part two
. . .
. . .
"Do you understand, Winter Soldier?" Dr. Whitehall asked the former American soldier who'd just been freshly wiped of everything but the title they gave him, and a few of his past missions.
The Doctor spent all morning debriefing him for a new mission.
He wanted him to put someone down- they always wanted him to put someone down. He was their weapon, their Winter Soldier, and all he needed to do was follow his orders.
So when Whitehall handed him the gun, and led the Winter Soldier to the holding room where the hostage was at, the Soldier was surprised when he found himself frozen in his spot instead of shooting the target on sight, like he'd been ordered.
A young woman sat huddled on the floor. She was clutching an injured hand, and she jumped in fright when she heard him kick the door down.
The Winter Soldier examined her with careful eyes, his gun pointed at her head, finger frozen on the trigger.
The woman stayed on the floor, staring at the Soldier with shocked, betrayed, brilliant green eyes. She clenched her heart with her left hand, eying the gun that was pointed at her with a fearful expression on her face.
"Oh? Helll-lo there." She spoke sharply in a worried tone as she tried to scoot even closer against the wall. Her entire posture was on the defense, she was afraid of him, and he couldn't blame her.
She looked weak, fragile with all of her injuries and those teary, frightened green eyes. For a moment, Bucky was frightened for her, because he couldn't remember a damn thing about himself, but he knows he's done some very bad things in his lifetime.
Some god damned, awful things, missions that Whitehall didn't feel the need to erase from his memory.
But even with all of the hours spent brainwashing, or the months he spent on ice, it still wasn't enough to get him to hurt her.
The Winter Soldier furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, lowering his gun as he stepped into the room. Darcy's eyes widened, unsure of what was going on, but the fact that he lowered his gun was a good sign, right?
He seemed different from when she first met him, only a few hours ago.
(How long have they kept her here, anyway?)
Still, for some reason, it appeared that no matter the circumstance, he still didn't want to hurt her. Which was completely A-O-K with Darcy, just as long as he kept his gun pointed at the floor, thank you very much. Does he ever turn the safety on that thing?
"Who are you?" Soldier asked her, his voice gruff with- was that pain? Or confusion?
It sounded like pure anger to Darcy, and she was left feeling just as confused as he must of felt.
Didn't they just have this conversation the first time he barged into her cell? Was this some kind of joke?
"Wh- huh?" She stumbled over her words, voice raspy from the lack of water.
Darcy watched as a Hydra soldier cursed and rushed into the room to retrieve her.
She let out a startled shout when the Winter Soldier suddenly lifted his pistol and shot the Hydra guard who'd roughly grabbed her arm, killing him instantly as the body collapsed to the floor.
Darcy couldn't tear her eyes away as the man was shot down right next to her, and she snapped her head back up towards Soldier, her face filled with anxiety.
Bucky lowered his gun, realizing he was frightening the beautiful young woman, and that was the last thing he wanted.
And it's been so long since he's wanted something for himself.
He took another step towards her, and Darcy pressed her back against the wall, shaking her head at him warningly, wanting him to please please please just stay over there.
Bucky opened his mouth to ask for her name once again, but the two were interrupted by the sounds of footsteps and loud voices through the halls.
Darcy clenched her eyes shut and silently cursed to herself again, because this was freaking insane, and now there was two dead bodies in the room-
The guards charged into the cell, two of them restraining the Winter Soldier while another two grabbed Darcy from behind, dragging her towards the door.
She watched with wide eyes as they tried to hold Soldier down- what was wrong with him? Why wasn't he fighting back?
Why didn't he remember her?
Was he, or wasn't he on her side?
"Soldier!" Darcy cried out, trying her best to look over her shoulder at him through the mess of her wild hair, and the Hydra souldier who was currently carrying her out.
She tried to tug her arm out of the guards grip, elbowing him in the chest. "Hey, let me go asshat!" Darcy snapped at the guard, before trying to get Bucky's attention once again.
"Soldier! What are you doing?! Don't let them control you!" She sounded angry at him, and it only served to confused James some more.
He didn't know this woman, he would remember meeting someone as beautiful and lively as her.
Why couldn't he remember her?
Darcy was resisting the guards with all her might now, one of them bear-hugging her from behind and lifting her off of her feet. Darcy kicked around in the air wildly, still trying to get the Soldier's attention.
"Are you listening?! You made me a promise!"
Suddenly, she was gasping in pain as the guard tugged her out of the room, hurting her broken hand,
"W-wait- ouch! Ow- hey, put me down! Put me down!"
Bucky threw the guard who'd been restraining him against the wall once he heard the girl whimpering in pain. The guard groaned, cursing in Russian when he hit the ground, and he pulled out some kind of walkie talkie, speaking in a language Darcy could not understand.
"The Winter Soldier has been compromised. I repeat, Dr. Whitehall, the Winter Soldier has been compromised."
Bucky took two long strides over to the resisting brunette, who was still trying her very best to break out of the guards grip.
He helped her with ease, pistol whipping the guard who'd been holding her in his face, and punching the man away from her with his metal arm.
Darcy yelped in fright, taking a few stumbling steps away from Soldier when he turned around to take care of the next guard who'd come charging at her.
She watched as Bucky flipped the Hydra soldier over his shoulder before pulling out his pistol and delivering two quick shots to his head.
Okay, did it even matter if he was on her side, anymore?
Darcy felt like she was going to piss her pants, he was leaving a trail of bodies behind like it was the most natural thing in the world, and Darcy understood the fact that these were not good men. Really, she got that. At least, she'll keep repeating it to herself until it sinks in, but even then there was no way she could be comfortable watching this soldier kill so effortlessly, so emotionless, and just for her?
Who was this guy? And was she really, really going to be safe with him?
While Darcy was considering her options, Bucky was suddenly hefting her off the ground and over his shoulder, taking off quickly down the hall while there was a short lapse in gunshots.
She gripped handfuls of the Soldier's leather straps, at least this time he was wearing clothes. That made things slightly less traumatic for her.
"My name's Darcy Lewis." She shouted in his ear, trying her best to be heard over the sound of the Russian's shouting orders as they tried to catch the Winter Soldier.
"You told me you'd help me. Do you remember that?"
He was running down the hall, stopping at times to kick the guards who got in their way, but Bucky's grip around Darcy remained secure as he avoided as many soldiers as he could. She buried her head into his shoulder when she heard another spray of bullets- they were shooting at them now.
"I believe you." Bucky said, not quite answering her question. He spoke in a calm, authoritative voice, and the former intern shot her green eyes up to examine the Winter Soldier's face, taking in the stubble dark hairs on his chin, and his shaggy, disheveled hair. His eyes were sad, and blue, so blue.
Darcy had no explanation as to why this man was protecting her.
"Why are you doing this?" She asked Bucky in a gentle voice when he set her down once they rounded the corner of an abandoned hallway.
James was listening to the woman as he released the mag on his handgun, reloading the weapon before snapping the clip shut. He didn't even need to think about his answer.
"You don't belong here."
"Do you?" Darcy asked him, her voice small but tense, testing him.
This time, the Winter Soldier slid his blue hues over to examine the woman's face, taking a moment to answer.
Whatever he was, whoever he was before he had his memory wipe- it didn't matter now. All he knew was Hydra. He knew he had to follow orders.
"...I do now." Bucky answered her honestly.
He also knew he couldn't shoot the hostage down, either.
Now, he knew he had to get her out of here. He'll deal with the consequences later.
Darcy's gaze shot to the tiled floor, her body tensing as she listened to the Soldier's response.
He was with Hydra.
What did this mean? To be honest, he didn't seem to know what he was talking about. He forgot who she was after a single night, for crying out loud. There had to be more to this man than just Hydra. He was saving her life, for Christs sake.
Bucky peaked around the corner to make sure no guards were heading their way yet.
"We've got to keep moving," Soldier commanded to the smaller girl after a short, silent pause.
He turned around to start leading the way down the hall, and Darcy abruptly pulled him back so he could round the corner back towards her, and Bucky stumbled from her sudden gesture.
She was looking up at him with bright, determined, glistening green eyes that reminded him of grass by the lake, and it threw Bucky off guard.
She grabbed a fistful of his tactical uniform, declaring in a proud voice, "Come with me!"
"Wh- what?" Barnes furrowed his eyebrows, confused by the girls sudden invitation. She didn't seemed fazed by his obvious hesitation, and pushed on.
"Yeah! Come with me! When we first met- I don't know if you remember this-" She was stumbling over her words, confused by the situation but willing to work with it, "But you, you helped me because you heard that scumbag torturing me. I don't think you belong here either! If you come with me, we can find out who you really are-"
Bucky's eyes were trained on her lips as she spoke to him. He was listening to her, yes, but he wasn't paying attention to a thing she said.
She was beautiful, offering to help him so innocently, but she was also foolish, speaking about saving him when she couldn't even save herself.
He placed his metal arm on her shoulder, pushing her down when when he heard the sounds of footsteps coming down the hall. The Winter Soldier immediately jumped around the corner, guns a'blazin' as he shot down the guards instantly.
Darcy hit the floor and covered her ears, and when Bucky popped back around the corner, he knelt onto the ground so he could be face to face with the scared young woman.
Her eyes were watery, and she looked up to meet his gaze, the Soldier's face just a few inches away from her own.
James tucked her stray brown strands of hair out of her face, speaking in a gentle but urgent tone.
"This is our only window, so we've got to make this work. I can take you to the train station, and make sure you are not followed as you leave. But the rest would be up to you, krasavista."
Despite his attempt at a calming tone, Darcy could still feel fear spike through her at the thought of separating.
"Then what are you going to do? Just go back to them?! I don't think you want to be here any more than I do. Come with me and-"
"C'mon." Bucky scooped the brunette up into his arms, since she was taking too long to move, and their window of opportunity was closing.
He would set the myshka free, make sure none of the Hydra men followed her as she escaped, and then he would turn himself back in.
The Winter Soldier was not foolish enough to believe he could escape, he didn't even know where he would go if he did.
He knew Hydra would come after him, and that would ruin sweet little Darcy's escape. The least he could do was get her to the station and make sure she had a safe head start.
He finally made it to the entrance of the Hydra bunker, kicking the doors to their sweet freedom open.
Darcy was surprised when the doors to their sweet, sweet freedom revealed to be a raging blizzard, with only miles and miles of endless snow.
"Where are we?" Darcy shouted over the loud, chilling winds.
Bucky adjusted the brunette in his arms, keeping mindful of her injury.
"South of Ossetia." He told her gruffly, securing her in his warm grip. "Come on. We should be able to make it to the station before the sun rises."
Darcy shivered from the icy winds, and she buried her head into his chest, her eyes clenched shut. "That's only if we don't freeze to death in the next five minutes.."
He didn't response, silently eying the shivering brunette against his chest. She was exaggerating of course, but she did have a point. He couldn't take her to the station in this weather, when she was wearing just a T-Shirt, jeans, and boots.
He knew there was a tool shed down the hill, but that meant more Hydra guards to deal with. It also meant more weapons, and Bucky was running low.
If the Winter Soldier could secure the tool shed, which also held an armory inside, then saving the myshka would prove easier than he first believed.
He didn't need to weight his options for much longer. James tucked Darcy tighter against his chest before crunching through the snow.
It took fifteen minutes of wading through the blizzard until they finally reached the armory. Darcy's lips were blue, and she'd long since stopped complaining, much to Bucky's dismay.
Despite the fact that he ignored a majority of the things that came out of her mouth, that didn't mean he wanted her to stop talking. She was still conscious at least, he could tell by the way her fingers occasionally twitched against his leather straps, and she muttered something under her breath about a bed.
Bucky sat her down in the snow, a few feet away from the armory, and safely out of sight from the guards who were surrounding the building.
"Don't fall asleep, Darcy." The Soldier ordered the petite brunette as he propped her against a tree, making sure her hair was covering her ears enough to keep her warm.
Her eyes fluttered open gently, and she slowly tilted her head to the side drowsily. "I can't feel my hands."
"We'll be out of the cold soon," He tried to comfort her, bringing his flesh hand up to gently cup her freezing cheeks. Darcy tilted her head into his palm, seeking the warmth that he's been keeping to himself- that traitor! And she let out a relaxed sigh.
"..think I'm freezing to death," She mumbled sleepily, unable to form a coherent sentence.
Bucky almost had a small smile on his face now- she was cold, but he knew for a fact she'd be alright.
"You're not going to die," He reassured her gently, almost amused by her inability to adapt.
Darcy let out a hoarse whine when she heard his somewhat catty response.
"..Feels like I am," She groaned out between chattering teeth. It was official, Darcy absolutely hated the snow.
The Soldier let out a breath of air, the hot breath frosting immediately against the chilled winds. Darcy could tell that Soldier set her down somewhere, but she was too delusional to think of a reason why. Bucky watched as the brunette slipped in and our of consciousness.
Darcy held her hand protectively against her chest as she murmured sleepily, "The Winter Soldier.. it makes sense now."
The Soldier watched as she finally slipped unconscious. He'd feel better if she stayed awake, but he wouldn't take too long. Bucky pressed metal fingers to her temple, her skin cold as ice against the prosthetic hand. He leaned forward to whisper to her gently,
"I'll come back for you."
Before standing up on his feet, grasping his guns.
Darcy was unconscious, not catching the Winter Soldier's gentle promise to her as he left her there in the snow, gun in his hands as he headed towards the heavily guarded shed.
Darcy didn't remember passing out.
When she woke up, she was tucked safely in the Soldier's familiar arm-and-not-arm grip. She let out a whimper when her broken hand was squished between their bodies a little too tightly for her comfort.
After re-positioning herself, Darcy managed to force her eyelids open despite the numbing, icy chill that made her want to close her eyes and sleep forever.
She glanced up, examining the Winter Soldier's determined gaze as he carried her through the snow, his eyes scanning the road closely for any hostiles. Darcy buried her head into his chest once again, basking in his warmth.
'Is he on my side?' She still couldn't decide. 'Does it matter? He got me out.'
Wherever it was he was taking her, it had to be safer than inside that Hydra base that she'd been trapped in.
Too exhausted to speak, Darcy muttered something against Bucky's chest that felt an awful lot like a thank you. He spared a quick glance down at the brunette who was nuzzling her face into his chest.
Darcy had slipped back into a state of unconsciousness, not even noticing the litter of Hydra bodies, men's who's lives he took just moments before he'd gone and retrieved her.
They would be safe, for now. The tired doll can get some rest while he equipped himself with more weapons, considering the fact that he was running low.
There was no turning back now. He would do whatever it takes to make sure she made it to that station safely. He desperately wished there was more he could do for the girl, that he could go with her like she'd so innocently suggested. However, Soldier knew he could do no such thing.
He was nothing more than a compliant weapon. And while the thought of staying by her side for however many years he's got left was a beautiful, yet dangerous thought, Bucky knew better than to put her at harms risk with his selfishness.
Hydra was his problem, not poor, injured, beautiful Darcy's. She didn't deserve to be a part of this. He would do whatever it took to make sure he got her as far away as possible. And he didn't even know the gal.
His determined gaze flicked towards the armory as they finally arrived, and he pressed her closer against him as he spoke absently in response to her small thank you.
"Anything for you, doll."