Три
Lidiya pulls up outside of another apartment building, this time in the centre of the capital. She stops her bike and pulls off her helmet, putting it inside her backpack as she makes her way to the small corner shop next to the apartment. The array of food on display makes her mouth water, and she buys a selection of fruits and carbs. Plums are the last thing she picks up, and she pays for them quickly, knowing she only has 46 hours left.
Every month, she visited a friend of hers, who helped her whilst she was still new to HYDRA. She knew that he was finding it hard to cope at the moment, and her heart ached every time they met. He was special, and he had endured a lot, and still he lived in this never-ending nightmare – she was terrified to think she could end up the same.
She left the shop, groceries in hand, and made her way towards the building. Keeping her head down, she entered the block, running up the stairs swiftly. Reaching the twenty first floor, she knocked gently on the door and said, “It’s just me.”
There was a pause, before the door opened ajar, and a gloved hand reached out to grab hers. She was pulled inside, the door shutting immediately behind her.
The man’s eyes are red and puffy, and his hair is seemingly longer each time. He looks as if he hasn’t shaved in weeks.
“Buck,“ she said, biting her lip as he sighs gently. He gives a soft smile in return, running a hand through his hair.
“Ce mai faci, dragul meu?” she said, putting the bag on a table nearby.
The other man shrugs, “Bine,” and he folds his arms across his chest. Lidiya glances at him, before turning to the bag and emptying it on the table. She picks up various items, putting a few away into cupboards and draws. Bucky sits down on the sofa, giving a deep sigh, before he turns back to her.
“The assassination yesterday, it was you?” he said, eyes watering slightly.
Lidiya nods, “It was a mission, and you know I have to complete them,” she replies.
“I know your reasons, but stay safe. Natasha was after you,” he gives a small smile, to which she rolls her eyes. “If I didn’t have to do this, I wouldn’t. You know that right?” she sighs, picking up a peach and sitting next to him. Bucky simply nods, rubbing his eyes and reaching out for her peach. She tries to swat away his hand, but he takes it and bites into it.
“Bitch,” she scowls, nudging him in disgust. Shrugging, he passes it back, leaning back into the sofa.
“I had another memory last night,” he said, turning towards her. His eyes were painfully watery, and he looks hurt as he speaks.
“What was it?” she said, taking another bite out of the peach. It’s sweet and fleshy in her mouth, the tastes tingling on her tongue.
“Remember, that guy I was talking about, Steve?” he whispers. His face is full of fondness and he looks back over to Lidiya. She nods gently, her eyes focused on solely him. Bucky sighs again, “His mom’s name was Sarah. She- She died when he was 18.”
Lidiya’s mouth opens. She knew this was important to Bucky, and suddenly he was in her arms, crying into her neck.
“How could I nearly kill him? He was my friend!” he cries, and Lidiya rocks him back and forth, trying to comfort him in some kind of way. She spends 10 minutes comforting him, until he had stopped sniffing. Pulling away, she wiped his cheeks, and sat back, knowing she would have to leave soon.
“Bucky, I know this is difficult. But it wasn’t you, it was them trying to control you. Just like they control all of us, no matter what we try and do, it’s still all up there,” she taps her head, and pauses, taking another deep breath, “But at least you’re both fine, and they can’t get you now,” she said, smiling at him as he nodded. He looked broken, almost childlike in his expression. “And Buck, they’re after me still, and I can’t lead them to you,” she stood up, knowing deep down that they had tracked her.
It didn’t bother Lidiya that they had found her – it made this all the more fun. But right now, Bucky was her main priority and they couldn’t get to him.
“Can I leaving this here, I can’t fight with it on,” she said, leaving the helmet in the corner of the room on the floor.
Bucky nodded in return, standing up too and stretching his back. He had taken the glove off, and the metal of his left hand shone in the sunlight. She reached out and hugged him tight, “Ai grijă acum, prietene, I’ll be back soon.”
“Şi tu, I’ll see you soon,” he said, grinning at her. He chuckled slightly, before opening the door ajar, “Thanks for the shopping, and don’t let them kick your butt.”
“As if they even could! See you later,” she laughed, and with a wink, she disappeared out of the door.
~~~~~~~~
Lidiya had barely even left the building, when she saw the massive aircraft hovering over the capital. Jogging over to the motorbike, she jumped on it, starting it up, just as a voice spoke.
“Where do you think you’re going?” it asked, and she sighed, face palming herself. As if they were going to get her.
“I don’t know, I was thinking Austria might be nice, they have some good operas on there,” she said, turning to face the man behind her. It was the one and only Steve Rogers; Captain America.
“What are you doing here then?” he said, taking another step forwards. His hair was soft looking, blonde and gently falling to one side. His eyes were almost as blue as her own, but as they met, she rolled hers, trying her best to look bored.
“You know, seeing a friend, doing a bit of shopping. Generic stuff,” she said, British accent heavy. “I always thought our first encounter would be so much more, I don’t know the word – you could say pleasant, or on better terms? That works.”
“You talk a lot for someone who’s just assassinated somebody, Agent Markova.”
“Oh my, we have a stalker here! As if you know my name, wow,” she replied, laughing slightly, before she pulled out a gun from her back pocket. There was a sudden round of gasps from the local people, before the screaming started. “Well Steve, I don’t really want to use this, I know you have your little crew here too, but I’m a very busy lady. And guess what, I don’t have time for this!” she said, dodging an arrow which had just been shot.
Lidiya turned to where the arrow had come from, firing one shot in that direction. She turned, running at super speed to punch Steve in the face, and he staggered slightly in response. A woman’s voice was heard, and she recognised it instantly as Natasha.
Natasha ran at her, kicking her twice in the gut. Lidiya grabbed her foot on third attempt, clenching it in her hand and flipping her onto the ground with such force. Her hand clenched around her throat, and Lidiya smiled, “Privet snova Natasha. Sorry about this, but I really need to be leaving here,” she pinned her arms behind her head. Steve threw his shield at her, which she saw from the corner of her eye in slow motion. She caught it easily, letting go of Natasha who was left gasping on the floor.
She knew Bucky could see this, but right now, she had to get away. She would text him later, telling him what happened.
Launching the shield back at Steve, she started running again, this time towards Captain himself. Lidiya would be lying if she said she didn’t find him attractive, but right now, escaping was more important than trying not to hurt him. She landed a butterfly kick on him, before leaping onto his shoulders. He grabbed her foot, flipping her off him and kicking her torso. Shooting up, she punched him a few times, the enhancements working in her favour. She kicked him again in the gut, and he lost his footing. Picking up the gun, she aimed it at the jet, firing one shot at the engine. It worked a treat, as they suddenly had to pull away to avoid any more hits.
It was easy now, and she made her way to the motorbike, jumping on it and starting the engine. There was another arrow fired. She could see it flying in slow motion, and her hand reached out, swiftly catching it in her gloved hand. They were tan combat gloves, ones which she would never go on mission without. The arrow had an explosive unit attached to the end, and she launched it back towards Steve within milliseconds. It hit him and exploded, causing him to stagger backwards with the impact. Knocking the kickstand backwards, she started to drive, revving the engine in the process. She saw Natasha standing up, and Steve starting to run at her, but she smirked to herself. Lidiya sarcastically saluted, rolling her eyes as she turned and drove away as fast as possible.