A.n. A wise man said : "Show, don't tell." Hence me experimenting on longer, more verbose paragraphs.
As always, reviews are appreciated ! Also thx Snapesucks and Gabriel Perseus Potter for the reviews !
Somewhere in New York, around 06.00 AM
A car blitzed its way through the highway which started to become crowded by the morning commuters. The car goes zig and zag, weaving its way back to Washington DC among the sedans, wagons, trucks, going at full speed.
Behind the wheel was the man with the black hair, the man none other than the Winter Soldier. He was, to Damijan's relief, still had his disguise intact. His hoodies and jeans were not scratched even by bullets shot by Captain America, his metal arms hidden still under the thick garment. Meanwhile, seated on the back of the car was Damijan on the left side, and the boy whom Damijan called his brother on the right.
At times, Damijan's eyes twitched, mostly open, but at times his eyes were closed, involuntarily, before he jolted awake and took a glance at his brother, cautiously, before throwing his gaze towards the trees surrounding the highway. There were apparent bags under his eyes.
Damijan was tired. The first part of the journey, when the Winter Soldier drove crazily to avoid being caught by Captain America, was very tense. Damijan's focus was divided into two; he had to be ready to shoot some bullets to hinder Captain America in his pursuit, and he also needed to keep his gun on Rafael's head. It didn't help that Damijan had not stopped and rested for almost a day, legs kept running and his mind focused on his current mission.
Morevoer, Damijan was being very cautious; he knew, more than anyone, Rafael's ability to produce ice out of fucking thin air. Damijan wasn't too surprised when he first time saw Rafael manage to create a few ice cubes in a certain summer a few years ago; Damijan thought somehow a kind of mutant or wizard blood ran deep in his family, for he himself was also a sort of mutant/wizard. However, Rafael's power was always much more unstable, and apparently much more powerful. When Rafael was extremely nervous, his power transcended. It was always Damijan's oath to help Rafael come to term with his innate ability, back in Novigrad. Although it nearly cost Damijan his life.
A gun to Rafael's head seemed to work the same as calming him down, because there was no sign of ice back in the jeep, despite the stream of sweat from Rafael and the constant trembling of the boy, which indicated that he was wholly nervous. After they lost Captain America somewhere on the outskirts of New York the group stole another car, a sedan this time, and started driving towards Washington DC. Still no sign of ice. Damijan wondered why ? Once seeing that the danger is somewhat nonexistent for now, Damijan finally lowered his gun, letting Rafael relax a bit.
Alas, the second part of the journey was mostly filled with silence. The thing Damijan usually did the most to prevent his eyes from shutting down was to open his mouth and ramble aimlessly. Of course he could not talk to the Winter Soldier again, talking to a stone was a far better option. Monologue was also not an option. The only option was, of course, to talk to Rafael. Damijan wanted to talk, to catch up, to know about Rafael, but he did not find the courage, nor the willingness, to expose himself. At times in the journey, when Damijan decided to talk, when his mouth was inches from telling everything, he pulled back, afraid of Rafael's reaction of finding that Damijan was alive all along. Because, honestly, Damijan was already a dead man to Rafael.
Although he was still in a bit of panic, Rafael was still able to notice a lot of things.
First, he saw a glimpse of Captain America, that Captain America, when he was taken out of his house, despite the darkness of the early morning. The chiseled jaw of the said main, the blonde hair and the aura he exerted could tell Rafael that. It meant that whoever these two guys were, they were probably highly dangerous. Complying with them seemed to be the best choice; his brother, Miguel, was spared, but Rafael wasn't sure about his mother though. Rafael himself was unhurt all along.
If the situation was not so dire, he'd have laughed at himself. He was a fanboy. He collected Captain America's collectible cards once in his life. The prospect of meeting the man behind the shield was so exciting for Rafael back then. Now ? Not anymore.
Second, they were in another car. A black sedan. That was obvious. The group had thrown the jeep away into a river. Probably to throw the chasers off the track.
Third, they were heading south. They may be heading to Philadelphia or Miami even.
Fourth, Rafael left his phone at the house. Having his phone would be helpful; his phone can be tracked down. Now he only had his sleepwear. Nothing else.
Fifth, no more gun to his head. The man on his left decided to stash his gun as soon as the group stole the sedan. What gave ?
Sixth, why Rafael could not conjure his ice anymore ? He had hoped that somehow, somehow, he was able to do that, spontaneously. The ice, he hoped, would just kill the men. The car then would crash down, and Rafael would make his escape. However, he just could not. There was no ice coming out of his hand. To be fair, it had been years since he could do such a thing. Maybe he had lost his connection to that side of him ? Should he be glad ?
Six pieces of information, what would Rafael could come up with ? Anything that would not involve him jumping from a car going at 60 miles per hour, a definite lead to death ? Nothing.
So, for now, Rafael surrendered his fate to his abductors. He felt tired, but he wasn't hopeless. He made it this far, alive. However, the stress he had earlier started to take its toll on him. He felt his head spinning around, lightly, as if it was to fly, and the world much brighter in his eyes, sometimes going dimmer. He slumped his body to the comfy seat of his chair, the weight crushed his hands which were tied on his back. He was not in a comfortable position, but a decent rest could give Rafael enough energy to hatch an escape plan. Before his eyes closed into deep slumber, he took a look, again, at his abductors.
The first one was a man with hair extended to his shoulders. Probably in his late 20s. Rafael found the most notable thing was his left arm, the unnatural reflection of it. It was probably a prosthetic, and a marvellous one. Rafael never saw a prosthetic capable of acting like a real arm. The man, however, had never spoken a word.
The second guy, the one sat next to him, was younger, probably in his 20s. Just a few years ahead of Rafael. Brown hair, green eyes. While the first guy focused on driving the car towards the unknown destination, thus his face was hidden from Rafael, Rafael could notice the apparent discomfort of the second one. The man, at times, tried to take a look at Rafael, before seemingly distracting his gaze towards the endless stream of trees of the scenery. The man's mouth sometimes twitched, as if he had words to be spoken to Rafael. When Rafael waited for the man to speak, blue eyes met green, the man just threw his face out of Rafael's gaze.
Come to think of it, why was Rafael even seated in the passenger's seat ? Shouldn't he be knocked out cold, tied up and put in the trunks ? Rafael wondered. Moreover, this guy spoke Sokovia. Sokovia was not an interesting country; only Sokovians spoke like true Sokovian. Was this guy someone from his past ? What did he try to do ?
And those green, almond-shaped eyes with the long eyelashes. The slender face, the oval jawline which led to the well defined chins. Rafael swore he was familiar with them, but he couldn't pinpoint when he had met eyes like those.
"Who are you ?" Rafael suddenly asked, in Sokovian.
"Who are you ?" Rafael suddenly asked, in Sokovian.
Damijan snapped his head to Rafael, taken a bit aback by the question. Damijan pondered the question, wondering what he would answer. He was hesitant. Should he tell the truth ? Should he tell a lie ?
Damijan took a glance at the rear-view mirror, trying to find clues in the Winter Soldier's expressionless face. Nada. The Winter Soldier's unchanged, emotionless face offered Damijan no clues as to how he should react. Damijan took a deep breath.
No, it was not the right time to tell him anything. Let the boy be oblivious.
Damijan decided that it was better to knock his brother off. It would allow Damijan to sleep for a bit because, honestly, Damijan felt so tired. His back started to ache, and he had not even reached his 50s ! So, Damijan pulled out a spare sedative he prepared just in case Rafael put up a fight. Upon seeing the sedative pulled out, Rafael instinctively pushed himself towards the right side of the car and let out a shrieking squeal. Damijan quickly injected the sedative into Rafael's arm with his left hand, his right arm closed Rafael's mouth to prevent him screaming further, and in seconds the sedative started to take its effect; Rafael's eyes slowly closed, despite Rafael's attempts to stay awake, and Rafael entered a deep slumber.
The rest of the journey was more silent.
Washington DC
SHIELD Storage Facility - East Coast Command Center of HYDRA
"Halt." The guard knocked at the window of a blue wagon approaching the facility's main gate. As a dutiful guard, it was her job to guard the entrance to this SHIELD storage facility, located just near the border with Maryland.
As a HYDRA member, it was also her job to direct her fellow comrades to the more secretive part of the facility, where the operational base of HYDRA resided. A beautiful parasite sucking out funding and resources from its host, SHIELD.
The window was turned down, and inside was Damijan, driving the car, wearing a pair of sunglasses to obscure his face.
"A delivery for Mr. Constantine Reiner." Damijan said. Upon hearing the name, the woman's eyes widened, her lips curled in shock. The woman scrambled back to her post, and took another walkie talkie. She then talked through the walkie-talkie, announcing the arrival of a HYDRA member. After the call, she went out, then gestured to Damijan to drive to the left. She pointed towards a warehouse at the very end of the facility. Damijan nodded.
"He's expecting you. Hail HYDRA." The woman said, whisperingly.
"Hail HYDRA." Damijan replied.
Slowly, Damijan drove the car, winding amongst the large warehouses inside the facility. Behind Damijan was the Winter Soldier, whose head was now covered completely inside his hoodie; they barely avoided a road check at Maryland, so Damijan decided that the Winter Soldier needed to hide himself better by buying a few pairs of sunglasses.
Apparently Rogers and Romanoff had released a press release about the kidnapped boy just this morning. The police and SHIELD were on the move to search for the boy; it was all over the newspapers and TVs that Damijan saw when he stopped for gas. Of course, the boy was in the car, safely sleeping inside the trunk of the car.
Not only did they release a full, eerily accurate description of the boy, but they also released a vague sketch of Damijan and the Winter Soldier. They did not release information about the metal arm, thankfully; it was a fucking dead giveaway. The sketches somehow resembled both of them, as it depicted their hair and facial features quite well, but nothing a disguise could not fix.
As Damijan got nearer to the pointed warehouse, the warehouse door slowly opened, the sound of metals creaking echoed. The door then revealed a large chamber, the darkness inside it slowly sweeped by the incoming sunlight, revealing a few people standing readily right in the center of the chamber. In the middle was Alexander Pierce, standing pride in the center of the chamber. Next to him were a few other people, all in black uniforms, weapons in their hands. STRIKE team, Pierce's elite strike force, Damijan assumed. Damijan resisted the urge to drive his car towards them like a bowling ball hit the pins.
Damijan drove slower, before stopping the car right in front of the small crowd and got out of the car, removing his sunglasses and putting it on the collar of his t-shirt. He marched towards the crowd.
"Damijan, nice to see you again and alive !" Pierce offered his hand, a warm grin on his face.
"Good afternoon, Sire. Equally, Sire. " Damijan shook Pierce's hand, a smile plastered on his face.
"I'm glad to see you come back in full pieces. Ah, I haven't introduced you to your future co-workers. Rumlow, Damijan Demetrescu. Damijan, Brock Rumlow, commander of the STRIKE team. You will introduce the rest of your team, right, Rumlow ?" Pierce turned his head towards the bulky man standing next to him. The man had short black hair. Stubbles dotted his defined chin and jaw, but his moustache was more pronounced. There was a faint hint of aging lines in his forehead, but his eyes were still fierce. A breed of warriors. His attire was black, but he wore a special badge on his chest indicating that he was, in fact, the highest STRIKE commander in the field. Damijan raised a red flag in his mind.
"I will. Nice to meet you. Call me Rumlow." The man, Rumlow his name was, offered his hand to Damijan.
"Damijan." Damijan said, shaking his hand with Rumlow's hand. A firm grip by Rumlow.
"All right, gentlemen, let's now see how the delivery is faring. First, how is the Winter Soldier ?" Pierce asked, leading the group towards Damijan's car, Damijan following right behind Pierce.
"Intact Sire. No injuries during contact with Rogers and Romanoff. But his medication might have run out somehow… He jerked a lot during our way back here, so I needed to drive. He sat in the middle seat as for now." Damijan reported. Pierce noted to himself that it had been awhile since he had resetted the Winter Soldier, and he needed to do one soon. Pierce then opened the door to the middle seat. He stayed silent for quite a while, taking in the scene he saw.
"Why… is he in a hoodie ? And...the sunglasses." Pierce turned his body towards Damijan, his face puzzled at the sight of the distasteful choice of attire the Winter Soldier wore.
"Mr. Pierce, I believe it is not wise for HYDRA to send him without proper civilian clothing. The hoodie and the sunglasses make a better disguise. At least no one's going to see the metal arm and his..eyes. Although I admit he looks much bulkier in that hoodie." Damijan pointed out. Hearing Damijan's answered, Pierce frowned a bit.
"Yeah… good point actually. And… where's Ralph ? Your brother ?" Pierce asked while closing the door. Damijan walked to the back of the car, Pierce followed behind, and Damijan opened the door of the trunk. Inside the trunk was Ralph, unconscious, his hands tied and placed on his back, while he laid down on his left side. Pierce scanned the boy a bit, head to toe, looking for a sign of injury. He found none.
"Intact. I like your work. I can see the resemblance. Anyway, you've heard today's news ?" Pierce asked Damijan, leaving the trunk door open.
"Rogers' press release ? Hardly worrying. If all the information he has is stated there, then he's clueless. He did not know anything about my identity, nor the Winter Soldier's , apart from the not-too-detailed description of our physique. Although, do you happen to know how much he actually knows ?" Damijan asked.
"Sitwell knows better about Rogers' mission in detail. Just call him, then talk over our private channel. Here's his number. You can make arrangements with him." Pierce said. From the pocket of his coat, he pulled out a pen and notebook. He tore apart a piece of paper from the notebook, and started writing down Sitwell's number. He then gave it to Damijan.
"Thank you." Damijan said.
"So, Damijan, I need to have a final briefing with you. A very important briefing, in fact. But I think it's better if you rest first for a while. When was the last time you slept ?" Pierce asked.
"I haven't slept well since I arrived here. The Winter Soldier insisted that I keep driving all along the way. We had to stop for a coffee." Damijan complained, rubbing the back of his neck with his left hand. Pierce chuckled, and put his right hand on Damijan's left shoulder, squeezing it a bit in a friendly manner.
"Ooh. My bad ! I do apologize. Next time you work with him, I'll make sure he drives. Now enjoy your rest. Meet me at 7 PM. I have something for you. Rumlow will guide you. I'll leave you be for now. " Pierce winked at Damijan, then started towards another car in the warehouse. Damijan saw the car go out of the chamber, and the door closed slowly, the sunlight got dimmer and dimmer. As soon as the car was out of his sight and the door was closed, clicking sounds were heard from the ceiling, where the lamps of the chamber turned on.
Damijan felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked back. It was Rumlow's hand.
"Hey. The entry is there. Also, it's nearly lunchtime. You can join my table if you want." Rumlow pointed to a small door which presumably led to the underground facility.
"I think I'll skip, but thanks for the offer. I need to sleep. And… How about my brother ? Where are you going to keep him ?" Damijan asked.
"We'll put him in one of the vacant rooms. At least until things are done. I'll give you the room number later." Rumlow said.
"I want to escort him. Making sure he's okay."
"Sure, no problem."
14.24 PM
Damijan was awakened, rudely, by the sharp, continuous violent knocks on his quarter's door. His instinct kicked in and he quickly put his hand on the nonexistent gun holster on his bed, eyes opened quickly, before realizing that he was safe and sound inside HYDRA's base. Slowly, he could feel the pain in his muscles, due to the lack of proper rest, started creeping on his body. It started from his toes, slowly building up until it reached his neck. He anticipated a cramp in his right leg, but he took a breath and managed to calm his muscles down.
Another knock at the door. Damijan straightened himself up, despite the pain he felt from his muscles. He then quickly jumped out of the bed and opened the door. The sudden brightness from bright lamps of the corridor compared to the darkness of the quarter he was in, blinded Damijan's eyes for a few milliseconds.
"Damijan, Pierce is waiting for you. An urgent matter." A man said. Damijan's pupil adjusted itself to the brightness, and Damijan soon was able to see the man who woke him up. It was Rumlow. Behind Rumlow were two STRIKE officers, accompanying Rumlow.
"I thought he said he'd be here at 7." Damijan protested.
"There's something important. Right now." Rumlow said. Damijan grumbled, then took a quick look at the clock in his room, before leaving his quarter and followed Rumlow. His muscles still ache a lot; he still needed rest. But if Pierce sent Damijan right now, then it meant that something was really important.
Damijan followed Rumlow quickly through the winding corridors, and at times he met other staff of the base. Some seemingly relaxed, but some were clearly under a rush. After about a few turns and ascending a level, Damijan finally went through a door which led to the main chamber of the warehouse. In there, of course, was Pierce.
He had not changed his clothing, and it was a bit apparent that Pierce was in haste. Pierce seemed to pay no attention to the barely visible wrinkles on his jacket. He also did not pay attention to the wrinkles on his forehead, now more pronounced. There were traces of sweat on his forehead, and his eyes were unfocused, the eyeballs rolled to the sides once in a while, a bit frantic.
Was he… panicking ? He certainly wasn't as composed as before.
"Damijan, glad to see you." Pierce said, again offering his hand for a handshake. Too much formality for Damijan's taste.
"Glad to see you, Sire." Damijan shook Pierce's hand, a hint of sweat judging by the wetness of the hand.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your rest, but I have a very important job for you. Something we cannot postpone."
"No problem, Sire. I'm happy to be dutiful."
"So...I believe Fury is already suspicious of Project Insight. He smells something." Pierce said. Damijan was taken aback, but oh boy was he glad. He had a potential ally. Finally, someone in SHIELD had the brains to know something was up. Now, how to contact him ?
"What ? How could that happen ?" Damijan asked, puzzled. Curious.
"A few days ago, before you arrived here, a group of pirates led by George Batroc, an Interpol fugitive, hijacked one of Project Insight's satellite launching platform, Lemurian Start. Mind you that the clearance needed to access Project Insight's information is Alpha. Which only includes me and Fury." Pierce replied.
"So he was the suspect. The one who spoiled the information. For what purpose ?" Damijan asked.
"Well, not only spoiled the information, but hired the pirates too. He tried to get his hands on confidential information of Project Insight from the launch pad. And guess what after that ? He asked me to postpone the Project Insight. He asked for a committee hearing."
"That confirmed it. So what do you want me to do , Sire ?"
"I want you to eliminate him. Now." Oh, wow, how cautious of Pierce. That could go wrong on so many levels. One big thing that Damijan learnt from the Baron was that assassination was always a last resort if no movement in the game could be done. A not so good last resort. It tended to draw people's attention.
"Objection, Sire. Wouldn't that be… dangerous ? I suspected Fury already told someone about his suspicion. If I am to eliminate him, won't it just raise more suspicion ?" Damijan asked. Pierce was taken aback; not many people questioned his decisions. But he'd entertain Damijan for now, if it'd make Damijan obey Pierce's order.
"His circle of trust is small. No one other than them would be suspicious." Pierce argued.
"And, Sir, how confident are we that he has not told anybody in his circle of trust ? If he had told anybody, eliminating him would just prove his point. Also, Sir, I work exceptionally well at night. Daylight is not my forte." Damijan argued. Pierce sighed, combing his blonde hair with his left hand, frustrated at Damijan's defiance.
"Seriously, Damijan ? Are you questioning my decision ?" Pierce asked.
"Yes, Sire, I'm questioning your decision. I don't think it's wise in this situation, and you haven't convinced me otherwise." Damijan replied.
"Do they teach this in Europe ? Questioning orders ?" Pierce asked, his voice high. Sarcasm was detected in his poisonous tone.
"The Baron takes pride in his willingness to listen to any suggestions, even from his subordinates. He was a fair leader." Damijan answered, head firm against Pierce's gaze. A firm final answer from Damijan; he was not going to back down unless Pierce could convince him otherwise. Pierce seemed to notice the finality of Damijan's answer, but he'd have none of it. Quickly Pierce grabbed Damijan by the collar. Despite his old age, Pierce was able to pull Damijan closer to him, now their eyes were only inches from each other.
"Then learn your place, Damijan. Here, you listen to me. And listen : you know Fury much less than me; I know him. I know too well of what he is capable of. And I cannot let his eyes set to us, even for a moment. So you better do what I say. You don't want to be on my bad side." Pierce whispered.
A.n. yeah, we'll go with the canon for a bit before diverging again.