Remorseless

Bucky looked over at Steve and Zara as he slipped his mind-shield on. Tony had designed them in a hurry, they weren't anything flash to look at, but they'd do the job with a bit of luck. They sat much the same way a comms device or a set of headphones would, although much more streamline. All three shields were activated and ready to go.
"Is it just us four?" Bucky asked, raising a brow quizzically as he looked at both Steve and Tony.
"That's right, Buckaroo. Why, you scared?" Tony stirred, earning an annoyed look in return. Bucky let out an exasperated sigh, wasting no time in pulling his favorite handgun from its holster and aggressively slamming a fresh magazine into it, maintaining eye contact.

Gunfire interrupted their little exchange, Bucky pulling Zara hard against him as he wheeled around and fired shots at their assailants, all three men dropping to the ground. Zara let out a breath of relief, flicking the safety off her gun and stepping out of his grip.
"Thanks, babe" she said only loud enough for him to hear as she pulled back the bolt on her gun, readying it. He gave her a nod in response, now in 'serious soldier-Bucky mode'.
"Let's do this" he said, the others springing into action and running ahead of them. He reached out to grab Zara around the bicep before she took off after them. "Stay safe, okay?"
"Got it"
"I mean it, we do the job and get out. No heroics." He said, his expression soft but a warning tone to his voice. Zara nodded, grabbing him by the back of the neck and pulling him in for a kiss, which was rougher and more desperate than she'd meant it to be. He gave her a grin which she returned before they both took off towards the warehouse door.

They were surrounded by gunfire and soldiers, apparently they weren't the only ones who'd called for re-enforcement's. The four of them split up, each taking a corner of the warehouse. Zara kept shooting until she was out of ammo, pulling her second gun from her holster without missing a beat. In the minute or two since they'd arrived, the numbers had thinned out considerably which was already a huge relief. She ducked down behind a set of scaffolding to survey the area, making a decision of where to head next. She pulled a stick of gum from her pack by her teeth as she reloaded her guns, eyes still scanning as she chewed.

She was interrupted by a noise behind her, apparently someone thought they could sneak up on Zara Jones... They were about to find out how wrong they were. She grinned as she turned to face him, taking a swipe at his face with the butt of her pistol. He caught her around the wrist, stopping her, Zara grabbing him by his vest and pulling herself into him, and drawing her knee up. Hard. His eyes widened, and before he could react, Zara flipped him onto his back at lightning speed and delivered a shot with the gun in her opposite hand.
"Suck on that..."

She made a mental note to be a little more careful, running towards the new group of soldiers that were coming through the door at the opposite side of the room. The side where she'd seen Ward less than 15 minutes earlier. She held her guns up, shooting them at the same time, flipping through the air as she ran to avoid bullets coming her way. She shoved her guns in their holsters as she ran, taking a flying leap up the next set of scaffolding, grabbing the bar above her head and flipping herself up to the next level, drawing her guns again as she landed. She ducked behind a pile of junk as she surveyed the room from the height she was at, trying her best to ignore the 'I'm not a huge fan of being up here' gurgling her stomach was making.

Bucky was his usual, ruthless self, taking them out as quick as they came, working as a perfect tag team with Steve.

Note to self: don't ever play Frisbee with these two...

Tony was back outside again, explosions lighting up the night sky which could now be seen through a huge hole in the roof. Zara took a moment to breathe, only just realizing she was puffing.
"How you traveling, Zee?" Came Bucky's voice through her earpiece.
"There are more coming, I have a pretty good view from up here. I'm going to see if I can get to the sub level on the north side. I can take 'em out from above that way." She said as she looked around for a way to get there from where she was. "Keep the heat off me, I'm jumping for it"

Before Bucky could tell her not to, she ran as hard as she could, stepping up onto the railing and taking a flying leap towards the metal railing on the catwalk opposite her. It was one of those moments that went in slow motion, her fingers desperately stretched out as she flew, something below her exploding, but her ears were ringing too much to make out exactly what was going on.
As her hands made contact with the railing she felt her fingers slip, only a mixture of sheer desperation and pure dumb luck helping her as she lost grip of the top railing and managed to somehow catch herself on the bottom one.
Zara pulled herself up without wasting time, her stomach feeling nauseous at the thought of almost plunging to the ground. She shook it off, running across the mesh catwalk above the roller door, looking down.

"Jesus Christ..." She breathed out loud as her eyes locked onto someone she was hoping not to see again, "Fire in the hole!" She called as she pulled the pin from her only grenade and tossed it through the roller door as she took off running again. She looked up to make eye contact with Tony, in time for him to swoop down and pick her up as the explosion shook the warehouse. He dropped her down beside the super soldiers, landing beside them.
"We're outnumbered" Steve said, worry in his face. Bucky and Zara nodded, Tony the only one not agreeing.
"More are on their way. They're like, two minutes away." Tony said.
"Better hope it's a quick 2 minutes then..." Bucky sneered as he reloaded his gun, Zara raising hers to take another few soldiers out.
"Let's keep moving" She said, the others nodding.

This time Bucky and Zara moved off together, working effortlessly as a team to take down as many soldiers as they could as they made their way over to the designated 'safe zone' behind the scaffolding.
"They just keep coming..." Zara puffed as they crouched together, Bucky glancing at his watch. "It's like a fucking war zone" She added, taking a much needed breath.
"If this team doesn't arrive, I'm getting you out of here." He said, turning to her with that worried look on his face that she didn't like.
"I'm fine, Buck" She smiled, taking his hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I was born to-"
"I'm not asking." He snapped, in his no-nonsense voice. Zara nodded, swallowing her pride. After all, he'd seen enough war and death to know when it was time to fall back, and she, in essence, was still technically pretty new to all this.

Zara put her hand out, gentle pressing at Bucky's chest, giving him the cue to step back as more soldiers filled the room. They exchanged a glance as Tony bore through the crowd in his suit, knocking soldiers flying like bowling pins. Steve's shield flew through the air, taking many of them out, before landing back in his hand and being flung again.
"Stay here, I'm going in" Bucky said, tilting her chin to plant a quick kiss on her lips as he ran into the battle-zone again. Zara nodded, knowing this one was above her limits, instead radioing Shield to find out where their backup was.

Zara barely had time to gasp with fright as the scaffolding she was crouched behind was smashed into violently. She leaped up from her spot and ran like hell as the whole thing came crashing down, Bucky running towards her at super soldier speed. He scooped her up and kept running, the huge lengths of metal piping landing with an almighty crash, just missing them. He skidded to a stop somewhere in the middle of the room beside Steve and set her down.
"Gotcha" He said, giving her a wink that made her cheeks dust pink.

Bucky wheeled around, glancing at the pile of rubble as he picked up where he left off, fighting soldiers off, Zara joining in not far behind him.
"Where the hell is Stark!?" He called out from somewhere in the middle of the pack, him and Zara thinning it right out between the two of them. "STEVE!? WHERE IS STARK!?"

Their backup finally arrived just in time, Banner already 'suited up' as it were, a grin on his big green face as he proceeded to rip the place apart. Tony was still nowhere to be seen, it becoming evident that he was the one who'd crashed through the scaffolding.

Tony doesn't just crash... Oh my god, what the HELL!?

"BUCKY LOOK OUT!" Zara screamed out. Bucky turned in time to catch Steve's shield in his metal hand in the split second before it hit him in the head, the look on Steve's face making him feel utterly sick.
"Zara, RUN!" He called back, turning to face her, fear in his eyes. She stood, heart racing, shell-shocked and mouth open for a moment, not quite sure whether to do as she was told or help him. She knew damn well she couldn't take down a super soldier.
"NOW!!" He roared at her, snapping her back into action as the two went head to head, Bucky trying to take him down. Zara ran over to try and find Tony, her eyes locking onto Larson as she ran.

The fucking mind shields don't work... Holy shit...

She pulled some of the piping away, the whole structure groaning and threatening to fall, gunfire coming at her which she returned. She spotted Tony trapped under the pile of debris, sparks coming from his suit as it malfunctioned.
"Tony don't move, I'm gonna get you outta here..." She said, trying to comfort him. He gave a nod as she looked around frantically for someone who could help her.
"Bruce!" She called out, despite her better judgement and own self preservation. Hopefully he was in control of himself... She swallowed hard when he stopped in front of her, her breathing quickening as a bead of sweat running from her forehead.
"Tony's trapped. I can't get him out..." She said, her voice shaky as he looked down, towering over her. He turned his head, giving a grunt and started picking up the beams, throwing them away as he did. She let out of breath of relief, Tony was going to be fine.

Zara turned, pulling assault rifle from the strap on her back, pumped it once and ran back into the thick of the fight. Steve and Bucky were going at it still, the sheer speed they could move both impressing the hell out of her, and making her feel completely intimidated at the same time.
She did all she could think to do, and fired shots up at Larson, annoyed when she realized there was some kind of an invisible shield protecting him. This put the heat back on her, Ward appearing next to Larson behind the shield. Zara fought relentlessly, Ward keeping eye contact with her as he whispered something to the exhausted-looking man beside him.

There was a ground-shaking roar as Banner bounded over, picking Steve up and slamming him back down, and knocking him out. Zara winced, she knew it was for the best, but he was definitely gonna feel THAT in the morning. Zara shot Ward another look, a sick smile spreading over his face as a trail of blood ran from Larson's nose. Ward was pushing him too far, what the hell was he doing!?
Banner clutched his head, letting out a roar as he jammed his eyes shut...

Oh my god...

"NOOO!" She barely had time to scream out when Bruce straightened up and sent an unavoidable backhand in Bucky's direction, sending him flying. His heavy body flew straight into Zara with a sicking 'whack', the air leaving her lungs in an instant as if she'd been hit by a bus.

Her eyes fluttered open after what she could only assume had been a second or two. Bucky was unconscious, still on top of her. She pushed as hard as she could as she struggled to breathe under his weight, panic setting in when she realized she was most definitely pinned. He was a hell of a lot heavier than she would have ever guessed, her tiny body feeling like it was being crushed under him.
"Bucky! Bucky, wake up!" She pleaded, his face lifeless and peaceful except for a smudge of blood from a big graze on his cheek.

She looked over to where Bruce had been, seeing him on his knees in his human form, clutching his head and moaning in agony. Larson looked like he'd fainted and been picked up again, and Steve and Tony were nowhere to be seen. Ward's face was actually worried now for some reason, Zara thought that if anything he should be rubbing his hands together after taking out two super soldiers, a Hulk and of course Tony Stark.

Bucky groaned as his eyes fluttered open, Zara's eyes darting to his face. He immediately took his weight off her, Zara gasping in a much needed breath. A mob of Shield soldiers, complete with their loyal inhumans ran past them into the 'battle zone', Zara finally getting a sense of safety as she sat up, ears still ringing.
Ward and Larson were gone from sight, obviously knowing they were about to be epically overpowered. She caught sight of Tony and Steve, both looking very beaten up. They were saying something and pointing to the door, she could only guess it was something along the lines of get the hell outta here' which she was all too happy to oblige them if that was the case.

Bucky yanked her to her feet, a smile crossing Steve's lips as him and Stark turned away, glad that her and Bucky were up and safe. Her head spun, everything blurring as the ringing in her ears got louder. She shook it off, realizing that they were now outside, Bucky practically dragging her by her upper arm.
"Hey... I'm right behind you" She said softly, wincing a little with every step they took. The thing about having a super soldier boyfriend was that they occasionally didn't know their own strength, and right now, she felt like he was going to rip her arm off. Obviously in a hurry to get them both out of there. She tried in vain to pull away, only for his grip to tighten.
"Buck, you're hurting me..." She said in such a tone to try not to make him feel bad. He ignored her, pressing on until they reached the car.

Suck it up, you're safe with him and he's in 'knight in shining armor' mode... Or maybe he's angry... He DID tell me to get run and I kinda didn't... He sure looks angry... Argh crap...

Zara swallowed hard, worried about the conversation that was bound to ensue when they got in the car. Her heart rate picked up again when they stopped at the car door, watching him fish around his pockets. He frowned angrily as he raised his am, about to send a metal fist through the glass when Zara stopped him.
"Bucky! Fucking hell, I have your keys!" She said, frustrated now with his moodiness. He put his hand out, looking into her eyes with his intense 'don't mess with me scowl'. She yanked her arm from his grip, fishing them from her back pocket and handed them to him, rubbing her arm.
"What's gotten into you!?" She demanded as he unlocked the door, reaching out to grab her again. She pulled her arm away, dodging his advance when she suddenly felt her stomach drop. Even in one of his frequent moods, he'd never once laid a hand on her, never grabbed her, shoved her or manhandled her in any way.

This wasn't Bucky.

"Oh no..."

He screwed his face up in anger again, lunging at her. Zara knew right then and there that Larson must have gotten into his head, and even worse, nobody knew that she was in danger or that Bucky was being controlled. She also knew that there was no way she could fight him off, or outrun him. She considered putting a shotgun shell into his thigh to disable him long enough for her to call out for help, but if she was honest with herself he'd probably still do whatever it was that he was being ordered to do anyway.
The other half of her brain was thinking that if for some reason he fled, it was likely they'd never track him down, so maybe she should stick with him? See where this was going, see where he was taking her? She was wearing a tracker, so at least Shield would be able to find her, all she'd have to do is hit the panic button and they'd know she was in trouble. If they were going to a secret hideout, Coulson would know where to send a team, Bucky would lead them straight to ward, and they'd be ready this time.

Bucky obviously didn't want to kill her, one thing she understood about him is that if he wanted someone dead, they'd be dead. It only took her half a second to make her mind up to surrender to him. Yes, it was a dangerous move, but not nearly as dangerous as trying to fight him. She was doing this for her own good, and his. Her only chance of saving him was sticking by him, and now she had a plan.

She raised her hands in surrender to him as he strode over to her in an intimidating death-strut. Her heart started racing again, fear gripping her as her stomach turned over and her breath hitched. He reached out, grabbing her around the throat with his flesh hand, hard. Zara gasped, real panic setting in despite her decision to willingly let him take her. She struggled against him as he effortlessly lifted her off the ground with one arm. She kicked out as she desperately pulled against his hand, her nails digging into this skin.

He turned, stepping towards the car, opening the door and dropping the front seat down. Zara kept fighting against his grip, kicking like crazy for all she was worth as she tried to scream out for help. Bucky's eyes were completely deadpan, no remorse or any emotion whatsoever. He was obviously growing tired of her struggle, taking a second to glance over his shoulder, and then back at her, annoyance now in his expression as he moved away from the door, slamming her into the side of the car head-first.

Like something out of a dream or a movie she felt her body slump. Her ears rang, and all the other sounds muffled. She could see what was going on but couldn't feel a whole lot, and for that she was grateful. Part of her wished she wasn't aware, part of her wished that she could just go to sleep and wake up safe back at Shield.
He shoved her feet-first onto the back seat of his car, putting the front seat back up and slamming the door. A single tear ran from her eye as she watched his driver's side door open, wet warmth now spreading over the spot where her head had hit the side of the car. He sat down heavily in his seat, slamming the door and starting the car. He turned briefly, looking over his shoulder to check on her. She wasn't in any shape to try any funny business, he'd made sure of that.

She closed her eyes as the car sped off, sucking her into the seat. Zara closed her eyes, time would tell if she'd live to regret her decision...