Author's Note: Hi all, thank you so much for reading and reviewing! It's so awesome to hear from you all!
I do have a warning, this chapter has some violence in it. I tried to keep out of it as much as possible but it's still there so, be aware.
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So you know the drill!
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He could see their faces. All of them. All of the faces of the people he had killed; standing around him. He was brought to his knees, overwhelmed as the feeling of guilt and rage swarmed him. He could feel their anger. Most of the men and women before him were bad people, he knew that. It was the faces filled with sadness he couldn't stand. These were the people that got in the way, these were the people HYDRA forced him to pull the trigger for. These were the innocents.
Bucky clutched his head, feeling pain swarm through him as their eyes bore into his very soul; at least, what he believed was left of his tainted soul.
He was suffocating. His eyes shut tightly; he could still feel them. "Go away!" He shouted as his body jerked in pain, he wanted them to stop. He wanted their pain to stop, he wanted his pain to stop. He needed to get away.
As quickly as the violent memories came, they subsided. He couldn't feel them anymore. Concerned, Bucky slowly opened his eyes, he was no longer stuck in the sea of victims; he was alone. His breathing staggered as he slowly stood, looking around in the black emptiness; waiting for what was next. That's when he saw her, he knew it was her. The red hair gave her away as she came closer. She was smiling warmly, hands on her hips in that sassy way as her eyebrow quirked. "What are you doing, Ghost?" He wasn't sure how to respond. What was he doing here? "It's time to forget all this, let's go."
She turned and began to walk away, Bucky quickly started after her. "Where are we going?" He called out to her.
"Redemption." Riley said with a hint of laughter. "We're going to your rebirth."
"What does that mean?" He asked somewhat quietly.
Riley stopped walking, turning now to face him. "You're going to be great, I know you will. We just have to get you out of this hole."
He was frustrated, his head was pounding. "This is who I am, Riley. You know that. This is all I'll ever be."
Her smile faded slightly. "You know that's not true. You know I think the world of you."
Bucky sighed. "You're the only thing keeping me from going under." He reminded her. "And I've lost you."
"Then come find me."
His head was pounding; the floor was cold and his head was pounding. That's all he could register as his eyelids began to flutter. Where was he? What happened? They were under attack and his red head was in danger. Red head, danger, where is Red? He quickly sat up, regretting that decision instantaneously as he tried to look around. It was pitch black nothingness as his head throbbed. 'She hit me…' He deduced as he tried to regain his bearings.
Bucky hissed in pain as he rummaged through his pockets, trying to find the communicator. His metal fingers touched the communicator, he practically ripped it from his pocket as he tried to fidget with it. 'She turned it off…' He thought as he held down the on button. The communicator was the only light in the room as he tried to get in touch with someone, anyone.
"Bucky?" He heard through the other end. "Bucky is that you?"
"Maria?" He was relieved when her voice came over the other end.
"Sergeant Barnes, what's going on?" She asked, returning to formalities.
He scoffed. "I was hoping you could tell me."
"Where's Agent Campbell?"
Bucky exhaled, most if not all the air in his lungs escaped his body as he tried to think. "I don't know. HYDRA was coming for us, we were here and she—" He stopped before sighing. "She's with them." He realized.
"They took Riley?" Maria's confirmation was the silence on the other end. "Rogers is on his way to you, Stark left when he heard the transmission from Riley. They should be there soon. Hang in there, Barnes. We'll get her back."
"Can you get in touch with them?" Bucky asked, forcing himself to stand. He was wobbly on his feet at first and steadied himself on the desk Riley had hid him under.
"What are you thinking, Barnes?"
Bucky sighed, he knew what he had to do. "Send them the coordinates to the HIVE. I know Stark had them. Tell them I'll meet them there."
"You can't go off alone, especially to a still somewhat functioning HYDRA base." Maria warned him.
"They won't be functioning when I get through with them." Bucky threatened. "It's the only way to find where they took Riley. I'll meet them there." He turned off the communicator, checked his weapons, and felt his way out of the bunker. James Buchannan Barnes knew he wanted redemption from the lives he stole, from his past; he wanted to move forward. He also knew the only way to move passed being the stone cold killer known as the Winter Soldier was to become him one last time.
Steve was already worried about his best friend and the impulsive red head. He knew in his gut that letting them go was a terrible idea on Stark's part. Now, he was determined to get them back before someone else got to them first.
He had stolen the jet from the Avengers base, let the new recruits come with him, and had those same recruits steal the coordinates of his friend's location. Steve Rogers, America's most honest man, was on a roll for a life of crime. At least, in his mind he was.
In that moment, he was calm. It wasn't until the message from Maria came did he really begin to panic. Bucky was going out on his own? That could only mean one thing. "We will head for the HIVE and get the information about where Riley could be." Natasha promised Steve.
"I don't want Bucky to fall down a dark path again." Steve said.
"Sometimes we have to go to the deepest and darkest parts of our past in order to make a better future. Trust me, Steve. He's fine. He knows what he has to do and he's willing to do whatever it takes to get Riley back. Once we get there, we can assess the situation better. For now, we just have to assume he knows what he's doing."
Steve was left with a dissatisfied taste in his mouth. "How much longer?"
"Five minutes tops, we're almost there." She said harshly. "Steve, we'll fix this."
"I know. I just hope it's not too late for some." He said solemnly, afraid of what he'd find when they landed.
Like a plague, he moved swiftly and silently. Getting into the base was not a problem as he infiltrated his old home. He quietly made his way down to the lower levels and that's when the massacre began. His boots heavily making contact with the floor, echoing in his ears as he went. Bucky was seeing red as he moved forward, dodging other attacks and killing anything that moved. He was out for vengeance, he was determined to get his red head back by any means.
No one was expecting the attack, they came at him with everything available to them. Nothing was stopping the Winter Soldier.
Five special operatives turned the corner, aiming their weapons at the man with the metal arm. "Drop your weapons!" They threatened.
Bucky dropped his side arms, and as if in slow motion, quickly grabbed the assault rifle on his back and began firing at the squad. They ducked out of the way as Bucky made his maneuver to dodge their attacks. He took out three of the five in the first few seconds. He closed the gap between the last two, grabbing his knife and slashing at one. It took two seconds for the man to realize he had been stabbed numerous times, and only one to fall to his death. The next one he grabbed by the collar. His glare menacing, terrifying the operative before head butting him and knocking him out. This one would live to see another day.
In his dream, Riley spoke of redemption. Bringing him out of his darkness and into the light. Right now, he knew he was doing the exact opposite. Bucky also knew, he had to. There was no other way to get Riley back now. He had to go deeper into that darkness before coming out. He couldn't do it without her. It wasn't until he had heard a familiar voice behind him that made him realize just how deep into that darkness he really went.
"Bucky?" Bucky turned, seeing the shocked faces of Steve, Wanda, and Pietro. Natasha, however, was not surprised in the slightest.
"He did what he had to." Natasha said in passing as she walked over to the panting soldier. "We all have to do what is necessary." She reminded Bucky. "Where do we find out where Riley is?"
Bucky looked at the rest of the group, he knew he'd have to apologize big time to his friend but, for now, Natasha was right. "Intel room, we have a few more hallways to clear."
Steve walked forward, adamant in his request. "Fine, but, I'm not here to kill anyone. We do what we have to but, I'm not looking to take out the entire base. We get what we need and we're out."
Bucky nodded. "Then don't get in my way."
"She wouldn't want this, Buck." Steve reminded him.
"She can hate me all she wants when I get her back." He grumbled before reloading his next set of handguns.
"HYDRA is going to come at us swiftly and with no mercy. Do what you have to do." Natasha said, checking her own weapon as the two assassins went forward.
Steve looked at the two enhanced apologetically. "This isn't how we do things."
"This isn't how you do things. The soldier has his own agenda." Wanda said in passing. "Let me know when I need to take him down."
Steve sighed. "Looks like a lot sooner than I hoped. Let's go."
"Time for some fun." Pietro said with a smirk as he sprinted down the hallway of the base and heading for the nearest HYDRA agents to knock over.
Like a wave, Natasha and Bucky knocked over their enemies with great force. They knew there was no going back, not for Barnes. He was doing what he had to. Natasha understood that more than anyone. They pushed forward, making their way to the Intel room as fast as they could. Bucky was actually relieved when he saw the familiar Shield from the corner of his eye and knocking over an enemy. Steve wouldn't let him go too far gone. He knew that in the back of his mind. He just hoped Steve wouldn't stop him from pulling the trigger and doing what was necessary.
Bright light; that was what Riley first noticed about the room she was in. She couldn't remember when they sedated her, it seemed almost as quickly as she entered the HYDRA truck she was out. She felt groggy, nauseous, and irritable. Slowly she sat up, resting her head in her hands as her eyes tried to focus on the floor. "The sedative will wear off soon, sweet pea." She heard the velvety voice in the room say. Riley forced her head up to see the woman sitting across from her.
"Nora—" She mumbled, trying to focus as the woman smiled.
"Please, call me mom." She said softly. "You have grown up to be—" She paused, taking in the sight of her child for the first time in years as her eyes began to water. "You're so beautiful, Riley. I've hoped and prayed for this day for so long."
"This isn't exactly a family reunion." Riley said through gritted teeth as her eyes focused more, her head less clouded. "Where am I? Is Granddad here?"
"We can get to that later." Nora said. "For now, I want to get to know my daughter."
Riley scoffed. "Please, spare me the theatrics. You're not mother of the year here."
"I wanted to bring you with me." Nora tried again, wanting to connect with her daughter. "I wanted you to be with me."
Riley shook her head. "Granddad wouldn't let you, he was right for keeping me from you. You're a monster."
Her small smile turned into a wryly smirk. "And where do you think I got that from, Riley?" Riley looked perplexed as Nora chuckled. "Don't be foolish, girl. I was introduced to HYDRA by Emmet, he was the reason I was noticed in the first place."
"What are you talking about?" Riley spat. "Granddad was not a member of HYDRA, he fought against them in the war."
Nora couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, sweet pea. Is that what he told you?" Her tone was condescending as she shifted slightly in her chair. "Your Granddad was a member of the elite sniper team of HYDRA. The youngest and most promising in the group. Emmet Campbell was the number one in death tolls throughout the HYDRA operation. He moved to America after their downfall to eventually have your Aunt and I. Growing up, Beatrice displayed excellent marksmanship; I, however, had a different talent." Riley was in shock, her mind couldn't process the new development. How could her Granddad possibly be a part of HYDRA? "When I was taken aboard, I was young, your Granddad wasn't happy about it but, I had such a promising future."
"You made a machine that destroyed someone's life—" Riley corrected.
"No, I made a machine that was going to help us change the world." Nora said as a matter-of-fact. "Your Granddad didn't really care for my new experiments, and when he denounced HYDRA, he also denounced me as a daughter. That was fine, I didn't need them. Then years later, when I had you, they wanted to keep you from me."
"With good reason." Riley fought.
Nora smiled with feigned sympathy. "You are so angry with me for creating this machine, however, not mad at the ones that used it on you." She said. "I wonder why that is?"
"They did what they had to." Riley tried to defend.
"Your Granddad made me into the woman I am today." Nora reminded her. "Don't forget he made you who you are too. We're both life destroyers in our own way."
"The difference is what he made me is going to stop you." Riley said coldly.
"No." Nora said with an evil smile. "What he made you is going to help me retrieve the asset." With a quick nod, the two were no longer alone. Two armed men came in and quickly grabbed Riley. She thrashed and struggled, trying to get away.
Riley screamed and protested, trying to get away from the men as they dragged her down the hallway, Nora following suit as they came to a metal door. The group went inside; Riley's eyes immediately fell onto the familiar chair at the center of the room. "No!" She shouted, kicking more as the men forced her down onto the chair, strapping her in. "You can't do this!" She screamed.
Nora walked over once her daughter was securely fastened to the chair, pulling down the head piece. "We're going to get rid of all the bad things your Granddad brainwashed you with, we'll make you a new woman. You'll still be the assassin he made you but, a more obedient one." Riley felt tears begin to stream down her cheeks. "You're going to stop our asset, and then we'll wipe him and have a duo of unstoppable killers."
"You're a monster." Riley said through gritted teeth.
"No, I'm just the product of one." Nora reminded her. "It'll only hurt for a little bit, sweet pea. Close your eyes." She slowly backed away from the chair, looking at a man that Riley couldn't see and nodded.
Riley could hear the machine power up, her heart racing in her chest as she squeezed her eyes shut. The first wave of electromagnetic waves surging through her body. Riley couldn't help but scream at the pain in her head. Slowly, she was losing him. No matter how hard she tried to hold on to his memory, he was forcefully being ripped from her.
By the time they reached the Intel room, Bucky was almost positive that there was no one left in the base. "Search everything, the database, files, everything." He said sternly before walking over to the computer. He was joined by the rest of the group, everyone spread out to find any information what-so-ever on the whereabouts of Nora or Riley.
"What if we can't find anything?" Pietro asked.
"We will." Bucky said through gritted teeth as he continued searching the database for Nora. That's when a loud bang came from the door. "Steve!" Bucky called as he continued searching the database.
Steve, Pietro and Wanda ran for the door, Wanda placed a force field to prevent any intruders from coming in. As far as the group knew, they were trapped. "I can only hold it for so long!" Wanda warned the group as she held the door shut with her mind.
"Hurry up, soldier!" Pietro yelled.
"Patience is a virtue." Bucky sighed as he typed.
"Not right now it's not." Natasha said back as she helped him search.
Wanda continued to hold the force field up; her body shaking as she held it there. The reinforcements on the other side continuing to try and break through. "Soldier!" Pietro warned again.
"Hold it!" Bucky kept searching, photos after photos came up; files flashing before his eyes on the screen. That's when Nora's face finally came forward. "Nora—" He said, skimming the files.
"Spider, she's at the spider base!" Natasha confirmed. "Let's go!"
Bucky nodded, turning around just as Wanda was about to collapse. "Wanda, now!"
Wanda quickly dropped the field, the door blasting open as the group grabbed their weapons. Bucky, immediately firing at the first few agents to rush through; Steve threw his shield and knocked over three incoming enemies. Pietro raced out of the room for a quick roundup of enemies. Wanda regained her composure before using her gifts to take out a few enemies of her own.
The group knew they'd have to fight their way out, but, at least Bucky knew now he was going to find Riley. He just hoped he wasn't too late when he did.
Final Thought: Oh maaaaan. What's going to happen? Review to find out! Thanks for reading!
