Author's Note: I want to extend a warning that this chapter is much longer than the other ones. I didn't want to separate this into two different chapters. I would really appreciate it if you left a review! They are the bloodline of fanfiction writers!
The Winter Soldier stood still, his eyes forward and empty. Maize carefully took a step towards him. His blue hues quickly upon her and that's when she noticed it, a slight flicker of recognition. It was the same spark shown whenever HYDRA would bring him out of ice. It was sometime in the nineties when they were brought out of cryo to hunt down and kill Howard Stark for the last batch of Super Soldier Serum when Maize realized the Winter Soldier recognized her even after his memories were wiped. She wondered if this was something HYDRA had done on purpose - they didn't have to explain each time who she was and how she was important to him and his life.
Almost immediately the Soldier silently requested his orders. Maize cleared her throat and pointed toward the building. "There is a man in there," she told him. "He must be hunted down and killed. But that is my mission."
The Soldier nodded.
"Your mission is to release the prisoners from their cages in the lab. Then, once they're safe, destroy all the computer systems. Do you understand?" Maize watched as his eyes scaled the building, planning the infiltration. She didn't want to know what he was thinking, all she wanted was the mission to be completed so that her life's planning didn't go in vain.
He reached behind him, pulling out two handguns, cocking them. He nodded, then he was off.
Maize almost had to run to keep pace with him, but she kept behind knowing the first line of defense was the armed security guards. They were her responsibility.
Trotting next to the Soldier, Maize extended her hands, opening the doors for their entrance. Next, she used her ability to strip the guards of their weapons, the Soldier shooting them dead. "You know your mission. We meet outside when you've been successful." Maize didn't wait for a response but instead ran toward the emergency stairwell.
Previously having been a 'patient' in the building numerous times, she knew the security room was the best place to have eyes on the entire building. In said room were dozens of CCTV screens as those in charge wanted no blind spots in the facility. This was Maize's destination and she arrived in no time.
Blasting the door open with her powers, in the midst of the dust, Maize then used the butt of the guns to whack the guards unconscious. To her right was a floor-to-ceiling wall of television screens. She watched intently as the Winter Soldier handily weaved his way through the corridors, killing one guard after another, to get to the point of disembarkation.
Quickly her eyes found who she was looking for. There was no time to waste; she had to get to him before it was too late.
Sprinting back toward the stairwell, Maize used her ability to levitate herself off the ground, speeding past each floor at rapid speed until she reached the appropriate floor. Ripping the door from its hinges, Maize rounded the corner to find Dr. Schreinder moving toward his last barrier to getting to safety.
"Stop!" she yelled, holding the door shut with her abilities so he couldn't escape.
"My little любимец."
She hated when he called her pet names, including degrading ones.
He tisked at her, waving a finger as the other hand clenched tightly on the briefcase. "I had a feeling I'd be seeing you again after HYDRA's destruction. Something tells me you had something to do with that, eh?"
"A contingency plan, if you will," Maize answered sourly.
"Brilliant. You always were very intelligent." The Doctor stayed quiet for a moment before narrowing his eyes. "What is the next move? Killing me? And then what?"
"Living a normal life." Her voice trembled, her eyes filling with tears. "That's all I have ever wanted; to be normal. To live a normal childhood. To get married, have children and watch them grow. To have a future." Maize grew frustrated the moment the Doctor began laughing. "What the hell is so funny? Am I not worthy of those things simply because of what's in my DNA?"
"No, my dear. You are worthy of everything." Straightening his back, he let out a breath. "I'm merely laughing because you, my child, can't have children."
"What are you getting at?" she pressured, taking a step forward.
"Well," he started, rather smugly. "It is protocol to sterilize all our patients."
Brows furrowed as his words sank in. Maize would never be able to bear a child; she would never be able to become a mother - the one thing she had always wanted in life. Not only had he tortured her and used her like an object, but he took away the one thing that made her feel human.
Maize began to shake with anger, gearing up her powers to enact her revenge. Suddenly she felt a pain in her neck, rapidly feeling lightheaded - her vision blurred. "What did you do?"
"Kept you occupied so my guard could intervene," Dr. Schreidner answered. In her peripheral, Maize noticed a guard sneaking by her, a tranquilizer gun still aimed at her.
Falling to her knees, Maize helplessly watched as the Doctor and his guard pushed through the door, a helicopter waiting for them. "No," she tiredly whispered. Collecting what little strength she had left, Maize crawled to the door holding it open to watch as the aircraft took off, disappearing into the night.
Everything went black.
The Soldier placed the last bomb in the laboratory where they kept the enhanced beings prisoners. He was successful in breaking each padlock, hastily pushing those caged toward the door. One by one he warned them of the bombs in the facility, enacting more of an initiative to leave.
Happy with his work, he swiveled on his heel to escape from the room before the bomb detonated, but was met with a fist to the face. It was then when he realized the guard he choked out had woken; they began fighting. Each punch was dodged with the next thrown, but eventually, the Soldier was able to maneuver his way out of the room before the bomb finally blew. Unfortunately for him, he hadn't moved far enough; the Soldier was thrown against the wall, hitting his head.
He was out only for a few minutes, but when he woke, a realization washed over him; the trigger words were no longer in effect. The Soldier was back to normal.
Shaking his head, he let out a groan as he hoisted himself up. A sharp pain radiated from his ankle, but he quickly ignored it. Looking out of the window, the man peered down with squinted eyes. Maize was nowhere to be found.
"Shit." Before they arrived at the facility, Maize had laid out a blueprint of the building's layout. She was adamant the Soldier knew where the security room was just in case he needed to find her or the doctor. He made a beeline to said room.
Arriving, he was met with two unconscious security guards on the floor and screens illuminating the room. Some were filled with gray static - those cameras damaged from the several bombs he detonated. However, at the top far right corner, the Soldier spotted a familiar head of hair lying on the ground at the roof's door.
There was no time to waste.
Spotting Maize lying face down on the ground scared him. Was she dead? Did we fail? Thoughts raced as he slowly approached her, kneeling. He placed a gentle hand upon her shoulder, turning her over.
She was alive.
A breath of relief escaped his lips, his head falling. "We need to leave," he mumbled mostly to himself. Sliding an arm around her shoulders and another under her legs, the Soldier effortlessly lifted her up. It was then when the ground shook, indicating yet another bomb had gone off. "Shit," he whispered again, knowing it was a matter of time before the building was going to collapse.
Dodging debris falling from the ceiling, the Soldier ran as fast as he could down the stairs to get them to safety. Floor by floor he counted and was thankful to have reached the bottom, but not before getting winded. For a moment he rested his back against the wall, Maize stirring in his arms. Her eyes fluttered open, however, he saw the glazed look in her eye telling him she was in no condition to walk, let alone talk.
In the distance he could hear sirens; the man mustered up the last of his strength to run them to their getaway car, driving them to the motel.
It had taken a few hours for Maize to fully come around, and when she did, the man was surprised to find himself slightly afraid of her. Maize was going off on herself - yelling about how she stupidly allowed the doctor to get under her skin when she should have just killed him. While there was a slight agreement on his part, the Soldier decided to keep his thoughts to himself and allowed her to let the rage out.
Sitting in the corner chair, he took off the black tactical vest HYDRA had reserved for him, throwing it onto the ground. Next, he kicked off his shoes, letting out a silent sigh of relief - he always hated those boots. They were steel-toed as the impact would be twice as lethal.
Getting to his feet, the man took the shoes and began to move them into the closet; he felt the shoes begin to shake. Suddenly it seemed like the whole room was quaking - all the metal appliances and hardware within the room trembling ferociously before lifting from the floor.
Dropping the boots, the Soldier moved to Maize, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Hey, snap out of it." Maize had her eyes closed tightly, hands balled into fists and the veins in her forehead were visible. "MAIZE!"
The room stopped shaking, the appliances falling hard onto the ground. There was an eerie silence surrounding them as the woman's golden eyes opened up to him. Blue hues stared down, worry written within them. She had to admit, it was a severe change from the man she knew before but she liked this new version of him. While the Winter Soldier was cold, distant, and robotic, the man standing in front of her seemed gentle yet restrained.
She took in a breath, exhaling ever slowly to breathe out her anger. As she did so, her eyes never faltered from his.
"I think that's the first time you've ever said my name," she spoke in a hushed voice. Why his voice, specifically saying her name, was the trick to suck her out of her mind, she was unsure. There was no denying his presence created a perplexity within her. So many years having to watch him dismantle thrones and murder countless of souls and yet, Maize grew fond of his companionship.
The Soldier said nothing but dropped his hands to his side. He held her glance for a moment more before he stepped back, beckoning over to the beds. "We should try to get some sleep; big night and all." Maize nodded in agreement, moving to her bed.
The next day came quicker than he had anticipated, or rather Maize had woken earlier than he thought she would. With the event from the previous night, the Soldier believed she would have wanted some time to recover. And yet, there they were standing outside a large museum. "What are we doing here?" the Soldier questioned as he scanned the growing crowd around them. "I thought we were headed to find Schreidner."
"We are," Maize confirmed, shielding her eyes from the sun. "But before we do, I need to hold up my end of the bargain," Maize finished with a nod.
"The deal was for me to help you kill him; we didn't do that," he reminded.
"No, but Global-1 is no longer in operation. Other enhanced beings are free and that was the bigger part of the deal." Maize took his hand in hers as she offered him a comforting smile. "Come, let me stay true to my promise."
Maize beckoned for him to follow her through the doors of the museum. The artificial lights took a few seconds to get used to as they slithered their way with the woman leading. She knew exactly where she was headed, in fact, she could've done the small trek with her eyes closed with how many times she had visited the exhibit.
When they arrived at a darker part of the museum, the Soldier began to look around at the glass plaques with descriptions and stories written on them. To their left were five mannequins wearing World War II army uniforms; the middle one wearing the original Captain America costume. Behind the mannequins was a mural. A painting of the men who wore those uniforms; the Soldier recognized one.
His brows tugged together, his lips slightly parting as he realized it was his own face he was staring at. "How?" he whispered loud enough for Maize to hear. Without answering, she pulled at his sleeve, moving him to a glass plaque where his face was carved in, a name next to it and a description.
"This is who you are." He said nothing but rather stared helplessly at his portrait. "Your name is James Buchanan Barnes - otherwise known as Bucky to those closest to you. Your best friend is Steve Rogers, who was and is now known as Captain America. You fought alongside him during Hilter's rule and helped take down HYDRA's operation. Unfortunately, that wasn't before you were captured and experimented on, just like I was. However, yours was to make you a super-soldier." Maize paused as James took a few steps forward toward his glass portrait.
"After Rogers saved you from HYDRA, your combat unit continued to fight against the German Nazis. However, one day, fighting alongside your best friend, you fell from a freight train and somehow the experiments HYDRA had done helped you survive the fall. When they found you …" Maize grew closer, putting a hand on his metal shoulder, silently finishing her sentence. "You have been HYDRA's asset ever since."
Bucky stood frozen for a moment, allowing the information to sink in. "Where do you come in?" he spoke softly.
"I was rented out to HYDRA assigned as your handler," she answered truthfully. Maize wanted nothing more than to open his eyes - his brain to remember everything she had to. For him to remember who she was to him, the missions they went on, the times they shared. While it was all platonic, as it was all business, Maize felt as if they had some sort of mutual connection. "In a sense, I protected you during your missions and vice versa. I was tasked to rip your metal arm off and drag you back to HYDRA should you fail a mission."
"And did you?" he asked, finally turning to face her. Bucky's eyes were cold, absent. Maize wasn't sure what to expect when he learned of his previous life - but this wasn't it.
"No." With a shake of her head, Maize lowered her head. "I couldn't hurt you. It only happened a handful of times, but at each mission report, I made it seem like it was my fault the mission failed."
"Why would you do that for me?" he asked softly.
Maize finally looked at him. "Because I also knew what they would've done to you if I told them the truth. So I took the brunt of the blame and dealt with the repercussions."
He stood quiet, his gaze falling back upon his exhibit. Maize gave him the space he needed to process the information handed to him. Maize knew it was all too much to take in at one time. Staying close, the woman walked to the other exhibits, reading what she used to ignore in the past.
She lost the sense of time as she was engulfed in the history of World War II. During that time, Maize was with Global-1, being experimented on and being Dr. Schreidner's 'pet'. For a moment, the woman wondered how her life would've been different if she had met James Barnes before he was shipped off. Would she had been able to convince him to go against the orders of the United States and leave with her? Or was he like many men who willingly gave their lives to fight with the risk of never returning home?
Maize knew dreaming of alternate universes was useless as it only brought more of a dark cloud over her mental state; the 'what-ifs' and 'if-onlys' were too much to bear.
Just as she turned to go find James, Maize was surprised to find a woman standing a little close for comfort. Stepping back, Maize inquired if she needed help. Rapidly, the unknown woman shook her head but continued staring.
She was shorter than Maize, about three to four inches smaller. A slight stench radiated from her person and Maize guessed it was due to the dirty clothes she was wearing. Her blonde hair appeared matted, oily even. Maize knew about the homeless and she wondered if the woman was going to ask for help.
"You're Maize, right?"
Shocked to know her presence was known, Maize nodded. "How do you know my name?"
"I saw your picture in Dr. Schreidner's office."
"Who are you?" Maize questioned, her voice threatening.
"I saw you last night," the woman began, a little excited. "I mean, I saw a man with a metal arm carrying you out of the building before it collapsed. He saved us, but I'm guessing it was you who helped him." Maize was too speechless to confirm or deny her claims. "The doctor used to experiment on me too." Her eyes darkened for a moment before she furiously blinked it away. "Thank you for saving us."
"Y-You're welcome." The brunette's voice trembled, tears swelling in her eyes. "But he escaped. I won't stop looking for him to make him pay for everything he's done."
"There are others, ya know? Other facilities out there. He could have easily traveled to one of them." The woman began listing all the locations where Global-1 had secret facilities hiding in plain sight. Maize, quick to find a pen and paper, wrote each one down with all the intentions of destroying any chance Global-1 had to rebuild. "You're our hero, Maize. Killing the doctor will be the last nail in the coffin."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Maize turned to find James standing with his hands in his pockets, hat pulled down a little lower. "We've got a doctor to find."