The Devil Took Your Memory

"Не получите нахальный." He stated simply, giving her a small, casual shrug in response. "Будучи дерзким получите вы убили... Вы всегда можете улучшить." Both of them could always improve on what they already knew. Thinking that they were untouchable would only lead to their downfall. Being too confident made it easier to slack, and not being on guard at all times would put them at dangerous risk. "Ты лучше, чем большинство людей будет."

"Я никогда не говорил, что не было возможности для совершенствования. Я уверен, что есть." Natalia said, quick to retaliate. She was certain that she could improve. She might've been a fast learner, but that didn't necessarily mean that she couldn't improve. There was always room for improvement and she knew that, especially with the potential dangers she might encounter while here.

"Вы изучаете быстро." He reassured her, a fond smile on his face as he spoke. Part of Bucky was proud of her, for thriving in this sort of situation and not letting it defeat her. As soon as the initial shock wore off, they both worked towards helping each other's survival... And Natalia was strong, growing day by day. She was keeping a level head about her, and it was definitely one of her strengths. He was amazed by how well she was doing. They were both making the best of a bad situation.

Natalia nodded. She knew that she was a fast learner but she didn't want to just come out and tell him that she did. She knew that it would probably make her sound cocky which, in all honesty, she wasn't. Sure, she joked around and acted like she was with him sometimes but, in actuality, she was the farthest from it. "Ты говоришь удивлен." She said.

Bucky shook his head simply. "Нет ... Не совсем.." It was a good thing that Natalia was able to learn quickly. She was learning how to defend herself, and keeping Hydra from targeting her for not following what they had planned. It was still unclear to him what they were planning, but he knew if they refused it would have negative consequences... That much had been proved when they didn't want to fight one another. If possible, Bucky wanted to keep her out of as much trouble as he could. She didn't need to go through what he had been through... No one did. Bucky wouldn't even wish it on his worst enemy.

Natalia quirked a brow in his direction. "Что вы имели в виду, что тогда?" She asked curiously. She really didn't know if he actually meant anything by it. He could easily just be stating a fact, he thought that she was a fast learner, but she didn't really know. That was why she was asking questions in the first place. "Ожидали ли вы, чтобы я быстро учусь?"

"Если у вас нет никакого опыта работы с боевых ... Нет, я бы не стал." He stated simply. If she had no reason to learn these sort of things, he didn't understand why she would. Anyone's life would be easier without having to learn these skills. Bucky wasn't undermining her in anyway, and he never had done. She always had the potential to defend herself... Hydra wouldn't have brought her in if they didn't see some sort of potential in her. That's why they had brought Bucky in. They saw something in him, something they planned to manipulate and draw out of him. He wasn't stupid. He understood the experiences, and the desires of Dr. Zola... But it didn't mean he wanted to comply with any of it. "Но я горжусь тобой."

His words kind of surprised Natalia. She didn't know why, but she hadn't really expected him to say something along those lines. It was almost like her earlier actions. It seemed as though they both could catch the other by surprise at times, maybe even surprising themselves too. "Юьре пруд оф те?" She repeated slowly. It was almost like his words hadn't fully registered in her mind or something.

It took Bucky by surprised that Natalia didn't seem to expect praise of that sort, and it made him question if she had ever received any sort of praise at all. She was a talented girl, and the reasons for that didn't matter to him, so long as she was learning. "Невероятно это." His voice was softer than before, despite the harshness of the language they spoke. "Ты жив." He stated simply, eyes never leaving her. "Пока ты жив, я буду гордиться тобой."

His words really stuck with her. They were ones that she didn't hear often, and they honestly meant more to her than he would probably ever know. "Спасибо." She said quietly. She was probably making it very clear that she didn't receive praise very often, but she didn't care. Bucky's words were ones that clearly resonated with her, and she wasn't about to hide that fact. "...За то, что гордится мной."

"Не забудьте об этом." He told her, giving her a small nod. It was important that they both had something to fight for, something that would keep them alive. Survival was a natural instinct, but having something to survive for was deadly. Sometimes it would feel like the fight would never end, and they both needed something that would keep pushing them forward. "Даже если вы не чувствуете, как вы это заслужили. Я горжусь тобой."

Natalia nodded. "Я не буду." She said. She doubted that Bucky even realized how much his words truly meant to her. And she would never forget that he'd said them to her, that he was proud of her. She could only hope that she would continue to make him proud. In order to do so, she'd need to keep giving this her all. She needed to survive this. And she would.

Before Bucky could say much else to Natalia, the call came for them to leave the training area. There was little they could do these days but be transported between training and holding. It seemed like Hydra were conditioning them to only do those two things; train, and wait. They didn't have any other interests, not yet at least. If they kept their heads down, and did what they were told, it made things a lot easier for them. "Давай," He nodded his head towards the door. "Вы заслуживаете немного отдохнуть."

Natalia wondered if he was going to say something else before the call came, telling them both to leave the training area. Maybe they'd pick the conversation back up later, maybe they wouldn't. She really didn't know. Nodding wordlessly, she sent him a small, barely noticeable smile before walking towards the door and exiting the room.

Bucky was glad that the two of them had managed to form a bond during their time together. It made everything seem just a tiny bit easier, knowing that they seemed to wordlessly understand and support one another. Natalia was a small reminder that there was still something good within this world, within his world. He lead the way back towards their cell, it couldn't be called a room, walking a few steps ahead of her as they went. There was very little communication between them both as they headed back from the training area. There were agents along every corridor, monitoring their every move as they were escorted from area to area. What Bucky hadn't expected on the walk back was for one Hydra agent to forcefully shove him back into the cell, and for another to pull the door closed behind him very quickly, separating him from Natalia. "HEY!" He yelled loudly, pounding harshly on the door. There was an instant sense of panic rising in his body now that he was no longer to see Natalia. "Natalia!"

It all happened so fast. One minute, Natalia was right behind Bucky, and the next he was being shoved into their cell, and one of the agents was grabbing a hold of her, preventing her from following in behind him. She struggled against the man's grip, eyes wide as the door was slammed shut. She could hear Bucky pounding on the door that now separated them. "Что ты делаешь? Отпусти меня!" It was no use though. She was being taken further down the corridor to another room. One that she wasn't familiar with in the slightest.

"Natalia!" Bucky continued to yell, pounding and kicking at the door as though it was going to do him any good. "Don't touch her!" He practically ordered through the door as he heard her voice, scared for whatever it was they were about to do. Separating them like this wasn't ever going to be a good sign, not after the behaviour Bucky had displayed in the training room. They knew he was protective of her. They knew he wouldn't let him touch her if he was there with her. Taking a few steps back, Bucky stared at the door, examining it in panic for any potential weak spots. They had created the cell for someone like him, and he knew it wasn't going to be easy to get out. But it didn't stop him from running at the door, ramming the left side of his body against it to try and shift it. He was quickly knocked back, pain radiating through his left collar bone. He ran at it once more, with no avail. Letting out a frustrated scream, he drew back his left arm, punching the door with as much force as possible. A loud clang radiated through the cell, but all he had done was leave a dent. The door remained standing, a taunting barrier keeping him from Natalia.

Natalia was panicking, and rightfully so. Since she first arrived in this place, she and Bucky had always been together. There was never an instance in which they had been separated. Until now. And she really didn't know what to expect. She didn't know what was going on or what they were planning on doing. She continued to struggle against the man's grip, but her attempts were futile. She was a fast learner, sure, but her strength didn't even come close to matching his. "Отпусти меня! Отпусти меня!" She shouted, too busy trying to break free to actually take in her surroundings. If she had though, she wouldn't even begin to know the half of what she was about to endure.

Drawing his fist back from the door, Bucky stepped closer to it, pressing an ear against the metal as he tried to make out some sort of conversation or noise outside. He couldn't hear her anymore. For the first time since she had arrived at the facility, they had taken her away from him... And it was unclear it he was going to get her back. Even worse, it was unclear if she was safe. Nothing frustrated him more than knowing that he would be unable to help her, or protect her from whatever it was they were going to do to her. "Please," He whispered, pressing his forehead against the door. "Please don't hurt her..."

Nothing could have prepared Natalia for what she endured in that small amount of time. No amount of training or preparation. Nothing. She'd always wondered what Hydra was capable of, and now she knew. She wished that she didn't though. She wished that she never had to experience what she did. Silently, she allowed the agents to lead her back down the corridor to the cell she shared with Bucky. It was almost like she was operating on autopilot or something.