I'm on a roll today. Hope you guys enjoy this one! Things are starting to pick up now
Siberia
The doctor that was kind to Bucky stood before the cryo-chamber studying the still asleep man. He had recently installed two nodes to Bucky's temples to monitor his brain waves while he slept. He was the only person in the room since Bucky was his stead, so it gave him plenty of time to study the man before him. He looked towards the monitor that measured out his brain activity and found it quite normal. It was exactly where he wanted him. He made sure every day that Bucky didn't have nightmares. Unknown to the rest of the doctors and the higher ups, he had control over the sedative that kept Bucky in a constant state of peace. If the whispered words he heard were true about their intentions, he would need this sleep now more than ever. Only once had his brain activity gone off the charts. It was almost like he was fighting to remember something and forget it at the same time. He upped the dosage on the sedative and he hadn't had a single dream since. The monitors around him beeped their constant beeping that let him know that Bucky was still alive. He sighed deeply and looked down at his hands.
"I wish I had to courage to do what is right by you. It would be effortless to switch out the sedative. You wouldn't even know your passing from sleep to death, but I have my family to look after."
He looked back up again at Bucky.
"They're going to wake you up soon and they're going to use you in the worse way possible. You just thought your training was over when they put you in there. I wish I could keep you here forever until I could find a way to get you out."
The monitor next to him went off in alarm; it was the one monitoring his brainwaves. It peaked suddenly and went back down as sharply as it went up. The doctor held his breath and looked toward Bucky and then back at the monitor. The lines sharply rose upward again; Bucky jerked within the cryo-chamber. Never before had he moved during his dreams, but perhaps this time it was a living nightmare for Bucky. His metal arm slammed against the glass of the chamber, but not once did his eyes open. Bucky cried out in anguish from inside. He was truly terrified. The doctor scrambled towards the IV drip leading into where Bucky was. He knocked over the small table next to it, sending various bottles and needles flying across the floor. Every monitor in the room started to go off in alarm. He dropped to his knees cursing himself for being in such a hurry that he scattered everything. Bucky continued to cry out as he pushed with all his might against the door. The chamber was not made to withstand someone wanting to break out from the inside. The doctor stood up suddenly as he found the vial he wanted and rushed over to Bucky. He was surprised to find him still asleep even though he was moving and acting as if fully awake. Tears were streaming down as his face contorted in anger.
"I'm so sorry," the doctor whispered as he pushed the entire dose of the sedative into the line leading to Bucky.
Within seconds he had settled back against the padding of the chamber, though slumped a little, and the monitors were all back to normal. He walked over and looked at Bucky; the tears on his face had frosted over as soon as they had stopped.
The doctor was torn on the inside. He was physically and mentally exhausted. If he could live through this, he would find a way to help him. He settled back into his chair by the chamber and stared, without thinking, at the prone figure of Bucky.
New York
Ellie and Thomas had been dating a few months. She had finally given in to seeing him more often and found herself liking him more and more. He was always a gentleman; he met her at the door on dates, walked on the sidewalk closer to the road, held doors open for her, and held an umbrella over her when it rained. He never assumed anything from her which was a huge relief. She wasn't sure she was ready for a much more intimate relationship yet.
They were currently in a small Italian restaurant that they officially had their first dinner date in. He had just come back from a recent mission surveying an area that was top secret to most people at the facility.
"So, how was it?" she asked over her glass of wine.
"Oh, you know, cold," he said with a wink. He wasn't authorized to tell her exactly where he went.
"Sounds exotic," she said sitting her glass down on the table and smiling.
"Like you wouldn't believe."
The rest of the evening had gone as pleasantly as they always did. At the end of their date, Thomas held his arm out for Ellie. "Mind if I walk you home?" He felt like he always had to ask.
"I wouldn't mind at all," she said smiling while shrugging on her jacket.
The rest of the walk was quiet. Thomas seemed tense next to Ellie.
"Is everything okay?" she asked him.
"Oh, yes," he said as he snapped out of his reverie. "I was just thinking."
"About what?"
"Nothing in particular."
Ellie just shrugged it off thinking he may have been reflecting back on his work. At her step he kissed her on the cheek as always and promised to see her at work tomorrow.
The next day Thomas was not at work. Maybe he was sick and that was the reason for him acting so strangely the night before, she had thought to herself.
"Where's Thomas?" Peggy had asked her later that morning when Ellie sat down at her desk with her second cup of coffee.
"Did he not call?" Ellie asked.
"No, he never showed up. Didn't you go to dinner with him last night?"
"Yes. He seemed a little tense, but I brushed it off as something to do with his recent mission he went on."
"What mission?" Peggy asked looking sideways at Ellie.
"He said he was sent on one to map a certain area that no one was to know about."
"I sent him nowhere, Ellie." She could hear the concern in Peggy's voice.
Ellie's heart dropped into her stomach. What else had he lied about? She started to breath heavily.
"No need to panic, El. We'll get to the bottom of this."
Maybe he was in trouble? Where had he actually gone? She thought for sure if there were something wrong he would tell her.
The rest of the afternoon passed by in a blur; none of the other agents had heard or talked to Thomas since the day before. No one reported him acting strangely and he had told no one where he was for the entire week that he was gone. The whole situation was strange and it left an odd feeling in Ellie. At the end of the day, Peggy told her to go on home while she stayed behind to find out where their Agent had actually gone.
Ellie walked hastily home to see if there were any notes slipped under the door explaining to her where Thomas had gone. Upon stepping into the foyer she knew something was wrong. The door was locked, yes, but the feeling inside the house was tense. It was very quiet, which was strange since Peggy had left the radio on when they left this morning. Ellie could hear the blood rushing through her ears and she strained to hear anything from within the house. The sun was already starting to go down, so it cast many shadows around into the study on the right and the dining room on the left was almost entirely cloaked in darkness. She had just passed both doorways when she heard him.
"I was wondering when you were going to come home," Thomas said from the table.
Ellie yelped a little and dropped her purse on the ground before facing the dark dining room.
"Thomas?" Her voice was shaking now.
"Are you nervous?"
"Why are you sitting in the dark? How did you get in?"
"I came to talk to you."
"Is this about your mission that Peggy seemed to have no idea about?"
"Ah, so you've found me out. You're right. I wasn't on a mission for Agent Carter last week. As a matter of fact, I'm not truly working for your littleā¦organization anyway."
Ellie's stomach turned a flip. She should have smelled him out from a mile away. She should have followed her gut feeling when she first met him.
"Who do you work for?" she finally asked. Her mouth was dry.
"Hydra," he stated matter-of-factly.
She gulped audibly.
"There's no need to be afraid, Ellie."
"Why shouldn't I be? You've been lying to me for the better part of these last few months."
"Oh dear Ellie, I do care for you," he said standing up and making his way towards her. She instinctively stepped back towards the study. "I care for you in the way that I needed to protect you in order to use you."
Her heel caught the area rug and she stumbled backwards into the study, landing flat on her rear end. Before she could even make a move to stand Thomas was straddled around her waist and had both hands on her throat.
"I really didn't want to do this, Ellie," he said through gritted teeth. "But Hydra needs you now more than ever."
Ellie struggled against Thomas as hard as she could. Blood welled up on his face where her fingernails dug into his cheek. She kicked as forcefully as she could, but it was of no use. Thoughts of Bucky, Steve, and Peggy raced through her mind as she started to lose focus on the room. One last image of Bucky as he stood before her in uniform stood out in her mind right before everything went black.
Later that evening
Peggy walked through the front door already talking loudly out to Ellie.
"I don't know where Thomas went, El. No one has heard from him since last ni-," she stopped short when she noticed Ellie's purse on the ground in the hallway. "Ellie?"
She looked into the now darkened study and felt on the wall for the light switch while her other hand went to her thigh holster. She pulled her gun the same time she flicked on the light. There was an obvious sign of struggle in the room.
"Ellie?!" she cried. Peggy was visibly panicked. She searched every room in the house before concluding on her worst fear. Thomas Volstad was not who he said he was. He had used her all along and all along he wanted Ellie, but what for?
She quickly picked up the phone and dialed the direct number to the agency. The 24/7 operator picked up and asked Peggy for the password. She gave it to the man before saying, "Call everyone. An agent is missing."
