109  

Memory’s fallible; you know that intimately. So you signal Natasha left, now, and lash out at the nearest guard with your foot and a fist - he falls heavily, and you catch and deflect him with your arm, tossing him aside, moving on to the next one. You’re not quite sure when you realize Natasha isn’t following you, but there are three guards ringed in front of you and one more off to your side, and you really don’t have the time to wonder why the hell you’re doing this without backup because one of them lands a blow to your shoulder that makes your whole arm go numb. You drop your bow, but there’s no way you can retrieve it; instead, you do the only thing you can think of, put your head down, and bulldoze your way to the door at the end of the corridor.

As soon as you’re in the door, you spot Tony and start laughing hysterically, because Coulson was right and here you are and Natasha’s not responding to the radio and Tony’s lying motionless in the corner and you can hear the Hydra agents behind you and it’s kind of nice to be vindicated, to know you made the right choice, but really, as you close your eyes and wait for whatever comes next, you think you could have been okay with being wrong this time.

THE END