Chapter 49: Josie's Revenge
Josie didn't come out of her room for five days, and no one went in. When Yori brought her meals she simply called out Josie's name and left the tray by the door. None of them were ever eaten. For a normal person that would be a concern, but Josie could handle the lack of nutrients for a while.
Instead, Yori spent her time sitting behind the two-way mirror holding Guinevere and watching the tiny man, Arnim Zola, whose trap had cost her friend so much. She wished she could be allowed in with him but to be honest she had no idea what she would do. Beat him? Try and impress upon him what he had caused? Appeal to his humanity? Kill him? None of it sounded feasible.
Sometimes Phillips was there. Sometimes Howard was. Sometimes Peggy. Sometimes Steve. Sometimes a mixture. They were very careful to never leave her alone with him. They were all afraid she'd snap and murder him. They didn't realize that was why she brought Gwen – so she wouldn't.
They were all there the day the door opened and Josie stepped inside. She was still wearing that nightgown and Bucky's shirt, her feet bare. She had put on her ring and her locket. Her hair was wet from a shower. Yori thought that was a fairly good sign, all things considered.
"I need to see him," Josie said hoarsely.
"No," Phillips replied immediately. "With all due respect, we need him, and I don't trust you in there alone with him."
"I need to see him," Josie repeated hollowly. Steve moved forwards and placed his hands on her shoulders, crouching slightly so that he was looking her in the eye.
"I know it's killing you, Josie – it's killing me too - but nothing good can come of that," he tried to reason.
"I need to see him," Josie said, and Steve dropped his hands, looking to the rest of them helplessly.
"Josie, honey, I don't think that'll help anything," Howard said uncertainly, moving forwards. He kissed her forehead and smiled at her, but it was a shadow of his usual cocky grin.
"I need to see him."
Howard winced and backed away. Peggy stepped forwards and took Josie's hands between both of her own. She went in for the kill.
"Josie… would Bucky want you to do this?"
Josie flinched at the sound of Bucky's name but her face still showed no expression but for the pain in her eyes and when she opened her mouth it was the same thing again.
"I need to see him."
Yori was the only one left to appeal to and all eyes turned to her. Yori took a deep breath and passed Guinevere over to Steve, who took the little girl and held her tightly, like he drew comfort from her. Yori pulled out a drawer from under the control panel and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. Slowly, she moved forward. Mechanically, Josie raised her arms. Yori clicked the handcuffs in place and then turned to Phillips.
"Take her in," Yori ordered, and it was an order. Ordinarily Phillips would have argued but he saw the look on Yori's face, the look on Josie's face, and he knew better than to say anything. He took Josie by the arm and walked her out the door and down the hall a few feet. He pushed open the door and walked her inside, sitting her down across the table from Zola, who watched them come in with surprise on his face. Phillips stood beside Josie, keeping strict watch.
"If it isn't the American's own snarling monster," Zola said. Josie blinked at him. He shifted. "Tell me, are you to be my cell mate? Have they finally decided to lock up the beast?"
Josie blinked. She said nothing. Zola shifted again, unnerved by the woman in front of him. He went in for the kill. Any reaction, even a violent one, would be better than her just sitting there and staring through him with those damned misty eyes. The colonel would not let harm come to him because of his brilliant mind, that Zola knew.
"Ah, I see. You were the woman who was to marry poor fallen Sergeant Barnes," he said slyly. "I suppose I should express my congratulations… and my condolences."
Josie opened her mouth. "Do you think," she asked, her voice a painful monotone to those who knew her, "that sitting there and mocking me is wise?"
"I have the colonel on my side!" Zola smiled, gesturing to Phillips, who snarled wordlessly in response to that. "My safety is important to your government because of my mind. Despite your desire for revenge, I am safe sitting across the table from you while you stew helplessly in your grief." He sat back smugly.
"You forget something," Josie said hollowly.
Zola scoffed. "And what's that?"
Josie's head snapped up as her fingers curled. Her eyes blazed as she growled, "Me." A foot flew out, hurling her chair into Phillips and knocking him to the ground so that he couldn't stop her. The colonel fell with a shout and Josie launched herself across the table. She didn't need her hands, she had her teeth, teeth that sank into the skin of Zola's face with ease. He screamed in agony as she began to bite down, tearing her way through his flesh. Phillips seized her ankle, the only thing he could reach from the floor, and tugged with all his might.
"Medic!" he roared as he ripped Josie from Zola, her locked jaw ripping away most of his left cheek and part of his jaw. Zola screamed again, falling from his chair and bringing his hands up to clutch his ruined face in pain as Phillips pinned Josie to the ground.
She didn't fight him, she just lay there shuddering, blood dripping from the chunk of flesh in her mouth. Uncertain, Phillips got off of her. Josie got to her feet and spat out Zola's cheek. It hit the ground with a sickening squish. She didn't look at Zola again, she just opened the door and stepped out into the hallway.
Steve waited for her in the hallway. Yori, Howard, and Peggy lingered in the doorway of the observation room as Steve blocked Josie's access to the rest of the base, not sure what she was planning.
"Josie?" he asked uncertainly as she stopped in the middle of the hallway. Blood ran down her chin and puddled on the floor between her feet.
"No," Josie said, but it wasn't Josie.
"Tigress," Steve realized. Tigress nodded.
"Josie couldn't do it. She couldn't take any revenge, lost in her grief, so I did it for her. She was owed a pound of flesh, so I took it. Literally."
Most surprisingly was the agony in the voice of Josie's other side. Tigress seemed to feel the same grief over the loss of Bucky that Josie did, which was at the same time surprising and not.
"Tigress." Yori stepped into the hallway, staring at Josie's feral half.
"Thank you for taking care of Josie while she was keeping me suppressed," Tigress said to her. "Don't let Josie go after the Red Skull. She will want to. She will lose control. I will come out. I will kill and maim. Josie won't be able to handle that. Don't let her go."
With that Tigress slumped. She stood in the middle of the hall, her jaw still dripping blood, her hair hanging around her face. When she raised her face once more she was Josie again, agony in her eyes. For the first time it showed in her face as well. Steve moved forwards as Josie's knees buckled. He caught her, sliding down the wall with her half in his lap as the medic's rushed past to get to Zola.
"Shh, I know, I know," Steve murmured in her ear, tears running down his own cheeks as Josie wailed and sobbed in his arms. "Shh, I know, I know."
"I miss him!" she sobbed into his neck. "I miss him so much!"
