A/N (Hamato Alexa): Sorry about the really late update, and another shorter chapter. On a side note, check out Captain Parkour's new one shot called 'Blood in the Water'. It is AMAZING! Anyway, enjoy this chapter. :)

Chapter 9

When I came to I felt as though I had been run over by a steam roller. My entire body ached and my eyes felt like lead as I tried to open them against the harsh light of the dirty room. Despite my headache I tried to scan my surroundings. I was in a small dimly lit room made of some kind of brownish brick. The room was ice cold and I could see my breath form in puffs as air left my body. There was a group of scientists standing in a corner bent over some strange machine. As my eyes continued scanning the room I noticed Bucky standing in a darkened corner, the metal of him arm gleaming like blood in the dim light. "Bucky!" As I began to sit up it was then I noticed the large metal cuffs that held me in place. I tried to pull against them in a vain attempt to break myself free but to no avail. I could tell that they were made to hold something much stronger than a 23 year old girl.

One of the men that was huddled over the machine turned to face me, straightening his lab coat his deep brown gazed at me, seemingly uninterested, "Your precious Bucky isn't going to be able to help, and neither will your other friend either. What was her name? Diana?"

"It's Damia you bastard. Now what have you done to her." I glared holes into him, praying for once that I had Damia's power of persuasion.

"Let's just say we removed her from the picture...permanently."

"You BASTARD!" I struggled even harder against my restraints knowing that I would never be able break free with pure strength alone.

The man fixed his lab coat again and turned back to the machine, "Do you know what this machine does? It erases your memory, leaving us with a blank space for us to mold into our own design. So tell me Ms. Carson, are you ready to lose everything you've ever known?"

I was about to respond when I noticed Bucky shift his weight. I glanced over at him as he did and I thought I saw him wink. I blinked in surprise, thinking that my mind was beginning to play tricks on me.

"Do what you want to me, but you will never win. You can take away my memories, but I will fight you every step of the way." I leaned back in the chair, "Do your worst."

The man nodded with a smirk on his face, "Don't worry child, we will." He pressed a button and sparks began to fly from the machine. Soon chaos erupted and people began swarming the room.

Once the room was full of people Bucky made his way through the crowd of people and released me from the chair. He grabbed my arm and whispered in my ear, "Don't draw any attention to us. Don't try to struggle either."

Bucky practically dragged me from the room and down a series of dimly lit hallways and down a set of stairs into a corridor filled with jail cells. Quickly, he pulled open one that was unlocked and threw me inside. "Don't try to escape. I'll be back to break you out soon. In the meantime, don't draw any attention to yourself." With that he slammed the door closed and the lock clicked into place. He quickly ran away leaving me alone. As soon as he was gone I slammed my foot into the wall and screamed in frustration. Damia was gone and it was all my fault. I slid down the wall as tears ran down my cheeks. I had promised to protect her and I had failed. It was all my fault.

...

The cell was fairly small. I could only pace five steps in either direction before I was met with a wall. There were no windows except for the one on the door and the only light in the room came from that window. The floors and walls were made of concrete which made the room colder than the rest of the building. I must have been in the cell for no more than an hour when I heard footsteps approaching followed by shouting and the sound of guns firing. I stepped up to the window to see guards racing past. I continued gazing out into the hallway and was about to look away when I saw the air shimmer and Damia materialize near my door.

"Damia?" She didn't seem to hear me so a began hitting the door to get her attention. "Damia!"

Her head whipped towards me, a look of surprise across her face. I noticed that she looked thinner and paler than when I had last seen her, probably close to a week now. "Riley?" Her voice was barely above a whisper but I was able to read her lips.

"Damia? Is that really you? How are you alive? I thought you were dead!" I was nearly shouting now in order for her to be able to hear me through the thick steel door.

Her eyes suddenly widened in shock and she stepped back from the door, shaking her head violently. "No. No it's not you. It can't be you. It's just another trap." I had to read her lips in order to understand her. She turned and began sprinting down the hall in the direction the guards had come from.

"Damia! DAMIA!" I began banging on the door trying to get her back but to no avail. Soon I was once again left alone with my thoughts.

...

It wasn't long after that I thought I could hear faint explosions in the distance. I stood up from where I was sitting against the cold concrete wall. The door to my cell opened and man stood there shrouded in shadow. Before I had a chance to react he unsheathed a katana from his back and plunged it through my heart.

Dun Dun Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun!