They walked further into the datacenter. A steady buzz accompanied every step. Their earpieces screeched in their ears, making them flinch. James put it out of his ear and so did Liv.
"Something inside of this room is interfering with the signal", she said.
"Which one is it?" James asked to look at the blinking lights.
"Search for the one that's marked with Adaptoid-355", she said, quickening her pace and looking for the name plate.
They split up and went through endless rows of server racks, before a static noise let them freeze in place.
"Mrs. Weiland, how nice of you to return on your own. Saves us a lot of resources and time", a tinny voice echoed through the room. She didn't recognize the voice, but it let shivers run down her spine.
The door was opened and Kenjiro appeared at the end of the row Liv was in.
James appeared behind her, shoving her behind him. "Your ex, huh?"
"Well, we didn't part on good terms", she said, stretching her neck to get a better look.
"Search for the right server. I'll stall you some time", James said, already walking towards Kenjiro.
Liv turned on her heels and ran to the end of the row, turning left into a new row, quickly scanning the name tags. A server rack behind her tipped over, cutting off the way from where she came. She briefly saw someone jumping to their feet. Fighting noises erupted. That's when she saw the name tag Adaptoid-355.
The static voice spoke again, but this time it was in Russian, ranting down words that didn't make sense to Liv.
"Желание", the voice said. (Longing)
The fighting noises didn't stop.
"Ржавый", the voice continued. (Rusted)
Someone was thrown against a server rack.
"Семнадцать", said the voice when it dawned on Liv, that it must be some kind of code. (Seventeen)
She fiddled with her dress, trying to get the fabric out of the way so she could retrieve the USB stick.
"Рассвет", as soon as the voice said the word, Liv heard James scream. (Daybreak)
Liv froze. "James?"
"Печь", the voice said. More screaming. (Furnace)
The server rack behind her was pushed over, battered, and in its middle lay James, clutching his head.
"James!" Liv screamed in shock, running up to him trying to see what was causing him so much pain, only to notice Kenjiro briefly standing in front of them, watching.
"Девять" the static voice said. (Nine)
"Nooo!" James presses through gritted teeth.
"Добросердечный", the static voice said. (Benigne)
"James! Talk to me!" Liv screams, desperately tugging at his clothes.
"Возвращение на родину", the static voice said. (Homecoming)
"Did you...do it?" He pressed out, before another scream ripped from his mouth.
"Один" (One)
At first, Liv didn't know what he meant, but then she noticed that she had let go of the stick. She looked behind herself and spotted it on the ground. She scooted over, grabbed it before returning to James.
YOU ARE READING
Winter's Heart (Part 1) 18+ Canon
FanfictionYou always wanted to know what James did after CA: Civil War, when he went into hiding? Well, let me tell you: he met Liv. ;) For years Liv worked as a bioengineer for A.I.M.. An organization branched from HYDRA many years ago. When she discovered t...
