Red Star

Chapter 5

Laurie awoke in a cell, not strapped down, not hooked up to anything. The cell was dark, lit only by an LED light strip around the edges so she couldn't break a light and hurt herself or anyone else. The bed was almost more uncomfortable than the gurney had been, except the gurney had had a thin foam layer. The bed was simply a metal frame and a completely flat 'pillow'.

She rubbed her arm and licked her lips. She could feel the scabs from the thread on them, and decided not to disturb them. Her veins were no longer blue, but everything seemed like it was in high definition. She could see every particle of dust in the room, and there was a lot. She doubted this cell had been cleaned since it was made.

A ragged curtain covered the opening to a bathroom with no mirror and no sink, just a rather dirty toilet. Ducking back out, she suddenly noticed that there were two beds. As soon as her eyes narrowed in a questioning glance at the extra, a door she hadn't even noticed began to screech open.

Panicking, she dove under her bed, pushing herself against the wall and making sure all of her limbs were out of sight. A body thumped to the floor, though clearly they were still conscious. The door shut again.

The body stirred, dragging themselves over to the bed Laurie was under. Judging from the boot size, it was a guy, and the weight of him on top of the bed was more than enough of an affirmative. Laurie squeaked, barely, but it was enough for the weight to stop shifting and him to go silent.

Slowly, the man leaned over the edge, but it was when the glint of a metal fist showed that Laurie made a noise. "Bucky?"

A head showed, longish hair brushing the ground. "Laurie?!"

She wormed out, grime smudging the black clothes she had been given. They were too big on her, but she would manage. "Bucky, how did you get here?" she said once she was out, talking carefully so she didn't disturb her lips.

Looking Bucky over, she noticed how with her newer vision she could practically count the hairs on his head. She looked at him like it was the first time she had met him.

Bucky didn't ignore how cautiously she was speaking. "What happened to your mouth?"

"I asked first."

"I asked a more concerning question."

Laurie raised an eyebrow, then sighed. "They stitched my mouth shut, and it's still healing."

Bucky's eyes went hard. "This is my fault." He looked away in regret.

"It's really my fault." She put a hand on his human one. "I took you in, I practically begged for it."

Bucky looked at their hands. "Did they do anything else...?" He said quietly.

Laurie gulped. She wasn't really ready to think about what they had done to her, but one thing perhaps he could give explanation about.

"They injected this bright blue stuff into my arm. Like, a lot of it. I passed out, but now my vision's all..." She waved her hands around, "Wonky."

"Wonky?" Bucky looked at her, not sure how to feel. He had dragged her into this, and now Hydra had changed her, possibly forever. He was guilty, but also pleased he had found her. Maybe now he could protect her from a battle that wasn't her own.

"Yeah. Like, everything is super clear. I can almost catch every speck of dust that's drifting around." Laurie tried to explain.

Bucky didn't really get it, but he pretended that he did. They sat in silence, each wrapped up in their own thoughts, but still subconsciously holding hands.

The door rang out, making both jump. Men dressed all in armour marched in, and two took rough hold of Laurie's arms. "Hey!" Bucky shouted, but before he could help he was restrained.