Eyes of Winter

"Where are we going, Brock?" Annie asked.

Rollins sat beside her starting straight ahead. Brock sat in the front passenger seat.

He turned to look at her. "We've got some business to take care of. Don't worry."

"It's like old times." Jack said.

She pressed herself close to the door, putting as much distance between her and Jack as she could. "I want to talk to my father."

Brock looked out the window as they pulled into a tunnel. "I'm sure you do." The SUV came to a stop. "Sit tight sweetheart. This'll only take a minute."

She watched as he and Jack exited the vehicle in the direction of the armored truck carrying Steve.

"Three holes. Start digging." Brock said, pulling out his handgun.

Annie twisted in her seat, watching with fear as they closed in on the truck. Realizing she was alone, she pulled the handle on the door. When it opened, she took a steadying breath. With a final glance behind her, she kicked the door open and hit the ground running.

The location was an abandoned construction site. She took off running towards the tallest building. Just before she could reach the doorway, she was tackled from behind. She landed full force on her wounded arm and screamed as the pain reverberated through her body.

"Woah now little lady! Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Jack wrapped his arms tightly around her, pinning her arms to her side.

"Let me go!" She cried, struggling against him.

"Why would I do that?" He asked, turning her around. "Pierce paid us well to bring you in. And if I remember correctly, you still owe me an apology." He leaned in towards her ear. "I'm going to make you-"

Annie bit the side of his jaw until she tasted blood. He pulled back and she waa able to scramble away.

"Fucking bitch!" He grabbed her by her throat before she could scream and together they fell onto the dirt covered ground. Rollins had her pinned beneath him, squeezing her throat until her face turned bright red.

She clawed at his neck, legs kicking beneath him. She tried to scream, but all sound was cut off. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as darkness crept in.

"Hey! Rollins what are you doing?!" Brock ran, slamming his shoulder into Rollins' side, knocking him over. "Get off her!"

Annie took in a giant gasp of air, rolling onto her side.

She was vaguely aware of the two trading a punch or two before Brock lifted her into his arms and carried her back to the SUV. She blacked out after that.

OoOoOo

"What happened to her?" Pierce asked as Brock carried her in.

Brock glanced at Rollins. "She ran out into the middle of the combat zone." He laid her down on a small exam table.

"There shouldn't have been a combat zone!" Pierce said angrily. He pushed back his jacket and placed his hands on his hips. "What the hell happened out there?"

"He hesitated." Rollins replied.

"Who did?" Pierce asked, spinning around angrily.

"The Asset." Brock replied. "Cap knew him."

Pierce sighed and turned to one of the scientists standing nearby. "Bring him in. I want to know what the hell happened out there." The scientist nodded. "And bring in some smelling salts!"

OoOoOo

He was going to kill her, that much she was sure of. Rollins eyes were full of hatred as he attempted to choke the life out of her. And the only thing running through her mind was confusion. Pure, raw confusion.

Annie's brow furrowed as a strong odor burned her nose, causing her to cough and her eyes to water. She took in a deep breath and coughed, jerking away from the smell.

She looked around. "Dad?"

Pierce stood, leaning against the wall next to a large window. Brock stood next to the door, arms crossed over his chest.

She pushed herself up quickly. "Dad what is going on?"

"Annie, I'm sorry that you've gotten mixed up in this. But I am confident that you will see reason." Pierce said.

"See reason? Dad, what are you talking about? Do you even know what's going on?!"

A man she could only assume was a medical professional was examining her arm. She jerked as he gave her an injection.
"What did you just give me?!" She asked.

"Just something for the pain. You've dislocated your arm. I'm going to reset it. You're going to feel a little discomfort."

She groaned as he popped her arm back into place, suddenly feeling nauseous. "Dad...What is going on?" She asked again.

Pierce sighed, placing his hands in his pockets. "This has been going on since before you were born. Hell, before I was born. The idea is absolute and once enacted, will in time create the perfect world."

Annie listened in horror as he explained in detail, his plans for the new world order, her eyes occasionally shifting to Brock.
"Dad, are you listening to yourself? This is insane! You are insane!" She cried.

Pierce pulled the blinds up, looking into the next room. Annie gasped and sat up straight. The Russian sat in some sort of metal chair, surrounded by men in white coats. One of them was repairing his metal arm.

Annie stood and walked to the window. "Who is he?"

"The fist of Hydra." Pierce replied, staring at him. "A valuable, skilled asset."

"But what is his name?"

"He doesn't need a name because he isn't a person, he is a weapon. A tool to help us achieve total world domination." He placed his hands in his pockets, slowly pacing in front of her. "I really need your support in this, Annie."

Annie's mouth dropped open as his words hit her. "How can you put that on me? I could never be alright with what you're doing because it isn't right!"

There was a loud crash on the other side of the window. The Asset had knocked two of the white coats across the room. Instantly, the soldiers aimed their rifles at him.

Brock and Pierce shared a look before Brock slipped out of the door, leaving them alone.

She watched as her rescuer was wrestled back into the chair. "He said that you tried to have me killed." She looked up at him. "Is that true?"

Pierce raised his eyebrows, chewing the tip of his eyeglasses.

"Is it true?!" Annie cried, lowering herself onto her cot.

He spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully. "I admit I tried to take the easy way out-"

Annie felt bile rising in the back of her throat and leaned over the edge of her cot as she vomited onto the floor.

Brock stuck his face in the room. "Sir, he's not talking."

Pierce sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't need this right now." He grumbled. He straightened his jacket. "Alright. Let's go."

"What about her?" Brock asked.

"There are guards at every door, she can't get away." Pierce said. The two men disappeared from the room.

Annie listened to her father with growing disbelief. She was completely at a loss of what to think. How could this be the same man she called 'father'? The medicine was starting to take effect, everything was beginning to get fuzzy.

She looked around, knowing that he was right about the guards. She watched as her father entered the room on the other side of the window, Brock following closely behind.

With a wave of his hands, the soldiers lowered their weapons and he removed his glasses. Annie quickly hit the intercom speaker.

"Mission report." Pierce said.

The soldier stared past him blankly, hunched forward and unmoving.

"Mission report, now." Pierce commanded.

When the soldier still did not respond, Pierce backhanded him across the face. Annie covered her mouth with a cry of shock.
But then, he spoke. Softly, barely audible.

"That man on the bridge. Who was he?"

"You met him earlier this week on another assignment." Pierce lied.

The Russian blinked, looking confused. He looked at Pierce. "I knew him."

Pierce licked his lips, clearly frustrated, and pulled up a stool to sit on. "Your work has been a gift to mankind. You shaped the century, and I need you to do it one more time."

The Russian glared at him, but said nothing.

"Society is at a tipping point between order and chaos. Tomorrow morning we're going to give it a push. But, if you don't do your part, I can't do mine. And HYDRA can't give the world the freedom it deserves."

The soldier's eyes went blank again for a moment and then he locked eyes with Pierce, his expression sad. "But I knew him."

Pierce exhaled through his nose and stood. "Prep him."

The scientist cleared his throat. "He's been out of cryo freeze to long-"

"Then wipe him and start over." Pierce snapped.

Annie watched as the soldier's face dropped with dread at the orders given. He glared at Pierce.

Two men shoved him back into his seat. He opened his mouth as one of the scientists offered a bite guard, never taking his eyes off Pierce. He jerked as two metal cuffs clasped around his biceps, restraining him.

Annie watched in horror as a metal halo lowered over him, discharging electrical charges into his head. The moment he screamed, she bolted out of the room, tearing down the barred corridors, following the screams until she reached the vault-like room.

"STOP IT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HIM?!" She screamed as two guards grabbed her by her waist, preventing her from getting any closer.

"YOU'RE KILLING HIM!!" She cried. His screams echoed off the walls, reverberating through her.

"Let her pass." Pierce ordered, his annoyance evident.

The guards released her and she ran into the room, stopping as Jack stepped in her way, blocking her.

She watched as he screamed, the veins in his neck bulging with the pain. "Dad please! This isn't right and you know it!"

When he didn't answer, she pushed past Jack with a shoulder to the stomach. She ran to the machine and tried pulling the cuffs from his arms, but they wouldn't budge. She reached for the halo, trying to pull it away, receiving a terrible jolt from the electricity. The shock and combination of the pain injection caused her to collapse, unconscious.

The asset opened his eyes, starting at her lying on the floor. His cried became like that of an animal.

"What is going on?" Pierce asked the scientist.

He loosened his tie and looked nervously at Pierce. "It appears his mind is resisting the treatment."

"What do you mean?" Pierce asked.

"His mind is fighting the wipe. He doesn't want it."

Pierce rolled his eyes. "That's ridiculous. He doesn't know what he wants!"

For the briefest of moments the soldier cracked his eyes open and glared at Pierce. They held each other's gaze until he finally lost consciousness.

"Take her to a cell." He nodded to Brock, who lifted her into his arms.

Two other guards lifted the halo and removed the restraints from the Russian's arms. They lifted him out of the chair and began dragging him down a nearby hallway.

OoOoOo

Annie opened her eyes and groaned. Her entire body felt like it had been twisted into a knot. She pushed herself up and looked around.

The room was no more than the size of a prison cell, with three hyper white walls, the fourth was made of thick glass. A single, twin sized bed was against the wall opposite the glass one with a nearly flat pillow and a rough, scratchy blue blanket.

Unsure of how long she'd been asleep, she began to panic, afraid that whatever plan her father had was already being carried out.

"Let me out of here!" She screamed, pounding on the metal door.

She searched for something to pry the door open with, but a quick look revealed nothing.

"Let me out!" She cried. She could feel the the room getting smaller and her breathing becoming more erratic. She pounded on the door until her hands were raw and bruised.

She slid down the door, placing her head between her knees. After taking a few deep breaths to try to calm herself, she moved over to the bed and sat down.

There were some muffled voices from the opposite wall and a grunt. Then the lights in the opposite room clicked on.

She found herself staring at her Russian soldier. He sat on the edge of his bed, tiny in comparison to his size, arms resting on his knees, staring blankly ahead.

It wasn't until she jumped to her feet and walked towards the glass wall that his eyes flickered to her.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

He said nothing, only stared at her.

She felt relieved that he was conscious, but could tell in his eyes that something was different.

She placed her palms against the window. "What did they do to you?"

His brow furrowed, but said nothing.

"I don't think...I don't know if you can even hear me..." She sighed. "I can't remember if I thanked you."

His eyes flickered to hers.

"For saving me...after the car...and I'm sorry for yelling at you back at the motel..." her eyes filled with tears. "I'm just so confused. And scared. I don't know what the hell is going on."

She wiped her eyes and laughed bitterly. "Seems pretty stupid considering everything else. At any rate, thank you for saving me and I'm sorry for whatever just happened out there." She returned to her bed and sunk down, laying her head on the less than soft pillow.

The silence was a lullaby and she soon felt herself succumbing to exhaustion.

"I knew him..."

She opened her eyes. The words were spoken so softly, she would have thought she'd imagined it. She pushed herself up. "Who?"

"The man on the bridge...with the shield. I've seen him somewhere before." He said.

It took her a moment for realize who he was talking about. "Steve?"

He looked at her. "Yea. I don't know how, but I know him. He called me Bucky..."

"Bucky? Is that your name?" She asked, pushing herself into a sitting position.

He shrugged. "I don't know."

She crossed her legs and leaned against the wall. "Well, he must think he knows you. His name is Steve Rogers. People call him Captain America. He's a good man."

His eyes took on a distant gaze. "That doesn't matter."

"What do you mean?"

"He's my next mission." He replied.

She shook her head. "I don't understand."

"This is what I do." He looked down at his hands, opening and closing them slowly. "I'm given a target, and I neutralize it."

Her mouth dropped open. "Neutralize? You don't mean kill him?"

He looked up at her and his lip twitched into a faint smirk. "You got it princess."

She hurried to the window. "You can't! He's a good man who has helped a lot of people! Who wants him dead?"

"Hydra."

"Why?!"

He shrugged. "Why did they want you dead?"

She froze at the remark. "I thought you said that my father did that."

"One in the same." He replied.

She pushed the thought out of her mind. "Bucky, please."

He leaned back against the wall, holding her gaze. He shook his head slightly. "This is what I do."

OoOoOo

She woke some hours later to voices in the other room. She pushed herself up.

Brock stood talking with Bucky as he fastened his vest, securing a pistol to his hip.

"You understand your mission?" Brock asked.

Annie walked to the window. The Russian met her gaze, ignoring Brock. He moved to the window where she stood with her hand resting against the glass.

"Please don't do this, Bucky..." She pleaded quietly.

His left hand twitched and he brought it up to meet hers briefly. Then he reached over and hit the control for the blinds.

She watched through the descending blinds as he turned and exited the cell without looking back.

OoOoOo

There was a knock on her door not too long after Bucky had left. She ran to it and opened the small viewing window.

"Bucky?" She stepped on her tip toes and peered out.

"Not quite." Brock replied.

She gave a visible start. "Brock..."

"Hiya Annie."

"Brock...get me out of here. Please. None of this is right and you know it."

"I know. Trust me, you're safer in here anyways." He said.

"Brock please! I know this isn't really you."

He gave her a slight smile that sent her back to when they'd first met. "See that's where you're wrong. This is exactly who I am. I want to make the world a better place."

Annie's eyes filled with tears. "What happened to you?"

He scratched the back of his head. "I did want to apologize for that night...sincerely apologize. We were drunk. That's no excuse, I know. But I wanted to tell you I was sorry. You're a good girl, Annie. And you didn't deserve that and...I'm sorry. I don't expect your forgiveness, but I wanted to get that off my chest in case."

His words sent a tremor through her, striking a chord deep in her chest. For the moment, he sounded like the old Brock that she'd loved.

She swallowed past the lump in her throat. "I forgive you, Brock. You know that. Open the door and we can leave. Together."

He looked down and shook his head before meeting her gaze again. "I'm sorry. I can't."

"What? Of course you can Brock!" She cried.

He began to back away from her cell door. "I'll find you when this is over."

"BROCK! NO! LET ME OUT OF HERE!" She screamed, banging her hands on the door.

OoOoOo

He took care as he made his way through the lower levels of the Triskelion, alert to every sound.

Something was off. Way off. There was a nagging pain deep in the pit of his mind. Unwelcome memories flashed through his brain like a t.v. channel with bad reception.

Every now and then, the picture would come in clear, but went away before he could tune into it.

It had been consistent since the fight on the bridge with...She had called him Steve.

There was a sudden, sharp pain behind his eye and he stopped to press the heel of his palm to it. 'Don't do anything stupid till I get back...'

He grimaced as the face of the girl from the cell appeared. 'Please don't do this Bucky...'.

In all of the uncertainty he'd faced in recent days, she was the one constant that kept him grounded. If he were a weaker man, he'd have given up his gun the moment he first saw her.

He kicked open the metal door leading out to the tarmac and commenced to disarming S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and pilots by any means necessary.

OoOoOo

Once he'd left, Annie curled back up on her bed feeling a sense of dread. She'd only met Steve a handful of times, but each time he'd been pleasant. And beautiful. And he looked at her like she was the only person in the room when he spoke to her. And now he was going to be killed. By her father's order.

The thought had her stomach in knots. She didn't even know the man she called father. She clenched the blankets in her fists and began to cry.

A loud crash outside the door caused her to jump up. She pressed herself against the wall furthest from the door.

Something hit the door, causing it to dent before it was peeled away from the frame. A metal hand clamped the door frame, followed by a pair of cool blue eyes.

"Annie!"

"Bucky!" She ran to the door.

"I need to get you somewhere safe. Are you alright?"

She grabbed her bag and nodded. "Are you?" She asked, noting a few scrapes and bruises.

"Don't worry about me. Let's go." He held out his hand and she took it without question.

She squeezed herself through the tight opening, wincing as her leg was cut by a jagged piece of metal. "Where are we going?"

He led her to a back hallway and down a flight of stairs. They came to a large room with a glass wall, for observation.

"You need to get out of here. And then you need to run."

He kicked open a locked door and reached down, yanking up a metal grate like it was a twig. She looked down into a narrow underground corridor and then back up to him.

"What about you?" She asked.

He shook his head and helped her down through the opening. She landed up to her waist in what she could only pray was water, holding her bag above her head. She looked up at him as he began to replace the grate.

"What about you?!" She cried.

He looked down at her, his eyes softening slightly. "I told you, don't worry about me."

There was an explosion somewhere in the building and the lights went out. The emergency lights switched on, showering everything in flashing red light.

"You need to get out of here, Annie."

"Bucky! You don't have to do this! Come with me!" She reached up and grabbed his metal hand.

For half a second, he truly considered it. But he knew he couldn't. He pried her hand from his and lowered the grate. He heard voices nearby and looked down at her.

"Bucky-"

"Annie go! Get out while you can." He said, standing up.

"Alright! I'm going! But you'd better find me when this is over."

He exhaled through his nose. "I will." He turned, heading for the hall. Without another word, he gave her a nod and then disappeared.

OoOoOo

Annie came to an intersection of sorts. She couldn't hear anything but the sound of rushing water and gunfire. So instinctively, she turned right, hoping that it would take her away from the melee. She waded through the water until she finally came to a giant round gate. It had four large bolts securing it to the wall and a padlock that prevented it from opening.

"Dammit..." She groaned.

She looked around until she found a fire extinguisher and hung her bag on one of the metal pipes above her. Lifting the extinguisher, she brought it down on the lock, but only managed to dent the canister.

With a grunt, she raised it again, bringing it down with more force. The canister exploded on impact, showering her with white powder. She wiped her face as best as she could and gave a cry of success when she realized the lock had broken.

She pushed the grate open and peered out cautiously. The sounds of fighting were all around her, but not directly in front. Bits of debris were falling from the war being waged in the sky.

Stepping through the grate, she was surrounded by the Potomac, and judging by her surroundings, she was on the east side of the island. She dove into the water and swam as fast as she could until she finally reached the river bank.

She'd barely pulled herself up on shore when the hellicarriers began firing their cannons. She rolled over onto her back, trying to catch her breath.

"Oh my God..." She said.

With explosions that she could feel in her chest, the ship's had turned on each other. She pushed herself up quickly, becoming mesmerized by the battle.

There was another series of explosions that caused her to scurry further into the brush. After watching for what seemed like hours, she watched a body plunge into the river. She looked up, shielding her eyes from the sunlight and gasped.

Bucky dangled from the edge of a broken deck. "Bucky!!" She screamed as he let go, watching in horror as he plunged at least 200 ft into the water below.

"Bucky!!" She stumbled towards the water. "Bucky!" She shrieked.

Just as she was about to dive into the water, Bucky broke through the surface with a gasp, dragging an unconscious Steve behind him.

"Would you shut up before you draw attention to us?" He snapped.

"Oh my God!! Are you ok?! Is Steve dead??" She cried. "What happened to your arm?" She asked, noting how he favored his right arm.

"Your friend broke it in an attempt to subdue me." He replied.

He drug Steve out of the water, letting him fall back onto the shore.

Annie twisted her shirt in her hands nervously. "Is he breathing?"

Bucky said nothing. He simply stared down at the battered soldier until water trickled from his mouth and his chest began to rise with his breathing.

"Oh thank God...Steve-" she turned suddenly as Bucky dove headfirst into the water. "Where are you going?!"

"I'll be back! Hide in the storm drain." He ordered.

OoOoOo

Once inside the bowels of the Triskelion, Bucky made his way through the sewer system. He came to an intersection in the sewer and took a right. He moved quietly and quickly towards his target, a locked, iron door. He pounded on the door, uncaring who heard. When no one answered, he gripped the door handle and ripped it from its hinges with ease and entered the room. At first glance, the dark room appeared empty.

"Mission report!" The unmistakable click of a gun.

Bucky slowly turned around, facing two of the scientists who'd been charged with working on him. "The Captain is dead." He said.
A look of relief washed over their faces and the one lowered his weapon.

"So do we move ahead with phase two?" The shorter one asked, peering from behind the taller one.

"Something like that." In a flash, Bucky ripped the pistol from his hand, firing a single shot into each of their heads.

He tucked the gun into his waistband and turned, coming face to face with one of the many machines that contributed to his suffering. He winced as memories of the pain the halo caused burst into his mind like rapid fire.

With an angry growl, he began ripping away the metal. Piece by piece he tore apart, until he came to the halo. He held it in his hands, trembling slightly as he marveled at the unexpected pain it could deliver. He squeezed his hand, watching with slight relief as it was reduced to scrap.

OoOoOo

Annie had, with extreme effort, managed to pull Steve's body into a storm drain nearby.

She looked down at him. He hadn't shown any signs of waking up. His right eye was bloody and swollen shut and a cut just above his lip was bleeding. Seeing him so wounded scared her and her mind raced trying to guess what happened between the two men.

"We need to go." Bucky said, grabbing her by her arm and pulling her out of the storm drain. He was so quick, appearing virtually out of nowhere. She hadn't even had time to scream.

"Steve's been shot!" She cried.

"I know, I'm the one who shot him." He was dragging her away. "We have to go now!" He snapped.

"We can't leave him here!" She dug her heels into the dirt.

"He'll live. He's stubborn like that." The comment made him stop short with familiarity. He shook his head. "This thing isn't over. We aren't safe."

"What are you talking about?!" Annie asked. "Look around you! This place is crawling with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. We won."

"Open your eyes! S.H.I.E.L.D is done. Hydra infiltrated it."

"But-"

He ducked under a tree branch, leading her away from the chaos. "Can you differentiate between Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents?" He asked.

"No but-"

"This thing is just beginning, princess. Both organizations are going to be after me. And because of your ties to Hydra, both are going to be after you."

"Why me?"

"You're the daughter of one of the senior officers of Hydra, who managed to infiltrate one of the supposedly most secure special ops organizations. They're going to have a hell of a lot of questions."

"So I'll tell them the truth. I had nothing to do with my father's actions." She replied.

They ducked into a parking garage near a museum. "I believe you. But they will be harder to convince. And there's no way to guarantee that you won't be talking to Hydra agents."

"What would happen if hydra got me?"

"They'd kill you. But only after they tortured you for information about me."

She swallowed hard. "Where are we going?"

"North. We need to disappear." He led her up to the top of the parking garage. He pulled a pair of binoculars from his vest. She watched him as he scanned the horizon. "But there's something I need to do first."