Chapter 45: Lost In Translation

It became very obvious very quickly that the man in front of her was not Bucky.

Sure, he had his body, but everything from his eyes to the way he walked was different. The Winter Soldier levelled her with a harsh gaze, turning to her and stalking towards her. She opened her mouth to call his name again, but her voice died in her throat as he neared her. He walked with no hesitation to his movements and no recognition in his face, and Mika realized that she now had two options: try to outrun the super soldier, or try to fight him long enough to wake Bucky up. She took one step backwards, her weight already shifting onto her toes as she weighed her options. Fight, or flight? She looked at the man in front of her, and thought she didn't go through hundreds of early morning hours at the gym and even more time falling for him to leave him now.

The Winter Soldier took the first swing, his metal arm flying in a wide arc towards her. She ducked, the hit so close to landing that his arm swiped her ponytail. If she thought there was any chance of him holding back or going easy on her, the idea completely evaporated. This was not their sparring sessions. This was a real fight, and she was going to have to treat it as such. He didn't wait after the first punch, sending his knee towards her face. She was barely able put her hands up in time, the force of the kick pushing her backwards. He'd always complimented her quickness, and now she was putting it to the test. His attacks were relentless, coming so fast that she wasn't able to reciprocate, only react. The good thing was, while Bucky was always subtle in his movements, artful and surprising in his approach, the Winter Soldier was bold and obvious. He was not making an effort to hide what he was going to do, so while Mika could not beat him on speed or strength, she could at least predict him.

"I know you're there! You can fight this!" she said, her voice cracking as she continued to evade his attacks. Once upon a time, she'd been offended when he said how much he held back during their sparring sessions; now, she completely understood why. The Soldier said nothing, his expression never changing as they continued to fight. She never went on the offensive, just kept defending hit after hit. She was getting tired, very tired, and she knew that if she didn't break through to him or get some help soon, then she was going to lose.

He caught her wrist, and she twisted and pulled in the exact way he taught her that first morning at the gym. He grabbed her ponytail with his right hand, and she had to use all her weight and momentum to spin and pull out of it. She heard a sickening crack from above her which was followed by him releasing her, and she took the opportunity to put some space between them. His arm hung limply by his side, the same way it had that night of the explosion at the warehouse. But instead of careful reduction of the dislocation, he simply reached across with his metal arm and popped it back into place, the joint making a disgusting smack sound and the pain barely registering on his face. She stood, shocked, as he stepped to her and with speed she wasn't ready for, grabbed her by the neck with his right hand. She barely got her fingers between his hand and her neck, giving her just enough room to breathe and stay conscious as he unapologetically tried to choke her. She knew Bucky was in there somewhere, but the man in front of her was a complete stranger whose face she didn't even recognize.

"Bucky, please. It's me. It's Mika." she gasped out, her voice strained as she spoke over his grip. She hadn't wanted to respond to the attacks this whole time, but it appeared she was out of options. As she said the last word, she saw his face change just slightly, his grip relaxing a miniscule amount. She hadn't wanted to hurt him, but somehow knew that he would be disappointed if she didn't take advantage of this momentary lapse, no matter how small it was. She sank her elbow into the fleshy part of his forearm, right where he taught her so that she would hit the nerves. His hand spasmed and almost released, but not completely. He did completely let go, however, when she reached with her leg and slammed the heel of her boot just below his sternum.

She stumbled backwards as his hand left her throat, cursing her balance as she hit the floor coughing. How was her balance always so bad? He was still looking down at her with the same expression, but wasn't moving towards her. He stood with his stance wide and his elbows bent, as if he were ready to jump back in at any moment. But his hands were flexing and relaxing, flexing and relaxing, as if he were deciding what to do. Had she gotten through to him?

She opened her mouth to say his name again, but was interrupted by a woman slamming into Bucky, knee first into his stomach. Mika could hear the air leave him in a rush, but other than that, the Soldier showed no sign of feeling the hit. He turned his attention to her, holding up his arms to easily block the powerful kicks she sent towards him. He shot an arm out at her, but she ducked, allowing a red headed woman (holy shit, was that Black Widow?!) to step in and punch him twice, once in the abdomen and once in the groin. He doubled over just enough for the first woman to kick across his face, and while her heart ached at the sight of them beating him, she knew that he was still not the one in control. As long as they didn't kill him, they would be alright.

The blonde wrapped a leg around his shoulders, trying to use the strongest part of her to bring him down. But she wasn't strong enough, and he was able to grab her and throw her down on a nearby table as if she weighed nothing. The hit was hard enough for the table to break, collapsing underneath her and drowning out the noise of pain she made. The Black Widow took over after that, swinging herself up so that her legs were clamped around his neck. The Soldier wasn't phased, his hands going to her legs and gripping so hard that Mika could see them digging into her thighs. She knew she should leave, or get help, or something, but she was completely transfixed by what was going on in front of her as the reality of the situation set in: she was too late. She hadn't saved him. She'd let him down.

The Black Widow tried to knock him out, but her hits might as well have been gentle taps for as much damage as they did. He slammed her down onto another table, and this one managed to stay standing as he grabbed her neck with his metal arm. Mika could hear her gasping, see her struggling, but couldn't bring herself to get up from the floor. Luckily, someone else could, a Black man running in and kicking him away from the table. For a moment, she thought the man could keep up with the Soldier, but he landed a solid hit that knocked him off his feet. The Soldier looked at her one last time, the moment so brief Mika wasn't entirely sure it happened, before he turned and went for the stairs. He was already up to the first landing and rounding the corner before she finally unfroze, scrambling to her feet and going to follow him. She didn't make it far before someone grabbed her arm, halting her progress and yelling at her in English.

"Ma'am! You need to come with us! Right now!" he said, his grip rough on her arm. She pulled free, just the way Bucky taught her, and made to go after him again. He grabbed her once more and she tried to wrestle away, but he clicked handcuffs into place over one wrist, and she stopped struggling. She didn't know how to get out of handcuffs, and if this guy had them, then there was no telling what else he had to detain her. She couldn't very well find Bucky again if he gunned her down for evading arrest.

"No, you don't understand, I have to go. I'll be fine." she rambled in Romanian, her anxiety making her forget to translate. The agent grabbed her by the upper arm, his eyes wide and his face grotesquely animated as he loudly and slowly said,

"Come. With. Us. Now." He spoke to her as if she were hard of hearing or slow to understand, which immediately made her blood boil. She opened her mouth to respond, but realized why he was speaking to her that way: he didn't think she understood English. She wanted to ask why he thought she would magically understand him if he spoke louder and slower, but decided to hold her tongue for the moment. Bucky was going to escape, of that she was sure; but she didn't know who had switched on the Soldier, and it was possibly in her best interests to play dumb until she could get more information and figure out her next move.

"Can you understand anything I'm saying? Anything at all?" she asked rapidly, and the way the man's eyes glazed over gave her the answer. "So I could say anything to you right now and you would have no idea. Dumbass."

"You." He pointed a finger at her sternum roughly, and she resisted the urge to bite it, even if she'd never done such a thing before. "Come." He gestured his hand in a circle towards himself, beckoning her. If this wasn't such a stressful situation, she might have laughed at his poor charades. "Now."

"What's going on here? Who is this, and why have you detained her?" the blonde woman from before appeared at the agent's side, her eyes moving between Mika and the man as she assessed the situation. Mika pressed her lips together, not knowing if this woman spoke Romanian or not. Behind her, other agents helped the injured ones up, the Black Widow righting herself and going to help one specific man - holy shit, was that Tony Stark?! - before they strode away. The red head spared her a look before Mr. Stark took her attention again.

"This woman knew the Winter Soldier, tried to talk to him and ended up fighting him. I think she may be involved, we gotta bring her in for questioning." the agent explained, talking as if Mika were an annoying child. She tried so hard to keep her face neutral and not respond to the statement. The blonde looked at her, just as serious but much more gentle as she asked,

"Is this true? Do you know him?" For a second, Mika forgot the act that she was putting on, but then she remembered that she didn't know who was good, and who was trying to hurt Bucky. She decided to test her luck.

"I do know him. Very well, in fact. He's been in my bed the past three nights." she said in Romanian, and sure enough the woman looked just as confused as the other agent had moments ago. Good, another person that might give her more information, if she played her cards right.

"Okay, let's just get her upstairs. We'll see what Ross wants to do." she said to the agent. She put her hand around Mika's upper arm, her touch much less aggressive, but telling to the strength she could use if she needed to. The commotion that had been going in the stairwell had stopped, and Mika breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed Bucky had managed to escape. She had no choice but to follow the agents, allowing them to lead her upstairs to a bunch of cubicles separated by clear walls. It looked much more modern than the building she worked in, and she tried not to be too impressed by the way people were running about, screaming different orders and coordinates at each other. The blonde woman took her into a separate office, sitting her down in an uncomfortable chair. She unlocked one of the handcuffs and Mika thought she was going to be free for a moment, but instead the cuff was locked onto the table in front of her. And there she was meant to wait, and try and figure out what she was going to do next. This, she realized, was what Elena was afraid of.

"Who the hell is that?" Everett Ross asked Agent Carter, gesturing at the random brunette woman handcuffed in one of the offices. There were too many problems going on right now for him to be worried about a civilian.

"Agent Mullens here said she spoke to the Winter Soldier as if she knew him. She might have information." Agent Carter explained, though she sounded slightly suspicious of the idea. Ross stared at the woman for a long while, trying to figure out why she looked vaguely familiar. He gave up, turning to Mullens.

"You said she knew him? What did she say?" he asked, and the agent hesitated for a minute before answering him.

"I don't know, sir. I don't think she speaks English. She doesn't seem super threatening, but..." he confessed, and Ross could only look at him and try to decide if he was kidding before heaving a frustrated sigh.

"She doesn't speak English." he stated. It wasn't unheard of, but something didn't feel right about it. He turned to Carter.

"She doesn't appear to speak English." she said, her tone suggesting that her thoughts matched Ross's. He cleared his throat, trying to contain his frustration with Agent Mullens.

"Do you even have a name for her?" he asked, not bothering to hide the ire in his tone. The Agent nodded, holding out a tablet displaying a SHIELD contractor badge picture of the same woman in the office. It listed her name as Mika Corsof, as well as her clearance level and her relevant information. Ross knew he knew that name, but he couldn't quite remember where he'd seen it before. He exited out of the file, typing in her last name and waiting for relevant files to pop up. Mika's was the second one on the list, and the first...ah, that's why she looked familiar.

"So you're telling me that Raisa Corsof's sister wanders in and appears to know the Winter Soldier, and you don't think she's a threat?" he asked, his anger increasing. How green were these agents working this case?

"Raisa Corsof? Who's that?" Mullens asked, and Ross was so annoyed by the question that he could only roll his eyes in answer, relying on Agent Carter to pick up the slack.

"Raisa Corsof was the tactician for the original Stryke team." she said quietly. She'd been a legend when she started at the SHIELD academy, stories either telling of how cruel and efficient she could be or serving as a warning for what happened to those who got in too deep. Her file was still classed as AWOL, but Sharon knew better than that.

"Mullens, you're with me. Carter, go find Romanoff." Ross ordered, buttoning the jacket to his suit and walking towards the office without seeing if either of the agents were following his instructions. Mullens jogged to keep up with him, and while Ross could feel the agent looking at him, he did not take his eyes off the woman in the office.

"Sir, what are we doing?" he asked, and while Ross knew he probably just wanted to be in on the plan, he didn't have the time or the patience to explain it all to him.

"We're calling her bluff." he said shortly, pushing open the door. Mika sat up straight as he entered, though her posture was limited by her handcuff. He didn't bother sitting down in front of her, instead choosing to stand, resting his hands on the back of the chair in front of her. She said something to him in Romanian that he didn't understand, but he didn't pay it any mind. He would get his answers soon enough.

"This is what I-"

"Shut up, Mullens." Ross said quietly. He turned to Mika. "Anything you want to tell us? Anything you want to admit before I bring in someone else to do the hard work for me? Hm?" He didn't give any pretenses to how annoyed he was, instead just raising his eyebrows and looking at her like a child in a principal's office. She said something else in Romanian, and he got the distinct impression that she was calling him a very rude name. He saw Carter walking up with Romanoff in tow, both women looking vaguely confused at what was happening.

"Sir, with all due respect," Romanoff started, stepping into the office with them. "As I told Agent Carter, I think my talents would be better suited elsewhere right now."

"Do you speak Romanian, Romanoff?" Ross asked, ignoring her statement. If she was surprised by the question she disguised it very well. Mika sat star struck; Natasha Romanoff was a bit of a hero to her, and to be in the same room with her was never something she expected to happen.

"Yes, sir." she said, unsure of where he was going with this. She knew they picked Barnes up in Romania, but what did that have to do with the woman sitting at the table here? The one who'd tried to stop his escape?

"Good. Then you can maybe get some answers from our friend here who doesn't appear to speak any English." he said, gesturing towards Mika. Mika froze in her seat; she hadn't counted on anyone speaking Romanian, and definitely hadn't counted on being interviewed by the former KGB assassin. She gulped, wondering what tactics they were going to use to question her. Torture? Truth serum? She couldn't handle either of those. But she would have to, if it meant saving Bucky. The Black Widow sighed, sinking into the seat across from her and levelling her with a steady, intimidating gaze.

"Do you know who I am?" she asked, clasping her hands in front of her. She spoke perfect Romanian, though her accent was different than Bucky's. Mika randomly remembered that she read in the SHIELD data dump that the woman's first language was Russian.

"Yes." she replied. There was no use lying to her, as she gave off the distinct impression of being able to completely read a person. Mika would not be able to hide any of her expressions from her, so she would have to control her words, which had never been something she was good at. It wasn't hard right now, since she was dealing with the stress of the situation combined with the excitement of being in the same room as Natasha Romanoff, but she knew that would not last long.

"Do you know why they've called me?" she followed up, and she said it in a way that could mean either to translate or to use other, more persuasive, methods of interrogation.

"Because they can't understand me." Mika said before pressing her lips together again. Her statement implied that while they could not understand her, she could definitely understand them. She'd already said too much. A slight smirk appeared on the Black Widow's face, so subtle that Mika could only pick it up because of all the time she spent with Bucky, whose own expressions were often subdued.

"So you are pulling one over on them." she said, and it sounded more like a statement than a question. Everything she said sounded like it had another meaning underneath it, but for the life of her Mika couldn't figure out what it was.

"Just don't know who to trust." she replied. It was the truth, so no one could fault her there. She didn't want to lie to these agents, but she did need to get out of here as quickly as possible. She needed to find Bucky again, preferably before anyone else did. This was trouble. This was big trouble.

"Is it true what they say? That you know the Winter Soldier?" she asked, changing tactics. She was much more direct than Mika was expecting, which made her even more nervous. It was hard to evade a direct question; perhaps that's why the Black Widow was asking them.

"Bucky." she replied. The three other Agents in the room perked up at that, finally hearing a word from her that they could understand. The Black Widow ignored them.

"Right, Bucky." she conceded, as if it weren't the first time she was having that conversation. "How do you know him? Did you help him plant the bomb?"

"He didn't plant that bomb!" Mika exclaimed, unable to stop herself. She was tired, so tired, of people saying he did something that he didn't do. Her face didn't change except for one eyebrow lifting ever so slightly, her eyes taking in more information than Mika felt like she was giving off. She'd never felt so exposed in her life.

"And how do you know that?" she asked. Her posture, her expression, everything was perfectly still. It was rather unnerving. Mika glanced at the other three agents in the room; the two men, she definitely did not trust. They stood in dominant postures, trying to threaten her without using words. It did nothing but piss her off. The blonde - they called her Agent Carter, right? - and the Black Widow, though, seemed different. She knew one was a good friend of Captain America's, who was a good friend of Bucky's, back in the day. Mika knew nothing of Agent Carter, but based on the way she stood, the way she interacted with her, she figured that she was not completely against her.

"Who told you where he was?" Mika asked a question, the first one she'd managed to voice the whole time she'd been with these people. She didn't know if they would answer her, but it was worth a try. Agent Romanoff leaned back in her chair, turning her head to Agent Carter and purposefully away from the other two agents in the room. She stepped forward, close enough for Agent Romanoff to murmur,

"Who gave you the intel on Barnes' location?" Agent Romanoff seemed genuinely interested, and Mika was certainly surprised. She had not expected to get answers to any of her questions, let alone so easily. Agent Carter pulled out her phone and scrolled through it, her brows furrowed as she searched for the information she wanted.

"It came from a man named...Alexei Fortescu." she said lowly. Mika nearly jumped out of her chair at that, the handcuff biting into her wrist. Three of the agents startled at her reaction, the young man's hand even going for the pistol at his waist. The older man held a hand out in front of him, staying his actions. Only Agent Romanoff remained calm and still, as if she were expecting the outburst.

"That bitch ass mother fucker-" Mika let the swears out before she could stop herself. How dare he? Just cause he was a jealous bastard, he was willing to destroy everything she and Bucky had together? She was never, never, going to speak to him again, and if he was ever within arm's reach again, she was going to punch him square in the throat.

"I answered your question. Answer mine. I have more pressing concerns at the moment." Agent Romanoff said, her tone still steady. Mika looked at her for a long moment, trying to contain herself again. She was royally pissed, but she needed to focus. She shoved her anger at Alexei down, focusing and still figuring out a way to get out of here and help Bucky.

"He's been with me. He couldn't have been in Vienna, because he's been staying with me." she answered, hoping that Agent Romanoff was actually someone she could trust, someone that might help her, someone that would see that Bucky was not in the wrong here.

"Do you have any proof besides your word?" she asked, and Mika's heart skipped a beat. Of course she didn't have any proof; they very rarely took pictures, and spent most of their time just hanging out. "I can't help you if you can't give me proof."

Mika thought of their activities the night before and blushed deeply. "Um, not without things getting very...invasive." she whispered, crossing her legs in a protective manner. Agent Romanoff's face showed understanding, and she nodded.

"No, I wouldn't subject you to that." she said, and Mika let out a sigh of relief. She was willing to do whatever it took to save Bucky, but if certain things could be avoided, she much preferred that.

"He didn't do what they say he did. He's not who they say he is." she said, her throat thick with emotions. She was quickly losing her edge, feeling like she was completely out of control in what was going on. She couldn't trick the Black Widow, couldn't hope to outwit or outmatch trained agents. She wasn't a spy, or an assassin. She was just trying to save her loved one, and that's all she had left.

"Who is he, then?" she asked. Another direct question.

"He's a good man, just trying to live a quiet life. The person that was downstairs, that wasn't him. He would never do such a thing." she said, getting desperate. She needed them to see him as she did: as someone who was kind, and loving, and trying to heal the pain of his past.

"But you are aware of his past, right? The things he's done?" she continued, making Mika bristle. It was only the second time she'd had the question directed at her, but she was already getting sick of it.

"He's not the enemy. He was a victim." she said. Why couldn't anybody see that?

Agent Romanoff sat for a long time after that statement, the silence heavy around them. She was trying to size up her words, and see how they fit into the larger puzzle. Mika waited as patiently as she could, her eyes going between the four agents in front of her. It sunk in that the woman in front of her was the only one who had any idea what was going on.

"What is it? What did she say?" the older man asked, clearly impatient with how this was going. Agent Romanoff hesitated to answer, and was saved by another agent barging into the room.

"Sir, you're needed in the control room." he said, earning a sharp look from the man.

"I'm in the middle of something." he said through clenched teeth, but the agent didn't back down or show fear.

"Sir. I must insist." he said, making his superior sigh in a frustrated manner.

"Go ahead. I've got this." Agent Romanoff said without looking behind her. The other three agents hesitated before following the older man out of the room, Agent Carter sparing one last glance in her direction before taking her leave. Mika's eyes followed them as they strode across the office, and she strained to see the monitors on the opposite side of the floor. She couldn't make out any details, couldn't see if they'd found Bucky or not.

"What happens now?" she asked, scared of the answer. Did she even know?

"If he is who you say he is…" she took an obvious glance around the office, her eyes stopping on two chairs that had men's jackets on the back of them. Two men were missing; the two men she'd seen on the television with Bucky? Captain America, and his friend? Again, she got the impression that Agent Romanoff was trying to tell her something without saying it, and Mika felt like her stomach was in her throat. "...then you have a choice to make."

With that, she stood up and promptly exited the room. Mika was beyond confused; was she supposed to wait? Was she supposed to follow her? What was she supposed to do? She was still handcuffed to the table, which was her first problem. She looked across the office again; all the other agents were watching the screens, but the Black Widow was looking at her. Mika could have sworn she winked before slowly and purposefully turning her back to her.

That had to be it. Mika pulled a pin from her hair, digging one end of it into the little hole in the handcuffs. Dammit, this always looked so much easier in the movies. She fiddled with it, probably trying too hard as she tried to work too fast; she could pick locks at home, why couldn't she pick this one? She let out a frustrated groan before clapping her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide as she looked back to where the agents were. Luckily, none of them heard her, and she was able to try again.

She could have cried with relief when the cuff finally popped open, and while she wanted to take a minute to rub her sore and raw skin, she didn't have the time. She checked to make sure her keys and her phone were still in her pocket before getting up, keeping her eyes on the agents the entire time. They were still enraptured with the screens, Agent Romanoff pointing out something very obvious to them. She didn't know where her purse was, but that didn't matter now. She had the means to escape, and hopefully the means to find Bucky. Did he even still have his phone on him? She didn't know, but she at least had to try.

She moved as silently as she could down the hallway, back the direction from which they came. Elevators were not an option; they could easily hack the programming and shut them down if they realized she was in there. No, she needed to take the stairs, and for the first time in six years she was glad she got an apartment on the fifteenth floor. Her heart hammered twice for each step she took, her ears ringing as she tried to listen for anyone pursuing her. Her anxiety didn't diminish as she made it to the ground floor, sprinting out the front door and onto the sidewalk, running as far and as fast as she could until her legs were jello and her lungs were on fire. She ducked into a playground, sitting on a bench on the far side as she pulled her phone from her pocket. Thankfully, it hadn't been injured in her fight with the Soldier, and despite her exhaustion, she held her breath as she opened her homemade application.

She tried not to think about how she was technically a fugitive now, and instead started counting the circles the little loading marker made, its rounds never stopping as it tried to connect. Tears started to fill her eyes as she watched it, her heart dropping with every revolution. They spilled onto her cheeks as the map finally popped up, her little blue and green dots blinking in real time. She took a steadying breath, then another, trying to prepare herself for the worst. The green dot was just where the phone was, not necessarily where Bucky was. And perhaps his body had the phone, but he would not be the person she found when she reached it. She remembered that moment, when she said his name, when she reminded him who she was, when the Soldier's grip loosened just a bit.

She didn't know what would be at the green dot, but she had to find out.

Yikes! What a stressful day for poor Mika! Y'all this movie is so much more stressful trying to write it than it was watching it haha.

Thank you so! Much! For the wonderful reviews! I can't tell you how much life it gives me to hear what y'all like about this story. I'm glad y'all are enjoying Civil War, cause it's definitely something I've been looking forward to for a long time!

I hope you enjoyed this installment, please let me know what you think!

-XM