Days 1-2…
Alpha's limbs shook just as much as her unsteady heart. She had to work hard to keep her hands gripped firmly on the baseball bat. The Hydra agents that were assigned to guard her laid unconscious on the floor. Alpha's chest rose and fell heavily as her eyes scanned the room for any movement. The AI in her mind marked each person's brain activity and vitals for her to see. None of them were dead, much to Alpha's relief, but even better none of them were going to wake anytime soon.
Alpha was about to finally release the metal bat when something in the safe house creaked. Her eyes shot up to the sound and scanned through the walls to see what was moving. A singular, large figure skulked through the wreckage Alpha had left behind during the fight. The figure turned its head side to side, assessing her damage. With her heart in her throat, Alpha scurried over the bodies and behind the only door into her room. She steadied her still uneven breaths and held the bat at the ready for the intruder. Soon the door swung open slowly. A tall and dark haired figure slipped silently into the room. The man turned slightly to the left, away from Alpha. Alpha's throat caught. His left hand, which was mostly covered by a black fingerless glove, was bright silver and looked mechanical.
With lightning speed Alpha swung the bat onto the back of the man's head. At the last possible second he turned and caught her bat with his right hand, the human one. His dark eyes burrowed into Alpha's mismatched ones with no emotion. He wrenched the bat from her hands and threw it across the room. Alpha stepped backwards to create some distance, not like that would do much good. All of her nightmares were coming together and stalked towards her menacingly. Alpha tripped and fell hard with her hands thrown behind her. There was a loud crack and Alpha grimaced. She scuttled herself further into the corner holding her broken wrist to her chest. The Winter Soldier blinked once in surprise at her movements.
Alpha held up her good hand to defend herself when she pressed as far as she could into the corner.
"Please," She gasped. "Please don't hurt me." She pleaded. The Winter Soldier hovered dauntingly over Alpha. Alpha's eyes scanned his body quickly to find his weak points. They were marked by faint blue circles in her vision. The AI in her brain sent the best possible strategies to escape within seconds. Alpha just had to choose one then hope for the best. The Winter Soldier got within arm's reach of Alpha. He began to kneel down and reach towards her. Alpha focused all of her strength into her right leg. She firmly kicked him in the crotch and sent him flying onto his back.
Alpha took that chance to bolt for the door. She closed the door to her room and knew it wouldn't do much good, but she did it anyway. She was almost to the front door when her bedroom door splintered apart. She was halfway across the yard and to the woods when he burst through the front door after her. She didn't know why he was there but she knew whenever he was around it didn't mean anything good.
She was almost to the woods when something hit her squarely in the back and sent her into the dirt. After the initial impact she couldn't breathe she was hit so hard. A firm and familiar hand grabbed onto her bicep and lifted her onto her feet. The Winter Soldier held her up so high she was barely on her tiptoes. Her arm burned from his grip. Alpha took her free arm, thankfully the one with the good wrist, and began pounding it onto his chest. But, she was very weak from that last blow and couldn't do much. She was about nose to nose with him and about couldn't breathe. He had broken a few of her vertebra and she couldn't hold her torso up without worsening the intense pain in her back.
"Please…" She whimpered. Alpha blinked her eyes a few times to get rid of the black dots in them. The Winter Soldier pulled her even closer and shook her in the process. Alpha closed her eyes as her back gave out a scream of new pain. She could feel some of the broken plates piercing into her skin and blood pooling on the back of her shirt.
"I… need… your… help." The Winter Soldier whispered. Alpha opened her eyes a sliver.
"W-what?" Alpha's voice was near inaudible and a very high pitch. The Winter Soldier shook his head slightly before returning his dark gaze onto Alpha's face.
"I need you." He repeated his request. Alpha's lips trembled as her shaking fingers locked into a fist on his chest. That was when she noticed he wasn't wearing his normal uniform. He wore a thick sweatshirt with normal looking pants and shoes.
"This is a terrible way to ask for help." Alpha squeaked. He shook her again. Alpha bit her lip to absorb the pain.
"I'm not asking. You are going to help me." He growled. Then he added more to himself than to Alpha, "You are the only one I remember that can." She furrowed her brow.
"What makes you think I'm going to help you? I'll be damned if I help anyone from Hydra ever again." Alpha spat back. The Winter Soldier dropped Alpha, who curled up on her side holding onto her injured wrist. She couldn't very well attend her back on her own.
"Get up. We're taking the car out in front." He ordered. Alpha whimpered quietly.
"And how do you propose I do that?!" She cried. "You broke some of my vertebra and I can't move." He turned back with no emotion on his face. Alpha cowered and turned so her front was more towards the ground than to him. Suddenly he knelt down and turned Alpha onto her stomach. He tore apart the back of her bloodied shirt and began examining her wounds. The fingers of his metal hand lightly traced her broken metal vertebra. Alpha's back tensed and she tried to pull away from his reach. He rolled her back over then suddenly snapped the metal pieces that were imbedded where they weren't supposed to be back into place. Alpha screamed. There were a few whirrs and clicks as Alpha's cyborg spine mended itself. The skin around it continued to bleed. The Winter Soldier tore off his sweatshirt and wrapped it around Alpha's middle, where she was still bleeding. He rolled her up into his arms and quickly carried her into the ransacked house.
The Winter Soldier settled Alpha onto a couch that was relatively intact then scoured the house for medical supplies. Alpha's eyes streamed as the mechanical parts to her body finished healing but for frightening, unknown reasons the rest of her wasn't. She clutched her broken wrist and bit her bottom lip hard, waiting, begging, for the pain to stop. Soon the Winter Soldier was back with supplies. He removed is bloodied sweatshirt from Alpha's middle. He cleaned then patched up the torn parts of her back. Once finished with that he rolled her onto her side. He pulled her broken wrist away from her chest and began to wrap it up. Alpha watched with fear and surprise as the thing she feared most since Hydra kidnapped her three years ago knelt there attending her wounds. Just a few months before he was causing those types of wounds with no remorse. Something big had changed. The Hydra agents that watched over her and kept her captive did mention something about needing to regroup with sects of Hydra that had survived but right after they said that Alpha began beating them up with the baseball bat.
Alpha swallowed.
"Why are you helping me?" She dared to ask. He didn't respond or even make eye contact with her. Soon Alpha was completely patched and wrapped up. The Winter Soldier suddenly scooped her up and carried her swiftly out to the car he was talking about. He placed her in the back so she could lie down then slammed into the front. He drove for many miles at very illegal speeds but soon, much to Alpha's astonishment, slowed down into the speed limit and relaxed his shoulders. Alpha tried to relax but fear still made her heart pound. She couldn't believe what was happening. At one moment she thought she could actually be free of Hydra and SHIELD for a good long while but then along came the Winter Soldier and her whole world was tossed into chaos once again.
Alpha watched the Winter Soldier for what must have been hours before her eyes drooped. She didn't even notice falling asleep. She had been through so many stresses in one day her body needed to recharge, desperately.
When she awoke she wasn't in the car anymore. She was laying on a bed in a plain room. She sat up and quickly scanned the room. Her eyes and AI concluded she was in a little motel in Indiana and it was near 2 am. So, she was in the same state but must have been very far away from the safe house. It wasn't a motel she recognized so they most likely didn't have any ways to secretly signal Clint or Natasha. Heck, Alpha would call up Nick Fury or Captain America if she could get them to believe her and get her out quickly.
Alpha reached for the remote on the night stand and turned on the small TV across the room. It immediately appeared at the local news. The weather was what came up first. She was located on the edge of Indiana working towards the south east. Next appeared a piece about some activity in D.C. from a few weeks ago but was still highlight of the news. Alpha's eyes widened. SHIELD had fallen due to an infestation by Hydra for decades which resulted in the destruction of both. Images of helicarriers smoking and falling out of the sky into buildings and each other burned into Alpha's retinas. Next the reported mentioned how Captain America was badly injured but was going to recover. There were no signs of Fury or anyone else who was well known from SHIELD. Alpha's heart thudded in her chest. She had to somehow contact Natasha or Clint. She needed to know if they survived. They were the only people Alpha considered anything close to family. She needed to know.
Alpha turned off the TV and headed for the window. She pulled and tugged but it wouldn't give. She didn't want to break it but she guessed that was the best way out. She hurried for the door and was about to lock it when it swung open. Alpha took a few shocked steps back. And that was the reason she was going to lock the door before trying to break the window. She wanted to detain him a bit if she couldn't break the window quickly.
The Winter Soldier glowered down at her as he strode into the room. He shut the door abnormally quietly behind him. He was wearing a new sweatshirt to hide his mechanical arm and a baseball cap to cast a deep shadow over his face. Alpha knit her brows together as her eyes settled on some bags in his arms. He lifted the bags slightly with the one arm that was holding them.
"Food and some new clothes for you. I got a few things in hopes to find something that fits you." He grunted simply. Alpha pursed her lips slightly and rubbed the edges of the medical patches on her back.
"I don't eat food." Alpha said tersely. The Winter Soldier placed the bags onto the second bed then pulled out an electrical cord.
"I noticed something that looked like USB port on the back of your neck. This cord has a USB port on each end but I got another piece to go with it to make it plug into the wall. You'll be able to charge while you sleep. You'll need it to heal to do what I need you to." Alpha eyed him suspiciously.
"So is the food for you? I thought you didn't need to eat." Alpha commented. She was met only with a fierce stare from him. The Winter Soldier continued to unpack all that he had gotten. Soon he pulled out a small pile of seemingly never ending cloth.
"Where did you get all that?" Alpha asked urgently.
"Doesn't matter." The Winter Soldier replied plainly. At the very end he pulled out a simple backpack. He began to pile the medical supplies and food into the backpack. He then tossed some clothes over to Alpha.
"Try those on." Alpha examined the clothes closely. She noticed the tags were still on them. Alpha curled her lips inward. Everything must have been stolen. She looked up when she realized the Winter Soldier was staring at her. He nodded towards the bathroom. Reluctantly Alpha went to the bathroom and tried on some of the clothes. She tore off all the tags. There was no point in trying to return any of them. Alpha would never get a chance to. The clothes mostly consisted of jeans, t-shirts, and a few jackets. Alpha took off the shirt that was in tatters and removed her bloodied and dirt covered pants. She exchanged them for a clean t-shirt and jeans. Surprisingly everything fit, for the most part.
Alpha exited the bathroom and placed the extra clothes on the bed next to the backpack. The Winter Soldier stuffed them into the backpack roughly. Alpha then noticed there were some medical supplies left out. Next to those was the cord he had talked about. Alpha skirted around the Winter Soldier to the other bed. She eyed him out of fear. He looked so different with civilian clothes and his hair pulled back under a hat. Alpha could actually see his face. If he wasn't so terrifying Alpha would have found him a bit attractive but she tried to not let those things cloud her mind. She needed to stay focused. If any chances were to come up for her to escape she would need to be ready to take them.
Alpha sat on the edge of her bed in awkward silence as the Winter Soldier ate some food and scribbled in a worn notebook. Alpha watched him eat with narrowed eyes and would evert her eyes every time he would glance over. She didn't want to make eye contact with the man that had haunted her nightmares and tortured her for years. It made her very uncomfortable. He finished his food rather quickly then began writing more quickly with the use of his other hand holding the notebook steady on his knees.
"Why do you need me?" Alpha asked with as much strength she could muster. Facing the Winter Soldier was something she wasn't excited to do but she knew she was going to have to in order to survive. He didn't answer. He reached behind him and grabbed the medical supplies he had left out.
"Lie on your stomach. It's time to change your bandages." He growled. Alpha sat with her arms crossed protectively against her chest.
"Answer my question first then I'll cooperate." She demanded. He blinked a few times, standing within reach of Alpha; much too close for her taste. The Winter Soldier shrugged his broad shoulders then sat opposite Alpha.
"I need you to help me find information on someone." Alpha shifted her legs.
"Who?" She asked slowly transitioning away from fear and into curiosity. The Winter Soldier's eyes darted around the floor for a few seconds before grabbing a hold to hers again.
"James Buchanan Barnes." Alpha searched back into her memory banks. She had heard that name before.
"You mean Bucky Barnes? Steve Rodger's best friend from WWII?" Alpha asked. She remembered an image of a document her AI had dug up from some Hydra files while she was sleeping. "I thought he was killed in action." The Winter Soldier's arms tensed and he began to squeeze the medical supplies in his hands.
"I… can't remember." He said sharply between clenched teeth. Alpha began to sit further back on her bed. He looked as though he was going to explode. His head snapped up and made Alpha jump.
"That's why I need you. You're tech and knowledge can find more about him… about me." Alpha's jaw dropped. When Alpha first saw him with his hair pulled back she thought she recognized his face from somewhere other than her dark past. His face matched the mental image her AI saved of Bucky Barnes.
"Why me? There are people more qualified and have more knowledge than me out there." Alpha said loosening her arms a little.
"You're the only one I can remember exclusively. Whenever I tried to remember back for anyone else I could ask help from, your face was the only one that came up. That is why I came to get you to help me." Alpha's eyes widened.
"Is that all you remember of me?" Her voice cracked slightly at the end of her sentence. He tilted his head to the side.
"I vaguely remember your abilities with technology and all Hydra had you do. Why, is there more?" Alpha had to clench her fists to keep from screaming.
"That's all you remember, typical. Hydra probably wiped your memory every time you began to remember your past. I guess that excuses you. A little." Alpha swallowed down oncoming tears of rage. She stood abruptly.
"I'm not going to help you." She said tersely. "And you can't make me. Hydra has fallen so you have no masters to take me to anymore." Alpha stormed for the door. The Winter Soldier grabbed onto her wrist and pulled her back.
"I didn't want to use violent force to get you to help me initially but I'm going to now." He growled. He stood with his hand still gripping onto Alpha's wrist. "Now get onto the bed so I can change your bandages. I need you to remain as healthy as possible or else you'll be near useless to me." He added pointing to the bed. Alpha wrinkled her nose. But, after a short stare down with the Winter Soldier's dark eyes, Alpha turned to her bed. He only let go when she showed that was where she was going. Alpha pursed her lips as she pulled up her shirt to reveal the part of her back that was patched up. She settled on her stomach with her arms under her chin. The Winter Soldier sat next to her, sinking the edge of the bed.
He tore off the patches, making Alpha grimace but at least she was grimacing into the bed and he couldn't see. Next he cleaned out her injuries which burned. Every time the metal from his prosthetic arm would touch Alpha's skin she would tense up. There were scars on her back she knew he could see but most likely didn't know were caused by him. There he was fixing up her injuries not even realizing he was working alongside other wounds he had caused. It made Alpha's insides churn, whatever was still in there. She wanted to keep hating him but he was a tool just like her so she sympathized with him.
Quite the predicament.
Thankfully the process didn't take too long because Alpha was falling asleep. There was nothing comforting about what was going on yet she was so tired and needed desperately to recharge. The symptoms one feels when they haven't eaten or drunk water or slept for a long time were the same ones Alpha felt when she needed to recharge. So imagine all of those feelings but suddenly and all at once. That was how Alpha was feeling right at that moment and why she began to feel sleepy. The Winter Soldier didn't linger by Alpha's side once finished with his work. He put away any leftover supplies in the backpack and gave Alpha time to sit up. She gladly put her shirt back in its proper place and with a bit of a huff. That motion reminded her of Natasha's attitude and Alpha's heart tugged painfully with worry.
"How long are you going to keep me to help you?" Alpha asked quietly. The Winter Soldier didn't turn to face her when he answered.
"However long it takes." He replied in a monotonous tone as he pulled out a hand gun. Alpha lightly licked her lips.
"May I have the charger?" Alpha asked timidly after an extremely long silence of her sitting and watching him clean and take apart his gun.
"If you're that tired just go to bed. You slept in the car. Why do you need it now?" He asked in reply.
"I can't fully recharge without a power source helping. Because I can't eat the only way to properly restore energy is to get it from somewhere else." Alpha explained, agitated. She was beginning to feel dizzy and like the room was spinning around her. The Winter Soldier glanced up and must have seen how badly she felt on her face. He got up and plugged it into the wall behind the nightstand. Alpha scuttled her way to the pillows at the speed of a sloth. That time she wasn't doing it on purpose. It was as though her body was going to just completely shut down if she didn't get power soon.
Alpha took the other end from the Winter Soldier and got onto her side before he could say anything. She tried to get as comfy as was possible in her situation then slid the charger into the back of her neck. Her eyes rolled slightly into the back of her head as her lids closed.
The Winter Soldier watched, partially amazed, a she fell immediately into a deep sleep. The fact that she could put herself to sleep with the charger made his life feel a bit easier, for once. He knew he needed her and was going to anything to keep her with him. He wasn't going to harm her but he wouldn't let her leave whenever she felt like it. He wasn't sure why she stuck out so much in his mind but that didn't matter at the moment. He returned his attention to his gun and finished cleaning it.