Eagle limped after the Soldat to a nearby safe-house, blocks away from the crash site. They remained silent, even after breaking into the house. The door banged against the wall as they entered. She stopped in the kitchen, unlatching her bow and quiver, dropping them to the ground along with her knives and pistols. Numbly, she slid into a chair at the small dining table, unsure with herself for the first time in five years. The Soldat did the same in the chair across from her, both sucked into their own minds. Eagle's consciousness was battling the fog that had made its home in her head. Swiping a trembling hand down her face, it was met with a slick substance. Blood. Swiftly standing, she disappeared into the bathroom, eyes avoiding the mirror. Knowing that her mind was not ready to see a face. Digging a first aid kit out of a drawer, she returned to the main room. Striding into the kitchen, turning on the faucet, and mixing antiseptic with water. Her mind focused on first aid, repeating the instructions. Dunking a rag into the mixture, she wiped broken glass off of her face and neck. The rag stained red as she hissed in pain, teeth clicking together as shrapnel fell from the wounds. She felt the soldier's eyes on her as her own green eyes flit to him. He shifted, icy gaze flickering back to the oak table. Grabbing another rag, Eagle limped over with it, the bowl, and kit, setting all three on the table. Before she slipped back into the chair, Eagle shrugged off the remnants of her wings, carelessly dropping them to the ground. She pulled ointment from the kit, applying it to the cuts, sucking in a breath as it stung. Gently, she fingered them, assessing the damage and deciding they didn't need stitches. Instead, she used medical tape, setting her broken nose and patching everything up. Halfway through, she paused, watching as the Soldat took care of his own, metal arm shining in the fading light. Eagle opened her mouth to speak but no words formed. For the first time in five years, she was forced to come up with words. Her voice cracked and the syllables felt huge in her mouth, Eagle's brows scrunched in concentration as she tried to make the words sound clear.
"I...can….take...first..watch" the syllables mixed with clicks and slurs. Soldat stopped, slowly shaking his head and grunting
"No"
She paused before nodding and disappearing into the bedroom. The door clicked shut behind her. Gingerly, Eagle perched on the mattress on the floor, checking the room for bugs. The covers felt soft as she curled under them, pulling her knees to her chest, falling asleep in moments. Her bruised body trembled with relief but the sleep was anything but peaceful, nightmares haunted her mind.
"Fraulein, Our Eagle. We have been testing you to see if you are truly worthy of being our Adler. You have tested very high and so yesterday they injected you with your first round of serum. This serum is going to make you a strong and powerful Adler." She cut him off, her voice seething with fury
"My name is Aubrey, not Adler or Eagle. Just Aubrey." she was going to say more but silenced when the man's hand slapped her cheek. Tears pooled in her eyes as she felt her cheek grow hot with agony, holding in a shuddering breath she quietly listened to the man
"You are The Adler and nothing else! Do you hear me, Adler?" The girl shook her head, saying quietly
"No"
"What did you say?" Venom was in the man's voice
"I said NO!" despite where she was, she reached out and pushed the man away from her. Hands held her down as she screamed and hit anything she could. Cold metal plates slammed against her forehead and she felt the machine's low hum rumble in her chest. Fear blossomed and she screamed
"NO PLEASE NO, I WANT TO REMEMBER"
Darkness took over the Eagles consciousness but moments later color returned and her mind lit up.
"What is your name?" a man asked as he lunged at the Eagle, his fist connecting with her face
"My name is Aub….Eagle." the girl cried as she fell backward onto the ground, blocking the man's next hit. He stopped and backed away, his voice holding no sympathy
"Then get up Eagle and complete your mission." The girl felt something in her mind that wanted to obey the command.
"I can't" she whimpered as the man pushed the gun into her hand.
"You will" he snarled, the command bounced in the girl's mind as she aimed her gun and the deafening noise sounded in the room. Something dark and wet splattered all over the girl and she felt acid shooting up her throat.
Eagle shot up, scrambling towards the bathroom that connected to the bedroom. Her stomach heaved as she threw up into the toilet, sobs escaping between breaths. Eagle's stomach emptied completely before she could sit onto the cold tile, leaning her head against the wall. The prickly coldness crept through her combat suit and she used the feeling to center herself. Silent tears streamed down her face as Eagle sat in darkness. Her breathing was uneven, ragged. Vaguely she heard the bedroom door open but her body stayed glued in place. The lights flickered on and out of the corner of her eye she saw the Soldat. He eyed her, a concerned look on his face as he ducked out of the room, reappearing with a plastic water bottle. Tentatively he held it out and she took it, hands shaking. Eagle rinsed her mouth out, spitting it into the toilet before taking a sip. Cautiously, Soldat settled on the ground, leaning against the door frame. They sat in silence until he whispered
"You… Remember something, didn't you."
She nodded weakly, tongue clicking against her teeth. Eagle sucked in a shuddering breath, attempting to speak.
"When I...was first at...Hydra...I remembered the first..time I was in the chair...I..begged them not to...they told me my name was Der Adler. Then it changed...to during my training when I had to..shoot someone. His blood-spattered all over me.-" she stopped, gagging as she remembered the sticky feeling.
He gulped, nodding, seeming to sense that just being there was helping her calm down. Opening his mouth to speak again, Soldat hesitated, closing it. "I...can...watch..now" she finished
Hos brow scrunched
"It's only been...a couple of hours"
"I...I...I can't go back to sleep" she stuttered, teeth clicking together. The sound brought her an odd comfort as one last thing came from her mouth "What's..the mission now?"
Soldat sighed heavily, thinking about it a moment.
"To live." the words seemed to fill up the small bathroom.
"I...don't remember...hot to do that?" she sniffled, wiping away the tear trails on her face.
"That's why it's the mission"
Eagle nodded, getting to her feet shakily as Soldat did the same. Going back into the kitchen, Eagle retrieved her pistol as he cleared his throat
"I found extra clothes in the kitchen" she whistled softly in response as the door clicked shut. Slipping out of her combat suit, Eagle pulled on pants and a short sleeved shirt. Both made her feel vulnerable and jumpy. But the rest of the night passed quietly. She used the time to assess the wings, salvaging as much as possible. Eagle's mind kept wandering back to the new mission, repeating quietly out loud to herself
"Adler, deine Mission ist es zu leben" [Eagle, your mission is to live].
Throughout the night she would hear noises from the bedroom and just as the sun had started to rise the bedroom door banged open. Soldat stumbled out, eyes bloodshot and face pulled taut. She noticed this immediately, chattering her teeth and forgetting momentarily that he wouldn't understand. Yet he seemed to know what she was asking and nodded, rummaging through the kitchen cabinets. His posture was hostile, telling her that he didn't want to talk about it. Eagle cleared her throat,
"What...is the first step..to living...again?"
The rummaging stopped and Soldat turned to her, eyes full of battling emotions.
"A name….I think"
"Like… Der Adler und der WinterSoldat?" [Like the Eagle and the Winter Soldier?] The German rolled off of her tongue with ease.
"No...the name you had before Hydra"
A shiver traveled down Eagle's spine as something emerged from the darkness in her mind.
"Aubrey-" she whispered, mind latching onto the name, afraid it would drift back into the darkness "-It's not...It doesn't feel like mine…..it's big"
"Do..do you want a new one?
"No...something...shorter"
Soldat grew quiet as he pulled something out of the cupboard and inspected it. She assumed he was just giving her time to think but suddenly his head looked to her
"How about Brie?"
"Brie...it's...nice-" a small smile flitted onto her face. The name felt like a symbol to her….like she was shedding a skin. The Eagle was no longer a weapon but a person…. "-What about you?"
"Bucky"
"Okay...I..It's nice to...meet you Bucky" the words came slowly but it felt like an accomplishment. Her smile turned into a full-fledged grin, sharpened canines prickling her skin.
"It's..nice to meet you too, Brie...Want some-" he paused, inspecting a can "-canned chili…?"
Aubrey felt her face scrunch in dislike and he looked at her questioningly.
"I...don't think I liked chili but...It's worth a try" her stomach grumbled hungrily at the mention of food. Bucky's face stretched into a tentative smile as he poured two cans into a pot. Aubrey stood, pacing around the house and pulling open some of the shades. Dust puffed up and she coughed, waving it away. Moving her wings to the small kitchen island, she started bending the metal frames back into their original shapes, making sure to collect any feathers that fell off. Inspecting her jets, Aubrey was relieved to find they were in working shape, except for the twigs and leaves stuck in them. Next, she picked up her right-wing and tried to figure out how to attach it back to the jets. During this time she had started clicking her tongue quietly to herself, every now and then she whistled quietly out of habit. The feeling of being watched prickled down her neck and she looked up to see Bucky quietly observing her. "What?"
"Why do you want to fix them?" he stood by the stove, arms crossed.
Aubrey paused, looking down at the mass of metal stretched on the island, the tips hanging off the edges. Something bubbled up inside of her as she spoke
"They...were mine before...Hydra. Hydra improved them and..and they give me a sense of...of-" she stopped, searching for the right word "-peace"
He nodded before turning and checking the chili. Dishing it out into two bowls, Aubrey took one and settled at the small table. Slurping was the only sound as they both took bites. Her tongue tingled and she sputtered "My tongue...is...not right." before coughing into her elbow.
"I think...that's the spice. Or it is more flavor than we are used to" Bucky wasn't coughing but his face had tinged red.
"It's squishy" she continued, making a face.
"I think it's meant to be like that" He took another bite but Aubrey got up, striding to the fridge and opening it. But there was nothing inside.
"We need milk...or food" the words popped out of her mouth and she frowned..
"Why do we need milk?"
"I...I don't know...uhm-" Aubrey thought about it for a moment, something emerged in her mind. "- I think it helps with spicy food-" a snicker made its way out of her mouth as the next sentence popped out "-things must have...changed...a lot since the olden days. Milk was..is a common drink now."
"I'm not that old" He muttered.
"Mhm" warmth bubbled up in her chest and she wondered if this was what her life had been like before. The fog writhed, something emerging from the darkness….her family. Aubrey sucked in a breath, hand coming up to rub her pulsing forehead.
"You..remember something? Bucky whispered
She nodded, not meeting his eyes "Do...do you think...is there any way..I could send my family a message?" The thought was a foolish one, she knew it, even as Bucky shook his head.
"We need to take it one step at a time...can't risk Hydra finding us. We need money."
"I..if we had a computer...I could hack into...their funds"
He shrugged at her words, standing and rinsing out the bowl before padding out the door to do perimeter. Aubrey was left by herself and she quickly got to work going through the house, taking inventory of their supplies. Bucky came back to cluttered counters, things had been strewn around but when he scanned the rooms for Aubrey, he didn't see her. A banging sounded from the bathroom and he tensed. Creeping in, gun loaded, Bucky peeked inside. Only to find Aubrey half inside the cabinet, prying up a piece of lumber. The mirror had disappeared and he leaned against the doorframe, waiting until she noticed him. Aubrey gave one last pull and the wood gave way, starting to back out, she noticed him and startled. Head bumping the lip of the cabinet. Hissing, she wriggled out and sat up, rubbing the sore spot on her already bruised head. Dropping the piece of wood to the ground, Aubrey turned and peered back under the sink as Bucky murmured
" 'm sorry-" but she stopped him
"Should've heard you."
"What are you doing?" crouching down, he followed her gaze to where the wood had been torn away. A laptop sat untouched in a cubby-hole.
"It didn't look right so...I-" she pointed to the piece of wood and he nodded, carefully taking out the computer.
Bucky nodded, taking hold of it before leaving the room. The rest of the day passed in a blur. She found a credit card, several burner phones, duffel bags, and several other gadgets. The house was darkening as she sat stiffly on the couch, fingers flying across the keyboard. Hydra had taught her to hack and Aubrey was more than happy to use it against them. Within minutes she had hacked into one of the accounts and started to run money through fake names before finally loading it onto the card she had found. Tentatively, she grinned. It felt stiff and odd, stretching the skin on her face, but she was proud of herself. Bucky appeared from outside and the look on his face caused hers to fall.
"What..?" Immediately Aubrey felt her shoulders tense as she shut the computer. Her heightened senses picking up noises from outside.
"Black van three houses down, creeping along the street."
"Time to go" she muttered under her breath, bolting to her feet. They loaded the electronics, spare clothes, and her right-wing into the duffels. After strapping on their combat suits, the two quietly put the house in order and slipped out the back door, weapons ready. They slid through backyards, using the fading light as cover until they reached the end of the neighborhood. Cars whizzed by as they stood in a clump of dense pine trees. Aubrey's teeth chattered nervously, scanning the surrounding area for anything out of place.
"We need a car" she hissed.
"There's one over there" he pointed to an older red Nissan in a driveway. Something pinged in her chest, part of her didn't want to take someone's car but she knew they had to. Creeping over, they loaded the bags into the back seat before Aubrey moved to get into the driver's side. Bucky stopped her, a cautious look on his face
"Maybe I should drive…."
"When was the last time you drove? Nine-teen forty?" she pushed past him, into the driver's seat. Bucky sighed heavily, lumbering over to the passenger side. Pulling a baseball cap low onto his head, he watched as she stared at the wheel. Slowly bits and pieces came back to her. They both had the same realization at once, they needed a key. Bucky leaned across the middle console and inserted something into the key slot and fiddled with it. The car groaned reluctantly before shuddering to life. Shakily, it backed out of the driveway and soon they were on the road. Aubrey headed in a random direction, still getting the hang of driving again.
"Where exactly are we headed?" Bucky murmured after several minutes.
"Somewhere" she smirked before motioning with her head "-Grab…..a burner."
Bucky leaned back, bringing the duffel to the front of the car, and dug a burner out. He fiddled with it but didn't seem to know what he was doing. She pulled it from his metal hand and pushed the map button before handing it back to him. Bucky struggled to work the device. She chuckled under her breath but he gave her a triumphant look before saying "we are leaving New York and going into Pennsylvania. Aubrey nodded, thinking for a moment. Something new popped into her mind..her hometown... " I want to head towards Nebraska."
"What's Nebraska?"
"I think I'm from there"
"Is it in the United States?"
"Yeah, it's right...in the middle….I think."
Bucky was silent as he moved the map around, finding Nebraska several moments later.
"Brie… that might not be a good idea. They are probably watching the area," he interjected
"I know... I just thought it…..might help me ...remember." She turned the headlights up brighter as the car turned off the highway and onto a backroad. Both quieted as Aubrey drove, sucked into their own minds. By the time midnight came around Aubrey's eyelids had started to droop and she pulled into the first motel she saw, called "Sleepy Inn", underneath the name was an advertisement that confused her "Pets Welcome! But not bears, we aren't making that mistake again."
"Huh" she and Bucky both murmured at once. Parking, Aubrey grabbed the credit card, silently promising herself to take cash out soon. Bucky got out to follow but she stopped him, murmuring quietly "I am less suspicious than you. Just stay out here.", reluctantly he grunted and planted himself by one of the pillars that held up the awning, his hand resting on a hidden pistol. The door chirped and opened for Aubrey, revealing a sleepy-looking receptionist who immediately perked up when she came in.
"How can I help you?' she asked
"I just need a room for tonight...please" Aubrey tried her best not to click the syllables but the receptionist noticed anyway and gave her a look before checking a paper
"Ninety-five dollars a night." Aubrey swiped the credit card and the receptionist handed her the keys without question. A breath puffed out of her lips as she strode out, retrieving Bucky and finding the room.
"I'll take watch" Bucky started as soon as the door closed, too tired to fight Aubrey nodded and flopped onto the bed, asleep in minutes. Her body had become so exhausted that her sleep was dreamless. At 4 o'clock Aubrey woke to Bucky whispering her name, she bolted upright, thinking she was back with Hydra. It took a minute to realize she was in a motel room, puffing a breath out of her mouth, she met his eyes.
"It's your turn" but his expression was asking if she was okay.
She just nodded, swallowing heavily before slipping out of the bed. Strapping her combat boots on, Aubrey surveyed the motel room. It was small, the bed not too far from the couch and the kitchen to the right of the bed. The only other room was the bathroom. She heard Bucky's soft snores as she peered out the door's window before settling on the floor. Her hand ran along the edges of her bow as she listened for any sounds outside. The only noise was a lonely cricket. A memory emerged from the fog
A younger Aubrey sat with another girl at a table, both eating some sort of colorful ice cream with brown syrup. "Did you hear Nebraska has a new motto?" the girl asked.
"No, really? Again?"
"Yeah, it's 'Nebraska, it's not for everyone" Aubrey had just taken a bite of the ice cream but snorted when she heard the motto, she started to cough having slightly choked. The girls laughed as Aubrey added "You know why? Because half the population doesn't even know that Nebraska exists!" The girl sobered up as she admitted
"I know, but it's better that way, right? You're safe here." Aubrey's face darkened
"I hope so. . ."
Aubrey shook her head, trying to clear it as the realization came over her: She had known that she wasn't safe. The thought reverberated through her mind for the rest of the night.
When Aubrey tried to wake Bucky the next morning he shot upright, she just barely stumbled out of the way as his metal arm shot out. Backing up, she gave him space as his foggy eyes swiveled around the room, slowly clearing. His breaths became ragged, realization showing on his face.
" 'm sorry" Bucky's voice was quiet, pain in it.
"Are you okay?"
He shrugged, not really knowing as he shakily stood and collected his gun from the side table.
"Do you want to-"
"No" the word sounded like a growl
Aubrey nodded and took a map of the U.S out of her pocket, she had collected one from the front desk the night before. Spreading it out on the bed she located where they were and marked it with a pen.
"Maybe we go to South Dakota and then see if it's safe to go to Nebraska" she persisted.
"If it's not safe then we leave the country for a month"
"Okay" Aubrey couldn't keep the excitement out of her voice as she mapped out a route.
"Maybe you can teach me to drive" Bucky tried
"We'll see" they collected their stuff and got back on the road, discussing actually buying a car. The day passed quickly, Bucky was amazed by all the fast-food restaurants and the people everywhere. At lunchtime, Aubrey pulled into a mall parking lot and turned the car off. Bucky gave her a confused look
"We need clothes" he nodded and started to get out of the car but stopped as Aubrey undid her braid for the first time, combining it with her fingers. She winced, trying to get the snarls out but eventually just put it back in a braid.
"We have to..blend in" she hissed. Bucky gave her a look, shaking his head, and muttered something under his breath as Aubrey led him into the mall. They had left their main weapons in the car, keeping their knives and throwing stars on them. Aubrey watched as Bucky sucked in a breath, obviously overwhelmed...she felt similarly.
" you good?" She breathed
"Yeah". Bucky let Aubrey lead him to the food court where the smell of fried food wafted in the air. She asked Bucky what he wanted and he shrugged,
"Okay" Aubrey went to a random stall and ordered some type of noodle dish. Bucky had chosen a table on the edge of the crowd, near the door, perfect for a quick escape. She came over with the food and they ate in silence, both watched over the other's shoulder, looking for danger. After they had finished, Aubrey went into a random store. Bucky was a silent guardian, he hovered near the entrance as Aubrey browsed the clothes, unsure what she wanted.
"There's so much" she whispered, panic starting to swell in her mind when a cheery voice chirped behind her
"Hello! Is there anything I can help you folks with today?!" Stiffening, Aubrey turned to see a brightly dressed lady with a nametag.
"I am...very overwhelmed," she murmured.
"Well, it's a good thing I'm here! What size are you honey?"
"I...Uhm. Don't know" Aubrey felt her cheeks flush as the sales lady frowned
"Well, we can just try everything! Your green eyes are so striking with your hair...I wonder…" The lady trailed off as she started to walk towards another rack, Aubrey close behind. She watched as the sales lady riffled through the clothes before pulling out several shirts with varying colors.
"Pants too?" The lady questioned
"Yes please," Aubrey followed the lady through the store, every so often glancing at Bucky to make sure he was still there. By the time the sales lady was satisfied, her arms were full of various clothing items. She plunked them in a stall and told Aubrey to try everything on. Blankly she nodded and got to work, surprised at how well some of them fit. After trying all of the clothing on, Aubrey had ended up with several sweatshirts, blouses, jeans, and sweatpants. Last-minute she also decided to buy a dress, just in case, along with a brush and several hair bands. Her arms full of bags, Aubrey made her way over to Bucky who murmured softly
"That took forever."
She shrugged, following him to a store. This time she stood at the entrance, hand resting on the concealed throwing stars. He took half the time that Aubrey did, exiting with noticeably fewer bags. Aubrey let out a breath of relief, her nerves frazzled from all the people. Who knew that so many people liked to just wander around? How could anyone tell who was wandering for fun and who was wandering to look for someone? In no time they had gotten back to the car, loaded everything, and gotten back on the road.