Recovery || Bucky Barnes

09 | One

Oдин

"glory, built on selfish principles, is shame and guilt." - William Cowper

★★★

Steve's speech had been playing in her head. The price of freedom is high. Hers had come at the cost of leaving James behind and following orders from the same people but from a different channel. It didn't matter that she didn't like Steve, his morals were enviable. They seemed to be so crystal clear on what was right and wrong, his methods were lenient than her unforgiving ones, but it made her wonder where she had gone so wrong. She had started using her skills because it was the only thing that gave her purpose. Even though she had no reputation or money she still ensured that she was using her abilities for 'good'. To protect the people that couldn't be seen or heard, the people that didn't matter to society. And then, it turned political. Government officials that had covered up the worst crimes she had seen, judges that had been paid off multiple times by cartels and so much more. And now HYDRA had overseen her cases, deciding what targets required her level of efficiency to be put down.

She was in the elevator besides two other HYDRA agents, silently riding up to the top floor. Her face covered by a photostatic veil of a man. It was risky for her to be impersonating a man when she knew the veil worked best with the same sex, but the agent had a similar built to her. And HYDRA seemed to be lacking in their female agents department. Besides, she was wearing a baseball cap which drew less attention to her face and hid all her hair. They walked out, following a man who she had identified as second in command in the STRIKE unit. She watched him carefully, analysing him as they entered the World Security Council meeting. He was a low-level threat; his skills weren't a match against hers, but it was still unwise to underestimate her opponents.

"You smug son of a bitch." One of the councilmen said to Pierce once Steve's speech had ended.

She glanced at each of the council members. There was only one woman which she could only assume was Natasha – they hadn't detailed her on any of their roles except her own. She understood their reasons because of the immense risk they were taking to even trust her. She was only grateful that Steve was able to understand the loyalty she had to James, though her role didn't include any involvement with him. That would change very quickly when she got her chance.

Her blood turned cold at the sight of him. The blond man that was standing in front of the council members, the one that Steve had called Alexander Pierce. His presence hit her with the smell of ash and blood and she struggled to smother her fears alongside the wrathful fires that were building. Her mouth felt dry as she recalled those hands on her body and his words against her ear. He was the one who had done terrible things to her and James. He was the one who had taken him and put him in that machine again. It took everything in her to keep herself collected.

"Arrest him."

The agent in charge pulled a gun and pointed it at the councilman that spoke.

"I guess I've got the floor." Pierce said sharply. He sighed and walked towards the wall length windows, watching the havoc that was being wreaked on the Helicarriers. Pierce looked back from the window. "Let me ask you a question. What if Pakistan marched into Mumbai tomorrow, and you knew that they were gonna drag your daughters into a soccer stadium for execution?" He handed him a glass of champagne after placing his phone on the table. "And you could just stop it with a flick of the switch. Wouldn't you?" He turned to all the council members. "Wouldn't you all?"

"Not if it was your switch." The councilman threw the glass and it shattered, spilling the contents on the floor.

Pierce smiled cruelly at him before looking towards her. She felt her breath become heavy as his eyes latched on to hers, unable to recognize her beneath the mask. She stepped forward to hand him an unloaded gun and he took it swiftly to point at the councilman. She stepped back, behind the other two agents as she waited. Her time to kill this man would come. Natasha must not have trusted that the gun was empty as she kicked the councilman away and took down the other agents before taking the gun from Pierce and aiming it at him. Natasha took off her photostatic veil and the wig in a dramatic reveal.