You're My Mission

“Told you we’d find him,” I said with a smirk as I stood at the edge of a rooftop. My confident persona covered the anxiety I truly felt. I hadn’t expected Hydra agents to be able to follow Fury, but then again, he hadn’t exactly picked a good hiding spot. He was waiting for Captain America in his apartment, and the Winter Soldier still had to fulfil his mission.

“You want the automatic?” an agent called out from behind me and I glanced at the sniper rifle.

“Yeah, that should do it,” I agreed, reluctant as I knew it decreased Fury’s chances but I had to keep my game face on. The agent brought the gun over to the Winter Soldier and he hesitated but accepted the weapon.

“When?” he asked me as I turned to leave.

“Whenever you have a clear shot,” I decided, hoping that would buy Fury and the Captain some time. He nodded to show he understood my orders, so I crossed the rooftop to where the other agents were filing through the door to head back downstairs.

I paused before going through, looking over my shoulder and gulping. The Winter Soldier had already lied down and I noticed him remove his goggles. As he set the rifle up against the ledge, I wondered what his eyes were like. Were they a warm brown or a soft blue? Or did he even have green eyes? My thoughts snapped back to reality as he leaned forwards and looked through the scope. He had damn good aim. I didn’t know how Fury was going to get out of this one.

It took a lot of effort to force myself to leave the rooftop, to not push the Winter Soldier over the edge so Fury could live, but I managed to turn my back and join the others downstairs.

As we waited for gunfire, I recalled some of the kind things Fury had done for me. He had ultimately been the one to give me a place in the world, and fortunately it was on the good side of things. Even back then he had feared that SHIELD might be compromised, so there were no files on me. All of my training had been completed in secret, and my placement in Hydra was known to only him. There was a huge weight on my shoulders to not let him down, especially since he trusted me to get the job done.

I couldn’t let him down, even if he died. I had my orders.

“What’s the most likely escape route?” I asked the nearest agent who handed me a schematic drawing of the building the Winter Soldier was on and the surrounding structures.

“I’d say heading to that park would be the best option,” the man suggested and I nodded, agreeing with him because of the way the rooftops slowly lost height. The trees and dim lights would provide cover, even if you had a shining metal arm. “Why? He should use the stairs, no one will chase him.”

“The Captain will,” I replied. Unless he was shot too, but I doubted it since the Winter Soldier’s orders hadn’t included that.

I leapt out of the van and ran down the nearly empty street, not caring for the strange looks I received for the pistols and knives strapped to my belt. Clearly I was on a mission, and people stayed out of my way.

Suddenly gunshots sounded from behind me and I came to a stop, looking back at the building Fury was in. Even though I knew I wouldn’t be able to see anything, I needed to take a moment to process what had just happened. There wasn’t a chance in hell the Winter Soldier had missed.

After I had temporarily blocked out the shock and grief, I bursted back into a sprint and hurried to the last building, expecting the Winter Soldier to come flying off it at any moment.

A flash of silver glinted in the streetlamp’s light from above, then flew down the side of the building. He plummeted towards the ground without showing any sign of deceleration until he shoved his metal fingers into the brick wall a few storeys above the ground. After slowing his fall considerably, the Winter Soldier crashed to the ground. I dashed forwards and grabbed his arm, pulling him beneath the cover of a tree.

“A man,” he stated, sounding a touch breathless.

“Yeah, I had a feeling he wouldn’t just let you leave,” I admitted. Signalling for him to remain where he was, I cautiously stepped forwards and peeked out from beneath the leaves. I could vaguely see a face atop the building, but then it backed away. The coast was clear. “Let’s go.” I gestured for him to follow and we walked amongst the garden, heading back to the van.

It wasn’t like I expected him to talk, but I felt as though I needed it to distract myself from what he had just done. Puzzling over what to say to trial whether or not he could have a coherent conversation, I looked up at him.

My jaw dropped at what I saw. For the first time ever, I was looking at the Winter Soldier without his goggles on. Half of his face was still covered, but his eyes were exposed and they were stunning. His pale blue eyes rested on mine for a few moments before he diverted his attention back to the sidewalk, and I looked down with shame from gawking at him.

But at least I had my answer. He had soft blue eyes, and they weren’t empty like a ghost’s would be. The Winter Soldier was human. I could see it in his eyes; he still felt emotions. Perhaps Hydra didn’t have as much control over him as they claimed.