Chapter 5 – Sputnik (1955)
I woke up feeling more powerful than before. The Asset was standing guard at the door and I looked to the man who had freed me –Williams- his name tag read.
'Please don't be as dangerous as they said' he was thinking.
"They only call me dangerous because they can't control me" I told him, answering his thought. He backed away in fear.
"Soldier, cuff her" Williams instructed and the Asset came towards me.
"You don't want to do this" I said, focussing on Williams.
"Soldier" Williams said, making him turn to his new handler. I'd made the guard hesitate.
"You want to think to me the words you use to control Bucky" I told him.
'Sputnik shuts him down-' Williams thought but quickly shook it off.
"No. The Soldier is dangerous if he isn't controlled" Williams told me. I noticed Bucky's hair was longer now, I looked to Williams .
"What year is this?" I asked.
"1955" he replied. Ten years! I'd been frozen for ten years! Williams instructed the Soldier to cuff me and this time I let him.
"Bucky, help me" I pleaded quietly. The last time I said his name, he questioned himself and his orders. Maybe I could make it happen again.
"Who is Bucky?" he asked.
"You" I whispered. "You're my Bucky-bear" I smiled. He looked to the floor and then to the guard then quietly un-cuffed me and then punched his handler.
"Stop" Williams said, but he wasn't the Asset anymore, he was Bucky. Williams looked to me. "You woke up Barnes" he growled towards me.
"I told HYDRA that they couldn't take away his free-will. I'll just keep bringing him back" I said. Bucky was about to punch Williams again but Williams was faster.
"Sputnik" he said and Bucky collapsed in a heap. "We've had ten years to train him." I ran to Bucky and checked to make sure he was still breathing.
"You can't control me though, not like you do with him."
"No, you're right" Williams admitted. "But we can make you suffer" Williams warned. Two more guards came in and dragged Bucky away before Williams cuffed me and took me to my former room.
I didn't remember falling asleep but when I woke up in my bed, I felt refreshed from an actual sleep. I was tempted to try the shower but decided against it. I could bring Bucky back and then with his new brute strength, we could escape. Besides, this wasn't my home. I felt the boredom of the man guarding my room and came up with an idea. I walked towards the door and pushed exhaustion on the guard, once I heard him yawn and lean against the door. I threw myself against the door and it came off its hinges, the guard jumped and I kicked him in the groin then punched him in the throat before running in the direction of the freeze-room.
"Bucky?" I called out. I looked into each chamber but he wasn't there.
"Looking for someone?" Williams asked. He had Bucky behind him. "Don't even think about trying to talk him back into being who he was. I'll just knock him unconscious and wipe him again" Williams warned and I looked to Bucky, how could they do this to him?
"What are you planning to do?" I asked.
"We've already started. Winter Soldier is out hit-man. We wake him, send him on a mission to kill without leaving witnesses and then wipe him again and freeze him. He doesn't even remember his own name anymore. He's just the Winter Soldier, the Asset" Williams told me. I was disgusted.
"Where's Zola?" I asked.
"Dead. I took over being Soldier's handler" Williams responded to my unasked question.
"You're a monster."
"Actually, Asset here has killed many men, women and children without flinching and without remorse. He's the monster" Williams smirked and I ran at him but Bucky held me back.
"Bucky, no, let me go" I said, acting on instinct. I elbowed him in the jaw and then tackled Williams and punched him until Winter Soldier dragged me off. With the time I had, he'd hesitated.
"Put her in the chamber" Williams instructed. I started being dragged away but looked over my shoulder.
"Sputnik" I said and he collapsed again. I felt horrible for doing it, but it needed to be done. I stepped over him and glared at Williams. "You're not putting me back in there" I said defiantly.
"Yes you are" Williams told me and pulled his gun out then shot me in the stomach.
My stomach hurt, it felt like someone was cutting my insides out. I screamed in pain but the pain got worse. I opened my eyes and realised I was in my bra and panties on a table with someone cutting the bullet from me. There was something in my mouth too, a shirt?
"Miss Stark, the bullet is almost out" the doctor informed me and I nodded.
'Poor girl, caught up in this mess over a boy'.
"Once the bullet is out, I'll get you on antibiotics and bed rest until you heal" the doctor said.
"I don't want to be on bed rest, I want to be at home" I tried saying but the gag was muffling every word, making it sound like gibberish. Williams grabbed the doctor's hand when he moved to remove the gag.
"Remember what I said, she's not to have the gag out when he's around" Williams said, nodded in the direction of the Winter Soldier. I looked to him and noticed that he'd been wiped again. "Once she's healed, I think he should teach her a lesson in discipline" Williams said.