Relentless

The snow crunched under her feet as Zara walked outside, casually screwing a silencer onto the end of her pistol, breath hanging in the air in front of her. They were out doing a few shooting exercises to see how her reflexes were with a gun. She had been sluggish on her feet, she'd been sluggish in most of her movements since that chemical was pumped into her body. Her sight had suffered, mostly just getting her vision to focus, rather than being cloudy as if she'd just taken a knock to the head.  Her stamina and reflexes had also suffered, so they'd had her running laps of the tunnel system to increase her fitness and push her. Reflexes would come in time, but plenty of exercises would help sharpen those back up again. Things were easy for her in the dark, the darkness sharpened her other senses. She was able to hit a target in the dark, whether it be from a gunshot, or throwing a knife, being out in the snow in the daylight would be a good test for her to see how she handled the bright light reflecting off the white ground.

A couple of soldiers had accompanied her, one carrying ammo, and the other dragging a target launcher. He handed Zara a fresh magazine which she slid into place and cocked her gun, and he pulled a switch on the launcher, that sent a target into the air with a loud whoosh.
She aimed her pistol, squinting her eyes looking for the tiny black speck amongst all the white. She finally locked onto it, shot at it, and to the delight of her companions it exploded in mid air. He launched another two, and she squinted again as she aimed, frustrated when she could only make out one of the black specks whizzing through the air, she fired at one, but lost the other when her vision clouded again.
She received a swift, hard backhand across the face, which left a big red mark.

"You have failed! You must do it again!"

She was angry at herself, she knew she had failed and let her superiors down. If she missed another, she could only imagine the punishment they'd dish out. Her face felt hot under the stinging flesh of her cheek, but she didn't react. She knew not to show weakness.
She handed the empty magazine to the soldier on her left as instructed. She holstered her weapon while she waited quietly while the men re-loaded the target launcher.
There were no thoughts in her mind at that moment except for pleasing her superiors. They were the ones who fed her, gave her medical attention. If she was allowed to have a feeling it would be... She pursed her lips, perhaps 'grateful' was too strong a word, but something along those lines. A good soldier didn't judge their superior, only obeyed. They didn't have opinions on their life situation or how they were treated. They didn't have fondness for others, this was weakness and could be used against her.
She wasn't so sure if she was so fond of who she was working for, but they were the ones giving orders, so she would shut her mouth, do what she was told, and do it without resistance. That was her job. If she did her job she wouldn't be punished. She would be fed, bathed and housed. All she had to do in return was to earn her keep, which was easy enough given the skills and weapons they had armed her with.

"Again"

Zara snapped to attention, she jammed the fresh magazine into the pistol when she was handed one, and cocked the gun, getting ready to aim. She would not miss this one.



Bucky was already locked on to her through the window, black hair pushed back of her pale face. Lips tinged blue with the cold and a big red mark on her cheek. He clenched his jaw, and his metal arm flexed as he balled his hands into tight fists.
She was flanked by a soldier either side of her, one carrying a machine that looked like a clay target launcher, and the other had a large duffel bag, no doubt containing an arsenal of weapons and ammo.
She looked a shadow of her former self, thin and weak, she was having trouble focusing on whatever it was they had her shooting at. She was unbalanced going by her stance alone, and the snarl painted on her face suggested she was frustrated and angry about it.

Don't worry Zara, we're here to bring you home. You'll be safe, soon.

"Lets get this show on the road" Came Steve's voice as Natasha began to lower the quin-jet into the clearing. They had no way of knowing just how many Hydra soldiers would be there that day, but they had been prepared by having a strong team - Steve and Bucky, the two super-soldiers, and then there was Barton and Natasha.
Tony had guessed that they wouldn't have much of an operation down there. If Thomas had been telling the truth, then they only had a few there to look after and develop Zara, a few to guard the place and then there were a few survivors that had been in the same area that needed a new place to work.
They wouldn't have time to call for backup, this was the beauty of a surprise attack, but with Thomas making a run for it, it was a surprise that they were out there in the open with her. He was sure that they weren't stupid, but were they really that arrogant?

The wind and noise put off by the jet lowering caught the attention of Zara and the two soldiers who spun to find the source of the disturbance. The jet's stealth mode was switched off and it became visible to them quickly.
They opened fire, aiming shots at the windows of the jet, which only deflected the bullets. One of the men shouted, pointing back into the woods, tossing Zara a magazine. He had ordered her to run.

Bucky shot the two soldiers and went after her, fast. He could see her up ahead, running as if the devil was at hot at her heels, not looking back. She jumped fallen logs and ducked low branches as she moved.
Bucky ran through the trees, branches whipping against his face but he didn't let that slow him. As he started catching up to her, she took the risk of looking over her shoulder.
Her eyes widened when she saw how much he had gained on her, if she kept going straight she would inadvertently lead him right into their base. That was a bad thing. A very bad thing that was punishable by death, and she was pretty sure she didn't want to die.
Relief swept over her when the manhole in the ground opened up, and at least 20 Hydra soldiers burst up through the ground and ran towards her, shooting the person that was on her tail. They were still coming, there was no way she'd squeeze into the tunnel with there being so much traffic in the opening.

Soldiers ran past her and started shooting at the man behind her, she made the decision to quickly change course, there was another place she could go. She ran north westerly, hearing heavy gunfire over her shoulder behind her. She readied her weapon as she ran, the snow getting thicker underfoot the closer she got the the edge of the woods. Her lungs burned like crazy, but she was not to slow down, no way, not until he was off her tail. The Hydra soldiers were there to take him down, or distract him. Either one would give her the advantage she needed. She would much rather face him, and fight, but she was told to run, so run she did.
Heavy footsteps came up behind her again, she didn't need to look over her shoulder to know it was him.
She clenched her jaw, there was one more thing she could do, something that would have preferably been avoided but she didn't see much of a choice, but time wasn't on her side for the alternative. She was also under orders, and straying from them wasn't an option she had even cared to consider.
She did a few calculations in her head. Yes she could survive this, and she may even stay conscious if she could protect her head and face. She cocked her gun, and sucked in a deep breath as she jumped with all the strength she had left in her legs, going straight over the cliff face that had loomed up in front of them. She turned in mid-air, and flung her arm back towards him ready to shoot, she had to disable him, or he'd go after her, which was something they couldn't afford to risk.

Bucky gasped and dove for her, anchoring his metal arm in the ground on the edge of the cliff face and reaching for her with his flesh arm. His hand snapped shut around her wrist and took her weight as she slammed against the face of the cliff with a strained 'oof' as she was momentarily dazed, shaking her head to get her bearings back again.

"I've got you" He said, his vice gentle and reassuring.

His body hung sideways over the cliff from his hips onward, one leg going over, but not the other. His metal hand hanging onto the ground above them, having anchored onto a tree root or maybe a length of pipeline. He wasn't sure, but either way it wasn't going to hold them for long and because of the awkward way they had ended up, he couldn't pull her up without letting go with his other arm.
His grip tightened on her wrist making her wince and drop the gun which clattered against the wall of the cliff and dropped to the ground.

She narrowed her bright blue eyes at him aggressively. There was so much pain and hatred in her expression, and it tore him up. His eyes had been like that once, not so long ago in the grand scheme of things...

"No you don't" Came her raspy reply as she looked up at him, pulling a gun from her back pocket and aiming it at his face, point blank. Her voice was hoarse as if she hadn't spoken in years. The look on her face meant she wasn't mucking around.
Bucky's stomach dropped. He was officially caught between a rock and a hard place. There was no way he'd let her die to save himself, but he also never expected to be helpless at the hands of the very person he'd come to rescue. Her eyes were cold and emotionless, her lips pressed into a line as she cocked the weapon and moved her finger to the trigger. The only option he had was to let go of the cliff with his metal arm, keep holding onto her and let them both fall. If he could take the brunt of the impact and protect her, then he'd have a chance at disarming her.

There were two loud shots fired, breaking his train of thought. For a moment there was intense pain and he had to gather his bearings. Was he dead? No, he was very much alive but he'd been shot. She'd moved the pistol to his right and put two shells into his flesh shoulder at point blank. The damage to his arm took the strength from his hand and in that instant she had slipped from his grip and had fallen.
He gasped with the realization of what had happened in those split seconds, she lay in the snow, drips of red around her which she realized were from him. This was all looking too familiar, like looking into a horrible mirror of his own life.
She stirred a couple of seconds after hitting the ground, and he heard her groan as she sat up, with a hand against her head, she struggled to her feet. He let out a sigh of relief. She limped a few steps and cursed under her breath, making her way to the edge of the cliff and there was a metal clanging sound, and then he lost sight of her.

"FUCK!"

He sprang to action, pushing away from the cliff and letting himself fall, landing on his feet. He was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't quite as high as he'd thought. There was a metal hatch covered in vines and moss to his right, that's where she must have gone through. He called Steve on his comms set and opened the door with guns drawn and stepped into the tunnel as quiet as a cat. He heard a several sets of footsteps running up ahead. The hatch behind him cracked open and he snapped to attention pointing his gun, lowering it again when he realized it was Steve.

"You're hurt" Steve said, worried.
"I'm fine, it's not deep. Lets get her out, and worry about me later" Bucky lied, dismissively. Steve looked him up and down, shaking his head gently and letting out an exasperated breath.
 "Lets go" he said, taking the lead, shield up.

There was another slamming noise up ahead which echoed through the tunnel, and then a stream of light and gunshots. Steve charged in, holding his shield up, deflecting the bullets. The Hydra soldier had run to the right down a T junction at the end of the tunnel, Steve and Bucky following them. More shots were fired as they ran, Bucky pulling up suddenly when he heard the sound of metal groaning behind him. He wheeled around and saw a Hydra soldier, opening a door for another soldier who was carrying a girl.

Zara...

He turned and charged at them, deflecting their panicked bullets as he went. The shooter clearly wasn't an experienced gunman. The man holding Zara squeezed through the tight door gap into a dimly lit room that seemed to be full of electrical switches and computers. Bucky had had nightmares about a room that looked very much like that, and now she was living his nightmare.
The guy holding Zara gave the shooter a quick kick towards Bucky as the door slammed behind him.
Typical of Hydra, nobody is loyal, and as soon as you can throw someone under the bus to save yourself, the better off you'll be. Bucky slammed his hands against the door, and knew straight away that not even super soldier strength was going to open it. It may as well have been a vault.
He cursed loudly, and turned to realize there was a very frightened scientist beside him, as well as the 'click, click, click' of an empty gun. Bucky considered killing him out of pure frustration, but there was another chance. He was sure this trembling little fat man would like revenge on the soldier that kicked him into certain death... Perhaps he could use him to get into that room with Zara, there were enough tunnels that there was surely going to be more than one way in. If not, he'd break his neck.
He grabbed the collar of the scientist, twisting it and shoving him against the wall, hard. glaring at him. He balled him metal arm into a fist in front of the man's face, making the plates recalibrate, the arm emitting a low, robotic sound.
Bucky raised his brow on hearing a second sound over that and the whimpering of the guy he had a hold of.
He looked down at the floor, and then back up to the man's teary face, giving an amused smirk. It had been a while since he'd made someone wet themselves.



"Do not MOVE!" came the thick German accent of one of her superiors as he shoved her roughly onto a big, high tech looking chair.
"Why did you let yourself get injured!? You are USELESS to us now"
"I had no other option, sir" Came her raspy, strained voice.

There was a loud 'whack' as he backhanded her across the face, hard, in the same place she had been hit that morning. It was sure to leave a bruise on her hot, stinging flesh.
She sucked in a sharp breath, clenching her jaw. She wouldn't react, to react was disrespectful. To show pain was to show weakness. She stayed quiet and watched as a second man entered the room to speak with her superior. She kept her eyes down and her mouth shut.

"They are in the tunnels, sir"
"Send more men. I want Barnes!"
"We sent all we had, I'm afraid we're outnumbered, sir."
The senior-most man pinched at the bridge of his nose, lowering his head and jamming his eyes shut, thinking hard. He paced back and fourth, frustrated.
"They will not leave without her. Of that we are certain..." He mused aloud.
"You are right, sir"
"Lets let them have her then"
"Come again, sir?"
"I'm afraid we have lost this battle, Atkins. We will have another chance with Barnes, when we take her back. We will use her as live bait, and next time we will be ready for them"
"But if they restore will she not will fight us off, sir?"
"Atkins? Remember what happened the last time the machine was activated?"
"Yes sir, it was too strong and she had to be revived, sir."
"Her memory was wiped successfully. A little too well... If you recall we had to refresh her in some of her weapons and combat training"
"You're correct, sir. Are you suggesting we give her another treatment?"
"That is exactly what I'm suggesting. Render her helpless, and we will take her when the opportunity presents itself. She will be weak and unable to protect herself. Not to mention it will really fuck with them." He said, amusement showing on his face as he turned to face his soldier.
"That it will, sir. What if she dies?"
"I guess that will fuck with them too, and we'll just go after Barnes when HE'S weak" He said, giving a wicked grin. "They will kill us when they enter the room. Our deaths will not be in vain."
"Cut off one head, two more shall take it's place, sir"
"Hail Hydra... Warm the machine up"
"Hail Hydra"



Bucky and Steve had made their way through the tunnels led by the scientist that Bucky had captured. They didn't need to put a gun to his head, he knew he'd have no chance against two super soldiers, and had heard storied about the brown haired one. He wasn't much fun at the best of times, let alone when he was angry.
Bucky gave him the odd shove in the back to keep him moving, this also served as a stern reminder that he was in very deep shit if he tried anything. Truth be told he'd be in deep shit either way.
They came to another T junction and they took another left, and followed the long dark, damp tunnel along. It was freezing down there, the condensation on the walls was frosty and their breath hung in the air, and could be seen in front of them whenever they passed under one of the dim mine-lights hanging above them.
"How much farther?" Bucky growled at him, concerned he was stalling.
"Not far, just up ahead and is the last door on the left. It will take us to the front entrance to the exam room, which is accessible by one of these keys" he said, his hand disappearing into his jacket pocket.
Bucky had a gun on him and watched as he pulled his hand out, half expecting a weapon or syringe full of sedative. True to his word, there were keys in his hand which he went through, before selecting one and holding it in his hand.

Bucky didn't have time for this. He snatched the key from the fat little man's hand and ordered Steve to watch him. Bucky jogged up the hall, his eyes scanning each door and each gap in the wall for enemies as he went.
There was a loud, electrical buzz and the lights dimmed, plunging them in to blackness. Then he heard it, the blood curdling scream through the door at the end of the hall. It was Zara, and this could only mean she was back on the machine. Bucky felt the rage burn in his chest. What the fuck did they have her back on there again for, they'd already taken all her memories, was it torture? Were they trying to kill her?
It was probably to torture HIM he decided. They were going to die for this, they were going to die slow, painful deaths for this. The screams died down, and the lights came back on, only for them to dim again and another scream ring out. The kind of scream that chilled him to his very core.

He ran harder than he ever remember running in his life, the screaming continuing as he fumbled with the key and almost snapped it off as he unlocked the heavy, metal door. The buzzing electrical noise continued, but the screaming had stopped.

In the room there were two bodies on the ground, both wide eyed with foam spilling from their mouths. Those weak pieces of shit had taken their own lives. Bucky would have loved to make the pair of them suffer.

The sight of the electric chair made him literally feel like he was going to be sick. This evil device was his undoing and what had caused him so much pain over his lifetime. Not knowing how to shut if off, he sunk his metal fist hard into the control panel, completely obliterating it. The arm holding the headpiece on her had broken and he was quick to rip that away from her. He was shaking as he tore the restraints from her arms and ankles, she was completely limp on the chair and not breathing either.
He got her to the floor, ripping the bulletproof vest from her and stuck two fingers up under her throat, searching for a pulse, trying both sides before he started CPR. This was like a bad dream happening all over again. He breathed into her mouth, and started chest compressions. He wouldn't let her die, not again, this was not happening again. He breathed into her again, followed by more compressions.

"Come on, Zara..."

He couldn't loose her twice, not when he was so close to having her back. Steve had come running in, along with the scientist who had been thrown into the corner.
Steve paced back and fourth, watching while Bucky worked tirelessly to bring her back. He suddenly stopped compressions, placing his ear down over her face, and his shoulders slumped.
Steve stopped and held his breath, eyes searching for a sign of life, anything. Bucky was facing away from him and he couldn't see his face, couldn't read expression, was it relief, or was it grief?
Bucky raised his handgun and shot the scientist in the face, and then gave the two on the ground a shot between the eyes for good measure. Whether they were dead or not meant nothing to him, but it had made him feel better, like he'd had the last word. He let out a deep breath, lowering his weapon again.

"Bucky?" Came Steve's sympathetic voice.

He stood from the floor and scooped her up, cradling her head against his chest gently, and placing a protective arm around her. He looked at Steve, his eyes wet with tears.

"She's breathing. Just. Lets get her home"