a/n: And so ends part one! And in chapter twelve, Loki shows up! I hope you enjoy the double update! Thanks for the reviews, favorites, and follows! It means a lot! Please enjoy!
March 2013
When Nick Fury had learned that he was being hunted, he had spoken to the three people he knew he could trust above all others: Maria Hill, Steve Rogers, and Clara Anderson.
He had known Clara for eighteen years now. She had come to SHIELD when her daughter had been taken by unknown assailants, and had told him about a suspected terrorist group that her ex-husband had worked for. They had planned on turning her daughter into a super assassin. While Clara had not known the name of the organization, SHIELD had been impressed by this strong, determined woman and had recruited her to be an agent. Nick had kept a close eye on her ever since. She was clean, with very few infractions of SHIELD code, she caught on quickly, and she excelled in training. She had moved up the ranks quickly. She was a level eight agent now, and showing a lot of promise.
Nick knew that she only had one true goal, which was to find her daughter. She would stop at nothing to do so and she had no ulterior motives. He knew that it was so unlikely that she was involved in Hydra that he had had Hill fetch her, so they could use her knowledge and skills in taking down Hydra.
He was lying on his hospital bed in their secret, underground, makeshift hideout, with Clara sitting nearby, arms folded as she absorbed everything that she had just told him.
"So you're saying," Clara began, surprisingly calm, "that Hydra has taken over SHIELD. And not only that, but they have two super assassins that have not only tried to kill you, but Steve and Nat too?" Nick nodded. "How long have you known?"
"About Hydra?" She nodded. "I found out yesterday when they tried to have me killed." Clara said nothing. She was glad that he hadn't kept this a secret. Nick had a lot of secrets, and lots of the time, Clara thought that he should be more free with his information. If he had kept something like this to himself, she would have been extremely pissed. "The assassins are known as The Winter Soldier and The Scarlet Killer," Nick continued. "The Scarlet Killer is a girl. Eye witnesses say that she is blonde and appears to be around eighteen to twenty years old."
Clara whirled around at that, eyes wide. Did she dare to believe it? If it wasn't true and Paige had slipped through her fingers again… She didn't know if she could take it. "I don't know if it's her for sure, but it's possible," Nick said. "From what you've said about your ex's workplace and what we know about Hydra, I think it's a strong possibility."
She couldn't help but agree. All the pieces fit. The timeline, the appearance. Clara would have to get a good look at this Scarlet Killer to be sure. She wasn't worried that she wouldn't recognize her own daughter. There wasn't a mother in the world that wouldn't know her own child by sight. "Then let's take the bastards out and find out for sure."
Scarlet stared straight at the wall as a couple Hydra doctors stitched up the wound Romanoff had given her. The fearsome Black Widow. Scarlet held a lot of respect for her latest opponent. Not many people could hold her off, and Romanoff wasn't even enhanced. Rogers had gotten quite a few of his licks in too. The girl would have a few bruises thanks to him.
The eighteen year old winced as the doctor stuck the needle through her skin. Scarlet had thick skin and a high pain tolerance, so it wasn't bad pain, but that didn't make it fun either.
Her attention now turned to her partner. That man had called him Bucky. Was that his real name? Did Winter somehow know Rogers? Maybe they were friends before Winter was taken in by Hydra. Scarlet had figured out long ago that Winter didn't join Hydra by choice. Why else would they keep erasing his mind and putting him in cryo freeze? That was another aspect that endeared Scarlet to her partner. She felt that if he knew what was happening to him, they would have an understanding. That they might be real friends outside of Hydra, because there was really no one else that understood them.
Scarlet was tempted to ask him if he knew Rogers. If he had any memory of the blonde man with the shield. But she dared not ask him anything in front of the other Hydra agents. They might tell Pierce and Fedorov. She knew all too well that Fedorov detested questions, especially from the young girl. Scarlet looked over at Winter, who was getting his arm fixed. She barely had time to register that he looked both confused and angry when he lashed out at the doctor who was fixing his arm. Guns were immediately pointed at both of them, though neither of them reacted. They both just sat there, confused and unsure.
It was then that Pierce walked into the room. Scarlet looked up and she felt a small tug on her stitches. She winced again, but right then the doctor finished tying up the stitch, leaving her nearly healed. Pierce ignored her and focused on Winter. "Mission report," he demanded. Winter did not reply. "Mission report. Now." Still, The Winter Soldier gave no reply. Pierce stepped forward and slapped him harshly.
Scarlet reacted instinctively, shooting to her feet and making a fist before she caught herself. Stupid, she told herself. Without saying anything, she sat down, trying to keep the hatred out of her eyes. Pierce only nodded in satisfaction as she sat down without being told. The Scarlet Killer did have quite a temper on her. However, he was uneasy about this apparent bond being formed between The Scarlet Killer and the Winter Soldier. Something would have to be done about that.
"That man on the bridge," Winter began. "Who was he?" Scarlet could tell by his tone that he too recognized the man. He sounded confused. That was something she had never heard in his tone before.
Pierce shook his head. "You met him earlier this week on another assignment," he explained.
But Winter was insistent. "I knew him," he said softly.
"Rogers knew the Winter Soldier, sir," Scarlet supplied quietly. "There was recognition in his eyes. It was clear as day." Scarlet barely registered Pierce's anger before she felt the slap across her face. She didn't even flinch. She hardly even reacted. It wasn't like Pierce had actually hurt her, but she got the message. She had spoken out of turn. Even if what she said was true.
"Keep quiet, project!" he snapped forcefully. Then, he took a deep breath and forced calmness. "I don't know what you saw or didn't see, but Rogers does not know the Asset. He must've mistaken him for someone else." He glared at Scarlet. "Never speak of this again. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," Scarlet said quietly. He was lying. Scarlet knew that much. But she figured that arguing with Pierce was not the best course of action. However, she did begin to ask herself more questions. Who was Winter really? Did he really know Rogers? Did that mean that his real name was Bucky? Scarlet could only wonder.
Pierce's face relaxed. He sat down on a stool by Winter and Scarlet. "Your work has been a gift to mankind," he told them seriously. "You've shaped this century. And I need you to do it one more time. Society is at a tipping point between order and chaos. Tomorrow morning we're going to give it a push. But if you don't do your part, I can't do mine. And Hydra can't give the world the freedom it deserves."
Scarlet nodded at Pierce's words. She disagreed with them, but her job was not to argue morals with Pierce. Her job was to kill whomever he told her to. Winter, however, did not seem to be listening. "But I knew him," he said quietly, insistently. Pierce stared at him for a moment before standing up.
"Prep him," he instructed the scientists.
"He's been out of cryo freeze too long," the nearest doctor told him.
"Then wipe him and start over," Pierce replied. They nodded and approached Winter to prep the machines. "Rumlow, take The Scarlet Killer and get her ready for tomorrow." Rumlow nodded and gestures for her to follow him. Reluctantly, Scarlet stood up and followed Rumlow, trying very hard to ignore the screams of Winter as he had his mind erased yet again.
When Winter told her that her job was to fly a jet around, trying to shoot down Rogers's air support, Wilson, she nearly refused. The idea of being in a jet when she could be on the ground, helping her partner made her absolutely furious. But what caused her to be furious didn't matter to Hydra. She had a job to do, and that was to make sure that Project Insight made it into the air. Whatever it takes. So Scarlet did as her partner told her, climbing into the jet and taking off from the ground and flying over the Triskelion building.
It didn't take long for her to catch sight of Wilson, flying through the air with his fancy wings. Narrowing her eyes, Scarlet aimed for his wings and fired rapidly. Wilson turned ever so slightly to catch sight of her before spinning in midair, pulling his wings closer to him. Scarlet ground her teeth in frustration. Wilson was fast, she had to give him that. She took the steering stick and turned it sharply so that she spun in the air, following his flying pattern while continuing to fly.
However, she couldn't quite hit him. At one point, he turned around and fired at her with two handguns. The bullets shattered the glass of her windshield, blinding her momentarily. Angrily, she fired aimlessly, hoping to hit something. Through a small bit of glass on the window, she saw that she had hit him. In fact, she had taken one of his wings off. He was falling to the ground. Scarlet smirked in satisfaction.
But her smirk quickly fell off her face as she became more aware of her surroundings. In her anger at Wilson, she had not realized that one of his bullets had hit the fuel tank. An alarm was beeping rapidly, warning her of the danger. She looked out the window and saw that the ship was going down at an incredible rate. She had to abandon ship.
Scarlet scrambled to look underneath her seat. There! The lever. She yanked on it, hoping that it would eject her from the ship. But nothing happened. She pulled again. Still, nothing. No matter how hard she pulled on the lever, she was stuck in the jet. Her breathing picked up now as she realized that she was nearing her doom. Scarlet tried to unbuckle herself, but her seatbelt was stuck. She yanked and pulled, but not even her strength seemed to be able to break the seatbelt. She barely had time to suck in one last breath before the jet hit the water and she fell unconscious.
"You know me." The Winter Soldier stared down the target with anger in his eyes. The truth was, he did know him. He knew this shield carrying man, but he couldn't think why.
"No I don't!" he shouted angrily, lashing out at him. Captain America stumbled and fell, but he did not defend himself. He didn't fight back. He just took it.
"Bucky, you've known me your whole life," he insisted, desperate to get Bucky out of there. Somewhere inside the Winter Soldier was his childhood best friend. Steve had already lost him once and he wasn't going to lose him again.
The Winter Soldier punched him again in frustration. He tried to bring up a memory of this man, but nothing was coming to mind. He did know him but he didn't know why. Who was this man to him? Steve did not stop. He got back up again, determined to save his friend. "Your name is James Buchanan Barnes," he persisted.
"Shut up!" The Winter Soldier shouted. No. He could not possibly know this man. Pierce himself had said so. But then, hadn't The Scarlet Killer said that Rogers recognized him? He had known The Scarlet Killer for a long time and he never knew her to be a liar. Pierce on the other hand... he didn't know if he could trust him. But then, who could he trust anymore? He wasn't sure what was real and what wasn't. Nothing made sense to him anymore. It was absolutely infuriating.
Steve stood up, recovering from the blows the Winter Soldier had delivered. He dropped his shield while looking Bucky directly in the eye. "I'm not gonna fight you," he said. "You're my friend."
This only infuriated the Winter Soldier even more. With a cry of rage, he charged at the Captain, tackling him to the ground. "You're my mission," he spat out at him before punching him harshly on the face over and over. "You're! My! Mission!" he shouted with each punch, trying to convince himself that that was his only connection to this man. That he wasn't his friend. But it didn't work. He knew this man.
Steve only lay there, letting the Winter Soldier hit him over and over. Bruises covered his face. "Then finish it," he managed to say. "'Cause I'm with you till the end of the line."
That did it. The Winter Soldier halted his next punch as he repeated the words in his head. He knew those words. In fact, he had said them himself. To this man. An image popped up in his head. An image of a smaller version of this man, who was picking fights and chasing after him down Brooklyn streets. Steve, he thought. That was this man's name. Steve Rogers. His best friend from his childhood days. It was all coming back to him now. And suddenly, everything was clear.
As all his memories of a life before Hydra came rushing back to him, the helicarrier broke. The floor beneath them broke open, and Steve fell through, hurtling towards the water below them. Bucky held on for only a moment before he too let go of the helicarrier and followed after Steve. He had to save him. His best friend. He hit the water and immediately started to swim after him. He caught Steve first, grabbing the Captain from under his arms. He was about to swim upwards when his enhanced vision caught sight of something else. A sinking jet. The very same jet he had instructed The Scarlet Killer to fly. She was inside it.
He looked at Steve for a moment and then back to the jet. He had to save both. Steve had been under water least. So he let go of him for a moment and quickly swam down to the jet. He punched through the windshield and swam inside the jet. He ripped the seat belt off of her and grabbed her shirt quickly before she sank even more. Then, he kicked rapidly until he reached Steve. He latched onto his best friend and pulled both Steve and Scarlet to the surface.
Bucky dragged their bodies to the shore and then stopped to rest for a bit. He examined both of them as he weighed his options. Should he stay here? No. They would only arrest him and imprison him for the damage done. It would be better if he left. But The Scarlet Killer... she was barely an adult. She had been taken by Hydra as a kid. It was all she knew. They didn't punish children for something they couldn't prevent. So he could leave her here. But should he? The Scarlet Killer was the only friend he really had, other than Steve. She understood him in a way Steve never could, just as he understood her. This much he knew: she deserved a better life than the one Hydra gave him. He should've helped her escape a long time ago. He had wanted to. But he was afraid. Afraid of the repercussions. Afraid of being alone. He was stuck in the same position again. If he took her with him, she would know nothing but a life on the run. That wasn't what she deserved. She deserved to go to school and to make friends and to have a family just as he did as a child. He couldn't give that to her. Steve could. However, he knew he would be alone if he left her here. Alone in the big wide world with no one who understood him at his side.
He huffed as he thought it over. The choice was clear and yet it wasn't. He had to leave the girl here. He hated the idea of being alone, but he trusted that Steve would take care of the girl. She would have a life here; a life that he could never give her. With that in mind, he bent down and stroked her hair gently. "Прощай (Goodbye)," he whispered to her before standing up and walking away from the only two friends he had in this world.
When Steve woke up, he saw the blurry form of Bucky walking away. Somewhere in his fuzzy brain, he made the connection: Bucky had saved his life. He lifted a weak hand and tried to call out to him, but no sound came out of his mouth. Bucky continued walking until he was out of sight. He rolled his head to the other side and was about to close his eyes when another shape caught his eye. It was The Scarlet Killer.
He forced himself to sit up and look at her. With her mask gone and with her eyes closed, she looked so much younger. She couldn't have been older than twenty. She even looked innocent, with her long blonde hair and large eyes. She was... sweet, in a way. He crawled over to her side and put his ear by her mouth. He heard faint breathing and he gave a sigh of relief. She was alive. Using what little strength he had, he put his arms under her neck and knees and lifted her up. He stumbled through the forest, determined to get her some help. She was just a child. A child who had been through too much already. He had to keep her out of Hydra's grasp.
As he stumbled through the forest, he saw a group of people rushing towards him. He faintly recognized Natasha's voice as his vision went fuzzy. "Help her," he said before he passed out, dropping Scarlet on the grass.
Natasha dropped to her knees and seized Steve's wrist. She felt a pulse faintly and sighed in relief. "They're over here!" Natasha yelled to Clara, Maria, and Sam.
The other three sprinted out of the trees and onto the shore. Maria pulled out her phone and called for a medic. Sam joined Natasha at Steve's side.
Clara, however, was staring at the body of The Scarlet Killed with wide eyes. There wasn't a mother out there that wouldn't recognize her child on sight, even if they hadn't seen them in years. Clara could see the shared features they had: the mouth, the eyes, the hair. She looked so much like her. It brought tears to her eyes.
"Clara?" Natasha asked, seeing her face. "Clara, what's wrong?"
"It's her," Clara whispered, pointing at Scarlet. "It's my daughter. It's my Paige."