Earlier Steve, Bucky and Natasha had mysteriously gone MIA. Now they stood in some sort of stone chamber. One wall had a television screen and the other a view to the ocean floor. The screen flickered to life and a little girl surveyed them. She giggled.
"Hello! My name is Zephros." Her wide, distant eyes showed that she wasn't all there. Natasha tried to speak softly to her.
"Hello Zephros. Do you know where we are?" The girl nodded. "Can you tell us?" She nodded again.
"You're in my game." She giggled.
"Your game?"
"Yes. My elimination game."
They didn't like the sound of that. Natasha tried again. "Can you let us out?"
"Why would I do that when you're all so entertaining." Her eyes changed and she became more focused. "I have a soldier, an assassin and a spy. You're all such intriguing characters. Now you're going to play my game or you're going to die. All of you. But first I'll make you watch you're friends die." She giggled again and a door slid open. "Whenever you're ready." They shared wary glances before moving through.
That was a few hours ago. Since then they'd been put through many trials and tortures including watch a man kill himself and three others die. Zephros had even given Bucky three minutes to try and convince Tony to say "I forgive you." Or else rigged explosives would have blown him and the rest of that floor up. To say they were stressed would be an understatement.
Now though they were in a room very similar to the first. They stood in a defensive triangle, waiting for the next task. Suddenly Zephros's voice floated through hidden speakers. "I'm getting bored. But I have an idea." A slot slid open in the wall and a single barrelled gun lay waiting. "I want you to take it." A red dot appeared on Bucky's chest.
"What if I refuse?"
"Then I kill you. Surely you understand by now."
He crossed the room and picked it up. He balanced the weight in his hands before aiming at the window. Satisfied, he looked expectantly upwards. "Good, good. Now shoot them." His face blanched.
"What?"
"You heard me. To get out of here you must shoot either the captain or the spy." He turned to the other two. Steve was openly horrified whereas Natasha remained impassive, though slightly paler. Bucky stared at the gun in his hands. He couldn't. The little girl laughed at their predicament. "Who are you going to shoot? Your best friend, or your lover? This is it. The final elimination. Now shoot. You have 10 minutes starting now, better say your goodbyes."
Natasha darted a look at Steve before staring Bucky straight in the eyes. "Shoot Steve." Both stared at her incredulously.
"Uh do I get a say in this?" Steve said hesitantly.
"No. Weren't you the one that said we had to be soldiers? Willing to lay down our lives for our country? Well now it's your turn. I'm far more useful to James than you are so its only right that you die."
"She's right." Natasha grinned smugly. Bucky stared shocked at them both. "C'mon Buck I'm the man out of time. I should've died when I flew into the ice."
"You can't pull that one Steve. Technically we're all out of time." His hand shook as he pointed the gun at the floor. "I can't do it."
"Ugh you're pathetic and weak! Just pull the damn trigger so we can get out of here. Oh boo hoo you lost your pal, we'll find a new one! It's not hard!" Natasha stormed forward ready to snatch up the gun when he pointed it at her. She froze and stepped back with her hands raised. Tears slipped from Bucky's eyes as he was torn between sobbing and laughing.
"Did you think that would work? Did you honestly think that?" Steve looked lost so Bucky took pity on him. "She doesn't want you to die Steve, she was trying to coax me into shooting her without feeling bad about it." Natasha shrugged.
"Five minutes left. Decide now and have time to say your goodbyes." Natasha frantically looked at them both before lunging at Steve and knocking him to the ground. He lay stunned and she stood in front of him, blocking James's view.
"James look at me, look at me! Ok, I hate this I really do but Steve doesn't deserve to die. He's a good man, and so are you. I'm not a good person, I should of died a long time ago. I've lived my life, I've seen the world, been married and have gotten to experience all the highs and lows. You and Steve haven't had the chance. Please James, by doing this I'll clear my ledger." She stared pleadingly into his eyes as he trembled. He didn't want to do it, he couldn't. She decided to give him a final push. "If you love me you'll pull that trigger and allow me to go. I'll finally be free James. Please, if you love me you'll let me die." Tears fell from both of them and she angrily swiped them away.
"Talia I can't lose you again. I can't. Please don't make me do this."
She was standing right in front of him. She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the barrel, it was shaking along with his hand. "One minute left!" The voice sounded delighted.
"Please James." She whispered. She held his hands to stop them shaking. "It's going to be ok. You'll move on and find someone else. Please James, if I don't die today then I'll die soon, a spy never retires they're only retired. I've been kicking for 70 years James, I'm tired of always looking over my shoulder." She opened her eyes and stared into his.
He tossed his head. He couldn't do it. "I can't Talia, I can't do it. You mean everything to me, you're my whole world. To kill you? It would destroy me."
"Then I apologise."
"Times up." Natasha's hand pressed pressure onto his wrist and caused him to reflexively tighten his hold, thus pulling the trigger. He jumped back in horror and dropped the gun as his girlfriend sunk to the floor. He screamed as he dove forwards to catch her body, sobs tearing themselves from his throat.
Steve crawled forwards and placed a hand on his shoulder. Zephros's mad giggling bounced around the chamber as another shot echoed and Steve fell on his stomach, a hole in his back. James's eyes widened. "I said time was up." He howled in misery as his best friend and his lover's blood pooled together and soaked his clothes. Both were dead, neither survived.
(Trigger: suicide)
He clawed at where the gun had clattered to the floor and ignored the sudden silence from his captor. He cocked it and placed it under his chin before moving back to between Natasha and Steve. He closed his eyes and ignored the hysterical shrieking from Zephros. He even felt the prick of a tranquilliser pierce his neck. But before the drugs had even reached his system he'd pulled the trigger and fallen backwards, lying next to Natasha. His hand resting on hers and the gun resting on Steve.
That was how they were found not minutes later by the rest of the avenger team. No one complained when Clint shot an arrow through Zephros's skull. They claimed she was caught in the crossfire as they radioed in to Fury, telling him to create a memorial for the Soldier, the Assassin and the Spy.
