The Assassins Heart

Pain and Absolution

Bucky and Steve are tied to chairs with thick heavy chains, Bucky's arm held in a vice like contraption to stop any attempts at escape.

"She's safe pal, you heard Fury" Steve tries to sooth his friend, Bucky just nods.

"Nat and Tony wouldn't let her come here Buc, not knowing it's a trap specifically for her" he tries again.

"You really don't understand the Maiden then" Sidorov steps into the room.

Steve and Bucky furrow their brows at his words and he smirks, no they really don't understand the Maiden.

"Percy is smarter than that, she wouldn't come here" Steve grits out.

"Of course she would, her beloved soldier is here. She would do anything for him. I lost her loyalty the day they sent him to her" he growls and punches Bucky in the face.

"She was mine, she was near perfect. Then the higher ups decided your mind and body needed saving from yourself" he punches him again.

"They couldn't see her attachment to you growing, her love" he sneered, spit flying from his mouth.

"You delusional asshole, she doesn't love me. You forced her to help me, forced her to give me her body. That wasn't love, it was fear" Bucky spits out.

Sidorov laughs, manically. The solider truly was oblivious. Did he even know how many times they had to wipe his memory of her, to strip the love and affection away. There was no room for any of it in the Winter Solider. But he had been careless, the day he had lied about the solider's death to her. He had underestimated how much she truly cared for him, sending her on a killing spree through the complex. Then she had escaped and evaded him for eight long years. But his time had come, his toy was coming home finally.

Steve and Bucky watched the mad man with loathing as he left the room. Would she really come for them, she was loyal to a fault no doubt but Tony wouldn't let her come.

"Steve, she's on her way. I can feel it" Bucky says quietly.

"You sure?" he asks.

"Yes" Bucky hisses out.

"She shouldn't love me, shouldn't be coming here for me Steve. I'm not worth any of it" a tear slips down his cheek at the thought of her endangering herself.

"Will you stop already. Whether you deserve it or not that woman loves you. I felt it, Wanda felt it. Everybody knows how much she cares for you except you. And if she is on her way we need to be ready to help her" Steve pants at his outburst

Both men jump as the door is flung open, Sidorov stands there grinning.

"She's here, her jet landed two minutes ago" he laughs at her stupidity.

Grabbing his radio he calls for all his men to prepare, sending twenty men to guard the prisoners room. Steve and Bucky are worried, she'll never make it past all those men.

In the distance a window shatters and the screaming starts. Sidorov moves to the corner of the room waiting for her arrival. More screams fill the air, boots running wildly about, gunfire and smoke is everywhere. Steve struggles against his chains as Bucky tries to pull his metal arm out the vice.

The noises stop, no sound reaches the men in the room. Eyes flickering around constantly, waiting on the Maiden. A crash from a side window and she's there, flying through the air into a forward roll Persephone lands gracefully and spins around. The two closest soldiers run at her guns drawing up, the first didnt see the small silver blade leave her hand, he stops dead, gurgling his life blood up. The second fires, the bullets ricochet off her sword and fly back to hit the man, one to the heart and one to the head. Chaos ensues as men run at her in all directions, she flips about the room, silver blade arcing through the air. Men drop around her, screaming at lost limbs or their death throes. More blades fly from her fingers as she twists and turns about the men. Her sword comes down hard on Steve's chains and releases him, he throws a punch at a man that runs at her back. She back flips over the on coming men, slashing her blade across their spines, one topples into the controls of Bucky's restraints, unleashing him with a rage as strong as her own.