**I think I might have over done it just a smidgen getting two chapters done in one night...In my own defense, even I'm at the edge of my seat now**
**Enjoy**
Chapter 12: Where They Made Me
He scanned the area below, surveying the mountainside, following the path of the road until it led toward a large open area in front of a steel door embedded in the stone. The icy air whipped around him, throwing snow in every direction; indicating the storm was nearly right on top of them. He lowered the binoculars, staring down at the door that was now a tiny spec nestled in the side of the mountain; the grin that crept across his face was hidden underneath his mask.
Bucky stood and turned to walk back from the ledge when suddenly a spike of pain radiated out from the center of his brain and wrapped around to the back of his skull like an electrically charged vice grip. The pain was crippling and he fell to his knees, uttering a low howl as his head felt like it was going to explode.
Memories danced through his mind, visions blinding him as he was yanked back to the forties. He saw Steve there, both of them perched on a ledge similar to where he was now.
'You remember when I made you ride the cyclone at Coney Island?'
'Yea, and I threw up?'
'This isn't payback is it?'
'Now why would I do that?'
There were others behind them, five more, they looked so damn familiar. He saw a zip-line, leading down to a set of railroad tracks. Boarding a HYDRA train, the man in the strange suit…then he fell.
'Sergeant Barnes'
'You will be the new fist…of HYDRA'
The whirring of surgical tools, the crackling of electricity, he could see the room they kept him in, he saw the facility, the snowy mountain peaks; and the map mounted on the wall…Boroyzo was the closest town.
Bucky yanked off his mask, feeling like he was going to puke as he struggled for breath. The memories stopped and he came reeling back to the present, but the pain took a little longer to ebb away. His head was throbbing and his whole body seemed to be vibrating with the remnants of pain he hadn't endured in decades; but after that episode…it was obviously still fresh on his mind. It took him several minutes before he finally steadied his nerves and his breathing enough to get to his feet again, putting his mask back on as he continued forward.
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Kade typed in a few more commands on her computer, following the lines upon lines of code as it spilled onto the screen. Behind the mask she was worrying her lip, as a method of distraction or preparation, she wasn't sure just yet. The sound of packed snow crunching beneath boots snapped her attention behind her, seeing Bucky come around into view; learning from experience to never assume.
"Well, we're close, I can say that much" she shouted over the howl of the wind.
"How close?"
"The signal strength is through the roof, the main broadcast point is centered somewhere in this mountain. Finding a way in…that's a whole different ballgame entirely"
"I found a way in"
She glanced back at him, staring at him for a moment in disbelief before she slowly turned back to her computer.
"Well…I guess that's taken care of"
"So even on their doorstep you can't just hack in?"
"It's a little more complicated than that. I can hijack their signal, hack into their mainframe yes, but when it comes to taking full control of their system…that's where it gets complicated"
"How complicated?"
"The safety protocols, the firewall, everything is dynamic, its custom. The coding that was used to develop this system and protect it was designed with this particular motive in mind. I'm able to hack in and copy files, only because I know the parameters of the system, I know how to hide…but to take something out?...It's just not possible unless I'm actually at the mainframe. I should know…my father was the one that designed the damn thing"
"So you need to get inside, is that what you're saying?"
"Yea…why?"
"Get in the truck" he growled, moving toward the driver's side.
"What are you gonna do?" she asked, hastily closing her laptop.
"I'm gonna go ring the doorbell"
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Kade felt the wave of the blast rip around her legs from underneath the Hummer and even with her hands pressing the hood of her parka against her ears, it was still deafening. A billow of thick smoke was swiftly carried away by the swirling wind as they made their way from the cover of the truck, approaching the door.
"You aren't worried about starting an avalanche?" she asked, keeping her voice raised over the storm.
"If I bury them under a mountain worth of snow and rock it's just a plus" he responded.
He strode for the door and thrust his foot against it, forcing the huge steel block open as it groaned loudly against its hinges. A tactical AK-47 was raised and aiming before his foot settled back on the ground, cautiously stepping through the doorway as it opened into a long hallway that looked to split off onto two sides. The caged floodlights lining both sides of the upper walls were on at least…but dim. His eyes scanned all the way down the hall, seeing the slate gray stone walls and ceiling, the concrete floor looking as if it hadn't seen traffic of any kind in quite some time; the smell reminding him of an old abandoned missile silo he hid in during one of his relapses.
"Clear" he called, lowering his gun down across his body.
Kadence finally entered in behind him, keeping pace at his flank as he walked forward. She pulled the neoprene mask down to bunch at her neck, wrinkling her nose at the stale smell that invaded her senses. He raised his gun again as they approached the end of the hallway, keeping his back along the right wall; Kade following suit. After checking down the left, seeing nothing, he swung himself out and aimed down the right side; again seeing nothing but another long stretch of hallway.
She didn't move until she saw him lower his gun, indicating that it was clear. Bucky nodded his head in motion for her to follow as he started down the hall; nerves at the ready in the event he was forced to use his weapon.
"I need to get to the primary control room, the computer there will be hooked directly to the server. I get in there, I can do my best to hack it" she advised, her pace slightly quicker to keep up with his long strides; struggling to pull the small Maglite from her the pocket of her parka.
"Your best?..."
"Look, I didn't make a habit of actually breaking into HYDRA okay, it's going to take some time"
"How long?"
"Optimistically speaking…twenty…maybe thirty minutes"
He glanced back at her, and she could see the disapproval in his eyes.
"Look it's not as easy as they make it in the movies okay, there's no typety, type, bam! You're in…this is complex coding that is designed to be uncrackable"
"If I remember correctly, they said the same thing about the national defense database…and you blew them right out of the water"
"Yea well the NDD, FBI…hell even the CIA…their system is a joke compared to HYDRA's. It's not just reinforced with the knowledge of those weaknesses, but it has a built in failsafe…you screw up one command, and that's it, you're locked out, it takes hours to reset"
"Great" he muttered sarcastically.
"And that's not the worst part…" she hinted.
Bucky slowed to a stop, forcing her to stop as well; his glare out the corner of his eye indicating he wanted an explanation.
"…the moment I get in there, they're gonna know…and they're gonna have every analyst they have scrambling to undo everything and rewrite the codes…they are going to do everything they can to stop me…which is why it might take a while"
"Some good news would be really appreciated"
"Well…if I can get into the primary database, I can write myself into the code as a system admin and lock them out completely…from there it's just a matter of luck"
He partially turned to face her, his brows furrowed.
"We, mostly you, have had nothing but bad luck, and you want to gamble on it?"
She shrugged her shoulders, elevating her arms with it in a defeating gesture. His brows relaxed, if only just to replicate her gesture with his own. He rolled his eyes and moved to start walking forward again; hearing her follow in behind.
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They walked along, her flashlight guiding her way at the very least, being as he seemed to have no issue at all seeing in the dark. Kade's exasperation was released with a sigh as they turned down yet another corridor, seeing each hallway look identical to the one they just came out of. They passed several doors, most of them locked, others just open to small offices, completely cleared out and abandoned.
"This doesn't make any sense, the signal I picked up came from inside this mountain, it should be here…and there was no way it was a relay jump…it was too damn strong…it had to be the primary broadcast…"
She mumbled to herself, her flashlight dancing around the halls as she inspected their condition.
"…If this is supposed to be their secret base, where the hell is everybody?...Christ this place doesn't look like it's seen any traffic in decades, what the-"
Her rant was cut short when she collided with a solid form that was otherwise unmoved as she shuffled backward rather awkwardly.
"A warning would be nice" she snipped.
Kade looked up at him, taking in the look of him near frozen in place, his attention turned toward a doorway to their right. She directed her flashlight to follow the gaze of his eyes, seeing an open doorway. He moved toward it, seemingly in a trance.
"Bucky?" she asked, glancing around nervously as she followed.
The room exploded in size, going back twice as far as the other rooms did. Vaulted ceilings were outfitted with large surgery lights overhead. The tile walls sported various racks and hooks, still holding a variety of surgical equipment. As she walked inside, she saw a hospital bed pushed against the right wall, a shiver racing up her spine when she saw a large, old bloodstain inked across the white bed-sheet tossed on top of it.
Her flashlight darted to the left, a lump forming in her throat when she took in the sight of the very same seat from the archival photos. It reminded her of a dentist's chair with several straps hanging down from the back and an overhead rigging attached to the side. Attached to the rigging was a set of straps and hooks, meant to secure someone's head inside. She felt the goose-bumps break out down her arms and it was nearly impossible to swallow.
"Oh my god…this is…"
"This is where they made me" he finished.
Kade looked up to see him at the end of the room, standing in front of a large, black iron stasis tube; a small circular window mounted in front. Several large canisters had been hooked up to the machine through tubes and cabling.
"This is where they took everything away from me!" he snarled, slamming his fist into the door of the tube; the iron bowing under the pressure of his punch.
She flinched as the sound echoed within the room, and she swore she heard it ring out in the hallways behind her. Kadence took a deep breath to steady herself, hesitantly walking forward. Bucky suddenly let out a pained howl, dropping to his knees, gripping his head with both hands.
"Bucky!" she cried, running over to him.
"Stay away!" he barked, slamming his metal fist down into the floor.
She skidded to a halt less than three feet away, watching on in horror as he panted and strained in pain on the floor; still holding on to his head. Kade felt helpless, training the flashlight on his hunched form as he continued to release guttural grunts and shouts of pain.
Bucky expected his memories to start coming back, but not so quickly in between episodes. It seemed that every recollection was even more painful than the first. He wished they were as easy to accept as when they first started happening, feeling like nothing more than quick bursts of pain across his forehead; now it felt like somebody was taking a jackhammer to his brain every time a memory was triggered.
He recalled sitting in that chair on the other end of the room, straps tied around his head and chest, the currents of electricity that shot throughout his body, the needles, the knives…then back to cryo he went. Just as quickly as it came on, the visions were gone, and slowly but surely the pain went with it; leaving behind a killer headache.
Kade took another step back as he started to get to his feet, holding his position until his breathing leveled out. Bucky turned toward her, feeling a pang of sorrow to see the look on her face; she was worried.
"I know why I remembered Boroyzo…it's because of that map" he stated motioning his head to her right.
She turned and directed her flashlight toward the chair, spotting a map mounted on the wall nearby.
"When they were trying to wipe my brain…I saw that map, and I saw Boroyzo, with a flag pinned on top of it…it was their supply town"
"So this…"
"This was their base of operations back in the forties…this is where HYDRA was born"
Kade let out a sigh of disappointment, her flashlight lowering to the floor.
"So the signal I found was just a ghost"
"No, they're here…" he stated, adjusting the straps of his weapons.
"…they never left…they just upgraded"
With that he strode back out of the room, leaving Kade to scramble in behind him, hoping that his statement meant he knew where he was going this time.
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"You…are all INCOMPETENT!" The Russian howled, sweeping his arm across his desk and throwing everything to the floor; computer monitor included.
Sinclair and the Australian just stood there, both flinching as the entirety of the desk went to the floor in a clattering heap, though neither dared say a word or move otherwise. Victor however glared them both down, the veins in his neck as well as two on his forehead looking like they were going to burst.
"I give you a simple task…one simple task, and the level of your failure borders on the apocalyptic!"
Again, neither dared move as the heated gaze burned into both of them until he zeroed in on the Australian.
"The level of my disappointment in you Mr. Taylor is beyond measure…you are due on the first flight back to your home station, and if I so much as hear one peep of misconduct from you, I will give you a demonstration as to how easy it is for me to employ better snipers…now…GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"
The blonde quickly turned on his heel and exited the room, leaving the commander alone with Victor. The Russian sat down in his chair, his labored breathing suggesting he was doing his best not to reach over his desk and strangle him. Victor pressed his fingers together in front of his face, raising a deadly glare as he spoke.
"When I gave you the order to end her…you assured me that your men in DC could handle it…then you report to me that she's been taken care of…I found it a little strange that I wasn't presented with proof, but I trusted your judgment…then I find out she isn't dead after all…hacking my network, downloading files, and running around Russia with that mistake, you think you can control! So I give you a chance to redeem yourself…and you fail me a SECOND TIME! SHE'S A COMPUTER ANALYST WITH NO MILITARY BACKGROUND, I DID NOT REALIZE SHE'D BE SUCH A PROBLEM FOR YOU!..."
Victor's face was a dark red as his voice boomed, echoing in the room. Sinclair only mildly flinched against the assault to his ears.
"…you are lucky I don't have you assigned as meter maid in Cuba after this absolutely epic fuck up!" The Russian finished, leaning back in his chair as if to calm himself down.
A swift knock on the door, did enough to startle Sinclair.
"WHAT!?" Victor howled.
The door opened, and a young man dressed in a uniform similar to Sinclair's entered, holding several large printed photos in his hand.
"Sir…" he stated, addressing the commander.
"…there's something-"
"Not now Reed" Sinclair barked, cutting off the younger man.
"Sir, I think you'll want to see this" Reed urged, holding out the photos.
Sinclair let out a long sigh then turned, snatching the pictures from the younger man's grasp.
"Scouting drones took those photos not ten minutes ago, along the southwest side of the mountain, by the abandoned service entrance" he advised.
The commander sifted through the photos, seeming unimpressed. He gritted his teeth and offered them back to Reed.
"It's one of our assault trucks…big deal, now get back to your post" Sinclair ordered.
"Sir we ran the ID stamp on that truck…it was decommissioned four years ago after being listed as missing" Reed stated.
Sinclair glanced up at Reed then back down at the photos, flexing his jaw and exhaling through his nose. The commander then turned his attention to Victor, who still looked extremely livid.
"Looks like I don't need to go hunting for him…he's come to us…" Sinclair stated.
He turned to Reed, shoving the pictures into the younger man's hands.
"Assemble the strike team, put everyone on high alert, I want this place on lockdown you hear me, nobody gets in or out without my say so!"
"Sir!" Reed barked, saluting the commander and bolting off.
Sinclair moved to follow, but before he could cross the threshold of the door, Victor spoke up.
"Sinclair…if you do not return with their bodies…I will kill you myself" he warned, his voice dripping with rage.
The commander nodded swiftly, then took off after Reed.
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Kade ducked back behind the wall as a spray of bullets impacted against the corner, crouching down low and using her arm to shield her face as chips of concrete exploded near her face. She looked up just in time to watch one of the men he had been dealing with go flying past her, his spine nearly folding backward as he hit the railing and tumbled down over the side; his scream fading as he fell.
"I can't get a clear shot!" she shouted over the gunfire, her hands wrapped around the glock.
He walked up toward the opening of the hallway, otherwise unaffected by the scrap he had just finished with; the remaining six men dead on the ground. He pulled a grenade from his utility belt, yanking the pin free and giving it a good toss over the corner. The shower of bullets stopped instantly as several men shouted their warnings, given no time at all before the device went off. Kadence barely covered her ears in time, bracing herself against the blast as it released its destructive force on any poor soul in range.
They had finally come to large set of double doors, opening out into a short hallway that spilled into a massive center area that give a core effect down several levels into the depths of the mountain. Each floor ledge came out in a wide circle, allowing one to lean over and look straight down for at least one hundred floors…if not more. The moment they did reach the ledge however, Kadence got a first-hand glance of how many were holding down the base as patrols started opening fire on the intruders. Just as they took cover and started returning fire, a side door opened, releasing seven uniformed recruits that seemed to have had their lunch interrupted by the fire fight. Bucky took advance, dealing with the unwanted assistance rather quickly as she tried her hardest to help return the favor of bullets being delivered by the patrols.
As the ringing in her ears finally subsided, she slowly got to her feet, hesitantly moving toward the edge to peek out; seeing nothing but a charred metal railing, a large blast dent in the wall…and three blackened bodies. He walked out in front of her, heading down the left side, gun aimed at ready, sweeping his sides. Kade followed, her gun lowered, but her grip steady; her finger resting close to the trigger. They moved along the circle, reaching another hallway that led down to the left, opening into a set of elevator doors.
"Where is this room of yours?" he asked sternly.
"Mainframe rooms are kept low, often underground, utilizing the cooler temperatures to keep the servers from overheating"
Bucky said nothing, moving for the elevator and pressing the lower button. The button lit up, and they could vaguely hear the whirring of cables as the elevator drew closer to their floor; though he could hear it slightly better.
A soft chime echoed out and the doors slid open, exposing a middle aged man, dark brown hair and full beard wearing a knee length lap coat. Bucky fired off before the man had a chance to realize he had a gun aimed at him, putting several holes in his chest. He was practically thrown back, hitting the wall and sliding down in a heap; twitching momentarily before a long sigh escaped his mouth.
He walked inside the elevator, turning to face the outside as he waited for her to join him. Kade curled her lip and tip toed in after him, careful to avoid the man's limbs as she took her place inside, mashing down on one of the lower level floors.
"You'd think by now I'd be used to this…but no" she grumbled as the metal doors closed.
The chime echoed out with each floor they went down, and her eyes went to the digital read out on the upper right corner; 78…77…76.
"You get to that room, do whatever you have to get into the mainframe, then I want you to wipe everything…all of it…get rid of it" he instructed, adjusting the straps of one of his weapons.
She snapped her head in his direction, eyeing him carefully.
"What are you gonna do?"
"I'm going to draw their attention, keep them occupied on the lower levels…just make sure you're ready to move when I come back up…I'm giving you thirty minutes"
"Were you listening when I told you it could take longer than that? Why the hell do you need it done in thirty minutes?"
"Because in thirty one minutes, this entire base is going to start the self-destruct sequence"
Kade paled, and it was like someone had a vice grip on her vocal cords; nearly making her drop her gun.
"You can't be serious" she rasped.
"You will have enough time to wipe everything they have…then I plan on bringing this mountain down on top of them"
The determination in his voice was only mildly unsettling, and she swallowed hard.
"What happens if you don't come back in time?" she asked, barely able to recognize her own voice.
"Then you get the fuck out…understand"
Her chest constricted painfully, hearing him answer her without a second thought, as if he expected her to just accept his decision. She slowly turned her attention back toward the digital screen…52…51…50; it was like it was counting down the seconds until her sanity ruptured. Gritting her teeth, she finally caved, nearly tripping over a set of legs to push him against the wall of the elevator. His expression was nothing short of shocked when she all but ripped the mask from his face, throwing it to the floor and crushing her lips to his.
Bucky froze against her sudden assault, processing her actions. It took him only a few seconds before he responded to her, releasing the trigger of the rifle now trapped between them to cradle her face. She wanted so badly to deepen the kiss, she wanted to feel his arms around her once more, as if her mind was convinced it would be the last time.
Kade mustered up the ability to separate from him, keeping her lips just a breath away from his; gritting her teeth again to keep the threat of tears at bay.
"Try not to be late" she stated.
She backed up slowly, keeping her eyes on him…at least until her heel collided with a leg and she went backward. His hand shot out, taking a handful of her parka, and holding her up until she corrected her footing; her heart up in her throat regardless.
"Try not to get yourself killed" he advised.
Bucky waited until she regained her balance before he released her, leaning down to retrieve the mask she threw to the ground. He raised it back to his face, securing it down before his hand went back to the gun; readying himself as the floor numbers steadily got lower in value.
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The chime rang out and Bucky came striding out of the elevator, gun aimed as he scanned the hallway. Kade came out soon after, keeping her back tucked to the right wall as they came down the short hallway. As he neared the left corner, she caught sight of what appeared to be a set of windows set on either side of a door along the wall ahead of her. She slowed her pace, leaning forward ever so slightly to try and peek inside; swearing under her breath to see nothing but her reflection in the dark tinted glass.
She took a step forward, inspecting the writing branded on the top of the heavy metal door, and a rush of adrenaline burned in her veins. 'Server Room: Restricted Access'
"Jackpot" she stated, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
Kade tried the handle, feeling her initial joy ebb away when the lever didn't give; her eyes falling to the fingerprint scanner mounted above it.
"Back up" he instructed.
When she looked up at him, his gun was aimed in her direction. She threw herself back just in time for a spray of bullets to demolish the lock and handle both. In an instant, he strode forward, thrusting his foot into the center of the door; throwing it open. He swept inside, and she prayed that he wouldn't find anyone; fearing that whatever he destroyed in this room would screw them royally.
"Clear" he called.
Kade came inside, feeling the cold chill of the room the moment she stepped forward, seeing rows upon rows of server racks lining the length of the room, from floor to ceiling. Further inspection brought her to a terminal centered on the far right, in front of the tempered glass window that lined the entire right wall.
She wasted no time, striding toward it and pulling the laptop from her bag. Distant shouting caught both their attentions and she glanced back at him, seeing he was already posted at the door; a death grip on his gun.
"Thirty minutes…get to work" he instructed.
Just like that he left the room, and she watched as he walked out to the ledge, opening fire to the right. She flinched when the pings of bullets struck the glass, alerting her of the group of soldiers that had emerged from a hallway, engaging him with gunfire. Concerned eyes went back to where he was, and she watched him grip the railing and vault himself over.
Her stomach lurched violently, and it was hard to remind herself that he knew his limits; he knew what he could survive. The soldiers scurried around the pathway circling the center gap, guns aimed down, some of firing off in hopes to hit him as he led them down a level. His plan seemed to work, being as none of them even bothered to check the server room, racing around after the intruder.
Kade took a steadying breath, and fired up her laptop, taking a moment to sift through the mass of cables in her bag before she found the ones she needed. With everything hooked up and ready she cracked her knuckles and placed her hands over the terminal keyboard.
