Buzzkill [Winter Soldier]

Chapter 29

Before Ruth fell to the ground, James caught her and picked her up.

"She dropped the gun," James stated to the doctor standing at the door.

"Not fast enough," Dr. Mage replied. Mage turned to the doctors next to him, "Keep her isolated in her cell for a week and then we'll start the second doses." He shuffled his way past the guards and out the doorway. "Get her back to her room," He said to whoever would listen.

Two guards were walking forward to take her from James, but James pushed past both of them with Ruth in his arms and strode down the hall.

James knew he didn't have much time after setting Ruth down in her room to try and wake her up and tell her what the doctor said. He quickly set her down on her bed, took out the dart from her thigh, then grabbed her hand and rubbed it continuously with his to get the blood flowing. After only a few seconds, Ruth woke abruptly and sat straight up. 

The immediate side effects from the dart's poison were awful. Ruth held her head at her temples from the severe throbbing pain and squinted her eyes at the dim light that felt overwhelming. Reality seemed like a dream when Ruth realized James was sitting right next to her trying to quietly get her attention.

"Wha...What's going on?" Ruth asked, still dazed but conscious.

"You were shot with a knock out dart. I don't have much time. They will start injections after they isolate you for a week. I wanted to tell you so you didn't have to anticipate," James spoke calmly and quietly in Swedish so if anyone were listening to the audio, or standing around them, they would have a much tougher time translating their conversation, and Ruth understood it all.

"You can speak Swedish?"

"Yes."

"I don't know if I can handle these side effects much longer. It feels like I'm being slowly killed from the inside out, James."

"Just hold on one more week." He started to stand up when Ruth spoke up again.

"James, listen. If these side effects get to be too much, please... kill me. Ok?" Ruth looked straight into his eyes, hoping, and knowing, that he would understand.

He nodded hesitantly, and left the room.

Ruth's head still throbbed, escalating into a migraine. She laid her head back down on her pillow and covered her eyes with her hands.

One week. One more week.

It didn't seem like the horrible feelings, followed by the physical and emotional burdens, would ever end. With the next injection, everything would come back again. Ruth would now live in this never-ending cycle of inevitability and pain for as long as they wanted to keep her here. She found it difficult to think of staying here for a year, she couldn't even fathom doing this for seventy. The thought of what Hydra has been doing to James for decades was unbearable.

And he's a Sergeant, how did he end up here?

Ruth assumed it was still morning by the lack of traffic passing by her cell door. She knew what Dr. Mage meant by isolation, and it was odd. The isolation was just keeping her from being in contact with the outside, although she could still clearly see whoever passed by or went to her cell.

Suddenly, multiple people passed by her, all looking like they were on a mission themselves. Ruth slowly stood up and walked to her door to look closely at what was going on. Everyone ignored her gaze, although she knew they could clearly see her through the glass. Her interest kept her standing there until something gave away whatever was going on. Emerging down the hallway to the right came a group of agents, some she recognized, dressed in police uniforms, marching past her with assault rifles and extra magazines strapped to their bodies. Focusing on a couple of them, Ruth could see that they were tense, and nervous. The conversations going on among them were indistinguishable and she wished she could get closer. Over the next few minutes, more and more pairs of dressed up guards marched by and to the exit down the hall and to the left.

A shine caught her eye coming from the right hallway; it was James. He was in his full tactical uniform including the dark, concealing mask and goggles that she knew too well. Ruth could clearly see that he had more weapons on him then he usually did. He hauled a claymore launcher fully loaded in his right hand. She tried to catch his attention as he passed by her cell.

"James, are you going on mission? Why all the equipment?" She asked him in Swedish, trying to position her body so that it covers James' silhouette from the camera in her room.

He stopped in front of her door without turning to face her to make sure if someone looked over it wouldn't immediately look like they were talking.

"It's a high profile and high risk mission. An assassination. Pierce called and ordered the hit an hour ago."

"Who's the target?"

"Nick Fury."

"Be careful."

"I will." James continued down the hallway and to the exit.

Why would Pierce want to kill Fury? Why now?

Ruth knew that something must be going on that would be too big for her to comprehend here in a cell, much less control. She didn't how what outcome to expect out of this mission. James is the best there is, but Fury has dangerous allies. Ruth knew she could have been going on that mission with James if she hadn't had that outburst. Thinking again about the serum, she realized her heart was racing and she felt faint. She turned and sat down on her bed and looked at her trembling hands.

One more week.