Chapter 9. To Die For

Warning: contains violent content resulting in injury and/or death.

As her father approached her with the knife Jade began to panic, trying to pull herself out of the strong hands of the two men who held her impassively. They lowered her to the floor and one held her legs down as the other sat on her left arm while stretching out the right. Without hesitation her father inserted the tip of the knife into her right arm and pressed the blade into it. The pain, the white hot pain, seared itself into her brain. It was much worse than what she had experienced in the dreams from Bucky's memories and she screamed both in her mind and with her voice. As he told her more of his warped plans her father cut into the artery and she felt the blood spurting over her face. There was nothing left in her, nothing but despair and disbelief that a man would do this to anyone much less his daughter.

She never even registered the sound of a rifle, or the spray of blood that bloomed at the back of her father's head. The look of surprise on his face would always stay with her but as he fell forward onto her she became aware that the two men who had held her down were suddenly fighting hand to hand with someone. She tried to look but whoever it was moved too fast for her to concentrate. Then two soft hands were under her arms, pulling her away from under her father's body and off to the side then she heard her mother's voice.

"That bastard," she cried, looking over Jade from above. "He hurt my baby. I had to kill him, he was hurting you. Hold on baby, I have to put a tourniquet on you, fast."

She raised her head and had a better look at the fighting now. It was Bucky in a knife fight with both men. He had a knife in each hand and was whirling and twirling the knives as if he were a circus performer. His skill was incredible and as hurt as she was, she felt awe and pride that it was her man, her love that was fighting for her. Her vision started greying out and she felt fuzzy in her mind until a sharp pain on her arm drew her attention back to her mother who had ripped her shirt off to use as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding in her arm. The sharp pain was her twisting the shirt tight to stop the artery from bleeding her out. Running to a bathroom Ma grabbed a towel and brought it back to apply to the wound itself, protecting it from further trauma. Together they both watched Bucky do an impossible horizontal roll in the air and slice one of the men's Achilles' tendon with his outstretched knife in hand. That man went down screaming in agony, holding his leg with both of his hands. The other man succeeded in planting his knife in Bucky's shoulder as he fell to the floor, but he just ignored it and actually pulled it out, throwing it away, before flipping back up and attacking the remaining fighter. The man on the floor tried to pick it up but Steve and Clint had arrived by then and aimed their guns at him.

"Steve," yelled Ma, seeing him at the door. "She needs a hospital now! He cut her brachial artery."

Steve nodded and used his comms to call Sam, who came crashing through the doors of the balcony within seconds. He picked Jade up and ran out the doors flying up into the sky. Steve came around and pulled his jacket off, so Ma was covered. Together they watched Bucky and the second man continue to fight.

"Shouldn't you stop him?" asked Ma.

"No," said Steve. "He won't kill him, just hurt him really bad. Actually, he's kind of playing with him right how. He just needs to get it out of his system and I have no problem with it. We have control of the estate. Excuse my language but these fucking people didn't think what they did was wrong. Is that a mummy on a throne?"

He pointed at the mummy of Elder Abraham and Ma gasped. "He's dead?" she exclaimed. "John's been using a dead man to take people's money and live like a king. Why did he need Jade?"

Bucky climbed up the second man's body wrapping his thighs around the man's head and neck putting him into a choke hold and held him until he was unconscious and fell onto the floor. Then he released the unconscious fighter, shoving him away, and sat there on his knees getting his bearings back. He was barely winded, looked around and when he didn't see Jade he started to panic.

"Sam has taken her to the hospital," said Ma. "Her dad cut her arm open and hit the artery. Why would he do that?"

Bucky stood up and put his arms around Ma. "I don't know," he said quietly, whatever fury that had been fuelling him in the fight obviously gone. "Let's go to what passes for a hospital here and find out what Jade has to say."

"Take one of the cult vehicles," said Steve. "They have a full garage of electric vehicles. They lived like kings while people were struggling. I'm going to see the sheriff and find out why he let this shit show go on."

—-

I want something good to die for

To make it beautiful to live.

Go With The Flow by Queens of the Stone Age

In one of the rooms of the residence they passed on the way to the garage there was an open closet full of women's clothing of various sizes. Bucky pulled a tunic out of one of them and gave it to Ma, turning his back so she could put it on. She told him to grab a T-shirt for Jade, size small, to replace the one that was covered in blood.

"You're such a gentleman," she said. "I'm not like Jade, I actually wear a bra. She never would."

"I noticed that," he said. "It was a bit disconcerting at first. Not that I mind. I can't believe I just said that to her mom."

She patted his hand. "You're a good man," she said. "You might have noticed we aren't embarrassed by talking about sex. I grew up in a strict religious household, and married a religious man. But it brought nothing but shame and fear into my life. After I was cast out and found Jade I made the decision her upbringing would be the opposite of mine. Free of shame over the greatest gift God ever gave us. Jade decided the same for Ben."

"He is a very direct boy," said Bucky. "Takes some getting used to but I like him."

"Good, he likes you, too," said Ma. "When you and Jade get married you adopt him."

He smiled, slightly embarrassed. "I still have to ask her. Come on, let's go try out one of the electric vehicles."

They found what they were looking for in a garage with six vehicles. A row of electronic keys were on hooks in front of the vehicles. Ma unplugged the cord as Bucky took the first set of keys and opened the door for Ma. He sat in, adjusted the seat and started it. The lack of an engine sound was disconcerting at first but when he pressed the pedal and it moved he was impressed. They drove to the hospital where Sam was arguing over payment.

"They're treating her, but they want payment before they let her go," he said. "What a world we live in."

Ma reached inside her jeans pocket and took out the little bar of gold. It was slightly smaller than the shape it started out as Bucky had taken some to make Jade's ring. She held it up to the clerk who pulled out a scale and weighed it saying it would more than cover the expenses. How did she want the change?

"In gold," replied Ma, with a bit of disgust in her voice.

"Your money is no good here," said another woman coming out from a mirrored office behind the clerk.

It was the front person for Dr. Wells who had given Bucky a vial of broad-spectrum antibiotics after he took out the two traffickers during their provision run. She picked up the bar of gold and gave it back to Ma.

"Is it true you killed that Langford fellow?" she asked. "He was a real piece of work."

"I killed him," said Ma. "He was carving my daughter's arm up. He was my ex to boot."

"I don't know how many of their kids we had to treat for injuries because of their discipline," the woman said with revulsion. "Our sheriff sure didn't seem interested in dealing with him. Is it true he was living like a king?"

Ma nodded while Bucky just stood and observed the interaction. He didn't know the woman was involved in the hospital. She looked up at him.

"We're trying to make a go of it here," she said. "But it's hard to compete with the black market to get equipment and supplies. The trades we make on market days are what keeps us going. You've always brought us quality materials, Bucky, and taking on those two traffickers that day impressed the shit out of Dr. Wells, after I told him. He treated your girlfriend. Room 4B, just down to the left. Thank you for your service and say thanks to the Avengers for taking care of that cult."

He nodded and the three of them sought out room 4B. Ma went in first and stuck her head out to say Jade was decent. She was pale and sitting partially reclining on a bed. She was in a hospital gown, hooked up to an IV, and her right arm was heavily bandaged from the elbow to the shoulder.

"They gave me some of the good stuff so I'm feeling a little loopy," she said, slightly slurring her words. "I'm going to have a nasty scar. He was trying to cut my implant out but was in the wrong arm. Sam, thank you for getting me here so fast. Someday I would love to go up with you when my life isn't in danger."

"You're welcome," he said. "I just flew. I'm not the one who actually rescued you."

He looked at Ma and Bucky.

"I killed your dad, Jade," said Ma. "Not that he ever was much of a father. I don't know what happened to him."

"Power," said Bucky. "Some men get a taste of power and it's intoxicating to them. But what he did to you..."

"You don't know the half of it," said Jade. "It wasn't Abraham who wanted me to have his child. It was dear old Dad. He was the real Abraham, the evil behind it all. I saw his mind. He believed our child would have the ability to control the Others and with that he wanted to turn the whole world into a bigger version of the Children of Adam, with him at the head. Fuck, my father was a madman."

"But your mother wasn't," said Bucky. "She raised you right."

"So right that I tried to use the Winter Soldier to kill my father and Abraham," said Jade, her eyes starting to tear up. "Didn't work. He wouldn't do anything because Abraham was already dead. He's probably still sitting in my mind somewhere waiting to be activated."

Bucky said the activation words in Russian, but nothing happened. "He's not there," said Bucky. "That should have brought him out."

"My instructions to him were that after he completed his mission he was to disappear and never take another mission again," replied Jade. "Maybe that's what happened when he saw both of them dead. They want me to stay here for the night, but I would rather go home. Do you think you can talk them into it?"

"I'll see what I can do," said Bucky, leaning forward to kiss her tenderly on the lips.

Sam walked out with him. "You know, there is a lot of good barter stuff in that compound and gold, "said Sam. "Would do a lot of good to help people around here, including this hospital."

"Why don't you find the equivalent of a judge around here and see if you can make it happen," said Bucky.

He found Dr. Wells at a desk filling in paperwork and introduced himself. The doctor, a middle-aged man, stood up and shook Bucky's hand.

"Jade's injury was quite severe," said Dr. Wells. "I would like to keep her here tonight to make sure the sutures hold and to give her some blood, since she lost a fair amount. She is O Positive, which I'm very low on so I'm hoping a donor shows up pretty quick."

"I'll talk to her mother," said Bucky. "If she gets the blood, can I take her home? We do have Dr. Bruce Banner on our team. He has been acting as an MD and knows his way around medical care. We're also going to see if we can give you some of the cult's assets to help fund your hospital. I wasn't expecting this level of care."

"Thank you," said Dr. Wells. "We're trying."

Bucky had to go through the waiting room to get back to Jade's room and found almost everyone, including Ben, there. He told them the hospital was low on blood and almost everyone agreed to donate on the spot. Pulling Ben with him Bucky returned to Jade's bedside where her son gingerly hugged his mother, trying not to touch her injured arm. He mentioned the need for blood and Ma joined the others to donate. As they sat there Ben looked from Bucky to Jade.

"Looks like everyone is awkward around me again," he joked. "I'm going to find Peter and bug him."

He kissed his mother again and left the two alone. Bucky sat on the bed and held Jade's hand. "You're disappointed in me," she stated. "I fucked up."

"Yeah," he said. "There's so much I could say that wouldn't help matters so I won't say anything except I'm glad we got to you before he hurt you too much."

"From your memories I felt the pain you felt when you fell," she said. "I thought I could handle anything else but when he stuck that knife in me I wanted to die. Oh Bucky, I wanted to die right then but I couldn't because if I'm going to die for something it's going to be for something worthwhile."

He gently pulled her into his arms and stroked her hair as she laid her head against his chest.

"I would die for you," he whispered. "In a second, I would make that choice. Jade... you know how I feel about you. Would you..."

They were interrupted by a nurse bringing in a unit of O positive blood. "Thanks to your friends out there we've built up our stocks a bit," she said. "One unit of blood for you and then you can go home and take it easy, doctor's orders."

As she left Steve and Clint came in, Clint massaging his arm. "It's not fair they won't take super soldier blood just because they don't know what's in it," he said. "You big tough guys should always have to give blood. How are you doing, Jade?"

"I've been better but I'm alive and relatively unharmed," she replied. "What happens to the cult?"

"Well, I went to see the sheriff," said Steve, "and he has resigned after a quick petition was signed. Seems the good townspeople felt he was being too easily influenced to look the other way. One of his deputies, who started the petition, is taking over. He has already arrested the two men who held you down and will be making more arrests of others associated with them including some traffickers. Town council is making human trafficking illegal. In the meantime, they are seizing all assets and may be assigning them to cover the social costs the cult has brought with them. Bucky, they have something they want us to look at. They wondered if you and I would go over to the compound. I said we would."

As he and Steve walked out of the hospital Steve looked at him. "Did you ask her?"

"What, ask her what?" said Bucky.

"Marriage," replied his friend.

"Was interrupted by the nurse and then you guys," he replied. "I'll get back to it. Probably a good idea to let her get her head straight. Oh, the Soldier isn't there. She told him after he killed her father and Abraham he could disappear and never do another mission. I tested it out with the words, no reaction."

The two men jumped into the electric vehicle Bucky had driven over. Even Steve was impressed by its performance and lack of engine noise.

"Howard would have loved this," said Steve. "Right up his alley."

They pulled up to the compound which was swarming with people, police and parents looking for their lost children. Both men curled their lips at the last realization that the cult didn't just buy people, they stole them. The new sheriff nodded to his deputy to let them pass through.

"Hi, Ed Peters, acting Sheriff," he said as he stuck his hand out to both men. "Welcome to the shit show. You're the closest thing we have to federal authorities here. Could I show you some things?"

He led them into the residence then to a stairwell that led downstairs. At the bottom was another door and they entered what looked to be a lab. The smell was horrendous, and the sheriff gave each of them a mask and a pair of latex gloves.

"I went on a World War II history trip to Europe when I was in high school," he said. "We went and visited gravesites and memorials but the places that always stuck with me were the concentration camps with their displays of experimentation on the Jews. It gave me nightmares. I think I'm going to have a similar reaction to this chamber of horrors."

On the tables arranged around the room were various bodies of the Others, at least they assumed were the Others. It looked like all were in various stages of autopsy. There was a door at the end of the room, and he opened it to a cooler filled with about a dozen bodies of the Others.

"How did they get them?" asked Steve. "Have you talked to any of them?"

"No one's talking," said the sheriff, "but I know when people are hiding something. They were studying these aliens, trying to find out what makes them tick."

"How did they manage to get them away from their hives without being attacked?" asked Bucky. "We were trying to lure just one away and when it was out of sight their sentries came looking for them. We know they had plans to use the Others to control humans, to make them turn to the cult."

"That's messed up," said Peters. "I know you have Bruce Banner around. Do you think he would be up to having a look and figuring out what they were doing?"

"I think Wanda and Ma should get into their heads," said Steve. "Do you have the people identified who were working in here?"

The sheriff nodded and Steve said he would bring people who could question them. Pressing his comms, he asked if Ma, Wanda and Bruce could come over to the residence. The sheriff said he would send a squad car for them. Then he led them to the garage. Bucky told him about using the electric vehicle and he waved them off saying it was fine. They walked through the garage and opened another door to a second garage full of motorcycles. Both Steve and Bucky gasped at the sight of them. They ran their hands over the handlebars and seats, kneeling down to look at the engines. At one point they both looked at each other and smiled.

"These were already classics in World War II," noted Steve. "If the internet was still running you could probably auction these off and make a lot of money."

"Here's the thing," said the sheriff. "Town council wants to do something for you Avengers. You saved our asses a few times dealing with the Others and today with the cult. If you want a bike, take a bike. As for the other Avengers, we're still coming up with thank you gifts, and they are gifts, for each one."

"We don't do what we do for this," said Steve, gesturing at the bikes. "Thank you but really, we can't..."

Bucky shrugged and said Steve was in charge. "But if I did choose it would be the Norton," he said in a stage whisper. "Steve would likely take the old Harley. Just saying."

Steve shook his head, smiling and the sheriff laughed. Bruce, Ma, Wanda and Peter had just arrived in the squad car. While Bucky took Bruce and Peter down to the basement lab, Wanda and Ma were taken to where the other cult members were waiting to be interviewed. Some looked at them curiously, but others were quite hostile.

"They all have something to hide," said Wanda to Ma via thought.

"I see John's influence in this," she replied. "It should have ended when I killed him. There is another who is prolonging the illusion."

"Let's see if I can conjure a spell that will stop that person," promised Wanda.

Wanda faced all of the people and began an incantation while forming a red ball in her hands. Then she released the red ball over to them where it exploded like a firework and rained glowing red particles over them. Most of the people watched curiously as it fell on them and dissipated but one man jumped up, batting away invisible creatures that he said were biting him. A deputy brought him out of the group and Wanda touched his face.

"Why were you cutting into the Others?" she demanded.

"To learn how their brains work so we could control them," he stammered, terrified.

"What did you learn?"

"That if we mimic the sound the queen makes they will listen to us," he replied, trying to take his eyes away from Wanda's.

"What is the sound?"

"It's recorded on the computers in the lab," he admitted. "Password is Prophet26, with a capital P."

"Before I release you I am going to remove your ability from you," said Wanda. "You will never be able to control people again. At your trial you will tell the whole truth of what happened here in this building."

She removed her hand and he stumbled backwards, fear written on his face. The others in the room looked like they had just awakened from a deep nap. Ma scanned them and turned to Wanda.

"They were all duped," Ma said, then turned to them. "John Langford had you under mind control but he is dead and Elder Abraham has been dead for years. If you wish to see justice, tell the police and any other authorities what you saw and remember. You were all duped, but you need to take responsibility for what you did in their names."

They both went down to the lab to give Bruce and the others the report of what they found. As they put their masks and gloves on Wanda gagged.

"Enough of this," she said. "I'm going to make a spell that we don't smell this. I sure hope it doesn't get into my clothes."

She conjured up the spell and then took a breath, happy at the result. "Prophet26 is the password for the computers," she told the others. "They learned how to mimic the sound the queen makes and were planning to use it to control the Others."

Bruce inputted the password on a computer and searched for the audio files. When they brought one up the men couldn't hear it but both Wanda and Ma begged them to turn it off.

"It's telepathic," said Wanda. "It's a horrible sound. I didn't understand anything. Didn't you say Jade heard the queen?"

"Yes, she did," said Ma. "I've heard the other ones, the drones I guess you would call them, but only Jade has heard the queen and understood it. She needs to hear this."

They played another file and it was just as incomprehensible to them. After much searching a flash drive was found and the sound files transferred onto it. Steve instructed the police on the scene to leave the lab as is so that they could come back in the morning.

"It's almost 11 pm," he said. "I don't want to stay in this building tonight but we should stay here, in Albuquerque. It's too late to fly back in the dark. Let's see if we can get some accommodation. Bucky, Ma, take that flash drive to Jade, see if she understands it."

After speaking with the sheriff Steve was able to arrange accommodation for everyone. Bucky and Ma said they would stay at the hospital, sleeping on the floor of Jade's room if they had to. When they arrived back at the hospital, they found the other Avengers had already been taken to their billets. Ben was curled up on a chair in his mother's room with a blanket, lightly snoring. Jade was also asleep.

"We received word you were both coming back here so one of you can sleep on the other bed and the other can have this recliner," said the nurse softly. "It's not the best but it will do for one night."

Bucky sat on the recliner and extended it. With a smile Ma put a blanket on him and a pillow behind his head. On an impulse she kissed his forehead.

"I haven't been tucked in since I was a kid," he whispered, smiling. "Feels kind of nice."

"I'm feeling very motherly towards you right now," she whispered back. "Even if you're more than 50 years older than me.

Jade stirred and the two stopped talking. Ma quietly got on the other bed and pulled a blanket over herself. She thought about what the day had brought them and wondered what the next day would bring.