You're My Mission

I had been stuck crouching behind a fence and bush for what felt like hours. The Maine air was crisp but I hardly felt it because I was concentrating so hard on keeping watch on the Hydra patrols. Their base was an old factory building, red brick with white wooden window frames, four storeys high and approximately thirty windows long. The patrols had been consistent, coming at regular intervals and not leaving a gap in their viewing zone. Every inch of their perimeter was covered as they awaited Captain America’s arrival.

Until now. I glanced at my watch. The seconds digits read 45 and I knew that the next patrol should have rounded the far corner by now, to replace the trio that were about to disappear inside at my end of the building. My heart leapt as I realised that I had an opportunity.

“Something’s wrong. The second patrol hasn’t come around yet. I could sneak in,” I said while pressing a finger to my earpiece.

“Negative. It could be a trap,” Steve’s voice came over the frequency.

“They’ve had perfect coverage of their perimeter all day long! I doubt we’re going to get another opportunity like this!” I hissed. The guards were nearing the scanner and my chance was slipping away. I gave a frustrated growl. “Give me the order. I can take them, I can get inside.”

The connection remained silent and I shook my head, still watching the far end of the building. There was no sign of the second group of men. Something had unexpectedly happened in our favour and Steve was about to blow his chance.

“Go. Good luck,” Steve commanded and I leapt from my hiding spot. I climbed up the fence and propelled myself over the barbed wire on top, rolling onto my shoulder to break my fall. Then I sprinted across the tarmac and the guards finally noticed my approach. One withdrew his gun and I kicked it from his hand, grabbing his arm and twisting it behind his back with such force I felt it pop. I threw his body into the second guard and punched the third in his face before he could aim his weapon. Keeping up my momentum, I swung his head into the brick wall and was greeted with a dull crack. The second guard who was uninjured lunged at me and I pulled out my knife, slicing his throat while I dodged his weight. I delivered a similar blow to the last guard and then tore his scanner card from his belt, using it to unlock the door before me.

“I’m in,” I grinned while tucking the card in my belt in case I needed it later on. Uncertain of how much time I had before I or the guards were discovered, I pulled my pistol from my gadget belt and shifted forwards into the Hydra base.

I entered what appeared to be a hallway surrounded by offices. The corridor was eerily quiet, and it unnerved me. I double tapped my earpiece and set it on constant transmission, just in case something happened. Approaching the first door, I swung around and scanned the office, but no one was inside. It contained a desk, computer and filing cabinet, and stacks of paper were neatly arranged on the desk. Not wanting to waste time, I quickly crossed the hallway and cleared the next office. It was an exact reflection of the first room, and so were the next six offices I checked.

“Nothing so far,” I said lowly to Steve.

“The second patrol hasn’t arrived yet,” he informed me and I relaxed a little at the knowledge that no one was going to sneak up on me from the doors I had entered through. I cleared another office and instead of moving on, I decided I had the time to peek at the information on the documents.

The first few I skimmed through with little interest. They were sheets of information on known enemies of Hydra, such as Nick Fury, Maria Hill, and even Tony Stark. Because of his weaponry knowledge, Iron Man suits and endless wealth, Hydra had already declared him a huge potential risk, which was ironic since it was because of him that our team even existed. The next file was on Steve, but the reasons why he was wanted dead were obvious, so I flicked past that one too.

My hands paused when I saw a picture of Bucky clipped to the top of the next document. He was in some sort of metal tank that revealed his face and the beginnings of a bare chest. His eyes were closed, a rather peaceful expression on his youthful face. It was strange to see him with long hair again, but that wasn’t what was tugging at my heartstrings. It was the fact that ice was clouding the glass. It had to have been a horrible experience to endure time after time, despite brainwashing sessions in between, and I understood more than ever why Bucky had become so distressed when he had seen the cryo machine in one of the Hydra labs before we blew it to smithereens.

I was overcome by a rush of emotions, wanting nothing more than to hold Bucky close and tell him that everything was going to be all right, that he’d never be in that position again, that Hydra would never brainwash him or freeze him, and that there would be hell to pay if they ever tried. Noticing I was scrunching the edge of the paper, I let it go and shifted the file aside to see my own photo, an old one from when I first joined Hydra and needed an ID card. They knew we were all threats, and they were planning on exterminating us. It sunk in that it was a race to see who could get there first, and I hurried out of the office to continue infiltrating the base.

The hall was as silent as ever, still strangely deserted, and I set my sights on a white door with a scanner near the end. Guessing something important was through there, I retrieved the Hydra guard’s swipe card from my belt and approached the scanner.

I heard my gun hit the floor before I registered that it had been hit out of my grasp. Something covered my mouth as I cried out from the shock, a huge weight leaping onto my back. As I inhaled to scream, I noticed the strong sweet scent coming from the material over my face and my mind suddenly clouded. I swayed to the left as the person on my back gained a tonne by the second and I hardly felt the floor when I smashed into it. All I could think about was how frustrated I was that I had ended up being a sitting duck, but even that annoyance couldn’t keep my mind in this world. As I slipped into a state of unconsciousness, I heard Bucky shouting in the distance, arguing with Steve.