New Mission: Find Zola
-SSR
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Even in his new body, Steve was perpetually exhausted nowadays. It probably had something to do with being completely emotionally compromised; but he powered through. Bucky needed him to be the levelheaded leader in their continued search for the secret Hydra base, where undoubtedly Lucy was hidden. And Lucy didn't need him to worry more than he already was, it would get them all into trouble.
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Lucy woke up again as she felt the aircraft slowly taxi to a stop. She couldn't see much out of the windows. Everything was dark. A few faint spots of luminesce sporadically placed along the ceiling were the only sources of light. The walls almost looked like they carved from a mountainside. It was cold here, but that was to be expected. They were probably entering a Hydra base somewhere deep in Germany, where it was the middle of winter.
The plane shuttered to a stop. A faint clicking came from the front of the airplane and Lorraine stood up, taking off her headgear.
"This is our stop, princess." She said, fluffing up her golden hair. "Let's go." And she swung open the door leading out to the chilly operations base.
Lorraine led her through a labyrinth to get to their final destination. After the first handful of twists and turns, Lucy gave up trying to remember the way out. A part of her brain was telling her that Lorraine was just trying to confuse her by doubling back and going a longer route; nevertheless, that did nothing to help her memory. Every hallway was identical to the next, the doors and walls the same shade of grey. There were no markings, no labels telling her what was in each room. There also weren't any people or soldiers around. The base resembled an abandoned anthill. The desolation scared her even more. Why would they want her here?
They kept going deeper. Lucy lost count of the number of staircases they descended. When finally they came to a set of industrial strength double doors. On either side stood a masked guard. Each one carried a glowing blue Hydra weapons. They stared soullessly back at her as the two women passed. The tight feeling inside her chest twisted as the guards swung open the doors. It was like a hand jabbing a dull knife repeatedly into her stomach and twisting around the contents, sloppily like a two year old learning to draw. The sense of foreboding increased exponentially as the door revealed what was inside the room.
"Ah. Miss Barnes is it?" rumbled Red Skull. "I thought it was about time we finally meet."
Lorraine led Lucy inside, "This is where I leave you, sweetheart. Don't worry, I'll make sure our dear Captain won't be missing you." And with one last cackle, the door slammed shut behind her retreating back.
"Talented isn't she?" Schmidt taunted, "There's no need to worry about your dear Captain, Miss Barnes, at least not from the likes of her. We borrowed 'Lorraine' from Madame B and there, she will return."
Somehow that didn't make Lucy feel any better. "Why am I alive." She spat, tired of the game of cat and mouse.
"Now that is a curious question." Red Skull began to pace in front of her. "It would have been simpler to kill you. We cannot allow the allies to have any more help after all. However, Doctor Zola requested you be kept alive. We cannot waste the few droplets of human genius we have left on this planet." He paused, "From now on, you will be assisting him with our weapons development and continuing your work on the super soldier serum." He stalked up to Lucy, towering over her with his impressive height, "Do not get any ideas. We will be testing the finished formula on you. You wouldn't want anything bad to happen to yourself, now, would you?" he nodded his head at her defeated expression, "I'll will leave you with Zola. Do not disappoint me Miss Barnes, we are always maintaining an eye on your Captain." With that he turned on his heel and marched from the room.
From the shadows in the corners of the room Doctor Zola emerged. "Come Miss Barnes." He called softly with a weak smile, "We have lots of work to do."
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The tour Zola gave her of the weapons development lab was impressive. The technology he was creating in a dark cave was beyond anything she had ever seen. Harnessing that energy was incredible. Zola told her how he begged Schmidt to save her life. He needed help from someone who could understand the complexities of the energy and someone to help him with the formula. It wasn't everyday one stumbled across people of intellect. Destroying someone with such caliber and potential was a sin.
The lab Zola had given her was beyond anything she had imagined. There were walls and walls of chemicals and ingredients she had never even seen due to their rarity. He also had her draw up the plans for the vita ray contraption. She had worried about the power supply, but he reassured her the mysterious blue energy had more than enough capability of handling the amount needed. Sometimes Lucy forgot she was actually here as a prisoner of war. She and Zola worked so well together, a mutual respect had bonded them over their fight to pursue knowledge.
It was strange to see the other side of the fight. Zola although he had questionable morals, was not a cruel man. He treated her with kindness and respect, often times allowing her to take over in her area of expertise. She could see how infatuated he was with his work. The possibilities he was creating with the blue energy were endless. But in the end, there was only a finite amount of times she could test a formula she knew to be perfect.
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"Miss Barnes." Doctor Zola called to her. He was holding a small jar in his hands.
Lucy looked up from her notes and greeted from her desk. "Doctor Zola."
"I have got something to show you." He lifted the small container in his hands to the light. In it was revealed to be a beautiful iridescent butterfly.
Lucy studied it in awe. Its wings opened as it tried to sun itself in the artificial light of the lab.
"Marvelous creatures butterflies." Zola was saying, "Beautiful to look at and much sturdier than they appear. I found a cocoon deep in the snow and I induced the adult stage. You've heard of how they survive in the deep winter haven't you?"
"Yes." Lucy breathed still admiring the insect's magnificence, "A type of antifreeze protein they produce. It binds to ice crystal and stops them from growing otherwise it would be fatal. Therefore they can survive in subzero temperatures."
"Very good." Zola smiled impressed with his protégé. "But this is a very special butterfly. I have modified the AFP's structure. Do you know how old it is?"
Lucy's brow furrowed, "I can't imagine it lived longer than a year. That is the longest I have ever heard for a butterfly's lifespan."
Zola's eyes brightened proud of his invention, "Two years this one's been under the snow. I've been raising them for a long time now. They do not mature when frozen, and when leave the ice their age is slowed. Not exactly the super soldier serum but interesting nonetheless."
"Is this for Hydra?" Lucy questioned, "If you have this why do you need the serum."
Zola's excitement slowly vanished, "It is just a little side project of mine." He stared gravely at Lucy, "We do not need the serum. Schmidt just wanted the formula because he likes control." Looking around for any guards, Zola leaned in and whispered, "He intends to kill you after he knows the serum works."
"But that's tomorrow." Lucy choked quietly.
"I didn't want to tell you too soon. " Zola continued seriously, "I have a plan, but we need to do it now."