The Devil Took Your Memory

The silence was much louder than anything either of them could have actually said. It was clear that there was a mutual lack of trust in this room, though Natalia would be rather confused if there wasn't. She didn't understand people who trusted strangers too quickly. It was things like that that ended up getting someone killed. That was how she saw it anyway. And, although she didn't necessarily see Bucky as a threat, she didn't see him as an ally yet. She didn't know him, and she didn't know if she could trust him. Maybe, in time, she would learn to, but not right away. "Ivan..."

It wasn't as though either of them were about to bound up to one another, shake hands, and make friends. There just wasn't time for that... Right now, Bucky didn't even trust her enough to turn his back on her. God knew how many people in this institute carried weapons, and there was still no way for him to know if she was telling the truth of not. It could all be one big, twisted lesson on Hydra's behalf. They could be teaching him that appearances didn't matter; he hurt who they wanted him to hurt. The same could be said for her. "Ivan?" He repeated, slightly confused by her answer. His mind raced for a moment, trying to translate what she had said to him. It took him a few seconds to realise she was telling him a name. "Oh. Ivan."

Natalia could see the confusion clearly written on his face, the wheels in his head visibly turning in order to process her response. Maybe it was too vague? She wasn't really all that sure, though maybe he'd thought she'd said something else. Maybe he was trying to attempt to translate what she'd said, but a name was a name no matter the language. She nodded, soon seeing the realization on his face. "Да. Ivan Petrovitch."

In all truth, Bucky had no idea who Ivan Petrovitch was supposed to be. Was he her father, brother, boyfriend? Someone there at Hydra? Was he someone responsible for putting Bucky into this cell as well? Perhaps he was someone of some importance or reputation in wherever it was that Natalia had come from... But the name did nothing to ring a bell in Bucky's mind. He concluded he was either an associate of Natalia, or someone that may have something to do with why the hell he was even in here. "Do you know Zola?"

Natalia's eyebrows knit together in confusion and she shook her head. "Zola..." She said slowly, as if searching through her mind to see if the name was at all familiar to her. It wasn't though. She had no idea who this person, if it was a person, she was assuming that it was, he had just referred to was. "No...I do not." They were both here for reasons seemingly unknown, brought here by different people, though their confusion and fear seemed as though it might bring them together in the end. Maybe.

"Hey, that was good..." Bucky spoke softly, as to avoid patronising her. He knew that if he was trying to speak a second language, he would want someone to let him know that he was doing something right. That, and he'd never particularly been smooth around women. Once he found his feet, he was okay... But talking to a women he didn't know, in a second language? That was tough for any guy. "That was good English.." He was still uncertain in the comment, as he knew it wasn't the most appropriate time or place to be complimenting one another.

Natalia was confused at first by his words. Not because she didn't know what he'd said, but because she hadn't realized what he'd been referring to. However, when he spoke next, realization dawned on her. She was unsure of how to respond though. She didn't really know if now was the time for giving compliments, though Bucky seemed to think so. Or maybe he didn't, and he just didn't know what to say to her. She didn't really know which it was. "...спасибо..."

The truth was that Bucky really had no idea what he was supposed to do, or say, in this sort of situation. Meeting new people was easy, but not when they had been thrust into a room with him all of a sudden. Certainly not when he had no idea who she was, or who he could trust. It was undoubtedly that Hydra would be monitoring every single reaction he gave, or in fact testing them. He was silent for a few more moments before a look of realisation came to his face. What he would have liked when he woke up was a friendly face. They were both scared, and whilst Bucky didn't have that comfort, at least he could provide it for her. He turned silently, picking up what seemed like a scrap of a blanket from the floor. Taking a tentative step forward, he help the blanket out to her. "Here... Холодный."

Natalia honestly didn't know what to make of any of this. She knew that this wasn't something to tread lightly over, she had no idea where she was, and she had a million and one questions to ask, though she had no one to answer them for her. She didn't know if she could trust the man here in the room with her, and she didn't know if he'd ever gain her trust; only time would tell. A somewhat surprised expression crossed her face when he took a careful step forward, holding out a ratty looking blanket to her. She hesitated for a moment before taking it from him. "...... спасибо...you are not...холодно?"

As soon as Natalia took hold of the blanket, he let go, holding both his hands up as if to show that there was no sort of trick. It was partly for his own sake as well. There was nothing stopping her from pulling him to the ground with the blanket. It just wasn't possible for them to trust one another yet. There was a lot to be proved between the two for them. It took him a moment to process what she was saying before he gently shook his head. "I've been here a while... Всегда холодная." It wasn't a chill that you could easily get used to. It set into his bones, and caused his skin to tighten without hesitation. If there ever was a moment that Bucky felt warm, his muscles would relax and ache, reminding him of just how cold he had been before hand. The metal arm often made him feel even more cold, and repulsed.

It was going to take a lot more than a blanket and a few compliments to get Natalia to trust him. Hell, there was even a chance that she might never trust him. She really didn't trust easily, and something told her that he didn't either. She nodded slowly in response to his words. It made sense. The place seemed to have this damp feeling to it, and there always seemed to be a slight chill in the air. She was sure that she'd be used to it soon enough herself. "That is...terrible."

"You stay warm," Bucky nodded, leaning back against the cold wall without much hesitation. The cold tile on his skin was an unfortunately familiar one. "You need to keep warm." He knew it was an all too real possibility that he could die in that room, but how Natalia would effect that was beyond his understanding. He had some sort of idea what Hydra were doing to him, they were more than likely acclimatising him; preparing him for extremes of conditions. His previous experiences with Hydra had made him aware of their intentions. They wanted their own versions of Steve, they wanted their super soldiers... The process had already begun for him, Zola had already told him so. If there was some sort of chance, even if it was only the smallest glimmer of hope, that he could save Natalia... He was going to save one person, even if it was his only legacy.

Natalia nodded her head slowly. She wasn't really used to a random act of kindness like this. Though she wasn't remotely close to trusting him just yet, this act had certainly put her on her way to doing so. "...спасибо." She said quietly, wrapping the thin blanket around her shoulders in the hopes of protecting herself from the cold. The material was thin, and did little to keep her warm, though it was better than nothing, and she did appreciate the gesture.

There seemed to be nothing more that Bucky could say, or do, to help Natalia adapt to this new situation. It was a cruel one, for both of them. But with the language barrier, there wasn't much more that he could tell Natalia... Especially when he didn't know much himself. It seemed like it had only been days since he was taken from cryofreeze. There was little he had been told himself... He only knew what Hydra had wanted from him back in the war, and what Zola had done to him. There was only one question he could think of; "Do you know what year it is?" He asked sheepishly. "Год?"

A look of confusion crossed Natalia's face for a moment, as she could only pick out a few words from his sentence that she understood, though she could tell that he was asking her something. It wasn't until he clarified slightly that she understood. The question still confused her though. He didn't know what year it was? How long had he been here? And how long would she be here? "You...do not know?"

Bucky shook his head, a rather dumbfounded look coming to his face. There was no way he could explain to her how he was feeling, or why he didn't know what year it was. There was the sensation of being entirely out of place, out of time. It just didn't feel as though Bucky was supposed to exist in that very time, or place. "Last time I checked, it was 1944... And I was in Europe." It was uncertain how much of this she would understand, but he wasn't going to miss any sort of opportunity to get the answers he so desperately needed.

How long had they kept him here? Did time really pass by in such an unmeasurable manner? Natalia's eyes widened slightly as she was able to make out some of what he had said. "1944?" She repeated slowly, wanting to make sure she'd heard him right and also that she'd truly understood what he'd said. Was that even possible? Could he really have been here that long? And how long did that mean she'd be here?

Some relief came to Bucky as he heard Natalia repeat the year. Perhaps he hadn't been asleep for as long as he thought, maybe cryofreeze was just some distant, delirious though post-operation. His shoulders sank for a moment, but it was only a few seconds more that he realised she was repeating what he had said. It was the only time Bucky's hopes had been raised, even if it was only for a second... And for that glimmer of hope to disappear just as quickly as it had come, was devastating. He gave her a small nod, "It was 1944..."

Natalia was more confused now than ever, and it wasn't her lacking in the English language department that was causing the confusion either. How could he have been here so long? He looked to be around her age, but if what he was saying was true, that couldn't be the case. It didn't make sense, there was no logic behind it at all, and she really just didn't know what to make of this newfound information. "You have been here long time..."

"How long?" Bucky asked quietly, disappointment and worry setting in his chest once more. He knew it probably wasn't right to ask Natalia these sorts of questions... She probably knew about as much as he did... But he still needed some answers. Just something to try and help him get his head around what was happening. It would probably only confuse him more... But he couldn't help but ask. "W... What year is it?" He asked slowly, stumbling over his words slightly as he began to dread the answer she was about to provide him with.