Getting stabbed hurt like a bitch, serum or not. Ada grimaced as she pulled herself up into a seated position while her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the tent. She fell asleep thanks to Steve's soothing mininstrations on her scalp and now she was awake and acutely aware of her hunger. The serum burnt through calories at a rate faster than the average humans and the last time she ate had to have been breakfast yesterday morning.
She slowly picked herself up and grabbed one of Steve's tops, an olive khaki blend that came to her thighs. Ada grunted in pain as she pulled up a pair of woollen trousers and then folded up the cuff so they would drag on the ground.
The familiar acrid taste of smoke drifted through the air indicating that they had a fire going. It wasn't ideal but at the end of the day, who in their right mind would attack a group of American servicemen who have Captain America with them?
Ada stumbled out of the tent and into the cool night air. Every part of her ached and her throat burned with every swallow. But it was Dimitri's body floating down the river, not hers. That was a victory in itself.
The men's voices quieted at the sight of the battered woman. Ada was normally prim and put together with every curl in place. But now, seeing her with bruises lining her throat and cheeks and some sort of haunted state clinging to her eyes, they all were struck with how young she looked. War ages people. Their captain was only twenty-four and yet spoke with the maturity and expertise of soldiers who had seen the Great War. The Spitfire who was cloaked with rumors and stories of horror was merely twenty-two and had been fighting in this war since she was nineteen.
Steve rose and silently placed a blanket around her shoulders before leading her to sit around the fire. The two of them pressed together painted a perfect picture of the devastation of war. Regimes toppling, nations falling, megalomaniacs in power and these two kids were at the center of it, shouldering the weight of the world.
"Here," Bucky said quietly as he held out a plate for Ada. She gratefully accepted it with a nod of thanks. Beans and bread wasn't the most nutritious or appetizing meal, but it sure beat leather. Her time at Stalingrad had taught her not to complain about what her next meal might be. It must have been obvious that she had experienced starvation because everyone politely averted their gaze as she shoveled the food in her mouth quickly, as if someone would take it from her if she took any longer.
Ada sighed and set her plate on her knees while her eyes roamed over the faces of the men before her. Steve shifted closer to her side and she glanced up at him, searching for the confirmation that she needed. He nodded and she let out a long breath before turning to face the Commandos.
"There is another organization at play in this war," she began. "One that trained me. Drema or what you would call Sandman. They're a Soviet science organization that is connected to a training group called the Red Room. They specialize in genetic manipulation and their target is young girls. Recently, I have learned, they no longer work with the Soviet government but have broken off to work with HYDRA. So, I guess there's now another hat in the ring."
"And that guy you killed?" Dum Dum asked.
"Personal. He was my handler. My trainer."
"If he's dead, who's in charge?"
"Marina Pavlova, daughter of Nikolai. He created Drema but now his daughter runs it. She holds...immense power. She can do things I have never seen a man do. Lightning comes from her fingertips. It's as if she holds power in her very hands. Erskine told me she is called, if I remember this correctly, a mutant."
"And they're coming for you?" Bucky asked.
The flickering light of the fire rose and fell across her shadowed face. Ada stared at the snapping flames and then nodded. "And they won't stop until I serve them or if I'm dead."
"Then we take those bastards down too."
Surprise laced her features at his firm declaration and she searched his face for any sign of falsehood yet nothing in his expression reflected deceit. Ada glanced over at Steve who shot her a wan yet reassuring smile.
"I can't ask that of you," she murmured.
"You didn't ask. We're volunteering," Gabe added. "You've saved our asses a few times now. Only right that we help save yours."
"It's dangerous. They're dangerous. They've been around longer than HYDRA."
Every man around the fire exchanged glances, nods trading between each other before they all settled their eyes back on Ada. She curled her fingers around Steve's hand as an emotion she wasn't used to feeling bubbled up in her chest and curled around her throat. Her eyes burned and she blinked rapidly to fight back the tears that must be a result of the smoke.
"We're a team. We do this together," Bucky announced. "When one of us needs help, we all pitch in."
"Thank you," she whispered.
Dum Dum stood and waved her thanks off. "Time to hit the sack. We need to head out to meet the convoy tomorrow."
"We head back to London tomorrow," Steve reminded them. "Something about getting back in time to help with some plan they have to free France."
Ada let a small smirk settle across her lips as she leaned closer to Steve. He shot her a curious look and she shrugged.
"You know something about it, don't you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm simply a courier."
The men slowly trickled away from the campfire, leaving Bucky and the couple. Steve headed away to grab water to put out the fire. Bucky held out a flask and Ada gratefully took it and threw her head back with a long swig. She pursed her lips slightly at the burn and silently passed it back to Bucky who blinked incredulously at her.
"Russian," was her singular response. He shook his head and took a drink as well. A comfortable silence fell over the two until he sighed. Ada held her hand out and he passed her the flask once more, waiting until she was finished taking a drink.
"Sometimes I dream that I'm still there. Strapped to that table. Before you and Steve found me," he said quietly.
"They tested on you, didn't they? Poking and prodding. You're so out of it that you couldn't fight even if you wanted to. You're at their mercy."
"Yeah. It's...you're trapped."
Her gaze stared off into the line of trees and the darkness that crowded around them. The same darkness that seemed to cling to every part of her. Ada took one final, long drink before capping the flask and tossing it back to them. The fading light of the fire cast a glow across her face that made her pale eyes look an almost eerie gold.
"Let's hunt the bastards down. Corner them. Make 'em trapped."
He grinned, a small chuckle escaping him. "Let Steve be the model. We do all the work?"
"Damn straight, Barnes. You up for it?"
He extended his hand out with his pinky held upright for her. She let out a huff of laughter at his childish motion but wrapped her own pinky around his.
"Whatever happens, we get Steve back to Brooklyn safely," she added.
"Whatever happens," he vowed.