Couldn't Get to You.

"I don't think I want to," He grumbled, his eyes anywhere but Clara now. "I have to report it." In his mind, as much as he may have wanted to find out who this man was, and who he was, he knew he was better not to. It bothered him, and it was obvious that it bothered him. But the soldier knew it wasn't his concern, it wasn't supposed to be his concern. It was a mission. The man, whoever he was, was his mission. It was shoot first, ask questions later. So long as he got it done, Hydra didn't care. They relied on him, they knew he would be the one to complete the assignment. Failure was rare for the soldier. So to have to flee from a combat was concerning for both himself and Hydra. It was necessary to restrategize. If he reported this incident, they could devise a solution. That was his main concern. It was his mission.

Clara frowned. "You can't tell me that you aren't at least the slightest bit curious." She said. He had to be. Something told her that he was relying solely on what Hydra had trained him and molded him into becoming. She had no idea who he was before he came to be a part of the organization, she didn't think that very many people knew, and something told her that he didn't either, but she was almost positive that at least some part of him wanted to find out who that man was. "You don't have to do anything."

The only person who seemed to know who the soldier was before he was a part of Hydra, a true integral part of Hydra, was Zola. James was unaware of the fact he was Zola's personal subject, of everything he went through before his was the weapon he was today. It would explain why the entire organisation seemed so protective of him, and so determined to keep him in fighting condition. The soldier was unaware of the amount of hope and reliance Hydra had placed in him... He was their way of taking a firm hold of everything they wanted. "It's not my job to be curious."

Clara knew that this wasn't part of his job. She knew that he wasn't supposed to be curious, but she also knew what would happen if he told them about this whole ordeal. At least, she a feeling that she knew what would happen, and, either way, it wasn't going to be good. And, for one reason or another, she cared about him. She knew that forming emotional attachments to this man wasn't the best idea, but she couldn't help it. It just sort of happened over time."Everyone gets curious sometimes."

Part of the soldier knew that she was right, despite the constant claims that he was simply Hydra's weapon, he was human. It may have been a fault in the plans to convert him to the perfect soldier, to leave such influential factors such as emotions intact, but he was undeniably human. He could pretend he wasn't all he liked, and Hydra could manipulate him as much as they wanted, but he was human. He was more human than he was machine. He didn't want to admit that Clara was right, to agree with her... Not when it could compromise her, or himself. If Hydra knew they were having this conversation, there would be serious repercussions for the both of them. Deep, in the pit of his stomach and the depths of his mind, he didn't want Clara to get in trouble because of him... Especially not when it meant she would probably never be trusted with the soldier again. Hydra needed their thinking to be hammered into the soldier, and Clara seemed to do everything but. "I need to go," He murmured, "They need to repair my arm..."

Clara could tell that the conversation was more or less over. Letting out a soft sigh, she nodded. She knew that, if anyone from Hydra overheard their conversation, things wouldn't end well for either of them, and the more they dwelled on the subject, the more likely they were to get caught. "Just think about it, yeah?" She looked to him, eyes lingering on his face for a moment. If anything came of this, she hoped that it was that he'd at least think about what she said and get back to her. She wasn't going to move forward with any of these potential plans until he gave her the ok to do so. Not because she needed his permission, but because she was doing this for him, and she'd only do it if he really wanted her to.

It was against his better nature, and he knew what would be expected of him in this situation. Hydra wouldn't want him asking questions, especially not about who he was. It seemed to be the one thing they refused to tell him. He'd been taking off ice, with no memory of who he was or where he was... And it seemed Hydra were determined to keep it that way. If Clara was his only chance of knowing something, of having the satisfaction of that knowledge, then she was his only hope. He didn't see why he should pass it up, even though he knew it was. Cautious of bugs and cameras within the room, the soldier did something extraordinarily strange for him. Stepping towards Clara, he gently rested a hand on her arm and leant down to press a kiss against her cheek. He lingered, in order to ensure that if anyone could see them, it would look like a strange display of affection. "Find me the answers." With that, he drew back away from her, and made his way out of the medical bay.

This could jeopardize everything for both of them, and Clara knew that. She knew that asking questions in a place like this could only lead to trouble, but this wasn't something that she could just let go. She didn't know why, maybe it was the strange attachment she'd begun to feel for the soldier, or maybe it was her curiosity getting the best of her. She didn't really know what the answer was. All she knew was that, if he wanted her to, she'd start digging. She was taken from her own thoughts when she felt his hand on her arm. She looked up to him, confused for a moment, when he pressed his lips to her cheek. She was surprised by the odd display of affection, though she understood what he was doing as soon as those four words where said. She nodded wordlessly, knowing that nothing else had to be said. The plans were a go.

It was as soon as James saw the two Hydra agents waiting for him outside the medical bay that he began to assume they had become suspicious of the conversation, or relationship, he had been having with Clara. They didn't want, or need him to be distracted... By anything. They needed him on his best form, to take down Captain America and the remainder of Shield. He looked from one agent to another before giving a short nod. He understood Hydra was perhaps a little tetchy, or over cautiously when it came to their weapons... He was no exception. Despite his ability to make his own way to the operation suite in order to have his arm repaired, the two agents seemed set on escorting him... Protesting would only drive their suspicion further.

Clara busied herself about the room, pretending as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. She needed to go about things as she normally would after tending to James' injuries and, normally, she would clean everything up in the medical bay, so that was precisely what she did. She wouldn't be surprised if a couple of Hydra agents had been stationed outside because the exchange between her and the soldier had appeared to be suspicious. And she needed to act as she normally would. If she wanted this to work, she needed to act normal.

The soldier's plan was to remain silent. That was classed as 'normal' for him. He never asked questions, or kicked up a fuss, not since they had conditioned him to be the weapon that they wanted him to be. He said nothing to the two agents as they moved through the corridor. He didn't want to stir up suspicion, or display any questionable behaviour. As far as he was concerned, they were simply going to repair the soldier's arm. Walking into the operation suite always caused a stir of emotions for the soldier. There was tension, and concern... Today, he was anxious. Despite his capability of being the weapon Hydra wanted him to be, he was more than aware of the consequences they could use to 'correct' his actions. They'd put him together, and there was no doubt that they wouldn't hesitate to take him apart. He did as he was told, moving to sit on what resembled a dentists chair. He was there to have his arm repaired, that was all.

Clara didn't want to think about what would happen to them if anyone else from Hydra really had overheard their conversation. There would be consequences, and she really didn't want to think about what those consequences would be, so she tried to act like everything was normal, and that nothing out of the ordinary had happened. She couldn't help being at least little bit on edge though. She hoped that it wasn't noticeable. Once she finished cleaning things up in the medical bay, she exited the room. She would wait to actually put the plan into action, at least let a couple of days pass in case there had been any suspicions.

"Oswald," An agent addressed her sternly, having been stationed outside the medical bay. Why security had been upped in the past hour or so was on a strict need to know basis. Any one of importance to Hydra was no longer permitted to work unsupervised. Even the security agents themselves were given little information as to why the procedure was necessary. The agent stood outside the room had been told to collect her, and escort her. That's all he was told. "You're coming with me."

Clara had no idea that security had been upped in the last hour. She had no idea that bits of the conversation she'd had with James had been overheard. So, when she exited the medical bay, she was somewhat surprised to find an agent stationed outside. And then this heavy feeling formed in the pit of her stomach. This wasn't good. She could just tell. She knew better than to ask questions though, and simply nodded, following closely behind the man silently.

The agent said nothing to Clara as they made their way through the building. He wasn't there to interact with her, to make small talk. She was required away from her post, and it was simply his job to take her to where she was needed. The operation suite looked more like a prison cell than it did a place of great of importance. The barred showed the large amount of security within the suite, all with heavy guns pointed at James, 'just in case'. In the middle of it all was Alexander Pierce, demanding a mission report from the soldier. The security agent paid no attention to it all, simply opening the door so that Clara could go through and into the chaos.

Clara had never been to this part of the building before. She was pretty sure that she wasn't given access to this area and, as she entered the operation suite, she knew that she was right. This wasn't sitting right with her at all. The first thing that she noticed was James. He was seated in a chair that almost looked like one you'd find in a dentist's office, but she was sure that it was used for something much worse than that. The second thing that she noticed was Alexander Pierce. He was demanding a mission report from James. And, lastly, she noticed the large amount of security. Clara suddenly felt sick. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

Giving Pierce no response, James' eyes travelled to Clara as she was escorted into the room. A small bubble of panic began to rise in his chest, the worry that someone had indeed been listening to their conversation settling in. If someone had realised that James' was becoming self-aware, the whole plan could be over before it had even begun. His cold eyes remained fixed on Clara, silently pleading with her not to tell any of the security, or Pierce, what they had been talking about. The last thing he wanted was for her to get in trouble for his own curiosity. The fact his concentration was now on her, and not Pierce, earned James' a sharp slap across the face from the leader of Hydra. It took him a few seconds to recover, his eyes immediately on Alexander now.

If it wasn't for the tense atmosphere, and sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, Clara probably would have taken more notice of James' well developed torso and chest. But her attention wasn't focused on such trivial things, her focus was on James himself. She silently prayed that he wouldn't say anything to Alexander Pierce, that he wouldn't tell the leader of Hydra what he'd told her. She wasn't going to say anything. If she mentioned anything about the conversation they'd had maybe half an hour before, they would both get into trouble. That she was certain of. She was taken from her own thoughts at the sound of skin on skin contact, her eyes widening for a moment and a concerned expression crossing her face, one that she didn't bother concealing, when she realized that Pierced had slapped James across the face. He knew something. They all did, and she could tell that this wasn't going to end well.

In the situation they were in, James felt as though he didn't have a choice. If he refused to tell them, they would force it out of them some way... Torture, experimentation, and God knows what else. If he did tell them, there would be some sort of horrific consequence. He knew that. It was a lose-lose situation. What frightened him the most was the prospect that if he refused to tell them, they might have used Clara as a weapon against him... Whether it was threatening to hurt her, or forcing the information out of her instead. Over the time he had spent, that he could remember, at Hydra, he had formed some sort of connection with Clara. He couldn't explain what it was, but it was undeniably there... He cared for her, in his own way. In this situation, he could take the fall, or drag her down with him... It wasn't an option. "The man on the bridge..." He spoke slowly, trying his best not to look at Clara. He knew she would be disappointed in his choice. "Who was he?"

Clara's heart sank when he spoke. No...don't do this. She thought to herself. He couldn't do this. If he told them, she knew that they'd do something to him. She knew that he was taking the fall, but the thing was, she didn't want him to. She knew that, in the time that she'd been given this assignment, some sort of a connection had formed between them. It was undeniable really, and she cared for him. "You met him on another assignment earlier this week." She heard Pierce respond. That wasn't right though. It couldn't be. She knew that the man was lying to James, but she couldn't speak out. She couldn't call him out on it. Asking questions in a place like this was wrong. She wanted to do something, but even stepping a single toe out of line could put her into trouble. And she knew that James did what he had to keep her safe. She knew that, although he'd never told her, that he cared about her like she cared about him. And she knew that he was protecting her.