Soft Robotics ✧ Bucky Barnes

(homologous[3.07]);

Reader, between you and me, I had a bad feeling about my own plan.

I tucked the dog tags back on under my shirt.

"We have to hurry." I told Colin. "Before they start waking up. We've only got, like, a fifteen minute window between the gas clearing out of the air for us and them waking up again."

I started toward the door, but Colin didn't follow.

"Please," I said. "You said you'd come with me."

"They're gonna stop us. They're gonna find us. They're gonna kill us."

"Just try," I begged. "That's what you told me. Just do it so you can tell yourself you tried. I don't think your life is a chess game, Colin. I think you're worth more than that, and that's why I want you to come with me."

"Just try," he repeated slowly.

"I'm going. Please follow me."

I took off behind JANE, who led the way. I was halfway down the hallway already when I heard Colin's footsteps hurrying to catch up. We stepped over a pair of guards.

"Do you know where they're keeping other people? People here against their will?" I asked him once he was jogging beside me.

"No. I don't even know if there are others. Do you?"

"No," I said. "But we'll send for help once we're out."

"Maybe I'll just wait here, then?" he asked, out of breath. "Hit me really hard and knock me out so Natasha will carry me out of here."

I snorted. "Not the time to be horny, dude. Also, if you're knocked out, how will you enjoy it?" I started whispering. We were already near the labs, slowing down, footsteps quiet. There could be others around who hadn't encountered JANE as she came up.

"I just want to know that it happened."

"Honestly, Steve does most of the carrying."

"Put in a request to Natasha for me," he hissed.

I was laughing under my breath as we slowed to the room I needed. "Keep going," I whispered. "I'll catch up. I gotta get rid of vials of serum in here. I don't want anyone running off with it before help gets here."

"What?" he demanded. JANE stopped to wait for us impatiently. She tapped a tentacle to the middle of another, like she was tapping a watch. "How are you getting in there?"

I typed in the code. It unlocked. "I've been paying attention," I muttered.

"I don't want to leave you," Colin protested. "I'll wait."

"We're wasting time arguing about this!"

"Come on," he said, slipping through the door. "I'll help you. It'll save time."

He did. There was another lab inside, where someone had been working. We dumped over trays, glass breaking on the floor, making sure all of the serum went down the drain in the floor of the emergency shower. Colin turned the shower on, rinsing it of any trace.

I looked around, curious. Whoever was working in here was curious too, not methodical. They were learning. There were half disassembled machines everywhere. Strange, nonsensical mixtures of chemicals, like it was just for fun. And notes. Notes everywhere. The handwriting made my stomach turn. It was tall, loopy. It was mine.

"Alright. Good?" Colin asked, looking up at me, shutting the shower off.

I wasn't paying attention to him, though. There was another door on the other side of this lab. A heavy, sliding one, like the one to the room where they kept me and Colin. I approached it slowly.

"What are you doing?" Colin demanded.

"Is someone in there?" I called, raising my voice slightly.

No response.

"I'm not gonna hurt you," I said, a little louder. "I'm like you. I like science too."

"Grace! Let's go!" Colin said. "We'll send somebody for them."

"There's someone in here," I said. "I'm not risking it. You go. I'll catch up."

"I already told you that I'm not leaving you!"

"There's nothing you can do to help right now," I said, knowing I could appeal to our shared logic. "Let me get them. If I don't catch up, then you can at least send help for us."

JANE wrapped a tentacle around his ankle and tugged gently, urging him.

"Okay," he agreed. "Hurry up, though.

"Memorize this—" I said. I listed a phone number for him, and he nodded, storing it in his head. "Call that number as soon as you get to a phone if I don't catch up to you."

He nodded again and left, following JANE.

I turned back to the door. "Are you in there?" I asked.

No reply. I knocked gently, the way I always did, four times. There was a long pause. I was starting to doubt whether anyone was even in there.

Then four knocks came from the inside of the door.

"Hey," I said quietly. "I'm Grace. What's your name?"

No response.

I knocked again. Four knocks back.

"You know the code, right?" I asked. "You must've looked at the code. If you tell me it, I can get you out of here."

"Then what?" A voice croaked back. My voice.

"Um, whatever you want. Really. You can get a job, start a life. Or maybe we'll just start with a social security number? I'll help you. I promise. We just need to hurry."

"Why do you sound like me?" she asked tiredly, cautiously, no sense of urgency in her tone.

"I think we're, um, sisters. Please trust me. I'll get you help."

"I don't want to leave. I'm safe in here."

"You'll be safer if you come with me," I pleaded. "Please just—"

I cut myself off. There were footsteps outside. I had to go. Or hide. Or anything.

My head whipped around, scrambling for a plan. Chemicals. Shit. Almost everything in the room was chemicals or machines to measure them. I didn't know what to do.

Footsteps grew louder.

"Why's this door open?" I heard someone say.

I was shit out of luck. I ducked behind a counter.

They were definitely HYDRA agents. Maybe coming back from a mission. Maybe just patrolling. My fifteen minutes was close to being up too. Shit. Out. Of. Luck.

"Oh, what the fuck?" One of them said, heavy boots entering the room. They'd definitely seen the missing serum. "We gotta call this in."

Seconds later, alarms were sounding. "Someone already must have done it," said the other one. "Breach or escape?"

I didn't even hear the boots of the other over the alarms as he came around the counter, standing over me. "Neither," he said, looking down at me. "Attempted escape, apparently."

The other one joined him, catching sight of me crouched down. He sighed. "I'm getting real fucking sick of these clones."

A/N: omg besties do y'all have predictions???