Relentless

Zara had gotten up the next day, and gone to Wards class without giving it a second thought. She'd covered up much of her bruise cleverly with a good concealer, and just for a extra bit of sass she swiped on a little red lipstick. She smiled as she made her way down the hallway and the first thing she noticed is that Bucky wasn't there, Parsons had taken over his class. Strange, he hadn't mentioned anything about a swap over this morning. The second thing she noticed is that Jess wasn't there either, and the crowd was significantly smaller. She pulled out her phone, there were no messages on there. She swallowed hard, this was weird. Really weird.

Ward hurried into the gym, followed by Lance, and seemed to be filling him in on something as he went, Lance listening intently as instructions were drilled into him faster than he could process them as it seemed. Ward looked up at her, an expression on his face she couldn't read, obviously something had thrown him out of his routine. He wasn't the kind of guy who appreciated surprises. He covered it with a kind smile and a nod before he hurried back out of the room, picking his gym bag up as he went, breaking into a jog as he stepped into the hallway.

"Lance!" Zara called out, after Ward left. "Murphy! Murph!" She called out, getting his attention eventually. He waved a hand at her subtly as if to say 'not now!' and turned away.
She clenched her jaw and frowned, pulling her phone out and sending Bucky a text.

Zara, 11.42am
Something's going on, where are you? Where is everybody?

She held onto the handset, waiting and hoping for a beep that didn't come. This made her nervous. Parson's class finished up and everyone left. Zara wasn't sure whether to take her bag with her and run or to hear Lance out as he made his way to the front of the class, with the four or five remaining students from her group. She made the decision to drop her gym bag and go with the group to the front of the front of the room.
"Okay, you all know who I am - I'm taking over for Agent Ward today-"
"Why?" Zara questioned out loud, cutting him off. Everyone turned to face her with a look of annoyance on their faces. Rude or not, she didn't particularly care. She wanted answers.
"Change of plans..." He said.
"Barnes is gone too, and half the class"
"No-one to come save you!" Laughed the boy who'd punched her the day before. Lance shot him an angry look.
"Well if you'd kindly shut up, I was getting to that, it's really not a big deal. Rookie training has started today, last minute decision from Director Fury... Very last minute..." He said. "So if you'll all start warming up, we'll get into it and will probably know more when the class is through."

Zara didn't like it, and everything inside her screamed to bail, but she behaved herself and stayed put.

Bucky 12.04pm
Everything's fine, Fury dragged us out to train Rookies, VERY last minute. Enjoy class, I'll call you later x

Zara 12.05pm
Take care, talk to you later xo

"Morgan - seriously?" Lance's voice pulled her back into reality. He was looking angrily at her, and it took her a few seconds to realize she'd been caught with her phone.
"Shit, sorry!" She said, genuinely embarrassed.
"In your bag, please..."
She nodded and jogged over to her bag, slipping it into the side pocket. She'd over reacted, there wasn't any huge emergency. She scolded herself, if there was, surely they wouldn't still be running classes...

Idiot...

They warmed up and were told to pair off. That's when she realized that she was the only girl in the class. She shot Brad a look, and he smiled a sleazy smile at her as he rose from his spot on the floor and made his way over to her, much to the sniggering delight of the others.
"What do ya say, sugar? Wanna have another go?" He purred at her.
"Yeah sure, if you're game" She said back, flashing him a flirty half-cocked smile which he obviously appreciated. This little exchange obviously went unnoticed by the others as they were told to start some light sparring.
Zara nodded at him, giving him the chance to have the first swing, gauging where he was at - was he going to play nice, or fight dirty? He swung three punches, one after the other. She ducked the first, blocked the second, and grabbed hold of his wrist on the third, sending her foot up, kicking him powerfully in the ribs. He let out a cough that was music to her ears. She kept her eye on him, not letting him surprise her again.
He went again with a similar combination, Zara deflecting the first two. He wised up, grabbing her arm and pulling her in before she could kick him again. She sent her opposite elbow into his face, hard, at lightning speed, disorienting him. He stumbled backwards, Zara relentlessly striding towards him and pushing her foot into his chest, forcing him to the ground onto his back.
"Hey! That's enough!" Lance called out, stepping in to separate them. He pushed her away gently and helped Brad to his feet.

It became evident that they wouldn't be paired together again. They were swapped into new pairs, and Zara played nice with everyone else she was partnered with, all the while keeping one eye on Brad. Come the end of the class, she was proud to say she didn't take a single hit all afternoon. It was good to feel more confident and in control during hand to hand combat. There was no point to hiding what little ability she'd retained, just to appease the others. She was just about done with hiding who she was. Done with this whole class. All it was, was a distraction for her anyway, an excuse to work on her skills and make friends. She'd already done all of that...



Zara made her way back to Bucky's room after class, noticing that it was especially quiet on their floor. She dropped her bag at the door, locking it behind her and turning her phone ringer back up, setting it on the side of the sink. Sure enough halfway through her shower it rang, and it was Bucky.
"Hey, I can't talk long but I thought I should call."
"Hey, are you alright, what's happening?"
"We're not supposed to say much, but we've been taken out of town to train these rookies up. Fury called up and the first lot of us were ushered out this morning."
"That's so weird"
"Tell me about it. Sorry I couldn't call you, I had to drive into town to make THIS call as we had no service where we were. Anyway, I'll be here for the week, and you'll be brought here as well as soon as possible too"
"What? Where are you?"
"This line isn't secure, babe. Just sit tight, you're safe there. We'll be together in a few nights"
"This makes no sense, why the rush to train with no notice, why the move? Are we in trouble?"
"Zara, I can't say much. You're safe where you are, there are people I trust watching out for you. Don't do anything stupid. I'll call you tomorrow on a secure line."
"Okay, please be careful"
"Always am. I gotta go, I'll talk to you soon. Keep your eyes open, and remember what we've talked about. I love you"
"I will... I love you too, Buck" She said before hanging up.

Something didn't sit well with her, but now wasn't the time to jump to conclusions. She'd do what she was told and keep her eyes open. She'd sit tight and do what she was told. She stood holding her phone to her chest for a few moments, the steam in the room snapping her back into reality. She finished her shower, got dressed and tidied the room, her mind wandering. She didn't like the thought of being away from Bucky. She felt safe when he was around, but like she kept telling herself - it was time to step up and be brave.

Her phone rang again loudly, snapping her out of her brain haze for the second time that afternoon. She ran across the room to answer it, this time it was Dr Reeves.
"Zara?"
"Hey Dr Reeves, what a surprise to hear from you!"
"Yes, I need to see you in my office as soon as possible"
"Oh, okay sure... Is everything alright?" Zara asked, picking up on her flustered tone.
"Yes. Yes all is good, I was supposed to take some bloods from you as part of your recovery case, and I stupidly forgot. They're now overdue, and I look like an idiot..." She said. Zara frowned.
"Can you come now?" Dr Reeves asked.
"Yeah, I'm on my way" Zara said, drawing in a breath which she let out slowly after hanging up. Something wasn't right. She quickly sprayed on some deodorant and tucked a lip balm into her skinny jeans pocket as she headed for the door. She pulled on her Doc Martens, lacing them up fairly loosely. She stood up, only to stop as she put her hand on the door handle, that niggling feeling in her stomach making her turn around, her lip between her teeth. Zara jogged over to Bucky's side of the bed and reached under it. She took the pistol from its clip and tucked it down the back of her jeans. It was still noticeable even under her t-shirt. Everything she had was tight and fitted...

Fuck...

She pulled the wardrobe open, flicking through Bucky's shirts and pulling out a blue checked flannelette long sleeved shirt. She put it on, leaving the front open and rolling the sleeves up. It was huge on her and quite long at the back, but she'd get away with it being on almost like a light jacket. A small smile crossed her lips, the shirt smelled like him, and she found it oddly comforting. He must have worn it recently, she could pick that cologne anywhere.
Most importantly the gun at the back was concealed. She wouldn't have a clue how to fire it, but something inside her screamed to have a weapon on her. Her instincts had never steered her wrong before, and she wasn't about to start ignoring them now. She blew out a nervous breath, and left the room, taking only her key card and phone with her.

Zara walked into Dr Reeve's office, seeing a man's familiar face smiling back at her. He put his hand out, gesturing for her phone and key-card. She raised a brow, eyes darting over to Dr Reeves who had stepped in from the medical storage room.
"Zara, do you remember me?" He asked, encouragingly. She frowned as she searched her brain. She KNEW this guy, she was absolutely sure of it.

Bingo.

"Thomas. Dr Thomas Hall..." She said, her voice answering him before her brain had time to catch up. "Holy shit..."
"It's great to see you again, Zara. I'm so glad you're looking healthy" He smiled. His hand was still out for her belongings, instead she decided to tuck them into the breast pocket of her shirt.
"Dr Reeves here has been helping me train with Shield. I'm here as I'm very familiar with your history, and I'm going to be examining your bloods to compare them to where your levels were at back when you were with Hydra." He said, sending an involuntary shiver up her spine.
"I'm going to need to take your phone and card for the moment. We're going to run a series of tests, and the electronics will disrupt them. You'll get them both back as soon as we're done" He smiled. She shot a look over to Dr Reeves who was smiling and co-operating, she obviously trusted this guy. Zara handed him her things, not breathing a word about the pistol down the back of her pants.

"Thanks Zara. Please, take a seat and I'll be with you shortly" He smiled, gesturing at the reclining examination seat in the centre of the room.
Dr Reeves was busy almost frantically making notes on her clipboard, her face screwed up in concentration, suddenly looking frustrated with herself. She let out a big dramatic sigh, catching both Zara and Thomas's attention.
"What?" He asked, wondering what was going on.
"I forgot to turn the blood reader on. It'll need to warm up. I'm so sorry Thomas, I don't know why I'm so forgetful today!" She said, hitting her palm against her forehead. He let out a frustrated sigh.
"I'll go turn it on" He said, his jaw clenched.
Zara shot them both a look. Something was very, very wrong. Everything inside her screamed to run.

"Here, Zee. I'm finished with this magazine, feel free to have a read." She said, handing Zara a copy of 'Psychology Today'. Zara screwed her face up, wondering why the hell this would be something she'd be interested in.
"Have a flick through, I need to prep some syringes. You'll have to check the table of contents for the page number, but there's an awesome article about retrograde amnesia that you'd be interested in. A young martial artist around your age, amazing stuff" She enthused.
"Oh, okay..." Zara said, taking the magazine with an unsure smile.
"Dr Reeves, can you come with me please, I have a few questions about the machine" Thomas asked politely.
"Sure, no problem. We'll be right back, Zara. Have a read of that article, I want to know what you think about it when we get back, okay!" She said with a big smile.

The two doctors left the room, closing the door behind them. Zara let out an exasperated sigh, her eyes taking in her surroundings. It was a cold, sterile room, full of gloves, instruments and various medical supplies. There was a fridge in the corner full of drugs and vaccines, and above it a tray full of paperwork. Zara looked at the cover of the magazine, Dr Reeves had been very excited about the damn article. She really should read it...
Zara flipped it open to the contents page, her stomach dropping as she found a note taped there.

Zara, read this quickly and carefully. You don't have much time. Take my phone. Top draw far right. I have hidden my car keys in the door of the refrigerator. Take them and get out of the room. The door code to get out is 48296. Go to the nearest stairwell and go to basement car park level 2 Entry code is my car registration number - FSH2116. My car is a dark blue Chevrolet Impala, Parked in section H. Take it and head west. Get out of the city. More instructions for you are in this book, don't stop till you've crossed the state line. I have my own way out, but you're in danger. No time to loose, be quiet and fast, stay hidden. GO NOW! Don't speed or draw attention on the road. Good luck, Sal

Holy shit... Holy shit...

Zara got up, and opened the fridge, finding the keys to the car in the door, and the mobile phone in the desk drawer as per the note. She quickly went to the door to the room, entering the code and hearing the door latch open. She closed it quietly behind her, and jogged up the hallway, her heart beating furiously in her chest. No way was this real... Bucky was away, she didn't know where, and he probably didn't know this was going on.

FUCK!

She came to the door of the stairwell and went down the stairs as instructed, thinking that whoever was after her was probably in control of cameras and elevators. There were no cameras in the stairwell, this was a well known fact among the elites and higher ups. Zara came to a door marked 'Car park basement level 2' and found the keypad next to it. She flipped the magazine open and entered in the registration code of the car, relief washing over her when the door opened. She pulled the pistol from her back pocket, wielding it as if she knew what she was doing. If anything it would deter an attacker.
She scanned the pillars and found section H, and before long was in front of a lovely blue Impala, late SS model. She pressed the button on the keychain, relieved that the door opened. She got in, locked it behind her and pressed the clutch in and started the engine. How she knew what to do was completely lost on her, but the fact she'd remembered how to start up the car was a huge relief. She shifted into reverse and backed out slowly, clutch back in and shifting into first.

Good, we're in motion.

Her arms and legs seemed to know what to do. Her driving wouldn't be pretty, but it would get her out. She pulled out of the car park, finding a pair of sunglasses on the dash which she slid on after she popped the collar on her flannelette shirt. She thanked her lucky stars the windows were tinted as she pulled out onto the road.

Where the hell is West?

She scanned the dashboard with her eyes, finding a GPS system, North, East, South and West marked out on the border of the screen. She flicked her indicator on, heading West and tried her best not to draw any attention to herself. She didn't dare make eye contact with another driver, and kept to the speed limit, following the signs till she got onto the highway. Relief flooded over her when she accelerated onto the on ramp. The traffic wasn't too bad considering the time of the afternoon, which she was incredibly grateful for.

Zara didn't know whether she wanted to celebrate or cry when the first hour of her trip ticked by without incident. She kept her head down all the same, there just was no way this was really happening. She pinched herself. No, this was definitely real. She crossed the state line, but wasn't game to stop just yet. She opened the window just a crack to get some air onto her face, taking a deep breath of it. She couldn't remember the last time she felt fresh air in her lungs. Under different circumstances she might have enjoyed it, but not today. Not like this.
She kept driving, watching the time tick away and the gas gauge drop further and further down towards the empty mark. It was only then that she decided to pull over and check the magazine for more instructions.

If you're reading this, then you got out safely. I think there's some cash in the glove box, use it to buy gas. If not, ditch the car and steal another one. It's insured. Don't use the phone, save the battery. I'll call you with instructions. On the back of this page are the directions to a safe house. It hasn't been lived in for many years, no electricity. Sorry. Sit tight for extraction or instructions. Sal.

Zara opened the glove box, sure enough there was a twenty in there, and after a bit of digging she came up with another $8.50 in change. A glance at the phone revealed it to be at 32% battery which wasn't much, and she didn't know how long she'd be in hiding for. If she knew Bucky's number off the top of her head she would have been tempted to call him. No doubt he would have been of the first ones to be called... That's if Dr Reeves was still alive and able to make a call...
Zara felt sick with worry as she started the engine once again. Now wasn't the time to get emotional. She needed a gas station, and to keep on driving.

The station lit up the dark sky like a Christmas tree, Zara pulled in with caution, she'd be glad to be back on the road as soon as possible. The attendant was a sleazy, middle aged man, missing at least three teeth from what she could see. She stifled her vomit long enough to bat her eyes at him, and as well as the gas, he gave her a map of the area as she'd requested, a coke and a candy bar. She paid the man, pulling out of the station quickly, heading west.
Another 2 hours had her arrive at some run down, rural border town and after a couple of laps of the street, she found the house and pulled in, hiding the car around the back.

The old wooden veranda creaked under her feet as she approached the door, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Zara looked over both shoulders before focusing on the task at hand - getting the door open. She picked the lock effortlessly, again surprised at how easily it came to her as if she'd done it a hundred times before. She pulled the pistol from the back of her pants and examined the side of it, finding the safety and flicking it off. Shaking, she held it in front of her and followed it into the dark house, a musty, damn smell hitting her like a slap in the face.
She ignored it as best she could, checking each room systematically with her back to the wall, and gun in front of her with finger resting on the trigger.

When she was satisfied she was alone she locked the front door again, used the bathroom and turned the tap on to splash her face. The pipes groaned loudly, making her shut them off prematurely. This was a nightmare. She hoped somebody knew where she was because there was no way she knew where Bucky or Jess were, and going back to Shield right now was out of the question.

She lowered herself to the floor, back against the wall and drew her knees up. She was in the front room with a clear view of the front door, and a clear shot, should she need to take it. She rolled the sleeves of Bucky's shirt down, and wrapped herself in it for warmth. It was a waiting game now, she just hoped the right people were going to come through that door, it was anyone's guess who as on her tail and why, but she would find out soon enough. She glanced at the phone again, 9.21pm, and 23% battery.

Come on, RING!

She chewed the inside of her cheek and picked up the pistol, keeping it in her hand as she hugged her knees, keeping her eyes locked on that front door. It was going to be a long night...