Rattled Bones

The snow crunched underneath her footing, creating shallow footprints behind her. She was treading light to keep from being followed but even if she were, she’d know. The wind howled and slapped her across her exposed face, but the cold didn’t seem to bother her anymore. A thought arose in her head as she noticed how numb she was to the cold. She wondered what it felt like but before she could answer herself, a mental jolt of pain coursed its way into her brain. Causing her to snap back into what she came here to do. Her mission was simple; she was to retrieve a man by the name of James Buchanan Barnes and bring him back to HYDRA with no witnesses. It was a piece of cake, nothing she couldn’t do.

She was approaching the base camp where the Soviet soldiers were camped. Veering off to the left, she climbed a tree to get a better view. It was a small camp, maybe ten or twelve tents. She spent the next twenty minutes observing, finding her game plan. A smirk crept up on her lips as she counted a total of twelve men. She wasn’t sure where they were housing this man she was supposed to retrieve, so sending a grenade into the camp was not the smartest move. It could compromise her mission. Reaching behind her back, she yanked an MP5 from her holster. Her best option was to get just get closer, she almost thought of going in blind but her better judgement won.

Creeping up to the base slowly, she eyed the guard on her right. He was alone and an easy target. Not wasting a bullet on the poor sap, she flicked her wrist which caused a throwing knife to fall into her hand. She waited for him to turn and pace in the opposite direction before she let the knife sail and hit his carotid artery. Eleven. She watched him fall off their makeshift bridge, smirking as two soldiers rushed to his aid. Aiming up her shot, she gave each of the two men a total of five shots into their chest. Nine. She could hear the panic in the camp erupt, it was going to be that much easier. Mistakes were made when people were scared.

She walked forward, letting herself have nowhere to run and hide. But, there was no need for that. This was the easiest mission she had yet. Firing off her weapon into the bodies of men that poured out of their camp, she picked up her pace. She had only a few shots left before her weapon would be useless. Once her last shot was used, she threw the gun to her side and rolled onto the ground to pick up a dead soldier. Five. She used him as a shield as she flicked her wrist again to elicit another throwing knife. Instead of one, three shot out into her hand, hooking them on her finger, she lifted herself and the weight of the dead man. She listened closely to the where the three shooters were coming from. Dropping the man, she threw all three at the same, watching as they nailed the two in the head and one in the eye.

Squinting her eyes, she frowned at the third man. He flailed around like a chicken with its head caught off. She cursed herself at her off precision. Ripping out her knife with brass knuckles attached them; she walked over towards the man. She glared at him, with the knife on her knuckles; she grabbed him and slammed into the ground, letting his fall finish him off. Two. She walked into the camp, it was too quiet. Cowards, she thought. She walked cautiously around, letting her trained ears listen for the two soldiers that didn’t come forward. Walking past a tent, she heard rustling and whispers. Cocking her head, she grabbed her handgun and listened. Firing two and only two shots, she heard two bodies fall. Taking her knife in her hand, she cut through the tent to find two dead soldiers and a man lying on a cot

He was missing an arm and appeared to be unconscious. Reaching into her jacket pocket, she pulled out a picture for comparison. Mission complete, she thought. Grabbing the man up by his chest, she threw him over her shoulder. She grunted with the added weight but she had been through much worse. She shuddered as she thought of the endurance and weight tests she had to go through. HYDRA had really tested her limits, breaking them and creating new ones. Unhooking three grenades from her belt, she tore each key off with her mouth and threw them behind her. Leaving not a single remain left in that camp. She trudged through the snow with him over her shoulder; six miles later, she reached her coordinates. Throwing him down on the soft snow, she pressed her earpiece, “Mission complete. Target James Buchanan Barnes acquired, no witnesses.”

“Very good, Fox. Stay put, a jet will be there shortly.”

Taking a seat in the snow, she studied the man before her. What happened to you, she thought. She trailed over his body, inspecting his missing arm from where she sat. She was hardly ever curious, always completing her mission without flaw but there was something about him that spiked her curiosity. He seemed to have a lost a lot of blood, the bandage that was wrapped around what was left was soaked in bright red. She rocked forward on her knees, scooting closer to the man. She brushed away a chunk of his hair that seemed out of place, he was a soldier there was no doubt there. Her hand picked up the dog tags that hung from his neck but almost as instantly dropping them when his eyes fluttered open.

He groaned in pain, his chest rising and falling. A look of confusion washed over his face when their eyes met. He was drifting in and out of consciousness, his eyes fluttering but still trying to hold her gaze. She knew that with the trauma and the blood loss he had sustained was not going to allow him to remember her but there was something about those eyes; they seemed so familiar. So blue, so comforting. She leaned closer as she searched her brain, did she know this man? No, that possibly couldn’t be true. But, what if she knew him before she became the person she was now. She grabbed his right hand; the touch alone was enough to stimulate another feeling of clarity.

A trigger erupted in her skull, causing her hand to rip away from his and fly to her head. She screamed out in pain from the electrifying shock surging through her brain. She backed away from him, her feet kicking the snow to get away. She leaned up against a tree, sweat dripping from her forehead in the below zero degree weather. She took deep breaths to recover from the immense pain she had just felt. Why did that happen? Why did she receive a trigger when she started to dig for reasons? Did HYDRA want to keep him a secret from her? Did she know him?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the soft sound of snow crunching behind her. Jolting up, her hand was quick on her gun. When she turned to aim the gun, she instantly dropped it. It was Arnim and he was giving her a particular look that she didn’t like. She had learned to never trust that look.

“Did you recognize him, Fox?”

She swallowed hard, a deep exhale coming from her nose. “Am I supposed to?” She snapped.

He smiled wide, “Just curious.”

“I feel like I know him.”

Armin’s smile dropped, the left side of his face twitching. He gave an irritated expression, “You have become quite the soldier but your mind is driving me crazy. What will it take for you to forget Bucky Barnes, death? Is that the only option I am faced with?”

“Bucky Barnes?” Her brows knitted together, “Who is Bucky Barnes,” she glanced over towards the body lying in the snow.

“We will discuss this back at the base,” motioning for her to follow him into the clearing. “Come, bring him. The Jet is this way.