Chapter 2 – Experiments (1945)
It had been four days since I heard that Bucky was dead, I couldn't believe it. I was so angry. All our plans, they were going to fade away.
"Maddie?" My father called through the door.
"Leave me alone" I cried out, it was muffled through the pillow I was crying into.
"I'm sorry about Sergeant Barnes" Howard said as he came into my room. He must have told our father to let him come in instead.
"I miss him so much" I sobbed. Howard held me against him and let me cry into his shoulder.
"Steve is back." I looked to my brother.
"Because of the funeral?"
"I think he was trying to help Mr and Mrs Barnes pay for a proper funeral. Bucky deserves the best" Howard told me and I smiled. "Especially if he was lucky enough to earn my little sister's love." I leant back on Howard's shoulder and he hugged me tightly.
"I still love him" I told Howard.
"You always will, it won't go away because he's gone. He'll always be with you."

A week after Bucky's funeral, when I was walking home from Bonnie's house, a car pulled up beside me.
"Miss Stark" a man greeted me with a thick German accent.
"Who are you?" I asked, stepping away from the car.
"If you want to see Sergeant Barnes again, you'll come with us." I gasped in shock. Bucky was dead, wasn't he?
"H-h-he died" I stuttered. The man handed me a photo of Bucky in his uniform, he looking like he was in pain, but he was alive. My heart skipped a beat. "Where is he? Can I see him?" I was thrilled to know he was alive. The man opened the door and I slid into the seat without hesitation.

I didn't remember falling asleep, but when I awoke I was sat in a chair across from Bucky. He was on a surgical table with something metal…no! His left arm was gone and replaced with a metal one! He was going in and out of consciousness as they worked on his arm, wincing in pain when he was lucid.
"You're hurting him" I exclaimed when Bucky winced again. Bucky looked to me and looked like he was trying to focus.
"Lanie?" he looked afraid. "You need to get out of here" he told me. I'd figured that out when I'd seen his arm.
"We have a little experiment for Miss Stark too" Arnim Zola told us.
"Leave her out of this" Bucky said as he glared threateningly at the scientist.
"It's too late for that now" Zola said. "Take her to the next room and prep her" Zola instructed the guards. I was hoisted up and dragged away as I kicked, screamed and squirmed trying to get away.
"Don't touch her! Leave her alone" I heard Bucky screaming until I was out of hearing range.

I remembered the pain, the searing agony in my brain as the chemical or chemicals were injected by Zola.
"Please. Stop. It hurts" I screamed. Nobody was listening though. I struggled against the chains that were holding me in the chair.
"Just a little longer Miss Stark" Zola said as he stabbed me again with another syringe of yellow-ish fluid. I heard a door open and a man walked in.
"Zola, Barnes just attacked the surgeon. He's fighting us" the man said. Bucky, he was okay.
"Wipe him" Zola told the man. Wipe him? What?
"Stop! Don't hurt him" I screamed. I felt nauseous, like I would pass out at any moment. Both men looked to me. "Tell him that I'm okay. I promise I'll stop fighting you if you don't wipe him" I begged. Zola studied my face before nodding to the man.
"If you scream again. We will wipe him" Zola told me/ I nodded and waited for the pain. "Two more" Zola warned before the pain began again.

When I woke up again I was in a small room with a bed on the right side of the room and a shower, toilet and basin on the left side. I pulled myself up from where I'd been dumped on the floor and held myself against the wall. The main thing I could notice was the voices, dozens of voices talking all at once. I could also feel curiosity and fear coming from nearby. I closed my eyes, fighting back the nausea and trying not to collapse from the throbbing inside my skull.
'Did it work?' Zola.
'Please be okay.' Bucky, that was Bucky's voice.
"Bucky" I called out, still leaning back against the wall to stay standing.
"Lanie, are you okay?" Bucky called out and I frowned in confusion. Before his voice had sounded clearer and like he was right beside me.
"Where are you?" I called out as I searched for a less obvious exit.
"The next room." He began hitting the wall where my bed was, I walked to my bed and weakly hit my side of the wall to let him know I was there.
"Are you okay?" I asked and we stopped hitting the wall.
"My arm feels odd but I'm okay" he said. I sighed in relief but could still hear the voices and feel strong emotions that weren't my own.
"They said they were going to wipe you, that you were fighting them." It wasn't really a question, but it wasn't a statement either.
"You were screaming, what did they do to you?"
"They injected my brain with something over and over again" I replied. I felt a sudden rush of anger, was that Bucky's emotions? "Now I can hear and feel things."
"What things?"
"Your anger" I replied and the rage then mixed with confusion.
"Does it hurt? Feeling and hearing everything?"
"I have the world's worst migraine" I tried to force a laugh. A rush of curiosity hit me and my eyes widened as I looked to the door. "They're coming" I warned.
"We'll see if she's got the powers we'd hoped, if not then we'll wipe Barnes and train him ourselves" Zola told a soldier. I felt Bucky become afraid.
"Did you want me to wake her up now?" the soldier asked.
"Yes." I got to my feet and kept my eyes on the door as it opened.
'She's beautiful' the soldier thought.
"Stay away from Bucky" I said.
"If you're a good girl then we won't have to hurt him." The soldier walked towards me but I didn't back away, I would do what I had to do to protect myself and Bucky.
"What do you want me to do?"
'I can think of a few things' he thought with a smirk, his mind focussed on sex. I slapped him as hard as I could in my weakened state.
"Bitch" he yelled, enraged. I cowered back but he didn't move to hit me back. "You're telepathic" he realised and I nodded. "Good, that's what we wanted" he told me before grabbing my arm and dragging me with him. I watched as they opened Bucky's door and when he saw me, I felt relief.
"I'm okay" I said. They allowed me to hug him and Bucky checked me for cuts and bruises, when he didn't find any, he kissed me.
"Come on now pets" Zola smiled. I looked to Bucky who was glaring at Zola.
"It's okay" I said and Bucky looked to me. "Just do what he says." I nodded and Bucky held my hand as we left the room. I glared threateningly at a guard that thought about shoving me and Bucky forwards when we walked to slowly.
"What?" he asked and Bucky looked to me for an explanation.
"I can hear your thoughts in my head, so don't even think about it. We're doing as we're told" I snapped. The guard raised his hand to slap me but I grabbed it upon hearing the intention in his mind, and slapped him.
"Move along" another guard ordered and we did as we were told.