"You sure this is the right place?" Steve asked as he carefully pulled down the ladder to the fire escape of the downtown D.C. apartment building.
Natasha just shrugged and nodded upward, "Looked it up. This is his address. Unless you have somewhere else to go?"
"No." Steve argued, grabbing onto the metal ladder, "Let's go. I think he'll help."
When they reached the balcony of the fourth-floor apartment, Steve knocked on the sliding glass door while Natasha kept an eye on their surroundings. It only took a few moments for Sam to pull up his blinds, seeing the two Avengers on his balcony. "Hey man."
Sam slid open the door and looked between Steve and Natasha expectantly before Steve spoke, "I'm really sorry about this. We need a place to lay low."
"Everyone we know is trying to kill us." Natasha added.
Sam looked back to Steve, and Cap lowered his gaze and nodded, admitting that even his girl was out for blood.
"Not everyone." Sam answered quietly as he stepped to the side, allowing Natasha and Steve entry into his home before looking around suspiciously to make sure they weren't followed. Once he'd locked the door, he gestured farther into the apartment, "Go ahead and use the shower. Do you need fresh clothes?"
"We grabbed a couple of things from around the neighborhood looking for you." Steve explained as he gestured to the satchel Natasha had around her shoulder, "Thank you, Sam."
"Whatever you need." Sam said as he pointed towards his bedroom, giving Steve and Natasha a chance to get cleaned up and get their wits about them.
Steve sat down on the bed, motioning for Nat to take the bathroom first. When she reached the door, she turned to Steve and asked, "You okay?"
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Because you just found out your girlfriend is Hydra." Natasha said simply and Steve sighed before gazing away from the assassin. Nat tilted her head, causing her dirty hair to spill away from her dust-covered face, "It doesn't necessarily mean that she didn't-"
"It doesn't matter." Steve cut her off, "She knew how much it would hurt me. I just can't help but think she was put into my life just to fuck with me."
"Or to keep you from finding out what she really did." Natasha suggested and Steve realized both were probably right. He watched Nat for a moment, seeing how haunted she looked before she turned and closed the bathroom door to take a shower. Suddenly though, she whipped the door back open, "Do you wanna join me?"
"What?" Steve stammered, taken aback by her question, "I, uh, what?" He laughed, thinking he must be misunderstanding, but Natasha just grinned, "You're serious?"
"You just found out your long-term girlfriend works for the Nazi organization you died to destroy. All I'm saying is, you could use a pick me up. Also, it would make her really mad, and I think she deserves it." Natasha teased, and Steve could hear the water running from the shower. He considered it for a long moment, realizing he had no reason to say no, except maybe because having sex with his teammate would make moving forward very awkward.
Natasha shrugged, "I'm not going to waste his water. Unlike the rest of us, he actually has to pay for it." She smiled softly, nodding to herself, "Maybe next time."
Steve sat on Sam's bed, bewildered by Natasha's words. He unzipped the hoodie and pulled off his dirty t-shirt to fold into a nice pile on Sam's bed. When she finally emerged in her tank top and jeans, Steve stood quickly and met her in the doorway, gazing down at her for a long moment before leaning down and kissing her deeply. When he pulled away, he realized Natasha looked stunned, as if she didn't actually expect him to make a move, "Sorry." He grumbled as he squeezed past her, "Just had to see if you were serious."
"Was I?"
A small smile appeared on Steve's face as he began to wash his hands, looking up at Natasha in the mirror, "Only in a professional manner."
Natasha nodded as she sat down on the bed, wringing out her wet hair, "As a friend."
Steve turned off the sink and wiped off his hands, chewing over the conversation they now had to have, "Is that what we are? Friends?"
"That's what you said you wanted to be." Natasha replied gently, "I guess it just comes down to whether or not you trust me."
"Not sure I trust anybody right now."
"Which is understandable, considering…" Nat said as Steve sat across from her. The redhead sighed as a small smile crossed her lips, "I owe you though."
Steve shook his head, telling her no, "It's okay."
"If it were the other way around. If it were down to me to save your life, and you be honest with me, would you trust me to save your life?" Natasha pressed, her eyes wide and worried.
"I would now." Steve admitted, "And I'm always honest."
Natasha smiled at that, "That's what Hayes used to say."
Steve's smile fell and he groaned, "Well, I guess that's the only true thing she ever said." He paused and Natasha leaned back on her hand as she waited for him to continue, "At the mall though, she sent them the other way."
"I appreciate that about you." Natasha murmured, but her tone told Steve what she was about to say wasn't a compliment, "That optimism is inspiring, even if she's given you no reason to believe in her."
"I made breakfast." Sam interjected, and Steve looked over his shoulder at the man as Sam added, "If you guys- eat that sort of thing."
After Sam went back to the kitchen, Natasha cleared her throat at Steve's smile, "You're awfully chipper for someone who just found out they died for nothing and has been manipulated since you woke up."
He stood and shrugged, "I just like to know who I'm fighting, I guess." He offered his hand for Natasha to take and helped her up before heading to the kitchen for breakfast. Steve was starving.
Steve wasn't sure how Sam managed to pull it off, but he pulled around the corner in his grey car with Sitwell in tow. When he parked, Steve grabbed the shorter man and pulled him from the passenger's seat as Sitwell grumbled, "Should have known this was your doing."
Captain America didn't have time for Sitwell's griping, instead dragging him to the roof of a nearby building and throwing him to his knees. "Tell me about Zola's algorithm. Why were you on the Lemurian Star?"
"I was throwing up." Sitwell bit back as he was backed to the edge of the building, "I get seasick." Steve grabbed him roughly, but Sitwell just smiled in return, "Is this little display meant to insinuate that you're gonna throw me off the roof? Because it's really not your style, Rogers."
"You're right. It's not." Steve said gently as he patted Sitwell's arms, "It's hers." Steve took a step back so Natasha could kick the man straight off the roof.
Moments later though, Sam came flying up with Sitwell in his grasp before dropping him and landing nearby, pulling his wings back into his pack and turning to face the group as Sitwell quivered on the ground in fear.
"Zola's algorithm is a program… for choosing Insight's targets!"
"What targets?" Steve barked and Sitwell raised his hand, begging the Avengers not to hurt him.
"You! A TV anchor in Cairo, the Undersecretary of Defense, a high school valedictorian in Iowa city. Bruce Banner, Stephen Strange… your girlfriend's little sister, anyone who's a threat to HYDRA. Now, or in the future."
Steve balked at that, and Natasha turned to him and hissed, "We don't have time for that right now."
Sitwell panted as Steve loosened his grip, "The 21st century is a digital book. Zola taught HYDRA how to read it Your bank records, medical histories, voting patterns, e-mails, phone calls, your damn SAT scores. Zola's algorithm evaluates people's past to predict their future."
"You said the future… how does it know?" Steve pressed, but Sitwell didn't budge, so he grabbed him by the shirt collar and shook him harshly, "Brooklyn's sister is harmless, why would she be a target?"
"Steve-"
"Answer me!" Steve yelled and Sitwell grumbled the Pierce was gonna kill him before Steve picked him up and bashed him against the wall, "What does any of this have to with Dallas?"
"She got a fifteen fifty on her SAT and has an IQ of one-eighty-five!" Sitwell exclaimed as he looked to Natasha, "The girl is as dangerous as her sister, she just doesn't realize it. Hayes doesn't even know."
Steve dropped Sitwell and pulled out his phone, dialing Dallas's number while Natasha continued to interrogate the Hydra agent, "What happens then?"
"Then the Insight Helicarriers scratch people off the list. A few million at a time."
Steve clenched his phone as he looked up at Natasha and Sam, "She's not answering."
"Miss Wells is as good as dead. It's you or her, and Brooklyn isn't cooperating. STRIKE probably already has her in the city."
Steve turned to Nat and the redhead just shook her head, telling Steve no, "I'm not just going to leave her to die."
"How do you suggest we find her?"
"First, we stop the Insight carriers, then we find Dallas. Then," Steve turned to Sitwell as Sam grabbed his hands behind his back, "we'll finish off Hydra once and for all."
Brooklyn drove an armored vehicle down the highway, looking at the homing signal on her phone as she moved. The man beside her didn't speak. He didn't even flinch until she sucked in a sharp breath when her phone began to beep, "Up ahead. That blue car. That's them."
The Winter Soldier thrust open the door, hanging out the side before climbing up on the roof. Once the Winter Soldier stomped, denting the ceiling above her, Brooklyn shoved her foot down on the gas to catch up to Steve and the others, getting within ten feet before easing off the pedal when the Winter Soldier leapt from her vehicle to theirs.
She shut off her phone as he knelt down, breaking his hand through the rear driver's side, and pulling Sitwell out before chucking him in front of oncoming traffic in the other lane. Brooklyn flinched at the sound of car horns, but she could only imagine the agent being nothing more than a pancake behind her. She bit her lip and held her breath as the Winter Soldier pulled out his gun and shot at the backseat, the passenger's seat, and the driver's seat.
Brooklyn expected the car to go crashing to a stop, but they continued to fly through traffic, meaning he'd somehow missed his targets. She began to pick up speed, but suddenly the driver slammed on the breaks, causing their car to slide to a stop and throw the Winter Soldier off the hood.
While the other cars around them swerved, Brooklyn flinched as she hit the gas harder, crashing into Sam's parked car at fifty miles an hour and causing them to skid forward towards the Winter Soldier, moments away from running him over.
Maybe if I kill all of us, nobody can be mad at me?
Brooklyn slammed her eyes closed in a grimace as she prepared for another impact, but after a few moments she just heard breaking glass and realized that the Winter Soldier had leapt back up onto their car and had ripped out their steering wheel. The driver slammed on their breaks, causing sparks to fly up, but Brooklyn continued to push the gas to the floor.
As bullets began to fly upward at the Winter Soldier, he jumped from their car to Brooklyn's, landing hard against her hood. She stared up at him, but he just held onto the roof as Steve and the others sped away, trying to outrun them now that their assailant was gone.
The Winter Soldier motioned towards them, and Brooklyn shoved her boot down onto the gas and smashed into the back of the blue car, throwing off it's balance and forcing the nose to crash into the barrier on the side of the road. Sam's car skid sideways across the freeway and began to teeter, and Brooklyn held her breath as they began to flip.
Suddenly, the passenger's door of the blue car broke open as the car flipped, causing Steve, Sam, and Natasha to fall out as Sam's car flew over them. Brooklyn looked over her shoulder as they sped by, realizing for a moment they hadn't been run over yet before slamming on the breaks to bring her vehicle to a stop.
She leaned out the window, but the Winter Soldier just shoved his metal finger at her and snarled, "Оставайся здесь."
Brooklyn nodded at the order, clinging to the side of the vehicle as the Winter Soldier stalked his prey. An agent climbed out of the backseat and handed him a rocket launcher, so the soldier took aim at Natasha Romanoff and fired. Steve saw the hit coming for the Black Widow and shoved her out of the way, bringing up his shield to take the hit.
Steve was thrown over the side of the bridge, and Brooklyn darted out of the vehicle towards the edge until the Winter Soldier grabbed her arm and yanked her back, dislocating her shoulder. She cried out in pain as he released her, muttering, "Я сказал тебе остаться."
I told you to stay.
"Пожалуйста, не убивайте его." Brooklyn muttered back in Russian, grabbing the Winter Soldier's vest as the other men began shooting assault rifles at Natasha and Sam. She grit her teeth as he pried her hand off of him, "Он – друг."
Please don't kill him. He's a friend.
The Winter Soldier pointed towards the vehicle before strutting away, easily taking the lead as the Hydra agents shot around him. Brooklyn waited until the boys had set off an explosion on the other lane to run to the edge, leaning over in an attempt to find Steve. The easiest thing would have been for Brooklyn to climb into the vehicle and hide until she was told it was done, but she was a glutton for punishment. Also, a part of her didn't believe they could kill Steve.
She saw his shield, and an overturned bus nearby, but Steve was nowhere to be found. She looked over to the Winter Soldier, seeing him facing her for a moment before raising his gun. She hadn't stayed. She hadn't held up her end of the bargain. He wasn't going to hold up his.
"No!" Brooklyn said as he prepared to shoot at the bus, but the Winter Soldier was suddenly shot from below. Natasha shot out his goggles and Brooklyn sprinted to him, making sure he was alright as he rested against the barrier. She reached out for him, but he swatted her hand away before pulling off his goggles and glaring at her. "Sorry?"
The Winter Soldier began shooting at Natasha again, missing her every time before turning to the other men and grumbling, "Она моя. Найти его."
She is mine. Find him.
He turned to Brooklyn, and despite wearing his muzzle, she could see his eyes crinkle into a familiar smile as he said in perfect English, "Happy?"
"Not particularly." She mumbled before he leapt over the side of the barrier, landing hard on a car before stomping off to find Natasha.
Four of the five Hydra agents followed the soldier, while one remained up above with Brooklyn. She glared at him, crossing her arms as he gestured to her firearm, "You gonna help or are you gonna pout?"
"I choose option B." She snarled, eyes shifting to the side when she saw Sam approaching. She raised her brow questioningly, then turned back to the man, "Actually, I choose option C." Brooklyn kneed the agent in the balls, causing him to double over before Sam appeared and grabbed his gun before shoving him over the side of the overpass.
Brooklyn raised her hands when Sam aimed the weapon at her, smiling weakly, "Listen, I'm not exactly on your side, but I don't want him to die. I'm quite a fan of Mr. America."
"Yeah, I heard you've been playing both sides."
"I still love him, Sam." Brooklyn said cautiously, nodding towards the edge as Steve hid behind his shield, "Go. I won't stop you. All I ask is you don't shoot me."
"If you hurt him, I make no promises." Sam threatened, but Brooklyn grabbed onto the grappling hook that the agent had already pierced into a car. "You hear me?"
"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya. I'm not gonna hurt him. Have you seen Steve? You really think I could do any damage?" Brooklyn mumbled as she grabbed the rope and dove off the side of the bridge, landing on top of one of the Hydra agents and causing him to fall. She grabbed his jacket and bashed his head against the car as Sam began to shoot at the other three.
Once Steve and Sam had taken out the agents, Brooklyn peeked out from behind the car to see Steve already sprinting after Natasha and the Winter Soldier. Brooklyn heard the familiar revving of a motorcycle behind her and saw her ride, flinging her pocketknife at the rider and causing him to lose his balance as his bike started to fall. She grabbed the handlebars before it could skid to a stop and used her momentum to push it back up, hopping on and zooming around the block in an effort to cut them off.
The sound of screaming told Brooklyn she was close as pedestrians bolted out of her way while she drove towards the gunfire. She came around the corner in time to see the Winter Soldier hit his target, and Natasha Romanoff fell as she clutched her shoulder.
The Black Widow looked up at the sound of the motorcycle skidding away after Brooklyn jumped off, landing on her feet, and throwing her arms out to steady herself. Natasha panted against the vehicle, and Brooklyn looked up at the same time she did to see the Winter Soldier aiming his gun down at her from a nearby car.
Before he could take the shot, Steve came barreling forward onto the hood of the car, distracting the Winter Soldier, and earning a metal fist to his shield.
Brooklyn felt the vibration in her soul as the Winter Soldier kicked Steve away, landing hard on his own back before climbing down to battle the man. His glance landed on Brooklyn and he pointed away before turning on Steve.
For once, she listened, and ducked behind a nearby pickup. As Brooklyn pressed her back against the truck, she closed her eyes and bit her lip until it started to bleed, needing some distraction from what was happening behind her. She could tell the difference between all the guns the Winter Soldier used against the vibranium shield, because the sound of impact was different for each one, until eventually the gunfire stopped and she dared to peek around, seeing them fighting hand to hand.
She had a thousand chances to prevent this, but she ignored every chance she had at doing the right thing because she wanted everything Hydra promised her. She realized too late they had no intention of keeping their word. They were the bad guys, and so was she.
The Winter Soldier grabbed Steve by the neck and thrust him backward, causing Steve to backflip over a silver van before the Winter Soldier leapt up onto the hood to follow him. Brooklyn couldn't see what was happening anymore, and she noticed Natasha was nowhere to be found. "Shit." She ran from her hiding spot into the clearing as Steve pried his shield from the van.
Brooklyn watched as Steve deflected each hit before smashing the Winter Soldier in the face with his shield, turning around, and grabbing the other man by the muzzle and hurtling him over Steve's shoulder. She lunged forward, catching Steve's attention before she realized the muzzle had come off.
Time stood still as the Winter Soldier rolled to his feet and turned around; his long, dark hair swinging around his face. Brooklyn let out a pained sob as her knees gave out, knowing if she'd had any chance of earning Steve's forgiveness for her sins, it was long gone now.
For Steve, it didn't even register that Brooklyn was there. All he could see was his best friend. "Bucky?"
"Who the hell is Bucky?"
He raised his gun at Steve, and Brooklyn lunged towards him as she screamed, but Sam came flying from above, kicking Bucky to the side and saving Steve. Brooklyn stopped and looked to Steve, standing between him and Bucky with tears streaming down her cheeks.
Steve's mouth dropped open as he gasped, realizing Brooklyn knew. She knew the whole time, and she never said anything. And judging by the way Bucky sidled up behind her, she didn't just know, she worked with him.
Bucky raised his gun again as Brooklyn whipped around to try and grab his arm, but suddenly a rocket was launched from behind Steve towards the Winter Soldier and his girl. Bucky grabbed Brooklyn and darted as a pickup exploded next to them, giving them a smokescreen to disappear behind.
Fifty SHIELD agents appeared to apprehend Steve and his friends, led by Brock Rumlow. When he reached Steve, he kicked the man behind the knees, causing Steve to fall as he stared at the scene around him in disbelief.
Suddenly, he was aware that Rollins had a rifle aimed at Steve's head. Steve raised his hands and panted, wondering if Jack was smiling behind him. It had been noticeably clear over the past two years that Jack Rollins had feelings for Steve's girl. Maybe they were dating the whole time behind Steve's back.
"Don't move." Rumlow warned as Rollins pressed the barrel of the gun against the nape of Steve's neck, the spot he always wanted Brooklyn to scratch.
He wished he could go back, even a week. Before he knew that SHIELD was a front for Hydra and that Brooklyn had been playing him the whole time, and that his best friend was alive and didn't even realize who Steve was. He'd give anything to be oblivious again, because understanding the truth was so much worse.
The sound of helicopters alerted Steve that the news crews had arrived, and Rumlow's whole demeanor shifted when he realized it. "Put the gun down. Not here." He warned, but Rollins hesitated before Rumlow snapped again, "Not here!"
Finally, Rollins lowered the gun before Steve was hoisted to his feet and guided into a metal van with Natasha and Sam. As they locked his hands and legs, he couldn't even fight. He was stunned and he was hurt. He didn't know what hurt worse, the fact that Bucky didn't remember him, or the fact that Brooklyn knew Bucky was alive, and didn't bother to tell him.
Later that night, Brooklyn knelt beside Bucky's chair, running her fingers up and down his right thigh as two mechanics worked on his metal arm. Romanoff had done quite a number on it with her widow's bite. But nothing compared to the trauma Steve had caused by calling out the Winter Soldier's name.
She watched as he stared ahead, panting heavily while they worked, his mind somewhere far away. He'd been stripped of his shirt, so they'd have full access to his arm, but he was sweating in the basement of the old bank. Brooklyn occasionally rested her hand on his, which normally got a response, but today he stared ahead as his mind haunted him.
He jolted forward, looking over his shoulder at the men who worked on him with a pained expression on his face. Brooklyn stood slowly, putting her hand out as Rollins turned with his gun raised, ready to execute the man if he so much as thought about hurting Brooklyn. "He's fine." She said under her breath to the agent, gently pressing Bucky's collarbones back to the chair, "He's okay."
Suddenly, he grabbed one of the mechanics and threw him across the room, standing to his feet as Rollins and several other agents aimed their rifles at him. He looked around like a wild animal, but Brooklyn spoke soothingly to him as she grabbed his right bicep with one arm and the left side of his neck with the other, "Обещаю, с тобой все в порядке. Успокоиться. Я здесь." Brooklyn grabbed his cheek and turned him towards her, "Смотри на меня. Я здесь."
I promise you're okay. Calm down. I'm here… Look at me. I'm here.
"I'm calling Mr. Secretary." Rollins said as he stepped away, taking Bucky's angry gaze with him. Brooklyn huffed and turned to the Winter Soldier, placing her hand on her hip as he gazed up at her sadly.
"Now look what you've done." Bucky leaned back against his chair, and Brooklyn pushed his hair away from his eyes, "What is it?" He looked past her at the Hydra agents aiming their guns at him, so Brooklyn sighed and repeated in Russian, "Что это такое?"
He looked up at her with big, sad eyes as she knelt back down beside him, clenching his right hand tightly, "Я знал его." I knew him.
Brooklyn pulled her lips into a tight line and nodded, using her free hand to pull her hair over her shoulder before muttering, "Вещи не всегда такие, какими кажутся. Не беспокойся о нем."
Things are not always what they seem. Don't worry about him.
He nodded slowly and she ran her fingers up and down his forearm as he stared ahead blankly, seeming to take her words to heart.
After a while, Secretary Pierce arrived with Rumlow trailing behind him. Brooklyn looked up grimly when he appeared, walking up to the Winter Soldier without fear. Pierce shot her a dirty look and she averted her gaze.
"Mission report." Pierce demanded, but Bucky just stared past him without an ounce of emotion. Brooklyn looked up at him and patted his arm, but he didn't even flinch. Pierce leaned forward to study the soldier, then asked again, "Mission Report, now."
When Bucky didn't respond again, Pierce struck him hard across the face and Brooklyn leapt to her feet as Rumlow grabbed her and pulled her away, "How dare you?"
"We'll get to you, Miss Hayes, but first I need to speak to him." Pierce gestured towards Bucky; who's gaze followed Brooklyn as she was dragged away. "Mission Report, or the girl goes."
"The man on the bridge…" Bucky said gently, "Who was he?"
Pierce looked to Brooklyn, who swallowed, "He remembers him."
"You met him on an assignment earlier this week. I'm sure Brooklyn told you that."
Bucky looked to Brooklyn, who managed to wiggle out of Rumlow's grip to approach slowly, "But I knew him."
Secretary Pierce pulled up a chair and sat down in front of Bucky, then looked up at Brooklyn, "This is not going well. I need you to fix this."
She shook her head, glowering at her boss before she spat, "No. I should have fixed it years ago, but for some reason I trusted you."
Pierce looked to Rumlow, then nodded back towards the bars, "I had a feeling you'd say that. Figured we might have to persuade you to stay the course."
Brooklyn looked past Pierce as Jasmine and Rumlow led in a squirming Dallas with a gag in her mouth and her hands cuffed behind her back. Brooklyn gasped and surged forward, but Pierce put up his arm to stop her as Brooklyn snarled, "Let her go, now."
"Or what? What'll you do?" Pierce challenged as Jasmine kicked behind Dallas's knees and she fell to the ground. She looked up at her big sister with desperate, terrified eyes that made Brooklyn sick. Pierce motioned to Dallas, "Your sister is a brilliant woman. It would be a shame if something happened to her."
"I'll do anything, please, just let her go." Brooklyn cried out as she pushed past Pierce to pull the gag from Dallas's mouth, but the tall brunette had her eyes locked on something else.
Dallas stayed on her knees as her sister knelt beside her, shaking her head back and forth quickly as Brooklyn grabbed her arm. Tears began to stream in Dallas's eyes and Brooklyn put her arm around her shoulders, but the younger woman yelped, "Don't touch me!" Brooklyn leaned away, blinking quickly as she studied her sister, until she realized why she was so distracted. She had her eyes locked on the Winter Soldier, "Tell me this isn't what it looks like."
"You don't know what it looks like." Brooklyn assured her sister, calling Dallas's bluff, but knowing in her heart that she probably did know who sat before her, "He's my asset."
"He's- he's… Oh God! You…" Dallas looked to her sister, falling onto her ass in an effort to put some space between them, "You knew who he was, and you didn't say anything?"
"What was I supposed to say, Dallas? Enlighten me." Brooklyn challenged as she stood, towering over her sister for the first time since they were children. She gestured back to Bucky and murmured quietly, "He doesn't know who he is."
Dallas shook her head, able to see what was happening clearly, "It doesn't matter, he's here, in this prison, with these people who kidnapped me, and you… why are you here?" Dallas whipped her head to the side so her shaggy bob would move away from her face as she scowled, "You're with them, aren't you?"
"She's a feisty one. More so than even you." Pierce said as he walked around Brooklyn, "Go ahead, tell your little sister who you really are." Brooklyn just steeled her jaw and stared down at Dallas, not saying a word, so Pierce took it upon himself to enlighten her sister, "Brooklyn was recruited to Hydra about, what, ten years ago? She weaseled her way out of assassination and we decided to recruit her instead of kill her. You were a huge part of that. We threatened to hurt you and she crumbled, just like she's crumbling right now."
Brooklyn turned her face away as Dallas looked over her shoulder at Rumlow, then back to Pierce, "You're lying."
"You know why she works with the Winter Soldier?"
"Please don't." Brooklyn whimpered, and Bucky's gaze followed her as she took a few more steps away from him.
Pierce laughed, rubbing his palms together, "Years ago, she encountered him for the first time. Somebody called out her name…" Brooklyn flinched and lowered her head, guilt written across her face as Dallas shook her head slowly, "He heard her name and said he remembered it. Said it felt like home."
"You're despicable." Dallas sneered, but Brooklyn didn't dare look to see who the dig was aimed at. She couldn't bear to see her sister so disappointed in her, after everything she'd done to keep her safe. "Bee, look at me!" Brooklyn did as she was told, seeing fury in her little sister's eyes, "You lied to us. You lied to all of us, all you've ever done was lie. You lied to me, you lied to Steve, you lied to everybody, how can you fucking stand there and see what they're doing and think it's okay? How could you lay beside that man night after night knowing that his best friend was locked away in this dungeon?"
"That's enough. Take her away." Pierce ordered and Jasmine heaved Dallas to her feet, but the taller woman surged forward to get in her sister's face.
"Ever since you got back from Belarus, you haven't been the same! I don't know what the fuck they did to you over there, but you've been panicky. Scared. What happened to you, Brooklyn?"
"Shut up, Dallas." Brooklyn warned, but the damage was already done. The Winter Soldier was watching the girl curiously, and Jasmine's grip had gone slack as she stared at Brooklyn with wide, furious eyes.
Dallas wasn't done though, because she tried to get closer to the Winter Soldier as she yelled, "Your name is Bucky Barnes! Your best friend is Steve Rogers, he's still alive! He's out there somewh-"
Rumlow swung the back of his gun against Dallas's skull, knocking her out before catching her. Bucky flinched at the contact, but Brooklyn grabbed the place where his metal arm bled into his flesh. She sniffled for a moment as she turned away, locking her eyes on the far wall as Rumlow carted her sister away. "I'll do anything. I told you. Just let her go."
"After Insight launches tomorrow." Pierce offered, and Brooklyn nodded, "Now, where were we?"
"You… you were in Belarus?" Jasmine hissed, catching the attention of everyone in the room. Surprise was written across every face except Brooklyn's. She just looked nervous. Jasmine stepped forward toward Brooklyn, sizing her up, "What did she mean by that? Who else thought you were there?"
Brooklyn looked back at Pierce, who eyed her with a surprised smirked, "Well, I believe there's a story there."
"Everyone." Brooklyn answered quickly and Jasmine gasped, stumbling back a step as she pushed her fingers through her hair. "I was sent in after you were extracted."
"That's why you're blonde. It was to pretend you were me?" Jasmine shifted from foot to foot, looking back at Pierce, "You thought she was in Belarus?"
"This is the first I've heard otherwise."
"So, where the fuck were you?" Jasmine screamed, and Bucky flinched at the noise as she began to stalk towards Brooklyn, "If everyone thought you were in Belarus while I was there, where the hell were you?"
"Fury had me on another mission. Deep shadow conditions."
"Where?"
"That's classified."
Jasmine grabbed Brooklyn's arm, and the latter smacked her hand away, taking a few steps towards the group as Jasmine laughed, "Fury? That guy you wanted to murder for killing your parents? He sent you away and didn't tell anyone where you were going? Smells a little fishy to me."
"It's the truth." Brooklyn said. She tapped her fingers against her hip, trying to focus on how to get out of her web of lies, "I was in Belarus. I was there after you left. It made sure the information got out safely but gave STRIKE a reason to blow the place." She looked to Rumlow, who watched her with his dark eyes.
Jasmine seemed to consider this for a moment, then swallowed hard, "STRIKE took out the General's mansion?" She looked at Rumlow and Rollins, who didn't respond, but Jasmine was filling in the blanks herself, "It was Steve, wasn't it? Because he thought it was you? He thought you were the one who was scrubbing the Generals floors for months? Everyone thought it was you who was raped night after night by a dozen soldiers before the General took pity on me…" Jasmine shook a little, "He loved me. And you- you used that to kill him? Steve killed him, didn't he?"
"He was a bad man." Brooklyn argued, but Jasmine reached forward and grabbed her hair from the nape of her neck, pulling it back harshly to hurt her.
"Fuck you, Hayes. You don't get to tell me who the bad men are, you weren't even there!" She screamed and Pierce motioned for the agents to break them up, but Jasmine wasn't done. She switched from pulling Brooklyn's hair to holding a knife to her throat, inches from slicing her open, "Did you ever think that maybe I loved him? Did you ever consider that I wept when the mansion went up in flames, I was told it was local rebels, I was told by… by Fury." Jasmine swallowed, pressing the knife close enough to Brooklyn's neck to draw blood, "It's always you! You stupid, lying whore! You ruin everything for everyone, and you never reap the consequences of your actions. It wasn't enough that the Asset adored you, you had to have Captain America in your bed too, you fucking slut! Well guess what, I'm done… I'm done being your stunt double, your shadow, you're finally getting what you deserve!"
Brooklyn closed her eyes as Jasmine leaned forward, but suddenly the pressure was lifted and the knife clamored to the floor as several agents started screaming "Put her down!"
Brooklyn opened her eyes to see Bucky holding Jasmine by the neck with his metal hand, crushing her windpipe before hurling her against the bank vault wall. Brooklyn grabbed her mouth as she sunk to her knees, gasping as she stared into Jasmine's lifeless eyes.
"Wipe him." Pierce said as five men finally wrangled Bucky back into his chair. They clamped him down and Brooklyn scrambled to her feet while she wiped her eyes, "What? No, please, don't-"
"You aren't calling anymore shots, Miss Hayes." Pierce threatened, "Unless you want your sister to end up like your friend, you're going to find Captain Rogers."
"I don't know where he is!" Brooklyn cried out as they shoved Bucky's mouth guard in for him to bite, "Please, I- I can't help you."
Rumlow cocked his gun and aimed it behind the bars, and Brooklyn could see that Dallas was lying against them. She looked between Rumlow and Pierce, shaking her head, "I don't know how to find him! I swear!"
"Shoot her." Pierce ordered as Brooklyn screamed, her wails meshing with Bucky's as they began to wipe his mind again.
Rumlow had his gun aimed to Dallas's head and his finger began to move when Brooklyn finally yelled, "Wait!" Rumlow dropped his gun to his side and turned as Pierce smiled. "I'll find Steve. I can lead you to him, but I have to go alone. You can use my tracker to find my location, but if you stay close, he'll run." Her chest quaked as she struggled to catch her breath through her tears, "Your best chance of catching him is letting me talk to him. I can distract him long enough for you to take him out."
"I've played your run-around long enough. It's him, or your sister, and I'll throw in your aunt for good measure. She's currently panicking because Miss Wells never came home, but I can send in some agents to take her out in her sleep. It's Captain America, or your family." Pierce grabbed a handgun from Rollins and placed it in Brooklyn's palm. "We'll be right behind you."
Brooklyn nodded as she backed out of the bank, watching Bucky suffer and her sister lie unconscious against the bars. Once she was past, she took off sprinting, needing to find Steve before anybody else had to die.