You're My Mission

“He’s coming our way,” I announced from the back of the van. The lesser Hydra agents didn’t respond, and the only other man present was always so damn quiet anyway. Despite wearing a mask and goggles that only left his forehead bare, I could feel his stern stare piercing me.

Even though I had worked my ass off for this position, it had still come as a shock when I had received a promotion to become the supervisor of one of Hydra’s greatest assets: the Winter Soldier. He had only been assigned six covert missions over the past two years, but the time in between had seemed boring. Ever since I was woken by the shrill noise of my phone this morning and given my orders, I had known I was going to have a good day.

“Are you ready?” I asked, stepping outside the van and standing before the Winter Soldier.

No reply. Not even a twitch of a muscle.

“This is your weapon,” I instructed, grabbing the device from its holster in the van and passing it to the man that towered over me. “Packs quite a punch, and you’ve only got one shot.”

He didn’t say anything, just took the launcher and wrapped his fingers around it, getting comfortable. His metal hand took an extra second to adjust.

“If you need anything, you come to me and only me. Do you understand?” I recited the essential phrase and the Winter Soldier nodded. It was one of the few things he was able to remember after he was brainwashed, and by telling him that sentence, he instinctively placed a huge amount of trust in me and saw me as his superior.

A car tooted its horn furiously in the distance and I smirked.

“It’s time,” I stated. The man walked away and I leaned against the van’s open back door, watching him. His actions were always so fluid and controlled, something I admired. I was talented, but he took combat and marksmanship to a whole new level.

The Winter Solider wandered out into the traffic, not caring for the angered drivers as they swerved to avoid him. His target was obvious; the massive black jeep with a million bullet holes in it.

He aimed.

The disc flew out and attached itself underneath the vehicle, then exploded. With a calculated step, the Winter Soldier avoided the incoming jeep and then disappeared in the black smoke.

“Damn,” one of the Hydra agents muttered next to me. “He’s a bloody legend.” I couldn’t help but grin at the remark. He had a point, and I was responsible for that legend.

As the smoke cleared I spotted the Winter Soldier striding towards the now motionless car. His orders were clear and I understood how it had given him a sense of purpose. This was what he was living for, and I was already beginning to feel guilty that I was about to try to take it away from him.

“Wait here, on guard,” I ordered the other agents and they snapped back to attention, aiming their guns in case anyone from SHIELD was nearby.

I marched forwards, heavy black boots thumping on the tarmac and a belt full of weapons clinking with my steps, and approached the Winter Soldier. My intention was to meet him halfway, but he had increased his pace and there was nothing I could do to stop him from ripping off the jeep’s door. If I called out, the other agents would become suspicious and report me to Pierce. I gritted my teeth and hoped that Fury had somehow survived and escaped.

The Winter Soldier crouched down but took no further action. A few moments later I was squatting by his side and had to concentrate damn hard on not exhaling with relief that Fury had disappeared, a hole in the ground showing his exit route. The Winter Soldier turned his head to look at me.

“Should I follow?” he questioned. He rarely spoke, and when he did it reminded me that he wasn’t a robot but still a human.

Anyone truly supporting Hydra would have said yes. Follow the bastard and kill him, he can’t have gone too far after sustaining all of that damage. But fortunately for Fury, I wasn’t that person. I was the one who had called and warned him of the incoming attack.

“No. We’ll be able to find him when he resurfaces,” I answered, hoping my reasoning would pass if I was questioned by Pierce.

We returned to the van and took our seats in the back while another agent drove us away from the damage before we gained unwanted attention. The Winter Soldier sat perfectly still and silent, not showing any reaction to the fact that he had just attempted to murder a man. He fascinated me, and I wondered if a day would come when there were thousands of perfect, albeit brainwashed, soldiers running around doing the dirty work for those who could afford it.

Once we had pulled over in an alley to await further instructions, I thought about how he always had his face covered. It wasn’t really that much of a surprise since Pierce had always been secretive about the man. I wasn’t allowed to know his history aside from a general outline on his arm replacement, and I wasn’t allowed to be with him when he was brainwashed or put on ice, presumably so I didn’t connect with him. He was my assignment, my mission, but he was still a person.

The man sitting next to me was a faceless ghost, and the more time I spent with him, the more I desired to figure out who he really was.