Thread: Of Winter & Of Wonder [Tempt x insufferable]

He stumbled into the dark alleyways, shadows flickering from every corner fire and mortar rained from the heavens as the night sky lit scarlet by fiery explosions, the scene reminiscent of the warzones hed been in almost half a century ago. His head pounded painfully with each step, and his ears were still ringing from the aftermath of the concussive grenades hed placed by the entrance of his room. He stopped for a second, desperate for rest, for a second to breathe. His hands left his side and pressed into a nearby wall, and when he continued onwards, a wet bloody imprint was left behind. He took a few more steps before stumbling to the ground, weak from blood loss, close to losing consciousness darkness danced at the edges of his vision, unforgiving, like demons waiting to pull him back to the depths of hell. He fought against the darkness, straining against the pain, pulling himself back up onto his feetwhen her screams tore through the night. - . The Wonder Woman . She was alive. He had hoped otherwise, but it wasnt unexpected. The chances of his grenades taking out someone like her were astronomically low, and he wasnt someone who depended on chances and wishful thinking, but planning, statistics, and proper data. The many nights hed spent learning the layout of the town was planned specifically for this reason. But first, he needed to stem the blood loss. He knew from his reconnaissance trips that an abandoned building was nearby. There were still signs of life inside the apartment, but old, like as if the previous owners had moved away or was on a prolonged holiday. Either way, it suited his needs. The doorway was old, giving in easily to a firmly placed kick. He staggered into the kitchen it was hard to see in the dark, but his eyes quickly adjusted, finding the stove and flipping on the switches. He leaned forward and inhaled from the first one. Nothing. He tried the next. Nothing either. He moved on the last and, finally detecting a hint of gas, scrapped the edge of the table with the surface of his arm. The contact created tiny sparks which quickly ignited the little stove. Studying his wound for a quick second, he pulled out his knife and stuck it into the fire, a few long seconds until the blade glowed red, then he took a deep breath, bit down onto his sleeves and pressed the blade flat against the surface of the wound until he was sure it was cauterized. There wasnt enough time nor did he have the tools to clean his wounds, so all he did next was to tear a strip of fabric from his shirt and tie it around his chest, securing the wound. His only priority now was his escape hed deal with the infection later. After making sure the streets were clear, he exited the building and headed in the direction of the woods, where he was hoping to seek cover under the refuge of darkness. He didnt get very far. Two blocks were all he made when she crashed into the street across from him, the impact of her landing shaking the ground beneath his feet, the car she landed on crushed like it was nothing more than an insect on the sidewalk. Then, without another word, she leapt in his direction. He held his ground. He knew he couldnt outrun her at this point. His only chance was to face her head-on. The valves in his arm opened as his fist clenched shut, strengthening his entire arm, but before the two of them could clash, a loud whirling noise crossed the horizon. He looked towards the sky as she did, and a massive shadow emerged from between two towering buildingsa military helicopter, he recognized it as a Boeing AH-64 Apache, military fit, with no visible marks and as black as the obsidian sky. For a long second, neither moved, and in the nextthere was a loud roar as one of the missiles onboard the helicopter came to life as it tore straight towards the ground. It took him another second to realize he was the target. He grabbed onto the car beside him, fingers scrunching into metal as he prepared to use the vehicle as an intercepting shield. But before he could even life the whole car, she had leapt into the air, straight into the pair of the missile and, to his utter surprise, simply slapped it aside with her shield. He watched as the missile veered off-course and struck a nearby grocery store, quickly obliterating everything in its vicinity. Fiery heat washed over him as he took cover smoke started to fill the skies, obfuscating his view of the helicopter. The sound of gunfire then rippled through the smoke. He vaulted over the car as the ground he stood on exploded, the large calibre bullets sending chunks of concrete flying into the air, raining down rubble and asphalt. He did not know who the assailants were, there were no identifying marks, but he knew they werent Steves men the men in the helicopter were shooting to kill, not to capture, which meant they were either H.Y.D.R.A or the mercenaries after the bounties on his head. Whoever they were, they complicated things. But on the other hand, it seemed that the chaos they created had caught the attention of the powered woman, and if there was one thing he was always good at, it was slipping away undetected under the guise of distraction and chaos. He took cover in a nearby shop, hiding behind dusty old furniture as the helicopter patrolled the above skies. The streets were completely empty now, the residents had long fled the scene, as only overturned cars and burning debris remained. She stood in the middle of it all, tall, focused, without a hint of fear in her face. Somehow, he knew she wasnt the least bit afraid. Not with some of the things hed learned about her in the Red Rooms files, and if their intel had been right about her being some kid of demigod, then there was no chance in hell for the men in the apache to stand even the slightest of a chance. It seemed he was correct in that assumption, as the woman threw out her golden lassoit whipped across the night sky, circling in on the helicopters tail, holding it still. Then her shield followed, and the side compartment erupted in an explosion of red. That made him pause. It wasnt the amount of blood that caught him off-guard, hed drawn a lot more himself. But the act of it, of what shed donekilling another person. It wasnt something that someone like Steven or any other member of the Avengers would do. In fact, he knew theyd even give their lives just to save another, even if it was someone shooting at that only moments ago. Heroes , theyd like to call themselves. He had thought she was one of them. But for her to kill like that, without even battling an eyelid. It meant that she wasnt with the Avengers. She wasnt here to capture him and bring him back to the States. Her intentions were clear. She wanted his head. He needed to get out now. He sprung out of his hiding spot as the helicopter whirled across the night sky, no longer by its own will, dragged forth by the womans lasso. It streaked towards the building in his path, the wail of the helicopters engine straining like a banshee screaming through the night. He ran in the other direction, as hard as he could, blood pumping in his veinswhen something caught his eye. A young girl standing in the middle of the street, no more than the age of ten, holding a tiny little toy bunny, her white dress strained black by the rubble, watching as the military helicopter crashed into the building in front of her. She did not move as the building started to collapse, undoubtedly rooted in place by fear. He did not hesitate, his movements instinctual, coming as a surprise even to himself. He knocked into the girl, sending the two of them tumbling across the ground as the building collapsed around them. He shielded her with his body as the debris fell all around, gigantic pieces that smashed him bloody and broken. Her saw her mouth opening in mid-scream, but he couldnt hear her, he couldnt even hear his own thoughts through the roar of the falling concrete. Then it was over. Everything fell into silence, so utterly quiet he could hear the individual pieces of rubble falling off his back as he pulled himself up to his feet. Something felt dislocated. He checked and grunted as he popped his shoulder back into the socket. Then he checked on the young girl. She was screaming and crying for her mother. She was fine . That was when he noticed her . Standing across from the collapsed building. The metal valves in his arm flexed solid as she leapt towards him. He waited as she nearedand his arm shot forward with all his mightwhich she caught with her own. The ground trembled at the collision, the nearby rubble grounded into dust by the impact. The cement beneath her feet shattered, and she was pushed backwards by pure momentum as the gears in his arm whirled even louder. He caught confusion in her eyes, but only a flicker of a second, as she immediately adapted to his strength. She released his arm, her lasso pulled out. He swung again, but she ducked almost immediately, using his own momentum to send him tripping forward as her lasso tightened around his neck. He fought against it, battling her for control. She knocked him down to the ground, the noose tightening as his face strained red for oxygen. He tried to get up, only to get swept back down to the ground once more, her knee pressed firm into his chest, preventing any other movement. WHO ARE YOU?! He did not reply, but strained against the lasso. It was a futile attempt, he couldnt move, not with the weight of a demigod pressed down against him. He was only human and he could hardly even breathe. He growled, not willing to submit, when the lasso suddenly turned golden, and immediately, he felt a strange form of warmth engulfing his entire form. It emerged as a mild warmth, which soon grew to an uncomfortable heat, then finally in a fiery blaze that had him gasping for air, like he was stuck in an oven and left to burn. He had been trained against every form of torture, willingly undergoing even the cruellest of them in order to train his resilience, but her lasso, it was different. It wasnt his body fighting against the torture, but his body itself the source of torment like it wanted nothing more than to shout out the answers to every question she had for him. WHAT IS YOUR NAME? I he gasped, his body tensed so tightly the veins were visible in his face. He struggled harder, arm pounding into the ground. He swung at her, but he had no angle, she deflected him easily. Then lasso tightenedand he finally broke. JAMES, he sputtered, his eyes squeezed shut, like he was trying all he could to stop himself from speaking, even if it meant biting off his own tongue. J-James James Buchanan Barnes. She said something in response, but he didnt hear her clearly, the heat still scorching him from within. United States Army Sergeant, he gasped. Serial No. 32557038. Then with that, his eyes rolled backwards and he lost complete consciousness.