SOLDIER ─ marvel

XXX. More Than Just Pawns

Chapter Thirty
Bucky

As soon as the elevator doors open, I see a puddle of blood at my feet. I trail my eyes down the hall to see an utter massacre. The once white walls are covered in crimson blood, the floors littered with bodies. All I can think about is Sam having to walk back through this after we destroy the transmitter. He will never forget seeing this, just like I will never forget looking at the chaos I've created.

I turn back to the others, saying firmly; "Go find Bauer and Sharon. I've got Sam."

Walker steps out of the elevator, nodding his head to me. "You may need some back up."

I nod back to him, half smiling to my fiancé as the doors begin to close. "Be careful." I tell her.

She smiles back. "You, too."

Once the doors fully close, I turn Walker, turning my gun onto safety. "Don't shoot Sam under any circumstances, you understand?"

Walker nods, showing me that his gun is now on safety. "Do you have stuff?"

I reach into my jacket pocket and bring out the syringe. "Do you?"

He brings out the same syringe, letting out a sigh through his nose. "Let's do this."

We make our way around the fallen agents and soldiers, trying to stay as silent as possible. The door to the control room is broken, hanging off the hinges, almost completely off. The inside of the room  is just as much of a massacre as the outside. The security camera footage is being played on monitors on the wall opposite of the door, and in front of them stands Sam. His back is to us, his body cloaked in red light. He looks so different from forty eight hours ago, but I remember how quickly the other super soldiers changed when they got their serum. Sam looks larger, more muscular. His figure is so tense, so alert and focused. In his right hand is Steve's shield, but I notice that there are red marks on it that certainly weren't there two months ago when Steve gave it to him. As Sam turns around, the gun in his left hand is raised, his voice as robotic as it was on the speakers as he says; "You're too late. After this HYDRA will never die. The Avengers will never be free."

Sam shoots his gun, but missed because Walker and I use the wall outside in the hall for cover. Walker shakes his head, letting out a low curse. "It's bad enough he has the serum, but now he has the shield? Unbelievable."

I have a feeling he isn't talking about our odds fighting him. But I don't have time to inquire what he means. Sam charges towards us, running out of the room and swiping his arm towards my head. I duck, punching at his stomach and kick at his knee. I miss his knee because he stumbles back from my punch, but this doesn't deter him for long. Walker attempts to attack Sam from behind, but Sam elbows him in the face, a crunch sound echoing around the hallway as Walker's nose breaks. Sam hits Walker in the chest with the shield and shoved him against the wall, knocking the wind out of him.

Sam then spins around and tries to hit me with the shield, but I catch it in my hands, grunting against his strength, now equal to my own. "Sam, I know you're in there. This isn't you, this is Bauer."

Sam rips the shield out of my grip, dropping down and swiping his leg under mine, making me stumble. He tries to hit me in the chest, but I duck out of the way and wrap my arms around his waist, shoving him through the doorway and tackling him to the ground.

Sam's grip on the shield slackens slightly, giving me enough time to grab it. But as soon as I touch the shield, Sam tightens his grip and headbutts his forehead with mine, swiping the shield across my face.

I fall back onto the floor, glancing out the window to see Walker begin to get himself up, making eye contact with me. I glance down to the syringe on the floor next to him before glancing back to him. He gets what I'm saying, crawling over towards it.