part three

. . .

Darcy was startled out of her sleep when she heard the sound of a loud, abrupt bang.

She let out a little yelp and smacked her broken palm against the wooden floor during all of her fright.

Soldier froze abruptly, having just set a loud case of ammo on the floor and accidentally frightened the young woman. She looked confused, the last thing Darcy remembered being having been placed in the snow by Soldier, yet for some reason they were in some wooden safe house.

Bucky lifted an eyebrow at the younger girl as he realized she was staring at him with a confused look on her face. Darcy shook her head, snapping out of her sleepy state, clutching her throbbing hand to her chest.

"Shit, that hurt." Darcy complained, sitting up against the wall. "How long was I out?"

"Half an hour, at most." Soldier answered the former intern, turning his attention back to the case of ammo so he could examine what he had to work with. Darcy nodded her head, frowning to herself. It felt like she'd been in that blizzard for days, when in reality, she and Soldier have only been on the escape for at least two hours now.

"Where are we?" Darcy asked once she realized the Winter Soldier was not going to make an attempt to explain their situation to her.

His back was turned to Darcy, a gesture that she was secretly grateful for because now was the perfect opportunity for her to size her 'savior' up.

He was a large man, probably around six feet tall, towering over her five-foot-four-in-heels frame.

His shoulders were broad with a muscular arm, while the other was made out of metal.

He was intimidating. And the fact that he admitted to working with Hydra didn't help ease her nerves whatsoever.

"The tool shed." The Soldier answered in his usual short, vague tone while snapping a fresh clip into his handgun.

He shifted through more of the ammo in some of the crates, and Darcy's eyes were trained to his back as he shuffled through the cases carefully.

Bucky could feel the young woman's eyes burning against him.

She was watching his every move, and it was becoming increasingly harder for him to concentrate when he could feel how frightened she was. He wanted to ease her nerves, he certainly didn't want the injured myshkato fear him.

(Even though he had an inkling in his gut that she should.)

"You need to get some rest while you can." Soldier suggested, startling Darcy when he suddenly broke the quiet that washed over them. She could hear the occasional groaning of the wind as it brushed against the tool shed, filling their silence.

"Yeah," Darcy agreed with the Soldier, "And trust me- I'm tired as hell. But right now, I am freezing, and it's not particularly helping." She exaggerated between clenched, chattering teeth, letting her head roll back and thud against the wooden wall of the small shed due to her annoyance.

Bucky paused, glancing behind his shoulder to observe the smaller woman.

He wanted to kick himself for forgetting her lack of proper attire for this weather that he was almost immune to, and he snapped the clip to his pistol shut before turning around to face the girl.

Darcy paused mid-complaint when she saw the cold look the Winter Soldier was giving her, and she immediately closed her mouth shut once she realized he was advancing towards her.

Fully loaded gun in his hand.

The former intern couldn't help but let out a frightened squeak, backing up against the wall as she looked up at him with an anxious look on her face.

"What- uh, what are you doing?"

Soldier suddenly took a seat on the wooden floor beside her, and Darcy tried to scoot away from the impassive man. Honestly, she wasn't completely sure she could trust the Winter Soldier, and the fact that he was eerily silent didn't help ease her nerves whatsoever.

Bucky's lips pressed into a small frown, watching as the woman glanced at him with fear in her eyes.

Darcy gave him a side-look as he took a seat next to her, their shoulders bumping as he sat on the ground, only just a few inches away.

"What's this?" Darcy chirped in confusion, her voice trying cover her anxiety with feigned pep.

"What are you doing?" She found herself repeating, and the Winter Soldier made a big show of lifting his pistol from it's holster on his hip, raising it so she could get a clear view, and gently placed the weapon on the ground next to him.

Her green hues widened once she realized he was trying to ease her nerves by disarming herself, and her eyebrows rose into her hairline. Bucky then wrapped a heavy, muscular arm around her small shoulders, instantly heating her up.

Despite her better judgement, Darcy found herself leaning into the frightening Soldier's embrace- holy hell, this man was warm.

She instantaneously pressed her head into the crook of his neck, letting her eyes flutter shut while she basked in her saviors warmth.

He was terrifying, there was no doubt about that. She's watched him take down countless men without a bit of remorse, and she couldn't help the fear in her gut that said she could be the Winter Soldier's next victim at any given moment.

"They made you forget about me.." Darcy murmured as her eyelids finally settled shut, the warmth flowing throughout her body.

This man was terrifying- ghastly so.

Yet, there was no denying the sudden sense of security Darcy felt when the Winter Soldier tightened his grip around her shoulder. She felt safe in his hold, and suddenly, the idea of resting didn't seem as terrifying to her as it did a few moments ago.

"I'm sorry." The Winter Soldier's response was short, but Darcy expected no less.

She nuzzled her head into his chest, unconsciousness slowly taking over her body. She let out a grumble when she heard his response in her sleepy state, and she mumbled to him gently,

"Don't let it happen again," She threatened through sleepy lips, before finally letting her exhaustion take over.

The Soldier didn't respond, instead running his only flesh hand up and down the injured woman's arm in a small effort to warm her up, his eyes glued to the door. He could give her maybe half an hours worth of rest before they needed to move on, and then the small girl would have to figure out the rest on her own.

. . .

Darcy felt a large hand shaking her out of her deep slumber. She heard an unfamiliar voice ushering her awake, snapping Darcy out of the nightmare she'd been having. She abruptly jolted out of her sleep, not realizing how hard she smacked Bucky's hand away from her, which had been gently trying to wake her up.

For a moment, Darcy felt as though she were still in that awful Hydra cell. That the whole escape had all just been a disappointing dream, an illusion she made in her head as some kind of horrific coping mechanism.

She froze when she saw the Winter Soldier's cold blue eyes, leveling her with that impassively neutral look on his face that, for some odd reason, managed to always calm Darcy down.

Bucky stared at the intern, waiting for the younger girl to catch her breath while she got her bearings back together, and Darcy sucked in a gasp of air, slowly regaining her consciousness.

She took a moment to glance around the room, embarrassed by her sudden outburst. "Sorry." Darcy apologized shyly, tucking a strand of tangled brown hair behind her ear with her good hand. Bucky didn'r give her a response, instead examining as the young woman slowly began to relax once she realized that it was just the two of them in the room.

Bucky found it curious that the pretty, defenseless brunette was able to let her guard down around him so much that she'd drooled all over his shoulder during her short slumber. She wiped her mouth dry and gave James a sheepish look, patting the damp spot in his armor apologetically.

"We need to start moving again. When we reach the station, I will get you on the train. Don't look back." Bucky announced when he grabbed a hold of his pistol that he'd placed a few good inches away while the girl napped.

Now that she was fully awake, Darcy felt panic fill her veins as she jumped to her feet, clutching her hand to her chest protectively.

It sounded too much like he was trying to tell her goodbye. She didn't like the thought of leaving him behind, of not looking back. He risked his life to save hers! How could she let him return to those Hydra-Nazi-Loving-Freaks willingly?

"They're going to kill you!" Darcy said, disbelief in her shrill tone.

The soldier walked over to some crates to pull out more guns and ammunition, ignoring the injured civilian's worries. Darcy frowned, realizing the the Soldier was giving her the cold shoulder and completely neglecting her concerns.

In a much more persistent tone, Darcy stressed,

"They have to be controlling you, somehow. It doesn't make sense! You're not one of them, Soldier. You're a good guy."

Bucky's frowned deepened as he listened to the little Myshka voice her concerns. She was so innocently naive, relaxing around him as if he were someone to be trusted.

Bucky wasn't even sure he could trust himself- but there was no denying the strange urge he felt to protect this young woman, to make sure she is safe, and it's something he should probably be concerned about, but frankly, the Soldier liked the way she made him feel.

He wouldn't question his urges. It's been far too long since the Winter Soldier wanted something for himself.

Darcy frowned as Soldier snapped the clip to his pistol shut, responding to her in a vague tone.

"Not anymore, I'm not."

She froze, watching as Soldier headed towards the door, not giving her a second look. It took her a moment to realize he was going to head on whether she was following him or not.

Not wanting to be left behind, Darcy quickly rushed after the Soldier, her feet crunching in the snow as she ran after him.


. . .

The two trekked through the snow in silence, Darcy shivering through clenched teeth as Soldier paced a few steps ahead of her, his eyes squinted as he tried to look for the familiar cargo station. It took only a few minutes for Darcy to talk Bucky's ear off- ("Where is the train station?" "I'm sure we can come up with a plan that can save the both of us!" "Are we almost there yet?") before the Winter Soldier roughly told Lewis to save her energy for escaping.

Of course, it only took a few minutes of chilling silence until Darcy caved, and was running her mouth once again. "It's so fucking cold," Darcy said between chattering teeth, rubbing her hand that was not injured up and down her arm, trying to warm herself up. "A-a-re we-w-we almost th-ther-ere?"

Bucky peered over his shoulder so he could finally acknowledge the freezing girl. "We should arrive at the station in fifteen minutes." He explained, swiveling his head forward once again so he could survey their path for enemies.

He could hear Darcy panting soft, short bursts of air that made a foreign feeling of concern sink into his gut. "Are you alright?" The Soldier asked her without facing her, the concern voided in his impassive tone.

"I'm fine," Darcy grumbled, still upset that the Soldier was giving her the cold shoulder, and she muttered quietly to herself, "Did they erase your people skills too?"

Bucky cracked a smirk that was hidden to the young woman, and he responded over his shoulder in a dry tone,

"Probably."

Darcy let out a guilty sounding squeak, having not expected him to be able to hear her clearly over the sound of hard blowing wind. She quickly jogged the few steps that distanted them, and she kept up with Bucky's quick pace, walking side-by-side with him.

"So he does understand humor," Darcy teased with a bright grin, and Bucky shot the shorter woman a quick glance from the corner of his eye, struck by the beauty of her smile, when all he could remember from his life was the ugly.

Her emerald eyes caught his, and Darcy gave the soldier a confused look once she realized he was staring at her.

"What?" Darcy asked, confused. "What is it?"

Bucky grasped her arm and tugged her behind a large tree, quickly holding his hand in the air to silence her protests. Darcy snapped her mouth shut, her heart pounding when she heard the sound of an engine, and Bucky turned a stern look towards Darcy, holding onto her shoulders with his hands as he leveled her with a cold, stern stare.

"You stay right here."

"Wait-" Darcy gasped as she saw two snow mobiles slide to a stop just a few feet away from their hiding spot.

" Their footprints end here !"

" Secure the area! The Winter Soldier is around here somewhere. Remember not harm the girl ."

They were speaking a language Darcy couldn't understand, and she glanced up at Bucky who was listening to the Hydra Soldier's closely. He turned his attention back to Darcy. 'Why don't they want to harm the girl?'

He was frowning, placing a hand on his gun and beginning to head out of their hiding spot. Unable to control her anxiety, Darcy grasped Bucky's flesh hand, pulling him towards her before he could reveal himself to the hostiles.

He glared down at Darcy with a questioning look in his eye, and Darcy's face was washed with worry.

"Be careful..." She pleaded gently, and the Soldier nodded his head, taking his hand back from her cold fingers.

"Stay right here. If I say run, then you run."

She nodded her head quietly, watching as he began to emerge from their hiding spot, a gun in both of his hands.

Darcy leaned against the tree, calming her nerves as she prayed out loud to herself,

"...Don't forget me again."

. . .

"There he is-!"

The Hydra Soldier was not able to finish his warning, much less point his gun in the Winter Soldier's direction, because Bucky was already delivering two quick shots to the mans head, splattering the freshly fallen snow with blood.

Darcy flinched from behind the tree when she heard the sound of the first two shots. She clenched her eyes shut, praying that the Soldier was alright.

Bucky quickly switched guns once he emptied his first mag on the two soldiers who were pulling up on the snowmobiles, and Darcy finally gained the courage to peek out from behind her hiding spot. She could hear the engines of several more soldiers approaching, and she could see the freshly fallen snow was already littered with dead bodies and blood from the men that the Winter Soldier took out one by one.

She ducked her head back into her hiding spot, chest heaving and rising quickly as she tried to catch her breath. She was scared shit-less, yes, but that didnt stop Darcy from noticing one of the snowmobiles that had stalled a few feet away from her.

Bucky was taking care of the last Hydra guard, but she could hear the sounds of another wave approaching. Throwing all sense away, her fight of flight instincts kicking in, Darcy jumped from her hiding spot behind the tree and pounced on the motor bike, revving its engine as she yelled at Bucky to gain his attention.

"Soldier!" Darcy shouted out just as he snapped the last Hydra soldiers neck.

His attention was on Darcy instantaneously, eyes furrowed in confusion. Didn't he tell her to stay hidden? The woman was proving to be troublesome, though he should have expected no less. Darcy didn't seem fazed by the sharp glare Bucky was giving her, and she slid to a stop in front of him, the snowmobile coating him with scattered snow.

She gave him a sheepish smile, "Hop on!"

Darcy revved the engine, and Bucky swung one leg over the seat, wrapping his flesh arm around her waist as he held his pistol in his bionic arm, turning around so he could shoot the engines of the new, incoming Hydra Soldiers who were approaching them.

"I thought I told you to stay put."

The Winter Soldier sounded annoyed that she'd ignored his direct orders, and she let out a nervous laugh when he squeezed his grip around her waist, perhaps a bit too tight. He certainly didn't sound thankful, which Darcy could have predicted anyways.

"Yeah, we can cry a river about that later. After we both, escape."

She revved the engine once again, and the two of them shot off, snow flying behind them. Darcy let out an excited whoop as the chilled air whipped her hair back behind her, and Bucky shot the engine of another sled that was quickly catching up to them.

Once they were in the clear, the Soldier skillfully reloaded his gun while simultaneously keeping his balance on the snowmobile when Darcy swerved around a tree.

"Is that all of them?" Darcy called over her shoulder, no longer hearing the loud hum of engines chasing after them.

She heard the click as Bucky reloaded his gun, before he answered her in a chillingly solemn voice,

"No. For every soldier we kill, two will take their place."

"Yup," Darcy popped the 'p', clearly irritated by the Soldier's response. "That's how the saying goes. Did you learned that in high school, too?" Her sarcastic remark was cut short when she swerved around another tree before they approached a clearing, and Darcy could see a large lamp in the distance. "There! I see something- is that the station?"

It wasn't what she was expecting, the station was for cargo, but she figured it could work nonetheless.

Bucky turned around once he was sure they were no longer being followed, and he removed his arm from around her waist.

"Stop here." Soldier ordered, and Darcy slid to a stop a few feet away from, one of the train cars, and she looked at Bucky, waiting for his next instructions.

"What now?" She asked, jumping off the sled as she jogged to catch up with him. Bucky took her hand, much to Darcy's surprise, though she didn't voice any complains as she let him drag her so she could keep up with his much larger strides.

"C'mon," Bucky murmured as he tugged on Darcy's arm once they reached the third cart from the end of the train, and suddenly he was lifting her up, helping Darcy as she climbed into the train car.

Darcy tried to swing her leg over the edge of the car, wincing when she clutched the metal with her broken palm.

"Ouch- ow! Ouch- wait!"

Bucky placed his hands on her ass, pushing Darcy up so she could straddle the edge of the car despite her complaints. She let out a huff, opening her mouth so she could snap at him for rushing her, when the sound of engines approaching cut her off.

She shot Bucky a panicked look instead, anxiety numbing her bones once again as she realized she was really going to have to leave him behind.

"Come with me!" Darcy pleaded over the sound of the train's whistle, signaling it's departure. She was still straddling the edge of the cart, and she even considered jumping back out into the blanket of snow once she saw the Winter Soldier backing away from the train.

He gave her that same, cold look that never once wavered from his face since she met him.

"I can't."

"Please!" She was begging now, the sight of the six snowmobiles approaching with two Hydra Soldiers on each rattled Darcy to her core.

She found herself fumbling with her words, her blood running cold.

"Please! I can't- do this without you-!"

Her begging was cut off by the sound of a bullet hitting the metal train, just a few inches away from her leg. She let out a startled scream, almost losing her balance and falling into the train before she quickly caught herself. She didn't want to duck down yet- she needed to see what would happen to her Soldier.

"Don't hurt the girl!" She heard one of the leader of the Hydra Soldiers shout in English, and Darcy's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Don't hurt the girl? Didn't they want to kill her just a few days ago?

Bucky let out a curse, whipping around so he could fire at the snowmobiles that were rapidly approaching, and Darcy gasped as the train began to move.

"Soldier!" She was desperate now, trying to get his attention before it was too late. "Take my hand!"

Bucky swirled his head in her direction, and he looked as though he were about to order her to duck down and be quiet- but Winter Soldier clenched his teeth together as a bullet struck his shoulder, and Darcy's eyes widened in fear.

"Winter! Wait, no, hey-" Darcy didn't even realize she was trying to climb down from the moving train, but the Winter Soldier was shaking his head no rapidly, and she froze when she heard his deep, raspy voice.

"No. Darcy. Stay where you are."

He was speaking through gritted teeth, his flesh hand gripping a tight hold on his wound. She could see the blood leaking between his fingers, and Darcy clenched her eyes shut, frozen on the train. She took in a deep, shaky breath.

'He did all of this for me..' Her throat felt like it was closing in. 'He did this for me, and I can't let his efforts go to waste.'

One of the Hydra Soldiers seemed to notice her escaping, and he started shouting in German. "The girl! The girl is on the car- don't let her escape!"

Darcy could hear Bucky hiss something under his breath, before he was throwing a blade between his fingers, striking the Hydra Soldier in his throat, silencing him immediately.

Darcy's jaw dropped open as she saw the sticky red blood between Bucky's fingers, yet somehow he managed to ignore his wounds while simultaneously ducking and dodging another spray of bullets.

The train began to pick up it's speed, and Soldier's body grew smaller and smaller, her heart racing as her opportunity to jump off the train and join the Soldier was growing smaller and smaller along with him.

She should go back for him.

The Winter Soldier was a good man. Even if he didn't know it himself.

Tears formed in her eyes as she watched as James collapsed to his knees on the snow, outnumbered by the Hydra Soldiers who surrounded him. Tears burned in her green eyes as Darcy called out for the Soldier, hoping he would somehow hear her over the sound of the harsh, chilled winds.

"Soldier!" Darcy cried out, her voice echoing in the mountains.

The train let out another angry whistle.

Darcy settled down inside of the cart.

...She didn't even know his name.

(He didn't even know his name.

They took everything from him, and yet somehow, he still wanted to help her.)

The injured intern relaxed her back against the cool metal of the train-car. She wanted to rescue the Winter Soldier, but Darcy knew she wouldn't be able to do anything if she got herself killed.

Winter Soldier risked his life to save hers. She couldn't just throw it away.

With a newfounded wave of determination, Darcy wiped away her icy tears with her injured hand.

"I'll come back for you." Her voice filled with conviction, the young woman shut her eyes.

. . .


Darcy rode the train for half an hour before she decided she spent enough time licking her wounds.

Soldier had already warned her that he could only take her as far as the train station, and then she was on her own.

It would be nobody's fault but her own if she manged to get caught once again, and she was entirely sure that next time she won't have a handsome, disoriented, brave soldier who, for some unknown reason, was hell-bent on helping her escape.

No, next time there would be no one to help her.

Darcy was determined there would be no 'next time'.

After half an hour passed, she peeked her head over the edge of the train she was hitching a ride on, catching a quick glimpse of her surroundings.

Of course, she was greeted with blankets and blankets of snow as they passed a few wooden pubs that looked relatively abandoned. She had a sinking feeling in her gut that there would be at least a handful of undercover Hydra Agents waiting for her at the train station, so she had no choice but to get off right now.

"Okay, here we go.." Darcy murmured to herself as she straddled the edge of the train once again. "I can do this. I've done crazier things than jumping off a freight train pushing 75mph. "

Her hair was whipping behind her in the wind, and her eyes were tearing up from the hard cold wind. The idea of jumping off the train wasn't what was bothering her- no, she was more than ready to ditch the transportation, but Darcy had no idea what she would do next.

She was smack-dab in the middle of nowhere, she had no cellphone, no jacket- no fucking glasses. Darcy took a deep breath, trying to regain her courage.

'One thing at a time,' She tried to reassure herself. When she opened her eyes once again, they were shining bright with determination as Darcy held her breath.

And then, she jumped.

...

Darcy let out a long, weary sigh of relief as she plopped into a hard wooden chair, an old desktop computer in front of her.

She was still in buttfuck-Ossetia, and she checked four different shops to see if any one had a working computer- or a lousy jacket that she could borrow.

She had no luck until stumbling upon the fifth pub, a wooden old bar where an older woman was wiping a clean glass mug dry.

Darcy nearly gave the old woman a heart attack when she came stumbling into the bar, bringing the chill of the blizzard in with her as she stiffly made her way inside, nose dripping and teeth chattering as she said in a quivering voice,

"D-D-D-D-Do you guys h-h-h-have a c-c-computer I can u-u-u-use?"

Darcy was torn between wanting to cry, and wanting to throw her arms around the womans neck and kiss her senselessly when she quickly ushered her to the back room and threw a blanket over her shoulder, presenting her with their very old, but very capable desktop computer.

"Alright baby.." Darcy said into a cup of hot tea, because not only was the old lady who spoke broken English kind enough to give her a blanket, but she also made her some tea, bless her heart. Once Darcy was done warming up, she cracked her fingers and tapped on the keyboard to wake the computer up.

"Let's get this started.."

It wasn't the first time Darcy hacked into S.H.I.E.L.D. files.

The most recent time that Darcy could remember hacking into S.H.I.E.L.D. was when Jane was moping in their lab, still mourning the fresh wound of meeting the love of her life, only for him to end up being some Asgardian Prince who returned to his home planet and left her behind. Needless to say, Darcy was not capable of handling those kinds of feelings.

Still, she wanted to help out her mentor-now-friend somehow, so when Darcy found out about the Avenger's involvement in New York, she hacked into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files to pull up the videos that were censored from the internet, featuring Jane's favorite Asgardian God, and some close and personal footage of the Avenger's in action.

Darcy was good, so she never got caught.

Right now, she wanted to get caught.

"Alright! There we go!" She cracked her fingers, stretching her arms over her head with satisfaction. "Humph. That was easier than I remember.

"Coulson, you have to look at this.." Skye's eyebrows were furrowed in confusion as she watched the message that blinked across the screen. Soon, Coulson was looking over Skye's shoulder as he examined the projector; a pixelated image of a cartoon child crying over her scoop of icecream that fell on the ground, and some large blocky text behind it that said 'YOU LOSE' in big white letters.

"You lose?" Coulson read the flashing image on the screen out loud. "What is this, Skye?"

Skye began tapping animatedly on the keyboard, humming deep in thought. "Trojan Horse. I've seen it before, we used it a lot in the Rising Tide." She stopped typing, pulling up a map in South Ossetia with a red dot somewhere off in the right hand corner. She turned her attention to Phil, confirming to him, "It's a message."

Coulson pressed his lips together. "The Rising Tide? What message could they be sending us?"

"I don't know." She admitted shruggingly. "But, whoever they are, they're good. And I have exact coordinates to their location. I say we take the team and check it out."

The level eight S.H.I.E.L.D. agent let out a short sigh, holding his hands together behind his back as he straightened his shoulders, examining the screen some more. Finally, Phil Coulson nodded his head, agreeing with Skye's suggestion.

"You're right. Let Ward, May, and FitzSimmon's know we'll be on the ground in two hours."

Skye gave Coulson a quick grin before turning around so she could go let her S.O. know they had a new mission. Ward would likely be displeased with the fact that it had something to do with the Rising Tide once again, but he'd get over it.

Still, Skye couldn't help but wonder to herself.

'YOU LOSE'.

Were they walking right into a trap?

Well, Darcy was certainly disappointed by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s lack of punctuality.

It felt like she'd been sitting in that damned uncomfortable stool for fourteen hours, when in reality it was around three. Darcy had four cups of tea, and she'd contemplated shooting Jane an e-mail to check and see if the scientist has even realized she's been missing for the past five days- but Darcy opted out, figuring H.Y.D.R.A. probably had access to Jane's email address, and Darcy would definitely have to enhance the firewalls on everything that they use when she returned home.

If she returned home.

Still, soon enough, a man kicked down the door to the pub and shouted into the empty room for everyone to stand down. It only took him a second to realize the entire place was empty save for Darcy and the owner, who was so frightened by the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent with a gun that she dropped the glass she'd been cleaning, causing it to shatter on the stone ground.

Darcy let out a sigh of relief when the man pulled out his S.H.I.E.L.D. badge, and commanded her to put her hands up.

She frowned, tightening her grip on the blanket that was wrapped around her shoulders.

"I can't. I'm cold."

"Hand's where I can see them," The man who's badge read GRANT WARD said through gritted teeth, his gun pointed to the floor but his finger on the trigger.

The former intern was now rolling her eyes, because with all of her experiences with S.H.I.E.L.D. (and there was more than you'd expect), each time they never failed in being tight-assed, stiff, sticks in the mud.

She let out a grumble as she unwinded the blankets from around her shoulders, glaring at Agent Ward as she lifted her hands, showing him she was defenseless.

"Stand down, Agent Ward."

A familiar voice came from the door, and Darcy nearly broke her neck trying to peer over the Agents shoulder so she could see who was speaking.

She knew she recognized that voice! Phil Coulson approached Darcy, his usual smile on his face as he looked at her with an amused look in his eye.

"You're Darcy Lewis." Phil acknowledged, and Darcy was unsure if she should be flattered or concerned that he remembered her name, considering she could not remember his. "You sent the virus."

"You still have my iPod." Darcy responded dryly, though she couldn't help but sound a bit smug. She was quite proud of her Trojan Horse, considering she did create it from scratch after all.

Phil gave Darcy a tight nod, gesturing to Agent Ward to put away his weapons before he turned his attention back to the young girl whom he'd met in New Mexico.

"Well, you wanted our attention and you got it." Coulson told the younger girl, putting his weapon away as well. "And I'm hoping that this will be good, and not just some other attempt at downloading the memory from your Cloud back onto your hard drive."

"Oh, this will be good, alright." Darcy said as she picked the blanket back up from the ground where she'd dropped it. She then proceeded to wrap the blanket around her shoulders and march over towards their giant freaking hovercraft like it was something that she did everyday.

"Let me just tell you what I'vebeen doing for these past five days."

Bucky tapped the fingers of his flesh hand against the wooden arm of the chair he sat in, chin resting in his palm as he waited for someone to enter the room, boredly.

He's been waiting for at least half an hour now, and it would really piss him off, except he was more curious to find out why Whitehall took him out of the ice at all.

He couldn't remember much. His last mission was in Argentina, there was some kind of ball, or gala, and he had to dress real nice. Real nice. James could remember the white silk tie, the black tuxedo. The bloodstains on his cuffs when he shot that victim in the head. Nice, clean shot. Real nice.

If he had a choice, he would ask Whitehall to wipe it all. Bucky didn't want to remember the missions. But he did. He remembered them all.

It wasn't strange he couldn't remember the last time they woke him up.

Hydra has used the Winter Soldier when they needed him for years, and when they didn't need him, he was on ice, frozen peacefully in his little pod where they could take as many tests and prod his memory as often as they wanted.

Finally, the door swung open, and the Dr. Whitehall came strolling into the room as if he hadn't had Bucky waiting for half an hour now, and Bucky straightened his posture in his seat once he saw the look the doctor was giving him.

Whitehall's lips were pressed in a frown as he quietly examined the Winter Soldier.

Bucky remained still, looking up so he could meet the doctors gaze.

"Sir." He greeted him, and Whitehall gave the Soldier a curt nod.

Finally, Whitehall entered the room, pulling a seat out from across the Winter Soldier, folding hands against the table.

"Winter Soldier. It is always nice to see you are well, my friend."

Bucky gave Whitehall a silent nod in acknowledgement, and Whitehall continued on with business.

"Ah, you are far too shy. You must be aware, you are a valued asset in our operations, dear friend, and I don't believe that we let that known to you enough. I think it's time you are rewarded for your dedication, and hard work to our company."

The Winter Soldier couldn't remember much beyond the missions he's been sent on over the years. But he was quite certain that this, a reward for his cooperation? Like he's had a choice?

He was certain that this was something completely new.

"..." Bucky shot the doctor a skeptical look, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion as his hair curtained his face in wild dark strands.

Whitehall didn't seemed fazed by the Winter Soldier's lack of response. It was expected after all, considering the Soldier never really spoke much throughout the years, so the doctor simply gestured to another one of the Hydra Agents who stood by the door, and the man dropped an envelope on the table.

Bucky glanced at the sealed envelope, and back to Dr. Whitehall who was watching him carefully.

"Well? Are you going to open it?"

Resisting the urge to sigh through his nose, because even a sigh was a reaction that the Soldier did not want Dr. Whitehall to witness, Bucky reached for the yellow envelope and quickly tore it open, emptying it's contents on the table.

A bundle of photographs slipped out, and Bucky's confusion was only heightened when he examined a picture, spotting an unfamiliar brunette who was smiling into the camera. He didn't realize as his hand reached out to turn over another image, the same brunette looking away from the camera with a dash of red on her lips, and then another of her smiling into a paper cup as she took a drink and-

"Do you like your gift?"

Bucky slowly released the photos, placing them back on the table. Finally, he met Dr. Whitehall's gaze, his blue eyes cold as he glared at the doctor.

"...Is this supposed to mean something to me?"

For some reason, Whitehall seemed pleased by the Soldier's response, and he pressed his elbows on top of the table. He spoke, watching James' face closely for a reaction.

"Does it mean something to you?"

"I have no idea who she is."

Whitehall leaned back in his seat, and if Bucky knew any better, he would see the look of relief that flashed over the doctors face. "She can be yours, if you'd like."

Bucky's finger twitched. He shot his head up, glaring openly at the man who was in charge of his memories.

"You're sick."

Whitehall let out a humorless laugh, standing up from his seat as he headed towards the exit of the room. Bucky frowned as he watched him rise and walk to the exit. Whitehall paused, peering over his shoulder as he told the Soldier,

"You will soon learn that it is you, Soldier, who is the sick one. The girl is yours, however, if you cooperate. I know you'll do what is right."

The door shut, and Bucky was left alone.

Shit, he couldn't remember a damn thing. Maybe the doctor was right after all, maybe he was the sick one. Bucky didn't know how, but somehow Doctor Whitehall managed to choose an image of a woman who stirred something sick inside of him. Something that had him blurring the lines between right, and wrong, until all he could see was her, and mine.

Maybe he was sick, after all.