Status: Active

Eyes of Winter

Twenty

Annie sat in a chair in the middle of a makeshift office in some sort of abandoned warehouse. Her hands were bound to the arms of the chair with zip ties that dug painfully into her wrists.

The room was completely dark save for the light shining from beneath the only door in the room. She had no idea what time it was or how many days she'd been held.

The door opened, blinding her with the new light. "Rise and shine, sweetheart." Rollins voice sent her heart racing. She tried to jerk away as he cut the ties from her wrists.

"Boss wants to see you." he grabbed her by the back of her neck and held the blade inches from her face. "Don't try any of that shit you pulled with Culper. I'll kill you and make it look like an accident, understand?"

She nodded in quick, jerky movements. "Good." He twisted her arm behind her back and shoved her out the door.

She kept her head down as he guided her through the warehouse. HYDRA soldiers were everywhere and heavily armed.

They climbed a flight of metal stairs that lead into an office with windows on every wall, no doubt to allow supervision of the work below.

Rumlow sat on the edge of a desk flipping through a file. He glanced up as she and Rollins entered.

"Hey sweetheart." He smiled. "How you feelin'?"

She stared at the ground, refusing to answer.

"Why don't you have a seat?" Rumlow said.

"I think I've sat long enough." She snapped.

He chuckled. "There's my girl. I missed that spark." He glanced at Rollins who forced her into the chair.

"I can handle her from here." Rumlow said, dismissing his second in command. He laid the file down on the desk and turned to her. "How's the eye?"

When she refused to answer, he lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him. He clicked his tongue. "I'm real sorry about that, Annie. But you stabbed one of my soldiers and I'm running low on help as it is."

"He tried to slide his hand under my shirt." She said.

"Yeah. And he knew better. But you should have let me deal with him." he shrugged. "It doesn't matter now. He's dead. I took care of him for you."

Annie frowned in disgust. "Why are you doing this?"

"And what is it that you think I'm doing?"

"Using me to get to Bucky."

Brock smiled. "Bucky? That your little boyfriend's name?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Trust me, there's nothing little about him. And when he comes for me, he'll kill you."

He laughed before bringing his face down to hers. "Oh sweetheart, he can try. God knows he'll want to when I'm done with you. But that's if he doesn't kill you first." He kissed her forehead and she jerked away.

"What are you talking about?" She asked.

He nodded to one of the guards outside. "Take her back to her cell. Have her prepped for departure."

"Brock what do you mean?!" She cried as she was pulled to her feet.

He winked at her before she was taken away.

OoOoOo

The flight back to base was long, made worse by the silence of the crew. Agent Hill sat with her arms crossed, scowling in Bucky's direction.

Upon entering the jet and seeing agent Hill, Bucky's rage reignited and the two exchanged blows until she pulled a gun from seemingly nowhere and pressed it to his temple, demanding he stand down. Steve and Natasha placed themselves between the two during the remainder of the flight.

Steve sighed and scratched the back of his neck, his signature move that gave away when he was nervous. "Buck, when we get to base, let me do the talking. You're too emotional and we need information that we can't get if you kill everyone." Steve said.

Bucky said nothing as they landed, following Steve off the jet. They were met by several armed soldiers and Nick Fury, standing with his arms behind his back.

"Captain."

Steve nodded. "Nick. I'm sure you're aware-"

"About the situation surrounding Ms. Pierce's disappearance. Yes. We need-" Nick replied.

Bucky scoffed. "We?"

Nick turned his one good eye to Bucky, before glancing back at Steve. "As I was saying, we need to go somewhere that we can talk. Without interruption or prying eyes."

Bucky opened his mouth to respond, but Steve silenced him with a slight shake of his head.

"You three, with me." Fury said. He turned to the soldiers. "No one enters without my say so."

Natasha, Bucky, and Steve followed him to his personal office. He closed and locked the door before pulling a file from his jacket and tossing it onto the desk before Bucky.

Bucky snatched up the file and flipped through the pages. "What is this?" he asked.

"Surveillance from when Annie was taken." Fury leaned against the edge of his desk. "The fault was our own. When S.H.I.E.L.D. was exposed, the intention was good. But you know what they say about good intentions."

"Who is the woman with Annie?" Bucky asked.

"Agent Sayuri Kee. We believe she is working for HYDRA."

"How did this happen, Nick?" Steve asked.

"I never said our operation was perfect. We're still trying to rebuild after that fiasco in D.C."

"Kee didn't act alone. She had help. Annie wouldn't have gone without a fight." Natasha replied.

"Do we have any idea why Rumlow would want her?" Fury asked.

Bucky closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, trying not to think of every reason Rumlow wanted Annie. "He wants me. He's using her as bait."

"How can you know that, Buck?" Steve asked.

Bucky scowled, but Natasha interjected before he could respond. "No, he's right. If he wanted her alone, why waste the time sending taunting messages?"

"If I'm the one he wants, then I'm the one he's going to get." Bucky said.

Everyone looked at him, Steve was the first to speak up. "You know it's a trap."

"I don't care." Bucky replied.

"I won't allow it." Fury said. "I can't have you falling back into enemy hands."

Bucky glared at him. "Do you really want to try to stop me?"

Fury laid his hand casually on the gun at his side. "Do you really want to find out?"

Natasha stepped between them, looking up at Bucky. "Think about this. In the likely event that he doesn't kill you, you can bet your ass that he'll turn you over to HYDRA. And he'll use her as leverage. You know it."

"I'll take my chances." He stated through gritted teeth.

"Do you even know where he's keeping her?" Steve asked.

"I grabbed the phone." Natasha pulled a crushed phone from her pocket. "Or what was left of it."

Fury and Bucky stared one another down. "Nat, take it to the lab and have them run diagnostics. We might be able to determine where the call was placed."

One she left, Fury began to pace. "I'll allow it. But Rogers goes with you. He'll secure the girl and our team will stand by to assist you in getting out."

Steve shifted slightly. "I'm sensing a 'but' in there somewhere..."

"I can't trust you in your current state." Fury replied, looking at Bucky. He held his hand up to silence Steve. "I know that you will disagree with me. But regardless, you are unstable. Without knowing exactly what HYDRA did to you, it would be reckless to send you into enemy territory without a fail safe."

"What are you suggesting?" Bucky asked, clenching his fists.

There was a light knock at the door. Fury looked over Bucky's shoulder. "Come in."

The door opened and a woman with black hair cut up to her chin entered. She stood just slightly shorter than Annie, wearing a gray jacket and red shirt with a black skirt. "You asked to see me, sir?"

"I did." He looked to Steve and Bucky. "I'd like for you to meet Agent Lydia Perez."

Agent Perez smiled at both soldiers. "Agent Perez has a special talent that has helped us countless times." Fury nodded to her. "Sergeant Barnes, if you would, try to hit Agent Perez."

"What?" Bucky raised a brow.

"Sir, I don't think-" Steve interjected.

"That's fine. Try to hit me, then. I'm sure you'll have no problems there." Fury replied, stepping in front of Agent Perez.

Bucky hesitated only slightly before he swung at Fury. "What the hell?" Some force field was stopping the hit. He tried to hit him with his other hand, but that too, was blocked.

Fury smirked. "That will be all, Agent Perez."

"Yes sir." She replied before walking out.

Steve stood with his mouth hanging open, confusion written on his face.

"What the hell was that?" Bucky demanded.

"That was agent Perez, your fail safe. Her talent is unique."

"Her talent is mind control. There's nothing unique about taking away someone's self control." Bucky snapped.

"It's either that or you sit on the sidelines while I send a team to rescue your girlfriend. Your choice." Fury replied.

"My choice?" He walked towards Fury, stopping mere inches from his face. "The second Romanoff has a lead, and I mean the very second, Perez better be ready." Bucky turned on his heel and stormed out.

"You realize that he's had his brain messed with worse than Barton or Dr. Selvig ever did with Loki." Steve said after a brief moment of silence.

"And you understand that this is a risk we can't afford to take. Until we know for certain what HYDRA did to him and undo it, this is what is going to happen. Regardless of what you two think, finding Annie isn't priority. Finding out who is responsible for the breach is."

Steve narrowed his eyes and frowned. "You're wrong about her not being priority. It's good to see you haven't changed, Nick. Stick to what you know."

"You are dismissed, soldier." Fury stepped away from the door as Steve walked out.

OoOoOo

Several hours later, Bucky sat in Annie's room, cleaning his guns, a burning cigarette between the fingers of his gloved left hand.

The last image he had of Annie was of her gagged and crying. He saw it every time he closed his eyes and the more he thought about it, the angrier he got.

He felt the air in the room shift and caught a faint, barely-there scent that was too sweet to belong to a man. Steve, he had a feeling, knew when to leave Bucky alone.

He took a long drag from his cigarette and shoved the clip in place. "Это хороший способ убить себя. That's a good way to kill yourself*"

"Это вызов. I like a challenge*." Natasha replied, leaning against the wall across from him.

"Я не в настроении для игр, Романов. I don't have time for your games.*" He snapped.

Natasha crossed her arms. "We're going to get her -"

Bucky closed his eyes and shook his head, cutting her off. "I am really not in the mood for a pep talk. Shouldn't you be off running diagnostics or something on that phone?"

Natasha narrowed her eyes. "That's what I was coming to tell you. We've got a lead on her location and you're not going to like it."

Bucky looked at her quizzically, the cigarette hanging loosely from his lips.

"Усть-Среднекан* Ust-Srednekan*." She replied.

He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. "Why would he take her there?" He stubbed out the cigarette.

"Whatever the reason, knowing what we know about that place, it can't be good." She replied.

Bucky didn't want to think about what happened to him while he was there, much less what could be happening to Annie.

Ust-Srednekan* was an abandoned mining labor camp in the middle of Siberia. It was also his former holding facility with the KGB, prior to his transfer to HYDRA. If half of what happened to him was happening to Annie, he doubted she'd survive. At least he'd been previously injected with HYDRA's version of Dr. Erskine's super soldier serum.

He squeezed his eyes shut and slammed a clip into another gun. "I'm going to kill Rumlow."

"You know Fury will never let that happen. He wants him brought in and tried accordingly. Rumlow betrayed S.H.I.E.L D. Fury feels a certain way about that." Natasha replied.

Bucky began placing his numerous weapons into a black duffle bag. "It's not Fury I'm worried about." He glanced at Annie's hairbrush that sat on top of her dresser. "Steve is good. And from what I remember, he's sometimes too good for his own good. Rumlow wants me, and I want Annie. I'm not going to let anyone get in my way of getting her back."

He lifted the bag onto his shoulder and saw the reflection of light off something in her bed. He lifted the sheets and found her civilian picture ID. Her wavy brown hair was braided over her left shoulder and she smiled brightly at whoever was holding the camera. In that moment he envied the photographer.

"Do you love her?" Natasha asked.

He hadn't realized he'd been staring at the ID. He glanced up at Natasha. "Yes."

She gave him a lopsided grin. "Well then we need to discuss how we're going to get you to Siberia."

OoOoOo

Since Annie's kidnapping, security had doubled, making an already difficult task seem likely impossible.

There were supposed to be four guards posted at the entrance to the flight hanger, but he and Natasha had arrived during shift change. This left two guards remaining until the new guards arrived.

Luckily for Bucky, Natasha had a specific pair of skills that he lacked. He watched from the corridor of the hanger as she strutted towards the two guards in a too tight, very low cut bodysuit.

"Holy shit dude, it's Black Widow." One guard nudged the other who was flipping through a magazine.

"Whadya say boys?" She said with a sultry smile.

Bucky watched as she interacted with the two guards and nearly choked when she led them into the quinjet that he was supposed to hijack.

"What are you doing?" He whispered to himself.

Static buzzed in his earpiece. "Relax big guy, I know what I'm doing." She replied. "Come aboard."

Bucky checked his surroundings carefully as he made his way to the jet.

The two guards lay crumpled at her feet, unconscious. Her lipstick was slightly smeared and she adjusted the zipper of her suit for a more modest look.

The sight triggered a flashback to one of the times they'd worked together. It almost made him blush. He swallowed past the awkwardness.

She nudged the guards with the toe of her boot. "That did the trick. Catch." She tossed Bucky a usb stick which he caught with ease.

"What's this?" He asked.

"That holds the coordinates for the factory Annie's being held in. It also has the blue prints."

"I know the place."

She nodded. "We both do. But just in case, yeah?"

"Yeah." He nodded towards the guards. "What about them?"

She shrugged. "They'll live."

"I don't care if they live, what are you doing with the bodies?"

"I'll figure something out. Help me get them out."

They both drug the bodies out, leaving them against the wall. Natasha turned to Bucky. "Your earpiece is directly linked to mine via satellite. I've scrambled the signals so they can't easily be intercepted. I can't go with you but I can still help."

"Thanks." He looked down at the usb stick. "In case this doesn't go as planned, I wrote a letter for Annie. Will you make sure she gets it?"

"I will." She smirked. "Wish I'd known you as Bucky. That Annie's a lucky girl."

"Natasha I-"

She cut him off with a shake of her head. "Don't dwell on the past, it wasn't in your control. You need to go."

He gave her a tight lipped smile before boarding the jet.

"Barnes!"

He turned before raising the ramp.

Natasha was backing towards the door. "Don't let them do to her what they did to us."

OoOoOo

"Rise and shine beautiful."

Annie shielded her eyes as the lights to her cell were turned on. Rumlow stood with Rollins and several other guards.

"Today's a big day for you." Rumlow said, kneeling down in front of where she sat huddled on the concrete floor. He lifted a few stands of her hair. "We need to get you cleaned up." He handed her what appeared to be a white cotton hospital gown. "I need you to put this on."

Annie jerked away, refusing to speak.

"Now sweetheart, we can to this the easy way or the hard way." He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. "After what I have planned for you, all of this is going to seem like a piece of cake. But If you don't cooperate with these men, things are going to go real bad, real fast."

With a murderous glare, she ripped the gown from his hands.

"Alright guys. Give the lady her privacy. Any of you so much as twitch in her direction, I'll kill you." He called over his shoulder.

Once she was dressed, he pulled her to her feet and together they walked out of her cell, followed by the armed soldiers.

She could see two men in surgical attire waiting at the end of the dimly lit corridor.

Both men gave one armed salutes, declaring, "Hail HYDRA!"

"Sweetheart, these are doctors Devyni and Murdock. They're here to help you." Rumlow said.

She tore herself out of Rollins'grasp and turned to Rumlow, clutching his tactical vest. "Brock, please. Whatever you're planning, if you ever loved me at all, just let me go."

He stared down at her and gently stroked her tear-streaked cheek. "Annie, baby..." He wrapped his arms around her and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "I still love you. That's why I'm doing this."

She cried out as something sharp pierced the left side of her neck. "What did you just do?!"

"Relax, sweetheart. It's not going to kill you. It's just going to dull your anxiety. We wouldn't want them to miss, would we?"

He looked over her shoulder and signaled to the men in scrubs.

"What are you talking abo- HEY!"

Despite her screams and flailing limbs, they managed to strap her down to a cold surgical table.

She tried to break free even as they strapped a mask over her face. "Calm yourself my beauty. Soon you will be a true daughter of HYDRA." The one called Devyni replied smoothly.

"Please don't do this...please...Brock.." She begged as they began to shave her head.

OoOoOo

"Alright Barnes, you're approaching the border. You should be over the river any minute. This is going to be your way in. Engage autopilot now." Natasha spoke into his ear piece.

Bucky set the autopilot and began securing his weapons in their bag. "Alright. Autopilot engaged. Preparing to disembark." He replied.

"In the compartment above the pilots seat are several small discs. They're a holographic prototype. Drop them around the premises and they'll project your image and act as a decoy." She said.

He reached into the compartment and pulled out seven half dollar sized thin discs. "Is this some kind of S.H.I.E.L.D. tech?"

"More like Stark tech."

Bucky scoffed. "There's no way Stark willingly provided these."

"That's neither here nor there. Just use them. Ok, you're over your drop zone. I'll pilot the jet once you send the signal."

"Copy." He opened the ramp of the jet, kicked the bag out and then jumped.

OoOoOo

Rumlow watched anxiously as the surgeons injected several different vials into Annie's i.v. His walkie talkie buzzed to life.

"Sir this is agent Compton. There's a disturbance on the east side of the warehouse."

His eyes never left Annie. "Take care of it. I don't want any interruptions."

Rollins cocked his gun and withdrew towards the eastern part of the compound.

OoOoOo

Bucky strapped the last of the explosives to the western support wall of the warehouse.

He heard a branch crack and spun around aiming his pistol.

"Can't say I'm surprised to find you here. Those holograms are a pretty cool party trick." Rollins said.

Bucky lunged at him, grabbing the barrel of his rifle with his metallic hand. He ripped it from Rollins' hands and swung it at him. Rollins ducked backwards but was too slow. The butt of the rifle connected with his jaw and he stumbled.

"Where is she?" Bucky snarled, pulling a serrated blade from his vest.

Rollins smirked, wiping blood from his lip. "She's not yours anymore." He lurched forward, grabbing Bucky by his throat and lifting him to eye level. "She belongs to HYDRA now." Noting Bucky's surprise at his strength, his smirk erupted into a full blown toothy grin. "You're not the only one with cool party tricks." He wrapped his gloved hand around Bucky's flesh hand, twisting it until it cracked.

Bucky growled angrily, dropping the blade to the ground. He began to pound his metal fist into Rollins' arm, but he wouldn't relent. He slammed Bucky into the snowy ground, knocking the wind from his lungs.

Rollins wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "She doesn't even know what we have in store for her. I should let you live just long enough to watch what we do to your precious little Annie-"

With an animalistic scream, Bucky kicked Rollins in his knee, causing him to drop.

They rolled around trading blow after blow. Bucky tried to reach for his knife but Rollins beat him to it. Flipping it into the air, he caught it by the hilt.

Bucky raised his metal arm to parry the attack, leaving his side vulnerable. He grunted in pain as he felt the blade slide between his left ribs.

He slammed his left elbow down, feeling Rollins' wrist snap. The man cursed as Bucky managed to throw him off.

Rollins lunged once more and Bucky ripped the knife from his side and flung it, striking Rollins in the neck.

Rollins crumpled to the ground, gurgling.

"You know," Bucky huffed, kneeling next to him. "For a guy of so few words," he leaned close to his body and gripped the handle of the knife. "You talk too fucking much." He tore the blade from Rollins neck, causing the artery to rupture, and placed it back in its holder. He hoisted Rollins' discarded rifle on his shoulder and climbed the maintenance ladder to the roof.

'Say goodbye, as we dance with the devil tonight.

Don't you dare look at him in the eye

As we dance with the devil tonight'


A raised skylight caught his attention. By his calculations it was the center of the warehouse. He made his way carefully to the edge of the skylight and peered in.

'Trembling, crawling across my skin

Feeling your cold dead eyes

Stealing the life of mine'


The sight below made his breath catch in his throat. Annie lay strapped to a table while two men worked on her. He could see her staring up at him and in that instant he allowed the Winter Soldier to take over.

OoOoOo

Annie focused on the large skylight above her. The sky was gray and she could see that it was snowing. There was no more physical pain. She was certain that her body was shutting down.

"Beginning first dose administration of S3." Dr. Murdock stated.

Hot tears spilled down from the corners of her eyes as a dark shadow appeared through the skylight. A pair of eyes, cold as steele started down at her from the outside. She let out a sob and began to whisper to no one in particular. "'Death was a living creature. Death was a man tormented by his past. Death was once a human.'" She smiled faintly. "I knew you would come for me..."

'I believe in you, I can show you that

I can see right through all your empty lies

I won't last long, in this world so wrong'


"Who is she talking to?" Rumlow asked.

The two surgeons looked at one another and shrugged. "Perhaps it's an effect of the anesthesia." Replied Dr. Devyni

"You're all going to die." She suddenly laughed.

"One day my dear, but not today. And not by you. I would hold still, we wouldn't want to puncture your carotid artery, would we?" Dr. Murdock stated, unphased.

She felt the sting of the needle in the left side of her neck and second needle pierce the back of her neck at the base of her head.

"The implant is secure." Dr. Devyni said.

"What was the first shot?"

"A sedative."

"What's her recovery time?" Brock asked.

Dr. Murdock looked up at him. "There is no recovery time needed. She might have a headache here and there for the next week. Just keep her hydrated."

Brock nodded. "Have her taken to my quarters until further notice."

"Times up..." She whispered sleepily, covering her face with her hands.

The skylight above them shattered as the bloodied body of a female agent was tossed through.

Brock cursed pulling his gun from its holster. "He's here! Get her out of here now!"

Before the two surgeons could move, a series of shots rang out. Annie winced as she felt the warm spray of blood on her hands.

Several guards returned fire, spraying the rooftop in a desperate attempt to stop the intruder. Each guard that attempted to remove her was struck down with a bullet somewhere in their skull.

Annie peered between her fingers and, despite the setting haze from the sedatives, was able to make out the silhouette of someone dropping into the warehouse from the roof.

She rolled off the table, landing on top of the body of one of the surgeons.

'Say goodbye, as we dance with the devil tonight

Don't you dare look at him in the eye

As we dance with the devil tonight'


Bucky and Brock had their guns aimed at each other, neither man so much as breathed.

"So now you're playing the knight in shining armor?" Brock asked.

Bucky kept his gun aimed at Brock's head. "Annie baby, you ok?" He asked, never breaking Brock's gaze.

Annie felt the room begin to spin. "I'm scared..." She crawled across the floor and threw up.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?" Bucky demanded.

Brock smirked. "You know what the difference is between you 'n me? I've got nothing to lose!" In a blink, Brock turned the gun towards Annie and fired.

Horrified, Bucky pulled the trigger. There was a sickening gurgle as one bullet pierced his neck. The second bullet pierced his right hand, disarming him.

Bucky walked past him, kicking his gun away from his twitching body. He rushed over to Annie.

"Annie!" He rolled her over and lifted her into his arms. She was burning with fever. Her face was pale, her beautiful long hair had been shaved off completely. She was clutching her lower abdomen. He tried to move her hands. "Let me see."

"You came for me..." She said.

'Hold on, hold on

Say goodbye, as we dance with the devil tonight

Don't you dare look at him in the eye

As we dance with the devil tonight

Hold on, hold on...'


"Of course I did." Bucky felt bile rising in the back of his throat. Bringing a shaky hand up to his earpiece, he pressed the tiny button. "Natasha I need immediate assistance. This place is rigged to blow in ten minutes. Annie's alive but she's hurt. Have medical on standby." There was no reply. He pressed the button again. "Natasha! Do you copy? I need immediate medical assistance- Hello?! God dammit!" He ripped the earpiece out and threw it across the room.

"Ok sweetheart," he stood with her in his arms, despite the setting pain in his left side. "I'm getting you out of here." He navigated his way through the maze of hallways, eventually finding his way outside. The cold air nearly took his breath away, but he was able to make it up to the hill several hundred yards from the warehouse.

"Bucky..." She whispered. "I'm so sorry...I've been nothing but trouble..." She began to gag. Bucky knelt down and helped her onto her side as she threw up again.

He smiled slightly. "I'll always find you. I'll always be there to save you or so help me I'll die trying, because I love you, Annie Pierce." He pressed his lips to her forehead and squeezed his eyes shut, praying for a miracle.

Annie closed her eyes and smiled, feeling oddly content. "I love you, Bucky Barnes." She whispered.

A loud shot rang out and Bucky dropped Annie, collapsing on top of her. Pain seared through his back between his shoulder blades and he suddenly found it hard to breathe.

He rolled onto his side, searching for the source. Agent Kee walked up to him, gun aimed, and kicked him onto his back. She pressed the heel of her boot against his throat, compressing his airway.

She glanced at Annie and made a clicking noise with her tongue. "Looks like your little girlfriend didn't make it. We had high hopes for her." She looked down at Bucky. "We'll just have to make do with you."

Bucky looked to his right where Annie lay, unmoving. Her eyes were closed and blood trickled from her mouth.

"The lesson to take away from here is HYDRA always gets what they want. Now get up." Kee commanded, removing her boot from his neck.

Bucky pushed himself up to his knees and slowly placed his hands behind his head.

"What are you doing? I said get up!" She snapped.

Bucky gave her a tight lipped smile. "You'll have to kill me. I'm not going back."

Those words echoed through Annie, bringing her back from the depths of wherever she was sinking to. She could see a hand gun tucked into the back of Bucky's pants.

"That's not your decision to make. You will return to HYDRA. You will live and breathe HYDRA. You will do what we say when we say. And then you will be put back on ice, stored away until we have use for you again."

He could see the picture she painted perfectly as if her were living it again. He wouldn't go back. And there was nothing left for him without Annie.

Quickly, he reached for the gun tucked in the back of his pants when another shot caused him to flinch, anticipating pain. He watched agent Kee get thrown back by an unseen force.

Bucky looked over his shoulder and could have wept tears of joy. Annie stood holding his gun, chest heaving with strained breaths. He watched her eyes shift from blank to fear as she was seeing the gun for the first time.

"You were going to let her shoot you!" She accused, collapsing next to him.

Bucky grabbed the gun from her. "Annie!" He grabbed her face. "Look at me baby! You're in shock. I need you to breathe in through your mouth and out through your nose. Focus on me." He took in a few deep breaths and she began to do the same.

"I shot her..." She said quietly, staring at agent Kee's body.

Bucky pulled her to his chest and chuckled. "Yeah you did..."

The ground beneath them began to tremble and there was such a loud explosion they felt it in their chests. Together, they watched as the building that had been their prison burned to the ground, relishing in the warmth of the blaze.

After a moment, he turned to her, watching as she became transfixed on the inferno. Slowly she looked up at him with the slightest hint of a smile. And in that moment he loved more than ever. She was resilient.

Using the explosion as a distraction, agent Kee mustered up what strength she had to push herself up to her knees. Despite the blood pouring from the wound in the center of her abdomen and with her quickly fading breath she said one word, just loud enough. "Sputnik."

OoOoOo

Consciousness brought with it a piercing ringing in his ears. He took a moment to assess his surroundings. The sky was black. It was night. All stars, no moon. He pushed himself into a sitting position, squeezing his eyes shut until the dizziness subsided.

He didn't know where he was or how he got there. A few hundred yards away burned a large factory of some sort. Ashes floated to the ground like snow.

He stood slowly, wincing when he felt a sharp pain at his left side. When he pressed his metal hand to it, it came back slightly damp. He'd been wounded.

Looking around he saw two bodies lying several feet from one another. The one closest to him was a woman with her head shaved. Her skin was pale and the ground around her was stained with what he could only hires was blood, no doubt as a result of the wound in her abdomen. She appeared dead.

The other woman had long black hair. She was well dressed in a black and red pant suit. Also shot, also likely dead.

He looked down at the wound in his side. Had he killed those two women? Had they attacked him? He couldn't place the one with the black hair, but the other woman struck him as familiar.

He walked over to where she lay. The ground was black with blood around her, causing her pale complexion to stand out even more. Bruises patterned her exposed flesh. But despite her corpse-like appearance, there was something about her that intrigued him.

The longer he tried to remember what happened, the louder the ringing in his ears became, only this time it was accompanied with a shooting pain in his head that nearly brought him back to his knees.

Then, quicker than a bolt of lightning, he saw it. A vision. No, a memory. He and the woman staring at one another as the building burned. The smile that ghosted her lips.

He knelt next to her, preparing to lift her body when he heard the unmistakable sound of a plane in the distance.

Without a second thought, he hurried into the wooded area, disappeaing into the cold night.
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First, I am so incredibly sorry for the delay in updating. Sometimes life (Or death) just gets in the way. As always, I own nothing except the OC. Please drop me a comment as it motivates me to work harder! The lyrics are from Breaking Benjamin's Dance With the Devil.