The Curse of Dr. Zola

Chapter 39

"WHAT?" Pierce glared at the doctor. "How far along?"

"I estimate that she must have gotten pregnant right before Barnes was captured."

"So, less than 2 months."

"She should start exhibiting signs of morning sickness any day now, but not every woman suffers from it with their first."

"Does she know?"

The doctor shook his head. "It's obvious that she doesn't. Apparently her cycle is erratic, most likely due to overwhelming stress of…" The doctor licked his lips nervously. "Of things in her life." He didn't want to say that the constant threat of HYDRA looming over her could cause it. He wanted to live to see tomorrow; and the only thing standing between him and tomorrow was one word from Pierce to the Curse….'kill'.

"So, we can't subject her to a visit to the chair?"

"It'll cause her to miscarry for sure, plus if her mind is scrambled, she may not have sense enough to activate that stone."

"And the Curse can't beat her into cooperation."

The doctor shook his head.

"Where is she now?"

"She's in her room."

"Come with me."

The doctor followed him to her room, where Shawn still stood at the door.

"Open it."

Shawn opened the door and startled her awake. She sat up quickly, not knowing what was about to happen.

"Well, you passed your physical, but the doctor tells me that our usual methods of gaining your cooperation are out; therefore I implore you to cooperate."

"And I told you, I have no idea how to make the stone work. My mother kept it. I only ever remember it glowing for her a couple of times."

"What was she doing those times?"

"Once was at my grandmother's funeral. She was just standing there, crying. She'd just lost her mother. And then we got hit by a car, and my father was killed the same day."

"Ah, yes, that was Dottie. She was the other recipient of the serum."

Something fell into place for Mary. "Does she have red hair?"

"Yes, she does. HYDRA sent her after your mother, but that was before my time in charge." Pierce turned to Shawn. "He likes her. He likes her a lot. When she fails, he punishes her. He likes to choke her til she passes out, and then do you know what he likes to do?"

Pierce leaned close to her and whispered in her ear. When Mary pulled away Pierce instructed Shawn to hold her fast, and then he finished whispering in Mary's ear all the details of how Shawn punished her the last time.

"I only give him an hour; after all, I can't be too generous with his rewards. He'll think I've gone soft. I don't think we've actually timed him. Would you like to find out? I'll let you be our guinea pig. I think he'd enjoy testing himself against Barnes' stamina."

Mary struggled against his grip.

"All I want is your cooperation. Let's go down to the lab, shall we?" He indicated Shawn to bring her.

She struggled against his strength, but she couldn't get away. He practically dragged her down the hall.

Pierce opened the door himself and watched Mary get dragged in.

"Activate the stone!"

"I can't!" She started crying.

"Activate it! Now!"

"I don't know how!"

Pierce nodded to Shawn.

He grabbed her and slapped her. Tears ran down Mary's face from the sting.

Shawn transferred both of her wrists to his left hand and jerked her forward hard. She cried out at the pain in her shoulders. Shawn slapped her again, harder this time.

Dazed, her knees went out from under her and she fell over limply. He let her fall with a thump.

When her mind cleared, she scurried backwards to the corner, with Shawn trailing her like she was his prey.

He pulled her out of the corner by her ankles. He looked at Pierce, who nodded.

Shawn yanked her to her feet by grabbing her around her throat, and choking her.

"Stop!" Pierce commanded. "We don't want to kill her, remember that."

Shawn relaxed his grip a little and Mary coughed.

"Are you going to cooperate?"

"Yes." She whimpered.

"Activate the stone."

Mary closed her eyes and focused, but the stone would not glow. She tried so hard her nose began to bleed. With a heaving breath, she stopped. "I can't. It doesn't work for me."

"Try again."

She scratched at Shawn's hand helplessly.

"This is your last chance Mary."

"I don't know how!"

"This gives me no pleasure to let him hurt you, but if you want to avoid this unpleasantness, you need to cooperate."

"I'm trying!"

"You'd better try harder."

"I can't breathe!" She choked out.

Pierce sighed. "Release her."

Mary dropped to her knees and tried to get air into her burning lungs. Even his "gentle" grip cut her air off.

Her eyes focused on Shawn in terror. She just wasn't strong enough against him, so she had to come up with something before things got worse. "If you can give me time to practice, maybe something will click."

"I'll give you two days. You'd better come up with something. Take her back to her room and then report to room 1."

The doctors at what was left of SHIELD, examined Bucky's metal arm for hours.

Steve had convinced Bucky to have it checked, and Bucky reluctantly agreed.

Fury stood next to Steve during the exam.

"It's obvious that they had always intended to turn Bucky into a HYDRA agent, back then, and maybe they still thought about it recently. Why they let him go worries me. It couldn't have just been about Mary, could it?"

"I don't know Cap, but if there is some sort of device or tracker in that arm, we'll find it."

Bucky glanced helplessly at Steve while he sat and endured the exam. He flinched occasionally when they tested a wire inside and it zapped him.

"Did you feel that?" The technician asked.

"Yes! Why do you think I'm nearly jumping off the seat?"

"It's amazing! Somehow they managed to wire right into his nervous system."

Bucky yelped. "I don't think it's amazing, it hurts, damn it!"

"Sorry, but I have to be thorough."

"And that means me getting zapped over and over, I suppose?"

"What does it feel like, Buck?" Steve asked.

"It's like I stuck my fingers into the light socket! Repeatedly!" He jumped again.

"Well, I can't find any tracking devices inside, but the arm itself is quite functional, it literally does everything his real arm could do. The joints are very intricate, especially the fingers, and look what else it can do." He ushered them closer.

As they all peered intently at the arm, the technician activated the arm, and the plates of Bucky's forearm slid closed with a metallic snick.

"Apparently, it is to reinforce the structure to both protect the interior, and to give him extra strength."

"Great! So, now if I need to punch a hole in an elevator door, I'll be able to get my arm out intact."

"That seems to be the case."

"I was just joking."

"I was not."

"Really?"

"Really. Please try punching something."

Bucky stood up and went to the wall. He punched a huge hole in it, and pulled the arm out intact.

"Wow!" Steve's eyes went wide.

"You owe me a wall." Fury stated the obvious.

Bucky looked at it. "Sorry." He shook off the dust from his hand with a sheepish expression.

"So, why let him go? Why go through all the trouble of replacing his arm, if they decided not to use it?"

"Perhaps Mary was worth more to them."

"This is all nice that we're discussing this, but meanwhile, they've got Mary, and they are probably hurting her or torturing her right now. I've got to go after her."

Just then Maria Hill strode in. "Director, I have some urgent news."

All eyes turned to her.

"Yes, what it is?"

"Thor is here to see you."