AN: So, last chapter was dramatic. Let's see what happens next. By the way, badass Assassin will be coming back. She's been too much of a Mary Sue recently.
When Assassin woke up, she was startled by the arms wrapped around her. She sprang up, ready to attack, and Bucky awoke, startled.
"Angelica, wait. It's just me." Bucky said gently.
Assassin relaxed, but grew angry at his use of her name. She stalked forward, leaning over Bucky and wrapping her hands around his throat, tight enough to be noticeable but not enough to kill. She pulled the knife out of her bra and pressed it to his jugular. "If you ever call me that again, you will not live long enough to regret your words. That name belongs to a little girl that died with her parents." Assassin relaxed her grip on Bucky's throat and tucked the knife away.
He rubbed his neck more in irritation than pain. "Understood. So where do we go from here?"
Assassin sat down heavily, feeling perturbed by his question. "We go about our business. I don't try to kill you or expose you as a traitor, and it would be good for you to find a way to fake your death or escape. There is nothing for you here, and it would be better if you left."
Bucky stared at her intently. "What if I don't believe that? What if I still want to get you out of here, to a better life?"
Assassin turned, looking Bucky dead in the eye. "If that is what you believe, then you are a fool."
Bucky felt stung by her words, and Assassin knew that. She needed him to understand that he was only putting himself in danger by hoping for the impossible. Hydra was her home; she didn't know what she would do if she left, or if she could leave. But telling Bucky her past had opened up a part of her heart, and she cared about him. In what way, she was unsure, but she feared for his safety at Hydra.
The door creaked open, and the Supervisor stood in the doorway. "Rise and shine, people. You have work to do."
Bucky stood up stiffly, stretching his back. Assassin hopped up quickly. "Do we have a mission, sir?"
"You do. Gear up, the two of you leave in an hour. Meet me by Hangar 3 for mission orders."
"Two of us, sir?" Assassin asked.
"Yes. It's time the Soldier got back I the field." The Supervisor replied, icily.
Assassin rushed out of the room, eager for a warm shower and fresh clothes. It took less than five minutes for her to get back to her room and strip. She jumped under the scalding water, relishing the discomfort. Her skin turned red from the heat, but she felt like her problems and the weight of her confession washed down the drain with the water. She scrubbed her skin until it she was squeaky clean, and used her shampoo that smelled like mint, cool and crisp. Turning off the shower and drying herself, Assassin walked to her bed and considered her outfit. She hadn't been told the mission parameters, so simple was best. She chose black skinny jeans, black combat boots, and a short-sleeve black t-shirt. She threw on a black trench coat on top of it. Assassin left her hair as it was, not bothering to find her cap. When she was dressed, she headed to the armory; however, to Assassin's surprise, she was told her weapons were waiting for her at the hangar. This was a change in her usual mission schedule, and it made her wary of what was to come. Assassin made her way to the hangar and was greeted by the mortified face of the Supervisor.
"What the hell are you wearing? This willnot do."
"With all do respect, sir, you did not inform me that I needed to have different attire for this mission."
The Supervisor shot her an chilling glare, but did not argue. Instead, he handed her a black duffel. "You will find your weapons and necessary outfits in the bag. The parcels are labeled. Wear outfit one first, then you will change later into outfit two. The third parcel contains your weapons. Change on the plane. The Soldier will debrief you."
Nodding obediently, Assassin boarded the plane. She didn't see Bucky yet, so she decided to go ahead and change. There was a small bathroom in the back of the plane that Assassin used. There were three parcels in the bag, like the Supervisor had said, all bound in plain brown paper with black numbers stamped on them. She opened parcel three first, curious about her weapons. The package contained several knives in individual sheaths, lightweight and small, designed for stealth. The sheaths were made of a special material Assassin recognized. It off-set the machinery of a metal detector, so the knives would go unnoticed. The sheaths were made to be strapped around her waist, thighs, and arms. There was also a gun in a similar sheath that strapped to the small of her back. Setting the weapons aside, Assassin opened the first parcel. When she saw the outfit it contained, she let out a string of curse words that would have made a sailor blush. Assassin held up the outfit, mortified. It was an evening gown, and an expensive one at that. It was red, a deep burgundy that was almost blood-like, and the material was silky and shimmery. The dress was floor length, with slit up the right side that ended mid-thigh. It exposed her shoulders and had long sleeves that started high on her biceps and ended at her wrist. The front was low enough to show a bit of cleavage, but not enough to be indecent. It had a corset-like middle, with laces that exposed most of the back, stopping mid-way down, but left her arms unhindered. The whole dress was form-fitting and would show off her curves. Anyone but Assassin would love the dress, but Assassin hated dresses, especially fancy ones. Sadly, it was a necessary evil for certain undercover missions, which this clearly was. She had an aversion since she had been taken. She had loved dresses as a child, but now they were a reminder of what had happened. Dresses were for the beautiful and innocent, neither of which Assassin was. That had been taken from her long ago.
Assassin reluctantly slipped on the dress, stuffing her clothes into the duffel. She couldn't quite reach the laces, so she left them alone for the moment. There were also black stilletos in the bag which Assassin put on. She strapped on the knives and gun; the sheaths fit perfectly and the dress hid them, so the weapons were all but invisible."I really hate covert ops." she grumbled, pulling a small box, the size of an average wallet, out of the duffel. It had a brush, makeup, and assorted jewelry. Pulling out the brush, Assassin ran it through her head. After she had cut it, the pixie cut she now sported framed her face beautifully, so there wasn't much to do there. Pulling out the eyeliner, shadow, and mascara, Assassin gave herself a smoky eye with subtle liner that made her eyes seem bigger, and the mascara made her lashes longer. Of the jewelry, Assassin put on a gold chain necklace that hung in tiers down her neck, ending just above her cleavage. She slipped on a pair of diamond stud earrings. It was tasteful, and not too much. When she reached for the next item in the bag, she frowned. It was concealer, the heavy kind that actors used. Assassin knew it was intended to hide her scars, but hiding her scars made Assassin feel like she was hiding a part of herself. The scars were proof of her freedom and independence, no matter how much they changed her face. However, what Hydra wanted, Hydra got, and Assassin slathered on the concealer. It took awhile for her to hide all of the visible scars. She had to use some of the concealer on her back, disguising the scars there. They weren't completely hidden, but they were less noticeable. The last item was lipstick, which was also bright red, and made Assassin's lips look plump and inviting. Looking in the mirror, Assassin barely recognized her reflection. The girl who stared back at her was beautiful. No scars, her skin was flawless, her eyes were big, the green in her eyes was radiant. Her hair framed her face, enhancing her features. The dress offset her pale skin amazingly, and the heels made her seem even taller. For a moment, Assassin got a glimpse of what she could have been if she had never been taken, and it made her sad. That possible life she could have had would never be hers. As soon as this mission ended, she would go back to being herself, ugly and broken.
Assassin tried to reach the laces again, but she was out of practice, and couldn't finish them. Reluctantly, she accepted that she needed help. Holding the front of the dress to her chest, she stepped out. "Bucky, can you come here for a moment?" She called. Assassin wasn't going to let a random Hydra agent lace her up, and Bucky was the only other person around.
"Give me a moment." Bucky called back. Seconds later, he rounded the corner, and Assassin was speechless. Bucky was wearing a black tuxedo with a red bowtie that matched the color of her dress. He was wearing white gloves, which hid the metal of his left hand, and he wore shiny black shoes. To complete the look, his hair was slicked back and slightly to the side. Bucky on his own was attractive.. Bucky in a tuxedo was devilishly handsome.
As soon as Bucky rounded the corner, he felt his mind go blank. Was this woman really Assassin? She was beautiful, almost ethereal. The dress hinted at curves that weren't shown, but the slit showed a tantalizing amount of skin. Her pale skin was flawless, and her eyes were bright and capturing. "I...You... um...you look...beautiful." Bucky stuttered.
Assassin smiled slightly at the compliment, and Bucky felt his knees go weak. "Can you lace me up? I'm having trouble." Assassin's skin prickled as she turned her back to Bucky, exposing the undone laces. She craned her neck, trying to look at him. It was unnatural for Assassin to turn her back to an enemy, and she felt nervous. Bucky stepped forward, hands reaching for the laces. He was enraptured, feeling like he was in the presence of an angel, and couldn't help but let his hands brush over her back. Assassin shivered as his gloves touched her skin.
"All done." Bucky said, stepping back. Assassin turned to thank him, but the plane jolted. She stumbled forward, and Bucky reached out his arms to catch her. Assassin hadn't even noticed when the plane had started, but now she was focused on something else. Bucky had his arms pressed around her, supporting Assassin from falling. His chest was pressed to hers, and his hands were wrapped around her waist. Assassin quickly stepped back, fighting off a blush, even though she felt a slight longing to be back in his arms.
Bucky cleared his throat. "You, um, ready for debriefing?" he asked, shrugging off his embarrassment..
"Oh, yes, where are we going?" Assassin replied, equally flustered.
Bucky's face grew stony, all embarrassment gone. "Tony Stark is hosting a fundraiser party. The invite says that it is for the homeless, but it is secretly trying to raise money for a new S.H.I.E.L.D. Many former agents will be there, some hidden ones will even be in uniform. The target is one of them."
"Name?"
"Maria Hill. She was Fury's right hand when S.H.I.E.L.D was active. I don't understand why Hydra would take such a bold move, taking out such an influential agent."
"We're not meant to understand. We do what we're told, that's all." Assassin said. "What's the plan?"
"We infiltrate the party as guests, locate the target, then I will cause a distraction. The second outfit you have is a S.H.I.E.L.D uniform. During the commotion, agents will be rushing out and trying to protect the leaders. Hill will be among them. You will present yourself as an ally, lure her out with promise of a clean getaway, then kill her during the escape. Understood?" Assassin nodded. "With any luck, this will go smoothly with minimal problems." Bucky explained all of this through clenched teeth, like the words pained him.
Lowering her voice, Assassin said "You know, if there ever was a time to disappear, this would be it. A room full of trained agents? It wouldn't be hard to believe that you were taken out by someone who thought you were working against them."
Bucky smiled sadly. "Why are you telling me this? You're loyal to Hydra, shouldn't you be ordering me to stay and threatening me if I don't?"
"You don't belong at Hydra. You'd do more harm than good by staying. It's better if you leave." Assassin said, harshly.
"Assassin" Bucky started, but she cut him off.
"No. We'll do this mission, but afterwards, whatever this" she gestured between the two of them "is, it's done."
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