The Broken Soliders

Part eight

Y/n

"We know him," I realised, whispering it aloud.

The blue-eyed man appeared next to me.    

"Do you recognize the shield man?" I asked him quietly, looking into his face.

He opened his mouth, about to say no, before closing it again. He knit his eyebrows together and pulled off his mask. "Maybe," he whispered back.

I looked at the shield man, who looked back at me. When his eyes travelled to the blue-eyed man, they widened. He looked like he was going to be sick. His entire face paled and he looked back and forth between me and the blue-eyed man, before being forced inside the truck with his friends.

"Did you see that?" I mumbled. "He knows us."    

The blue-eyed man hesitated. "We had a life before this. We already knew that. But that was before. Whoever we were then, we're different now."

"We knew each other back then."

He shrugged and walked away, towards the truck we'd be taking back to base.

I sighed, not knowing how I really felt about the shield man. The more I thought about it, the more familiar he seemed. I just couldn't place it. But I couldn't place most things in my head. I couldn't remember anything before HYDRA, except for the blue-eyed man.

Back at base, they were making a few repairs to the blue-eyed man's metal arm and my mask. I watched them... with their technologie. Tweeking and fixing the arm. Something was so familiar about the whole thing... like I could picture myself building it.

I remembered the shield man. Y/n. The memory was so out of reach.

"Please!" someone screamed in my head. "I have a family!"

Someone held me while I sobbed. "It's all my fault," I whimpered. I was hurting these people.

He stroked my hair. "No. It's not. It's HYDRA's fault. We can't blame anyone but them for what they did. For what they're doing."

I could hear the screams of others down the hall as Schulz did the same thing to more men. Taking their memories and everything they had ever loved, then making them comply. All because of something I had built "It's only a matter of time," I whispered. "Before they do the same to you."

He shook his head. "We don't know that..."

"I can't lose you..."

He kissed my cheek. "You won't. I promise." It was the blue-eyed man.

I trusted him.

The cell doors opened, and we were both taken to yet another room. Schulz looked at me. "What else do you want?!" I screamed at him. "What more can I do for you?!"

"You can help build your boyfriend a new arm."

My face relaxed. "Oh."

"Don't," Bucky said. "I'm fine. They only want me to have another arm so they can use me."

Schulz nodded. "That's right. And the moment we don't have use of you, guess what happens. You wouldn't want that, would you, Y/n?" he asked.

I gulped. "No. I— I'll help."

The blue-eyed man shook his head. "Please, don't. Let them kill me."

I shook my head. "No. You promised me, and I won't let you break that promise. I'm sorry, Buck."

My heart was hammering in my chest. Buck. Bucky. Y/n. That's me.

I thought about the shield man. A memory flashed through my brain. His smile. He had a trusting smile.

"I'm so tired of being the only smart one around here." I could hear him saying. I could picture it. The scene.

I cocked my head to the side. "I'm sorry, who has four science majors again?"

He chuckled. "Alright, yeah. Point taken."

"What do you mean by that, though? The only smart one around here? What makes you think you're smarter than Buck or me?"

He smiled. "You're both just so... oblivious."

"To what?"

He stared at me. "Do I really need to spell it out?"

"Well apparently! Because I honestly have no idea what you're talking about."

"You. And Buck."

"What about us?"

He blinked at me. "You know what? Don't worry about it. I'll deal with this later. Just... You both leave tomorrow... So try not to have any regrets, okay? Now, can we please just try to enjoy tonight?"

I rolled my eyes. "Alright. Oh, but if you see a guy checking me out, lemme know. I'm trying to get a date, of sorts, to prove Bucky wrong." I started walking over towards Bucky and two girls.

"Why do I even try?" I heard him mumble behind me, before following.

I couldn't breathe. Steve.

I looked around the room. Something wasn't right. Like suddenly, the entire world was tilted. I could remember screaming. Innocent people's screams. Bucky's screams. My own screams.

I jumped up and kicked the nearest person to me. Everyone else acted quickly, raising guns and pointing them at me. I looked at Bucky. "Bucky..."

He raised his eyebrows and frowned. "Y/n?"

I nodded and we looked at everyone surrounding us. Everything was still hazy.

Guns were being pointed at us and someone called Pierce into the room. "Mission report," he said upon entering.

There was a pause as I tried to piece everything together. I wasn't sure what to do or say.

"Mission report now," Pierce repeated. He crouched in front of Bucky, who gave him a blank stare. He slapped him across the face.

I tried to pounce at him, but three guys grabbed me and held me back. Pierce looked at me and shook his head. "The man on the bridge," I said through gritted teeth. "With the shield. Why'd you send us after him? Who is he?"

"You met him earlier this week on another assignment."

"I know." I grunted. "I'd told Bucky we should kill him, but—" I realised my mistake.

Pierce's eyes widened. "Ahh, so that's what's going on. You two are remembering." He sighed. "Wipe them, and start over."

I was forced out of the room as they did Bucky first. I fought and fought, but was held down. I could hear him scream.

"Let me go!" I screamed. I pushed and fought but it did nothing. And soon, I was forced into the chair.