While Steve was off 'borrowing' a Captain America suit from the museum, Hill had given Cassidy a suit to wear. She loaded her up with guns and knives and told her to be prepared for anything. Hill led them up a hill that overlooked the city, including the Triskelion. Steve had argued with Cassidy, pleading with her to stay behind with Nat and Nick.
"Please sweetheart, I can't be worried about you while I'm out there." He told her.
"And I can say the same thing. Look if we come across Bucky, which we will, maybe I can get through to him." She told him. "Steve, you can't keep me from stuff like this. This is just as much my fight as it is yours. I'll be okay, I'm pretty good at my job." She placed a quick kiss on his lips and they headed to the Triskelion.
They made it up to the control room and when an agent opened the door, Hill, Sam and Cassidy had their guns trained on him.
The agents backed out of their way as they made their way to the computers, Hill taking control. She handed him a microphone and signaled him that he could speak.
"Attention Shield Agents…this is Steve Rogers. You're heard a lot about me over the last few days. Some of you were even ordered to hunt me down. But I think it's time you know the truth. Shield is not what we thought it was." Steve looked back at Cassidy and she gave him a smile and a small nod.
"It's been taken over by Hydra. Alexander Pierce is their leader. The Strike and Insight crew are Hydra as well. I don't know how many more, but I know they're in the building. They could be standing right next to you. They almost have what they want, absolute control. They shot Nick Fury, and it won't end there. If you launch those Helicarriers today, Hydra will be able to kill anyone who stands in their way, unless we stop them."
Cassidy felt and immense amount of pride in her boyfriend in that moment. He damn sure knew how to give a speech, and it took all she had in her to not climb him like a tree right then and there.
"The price of freedom is high…it always has been. And it's a price I'm willing to pay. And if I'm the only one then so be it, but I'm willing to bet I'm not."
He stood straight and walked over to Cassidy, pulling her into his arms.
"Did you write that down first, or was it just off the top of your head?" Sam asked, a smirk on his face.
Cassidy looked up at him, tugging on his belt. "Yeah Captain, that was pretty sexy." She smiled at the blush that crept up to his ears and he closed his eyes, taking in a big breath. "Stop." He whispered in her ear.
There was a rumble and Cassidy turned to see the carriers rise from the ground and start to lift into the sky. Dammit. They had failed. She followed Steve and Sam outside to the dock.
Sam flew off with Cassidy, while Steve jumped down to the lower level. The carrier started shooting at them and Sam veered off, trying to stay out of the line of fire.
"Sam, drop me down and come back for me! I'll try to get to the control room and stop them." Sam dropped her down and she took off running, weaving around jets and boxes. There were several agents on the carrier and she took them out with ease. Sam landed a few minutes later to help but had to fly back up when a jet came his way.
"Cassidy, get the card inserted, I'll come back." He said into her comms. She ran through the carrier, taking out a few more agents on the way. She reached the center where the cards were, and she placed hers in, clicking it into place just as Sam landed next to her.
"Bravo lock." She told hill. She threw a grin at Sam and held on as he flew her to the last carrier. He set her down, then went to get Steve. She started to make her way inside when Bucky stepped out from behind a jet.
"Oh crap." She whispered.
Bucky started walking toward her and she took a step back.
"Bucky, hey, you don't have to do this okay? Come with us, they can't control you anymore." She told him. He said nothing, getting closer to her, pulling a knife from a spot on his leg.
"My name is Cassidy, I'm your soulmate, same as Steve. You don't want to hurt me, please."
He was right in front of her now, looking down at her with no emotion on his face.
"Bucky, please." She whispered.
"My name isn't Bucky." He swung and she ducked, pulling her knife out, sticking it his leg, the same spot she had the day before. He grunted and she spun around out of his grasp and threw her knee into his gut. He stumbled for a second, pulling the knife out and throwing it on the ground.
He came for her again and when she went to punch him, he blocked her and put his hand around her throat, pushing her back into a bunch of crates. She tried to fight against the metal appendage, but there was no use, he was too strong.
"Bucky please." She whispered, barely able to breathe. She took her free hand an unzipped the front of her suit, showing him her soul mark. He glanced down at the little red star on her collarbone and stilled. He didn't understand why he was feeling this way. He didn't understand why he couldn't kill this girl. She was nothing to him, right?
Cassidy knew that Bucky was trying to fight through. If not, she'd be dead already. He looked back into her eyes and let go of her throat and she gasped for air, coughing. She looked back up at Bucky and he was just staring at her, like he didn't know what to do.
"It's okay." She got out, wincing from the soreness in her throat. "You don't have to do what they told you." She took a step toward him slowly, her hands raised. "I'm not gonna hurt you, and I'm not gonna let them hurt you ever again okay? They can't control you anymore."
Bucky was shaking his head, fighting with himself, when Steve and Sam landed and broke him out of his head. Bucky glared at her and took off to confront them. She ran after him but wasn't fast enough as he flung Steve off the carrier and broke Sam's wing off when he tried to help him.
Bucky kicked Sam in the middle and he fell off the plane, and Cassidy ran up to the edge, calling out to him. A hand on her ponytail pulled her away from the edge and Bucky threw her into the crates and she tried to get up and run but he was coming at her too fast. She covered her head and prepared for the hit, and when she didn't feel it, she looked up to see him running inside, probably after Steve.
She got her bearings and ran in after him, her gun out, praying she wouldn't have to use it. She met Steve on the bridge and Bucky was already standing in front of where they needed to put the card.
"People are gonna die Buck, I can't let that happen." Steve told him.
Cassidy stepped forward, her hands up in front of her. "Bucky come on. You can fight this. I know you can." His gaze went from her back to Steve and he raised his gun to shoot. Steve pushed her out of the way and charged at Bucky. She watched as her soulmates fought each other, Bucky shooting at Steve every chance he got. Steve blocked all the shots, until one grazed him in the side, sending a searing pain through Cassidy's. She whimpered and put her hand to her side, pulling it back to see it covered in blood.
"Steve, if you could not get hit that would be great!" She called out.
"Doing my best!" He yelled back. She pulled herself up and watched as Steve got the compartment open but Bucky kept coming back at him. She needed to help or he was never going to get the card inserted. She pulled another knife out and threw it at Bucky, lodging it in his shoulder. It stopped him for a second, but he yanked it out and kicked Steve, both of them falling over the rail.
Cassidy ran over to see them on another platform, but the card had falls from Steve's hand and was laying on the platform behind Bucky. She went to climb down but felt a sharp pain in her shoulder, looking down to see that Bucky had stabbed Steve. If they didn't stop him, Cassidy was going to end up dead.
"Steve get the card and throw it to me!" She screamed. Steve got Bucky's arm in a hold, pulling on it, telling him to drop it. He wouldn't so Steve snapped his arm, and Bucky and Cassidy both cried out. She held her arm to her chest and watched Steve as he put Bucky to sleep, forcing him to drop the card.
Steve climbed his way back up to the bridge to her, a gunshot rang out and Cassidy was on the ground, clutching her leg. "Steve hurry." She told him, tears running down her face. He jumped up to where she was, going over to place the card. He got it in with one second remaining.
He looked at Cassidy and she nodded, groaning at the amount of pain she was in.
"Fire now." He told Hill.
"But Steve-"
"Do it!" Steve crawled over to Cassidy, gently lifting her into his arms. "I'm so sorry sweetheart." He whispered. The carrier started to shake and the blasts came through, knocking both of them down. They heard a scream and saw Bucky trapped under a beam. Steve helped Cassidy and they both climbed down onto the glass, Steve making his way over to help Bucky.
Cassidy crawled across the glass towards them. Bucky was able to get out from underneath the beam and turned to Steve.
"You know me." Steve told him.
"No I don't!" He screamed, punching Steve in the jaw. Cassidy spit out blood, her head pounding.
"Bucky, you've known me your whole life." Another punch and Cassidy could feel her jaw swelling.
"Stop, please." She cried out, but they didn't hear her.
"Your name is James Buchanan Barnes."
"Shut up!"
Steve took his cowl off and dropped his shield. "I'm not gonna fight you." He told Bucky. "You're my friend."
Bucky charged at him, taking him down to the glass, and started punching him over and over again.
"I'm with you until the end of the line." Steve got out. Bucky stopped, looking down at him with wide eyes.
"Bucky…" Cassidy called out.
"Look at her Buck, whatever we do to each other, happens to her. You're gonna kill her." Bucky let Steve go and looked over to Cassidy, who was on her side, spitting out more blood. Bucky walked over to her and rolled her onto her back, horrified at how she looked.
The glass shattered beneath them and they fell into the water and Cassidy thought she was going to die. Someone pulled her onto the bank and she coughed up a bunch of water. Bucky looked down at her. He'd done that to her. A small part of him remembered meeting her the day before. He remembered who she was to him and he damn near killed her.
There was a necklace hanging out of her suit and he picked it up opening it, gasping at the pictures that were inside. It was him. He and Steve. She had been carrying him around with her and she'd never even known him.
Her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him. "Bucky?" She whispered.
"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry." He told her, his voice cracking. He stood and started to back away when she reached her hand out for him. She wanted him to stay, she wanted to tell him that everything would be okay, but her hand fell back down as she lost consciousness and Bucky turned and ran, hoping that someone would find them soon.
