each furiously trying to get the upper hand. I leaned on a table, holding the wound in my abdomen to staunch the bleeding.

"Steve?" I rasped out, hoping for an answer. There was only silence, and I felt the blood drain from my face in fear. Charlie had been locked for several minutes now. Sam hit the floor right in front of my feet, drawing my attention back to them.

I glanced out one of the windows to see a helicarrier approaching the building; it was going to smash right into our floor. I grabbed Sam's arm and dragged him behind me, running away from the helicarrier and toward the huge glass windows.

"Please, tell me you got that chopper in the air!" Sam yelled through comms.

"Where are you?" Natasha asked. The building shook as the helicarrier crashed into it, the ceiling collapsing in behind us.

"Forty-first floor, north-west corner!" I shouted over the noise.

"We're on it, stay where you are," Nat directed prematurely.

"Not an option," Sam responded. Rumlow was nowhere to be seen behind us, but while looking back I noticed two figures still on the helicarrier. It had to be Steve and Bucky.

We were barely going to make it out before being crushed underneath the cement building. Just as we both were going to smash through the window, a piece of debris grazed me from behind, tripping me up. This caused Sam to jump without me. I attempted to stand, but my knees gave out almost immediately.

There was no way I'd make it to the helicopter now; I could barely stand, and I wouldn't be able to go back for a running start. The fear of death urged me to do the only thing I could think of. I rolled out the window with just enough momentum so that I wouldn't hit the side of the building. I fell towards the water below, praying that I had enough strength to make it to shore.