Bucharest

An hour later she got the call. "Get to Berlin. We'll get you a flight and info to follow."

"How does one fly without a passport?" she muttered humorlessly. "I'm stuck here."

"Well, Ms. Romani, now you have a passport. Or you will shortly. We got you a picture for it and everything. From what we understand you're very attractive and healthy for a 90 year old woman."

"Flatterer." She spat, but was extremely worried behind her words. How the hell did they know who she was?

"In case you're wondering we work with a lot of perks here with the Avengers and old Shield benefits. Got access to Hydra files that were flushed to the public and from what we got on you with satellite to that phone as well as good old intuition, we think you're the Aleksandra Romani that went into their system in '38. Tell me I'm crazy, please. Not sure we can handle another Capsicle or fucking Winter Soldier."

She sighed. "I really have no secrets huh? This whole information everywhere thing really makes it hard to be a successful fugitive, you know."

"No shit right? Anyway don't worry, I'm not handing you over to anyone. Go to the local library and tell the woman at the desk with an eagle pin and a blue blazer that you're looking for a book on 'Siberian Ice Licking'."

"I have a feeling I'm going to have to punch you really goddamn hard when I meet you, Barton."

"That's how you know you're making friends, Lexi. See you in Berlin."

ooo

When Aleksandra got to the library as directed, she went right for the front desk where she instantly spotted a slightly out of place woman in a blue blazer sporting an eagle pin. Wicked weird.

"Um, hi." She muttered, "I'm here to pick up a book on...Siberian Ice Licking." As she expected she was mortified to say that out loud but the librarian in question didn't bat an eye. Instead she handed over a large hardback with a block of ice on it with that exact title on the cover.

"Thank you for calling ahead to pick it up, Ms. Romani. I hope you enjoy your trip to Germany." The words were kind and polite but the eyes behind them were stern and pointed.

"Thank you." Aleksandra managed to reply and headed right out of the library to read on a nearby bench. She expected papers, but it opened up into a screen that sprang to life at her touch.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Romani." It said quietly and a slim drawer flipped open on the side of it. Within lied several cards with her name on them and a green booklet that read 'Passport'.

"Holy shit," she murmured as the polite and slightly robotic voice continued.

"Your first task is to get to the airport. Hail a cab and it will take you there directly. Take your new IDs to the front desk and they'll print your prepaid ticket. Do not be late. Once in Berlin find some professional clothing and use the credit card provided. You may read up on your file during the flight that Avengers confidant, Maria Hill, has recovered from Hydra channels. There is also internet available on the tablet. Your next set of orders are available within this device. Please get yourself accustomed to this tablet and do not lose it. This recording will erase itself."

And just like that she felt like James Fucking Bond.

ooo

Aleksandra had two vodkas on the plane and tried really hard not to grip the seats with her claws as they took off. It was a short flight but the shots managed to calm her down so she could focus on the text in her hand. She'd ditched the damn book cover but kept the tablet within. If she remembered right, the 'computers' from the 50's that Hydra had often took up entire rooms.

She read over her orders quickly. The German Special Tasks Forces had taken Bucky, Steve, and some other guy, Sam Wilson, into custody. Oh and the kitty. She refused to call him king anything. All of them were currently on a plane as well but it was private and armed with guards and CIA personnel. She would have approximately one hour ahead of them to get her appearance in order.

Aleksandra was able to get her spot working closely with their case at the CIA facility in Berlin partly because of Shield and also because an agent of theirs was extremely loyal to Steve. She wouldn't be within contact of Bucky, but she'd be able to have him visible in some way and he may even see her. She didn't hold her breath but she was hopeful.

Sure that she'd read everything she needed several times over, Aleksandra leaned back and looked at the clock overhead. 30 minutes left. She growled and looked back at the tablet. That recording had told her she had her own Hydra file. Curious, Aleksandra swiped around until she found it. Her name as well as her photo taken in 1938 was suddenly there right before her. She could feel her heart rate rising.

The front information contained her blood type and other physical features. On the next page her stomach started to turn. She learned she'd been able to survive the death camp to turn her for one hundred and six days. She died on the one hundred and seventh morning. Apparently there was footage from that day available on the tablet and a couple other incidents she'd been involved in.

Aleksandra looked up as a waitress passed. "Excuse me, may I please have a vodka." Once she was alone again she returned to the pages. She flipped though, noting they kept meticulous detail on the experiments at first. Slowly, when things stopped progressing how they wanted, the updates all but stopped. A summary on her said she had a laundry list of things that defined her as an 'enhanced' person now like supernatural speed, strength, and accelerated healing. All these she knew already, including her claws and teeth.

However, something she did not know caught her eye. She had apparently, on more than twenty five documented occasions, told a handler or doctor that they were "going to be sorry". Within an hour, each of the victims had either gotten hurt or had died. "Cognitive or willed homicide... brutal attacks. I don't remember this," she murmured as she began to read the note flagged in the file.

Due to the extremely unpredictable and dangerous nature of her ability to all Hydra members, authorization was given to subject the asset to electroshock therapy until she was rendered into a vegetative state. She did not remember her ability to dictate or to inflict death or injury at a whim and the deaths and injuries have stopped permanently as of this date.

Sept 12, 1944

Aleksandra felt stunned as she looked up and noticed a fresh shot of vodka on the tray beside her. What the fuck else had she be able to do that they'd tortured out of her? Was she able to still do it? Would she even want to?

She must have looked visibly upset because an elderly man in another first class seat near her noticed. He reached over and gently patted her hand."Wie ghet es dir?" he asked, seeing if she okay.

Despite herself and the time she was in, she recoiled from the German language, surprising both of them. To recover simply because she felt horrible for frightening an old person, Aleksandra started laughing and wiped her teary eyes with a napkin.

"J-Ja, danke schön. Fantastisch! Ein Gedicht..." she gestured to the tablet.

"Wunderbar," her neighbor replied with a nod, appeased that she was smiling and believing her lie about reading a poem.

When he turned away fully and returned to his own book, Aleksandra looked down at her claws. They were piercing the metal of her tablet. Pissed at herself, at her hands, and at her goddamn history she downed the vodka in one go. She wished it burned worse than the idea she was a fucking monster. Her only consolation was that at least those abilities were probably snubbed out of her mind back in the 40's.

When the overhead speaker alerted them of their decent into Berlin, she got her game face on. Aleksandra had snatched some makeup while she was in the terminal at Bucharest so she began cleaning up her face using the ice water from her glass. She wished she was more girly but she at least knew how to kohl her eyes. That, at least, had stayed the same through her lifetime.

ooo

Berlin

Aleksandra felt strange in black skinny jeans, like they were too tight on her ass and leg. However, the saleswoman assured her it was the fashion. At least they felt comfortable, she mused, even if she thought they let no room for the imagination.

Instructions form her tablet had told her to look presentable, but she should able to get into a fight if necessary. Of course it mentioned she should be up to date on fashion and explicitly stated no long skirts. Guess they knew her affinity for them.

Aleksandra knew she had little time to play around looking at shit so she chose to pair the pants with a white button down shirt, which she tucked in, and was shown a jacket with some seriously soft pebbled-leather material. She saw the price tag and smirked. "I'll definitely take this one." She practically purred. "Two can play the asshole game, Barton. You gonna get your pee-pee slapped by someone."

"What a unique necklace! Where did you find that choker?"

The question brought her down from her glee and she looked into the mirror, trying to focus on what the manager was seeing. Ah, her bark collar. Since she'd had it for so long, it felt part of her more than it was separate. "Oh this old thing?" she replied flippantly to the woman, "It's just an antique. Oh yeah, could I ask...?"

The attendant and manager upturned their ears at her exclamation. She was, after all, making a large purchase. "Bitte?" the manager said.

"Can I get some boots to match that jacket?"

ooo

Aleksandra practically ran towards the building once the taxi stopped and she tossed Euro's at the driver. When she spotted a tall blonde at the entrance wearing a vest and- Well look at that- skinny jeans, she knew she was in the right place. The woman seemed to watch her coming up the steps with relief and she didn't blink twice at her outfit. Aleksandra was very happy that she tipped the saleswoman generously.

"Glad to see you, I was worried you weren't going to make it in time. I'm Agent Sharon Carter. Follow me and I'll let you in the drill while you're here. Steve's assistant, Maria, filled me in on the situation and I've been able to get some passes to help you make it through some high security doors. You're supposed to be with me throughout your time here, so try to keep close."

Aleksandra followed quickly. "Agent Carter, do you have a safe place I can stash my backpack?" She lifted it for perusal.

Sharon didn't seem interested in it's contents one bit. "Absolutely. We'll end up in a central location where the live feeds will be. You can store it there."

ooo

Bucky leaned his head back into the headrest of the chair he was strapped too. He couldn't say if he'd ever been stuck in a glass box like this one before. He could hear the truck stop and the door roll up behind him, opening. A forklift arrived and pulled his containment cell out once it got a proper hold. All of this was just wasting time before he was destroyed once more. At least he had his memories this imprisonment even if he was just going to rot. For once he was innocent.

The ride was short to the next stop as it backed him into an elevator. He looked out into the wide room and saw Steve along with the others, already out of their van. His childhood friend took a look back at him, but made a slight, sharp move with his head. He was trying to alert him to something. Once they all started to get herded away he finally saw what Steve had been trying to tell him.

You crazy dame...

Aleks was already looking at him but if he didn't know her face so well in his head he would never have recognized her.

She'd obviously updated her wardrobe and he had no idea how, since it looked damn expensive. The jeans were tight on her legs and wrapped around her backside like a second skin. The skirts she'd worn before hadn't given him enough of a picture, but there was no doubt seeing her now, only confirmed- she had an amazing ass. The white blouse she tucked allowed just a hint of cleavage but it looked like she was in her element, despite being in a new country surrounded by police and possible enemies.

Bucky gave an exasperated sigh once he was sure she wasn't hurt or there against her will- and after he was done eyeing her. She's crazy...and stubborn as hell. He tried to give her a dark look, to give an idea of how annoyed he was to see her there putting herself in danger.

It was clear she saw his obvious disproval of her being there against his will, and Aleks looked positively smug. She lifted her head and spun on her heel to follow after the group. Even that far away he knew she was mad but while he wasn't sure if she was exaggerating the walk, she gave him a show nonetheless.

He certainly wasn't completely upset to see her. It warmed him that she was trying to help him, though he had no idea how she got in there or why she was walking around dressed in those clothes. All he was one hundred percent certain of was that if this was the last time he ever saw her, he'd be okay on his happy thoughts on her for a very, very long time.

ooo

Hey all, since its friday I wanted to add another chapter. I've got a couple more done after this already and...there will be naughty things coming up. The next chapter is going to be kinda rough on Bucky and Aleks but I promise smut before it's all over. I'll add appropriate warnings :)

Thank you once again for my favs, follows and reviews!

Ele- Muwha! Kiss kiss, you sweet thing you. And yes you make me so happy! I'd even say you help me keep going if I wasn't having as much fun writing this as I am ^_^ you definitely make me happy to post more often that's for sure.

Agent Creed- Hello! And thank you for the review, i'm glad you like Aleks so much!