Avengers/X-Men One Shots - The Blood/White Phoenix Saga

ONE-SHOT LV: Back To Hell (A What If? Scenario for CACW; Pt. 2)

Set just after previous one-shot

Adelaide Lehnsherr/Bucky Barnes

I pulled out the rack of guns. Bucky was standing there, eyeing it. Reaching forward, he grabbed a light machine gun and I followed suit. A moment or two later, we were all standing at the entrance to the quinjet as the ramp lowered. I heard Steve speak as it was lowering.

'You remember that time when we had to ride back from Rockaway Beach in the back of that freezer truck?' James turned to him, a small, yet genuine smile on his face.

'Was that the time we used our train money to buy hot dogs?'

'You blew three bucks trying to win that stuffed bear for a redhead.'

'What was her name again?' James asked, now looking thoughtful.

'Dolores. You called her doll.' I laughed.

'James Barnes, ever the ladies' man,' I said, squeezing James' hand. He smiled back.

'She's gotta be a hundred years old right now,' James said.

'So are we, pal.' Steve squeezed James' shoulder. The ramp was fully lowered and readying our guns, we walked into the chilly Siberian air. Steve, Bucky and I walked up to the doors of the old base, which were half open and stuck in the snowy ground due to disuse. 'He can't have been here more than a few hours.'

'Long enough to wake them up,' I spoke up. We walked in, keeping a close lookout. As soon as I stepped in, a wave of near anxiety hit me, but I managed to not show it until we got to the elevator. We stepped in and Steve pressed a button to go down into the lower levels. I knew those lower levels all too well. When the elevator shut, I leaned my gun against the wall, then placed my hands on my knees, starting to wheeze violently. 'Damn it... I can't breathe...' I coughed out. James rubbed my back softly.

'Just take deep breaths, Adelaide. Steve and I are right here.'

'Good. Just - give me a minute.' I looked at James. Apparently he was just as anxious as I am. I noticed how nervous and nearly panic-attack-prone he looked, even beneath his stoic gaze. 'You're doing very well to hide your anxiousness,' I said to him. He kept flexing his fingers on his gun, his metal arm whirring slightly. And I hadn't heard his arm do that since Bucharest, which made our semi-idyllic fairy-tale, sans the nightmares and relapses, seem like a lifetime ago. When I had recovered, I stood straight and picked up my gun again. Steve and James looked over at each other, and James gave a near imperceptible nod. Then, the elevator slowed down and stopped fully. Steve pulled up the elevator doors and we stepped through, clearing the dark alcoves with our guns, now full of junk from years of in-habitation. We kept clearing the spaces, my mind focused on one thing only: just survive. Like the old days. Making our way up some steps, we heard a loud thud from behind us. James and I spun around, all nerves on edge, Steve in front of us, covering with his shield.

'You ready?' Steve asked us.

'Yeah,' we said in unison. Just then the thud was louder, and then the same elevator doors slid open, revealing the glow of an arc reactor and the glow of two mask eyes. The telltale glint of red and gold told it all. Tony Stark, I thought, nearly cursing in my mind. Son of a bitch. Steve instantly lowered his protection and walked towards Tony while the two of us stayed on guard, our hands, having never forgotten how to hold a gun, kept our scopes trained on Tony's head when the mask slid back from his face.