Detonate ~Bucky Barnes~

Chapter 2

Elisaveta couldn't deny that it hurt, a lot. Her temples were throbbing, even in unconsciousness. It was like the loyal HYDRA assassin was fighting against the little Bulgarian girl she used to be. A part of her wanted to remember; the small part that yearned for a legitimate past, but another part of her didn't want to endure the pain she knew was waiting for her. But, no matter how much her inner assassin was fighting against the memories, her past just didn't want to stay locked up. And she was right, there was a lot of pain behind those doors.

~1949~

Elisaveta was barley twenty-two when she found her parents laying in a pool of their blood in their living room. Her mother was long dead, her eyes open and glazed over. There were stab wounds littered across her abdomen, but Elisaveta knew that the bloodied gash across her throat was the last blow to her life. Her father, however, was barely alive, but alive nonetheless. She knelt beside him, tears streaming down her face as she placed her shaking fingers over the nearly fatal wound on his stomach to stop the bleeding. She had long forgotten the groceries she was sent out to retrieve before this all happened. She couldn't help but let the "what ifs" destroy her as she looked at her father. Aleksander met her gaze, smiling weakly as a trickle of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. A sob escaped her lips and she used her free hand to cover her mouth.

"It's okay, El," her father wheezed. "Everything will be okay. You're strong. You're smart. You'll be alright."

Elisaveta shook her head fiercely, biting her lip. Sure, she was strong, but she had her father to thank for that. He had trained her in every type of martial arts known to man and she had even learned how to handle weaponry. She was physically strong, but she wasn't much else. And of course she was smart; she had learned English in less than a month and Russian in less than two, but yet again, her dad was to thank for this. She wasn't sure how well those attributes would aid her without her parents around to guide her. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she tried to remain strong for her father's sake.

"I need to call the полиция (police)," Elisaveta said, reaching for the telephone, but her father stopped her.

"No," he cried in pain as he tried to sit up. "It's too late and no one will believe me."

Elisaveta badly wanted to get her father to a hospital, but even she was not daft enough not to see that he was barely hanging on. Her father was dying and if this was the only time she had left with him, she'd rather it be like this than surrounded by doctors. So, she withdrew her hand from the telephone and grabbed his hand instead, pressing his knuckles to her trembling lips.

"Who did this to you, Papa?" She asked quietly, watching as her father shook his head. "Please Papa! I need to know what копеле (bastard) did this to you!"

"I cannot tell you who has betrayed us," he said softly, his eyelids fluttering. "I have learned long ago that vengeance will only break the heart more. It does not heal the wounds."

"Tell me!" She cried. "He killed Mama and he's killing you. I need to know, please."

Her father sighed as he slowly turned his head to look at his dead wife. Tears began to form in his eyes but he blinked them away and instead grabbed his wife's limp, pale hand before shifting his gaze back to his daughter.

"His name is Emil Ivov," he started. "He's the Lieutenant of the army here in Sofia. He was my partner at one point, before all of this hero business. But that doesn't matter, Elisaveta. I know you will make the right choice. Don't let the sadness fuel the rage you feel, okay? I love you and I know you'll do great things."

"I love you too Papa," she cried as her father closed his eyes and died with a peaceful smile on his face and his wife and daughter's hands in his.