New story concept came from a really weird ass dream I had on New Years and I was encouraged to write it by my girlfriend.
Mostly OC centred but Stucky is in this too.
Planning on this being a long one.
Gunshots caused her to jump awake, more ringing out through the corridors, alarms were ringing now. There were intruders inside the base, she got up and threw her hair up in a messy half up knotted bun, looking around for a weapon to grab just incase someone was coming for her. She knew she was an asset to Hydra, a weapon of theirs that they owned. She used to be the back up, the insurance but ever since the original asset went rogue she was their number one. She looked around the dark padded cell she was housed in when not on mission or being examined by the medical team. Her suppressor anklet was still on her powers were still nullified, no help from them either, besides her wings but she was in an enclosed building, not much ceiling room. She frowned, no weapon, no armour, no powers, she would have to use her strength, wings, and training to take down these intruders.
Metal twisting a ripping brought her out of her thoughts. She spun around dropping into a low fighting stance wings spread ready to attack, her small size gave her an advantage in speed and agility but not brute force. Her eyes widened, she was not expecting this man to be coming for her. Hydra's enemy. Captain America himself, the last mission the original asset was ever sent on. The one he didn't return from.
"Come with me. I can free you." He spoke gently but she hesitated. Her broken mind stuck at crossroads. This man was Hydra's enemy she was Hydra, kill him and have possibly better treatment from them or go with him and possibly get recaptured and wiped again. She would do anything to avoid that machine. She made up her mind, face hardening and wings stiffening as she focused on a strategy against this man. Legs she decided, go for his legs, wind him and go for the kill, choke him out then snap his neck to end it all. She charged at him tackling him and slamming him against the laminate flooring of the facility, realizing he was shocked and not expecting this reaction from her she pinned him and wrapped her hands around his throat, metal and flesh trying to force the oxygen to stop flowing into the Captains lungs her wings spread above her as she tried to end his life, like an angel of death.
"Steve!" Within a second of her wrapping her hands around his throat she was thrown against the wall, she grunted as her wing flexed the wrong way on impact and stood up to face the new opponent. A man in a red and grey suite mechanical wings folding into his backpack. She charged her wings giving a powerful flap giving her extra speed propelling her towards the man and managed to make her metal fist connect with his face, but it was a weak hit as she was thrown to the side, the Captains shield thrown at her, it hits its mark and winded her as it hit where her wings joined with her body. She responded by spinning around and catching the Captain in the face with the meaty part of her large wings sending him into the opposite wall, satisfied that a small crater of impact was formed from him being thrown into the wall. She turned to face the other man and charged at him smashing her fist into his face knocking him out. She allowed a smirk to slip through. This one wasn't enhanced, he was a human easy to dispose of. She grabbed one of the guns from his suite and aimed it at him. She was about to pull the trigger when she heard the familiar voice.
"Stop!" It was him. The man that deserted Hydra years back, the one that escaped the torture of being the asset. She only remembered bits and pieces about him, he trained her she knew that but Hydra had done their job with making sure she had no memory from years previous.
She had no idea why she hesitated on pulling the trigger but she couldn't make her finger do it. It was like a disconnected signal even though it was her flesh hand on the trigger.
The man continued speaking to her. "This isn't who you are kid. You aren't the weapon they made you to be. You can stop this now and come with us. We can help you. Help you remember who you are. You don't have to hurt anyone anymore, you can live free, under no one's control."
Freedom. Such a foreign concept to her, all she knew was Hydra, all she knew was her handlers, her doctors, the tests, the examinations, the chair. Her confusion showed as her wings shifted and ruffled anxiously and the man stepped closer keeping his hands in her vision field knowing that she could strike at any moment when provoked.
"I know you're confused, you're scared, this place is all you remember, but I promise you there's a better life for you. I can help you find it, but you need to put that gun down. He's here to help you, to rescue you. He didn't want to hurt you but you were attacking Captain Rogers. Please, put the gun down and let me, let us, help you."
Her hazel eyes flicked from the man that deserted her years ago to the unconscious man on the ground in front of her. Was freedom that easy? Could she finally have a way out of this hell? The man talking to her, she remembered him. Even if he was also under Hydra's control he was always as nice as he could be to her. She couldn't think, everything was overwhelming her. The concept of a new life so different to the one she had. Free from the control? Free from the pain? Free from the torture? Free from everything?
Bucky slowly approached the woman. He couldn't remember if she ever told her his name when she was first taken by Hydra. His memories were still jumbled but he knew she was young when she was brought in. Taken from some trafficking ring promised freedom from that hell and to only be brought into a new one. Even if she didn't remember she most likely has a subconscious feeling telling her to not trust him and the promised freedom.
"I know you're confused" He spoke slowly and calmly, trying to get her to drop the gun from Wilson's face. "I know you're scared, this place is all you remember, but I promise you there's a better life for you. I can help you find it, but you need to put that gun down. He's here to help you, to rescue you. He didn't want to hurt you but you were attacking Captain Rogers." His eyes shifted over to Steve who was laying still against the wall conscious but smart to not make any movements to not scare the poor girl. "Please, put the gun down and let me, let us, help you." He eyed the girl, her eyes sifting as she was mostly likely trying to process what he had just said. She wasn't used to making decisions for herself. She didn't know what freedom from Hydra really meant. She was riddled with Stockholm syndrome and her mind jumbled because of the years of brainwashing a programming she endured because of Hydra's mission to make her a weapon.
She was shaking now, starting to panic, Bucky continued to approach her slowly seeing her eyes starting to water and she started to shake more. She was overstimulated, over thinking her entire situation. Her wings that he didn't remember her having flapped sharply giving away her anxiety. She was in a whole new environment given the choice to make a decision for herself and she didn't know how to handle it. He was just behind her when she lowered the gun and dropped it.
"Okay" Her voice was horse and weak. She most likely hadn't spoken in years, and wasn't used to speaking.
"You want to come with us?" He asked softly wanting to make sure and to let her know she was in control of the situation.
"Yes." He voice was still soft and weak, barely above a whisper.
"Okay. I have to cuff you though, there are other agents here and it's a safety precaution. they don't know how you'll react and they don't want anyone getting hurt, but I'll be with you the entire time to make sure you're okay. Understand?" She nodded and he felt horrible knowing this was the last thing he'd ever want if he was just being rescued. To be restrained again and seen as a monster. He cuffed her wrists together and started leading her out. Feeling she was tense and understanding why. "I'm going to help you. I promise you that but you've been through a lot and we want to make sure you don't hurt anyone or yourself if you become too overwhelmed." He spoke gently and smiled lightly when he felt her relax slightly.
Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Steve leading a now semi-conscious Wilson out. Knowing he was going to be milking this situation for all it's worth later he turned back to the situation at hand. He lead the women to the quinjet and sat down beside her in the passenger area while Steve laid Sam down on the opposite bench and went up to the cockpit. Natasha came up the ramp with Clint by her side. The two had taken out a majority of the Hydra agents while Steve, Sam, and Bucky dealt with calming the woman down.
"Why is she cuffed?" Barton questioned sitting on her opposite side. She eyed him warily tensing up pulling her wings in tight at a new person being so close to her and not being able to defend herself.
"Easy." Bucky said in the same gently calm tone he'd been using on her the entire time. "This is Agent Clint Barton. He's one of my friends and won't hurt you. She's Agent Natasha Romanoff, she will also not hurt you." He informed her and her eyes shifted to him. He looked at her in the bright quinjet lighting and saw the extent of her neglected care from Hydra, her hair was matted and knotted, dried blood remained in it from previous missions most likely same as the black feathers of her wings. She was in a form fitting tank top holes cut out for her wings and leggings that went to her mid calves. She was covered in scars and the scaring around where her metal arm met skin was similar to his, heavy and nasty. Her eyes were bloodshot and dark bags hung under them. She was fit but also looked underfed due to Hydra keeping her hydrated and nutrition up through IVs and not real food. Clint cleared his throat drawing Bucky's attention away from analyzing the woman's appearance.
"She's cuffed because we don't know how she'll react around others and that could lead to either her or others being injured" Bucky explained.
"Uncuff her Barnes. She's probably terrified and panicking at being in a new environment." Natasha said to him before turned to the woman. "I'm right aren't I Lily?" She perked up at that name being said her wings flaring out slightly like it sparked something in her memory.
"That's right." Natasha smiled gently. "I found your file, your name is Lily Ducasse and you're 27. I'll let you read it over later but I don't want to overwhelm you. Is it okay if I call you Lily or would you prefer a different name."
"No." She shook her head, her voice a little stronger than before. "You-you can call me that." She was hesitant but all of the agents on board could tell that she had gained confidence just by hearing her name for the first time in years.
She jumped, wings flicking in surprise when the jet fired up and looked ready to pounce. "Relax." Bucky said gently, putting his flesh hand on her shoulder knowing skin to skin contact would calm her better than metal to skin. "That's just the jet starting up to take us back to base where doctors will take a look at you to evaluate your physical and metal health. Nothing more than that." He assured her seeing her tense up at the mention of Doctors.
"Do you want anything to eat?" Clint asked, trying to calm Lily down with the aspect of food.
She bit her lip and confusion covered her face, not really knowing how to answer.
"How about this, it's a long flight back to base. We'll give you something to help you relax and sleep because there's no doubt you're probably freaking out at your whole situation. We'll wake you once we get back to base but you can rest for now." Natasha suggested.
Lily's face scrunched up in thought. "I'd like that." She finally answered.
"Okay" Natasha nodded and went to get a water bottle and drugs. "I put some melatonin in the water. It's a drug that makes you drowsy and helps you sleep, you should feel it affecting you within 5 minutes of finishing the bottle." She explained handing the bottle to Lily, knowing that the now ex-hydra agent would want to know everything that was happening to her. Lily nodded, took the bottle and started sipping it slowly. Clint got up and grabbed a pillow and blanket he had stashed on the jet for his own napping purposes but figured Lily would need it more than him right now.
"You can curl up here." He said setting up the pillow and blanket. "It's not much but it's warmer and comfier than just the bench. He felt bad for the poor girl. Only 27 and gone through so much hell.
"It's better than what I had with them." She responded, her voice sounding better now that she had drank some water but she was half way done the bottle and starting to feel tired. "Have at it. We'll wake you once we land." Clint said stepping out of the way and letting her curl up on the bench, her wings folding around her body and then covered by the blanket as she closed her eyes and slipped into a deep sleep.
I'm in love with this story so far. Can't wait to write more.
Reviews are always welcomed and appreciated