Who Am I? » [Stucky]

131. Hats Off

Sam’s eyes were instantly on Bucky and Tony’s were distracted by the newly-placed hole decorating the ancient wall of the iconic preserved building. The three were dusted with a sprinkling on crusted paint and powdered plaster.

Screams were already echoing through the echoey auditorium. The crowd had been whipped up into a collective hysterical mentality. Some dived onto the floor recklessly, throwing themselves onto their bellies and locking their hands over the back of their head, others were racing to the door, battling with elbows, fists and feet. Many tumbled, being dragged under by the wave of people. Those scattered on the ground were trampled on whilst the frenzied spectators tripped and stumbled over them.

“Man, are you alright?” Sam was rasping, gasping for air, still trying to conceive what had just happened in such a blur. He had Bucky by the biceps, shaking him to try and get his attention.

Bucky just nodded wordlessly, a look of momentary alleviation on his face; but he was still pale as snow. His eyes were shut and he was seething in decrepit broken-up breaths.

“Tony, you good?” Bucky opened his wide blue eyes and shot Tony a quizzical look.

Tony’s was in a traumatised stupor but managed to nod. His dark brown eyes were darting about in disquietude. Then he raised his wrist to his mouth. “JARIVS, I need my suit. Now!” He bellowed into the light-weight silver cuff masked by his suit.

Bucky unlooped himself from where he was tangled in a pile with the two of them and stealthily raised his head to peer over the table. He narrowed his eyes, his breath hoarse in his ears and tried to pick out the man with the gun. He squinted at the deranged and unrestrained crowds, all aimlessly running about in the hope the gun wouldn’t fire a shot at them. Then he saw him. The one still man in the room. He was like the sturdy galleon being tossed by the sea: unbothered and undamaged. Bucky registered the glinting barrel of the gun aimed his way and dropped back down.

A bullet shot the cap off his head, rupturing the delicate old fabric and sending it spinning off into the wall. A searing, sheered and blackened hole was put in the front and Bucky threw the destroyed article of his affection in rage.

He scrambled to his feet, anger boiling in his belly.

“Are you out of your mind?!” Sam shouted from where he was cowering behind the desk, unarmed and relying on Tony’s suit arriving conveniently at any moment.

“Yep!” Bucky chirped over his shoulder with a shit-eating smirk. He planted his metal hand on the surface of the rickety wooden desk and leapt over in one clean leap and landed in a squat on the lower flooring amidst the crowd.

Security guards placed at posts in the room were doing no use at controlling the congregation, some had been swept off their feet and knocked to the floor. They were barking unheard commands at the group of people, waving arms about in directions to try and control the traffic of people.

Bucky was willing to bet the man with the gun couldn’t get a clean or concise shot and simply strode his way through the crowds, swinging his arms to swoop the citizens out of his way. A gunshot went off from his right which he evaded skilfully and hit a woman in the shoulder, sending her flat to the floor, crying out and writhing with red leaking from her shoulder.

He disappeared from view, shrinking to the floor and immersed by the barrier of people, ducking down to save her.

“Ma’am… Ma’am… I need you to take deep breaths…” Bucky coaxed her up into a sitting position and quickly yanked his tie free, whipping it about, the end catching on passing legs. Gently as was possible being jostled by the maniacal mob, he tied his tie around her upper-arm with a fierce yank; stemming the blood flow. He took both of her trembling pale hands in his ones.