One of the agents from the protection team picked me up from Steve and Bucky's and dropped me off at the lab. I was feeling cranky and worried and barely spoke to Martha and Sammy as we checked through security.
It was hard concentrating at work and not knowing where Bucky was, waking up alone this morning I was heartbroken he hadn't woke me to say goodbye. I just hoped wherever they were they were safe. The morning passed like a blur. I didn't even remember what I ate for lunch. There was only four of us in the lab today and we were all quietly working on our projects when I heard loud bangs coming from the floor below.
"Did you hear that?" Sammy asked as she rose from her stool quickly.
"I did", Dr Baker conferred and dropped his glasses on to the desk, also rising from his seat.
"What's happening?" Martha, another of the researchers asked, visibly alarmed.
"I don't know", I shook my head.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
An icy chill snaked down my spine. Gunshots.
"Lock us down", Doctor Baker ordered. "Seal the lab". I stood frozen to the spot as Sammy rushed past me to wall where the emergency lock down button was situated.
It was too late, just before she got there her fingers seconds from making contact with the glass panel that held the emergency lock down button, a bigger gloved hand covered it.
"I wouldn't do that", a man's voice advised darkly. He was dressed all in black gear with a tactical helmet and mask, heavily armed. He was quickly followed by three others. There weapons pointed as us.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Dr Baker asked the man that had spoken.
"Put your hands on your heads. Move to the center of the room", he ordered again, motioning the way in which we should move with his gun.
"Oh my God" Martha whispered afraid, as we watched Sammy being roughly shoved into the middle of the room with the rest of us.
"Hands on your head!" One of the masked men shouted at me. My hands shook as I did as I was told. My heart was beating so fast, I felt sick to my stomach with fear.
"What's going on here?" Dr Baker pressed them again.
"Shut your mouth old man!" Another one shouted.
We all knew who they were, we didn't need any confirmation. They were HYDRA. And they were here in our lab.
There were more shots fired downstairs. I saw the faces of the security guards that we greeted every morning in my mind. The fact that we were being held at gunpoint in the room meant a sorry end for them. Tears threatened to fall from my eyes. I bit the inside of my cheek to distract me. Another man entered the room; he nodded his head to the others.
"Buildings ours", he told them and I realised I knew that voice. All the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. He removed his helmet and his mask. He looked at me first, brushing the hair off his face. He actually had the arrogance to smile at me.
"Lucy King", Rollins greeted me. I felt the eyes of my colleagues fall on me.
"What do you want?" I asked in a quiet, shaky voice.
"Will someone tell me what the hell is going on here?" Dr Baker boomed.
"Do you want to explain Lucy or shall I?" Rollins asked smoothly.
"What? Do you know him?" Sammy asked shocked. I knew what she was thinking, that I was HYDRA.
"Why are you here?" I asked him.
"Acquisitions", Rollins replied, he removed his gloves and dropped them on my desk.
"This is a research lab for YuTell", Martha said.
"No this is a SHIELD lab", he replied.
"We're not SHIELD", I told him emphatically. The way he thought I believed I knew why they were here disturbed me. Every lab was at risk of HYDRA attacks, they usually came for the technology we held, newly developed weapons or even the scientists themselves. It was rumoured that HYDRA had a way of persuading important scientists that were loyal to SHIELD to join them. To comply. But he had alluded that I knew why they were here.
"There's no point lying. We've had this lab under surveillance for months."
"Then your intel is wrong", Dr Baker said boldly.
"There's no point repeating your bullshit lie. We know who you are just as you know who we are". Rollins said circling him.
"No, we work for YuTell!" Dr Baker continued. Rollins suddenly struck Dr Baker on the back of the head with his pistol and we all gasped in horror as he crumpled to the floor.
Martha began to tremble and she looked at me terrified as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"This is a SHIELD lab, ladies and if you continue to lie to me you are only going to make matters worse".
"We work…we work for YuTell", I told him in a quiet, shaking voice, continuing the lie. "This is not SHIELD, I am not SHIELD. Not anymore".
"Oh you weren't SHIELD before. You were one of us", he smiled and caught the shocked and accusatory looks that Martha and Sammy threw me. "I don't have the time for this", he stood behind me. "I want Fogal's flash drive", Rollins whispered in my ear.
My blood ran cold. So that's why they were here.
"I don't…I don't know what you're talking about", I replied.
"Yes you do, The Asset gave it to you", Rollins assured me. He slipped his arm across the front of my shoulders holding me still.
"I…I haven't seen The Asset in months", I lied.
Without warning he fired his gun. We all screamed and I dropped my hands instinctively, tugging at his arm as I tried to pull him off me. Martha cried out in agony as blood formed a rapidly increasing crimson stain on her white lab coat. He had shot her in the shoulder.
"I want the flash drive", he repeated calmly.
"I don't have it", I sniffed, my face wet with terrified tears.
"Wrong answer", he told me and aimed the gun again. He pulled the trigger and shot Martha right between the eyes, she fell to the ground and it the lab floor with a thud. There was a moments silence and then Sammy screamed.
"See what happens when you're not helpful. Give me the flash drive", Rollins demanded coolly. I couldn't speak, I was in shock. I couldn't tear my eyes off Martha lying on the floor, lifeless. "The Flash drive Lucy?" he pushed and aimed his gun again, this time at Sammy.
"No!" I cried. "I'll give it to you, just don't". But Rollins didn't drop his aim. "Please!" I begged.
"I knew you'd help out", he said amicably and lowered his gun. "Where is it?"
"Not here. In another part of the building", I admitted. He motioned for the other HYDRA members to start looking around. "They won't find it. You need me. I'll get it for you", I told him. "But only if you don't hurt anyone else".
Rollins didn't reply, he grabbed my arm and twisted it behind my back, using it to direct me out of the room.
"Stay here, watch the girl and the old man", he ordered the others. "Where to Lucy?"
"Fifth floor", I answered and he pushed me out of the lab and into an elevator.
"I thought you were in jail", I asked as we rode the elevator upwards. I looked towards the security cameras. The light was off, they had cut the feed. If the guards hadn't time to alert SHIELD, no one would know what was happening. No one was coming to help us.
"Hail HYDRA", he replied simply and twisted my arm further directing me out of the elevator and into the hallway as we hit the fifth floor.
We reached the door to my lab and I let us inside.
"Nice lab", he commented. "It looks a little more comfortable than the last one. Where is it?"
"In a safe", I croaked.
"So open it".
"How were you sure I had it?"
"HYDRA has been watching The Asset for some time. When I got back I was a little surprised to see that you were still in the picture". He said. I didn't reply and dutifully opened the safe for him. "You were terrified of him".
"You should be too", I said quietly.
"I didn't think he had it in him to make friends. He's lethal. Out there in the field, man it was something else. Never seen anything like it. No mercy. No remorse", Rollins was goading me I could tell. "People would beg for their lives but he didn't care, he felt nothing, he was a stone cold killer".
"Why do you want it?" I asked, holding it in my hand, reluctant to let it go. Bucky had trusted me with the flash drive, wouldn't allow anyone else to look at and here I was handing it over to the enemy.
"Repayment", he replied.
"Someone busted you out of jail to get a flash drive? You know it's just blueprints right. There's nothing on this that HYDRA hasn't already got", I pushed.
"The Asset's a weapon. A malfunctioning billion dollar, highly effective weapon and HYDRA wants it back", Rollins explained taking the flash drive from my hand.
"Well I don't think he wants his old job back", I spat.
"Doesn't matter what The Asset wants, doesn't get a choice once we re-program him again".
Something clicked in my brain. PRGRM. The locked file. It had to be the method they used to brainwash Bucky.
"You can't bring him to heel without the file the on there can you?" I asked disgusted.
"Only Zola and Fogal knew how".
"So you have the file. You don't have The Asset, isn't one useless to you without the other?" I pointed out.
"Oh he'll come, once he knows we have you. HYDRA didn't realise how valuable you were when they tried to off you the first time. Not until I explained how we could use you to recoup The Asset", Rollins explained, his face smug and self-satisfied. He gestured with a nod of the head to the phone on the counter. "Go on now, call him, let him know you have company".
I turned around to lift the receiver with a shaking hand and that's when I saw it laying innocuously beside the phone. A small, thin, dainty screwdriver; a tool of my trade. Pointy and sharp.
There was no way I was sending James back to that life, back to be tortured and brainwashed and forced to do the bidding of others. I saw his face, smiling and warm around the breakfast bar at his and Steve's apartment, how he jokes with him and how important they are to each other. They are brothers. HYDRA took that from him. I feel the warmth of his body against mine as he reaches up behind me to get the cereal from the top shelf because he sees me on my tiptoes struggling to reach for it. How he kisses my forehead,that conveys all the tenderness in the world. I see his confidence returned and how far he has come. And they want to take that away. They want to take away the parts that make him human and turn him in to a weapon again.
I would sooner die than let that happen. Without thinking about what I was doing I discreetly picked the screwdriver up in my hand. I glanced back to Rollins, he had lowered his gun and was pocketing the flash drive. Distracted. I held the screwdriver tightly in my hand like a knife and spun around quickly, driving the pointed end as hard as I could into whatever part of his body I could find, which happened to be his forearm. He hissed in pain and dropped his gun. Instinctively I kicked the gun away from him and it scooted under the work table.
"Bitch!" he spat and grabbed the back the neck and pushed me forwards on to the table, sending equipment clattering to the floor. My face hit the surface hard and I felt dizzy and sick. Rollins let me drop to the floor. I was disorientated but not out. The pain reverberated inside my head.
"Stupid bitch!" He snapped again. I looked up, Rollins was clutching at his arm which still had four inches of screwdriver stuck through it. I felt blood trickle out of my nose. I scrambled to get up and Rollins kicked me hard in the stomach, I doubled up in pain. He was above me then, his body astride mine, pinning me down with his weight as I tried to wriggle out. Suddenly his hand wrapped itself around my neck and he squeezed. I couldn't breathe. My nightmares had become reality but it wasn't James that was responsible. I couldn't wake up from this and no one was coming to save me. If this was it and I was going to die, I wasn't going out without a fight. My hands flailed wildly on the floor either side of me. My fingertips felt the metal of his gun I had kicked it under the work bench. I grasped to reach it and with the last shred of energy I had I picked it up, aiming it diagonally upwards. I'd either hit him or me but it didn't matter, if I didn't pull the trigger I'd be dead anyway.
Bang!
The hand at my neck loosened. I had hit him in the arm. He recoiled but then seeing the gun he lurched forwards trying to grab it.
I pulled the trigger again and this time I hit him just at the base of his neck. He fell forwards on to me, covering me in his warm sticky blood. I panicked and cried out utterly horrified. Something inside me knew I had to move. The other HYDRA operatives would have heard the commotion and would have gone to investigate. I pushed him off me with all that I had. He fell to the side, making a sickening noise that was half groan and half gargling his own blood. I coughed and spluttered, my throat burned. I scrambled to my feet, slipping in the pool of expanding redness surrounding us and I ran towards the door, the gun still in my shaking hand. I stumbled my way down the hallways, trying doors, willing one to open. I had to get help, Sammy and Dr Baker were still being held but I didn't know what to do. I wasn't an agent. I wasn't trained for this. I was an electrical engineer. And I was tired. I was so, so tired. I tried the last door on the hallway. Mercifully it opened and I fell inside. To my utter joy it was a drop room and it was filled with communications tech. I picked up a SAT Phone, the battery was dead. Damn! I pulled an entire shelf of them down around me as I began to feel sleepy. The next one I picked up was half juiced. I dialled the number that was ingrained my brain. The phone rings four times and then clicked, it was answered.
"Code in please".
"Jupiter", I replied breathless. Jupiter was my assigned code to check in to the SHIELD protection team. "Please, help". I say ignoring all other protocol procedure.
"Do you require assistance?" The calm voice asked.
"YuTell Communications. HYDRA is here. HYDRA is here", I breathed.
"Lucy?" The voice prompts.
"I'm tired", I said, checking out. And I was, I could feel myself slipping under. I closed my eyes and gave in to it.