1 | SURVIVE • BUCKY BARNES [COMPLETED]

VIII.

Only a couple of days had past since Bucky left for England, and the country was already beginning to feel the weight of the war. Headlines were always bold with the horrors of it, and Gideon felt a sense of dread as she reread the article of the Allied invasion of Rome.

"You shouldn't always reread every article about it," her father advised, coming up from behind her in the cafe they had planned to meet at.

"It's difficult not to, Papa," she responded, watching the man settle into the booth across from her. From the looks of his wrinkled lab coat and the darkened circles under his eyes, she could tell the man spent the night awake and in his lab, constantly at work. Gideon's hand took the untouched mug of coffee in front of her and sent slid it across the table to him, knowing he needed it more.

"Thank you, Gideon," he yawned gratefully and took a sip of the dark liquid.

She nodded yet continued to voice a thought that had been plaguing her mind ever since it began. "Even if World War II does come to an end, as along as Schmidt and Zola are still out there, HYDRA will continue to cause more wars. It will never stop."

His brown eyes clouded with a sense of sadness; it hurt to know that his daughter already knew and saw so much of the horror the poisonous group had caused within their lifetime. They spent large fractions of their lives fleeing from the very same leaders to find security in the states, but even that came at the unexpected cost of loved ones. 

'I know, Gideon," he nodded, "but this serum, it will work against them. I've finally figured it out." He reached into the bag connected to his shoulder, pulling out a file of papers, and that's when she knew. Their family was always private, secrets keeping them in silence to others, but her father would never share something so classified with her in public unless it was important.

"Papa, you don't have to show me here. We can go to the lab."

"No, I need to ask you something about it, and I don't want to make you late for class," he affirmed, handing her the manila folder. Taking it, she made an attempt to disguise it by placing a nearby notebook in front of it before analyzing its contents.

Symptoms:
Enhanced speed
Enhanced strength
Faster reflexes
Increased pain tolerance
Faster healing abilities

Objective:
To create a soldier with capabilities far more superior to thy enemies.

To create a leader with the intent of good for his nation's people.

Warning:
With power, good is magnified as is bad into evil.

The remainder of the file continued to go on with the clinical procedures, the processes, and equipment. It all went on into detailed expanses of the formula as well, and it proved to be one that impressed her beyond imaginable that her father invented it. Speechless matter of fact.

"Papa, this... it's revolutionary. This soldier could change the war entirely, defeat HYDRA even."

"That is the plan," he nodded, taking another slip of the coffee. "But I wanted to ask you about candidates."

"You have Steve in mind," she read, seeing his name scratched on to the sheet of handwritten notes.

"I talked to the him the night of Dr. Stark's exhibition, and he proved himself well."

"I knew he would," she smiled.

"There's something else I wanted to give to you," he said, taking back the file that she handed to him.

"What is it," she asked before smiling up at the waitress who handed her another mug of much needed caffeine.

"Your mother and I always knew you would excel, and now that your graduation is approaching, she wanted to give you something," he paused to reach into the inner pockets of his lab coat. "She had always wanted to give this to you but never knew of a good time to. I think now is the perfect time."

Tears began to prickle in the corner of her eyes as she held a flat velvet box in her hands, the lid propped open to reveal a silver chain with a five flowering charms, one for each family member; a mother, a father, two daughters, and a son. It was the last possession of her mother's. "Thank you," she breathed in, her voice growing heavy. "I miss them," she cracked a smile in attempts to stop the tears from coming.

"Me too," he held her hand, "But now you have something to remember them by."

Nodding, she took the chain and clipped it around her neck, letting the charms settle on display over her collarbones.

"It suits you," he smiled.

"I love it," she grinned back, her fingers toying with chain.

"I'm glad," he nodded before beginning to pack of his briefcase, "but I don't want to make you late for class. Graduation is coming."

"That it is," she confirmed with excitement. "And so is the day of the experiment, isn't it? I miss Steve when he's gone at training."

"It's coming soon. I'll tell you the date when I know the exact one."

"I'll be there," she promised.

Little did she know that by vowing to that date, she would set herself up for a thousand lifetimes worth of devastation.

This is just a little peek into her family history that will be explained later but I'm excited for the next couple of chapters :)

-Ashley [6/28/16]