A/N I feel like the last chapter was bland. Did you like it? Want to see more or less chapters with pure action and story line?
C4 cleared the SUV. It was only the two soldiers on the ground - one with a bullet through the back of the neck from her, one straight through the nose of the other from the Winter Soldier. The keys were still in the ignition of the vehicle. She pulled them out, careful to use only the gloved fingers on her hand - her thumb, ring, and pinkie fingers - and chucked them far into the woods.
A gunshot rang out from the hill below followed by a ruckus in the trees. C4 quickly stuffed her weapon and passport into a bag on the bike nearby, then leaped into her panther form.
As a shifter, clothes were a serious issue. Normally on missions, C4's outer garments were easily removable, preferably with enough elasticity that they did not tear as she shifted and could be removed and carried until she changed back into her human form. In recent years, Hydra was able to create skin tight suits with a molecularly-unstable material, integrated with nano technology that the "magic" regarded as part of her own body. Though the base material integrated seamlessly, the armor melded with her panther coat painfully, but it did add extra protection to her chest, head, shoulders, and upper hind legs.
Looping around to avoid the Soldier and Romanoff, C4 approached the crashed vehicle. Before her, the target slumped against a tree trunk drawing his last breaths. Her presence was unacknowledged. Instead, C4 could feel the aura of regret and despair perforating from the man. Images of the past flickered through his mind.
Over a large screen video tapes displayed an Iranian town. Government rebels were sheltered there but most of the residents were innocent civilians. Dr. Ahmad watched as his own weapons were used to demolish the homes and lives of children and family as a test run. Shame washed over him. Sure, when he chose this career path, he knew the destruction his creations would cause... but the means his superiors used did not justify the goals and values that aligned him with their vision. He looked left to his senior officer. "Hail Hydra", the man loyally uttered. Ahmad echoed the pledge, but his heart wasn't in it this time.
The roar of the Soldier starting up the bike alerted C4 to leave. The light finally left the scientists eyes. He was gone.
Gingerly, C4 snagged the briefcase from the open door to the vehicle and sped off into the thick woods. She would need to intercept the Soldier at the upcoming fork so they could navigate away from the main route in order to avoid getting cut off by any Ukrainian military or S.H.I.E.L.D. agents that were alerted to their ambush.
It was a wet, foggy night, and a penetrating chill came with it. C4 signaled Bucky to turn off. They had looped around Moscow, entering Russia through the northern border of Belarus. C4 knew there was a Hydra safe house down this route.
Over the next miles, the road turned from asphalt to dirt. The road forked and they took what was more of a wooded trail worn from walking than a road. At last they broke into a clearing. Barely discernible before them was a small shelter. The pair dismounted. The Soldier moved the bike under the roof's overhand while C4 brought their belongings inside.
The Soldier entered to see C4 carefully removing the damp outer layer of her clothing. He thought to do the same but noticed the wood burning stove. Instinctually, he went back out to look for a woodshed. Sure enough, a small structure sheltered some old, dry bolts. Using a rusting axe that hung to the side wall, he cut two of the small logs into usable pieces - enough to fuel the fire for a night.
C4 was surprised by his cognition to initiate this task. It seemed as direct commands wore off, he became more capable of functioning as a regular man, and less void of thought. C4 had used his absence to put on her other set of clothes. They were worn and mildly dirty, but they were dry. There was a small bathroom with a pump for water and a bucket. It took a bit of pumping to get the water to the top. It was designed this way to keep the pipe close to and above ground from bursting when the water froze in the winter - further below the surface, it remained a more reasonable temperature. The toilet was functional, but the tank needed to be refilled by hand with each flush. She used the bucket to rinse her suit and underwear.
After the Soldier started the fire, C4 handed him his spare clothes. "Rinse what you are wearing," C4 stated. "I will hang them to dry while we rest." The bathroom had no door, but one could be discrete and avoid being seen if they both remained away from the entryway. Still, the Soldier stripped quickly and used his shirt as a cloth to clean himself before rinsing it again and putting on the set of clothes C4 bought for him in France.
Two cans of soup and a quarter loaf of bread. C4 set the remaining food on the stove to warm. She sat in the only chair and pulled out a wallet sized spiral notebook and a 2 inch pencil that she kept nested inside her thigh weapon strap. She was lost in thought as she used a piece of rubber to shape the dark soot on the paper. She never gave her targets the time for last thoughts. It was a new experience. She wondered if what the man felt was right - to be ashamed of the destruction he brought to people.
The Soldier began to exit the bathroom but he was struck by casual position of C4. Normally, if he ever chanced a glance at her, she was already staring at him, alert and suspicious of everything around her. But now, her hair was loose. Blonde slightly wavy strands came just below her shoulders, and shorter shaggy layers fell before her face. It was all long enough to pull back, but the texture gave her a fuller look. She was small, maybe not by average standards at 5'7", but certainly to him. And though muscular from years of training, she was not bulky. Looking into her lap, her face was barely visible, but he could the exhaustion seeping in around her eyes and a look of being worn beyond her young years.
Noticing her partner waiting, she dismissed her brooding thoughts. She was obeying orders. The people she killed were a threat to Hydra - they were dangerous and certainly not without fault. Hydra may not have been perfect, but it was all she had ever known.
Buying tabbed cans was a good decision. Opening the soup and breaking the bread unevenly, she gave one can and the larger half to the Soldier. He opted to sit on the ground on the opposing side of the stove from C4. The double wide cot was close, but it would will be quicker to dry completely right next to the fire.
The food was comforting in their empty stomachs and they began to feel the full effect of their journey. "We need to rest," C4 stated as she stood and made her way to bed. He seemed uncomfortable, questioning his next move, but she gave him no choice - she needed to return them both to the base in a healthy condition and sleeping on the ground would not afford that. "There's room for us both."
He gruffly made his way to the far side of the bed. There was room, but barely. Almost immediately, he dozed off, but not before his body relaxed and he realized that her presence was, strangely, a comfort to him.
Grunts and movement to her side startled C4 awake. She bolted upright prepared for danger but quickly realized it was just the man next her her. His face was contorted and he appeared to be having some nightmare.
He was in some sort of cage, trapped with other dirty men - frightened and angry. The details were uncertain, but the hot rays of the sun gave away that he was outside. The heavy door screeched open and two guards grabbed him. He thrashed and fought them - he did not want to go where they were taking him. But he was weak.
Next to her, the Soldier began to turn more violently. This wasn't going to pass as easily as she hoped. C4 emanated a calming presence toward his mind. His dark locks clung to the sweat on his face. She brushed them back and softly ran her finger through his hair in a soothing motion.
Almost immediately, the Soldier calmed down. His mind seemed to lean into her efforts, craving this alternative to it's own self-torment. She laid back down, maintaining the mental bridge between them as the Soldier relaxed more fully into a deep peaceful rest. C4 felt not only her own exhaustion but the weariness from the Soldier's mind wore heavily on her as well. Sleep overtook her before she could fully close their connection.