Chapter 3
"You gonna wake up anytime soon, kid?" The voice was masculine, but not threatening.
Ana's first instinct was to lash out, her training kicking in. She opened her eyes, confused when her hand didn't meet flesh– instead her wrist was caught in an iron grip. She opened her eyes slowly. Sitting next to the bed was Captain America, a touch of amusement softening his serious expression.
"I can do this all day. You gonna hit me again, or do you wanna talk?"
Ana let her arm fall, fingers playing with loose threads on the quilt draped over her. "I don't want to talk," she whispered. “I don't want to fight anymore.”
He tilted his head, eyes moving along her body and back to her face. It wasn’t the desirous looks she sometimes got from low-level agents; it was remote, assessing. It was strange to be on the receiving end of it, for once.His eyes held a hint of something she couldn’t place– pity? Why would he pity me? I embody what he fights against. I'm a monster, a traitor.
"You don't have to fight. No one's asking you to."
"Is he still here? The Asset?" her voice betrayed her, quivering. I wouldn't be alive if he was... But I have to make sure.
“Asset.” It was a statement, not a question, and the softness dropped away like it had never been there. “I think you mean Bucky. Yeah. He’s here.”
Ana moved quickly, trying to put as much distance as possible between her and the door, between her and captivity, between her and death.
"Kid, you need to calm down. No one's gonna hurt you." The man stood up slowly, keeping eye contact with her.
"You don't understand! They must have sent him to return me. If he can't do that, then he'll put me down," she burst out, wetness pricking at her eyes. Not here, don’t cry here.
"Bucky's not gonna take you anywhere. I promise," he soothed, approaching her. “They didn’t send him. He’s with me – with us now.”
Still cringing back terrified, the Captain paused, his head cocking to one side before he asked in a gentle tone “Are you hungry? There’s food in the other room, but the others are in there. I could bring some in here for you, if you wanted.”
She nodded. “In here. Please.” Not that she intended to eat or drink anything. It would be far too easy for them to drug her. But it would get him out of the room for a minute, enable her to start looking for an escape route.
Ana waited until the Captain was a safe distance out of the room before she started to inspect it. There had to be some way to escape. Unfortunately, the only escape route there seemed to be was a rather small window with squeaky rails. Well, she was slim. She edged the window open carefully, cursing under her breath when it jammed. She managed to wiggle part of the way out the window when she got stuck, her torso sticking outside. Normally, she would've worked her way through it, except she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. She sighed, realizing how ridiculous she must look.
This is very unfortunate.
“Need a hand there?” Steve’s amused voice said behind her.
“Please,” she closed her eyes in humiliation.
Powerful hands opened the stuck window easily and helped her back inside. Scarlet-faced, Ana grabbed the mug of tea he offered and took a gulp without even thinking, before freezing with horror, as much at her lack of caution as the action itself.
"There's nothing but tea in it, Ana. Can I call you Ana? Wanda and Pietro tell me that's your name."
Ana scowled. "Only my friends call me Ana," she muttered before she took a wary sip. I shouldn't trust him.
"Okay. Well, I'm Steve. What should I call you?" the Captain asked, arms folded across his chest.
"My name is Anastasia Ivanova. You may call me the Grand Duchess, Captain," Ana said, mustering a small smile. Normally controlling her expression as was simple as breathing, but the look in his eyes told her how obviously fake the smile was.
The man raised an eyebrow. "...a little pretentious, but if that's what you prefer."
Ana scoffed. "That's rich, coming from the man that dresses like a giant target."
To her annoyance, Steve laughed. “Touché, Grand Duchess!” He propped a hip against the dresser, folded his arms and looked so relaxed and comfortable that she wanted to slap him.
She settled for glaring at him, setting the cup down on the windowsill with a thunk. “What are you planning to do with me?”
“That’s up to you, Duchess." There was no mockery in the way he spoke, and his blue eyes were serious. “Wanda says that you might be... amenable to leaving your current employment, but we also understand that there may be issues for you, regarding your twin. Nikolai, right?”
"I'm not employed, Captain. I barely exist. The only records you’ll find are false ones, and they’re no loss to me."
“Then you shouldn’t be missed.”
Well, that’s not exactly true, she thought. But it was hard to argue with the statement, too. “And what would I do if I… changed employment?” His terminology was sufficiently vague that she borrowed it rather than be more specific.
“Well, that depends,” he answered in an even tone. “There are some things that we need to know first, to help us figure that out.”
Ana sighed. “Well…”
“No one’s going to hurt you. I promise.”
“Alright. I guess.” Speaking with them won’t hurt. As if I couldn’t dance circles around some idiot soldiers and agents anyway...
Still all politeness, the Captain offered Ana his arm. She took it, allowing him to lead her downstairs. Her body went tense when she caught sight of the Asset, but she kept walking.
"Sit," the assassin growled at her in Russian, gesturing at one of the chairs at the dining room table.
"I'm not a dog," Ana spat back. She knew he could kill her easily, but he hadn't done so when she was an easy target. She took a breath to calm the panic threatening to rise. "I will talk. But not to her." Ana's eyes darted to Wanda. Traitor. Meddler.
Ana allowed herself a satisfied smile when Wanda's expression went from neutral to hurt. Get out of my head, bitch.
"What did you say to her, Ana?" Pietro glared at her from his position across the room.
"You aren't allowed to call me that anymore," she growled. "I told her to get out of my head."
"Pietro, don't. She doesn't understand," Wanda whispered. Pietro wrapped a protective arm around Wanda's shoulders and led her from the room.
Ana turned her head so that Steve was in her line of vision. "I want to trust you, I really do. But treating me like a prisoner isn't helping, Captain."
"You're not tied up," came Hawkeye's voice, accompanied by the thunk of a dart on the dartboard.
"When we can trust you not to run away or attack someone, we can stop treating you like a prisoner," Steve answered.
Ana scoffed. "Fine. What would you like to know?" Her eyes stopped on the remaining people surrounding her: the Captain, directly in front of her, the Black Widow to his left, and the Asset to his right. She suppressed a shiver; she’d forgotten Romanoff, somehow; certainly she could outsmart a soldier and a mind-wiped asset, but…
"Who's your leader?"
Ana took a deep breath inclined her head towards the Black Widow. No lies. She’ll catch lies. Be clever, Ana. "Grant Ward." She wasn't disappointed at the lack of reaction; the Black Widow had been trained not to react outwardly unless she chose to. It was the same training Ana had received herself.
Hawkeye paused, dart forgotten in his hand for a moment. "I recognize that name," he said, stepping closer.
"A Specialist. Excelled at everything...save for people skills," Black Widow supplied.
"He's still young, though, isn’t he? In his thirties." Hawkeye and Black Widow traded glances. "Is HYDRA's leadership that obliterated?"
"Is he enhanced?" The Captain glanced at the Asset, brows furrowing. "We know HYDRA has the capability."
"What about base locations?" Hawkeye asked her, throwing the dart in his hand without looking at the board. It struck the bullseye as he turned and pulled a chair from the table, flipping it around before he sat in it and crossed his arms over the back.
Ana laughed. "You must know I can't answer that. I have to keep some secrets."
"All right. What about missions? We know you were sent here to retrieve Wanda and Pietro," the Captain tried.
"I'm afraid HYDRA is extremely compartmentalized. Need-to-know basis, Captain. I'm sure you can understand that."
The Asset snorted. "So you're deaf to everything the others say, are you, doll?"
Ana narrowed her eyes. "It gets rather loud. Easier to tune the cannon-fodder out and focus on what's important: my missions."
"So you never heard anything important that didn't directly pertain to you? My, my. What selective hearing you have," the Black Widow murmured.
Hawkeye scoffed. "Even Barnes was able to give us information, and wasn’t awake for most of the century."
Ana glanced at the Asset. Please don't kill me for this. "They were careless with him. They could just wipe him again before putting him on ice… what need did they have to hold their tongues?" The Asset snarled at her, making Ana tense up.
"Bucky," came the Captain's voice, stern.
"Yes,” the Widow agreed. “HYDRA is often careless with its assets. You might be concerned that your brother is in their hands."
Ana closed her eyes, teeth worrying at her lower lip. Damn it all to hell. "You don't understand. If I say anymore, I'm as good as dead. Nik is as good as dead."
There was a moment of tense silence, broken suddenly by the hum of a vibrating phone. Ana watched blank-faced as the Black Widow fished out a cell, listening for the other side of the conversation.
"This better be important, Stark."
"Birdbrains called earlier asking about your mini-me. Guess I forgot to mention it, but hey– better late than never, right? Sending you all the file now." The Widow pulled the phone from her ear as the call ended, tapping something on the screen with her thumb. It wasn't long before the she looked up from her phone, expression unreadable The Captain did the same a moment later, his hands clenching tightly into fists as he leant over muttering something to the Asset. Hawkeye was still reading when:
“The fuck, Steve?” The Asset jerked away, turning to glare at Captain America.
"Buck, her brother looks just like you!" Ana silently watched the Asset turn, and cross to the wall. She flinched as the Asset's metal fist suddenly lashed out in a swift punch and easily went through the kitchen wall.
"What the fuck do you mean this kid's my daughter?"
A shocked whimper escaped Ana before she clenched her teeth together. They're tricking me. It can't be true. It doesn't make sense. She reached for a layer of training, desperate to pull it over herself like a comforting blanket, but the gears of her mind were silent and still. She took a deep breath, and another; opened her mouth to argue, but instead a plaintive cry fell from her lips.
"You're lying!"
Wordlessly, the Black Widow slid her phone across the table. Ana picked it up with trembling fingers. The room remained silent as she read, until she set the device back down with excruciatingly precise gentleness.
She couldn't bring herself to speak.
A fist slammed into the table and the Asset was just there beside her.
"You know what happens to failed assets, kid? It ain't pretty. So why don't you suck it up and help us do something good?" He fell silent, scowling at her.
Ana was horrified when she realized tears were dripping down her cheeks. Pull it together. You're not helpless. "If they find out I've defected, Nik's dead. You have to know that," she whispered, hating that her stress and fear had bled into her voice.
"If you help us, we can protect you both," the Captain said. Ana's eyes snapped to his. If she could trust anyone here, it would be him.
"Please. I'll help you if you keep him safe."