―too young to kill

you're a survivor, it's

written all over your body.

as her boot-clad feet carried her forward, tightly clenching her jaw to suppress herself from wincing. She could feel how a little blood dripped every now and then from the small set of stitches on her side. It was obvious she hadn't fully recovered, it had been less than a day after all, and yet Rumlow had taken her out of the recovery room. It wasn't like she hadn't been in situations like this anyway, in fact, she'd been in situations far worse than this one. She still remembered as if it had been yesterday the incident in Oslo, or the one in Warsaw where she almost died on an extraction mission.

Beads of sweat formed beneath her brunette bangs as men in black tactical suits escorted Arabella through the halls of the Triskelion, with Brock Rumlow on the lead. She didn't know how to feel about him. Had he betrayed Hydra? It sure as hell looked like he did. He was wearing the STRIKE uniform as were the man beside the twelve-year-old. Little did she know it was the other way around. They were approaching an elevator whose doors were sliding closed, but Rumlow stuck his hand between them just before they closed. Motioning with his other hand for the two agents and the girl to come inside the elevator. Arabella caught sight of the red, white, and blue shield that covered the back of the blonde man. He had his back facing to them, eyes focused on the view in front of him.

"Keep all STRIKE personnel on site," Rumlow said as Arabella and the two agents followed him inside. Rumlow eyed Steve's back as the doors closed. "Cap." And it was until then that Steve turned around.

"Rumlow." The soldier acknowledged him, eyes immediately landing on the young girl next to Rumlow. His eyes went from her pale-looking face down to her bandaged side, finally landing up again to the collar on her neck. "Prisoner transfer?"

"Yeah," Rumlow faintly nodded his head. "Pierce's orders."

"Out of recovery, I see," Steve said, even though he could tell the girl wasn't recovered yet, there were spots of blood on the white bandage for God's sake. And since they hadn't bothered to give her new clothes, the red spots could easily be seen through the ripped side of her black suit. The situation smelled a little funky, and Steve knew it. He had to get her to Stark. She was a threat to S.H.I.E.L.D., yes, but he couldn't just let them take her. Especially since he was pretty sure they hadn't told anything to Tony yet. And to be honest, he didn't trust Alexander Pierce all that much. Not knowing who to trust always lead him to take things in his hands, and that was exactly what he was going to do.

Rumlow hummed in response. "Just this morning." Steve only nodded, finding nothing else to say. Then Rumlow broke the silence and turned to face Steve. "Evidence response found some fibers on the roof they want us to see. You want me to get the TAC team ready?"

"No, let's wait and see what it is first." He responded, eyes staring down at the floor.

"Right." Rumlow breathed out.

Arabella's eyes flicked at an agent who didn't seem to move his hand from his holster. She couldn't help but frown. It wasn't like she was going to try anything. She would've done something by now if that were to be the case, of course. It wouldn't be a smart move considering the state she was in though, she didn't want to risk her stitches tearing themselves open. Rumlow pushed her back as the elevator's doors opened, breaking her from her thoughts. Four men in formal suits entered the elevator, settling themselves around Steve.

"I'm . . . sorry about what happened to Fury," Rumlow suddenly spoke, pushing the girl against the glass wall. "Messed up what happened to him."

"Thanks." Steve nodded, not paying much attention to Rumlow as his eyes seemed to be scanning the men around him.

The doors open once more, revealing three large men. As the men before them, they positioned themselves in a circle, surrounding Steve and Arabella. Were they planning to kill them inside an elevator?

"Records." One of the large men said as the doors closed.

The blonde man looked around the elevator knowing exactly where this was heading. Arabella began to think of ways she could take down the agents in the first few seconds since those were the crucial ones. She could probably take down four, tearing her stitches open in the process, but that was far better than dying on an elevator. However, even if she took down four men there were still going to be six men remaining and she couldn't take them on her own. She was an injured twelve-year-old girl at the end of the day. And then her mind wandered over the blonde man. Would he take her down as well? She had assisted on his boss's murder so she guessed he probably would. But then she remembered what she had heard at the hospital room, he was somehow defending her. So would he help her? Arabella concluded that he was going to fight to save his own life, not hers. Madame's words came to her mind: you rely on yourself and nothing else. Her thoughts were interrupted by the man's stern voice.

"Before we get started, does anyone want to get out?"

And then it all happened in a rush of adrenaline. Rumlow went straight for the girl, hands curled up into fists. Arabella bent down and swiped her leg, making him stumble into another agent. She lifted her small arm to punch another man but her body was thrown into the wall and next to Steve. Her handcuffs suddenly activating and attaching to the wall, leaving her body hanging from it. She grunted as she tried her best to detach her wrists from the wall.

Beside her, Steve was throwing punches and kicking men. He kicked and probably fractured one man's kneecap, broke the nose of another one, backhanded, and kicked in the chest other two. Arabella on the other side could only use her small legs to fight. She kicked one man on the face using the wall as an impulse. Another man with an electric prodder charged her way but she was quick enough to knee him in the throat before she got electrocuted. She could phase through the cuffs but then again, she had the collar on meaning she would get shocked. So she turned to face the wall with her boots pushing against it, in an attempt to free her magnetic cuffs.

A hand yanked her hair backward, freeing her from the wall but throwing her on the floor. Arabella looked up blowing some of the loose strays of hair off her face. She saw the blonde man getting electrocuted by Rumlow with the prodder, and she didn't know why―probably because of the guilt of the roof's incident― she hurriedly ran up to Rumlow and kicked him on the side. Steve looked at the girl unbelievably, not knowing why had she helped him.

Steve threw a man away from them just as another man kicked Arabella on the side, earning a low whimper from the girl. The stitches were torn by know, she didn't have to see to know, she could feel blood dripping out of the wound. She yelled as her bounded hands hit the man on the side of his face, the metal cuffs creating a deep gash on his cheek. Arabella grabbed his hair and pushed his head down while lifting her knee, breaking the man's nose when they collided against one another. Her small fingers let go of the man and he fell on the floor.

Then the fight ended with only Arabella, Steve, and Rumlow standing. Rumlow took two electrical prodders out. "Whoa, big guy," He breathed out. "I just want you to know, Cap, this isn't personal."

Rumlow then launched at Steve, hitting him on the side with the prodder. Both of them grunted as the prodder made a wiring sound. Arabella placed her foot on Rumlow's bended knee and jumped on his back, throwing her cuffed wrists over his head. Rumlow hissed as the metal cuffs pushed his neck back. Arabella managed to pull Rumlow hard enough to get him off Steve, but that caused her to get the prodder on her left collarbone. She let out a small yelp the moment she felt the burning sensation on her skin. Rumlow pushed her off his back, making her land on top of two bodies.

She looked up to see Steve throwing Rumlow at the ceiling, his body falling limp on the floor. "It kinda feels personal." Steve breathed out.

Her nose scrunched up when her hand pushed a man's face to get herself up. She stood there, not knowing what to. She just watched as the blonde man's foot stepped on the shield, snapping it on his wrist. Drops of blood fell from her wound to the floor as she did her best to steady her breathing. Steve broke the metal cuff with the shield and then proceeded to extend his hand out for the girl. She hesitantly extended her arms out for Steve to break the cuffs.

"Thanks." She whispered. Her hand immediately flew to her side to apply pressure on the bleeding wound.

Steve opened the elevator's doors just for more men in black tactical suits to come to view. They both stop dead on their tracks as the agents aimed their weapons at them. Suddenly, Steve spun around and cut the metal ropes of the elevator with his shield. Arabella's eyes widened as they dropped a couple of floors. A loud gasp escaped her mouth as they came to a stop. Steve walked over the bodies and pulled the doors open only for more men to appear. He quickly closed them and moved to the side, looking down from the glass wall. He stepped back and turned to the girl. Arabella's eyes widen in realization. He was going to jump.

"Wait! No―" Before she could finish Steve swung an arm over her waist and tightly pulled her closer. "No, no, no―" He ran forward and jumped.

She closed her eyes as the fall felt like an eternity. When they landed on the glass-covered floor, Steve had managed to flip her over so that she didn't hit her side. A low grunt left the girl's dry mouth, her head was pounding and she left like the air had been knocked out of her lungs. People dressed fancily gasped and stepped back from the super soldier and the injured girl. With a grunt, Steve pushed his knuckles on the pieces of glass to lift himself up. He helped the bleeding girl get up from the floor. And the next thing she knew was that she was at the back of the man's motorcycle.

Arabella ducked behind Steve's back when a strange-looking plane began to fire at them. Steve then pushed her harshly off the bike. Arabella yelled as she landed harshly, leaving a thin trail of blood as she rolled down the cement. Her body stopped rolling and stayed still, facing upwards and aching. She shut her eyes to get rid of the dizziness. Hissing, she sat down just to see the plane crashing down the road. This man worked fast. She hurriedly stood up and ran to where Steve was waiting for her.

down the dirt road of the forest. She didn't know where were they going or what was he going to do to her or why had he helped her out. She just followed his steps. But then the bottled up curiosity spilled from her mouth.

"Why did you help me escape?" She suddenly blurted out. Eyebrows frowning and curious eyes looking up at the taller man.

"To be honest, I don't know." He confessed.

"Don't you hate me?" She whispered. "Won't you kill me?"

Steve stopped dead on his tracks, stare set at the green in front of them. "It's not my job to kill you. You're too young to die and too young to kill."

Arabella had stopped walking too and unlike Steve, her eyes were set on her mud-covered boots. She didn't know what to respond, all she could do was replay his words on her head. You're too young to die and too young to kill. "Don't you think I will kill you?"

Steve's chest rose as he inhaled enough air to let out a long sigh. "I don't know what to think. You could run and escape. You could kill me even though you're injured. I don't know. I don't know what you're capable of, kid." He frowned and pinched the bridge of his nose, remembering how she had phased through his shield back on the roof. "Look, all I know is that I have to get you to St―to someone who can help you, alright? But we need to move fast."

She hummed in response and jogged to catch up with Steve, every now and then wincing in pain. Her thoughts roamed on that someone who could help her. Was he that Stark man he mentioned back in the hospital room? She assumed he probably was.

"What's your name, kid?" Steve asked her.

"Arabella," In other circumstances, she would've given him a fake name, but he was helping her escape. She thought that the least he deserved was to know her real name. "And yours?"

"Steve." He slightly nodded his head and they continued to walk in silence.

Merely ten minutes had passed when they heard the trees ruffling behind them. Their bodies went stiff at the sound. Someone was there. Arabella clenched her jaw and balled her fists up and brought them up. Both simultaneously turned around, positioning themselves ready for a fight. And then the girl from the rooftop landed in front of them.

"Josephine," Steve raised his brows.

"Captain," The black-haired girl nodded, then her eyes landed on the small girl next to Steve. She didn't know how to address the girl so she just nodded her head toward her.

"You are here to arrest us?" Steve arched an eyebrow.

The girl shook her head and chuckled. "No, I'm not. I'm here for the opposite, actually." Steve seemed to let his guard down, Arabella however, kept her posture as rigid as she could. "You can relax, okay?" Josephine told the girl. "I'm here to take you somewhere safe."

"Where are you taking her?"

"New York, to Tony," Josephine said as if it was the most obvious thing.

Steve shook his head, "You can't take her to the tower. There'll be S.H.I.E.L.D. agents there for all you know."

"Okay, then I'll take her to my apartment." Steve shook his head once more and Josephine sighed. "I'll take her―Jesus!"

The collar on Arabella's neck activated and sent a wave of shocks down her body, knocking her out unconscious. Steve bent down and caught her before she could hit the ground. "Hey! Kid!" He got the loose hair out of her face to reveal a pale-looking complexion.

Josephine grabbed her wrist and checked her pulse. "She's got a pulse," She looked up to Steve nodding her head. "Come on, get her to my car. I'll take her somewhere safe."

!

Hi! Thanks for reading and I hope you liked this chapter.

I hope you're safe and you're doing fine. Please treat people with kindness no matter the color of their skin and be sure to spread that kindness to others too! Please don't remain silent during this situation, speak out! Don't forget that BLACK LIVES MATTER.

―love, lili