Hello again. I know, I know… long time no write. But I have not given up, and here I am! I don't think there are many chapters left to this story, but then again it can be hard to guess, even with a vague idea laid out. The plot is going to thicken soon enough and I promise a good twist up ahead on this crazy road. Enjoy!
Karina, your comment made me lol. Indeed, that serum can do miracles!
LAWDgivemestrength, thanks for letting me know… I had doubts about the scene but just couldn't avoid it, somehow. Glad to hear that it was not too OOC for this story. Thanks!
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Bucky woke up slowly, in a state of nearly drunken disarray, what seemed like a lifetime later. He pushed himself up and out of the bed with a groan as he ran a hand through his messy hair, assessing just how easily he'd gone out like a light after…
After…
He looked around himself and recognized the quaint motel room. He looked beside himself and recognized Steve, who was slowly stirring himself awake… Bucky could not suppress a slightly crooked grin as memories of their arrival here returned to him; vivid, hungry memories that caused a renewed passion to awaken beneath his skin, a flare of heat that traveled all through his being.
Steve's eyes split open as he too returned to this wild reality of theirs. His gaze crossed his best friends' and a flush creeped up onto his face.
"Jesus, Buck… what the Hell happened?"
Bucky just winked and smirked. "What, didn't like it?"
He couldn't lie to himself and say he wasn't amused by how distraught his comment seemed to make his friend, who grumbled out a non-committal answer as his eyes swept the room, searching for their one missing party member.
Bucky glanced around as well: where was Lianka, and how had she managed to crawl out from between them while they slept, without waking them up?
The soldier tensed for a moment, until he realised he could hear the shower running in the adjacent room. Almost as if on cue, it stopped abruptly and they heard a bit of rummaging around behind the closed door, before Lianka emerged to join them, her hair wet, smelling clean and wrapped in a white towel. She flashed them a stunningly innocent smile as both men watched her walk past, one with eyes of unhidden lust, the other with a shy sort of apprehension. She stripped out of her towel without even a glance at them, pretending she couldn't notice their hungry stares and proceeded to get dressed in a pair of fresh clothes, all the while pointedly ignoring them.
"Good morning, doll." Bucky growled softly as she finally finished and turned around to face them, a hint of amusement glinting in her icy eyes.
"Good morning, prekrasnyy." She winked. "Get washed and dressed. We can't stay here."
"How long have we slept?" Steve asked as he threw his legs over the side of the bed to sit upon it, rubbing sleep from his eyes and hair.
"Through the night." She smiled.
"Why the sudden rush?" Bucky asked, never missing a beat as his brow furrowed. He knew they had to remain on the move as to avoid being spotted or drawing attention to themselves, but he was wondering why Lianka was so keen to depart right away. Surely they could have allowed themselves another day of rest…
Her mouth twisted into a little grimace. "I have a bad feeling… and the sooner we can get all this behind us, the better I will feel."
Lianka finished getting dressed and left them alone with nothing more than one of her sad little smiles, exiting out into the howling cold of a winter morning. Slightly confused, both men glanced at each other and shrugged, suddenly unsure what they should make of the girl… one moment they thought they understood her and had access to her soul and the next… the next she seemed as placid as a stranger might be. Bucky could almost say he understood why she was like this: she was a spy, just as he had once been. He knew of the psychological walls one could build in such a situation… the myriad of facades one would have to wear in order to survive the dangerous, treacherous underbelly of society. In his case, those walls and faces had been built for him, as he was tortured and stripped of his very humanity in order to serve his masters… even so, he still felt at times as though something about Lianka was escaping him…
Steve, on the other hand, had no idea what to think. He hadn't had many relationships in his life and the few women he'd encountered had been as far from conventional as it was possible to get. He could guess that Lianka was beyond his comprehension, but how far beyond… that he could not tell.
Soundlessly agreeing, the two soldiers decided to push the matter from their mind for the time being. Bucky headed for the shower while Steve pulled on his briefs and a shirt, preparing them some coffee and food over the little camp stove they'd used in the wilderness. It was not long before his friend emerged from the bathroom, gratefully taking a mug of black brew, allowing Steve to wash up in turn. The blonde soldier felt almost instantly better when they steaming water hit his skin… years on the terrain, from the great war to his missions with the Avengers, had gotten him used to going days and weeks without the comfort of a soft bed and warm shower, but he had to admit that those comforts were very much welcome when they could be enjoyed.
When he came out of the bathroom, wearing a set of fresh clothes, he found that Lianka had returned and was sitting across from Bucky at the tiny table they had in the room. They were talking softly and she turned those ferocious eyes of hers upon him when she heard him join them… Steve's heart seemed to skip a beat when their gazes crossed. There was a very complex sort of emotion painted in the blue of her eyes…he did not think he could ever understand it.
"Ready to leave, blondin?" She asked with a wolfish sort of smile that almost made him blush, all the while chugging down her mug of coffee to the dregs at the bottom.
Steve grimaced and turned to pack up the rest of his things.
"Lia got us a car." Bucky stated in an amused sort of tone that hid a touch of surprise, almost as though he could not believe the feat.
Steve glanced at the scheming pair. "A borrowed car?"
"No." She rolled her eyes at him. "I bought it. From the gentleman who rented us the room. I explained that the repairs on our own car were going to be too extensive and we weren't going to fix it, but we needed something else to travel with. I told him we were travelling down to Poland to visit family, then I asked if he knew anyone who wanted to sell their car and it just so happens he had one… now, we're Sunday so we cannot transfer ownership before tomorrow, but he was kind enough to print all the necessary papers out, which we filled and I promised we'd go tomorrow, first thing…"
"By which time we are going to be in Norway, by the sea, where that car will vanish from existence." Bucky added. The lack of emotion in his voice was a tad unsettling and, for the umpteenth time, Steve had to remind himself that his friend had lived a very different life, which had led to him acquiring strange habits and a slightly twisted view of the world.
Without much else to be said about the trip, they set out, careful to wipe down their room of fingerprints and check that nothing there could lead back to them.
The vehicle they'd acquired was an old, greyish Fiat which seemed ready to fall apart at the first gust of wind. However, as they packed into it and Lianka seated herself behind the wheel of the tight vehicle, they found that the interior was reasonably comfortable. A few hours on the road convinced them that the stout little thing was tougher than it seemed, purring along soundlessly through the freezing conditions.
They drove quaintly, never above the speed limit and each one of them kept a sharp eye out on the road for any vehicle that might look as though it was following them. All the way to Tallinn, where they were lucky enough to board a daily ferry across the Gulf of Finland, none of them spotted anything out of the ordinary. They snoozed briefly during the trip on the waters and arrived in Helsinki shortly after, where they paused only briefly to fill the Fiat with gas and restock on food.
They drove in five hour shifts across Finland, barely talking.
At some point, nearly a day into the ride, there came a moment when Steve was driving, Lianka was daydreaming beside him and Bucky was snoozing in the back, his arms folded across his chest and his somber face folded into a frown. Nothing had been said these past few hours, so when Steve broke the silence in a slightly hoarse voice, it startled even him.
"Would you leave this life?"
Lianka blinked and turned her gaze from the snowy outdoors, where it had been lost, and fixed it with curiosity upon the blond man.
"What do you mean?"
Steve cleared his throat gently, careful not to wake Bucky.
"If you could… would you turn away from this life you lead right now and try for something… something…"
"Normal?" She supplied, amused. Lianka chuckled sadly. "This is all I've ever known… all I've ever been… I don't think I could live with normal."
There was a moment of thoughtful silence between them.
"Perhaps…" She sighed and Steve glanced at her, curious. "Perhaps I would not seek normal… maybe I would try for something different. I've lived my life doing… this… with no hope of ever changing that, of every aspiring to something else. But if I could… perhaps I would vie for something different. You know?"
He remained silent. Did he know? He did not know her… he did not know anything anymore…
"Would you?" She broke him from his reverie. "Would you leave your life?"
"I did." He admitted, profound sadness leaking into his tone. His blue eyes seemed to darken, as though a storm passed behind them. "I left my life. Everything that I had built and believed in, along with those I called my friends. I left it all behind to follow what I thought was right… and there are days… there are days I wonder if I made a mistake."
She nodded slowly. "We all wonder that. You're not alone." Her hand, suddenly shy and timid, inched towards where his was rested on the gear shift and their fingers entwined a bit clumsily, squeezing hopefully for some measure of comfort. Steve felt a jolt like fire run through him at her touch. "There are days we all wonder if it could not have been different, if we chose the right path in the end… I believe… I believe that we simply need to look forward, to move towards a future goal and set our sights on bettering our fate… regret will lead us nowhere."
He remained silent, thoughtful, but her words rang very true.
The trip continued without a sound.
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They passed the border into Norway while Lianka slept in the back and both men sat in the front, brooding and talking very little. They'd agreed to head to a northern port that bordered the Barents Sea, in a tiny town so remote it was a wonder it hadn't been abandoned when the fishing industry had dwindled in popularity with the new generation. But it was also precisely why they were headed there: Lianka had apparently been there previously and knew of a sheer cliff that overlooked the town, where they could careen their tiny Fiat into the depths of the unforgiving, stormy sea. Many of the houses there were now abandoned and no one kept watch over that particular spot, meaning no one would report the sinking vehicle. She knew that the fishing boats moored in the tiny port there were old and rickety, but surprisingly sturdy and would be able to sail them out to Svalbard without problem. It was a place where people very rarely now set sail, so it might even be a few days before anyone realised they'd commandeered one of the rusted vessels.
As expected, they arrived to the cliff over the sea just as the sun was setting, almost uncannily early in these cold months. They had to pick a stony, twisting path to reach the overlooking edge, but the sturdy Fiat made the trip without complaint. The trio then proceeded to grab all their things from the vehicle, careful to again wipe down all surfaces to remove their prints, and rolling down all the windows before Steve and Bucky effortlessly rolled the inconspicuous vehicle to the cliff's edge. Lianka watched it take the plunge suddenly, vanishing from sight. A few seconds later, the faint sound of a crash could be heard and, as they looked down over the edge in the dying sunlight, they could just barely make out the Fiat disappearing into the agitated waves as water poured in through its windows.
Steve sighed, biting at his lip uncomfortably.
"Hey." Lianka gave him a little tap, trying to cheer him up as he obviously felt bad about their actions. "The man who sold it to us got paid for it, at least… we didn't steal it. We just can't take any risks…"
"I know…" Steve shrugged helplessly. "I just can't get used to… to this. All this covert, law-breaking spy stuff… I'm… I was a soldier. I always followed honor and it's just…"
Bucky rolled his eyes and shoved his friend playfully. "C'mon you wimp. Suck it up."
Steve shot him a slightly dirty look, but they could tell he wasn't really angry. He was just upset and, more importantly, out of his element. Where Bucky and Lianka had lived a crooked life for years, he'd only been at it since he'd had to flee the United States after the Sokovia Accords disaster. This was still new to him… and he might never get used to it, not with the mindset he'd acquired across his life.
Before they set out, Lianka took a moment to absently fish through her pockets, pulling out her trusted flacon of pills, of which she took one without flinching. Bucky frowned at her mechanical motions.
"Lia… are you alright?"
She seemed to snap out of a deep thought, glancing at him, before glancing down at the pills in her hand, almost as though she didn't even remember taking them out. Lianka smiled gently, but both Steve and Bucky instantly saw that there was something hidden beneath that sad little expression.
"Yes, don't worry. These are… these are for something else. Not for pain. It's a long story."
"Care to share?" Steve asked as they set out from the cliff's edge, slowly making their way across the frozen road and down into the fishing town below.
"No." She shook her head and smiled again. "It's nothing important, and I don't want to talk about it now… perhaps some other time."
Her words were soft and kind, but her tone was final: she would not budge. Bucky nodded slowly and shrugged it from his mind for the time being, all business, but Steve could not help but feel at tad uneasy, all of a sudden… he tried to recall if Lianka had been taking those pills since the first time they'd seen her, in the safe house, and he found he couldn't remember. They were contained in an unmarked plastic box and neither their shape, color or size coincided with anything he'd seen in the past. Did she take them regularly?… at varying hours?...he could not recall.
Steve vowed to keep an eye on this consumption of hers, at least until she took the time to properly explain to them what she was doing. He did not want to jump to conclusions, but a secret such as hers could compromise their team and potentially put them in danger… he remained vigilant.
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The boat they chose was a small fishing vessel, her teal shell spotted with rust, rising and falling in the agitated sea at the very end of one of the rotting, slippery docks that dotted the village's shore. They made their way to the boat in the night's complete and oppressive darkness, carefully stepping on creaking planks that threatened to crumble beneath their weight. Once inside, they set their things into a corner and both Lianka and Bucky began looking around carefully, evaluating their environment. She had a bit of experience in sailing as part of a hobby she'd picked up a few years ago, and Bucky had been drilled on the matter during his training as the Winter Soldier, so they were technically capable of getting this tub of rust out into the open sea without anyone dying.
Steve stood out of their way, completely distraught by this activity he'd never really participated in and watched with just a tiny bit of jealousy as the pair started operating the vessel so terribly naturally, working in tandem while barely having to speak. Bucky foraged beneath the steering console, crossing wires until the boat's grumbling engine sputtered to life. Lianka was immediately leaping outside, graceful and swift, even on the rocking ground beneath her feet, her hands undoing the thick ropes that tied them to the dock. Holding on to the rusted railings, she threw herself overboard, pressing her feet hard into the dock's edge and pushing until she managed to swing them away from the dock and out into the angry sea. Steve joined her outside, slightly throw off balance by the unnatural swinging of the boat amidst the waves, and helped her safely back into the boat.
"Spacibo…" She whispered as they held on to one another for a moment longer than necessary.
Just as Steve made a motion to pull away and let her go, she raised a gentle hand and slipped it behind his neck, drawing him down to her for a soft, almost chaste kiss.
It lasted but a moment and she was already pulling away, a cryptic smile painted upon her features. Lianka slipped back inside with a wink that left the blond soldier mesmerized and somewhat confused, staring back into the rapidly fading lights of the town they had left behind, in Norway.
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Steve discovered quite quickly that he was in no way cut out for the marine life. The boat's constant swaying in the pitch blackness of night gave him the worst feeling of sickness he'd ever experienced and he was forced to sit down on a corner chair down in the quarters, his head held between his hands. Apparently, not even the super-soldier serum could save him from a terrible case of motion sickness.
Meanwhile, Lianka and Bucky were navigating the rusted tub towards Svalbard, to the coordinates they'd acquired from HYDRA's jet. Neither said anything as they remained serious, their faces crossed with identical frowns. They'd hadn't said a thing to Steve to avoid worrying him, but both knew that they were currently in a considerable amount of danger: they'd all omitted the very important fact that the winter months were in no way suited for sailing. In their rushed desire to remain below the radar and reach Svalbard, neither had considered that the sea would be very rough at this time of year. Lianka was suddenly doubtful if the decrepit boat would survive the waves they were breaching… at times, it felt as though they were well over twenty meters in height.
Bucky spoke to her only to confirm information from their wonky equipment and to ask her to adjust the front spotlight, which allowed him to guide the boat straight into the giant waves, assuring they would not be toppled over sideways. The girl operated swiftly and methodically, never once betraying any signs of stress or fear. He found he had to admire her stoic image: years as a spy, facing death on a daily basis, had clearly shaped her into a being of exceptional hardness.
They were at it for hours, tense and focused, but as dawn finally started breaching to their starboard side, Lianka realised that the waves they rode were smaller, that the howling wind was blowing just a bit less harshly and that Bucky's metal hand was crushing the steering wheel just a tad less intensely.
Indeed, not a half hour after the sun had risen, they passed into an almost quaint part of the sea, the waves lapping at their flanks playfully, and the wind blowing gently against the bow. Steve finally emerged from below, a tad green in the face, looking as though he'd spend the night outside being buffeted by the waters themselves.
At the sight of him, Bucky burst out laughing, to which Steve grumbled bleakly as he went outside to enjoy the cool air and ease his feeling of sickness. Lianka held back her own laughter slightly as to not irk the blond soldier, but she had to admit that after the intensely stressful night she'd just spent, it was nice to laugh a bit. She busied herself making them coffee and a little something to eat. Steve only drank the black brew slowly, still sighing a lot as even the gentle waves disagreed with him. Meanwhile, Bucky remained at the prow, growing steadily more serious as they shot through the sea.
"What's wrong?" Lianka ended up asking after sneaking a few glances at the sombre soldier, wondering what was bothering him.
"The island we're headed for is uninhabited, at least as far as I remember. How are we going to reach its shore? In case you haven't noticed, this crap basket doesn't have a dingy."
Lianka shrugged and Steve grumbled. "Just beach the damned thing." He said moodily. "We'll call Wakanda for assistance after we deal with whatever HYDRA left on that rock."
"Geez, you're grumpy. What on earth could be bothering you, Steevie?"
"Shut up, you jerk."
"Ass."
But both men were grinning, so Lianka knew they were not mad at one another. The chemistry they shared was peculiar, unlike any she'd seen before, but then again, their entire lives had been peculiar… she agreed with Steve: no use in trying to salvage their vessel. It was best to beach it on the island, especially since they knew they had backup in Wakanda that could come to their aid.
"Unless the GPS in this thing is really shot to hell, we're on the right course and should reach that island in a few hours. Lia, Steve… you two get some rest. You'll be needing it if we run into trouble."
"And what about you?" She asked gently as she rose, as steady on her legs as Steve was wobbly.
The soldier winked at her. "I'll be just fine, doll. Go."
(0)
Lianka and Steve descended below into the bow, where the sleeping quarter was located. All they found there was a pair of rickety bunk beds that supported thin, moldy mattresses that distinctly smelled like something uncared for. She took a top bed while Steve slipped onto the one below and both tried to find an acceptably comfortable position in order to fall asleep and get at least a few hours of rest.
After listening to Steve twist and turn and sigh for about ten minutes, Lianka rolled her eyes and quietly slipped from her bunk, intent on joining the soldier on the tight little mattress below. He seemed initially uneasy at her joining him, but she crawled over him and squeezed right between him and the wall, where she shuffled into a comfortable pose and wordlessly wrapped her arms around him. Lianka began playing in the soldiers' hair, her soft fingers brushing through the locks like little ghosts, drawing pleasant shivers across his back. Steve found that her touch seemed to ebb away the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, so he calmed his mind and let her do as she pleased.
Much to his surprise, he fell asleep rapidly.
She, on the contrary, slept fitfully and very little, nervous and constantly on alert. Every little sound, from the scraping of ice on the boat's wounded flanks, to the splash of waves all around them, seemed to put her more and more on edge. However, she remained cautiously still and at least did not disturb Steve while he rested.
She rose a bit before he woke, deftly squeezing out from her tight position without so much as nudging him, before joining Bucky above. She remained with the Winter soldier, uncannily silent and brooding for the remainder of their trip and he while he enjoyed her quiet company, he found that her demeanor was starting to unnerve him.
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The GPS hadn't been shot after all: they reached land soon enough and by the shape of the frozen waste before them, they could guess they had arrived at the appropriate island. Bucky took to the boat as close as he dared, sailing at an angle with the shore, searching for an adequate spot to beach the small vessel. Lianka stepped out onto the freezing deck, eyes squinted against the harsh wind and bright light that reflected over the water, trying to find them a spot as well.
In the end, she guided them into a minute bay she spotted, where the shore was composed of rocks and ice, but where they could pretty much reach land if they drove the boat quickly enough. She and Steve took to a corner and braced themselves as Bucky floored the gas and steered them right into the centre of the tiny, stony beach.
The boat hit land with a terrible wail of twisted metal and the trio held on for dear life as the shock of the impact rattled their very teeth. Around them, an enormous flock of varied seabirds rose with screeches as this sudden human presence came bothering them on their secluded island. Everything that wasn't tied down in the fishing boat went flying as rocks and ice tore at the hull, piercing through the brittle rust and irrevocably condemning them to remain on land. Steve found himself silently praying they had indeed chosen the right island.
The small vessel came to a brutal halt and rolled heavily to one side, coming to a rest a couple feet into the stony shore. The trio regained their balance, carefully marching over the newly crooked floor as they grabbed their gear and exited the boat by leaping over the railings on the side that was closest to the ground.
"Where to now?" Steve asked with a sigh as they strapped their packs and looked around at the silent, icy cliffs that surrounded them. There was a rocky sort of incline that could allow them to go further up and to the plateau that seemed to compose the main part of the island. Bucky nodded towards it as he pulled a warm glove over his bare, human hand, taking care to check that his pistol was loaded and tucked safely into the waistband of his pants, where it could be readily accessed. Lianka verified the two slim knives she'd slipped into her boots and checked her own handgun as well, a small thing she kept in a holster on her thigh, additional clips secured to her belt. Steve had nothing else than his wrist shields, but he knew he would probably do well enough in a fight, no matter what was thrown at them. Nonetheless, her clenched his fists and activated the shields, ready at a moment's notice.
They clambered up the steep rocky incline one after the other, careful not to send stones flying at the person below them. Once atop the plateau, they squinted in the bright sunlight and howling wind, which kept lifting swirls of ice crystals and snow that stung any unprotected skin upon contact. Further inland, they could clearly spot a structure that was by no means natural: the hard angles and smooth surfaces were a testament to that. It was hard to tell exactly what sort of building it might be, but as there was nothing else in this glacial wasteland, they decided to head right for it.
Steve had a nasty feeling in the pit of his stomach… this entire scene felt all too familiar, bringing him back a year earlier, back when he'd fled America with Bucky, Tony, T'Challa and Zemo in tow, headed for the abandoned HYDRA base that had housed the remainder of the Winter Soldiers. By a glance, he could tell that Bucky felt the same way: the sombre man had suddenly grown very agitated, his brow furrowed and his footsteps menacing.
Lianka was the only one whose demeanor had not changed: she was as quiet and thoughtful as she'd been on the boat, hard eyes set fixedly on their goal. Whether she was worried or anxious was impossible to tell: she appeared to remain uncannily good at concealing her emotions.
It was not hard to reach the structure: the snow was not deep, as a fairly solid sheet of ice seemed to have formed as the topmost layer. They had to fight against the raging wind more than anything, their footprints erasing behind them almost as quickly as they formed.
Steve was in front, arms raised to protect his face and eyes, so he was the first to fully recognize the building when they reached it: it was an almost exact copy of the bunker entrance they'd encountered when hunting for the remaining Winter Soldiers, except that whatever structure this entrance was guarding was entirely underground… nothing else emerged from the frozen wastes around them. Lianka pushed past him assuredly, gun draw as she moved towards the heavy metal door that guarded the entrance… Bucky was beside her in a flash, his grave eyes noticing at once that the thing was not shut, and the gouges upon the ground, like lacerations through the snow, clearly indicated it had been opened very shortly before.
"We're not alone…" The Winter Soldier grumbled, slipping through the yawning entrance before Lianka could do so herself, intent on opening the way for them. She followed suit gravely and Steve closed their march, every nerve on edge as they made their way into the dark, menacing compound.
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Sorry to stop on a cliff-hanger, but this chapter is long enough. Action promised in the next one, and the plot shall thicken.
Review please my dear readers. It's always a pleasure to answer you!