August 2nd, 2025
Bucky didn't know if he was impressed with her or not. She remained stubborn, leaning back in her chair at his disruption of the interrogation.
"You can start with your name," Bucky said easily.
They thought she was Lauren, but she didn't show any emotion, and she kept her eyes thoroughly trained on Bucky. "I told you. It's Lauren Sonrail."
Even Bucky couldn't tell if she was lying, a skill that he'd articulated quickly in his profession. He glanced at Shuri, who gestured that he was on his own. Looking back at Lauren, Bucky tried another tactic.
"You worked within HYDRA?"
She said nothing.
"You asked about Karpov. Do you know what he was tasked with?" Asking about the very person who had overseen Becky's torture made him uncomfortable. Even after his death, he still seemed to have a part in his life.
Lauren's eyes flicked to Shuri before landing back on him. "You do know that HYDRA was exposed and destroyed over a decade ago?" And just as Bucky guessed, Lauren's eyebrows came together in question. "You're not in HYDRA anymore."
The words were almost familiar to Bucky, as he had to remind himself of the same thing for almost two years. Lauren tilted her head. "And you aren't?"
Pleased with a response, Bucky shook his head. "HYDRA is no longer in operation, with no one within it." Even as Bucky said the words, they felt like a lie, knowing they were true.
"Then who do you work for?" The question was directed at Bucky, who was almost ignorant of Shuri.
"I don't work for anyone," Bucky answered hesitantly, not sure what she was getting at.
"Prove it. If HYDRA is dead, then prove that everything else went down with it." Lauren said slowly, looking down her nose at him.
"Fine." Shuri interrupted, turning towards the mirror on the wall. "Give me all data on HYDRA, specified in 2014."
The screen flashed to life, computing its orders before the original 1945 HYDRA insignia came on screen.
"HYDRA," the computer said. "first established by Johann Schmidt during World War II. The authoritarian-subversive paramilitary terrorist organization was dedicated to a newfound political doctrine and bent on world domination. After the subsequent fall of HYDRA and its leader, Johann Schmidt, by Captain America in 1945, the organization continued under the radar. Through Operation Paperclip, Arnim Zola secretly rebuilt HYDRA within S.H.I.E.L.D. and led inside operations as well as an alignment with the Soviet Union.
"In 2014, HYDRAS's attempts at world domination failed as the primary leader Alexander Pierce was killed and both HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D information was publicly leaked, foiling what is known as Project Insight. HYDRA quietly operated in Sokovia, by Baron Strucker, until he too was killed, ending HYDRA's militaristic and scientific faction. The United States forces, partnered with Nick Fury and Agent Colson's team, continued to renegade through smaller and more formative leaders such as Grant Ward, Gideon Malick, and Glenn Talbot. In conclusion, Bucky Barnes assisted the U.S. federal government in apprehending some of the last members of the organization. Now, the ancient HYDRA beliefs remain a public display and reminder to terrorist organizations and the consequences that come with risking the lives of the world."
After showing a slideshow of images pertaining to the information stated, the screen turned into a mirror once more. Throughout the entire screening, Bucky was watching Lauren, at her emotions as the new information greeted her.
Once she was looking at a reflection of herself, Lauren looked down at the black fabric of her pants.
"Does that give you enough proof?" Shuri asked a little too arrogantly.
Lauren dragged her eyes upwards at Bucky, hesitation and confusion slipping into her features. "Then what are you? If both HYDRA and SHIELD are gone."
"We're not a part of anything, really," Bucky offered, sensing her unease. "You're under the hold of the Wakandian government. We were the ones who retrieved you from Romania."
"Romania?" Lauren asked, now whispering to herself. "I wasn't supposed to be in Romania."
"Where were you supposed to be?" Bucky asked.
She hesitated, losing herself in her thoughts. "Russia." She said quietly.
Surprise took over Bucky as he quickly realized the connection of the clues they'd been given. The likelihood of her being a super soldier was high, especially given her knowledge of Karpov and her origin in Russia, and after one look with Shuri, Bucky knew she was thinking the same thing. Her brain and blood scans weren't of a super soldier, but they weren't human either, meaning whatever had happened within HYDRA had created something no one else had seen.
"When did you start in HYDRA?" Bucky asked curiously.
Lauren looked at Bucky, defeat open in her features. "How did you get out?" She whispered.
Once again, Bucky questioned the woman, who she was, where she came from, and how she knew him. "What do you mean?"
"How did you get out of HYDRA? You were one of the ones that were under their control the most; you weren't ever supposed to escape."
Bucky thought for a moment, even more intrigued about what Lauren implied. "Someone gave me a reason to come back, reminded me of the life I had, and that it wasn't too late to have it."
Lauren looked away, her expression, as always, unreadable. After a beat of silence, she spoke to Shuri. "Can you uncuff me from the chair?"
"Not until you can prove to us who you are."
"I did."
"No," Shuri countered. "You didn't. All you've given us is a whole lot of reasons to believe you're still a part of HYDRA."
"What do you mean still a part of HYDRA?" Lauren snapped. She cooled her emotions before continuing. "You yourself said HYDRA is gone. You pull me from a HYDRA base, from a chamber that has kept me there for decades, and still think I'm with HYDRA.
"What do you think? I've worked for HYDRA for decades, being tortured and punished under their jurisdiction. I have only known a life within HYDRA, and I can't tell who is who anymore. So what do you want? For me to prove that I didn't do their bidding, that I was so gracious in my horrific operations? Well, I wasn't. I lived a life in HYDRA by force, not by choice, and did everything they asked me to. So, if you really want to know if I'm a threat, then yes, I am. But if you even attempt to throw me back into a cell or put me under the control of anybody, and I don't care what you think your reasoning is, I will burn down this entire country."
YOU ARE READING
Eclipse (Born at Dusk - Book 1)
أدب الهواة"It doesn't matter if you believe me or not, but our lives were created together within HYDRA's walls. They can't unmake us." To her, he was a ghost; to him, she was a stranger. Bucky is the only super soldier left, he'd checked himself. However...
