Flesh and Bone ◇ Bucky Barnes ◇

Chapter XI: Hands Pure as Snow

Joana

Aleksi rushed down the halls, pushing past soldiers and scrambling scientists. Joana was on his heels. The red alert alarm blared over head as they raced down the corridors.

Aleksi took a sharp turn and she followed him down the dark corridor.

Where else would they put Bucky except in a dark, damp, secluded corridor? It made sense.

"Open this door!" Aleksi demanded of the guard placed outside. The guard looked pale, skittish. He debated with himself for a second before unlocking the door and throwing it open.

"Soldier!" Aleksi yelled it Russian as he stormed into Bucky's room. As Joana entered, she realized that the place they had moved Bucky to wasn't a room, but a cell. She almost froze in horror at the complete atrocity of Bucky's living conditions, but tears filled her eyes when at last she caught his gaze.

He sat in a chair, unmoving. His eyes were dead.

For a few brief moments, Joana feared that he was dead.

Bruises littered his bare torso. Blood dripped from his ear. His jaw was set.

When Aleksi and Joana walked in front of him, he finally responded to their entrance. His eyes widened and life filled his body. A smile spread across his face, but it was a small smile, weak. Joana could barely smile back for the pain in her heart was too strong.

"We need your help," Aleksi said, breaking the bond between Bucky and Joana. The soldier's smile fell and he swallowed. He nodded once. Aleksi undid the bonds on Bucky's wrists and legs and he stood.

"Follow me." Before Aleksi could walk away from her, Joana kicked the back of his leg. He cried out and fell to his knees. He was no where near as tolerant to pain as he was years before. Bucky stepped back.

"Jo-"

"Danika and I are breaking you out," Joana told him. She punched Aleksi across the face at least three times before he fell over, groaning. The guard from outside finally heard the commotion happening inside the cell and came running in. Bucky slammed his metal fist into the guard's chest. He fell backwards and hit his head on the ground with a crack. Joana took the keys from around the guard's belt.

"Come on." She held her hand out to Bucky. He took her hand and followed her out the door. She slammed the metal cell door shut and locked it. Aleksi stood and ran to the door as they were walking away.

"Don't walk away from me, Joana! Come back here!" Aleksi yelled as they turned the corner. "Soldier!"

Bucky tensed at the word, but Joana looked up at him and squeezed his hand. He glanced down at her and gave her a small smile. They dropped hands as soldiers ran down the halls.

"What's going on here?" one of them inquired. Joana stood straight and tall, eyes looking past him.

"Aleksi sent me to get him, sir." The soldier nodded and continued on his way down the hall.

"Run," Joana whispered under her breath.

"What?" Bucky asked.

"Run!"

The two started sprinting down the hallway.

"Get after them!" They heard a voice yell from behind them. "They're trying to escape."

Bucky and Joana ran faster. Joana made her way towards the funeral room, looking for Danika, but when she ran around a corner, there was the blonde haired beauty. Three soldiers lay on the ground by her feet. Her hair was sticking to her eyelashes. As she saw Bucky and Joana, she brushed the hair from her face and smiled.