You Need Her
They made their way through the city, picking up some stuff, like a backpack, some food, and clothes that were laying around in a park. The girl didn't talk much after the dad incident and didn't question anything he did, she just followed him around, looking everything else with curiosity. She looked amazed by the dog, flowers, and a playground full of children but she just watched. People occasionally turn their heads at them, having a child with him did make things harder but he managed, an angry cold glance would scare them away.
In the journey to find a place to sleep, they ended up outside of the city, found an old barn, which should be enough for tonight until he decided what to do next. Once inside, the child unattached herself from him, which give him time to look around with the help of the little of the light that was coming from outside, it looked like a safe place, the lights didn't seem to work but they could manage. Then he turned his attention to the things he had gathered for themself.
The backpack contains men's clothing, caps, notebooks, pencils, some money, granola bars and a flier that caught his attention, “Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History: The Captain America Exhibition” a picture of the man he fought just hours ago was on it, his mind started wondering about the man, his eyes going through the information that was on it, this place was going to be the next destination. Going to the rest of the things he had managed to get was a sweater that looks like it was the girl's size, some little shoes that should fit her, what looked like an old blanket and a paper bag that said, “Taco Bell” on it, luck was on their side, it had some tacos. Without realizing the girl was already standing in front of him, taking a sit on the floor.
“Dad.” She smiles at him, he wasn't ready to hear her calling him dad again, that title didn't belong to someone like him, so with a cold tone he tells her, “I am not your father” he passed some of the tacos and she takes them without question and bites one, quickly the first taco was gone.
With her mouth full of food she manages to say, “Yes you are, I know you are” looking at him, no hesitation in her voice and he realizes something else, the girl talked like she was an adult, her words were clear and no trace of a childish tone, being in that place had stolen her childhood and even though she was still pretty young she was probably traumatized for life.
“I am not,” he replies to her once again with a strong and cold tone, looking her directly to her eyes, “You need to stop calling me that.”
“So what I am supposed to call you.?” He hasn't thought about that, he wasn't sure, he had been a soldier, the Winter Soldier for as long as he could remember, maybe his whole life. But the man of the fight had called him Bucky which made him remember some things, maybe he had a life before becoming this perfect machine. He had a connection to that name yet it was still weird to call himself something different than the Winter Soldier. “Bucky,” the reply did not sound convincing but it was better than being called a soldier.
“Okay, Bucky.” she said with a mocking sound, she looked annoyed and a bit angry which didn't bug him much, she spoke again, “but you are my dad.”
They keep eating the food in silence, a few crunches here and there coming from the girl would break the quiet. He was getting loose in his thoughts about the man, his mission, one that he had failed. The determination to bring out this Bucky, was that who he was?, “I'm with you until the end of the line," he told him.
“Arenʼt you going to ask me what can you call me.?” He didnʼt reply, the less he knew about the girl the better, they could get control of him again and sent him to kill her something worse.
The girl seems determined to talk to him, not caring about the lack of response, “My name is Brooklynn, the last name Barnes, my mother named me is a pretty name, do you like it.?” Her name sounded familiar but what stud out to him was Barnes, the man has mentioned that name to him too, James Buchanan Barnes, that must be his name.“You can call me Brooklynn, Brooke or Brooks, one time you called me Doll, I liked it. Brooklynn is just too long, isnʼt it?.” Once again Bucky doesnʼt reply to caught up with the new information, forming thought about life before being a soldier but nothing really came up to him again. So defeated he decides to ask a girl some question, they need to find her family too, they might share the same last name but that could be only a coincidence.
“How did you end up in that place?.” he passes the blanket to the girl, she seems tired and she would need it for tonight. Her eyes meeting the ceiling and look back at him, “Oh, well I was created there.” that's going to make things harder, her parents were most likely agents or scientist of the organization, neither of them should be back there, who would sing up a child for an experiment?. “You were born there,” Bucky affirms at what she nods, “I was, they created me, Hydra created me for one thing only” her eyes never leaving him, “Which was?” he couldn't stop himself from asking.
“It was not for a good thing. They told me I was helping the world be a better place, that I was part of something big but they lied. I know what they made me do was very bad but it kept them happy and that way they wouldnʼt hurt you.”
“Iʼm not understanding.” Has she killed already? Did they force her to take a life? How powerful this child was? her knowledge to differentiate bad from good was surprising to him, she was born there and race there, she should only know evil.
“I have known you since before I was born, Bucky,” she paused, taking a big breath, looking again at him like he was everything, “My mother, she gave me her knowledge, her memories, her powers, Iʼm just like her and you. Iʼm an experiment, they try many times to create someone to control, to have control of people, to control their greatest weapon, and to create more like him, all of their tries fail until I until they used my mother and you. I was created to keep you from remembering, to make you obey, to have control of you an easy way, a less painful way” a weep came from her, eyes on the floor, tears started to make their way to her cheeks and then the floor. “You are four.”
“Iʼm six, almost seven. I just developed pretty fast mentally, they forced me because by one I knew how to take your memories.” Sadness reflecting on her face, cleaning off the trace of the tears and looked up to him, a little smile in her lips. Bucky didn't know how to act, he couldn't remember any of what she had told him, there was no way to confirm if it was true without going back to one of Hydras locations and they needed to stay out of their radar for now. They stayed quiet, her eyes still on the floor, his eyes on her. “Do you still have them?,” Bucky asked quietly, trying to not sound cold.
“What?.” her voice was small and it lacked the cheerful tone she had when she told him her name, he pointed to his head, “I can take them but I canʼt give them back, sorry” that sounded like a lie to him but that was a fight he didn't want to start with a six-year-old who hold such a power over him.
A yawn comes out of her mouth, the dark has already claimed the barn. “Can we sleep now, Bucky?.” he nods, not liking she needs his affirmation, “Sure.” with nothing more to talk Brooklynn lays down in the floor, using the old blanket, her face away from bucky now, he sees when her shoulder relaxed and her breath evens out, she's out pretty fast. He followed shortly after, the fight had a load on him and a headache was now present, he needs to rest but sleep isn't going to come to him easily after everything that was told to him. His eyes looking at the ceiling after he had lay down, this whole thing was insane, this girl couldn't be his, there was no way, yet it didn't sound like she was lying but he just could not believe it. If all of this was true he knew one thing for sure, Hydra would want the girl back because even if he wasn't there anymore this girl could turn anyone into a mindless person, giving the title of the perfect soldier to someone else, she is the key to success if her power keeps being used by that organization, who knows what else she has done for them. She needs to be placed in a safe place, running around with him it was too dangerous for both of them. The man, the captain, they would found him and place the girl with him, he would know what to do.
“Can't sleep?,” says with a whisper Brooklyn, he sees a blue light moving towards him, “I can help you, I always do,” the light coming from her hands, that seem familiar but at the same time strange, new, “I'm fine,” he tells her a bit annoy. “Is okay I won't hurt you, I never really do, you need to sleep for tomorrow. We need to found your friend, Steve.” and before he could ask about the name, two little fingers touch his forehead and sleep wrap him around.
“Good night dad” was the last thing he heard before he was off to a dreamless rest or that's what he thought.
-------
A loud cry of a baby is heard inside the room the winter soldier is guarding, following by cheers of everyone else that is in the room. The voice of a woman can also be heard, crying, she's crying.
“Please let me see her, at least one time” she speaks in another language, one he can't name but knows, her voice is weak; begging, she's begging.
“You have fulfilled your mission, attachment to this child is unnecessary my dear.” Another voice, an old raspy voice says in the same language, he sounded firm and cold.
“Can I at least give her a name?.” She tries again.
“That wonʼt be necessary, sheʼs just a soldier like her predecessor, a name would only make her human and we donʼt want that, right my dear?.”
“I did everything you asked me to do, please just” a hand hits skin and the voice was brutally stopped. He couldn't hear the woman anymore, the baby was quiet too. More cheering could be heard, this was a glorious moment.
“Bring him in, he needs to see what he has helped create.” The voice demanded, the door opened and a signal was given and the soldier entered the room.
“Come look solder, we have created something to bring hope to our cause” There was a newborn, a girl, the people all around her celebrating, pride that's all they spoke.
“Without your help soldier, this wouldnʼt have been possible.” He stood there and nods, staring blankly to the new baby, whose blue eyes had met his own. He felt something change in him, something strong. What was it?
“Soldier kill the woman,” the order give him a chill down his back, why? he didn't need to question the order giving, he just needs to follow but his mind was having trouble. The mother of the child has to die, “We have no use of her anymore, her mission is done we donʼt want her to jeopardize anything by attaching to our newest creation.” Without hesitation, he made his way to the center of the room where a woman was set on a metal table, blood was around her, brown eyes met him this time. “Please before I go, I want to see her.” Her cries werenʼt heard. Both of his hands were on her throat before she could beg him anymore. Her eyes start watering, her face starting to change color. She didnʼt put up a fight and while her eyes started to roll back she gets a hold of the soldier arms a break hold, with her last dying breath she whispers to him, “Her name is Brooklynn, please you need her to free yourself.” then her hands left him, he felt something break with that he confirms the woman is gone.
Have done his job he took the place next to the blond-haired man, who placed the girl in his arms. “Youʼre holding the new future of hydra soldier, this child would bring peace to us,” he asks for quietness and everyone started to round around them.
“Youth is an unrecoverable asset. Unless you are a hydra, and today we have created something powerful, an asset to hydra that we would be able to shape. Hail Hydra”
“Hail Hadry” everyone cheered, while the baby locked eyes with the soldier and one thing came to him.
“Her name is Brooklynn, you need her to free yourself”
--------
Bucky wakes up in a cold sweat, a bit shaken up by the dream? memory?. The baby of the dream looked like Brooklynn and that's what the woman had called her, he had killed her mother?. The sun already out, they need to go, the faster they found who they are looking for the better. He stands up and ignores the feeling of wanting to know more for a second, he quickly changes to the clothes found in the bag. The girl was still there sleeping.
“Is time to go, wake up child” he demands with a loud voice. “I told you what you can call me,” she said rubbing her eyes of sleep, a second later she was up, picking up the blanket from the floor. “Child,” he calls her and throws a granola bar her way which she caches and starts eating. “Are you going to call me by my name?” no reply, she glances at him with angry eyes but he ignored it. “Here put them on,” he says handing the pair of shoes and sweater for her, “Where are we going?.”
“We are going to a place to look for some answers.” Bucky hags the bag in his shoulders, picking everything up so there is no trace that they were ever here. He puts a cap on and puts one on Brooklynn. They walk out of the place, they close the door. She goes for his hand the second they start walking.
“You're not going to leave me again, right?.” He couldn't keep her, that was what came to mind the second she finished. “You need protection.” That's all he says, her hold became stronger, a little too strong for a girl her age.
“You need me Bucky, please don't leave me.”
The words from his dream coming back to him, “You need her to free yourself” the woman had said but he has a mission now, putting the girl safe even if losing her meant he was never going to be free.