Chapter 5
Adelaide could honestly say that she had never panicked before in her life. She was level-headed and trained to analyze situations and act accordingly. However, when a strange man entered her home after almost four months of no problems, she panicked. He had blocked her only ways out by snooping in the main rooms. She wasn’t tall enough to get out of the window in the bathroom. Currently, she was cowering, shaking, in the spare bedroom that they didn’t use. Suddenly, and hand covered her mouth, and warm breath was felt next to her ear. “Tol'ko menya, kotenok,” she heard her dad whisper into her ear so quietly even she barely heard it. “Ya videl soobshcheniye. Chto eto?” She began to sign to him frantically, not wanting to be heard. (Only me, kitten / I saw the message. What is it?”)
‘There is a large man outside, taller than you. He has a white star on his chest, and he talks to a man in his ear. Who is he? Why is he here? Has Hydra found us?’ He grabbed her hands and looked her in the eye.
“Îți amintești planul?” he asked quietly in Romanian. She nodded. “Când te-am da semn, să acționeze așa cum ați făcut-o în Hydra. Nu-l lăsa să știu că poți să-l auzi până nu-ți spun. Apoi, când totul este clar, urmați planul. Intelegi?” She nodded again. “Fata buna. Fii gata, steaua mea.” She kissed his cheek and gave him a hug, then nodded up at him. (Remember the plan? / When I give the signal, act as you did in Hydra. Do not let him know you can hear until I tell you. Then, when everything is clear, follow the plan. Understand? / Good girl. Be ready, my star.)
‘I love you, Daddy,’ she signed.
“Ya tozhe lyublyu tebya, Addie.” Her eyes widened at the new nickname as he left the room on silent feet. He had never called her by her actual name, much less a version of it ever since she had told him. What did it mean? She heard the creaking of a board, and she stepped down the hall into the living room, scooting up behind her father’s legs and peeking out at the tall man standing before her.
“Who’s that?” the man asked.
“None of your business.”
“Who is she, Bucky?”
“I don’t have to answer you.”
“What’s your name, kid?” the man asked her. She furrowed her brows at him and tilted her head at him before cowering back further behind Bucky’s legs.
“She won’t answer you.”
“Why not?”
“For one, she doesn’t trust you.”
“And she trusts you?”
“I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
“Buck, I’m trying to help you. There are people after you.”
“I wasn’t in Vienna. I don’t do that anymore. I was here, with her.”
“That alibi won’t hold up in any court, and you know it. You’re a wanted man, Buck, and the entire world is out for your head. The people who think you did are coming here now. And they’re not planning on taking you alive. Now, I’m here to help you get out of here before the government gets here, busting in with guns blazing. “
“That’s smart,” Bucky said, placing a calming hand behind him on Adelaide’s head. “Good strategy.” He tapped her shoulder.
“This doesn’t have to end in a fight.”
“It always ends in a fight.”
“You pulled me from the river. Why?”
“I don’t know.”
“Yes, you do. The same reason you’re taking care of that girl.”
“I don’t know, and don’t pretend that you do!” Bucky stepped away from her, and she hurried over, grabbing her jacket from the bed and putting it on. He strode towards the door with determined steps.
“Barnes, stop! You’re gonna kill someone!” Bucky spun around and slammed the man into the floor, punching a hole in the floor next to his head and pulling out their backpacks.
“I’m not gonna kill anyone.” He tossed Adelaide her ratty book bag and spun back around to punch the man that entered the room. It became an all-out fight after that. Adelaide ducked between the legs of three men, stopping only to glance back at Bucky, who was fighting his way after her. He nodded at her, his face serious, and she took off up the stairs, her feet almost blurs. Soldiers surrounded her suddenly.
“Stop! Put your hands up!”
“For goodness’ sake, man. It’s only a girl. Barnes probably had her held as leverage.” She backed up into a corner, looking frighteningly at the large guns the men held. She began shaking, her mind flickering back and forth from Hydra to present day.
What harm could a little girl do? Let him keep it.
Tell him that she’s his next mission. I want to see how it plays out.
“Hey, it’s alright. We won’t hurt you.”
Get stronger. It’s the only way you’ll live.
Why bother talking to her? It’s not like she can hear you.
But she is learning to read lips. This way she will be of use to us in the future.
“Are you alright, little girl?”
Again!
Again!
Again! Or we will take it out of you later!
Do it right!
Shoot her.
“Tranq her. The girl’s nuts.” She saw the gun get cocked, and she began to shake even more.
“The suspect’s escaped!”
“Get him!”
“Hurry up, man. Barnes is getting away, and they want him bad.” No. No, no, no, no, no. They couldn’t take him. They’d wipe him again or worse. She couldn’t lose him again. She curled up in tighter ball, shaking so hard that her teeth were chattering. A pressure was building up in her head, and she felt as if she was going to explode.
“I can’t get a good shot. She’s shaking so bad I might kill her.” She felt a snapped, and the pressure disappeared. Surprised sounds and exclamations echoed around her, and when she opened her eyes, all of the men were on the ground, unconscious. She stood on shaky feet and hurried up the stairs as quickly as she could. Had to go. Had to get away. Hydra would find them. Gotta go. Daddy was waiting. He’d fix everything. He always did. She finally got to the floor she was headed for and went out onto the balcony. Hurrying to the side, she looked down to see her dad land the jump. He looked up at her, then waved. She waved back, then hurried several steps back. Taking a deep breath, she started pumping her legs harder than she ever had before, running, running, running, jumping, falling. She locked eyes with Bucky, whose arms were out, ready to catch her. Suddenly, she was jerked upward, and encased in strong arms. She watched with frightened eyes as her dad got smaller and smaller beneath her, and a man in black came up to attack him. She started squirming fitfully, trying to get the man with metal wings to get her back to the ground.
“Cap, I got the girl, but she’s putting up a fight here. I’ve got a good hold on her, but she just knocked everyone except for Barnes off his feet within a half-mile radius. What do I do?”
“Get her somewhere safe, away from all of this. We’ll come get her after we get Bucky.”
“Got it. Come on, Wondergirl. Let’s get you somewhere safe.” She was dropped on her feet atop a building and left, watching the bird man fly off. Looking around, she began to run, jumping from building to building, keeping the flying man in sight. She followed him all the way to a highway system. She jumped down the hole leading to the tunnel-system, and looked around.
“Kotenok!” a voice cried. She spun around just in time to be caught up with a metal arm and seated on a speeding motorcycle. “I thought I’d lost you,” he said as he held her tightly. She shook her head.
“Not for very long, anyway.”
“I love you, my printsessa, no matter what happens here today. You must know that.”
“Daddy, I love you, and I know you do, but please focus on the road. The cat-man is catching up again.”
“Right.” They drove and avoided and did so many stunts that Adelaide was pretty sure her dad was a daredevil in another time. Then, he gripped her middle tightly. “Myshka, you see that pile of tires up ahead?”
“Da?”
“When I tell you, jump into them.”
“Da, papa.”
“Good girl. Ready?” She nodded. “Get set. Go!” He flung her, and she jumped, landing right in the middle of the rather hard rubber, but she had had much worse before. A large explosion sent her right back into the pile after she stood up, and she coughed around the dust that flew up and lunged out of the way as cars screeched to a halt and went every which way. She began frantically climbing over the rubble the explosion had caused, and she reached the other side only to see her dad face-down on the ground, being handcuffed.
“ābayē!” she cried, running to him as he stood up and caught her up in his arms, hugging her tightly. (Daddy!)
“giligeli, mini iyaderegachihu newi?” he asked frantically. (Kitten, what are you doing?)
“inē bet’ami ābayē ānite līyat’a āyichilimi ibakihi,” she whispered to him, feeling tears trickle down her face. (I couldn’t lose you again.)
“Who is this? Steve, who is that?” the man in the gray metal suit asked the first man she had met.
“Don’t know. She was staying with him when we got here.”
“She a hostage?” the man with wings asked.
“No,” the cat-man said seriously. She noticed he had an accent, as she had thought. Her plan had worked. “She is no hostage of Sergeant Barnes. She is his daughter.”
“She’s a little old to be his daughter, unless Hydra let him fool around,” wing-man said. She didn’t know if she liked him or not.
“Family doesn’t necessarily end in blood,” the cat-man said. “However, it is not the time nor place to discuss these things. We must go.” Adelaide tightened her arms around her dad’s neck and started crying.
“Ya ne khochu delat', papa. YA ne khochu idti. Pozhaluysta, ne zastavlyay menya idti s nimi. Ya khochu domoy,” she sobbed quietly into his shoulder. (I don’t want to go, Daddy. I don’t want to go. Please don’t make me go with them. I want to go home.)
“Ya znayu, solntse. Ya znayu,” he replied quietly. He slowly set her down and crouched down to eye-level with her, as if he was going to tell her that he had another surprise for her. “I’m sorry this happened to you, sweetheart,” he said. “I did some bad thing. Really bad things. Now, that past has finally caught up with me. They won’t do anything to you; you’re just a child, but they’ll question you about me, and you tell them the truth. Tell them anything they want to know, alright? That man over there?” She turned and followed where he was pointing to the first man they had met. “He’s a friend of mine. He’ll take care of you. Be nice to him, and behave. His name is Steve Rogers, or Captain America as you might know him. To me, he’s just a kid from Brooklyn who fought all the battles he could. He’ll fight for you like I do. You’ll be safe with him. Understand, kotenok?” She nodded, but tears dripped down her face. “I’m sorry, moye serdtse. I wish it didn’t have to happen this way. I love you, moya yarkaya malen'kaya zvezda. Never forget that.” She nodded. “Now, go on.” He stood up and turned her towards Steve. She didn’t see what he mouthed to his old friend, but Steve did. Steve Rogers stood and watched and listened as his best friend looked at the little girl with all the love and caring that he had seen him show to his little sister, maybe even more. He heard the things he said to her about him, about everything, then he saw him stand up and turn her towards him, pushing her gently forwards. Looking up at his friend, he clearly saw the words he begged, pleaded to him. ‘Please, take care of my little girl.’ Steve nodded, face as serious as it had ever been. He would take care of the girl if it took every breath he had left. The girl came up to him, and he smiled down at her. “Her name is Adelaide,” Bucky said simply as the government officials cuffed him and led him away. Steve placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled down at her before watching as both of them cast longing glances at each other as Bucky was dragged away. (I know, sunshine. I know/my heart/my bright little star)
“Come on, Cap,” the man in the metal suit said, making Adelaide look up at him. “Bring the girl, I suppose, but we have to get you to headquarters.” Steve nodded, looking down at her with serious, but kind blue eyes.
“C’mon, Adelaide. Time to go.” He helped her up into the seat in the back of the van, then slid in next to her. The cat-man slid in on her other side, and she pressed up closer to Steve. “Your Highness?” Steve asked.
“Yes, Captain?”
“Do you think you could scoot a bit closer to the door? I think you’re scaring her.”
“Then why doesn’t she say so herself?” the man said, looking at her with an empty stare. She met his eyes for only a brief second before looking down at her lap. She eased away from Steve’s side and sat up ram-rod straight, in perfect military fashion. It actually looked uncomfortable, the way she was sitting. They had only been in the van a few minutes when the bird-man, who sat in the back, started talking.
“So, you like cats?” he asked.
“Sam,” Steve said in exasperation. Sam. So that was the bird-man’s name.
“What? Dude shows up dressed like a cat, and you don’t wanna know more?”
“Your suit,” Steve said, much more respectfully. “Vibranim?”
“The Black Panther has been the protector of my people for generations. A mantle passed from warrior to warrior,” the cat-man answered seriously, looking at Adelaide out of the corner of his eye. “And now, because your friend murdered my father, I also wear the mantle of king.” Adelaide tried not to, but she felt a few tears slip past the edge of her eyes. “So I ask you, as both warrior and king, how long do you think you can keep your friend safe from me?” Adelaide barely managed to suppress the shiver that shot its way down her spine. How could he talk about her father like that? She felt as if the man had stabbed one of his claws into her chest and clawed around in it before pulling away.
“King T’Challa, please,” Steve said. “If not for me, then for Adelaide. She apparently means a great deal to Bucky, and vice versa. Please don’t talk like that in front of her.” The man looked at her and regarded her for a full minute.
“Look at me,” he ordered. She turned eyes brimming with unshed tears toward him, barely keeping herself from crying or flinching in his gaze. “You are a strong little girl,” he said finally. “One who has seen and done much that one at your age should not have. I also suspect that you know things that may provide answers. For this reason, I will not speak of such things in your presence again. When you are ready, I will be willing to listen, Miss Adelaide.” She nodded slightly, then returned her gaze to her lap. She felt Steve lay a gentle hand on her back and rub it soothingly. They reached wherever they were going, and she climbed over Steve to get out of the vehicle and look for Bucky. She finally spotted him, and her heart dropped to her feet. He was in a reinforced glass cage, sitting down with his arms in restraints. She didn’t hear anything said as Steve and Sam led her to the room the others were going to. She was led into a big room and halted, looking at a man who, if her memory served, was Tony Stark, or Iron Man, as she recalled. He was on the phone when they walked in.
“Consequences? You bet there will be consequences.” Pause. “Obviously you can quote me on that. I just said it. Anything else? Thank you, sir.” He hung up and looked at Adelaide. “Who’s the kid?” Tony asked.
“We’re not sure. Her name’s Adelaide; she’s been staying with Bucky, and she won’t talk to anyone but him. That’s all we know. Consequences?” Steve said.
“Secretary Ross wants you both prosecuted. I have to give him something.”
“I’m not getting that shield back, am I?” Steve asked.
“Technically, it’s government property. Wings too.”
“That’s cold,” Sam said.
“Warmer than jail,” Tony countered. He and Steve walked away, while Sam sat down with her in another room.
“So, you lived with Barnes?” he asked her. She looked at him blankly. “Look, sweetheart—” She tensed at the nickname. “Alright, easy there, Adelaide. Look, I help people with PTSD. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Among other things. And you have a bit of that, I think, which is why you only talk to people you trust. I get that, I really do, but it’s not healthy to keep everything bottled up inside.” She merely looked at him. Sam sighed. “Look, I’ll be there first to tell you that I’m not exactly part of Barnes’s fan-club, but I saw the way the man looked at you, and there was nothing but love in those eyes. I saw the same look in yours. You two are pretty close, and I’d love nothing more than to take you down to him and let you two hug it out, but I can’t. I can only help in the little way I know how. Let me help Cap help him. What do ya say?” Adelaide thought about it for a moment, then nodded slightly. “Okay. That’s a start. So, you’ve been with Barnes for quite a while now, huh?” She nodded. “Were you saved by him?” She nodded again. “Saved from who?” She raised an eyebrow at him. “Right. Yes or no questions at the moment. Did he save you from a group?” Nod. “Was is a big group?” Another nod. “Was is about two years ago?” Nod again. “Did Barnes save you from Hydra?” Nod. “Mother of—you can’t be more than ten.” She held up one finger on one hand, and two on the other. “You’re twelve years old?” Nod. “Son of a—did Hydra start training you to be an assassin?” She nodded again. Sam ran a hand down his face. “C’mon, kid. We’ve got to go find Cap.” They found him, along with a woman named Sharon Carter in another room. There, a video screen showed the room where Bucky Barnes was being held. A man was just entering the room. She looked to Steve in question.
“He’s going to perform a psych evaluation of him,” Steve explained. “Determine if he’s stable or not.” Adelaide’s brow furrowed.
“Hello, Mr. Barnes,” the man said in an accented voice. “I’ve been sent by the United Nations to evaluate you. Do you mind if I sit?” Bucky made no move, only watched him closely. “Your first name is James?”
“The receipt for your gear,” Sharon said behind her.
“Bird costume?” Sam asked.
“Come on. I didn’t write it.”
“I’m not here to judge you,” the doctor said from the video. “I just want to ask you a few questions. Do you know where you are, James?” Bucky was silent, glaring at the floor. “I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me, James.” Adelaide held her breath. She so desperately wanted out of this awful place.
“My name is Bucky. Where’s Adelaide?”
“Who?”
“My daughter. The girl who was with me. Where is she?”
“She is well-taken care of, I assure you. Now, shall we continue?”
“Why would the task force release this photo to begin with?” Steve asked suddenly, drawing Adelaide’s focus from the video for a moment.
“Get the word out, involve as many eyes as we can?” Sharon suggested.
“Right. It’s a good way to flush a guy out of hiding,” Steve said. “Set off a bomb, get your picture taken. It’s a good way to get seven million people looking for the Winter Soldier.”
“You’re saying someone framed him to find him,” Sharon said.
“Steve, we looked for the guy for two years and found nothing.”
“We didn’t bomb the UN. That turns a lot of heads.”
“So?” Adelaide turned back to the video, ignoring the adults. She looked down at the man at the desk and suddenly felt as if her heart had stopped. She saw something on that man’s desk that should not be there.
“No,” she whispered.
“What was that?” Steve asked, looking at her. He thought he heard the girl say something, but he wasn’t sure.
“It’s not possible,” she continued to herself, getting closer to the screen and looking hard at the book on the desk. She turned around suddenly, eyes wide with fright.
“What? What is it, Adelaide? What’s wrong?” Steve asked. She opened her mouth to talk, then thought better of it, motioning for him to follow her, then running out the door. “Adelaide!” Steve called out after her.
“Steve!” Sam yelled. She heard footsteps pounding after her. She had to get there fast. It would be too late if she didn’t make it there in time. She had to make it. It would break him, everything they had worked for for so long. Had to get there. Had to make it. Couldn’t be too slow. Flashes of her training ran through her head. Being chased by dogs and other tracking animals. Guns being fired at her. She had to go, faster, faster, faster.
“Adelaide!” Steve called. Elevator too slow. Stairs. She found them and ran. She knew where he was; she always knew, no matter what. She ran and ran and ran. She could hear Steve and Sam following, and prayed she wasn’t too late. She ducked through the door to the right floor and darted off down the hallway. Her heart was beating hard in her chest, and her breath burned her throat, but she kept going. If she didn’t make it. If she wasn’t fast enough. Suddenly, the lights went off. No. No. No. She’d make it. She was almost there. She’d get there in time. She skidded around a corner and barreled past two guards. Putting her hands out in front of her, she slammed into the door to the room, and it flew off of its hinges and into the room, crashing against the cage.
“Adelaide,” Bucky said in awe.
“Papa, he has—”
“Ah, ah, ah, little one,” the man said, smiling down at her. “You aren’t to be down here. And my, what a feat. You blew the whole door down. My, my. Such power for such a little girl.”
“Stop talking to her like that!” Bucky growled.
“Let’s talk about your home, no?” the man said, pulling the book from the table.
“No!” she cried, running up to him and kicking him hard in the leg. He winced, then backhanded her, sending her to the floor with a yelp.
“Kotenok!” Bucky yelled.
“Ah, see. There’s your real home,” the man said. “Not Romania. Certainly not Brooklyn, no. Your real home.” Adelaide shook her head. The man opened his mouth to read from the dreaded red book, and she strengthened her resolve. He wouldn’t get him back, not while she was there. With a low growl, she was grateful for the one thing Hydra taught her that served a purpose to help and harm at the same time. She jumped onto his back and knocked the book from his hands.
“Addie!” Bucky cried. She wouldn’t let go, locking her hands around his windpipe as she dangled down his back. The man clawed at her hands before smashing her back against a wall. She saw stars but refused to let go. “Stop, princess. You’re going to get hurt.”
“Listen to Daddy, little girl,” the man choked out. “Don’t want him to see you kill.” She locked eyes with Bucky, message clear in her eyes. He nodded. Cocking a leg back, she hit him hard in the back of the knee with her foot, sending him to the floor. She rolled away from him as he crashed to the floor, crouching on the ground. The man coughed violently, then looked up at her. “Very good, little one. Did Hydra teach you that?” She growled. “Well, I learned this in an alley in my youth.” He grabbed his bag and swung it at her. She ducked, but the strap got caught around her neck. The man lifted his arm, and she dangled several inches off the floor, and too far away from him to do anything.
“Addie!” Bucky yelled, trying to get out of his bonds. He was straining his left arm to get it to break the restraint, eyes locked with hers. “Hang on, doll!”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Barnes. She’ll be perfectly alright. This shouldn’t hurt at all.” She felt a little prick on her neck, and the world soon turned to darkness.
“Addie!”