June 6, 1954, Moskow, Soviet Union
Taryn, still smiling, paused at the door to the penthouse. Bucky laughingly called after her.
"Make sure you don't get yourself killed." he joked.
They had been holed up in Moskow for close to a year now. They both knew their chances of defecting from the Soviet Union undetected were slim, so had been biding their time, planning each careful step of their plans slowly and deliberately. The Winter Soldier, not to mention the Spectre, was such a high-profile character, especially now that the KGB were aware of him, that the pair were paranoidly cautious, never meeting a contact in the same place, never using an apartment for more than a month, avoiding being seen together as often as possible. Taryn just hoped that when they got back to SHIELD, Peggy would make her an endless level agent.
Make sure you don't get killed. It was a semi-serious joke between the two. She turned back to face him, her quirked smile on her face.
"I will. Just promise to remember me when I get back."
"Deal." Bucky chuckled, turning back and disappearing into his half of the apartment.
Taryn gave a low laugh, then stepped outside. She, carefully casual, locked the front door behind her, and set of. It was the last day of their long wait. She was going to visit a longtime friend of hers to procure two seats in the baggage area of a diplomatic plane bound for London. Not that the delay had been all bad.
It had started last winter, when she came across a feverish, starving man with a metal arm in an abandoned warehouse during her mission in Moskow, where they had been forced to hide until her pursuers left the city. During that time, of course she tended to him, using her mind's unique abilities to heal his bodily ailments. In his most lucid moments, he would ramble about New York, a war, and a shrimpy friend named Steve Rogers. But there were darker times in that month, where he would rave about trains, snow, and an unstoppable force, whose greatest weapon was he. All-in-all, by the end of that seclusion, Taryn had decided to help him defect, despite his now healthy refusals of assistance. Contact with SHIELD had been unfortunately cut off, but Taryn was fairly confident in her many resources to get them out.
And her efforts seemed to be paying off. Fake ID, passports, and visas had been obtained, so the last puzzle piece, transportation, was ready to fall into place.
Taryn swiftly ducked into the alleyway, and hurried down the narrow passage to the back entrance of an unobtrusive establishment. She knocked the rusted knocker once, softly, and waited. The door creaked softly open, but only revealed darkness. Taryn tensed, frowning.
The door suddenly flung wide open, men in uniforms pouring out, and Taryn's world went black.
When she came to herself, her first sensation was that of an awful headache.
"Come on, Taryn. Wake up. Please wake up."
Taryn furrowed her brow. The voice was Bucky's, as were the hands, one metal, one gloved, that cradled her face.
"Please, Taryn."
He sounded worried. Was he worried about her? She decided to let him know she was alright. But all that came out of her mouth was a groan.
Bucky gave an audible sigh of relief, shakily puling her into an embrace. Taryn froze at this unucustomed touch, then relaxed.
"Oh, Taryn. Oh, Taryn." There were traces of unshed tears in his voice. Taryn blinked a few times, her vision clearing. Bucky held her at arms length, his face sheepish, then exasperated.
"You little psikh!" he said, almost gently shaking her, but deciding against it. "You promised me you wouldn't get killed."
Taryn slowly, with Bucky's help, sat up.
"Well, I'm not." she quipped. Her headache was steadily wearing away, and she glanced about her. "Where are we?"
"In the back of a truck." Bucky explained, the vehicle itself suddenly rumbling over something, causing them to bounce a few inches into the air. Bucky grimaced, then sobered. "But you're avoiding the point. don't ever do that again. When they dragged you through the door yesterday-" He set his lips, and ran a hand through his hair.
Taryn paled. "You mean you were captured because I-" her eyes filled with tears. "My fault." she whispered, backing away from him.
Bucky moved over to her, and halted her retreat, draping his metal arm over her shoulders.
"Hey." he said, wiping her cheeks with his right hand. "It's not your fault. I chose this. They would have killed you. Right in front of me." He rested his chin on her head, holding her closer. "I couldn't let that happen. Not now, not ever."
Taryn drew a shuddering breath, clasping her hands in her lap. Bucky covered them with his gloved hand.
Taryn suddenly shook her head. "What am I thinking?" She surveyed her darkened surroundings. "Let me just break the door down."
"Woahuh, slow down." said Bucky. He clanked a metal finger on a metal collar around her neck. Taryn started, felling its weight for the first time.
"Don't even think about using your mind to break us out of here. This thing," he tapped the collar again, "would kill you before you could disintegrate a single bolt."
Taryn fell back into his arms, a wave of despair threatening to overwhelm her. Bucky clasped her hands tighter.
"We'll make it out of here, it will be alright." His words, though hopeful, did nothing to asuage the pain of the inevitable. They sat in weary silence.
"Is it KGB or Hydra?" She queried at last.
"KGB." He said definitely. "If it was Hydra, we'd both be monsters by now."
The awful, shaking dread of his voice drove her to grasp his gloved hand in both of her cold hands. He rested his head on hers.
The back of the truck slid forcibly open. Bucky and Taryn shielded their eyes from the blinding light. A silhouette stepped into their shrinking view, then climbed into the truck.
"Before you resist, Sergeant Barnes," The man's thick Russian voice said. "Please remember that any violence on your part will result in this girl's death." he gestured to Taryn, who fingered the collar around her neck, and bit her lip.
Standing, Bucky nodded grimly, offering a hand to Taryn, who gritted her teeth and taking it, stood.
"Please follow me." The Russian turned, and stepped outside.
Bucky tightened his grip on Taryn's small hand, helping her exit the vehicle. They turned to face a group of a dozen suited men standing in the snow, half of whom had the red and black symbol of Hydra, the other six an odd "a"-like symbol.
Bucky stiffened, and dropped Taryn's nerveless hand. The six men of Hydra looked him over approvingly. Their leader turned to the Russian.
"And he will come willingly?"
Bucky's eyes darkened, his fists clenched. "I will not go back. Not to you." He snarled, eyes glittering dangerously. The twelve men backpedalled hastily; the Russian, however, calmly took a small object out of his pocket, and pressed a button.
Taryn, shivering somewhat in the cold, suddenly felt an overwhelming electric shock course through her body, emitting from the collar at her neck. She clenched her jaw, stifling her cry of pain, but could not stop her body from tremoring, nor her face from drastically paling.
Bucky turned to her, aghast.
"Taryn." he whispered. He caught her, held her upright as she wavered.
Taryn struggled to focus. "Don't go." she managed at last, in a deathly whisper. "Don't let them take you."
Bucky's face set. "I can't. They'll kill you."
Taryn shook her head. "Doesn't matter-" but her voice was cut off by a strangled scream, as another shock of burning energy coursed through her. Her head slumped against his chest, her breathing shallow.
Bucky wildly cast his eye to the Russian, whose finger hovered over the button, ready to deliver the final blow.
"Stop!" he cried, heartbroken. He locked eyes with the Russian. "If I go willingly, will you free her?"
The Russian smiled. "Of course."
Bucky contemptuously held his gaze. "I'll go. Just let me say goodbye, privately."
The Russian nodded, still smiling. "Of course. Just remember," his voice turned sinister. "If you make one move to the collar-" he unobtrusively brandished the device.
Bucky nodded absently, barely noticing when the group bustled away to conclude a price for his capture.
"Taryn?" he gently tapped her cheek. He sank to the ground, where they both knelt. She gazed up at him, remorse in her eyes.
"They won't keep their promise." she murmured urgently. "They're lying." Her eyes threatened to spill over with tears.
"Hey, hey." Bucky soothed, smoothing her hair gently back. "I know that already. Just make sure you don't get killed, okay?" His eyes filled.
Taryn nodded brokenly. "Just promise to remember me." Tears welled onto her cheeks.
Bucky nodded, but Taryn clutched his hand. "Promise." her voice was terrifyingly urgent.
"Promise you will always remember me."
A fire burning in his gaze, Bucky looked deeply into her eyes. "I promise." he said passionately. "No matter hat they do to me, no matter who I am, I will always remember you." He drew her close, crushed her to him. Tenderly, he kissed her forehead. "Taryn, look at me." he pleaded gently.
The men were crowding back now, surrounding them. Taryn met Bucky's passionate gaze with her own. The men tore them apart, pulled him away from her, bur their gaze remained locked.
Always.
They pushed him into the auto, his head disappearing from view.
Taryn wept.
The Russian turned to the six remaining men, as the Hydra's automobile drove away. He gestured to the girl kneeling on the ground.
"Does Aperature agree to my terms?" he sneered. "Technopaths are not simple to come by."
The head man nodded, reaching into his pocket. Removing a wad of American dollars, he handed them over. Two of his men, gingerly bending over, picked up the prostrate girl and bore her to their vehicle.