Bucky
Katy stood rooted to the spot, her mouth hanging slightly agape as she debated her next move. She had spent almost every day in the past two years with Brock Rumlow, he knew more about her than anyone else. She thought about fleeing, leaving the others to defend themselves, but she decided against the idea as quickly as it had come. They were her friends. She wouldn't abandon them. Or Buck. She would have to find a way to convince her former handler she was still loyal. Hydra had taught her to find a person's weakness and exploit it…luckily for her, she knew Rumlow almost as well as he knew her.
"What are you doing?" Rumlow called out, as she saw his hand lower to brush over his thigh holster, the unease clear in his eyes.
"Dealing with a threat" Katy retorted, trying to keep her voice steady.
"Really? Because right now…I'd say you were the biggest threat to Hydra" Rumlow exclaimed, venomously.
"My loyalty has never been to Hydra. It was always to you" Katy pointed out, as Rumlow's hand slowly dropped away from his gun.
"You left me, Rookie" Rumlow mumbled, with more emotion in his voice than Katy had expected.
"It was the only logical decision. I need to gain their trust to keep them from killing you. And…I was…I was angry" Katy frowned; confusion etched on her face.
"At me?" Rumlow guessed, earning a firm nod in return.
Rumlow hobbled towards her, dragging his injured leg behind him, his jaw clenched from the pain he was likely experiencing. Katy felt part of her programming come whirring to life at the sight, guilt clawing away at her for not protecting him. The emotion was gone in a split second as she remembered what he had done to her over the past two years. He wasn't her friend. He was the enemy.
"You lied. Kept things from me. Things I should have been told—" Katy insisted, as Rumlow reached out to touch her hand, his fingers wrapping around her palm.
"I know" Rumlow sighed, giving her hand a squeeze in what was likely meant as a comforting gesture.
Katy looked down at their linked hands, ignoring the urge to push him away, her skin itching underneath his touch. She remembered what Natasha had said about Rumlow's interactions before…that he had conditioned her. Was this his way of trying to control her?
"I am…very confused" Katy admitted, thinking of how it wasn't a lie.
Rumlow's eyes flickered over to the two Hydra agents who were staring at the pair warily, their gaze focused on the way he was still clutching at Katy's hand. They all but jumped to attention when they realised they had been spotted.
"You still have a target to apprehend, Agents" Rumlow barked, as the two shared an uneasy look.
"But sir, we should secure these—" One agent began, but Rumlow cut him off quickly.
"I've got them. You deal with Cap" Rumlow ordered, as the agent in question gave a quick nod.
Katy tensed as she watched the pair leave, finding that she felt even more vulnerable. Sam was barely conscious on the ground, and Natasha had been left handcuffed and bleeding out in the back of one of Hydra's vans. She was all alone. With Rumlow.
"Have I displeased you?" Katy questioned, looking up at him with doe eyes.
"You should have told me what you were planning" Rumlow stated.
"How did you expect me to do that without revealing my true intentions?" Katy retorted, in a clipped tone.
"This emotional version of you is something else, Rookie" Rumlow grinned, giving her an appreciative look.
Katy's skin crawled under his gaze, feeling anger course through her veins. It was clear that Rumlow still didn't see her as a human being. More of a plaything. She pushed down the urge to knock the older man out, her fingers twitching at the idea.
"You like me better like this" Katy pointed out, leaning forward a fraction.
She was close enough to see his pupils dilate, as a second later his other hand was reaching out to grab her by the nape of her neck, pulling her closer. Their lips crashed together roughly, as Katy kept her hands at her side, which were now balled into fists. Rumlow seemed to notice her lacklustre response to his kiss and began to pull away, a frown on his face. Katy's heartbeat quickened as she realised he was growing suspicious and leant forward, capturing his bottom lip between her lip, biting down hard, in the way she remembered him liking. If the low moan that left his lips was anything to go by, he didn't need any more convincing. He didn't move his hand from her neck, his fingers gripping the skin there just a little too hard. Her eyes flickered to Sam's for a split second, seeing the revulsion clear on his face, looking like he wanted nothing more than to knock Rumlow out himself.
"After Project Insight is completed, things will be different. We can be together. That's still what you want, right?" Rumlow asked, searching her eyes.
"You're all I want, Brock" Katy responded, watching his lips twitch into a smirk.
"Good. Now, time to finish off what you started" Rumlow announced, taking his gun out of its holster, raising his gun towards Sam.
"There's a mole. In the STRIKE team. I heard him talking to them this morning" Katy was quick to lie, pushing herself in front of Rumlow, obstructing his view of Sam.
"…Who was it?" Rumlow inquired, refusing to lower his gun.
"I don't know. I only heard his end of the call, but they were talking about STRIKE. They knew things they shouldn't have. He needs to be interrogated" Katy explained, as Rumlow pursed his lips.
"Are you giving the orders now, Rookie?" Rumlow asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, Sir. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—" Katy began, but he was quick to cut her off.
"We'll take them back to base. And then you can be the one to interrogate them" Rumlow told her, as she gave a curt nod, trying not to show the panic on her face.
Rumlow was quick to crouch down, grabbing Sam by his shirt and hauling the injured man to his feet, who appeared to be unable to stand by himself. Rumlow smirked as he began dragging Sam roughly towards the SUV, with Katy following close behind.
"I taught her well, Wilson. She'll make sure you squeal" Rumlow mocked, as they reached the back of the van.
Rumlow then threw Sam into the back of the SUV, not caring as he collapsed onto the floor with a thump, letting out a groan. Rumlow's eyes then flickered towards Natasha who was lying on her side, hands still cuffed behind her back, blood slowly leaking out of her shoulder. She appeared to be growing paler by the second. Katy felt her chest tighten at the sight, wanting to run into the van and try to stem the bleeding. How long would the redhead last without medical attention?
"Sir? Sir?!" A panicked cry could be heard through Rumlow's comms.
"What?" Rumlow snapped, taping his earpiece in annoyance.
"We have a situation, Sir. Captain America has been apprehended but…" The agent trailed off, making Rumlow frown.
"But?" He insisted.
"The Asset has become unstable. He's…Sir, you need to get down here" The agent all but begged, as Rumlow's eyes snapped up to Katy's, who had been listening intently.
"I could be of assistance. Buc…The Asset remembers me. I can calm him down. I'm sure of it" Katy suggested, watching Rumlow's jaw clench.
"…Go on then. Be the Winter whisperer" Rumlow scoffed, ushering her to leave with his hand.
Katy looked to Natasha quickly, realising she would have to leave her friends in Rumlow's hands. She knew all too well how he treated his prisoners. Natasha gave her a slight nod, as Katy bit down hard on the inside of her cheek, knowing she had little choice. If Buck became too unstable, he could be sedated and she might never see him again, or worse…he could be decommissioned.
Katy rushed past the burning cars and debris that littered the roads and was quick to spot a group of Hydra agents with their guns raised, aiming at something at the intersection. Her mouth went slack when she got a little closer, finding the Winter Soldier with his head in his hands, clawing at his hair. Steve was a few paces behind him, hands outstretched and calling out a name over and over again.
Bucky.
Was that the Soldier's real name? Katy watched in horror as Steve placed his hand on Buck's flesh arm, provoking an instinctive reaction. Buck whipped around in a split second, his metal hand wrapping around Steve's fragile neck, as he began to squeeze. Katy had seen that lost look in his eyes before. He was stuck in a memory, and probably didn't even realise what his arm was doing. Her feet were pushing her forward before she knew it, as Buck's head snapped towards her.
"Buck! Stop it!" She cried.
He didn't let go of Steve's neck, but she could see how his metal fingers flexed, seeming to slowly come back to reality. She took another step forward, holding her own hands out to show she wasn't armed.
"I…I know you…" Buck stuttered; his brow furrowed.
"It's me. It's Katy. I'm your friend" She insisted, taking another step closer, as Buck's fingers began to loosen on Steve's neck, whose eyes were darting between the pair.
"We…we danced together…" Buck mumbled, scrunching his eyes shut, the memory running behind his eyelids.
"Y-yeah, we did. We protected each other. Trusted each other…you can still trust me, Buck. You know you can" Katy went on, now only a metre away from the pair, as Buck's eyes shot open.
"Who…who the hell is Bucky?" He questioned, with wide eyes.
"You are" Steve choked out, as Buck suddenly released his grip on the blond, who stumbled back a few paces.
Katy looked to Steve in confusion, surprised when she saw unshed tears welling in his eyes. The older man looked devastated, but there was something else hidden behind his eyes. Hope. Why would meeting the Winter Soldier give Steve…
Stevie.
Katy's mouth went slack at the realisation, the lines on her forehead smoothing over as Steve met her eyes. They knew each other. The war that Buck had mentioned, how he remembered 1943, being taken by Hydra. All the pieces were suddenly connecting for her.
"You know him?" Katy asked, as Steve slowly nodded with a sad smile.
"You're my best friend, Bucky. You've known me your whole life" Steve insisted, in a pleading tone.
"No…no. I don't know you! That's not me! I am…I am the Winter Soldier. The fist of Hydra" Buck exclaimed, backing up a step.
"You're so much more than that, Buck" Katy told him, with a shake of her head.
"I'm nothing" Buck hissed, glaring at her.
"Then I am too. I'm just a Machine…and you're just a Soldier. Is that what you really think?" Katy pushed, approaching him slowly until she was standing right in front of him.
"I don't think, I…I follow orders! My orders are to kill him" Buck stated, turning with an icy glare to Steve.
"No. That's what Hydra wants. You don't have to listen to them anymore—" Katy began, but Buck cut her off in a panic.
"T-then who should I listen to? You?" He frowned, confusion etched over his features.
"I'm not going to tell you what to do, Buck. I know you'll do the right thing" Katy exclaimed, as she slowly reached out to touch his metal hand, her fingers just barely brushing over his.
"You…you promised you wouldn't forget about me…" Buck mumbled as Katy intertwined their fingers, before catching his gaze.
"And I haven't. Buck, I need you to trust me right now. Please" Katy all but begged, her eyes boring into his.
He gave a quick nod in response, feeling her fingers squeezing his, the sensation feeling odd against the usual numbness he felt in his metal limb. It felt warm. Safe. He had held this girl's hand before; he was sure of it. A name slowly came to his mind, which he blurted out before he could stop himself.
"Katy…" He trailed off, breathing heavily as she gave him a sad smile.
"I'm going to get you out. I swear I will, but you need to calm down. There are agents everywhere and we can't fight them off by ourselves. If you stand down then we can—" Katy started but was cut off by a familiar voice.
"Soldat!" Rumlow's voice boomed, causing Katy to flinch, instantly dropping her hand from Buck's.
Her dormant programming seemed to kick in immediately, as she was twisting around, standing to attention without even realising it. She cursed her instinctive reaction when she saw how confused Buck was, still staring at his metal palm, not seeming to understand why she pulled away so suddenly. Rumlow was marching towards the pair, the black SUV which she hoped still contained Sam and Natasha not far behind. She hadn't even heard him approach.
"Я готов отвечить" Buck replied, unsurely.
"It didn't look like you were complying a minute ago" Rumlow pointed out, closing the gap between them.
Buck gave no response, staring off into the distance, barely even registering Rumlow's presence. Before any of them could stop him, Steve had lunged forward, his fist colliding with Rumlow's jaw who stumbled backwards, almost falling to the ground from the impact.
"You son of a bitch!" Steve spat out, angrily.
Almost simultaneously, a group of black SUV's suddenly pulled up behind them, as agents scrambled out, all with their guns raised. There had to be at least fifty men surrounding them in a matter of seconds. Steve's eyes met Katy's for a split second, before he reluctantly placed his hands behind his head, knowing the odds were stacked against them. Rumlow had straightened up by this point, wiping away at the blood that ran down from his mouth.
"On your knees, Cap" Rumlow muttered, as the blond let out a sigh before doing as he was ordered.
"Get the cuffs. For both of them" Rumlow announced, ushering to the Winter Soldier.
"You knew…didn't you?" Steve snarled, glaring up at Rumlow.
"That your best buddy was Hydra's little bitch? Yeah, I knew. Had a good laugh about it too" Rumlow mocked, watching as Steve's jaw clenched.
"Which reminds me…" Rumlow trailed off, before sending a hard punch to Steve's face.
"…I owe you a beating for that stunt in the elevator, Cap" Rumlow grinned, throwing another punch towards the blond.
Katy turned away by the time Rumlow's third punch connected, gritting her teeth as hard as she could. Her hands itched to push the older man away, to protect her friend the way he had protected her. Before Katy had time to think of her next move, Buck's metal hand suddenly shot out, grabbing Rumlow's wrist roughly mid-air.
"Let go" Rumlow ordered with a grimace, as Buck's hand seemed to tighten.
"It's okay, Bucky. I'm okay" Steve mumbled, spitting out a small amount of blood that was coating his lips.
Buck's hand jerked away a second later, his head twitching as if he couldn't understand his actions. Katy's chest tightened again as she watched his eyes dart around, realising he didn't seem to be aware of where he was.
"Looks like I'll have to complete your mission for you" Rumlow exclaimed, his hand going to his gun, causing Katy's eyes to widen.
"No!" She screeched, as all eyes quickly snapped to hers.
"Not here, Brock. Not here" Katy insisted, ushering to a crowd of civilians at the bottom of the street, most of whom already had their phones out.
"…Someone get those damn cuffs. Now!" Rumlow yelled as Katy swallowed down her sound of relief.
Katy kept her hands clasped tightly in front of her, as she tried to calm the anxiety that coursed through her veins. She had been forced to watch as the van containing Sam, Natasha and Steve was driven away to an unknown location, and she didn't have to guess what would happen when they reached it. If she was lucky they would leave Sam alive, but she had little faith in the Hydra agent's common sense. She could only hope that Natasha was able to get out of her cuffs. Meanwhile, she had been carted off into an SUV with the Winter Soldier, who now had metal constraints wrapped around his arms. The metal seemed to have been welded to his seat, meaning he could barely flex his fingers, let alone move. Worst of all, they weren't alone in the back of the vehicle.
"You're bleeding pretty bad" Rumlow muttered, gesturing to the blood that was still running down her arm from her fight with the Winter Soldier.
"I will heal" She responded, stiffly.
"Let me bandage it—" Rumlow began, but she was quick to cut him off.
"It is not necessary" She insisted, hating the idea of Rumlow touching her again.
"Alright. They'll patch you up before fixing your inhibitor anyway" Rumlow stated, watching how Katy stilled for a second.
"I didn't think…I am better without my inhibitor" Katy told him, trying to keep the panic out of her voice.
"You're unstable. You need to be fixed" Rumlow insisted, as Katy opened her mouth to argue.
"If…if you think that is what is best, Sir" Katy stuttered, a moment later.
"Hey. I'll be right there, okay? Order comes through pain, remember?" Rumlow went on, kneeling down in front of her.
Katy didn't trust herself to speak, giving only a quick nod in response. She was running out of time. She needed to escape somehow. Perhaps if she knocked Rumlow out, that would give her time—
Her thoughts were caught off as Rumlow was pressing his lips to hers a second later, the taste of blood following soon after. She kissed him back roughly, placing her hand at the nape of his neck and pulling him closer. It had never bothered her in the past. His advances or touches. Now, it just felt…wrong. Just as Rumlow's hand came up to cup her cheek, they heard an almost growling sound from across the vehicle, pulling apart to see Buck glaring at the other man. She had never seen Buck look as angry as he did at that moment.
"Something you wanted to say, Soldat?" Rumlow questioned, pushing himself to his feet.
"Don't touch her" Buck mumbled, his voice barely above a whisper.
"What was that?" Rumlow insisted, grabbing a nearby stun baton, and holding it close to the Winter Soldier's cheek, who didn't even flinch.
"I said…don't touch her" Buck snarled, as they heard his metal constraints begin to creak, from where he seemed to be straining against them.
"Looks like you still haven't learnt your lesson" Rumlow retorted, raising the stun baton in the air.
Rumlow's forehead wrinkled when the electricity that powered the stun baton seemed to fizzle out all of a sudden, as if the weapon had been switched off. His eyes immediately flickered to Katy, who was on her feet, hand raised out, giving him an icy look.
She wouldn't let him hurt Buck. She wouldn't let anyone hurt him.
"That's enough" She announced, as Brock pursed his lips.
"You're right…that is enough" Rumlow mumbled, dropping the baton to the ground.
In the blink of an eye, he had grabbed something that was hidden inside his holster and slammed it into her thigh before Katy could stop him. She jumped back when she saw it was some sort of pen device, with a liquid inside that he had injected into her skin. She managed to stumble away before he had injected the entire contents of the pen, sending her elbow flying backwards to connect with his jaw, pushing him further away from her. Almost immediately, she started to feel the effects of the injection, her vision blurring at a fast pace.
"W-what did you do?" Katy gaped, blinking rapidly.
"It's just a sedative" He replied, as Katy backed herself up against the side of the vehicle.
"You're not as good an actress as you think you are, Rookie" Rumlow stated, as she glared up at him.
"You…you knew all this time?" She frowned, feeling pins and needles rising up her legs.
"Yeah, I did. Cause' I know one simple goddamn truth about you. I'm not the one you've always been loyal to…" Rumlow muttered, suddenly reaching out to grab her face, his fingers cutting into her cheek.
"It's him" Rumlow spat out, turning her head towards Buck, who was staring at the pair with wide eyes.
With an angry yell, Katy managed to find the strength to push Rumlow away from her, shoving him roughly in the chest. Rumlow couldn't stop the laugh that left his lips as he watched her almost fall over her own feet, the sedative clearly taking effect.
"You used me" She cried, grabbing onto the side of the van to keep herself upright.
"I'm your handler. It's part of the job description" Rumlow pointed out.
"B-brock…" Katy stuttered, in a pleading tone, dropping to her knees.
He came to loom over her, raising an eyebrow when she reached up to grip onto his shirt. Her blue eyes bore into his own, an emotion behind them that he hadn't seen before, making him frown. She looked...angry.
"...I quit" She cried, her other hand suddenly coming up to slam a metal device against his chest.
Rumlow let out a howl of pain as he saw it was one of Black Widow's taser disks, which sent a sharp electric current through his body, knocking him out instantly. Katy watched as her former handler flopped to the ground, his body twitching as she slowly pushed herself up to her feet. She stumbled towards Buck, grabbing onto the metal constraints that kept him in place. She tried to pull against them, but she had no strength left.
"I-I'll find something—" Katy began, but Buck was quick to cut her off.
"Go" He told her, as she shook her head vehemently.
"No. No, I won't leave you again" Katy insisted.
"There's no time…go!" Buck exclaimed, as Katy twisted around to see Rumlow's eyes were already opening.
"They'll wipe you again" Katy stated, practically clawing at the metal constraints now.
"Please…please go" Buck all but begged, as Katy let out a sob but slowly pulled away.
"I made you a promise. I'll keep my word" Katy told him, as Buck's lips twitched into a barely-there smile.
"I know" He replied, watching as she backed up a step.
She forced her legs to keep moving until she reached the doors of the vehicle and threw them open with what little strength she had left. The next second she was falling out into the road, rolling over a few times, the gravel cutting into the skin of her back. Her eyes fluttered open to see the van continuing down the road, but she knew it wouldn't be long until Rumlow awoke and had them hurtling back for her. She tried desperately to push herself up, but her legs simply crumbled beneath her. She jumped when she felt a hand suddenly touch her shoulder, fear gripping her for a moment, thinking it was a Hydra agent. Her eyes widened when she found a familiar redhead smirking down at her.
"Natasha?" She frowned, as the older woman was quick to pull her arm over her shoulder.
"Looked like you could use a hand" Natasha stated, as a stronger arm wrapped around her back.
She turned to see Steve on the other side of her, giving a reassuring smile as they both pulled her to her feet and all but dragged her into a nearby alleyway. They began to rush quicker when an SUV pulled up at the end of the alleyway, the doors swinging open to reveal Sam, dried blood still covering part of his face.
"Did someone call for a dashing rescue?" Sam grinned, as the group bundled into the van.
"Still looking for them" Natasha teased, biting back her grimace as she felt pain course down her shoulder.
The van was taking off a second later, racing out of the alleyway and onto the nearest road, the unknown driver clearly wanting to put as much space between them and the other Hydra agents as possible. Katy turned her attention to Natasha, whose shoulder was tightly bandaged but still clearly bleeding through the material. Katy felt her bottom lip wobble as she inhaled sharply, the guilt she felt in her chest becoming almost painful.
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you" Katy mumbled.
"I'll live. But it's bye-bye bikini season I guess" Natasha exclaimed, as they heard a scoff from Steve.
"Yeah, I'm sure you'll look terrible now" Steve teased.
"You're not angry with me?" Katy asked, as Natasha shook her head.
"You saved us, Katy…your plan could have used some tweaking here and there, but we'd all be dead if it wasn't for you" Natasha explained.
Natasha was surprised when Katy suddenly leant forward, wrapping her arms around the redhead's shoulders, pulling her close. Natasha took a few moments to react before a smile spread over her lips, and she returned the hug, despite the pain in her shoulder. It had been too long since someone had willingly hugged either woman.
"I don't want to have to shoot you ever again" Katy mumbled, hearing Natasha laugh close to her ear, as the pair pulled apart.
"Do I get one of those too?" Sam spoke up, as Katy turned to him, eyes surveying the wounds that she herself had caused.
"I'm sorry—" Katy began, but he cut her off quickly.
"You say that word again and I'm gonna' punch you in the face" Sam suggested, as a smile began to grow on Katy's own lips.
The pair embraced a moment later, with Sam wrapping his arms tightly around the younger girl, the relief on both their faces. Katy felt a strange sense of safety when she was around the group. They had begun to feel like…home. It was a strange concept, but she realised she wanted nothing more than to never leave their sides again. She was beginning to feel sleepy by the time Sam spoke up again.
"But that's definitely the last time I go up against you, Terminator" Sam chuckled, pulling away, as Katy's forehead wrinkled.
"What's a Terminator?" She frowned.
"Oh, hell no. After this you and me are having a movie night for sure" Sam muttered to himself.
"They still have him?" Steve blurted out, as Katy turned to him, noticing for the first time he had tear tracks on his cheeks.
"I tried to get him out, but Rumlow…he sedated me. I couldn't…" Katy stuttered, as Steve reached out to place his hand on her shoulder.
"It's okay, Katy. Everything's gonna' be okay" Steve insisted.
For some reason Steve's words had her façade crumbling, her smile falling away as she felt her vision blur again. It wasn't due to the sedation this time she realised when she felt something wet against her cheeks. She was crying. No matter what she tried, the tears didn't seem to stop, a horrible sob leaving her lips a second later. Steve's hands were quick to encompass her, pulling her close to his chest as she tried to stop her weeping.
"I've got you" He sighed, as she slowly drifted out of consciousness, feeling his hand slowly stroking her hair.