Bucky sat in the chair, his gaze fixed off in the distance. The doctors repaired his arm, the light whirling of the drill the only sound.
His mind raced with thoughts. Pieces of memories flashing before his eyes. He heard the man on the bridge call him Bucky, another man call him Sargent Barnes.
Bucky Barnes?
Who was he? As much as he tired he couldn't place the name.
"Mission report now"
His head snapped to the side, the force of the slap snapping his thoughts back to the present. He sat there for a moment, unfazed.
"Those people" He finally spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. "Who were they?"
He still saw their faces, looking at him like they saw a ghost.
Pierce sighed. "You met them earlier this week on another assignment"
"I knew them" He felt the tears brimming in his eyes.
Crying? Why was he crying? Why did it feel like his heart was burning?
"Wipe him, and start over"
He let the doctors push him back into the chair. His mouth instinctively opening to receive the mouth guard. The metal cuffs clamped down on him, the head piece shifting into place. He knew what was next. Pain.
!
Reina sat at the steel table, her eyes trained on the three chips in the case.
"We have to assume everyone aboard those carriers is Hydra" Fury's voice brought her attention to him. "We need to get pass them, insert the server blades, and maybe…just maybe salvage what's left"
"We're not salvaging anything. We're not just taking down the carriers, we're taking down Shield"
Fury's body tensed. "Shield had nothing to do with this"
"Shield had everything to do with this" Reina looked to Fury, holding his glare.
"You gave me this mission. This is how it ends" Steve's voice started rising. "Shield has been compromised. Hydra grew right under your nose and nobody noticed"
"Why do you think we're meeting in this cave?" Fury asked. "I noticed"
"Yea, and how many had to pay the price before you did?" Reina asked.
Fury glanced to her. "I didn't know about Barnes"
"Even if you did, would you have told us?" Steve asked. "Shield, Hydra. It all goes"
Fury turned to Reina. "Reina you can't be serious. You helped build Shield"
"Yea. And this is not what I had in mind. This isn't what Peggy and Howard wanted" Reina shook her head.
Fury looked around, everyone avoiding his gaze.
"Well…looks like you're giving the orders now, Captain…"
!
Reina listened to Steve's broadcast to the agents of Shield. Explaining to them what had happened, and that there were enemies among them. Reina glanced to Fury, his face an unreadable stone. She sat in the helicopter, waiting for Fury to fly it to the headquarters. She wanted to be there now, helping Steve and Sam take over the helicarrier. Fury had refused, instead having her sit back because he wanted to test a theory of his. He wouldn't even tell her what exactly his theory was.
So for now she sat and waited, listening to the radio as Hill directed the two on what to do.
"Two down, one to go"
Fury looked at her. "That's our que. Romanoff is waiting"
Fury started up the helicopter, Reina watching as they started taking off.
"So, gonna tell me now what your theory is?" Reina asked.
Fury just kept silent as they made their way to the top of the Triskelion, landing. Reina glanced through the wall of glass to Natasha standing at the computer, with Pierce held at gunpoint.
"Agent"
Reina looked to Fury as he gestured her, the two stepping out of the helicopter. They walked into the room, Fury keeping his glare on Peirce.
"Did you get my flowers?" Pierce asked, feigning a smile. "I'm glad you're here, Nick"
"Really? I thought you had me killed"
"You know how the game works" Peirce gave a short laugh, turning his gaze to Reina. "And look who it is…wow it's been years since I last saw you in person. Haven't aged a day…"
Reina narrowed her eyes at him, making her way to Natasha. She glanced to the screen 'Restricted Access'.
"Reina?"
Reina turned back to look at Fury. He nodded to the hologram. "Mind disabling the encryption?"
Pierce let out a loud laugh, scoffing. "Disabling the encryption is an executive order. It takes two Alpha members. We wiped everyone that's not on our side" Pierce grinned, giddy that he had outsmarted them.
"Agent, if you would" Fury gestured her again.
Reina then knew what his theory was. Just like back at New York when her handprint had accessed a restricted area. But Alpha Level clearance? Plus they still needed two people for that…so why wasn't he taking Peirce over to use his retinal scan too?
Reina walked up to the screen, the scanner zeroing in on her eyes as it scanned. The AI voice sounded.
Alpha Level confirmed. Encryption code accepted. Safeguards removed. Welcome back, Agent Rain-Drop.
Reina was stunned silent, the whole room taken aback by what just happened. Reina not only had the Alpha Level clearance, she was the only one needed when it would usually take two. That, and for the first time in many, many years; Reina heard her code name.
Howard was definitely the one that had done this. She didn't know how, but whatever technology he used had stood the test of time from upgrades to wiping the system. She looked back, all eyes were on her now.
"How. I don't understand" Pierce shook his head.
"She's a founding member, after all. Wouldn't it be expected that she has more clearance than us" Fury was almost smirking, reveling in the fact his theory was correct.
"And…done" Natasha turned to them, giving them a smile. She pulled out her cellphone. "Ooh, and it's trending"
There were abrupt screams, Reina watching as the hole burnt into the chest of the other councilmen. Fury and Natasha aimed their guns at Pierce, he held his phone up.
"Unless you want a two inch hole in your sternum, I'd put that gun down…" Pierce eyes them.
Reluctantly, the two dropped their guns. Pierce walked over to the computer, leaning against the table.
"How much longer?" He asked.
The man's voice came on over the radio. "Sixty-five seconds to satellite link. Targeting grid engaged, lowering weapon array now"
One minute. Steve had one minute left to disengage the last carrier.
"We are go to targets" Pierce looked out the windows towards the helicarrier. Reina looked back, watching as the guns on the underside started shifting.
"No…" Reina whispered.
"Firing in three….two…one"
Nothing happened. Reina let out the breath she was holding. She watched as the carriers opened fire on each other, the explosions rumbling the building.
"Time to go, Councilwoman. This was" Pierce led Natasha towards the door. "You're gonna fly me out of here"
Reina watched as Natasha pulled the taser disk from her sleeve, pressing it as her body locked up and convulsed. She dropped to the ground, Fury pulling the gun off the floor and fired twice. Pierce smashed through the glass wall, choking.
Reina hurried to Natasha's side, shaking her. "Nat?"
Natasha slowly stirred. Her eyebrows furrowing in pain as she let out a quiet 'ow'.
"Those really do sting…"
Reina shook her head, pulling Nat up off the floor.
The three made their way to the helicopter, Reina switching on the communicator.
"Sam? Steve?" She asked. She looked back, watching the Helicarrier careening from the sky towards the tower. "Shit…"
The Helicarrier smashed into the tower, debris and glass flying through the air as explosions went off.
"Please, tell me you got that chopper in the air!" Sam's desperate yell came over the communicator.
Natasha leaned over Reina. "Sam, where are you?"
"41st floor! North-West corner!"
"On it stay where you are"
"Not an option!"
Fury pulled forward full throttle, hovering over the corner of the tower. Reina looked up as Sam smashed through the windows above them. Fury banked, leaning the copper to the side as Sam dropped into it. Reina and Natasha caught one arm, the door on the other side breaking off as it hurled down to the ground.
"41st floor! 41st!" Sam screamed as Fury straightened the helicopter.
"It's not like they put the floor numbers on the outside of the building!" Fury yelled back at him.
Reina hit the communicator. "Hill? Where's Steve?"
There was silence.
"Hill!" Reina screamed her name.
"He's in there" Hill's voice was soft. "He said to fire..."
Reina froze at her words, looking at the last helicarrier as it made its way to crash-land in the water. The last helicarrier rocketed as its last engine exploded, Reina's eyes focusing in as something blue dropped out of the sky towards the water.
"Steve" Reina stood.
"Reina?" Sam looked to her as she stepped to the open door of the chopper.
She looked down at the water below them, stepping back before she flung herself out the side.
"REINA!"
She dove, bringing her hand together at a point as she broke the water. She swam, using the momentum of her fall to push herself through the water. She broke for air, looking around desperately.
"Steve?!" She called.
She knew it was him that she saw fall.
She got ready to dive again, stopping as she heard the faint groan in the distance. She looked to the shore, spotting him.
"Steve!" Reina swam to him, desperate to reach him.
She crawled onto the shore, stumbling as the rocks slid under her feet. She crouched beside him, leaning her ear down to hear his heartbeat. It was faint, but it was there.
"Thank god" Reina breathed.
"Bucky…" Steve whispered.
Reina grimaced, looking around. She knew Bucky as on that Helicarrier with him. She looked to the ground, the footprints leading towards the woods.
She looked down at Steve again, pressing the communicator in her ear.
"Guys?" She asked.
"Reina? Reina what the hell is wrong with you?!" Sam's voice came over first, followed by everyone else.
"Steve. He's here. On the shore of the Potomac River, near Roosevelt Bridge"
Reina ripped the communicator from her ear, throwing it away as she quickly followed the footprints in the mud.