Woman Out of Time: A Maria Stark Story

Chapter 4

As the weeks went by, Maria quietly existed in the underground base. The Major and Bucky were her primary companions but Dr. Landis also made his presence uncomfortably known.

Every time she was in the same room with him, her skin crawled. Something about him seemed wrong. Like he had skipped the whole "do no harm" oath that doctors take.

He never touched her inappropriately, outright anyway. But the way his eyes lingered on her skin let her know that whatever he was thinking wasn't good.

Thankfully, Bucky seemed to have a sixth sense for whenever she was due for a health check and he showed up. His hulking frame loomed nearby and kept the creepy doctor in check.

It also made Maria enjoy her visits if for nothing else than to watch Landis sweat under Bucky's scrutiny.

Today, started off as mundane as the others. She quietly walked to breakfast, ignoring all the stares that she still got. If she'd bothered to look up, she would have noticed Bucky giving all the soldiers a warning look.

Afterward, she was headed to the small recreation room to search through the meager book selection. They were very careful what reading materials the soldiers had access to and that made Maria wonder about everyone on the base.

Obviously, von Strucker was mostly in charge. She hadn't seen him again since that first day but Landis seemed to have orders from him...and maybe someone else. Another person was never mentioned but there was this void--a lack of leadership that had to be filled by someone not onsite.

Maria picked up one of the newer books she hadn't read yet and headed back to her room. She moved like a shadow--thanks to years of being a secret Shield agent--so the loud echo of boots startled her out of her thoughts.

There weren't reflective surfaces nearby for her to get a glimpse of whoever was behind her. She was one corridor away from her room and definitely in a more deserted part of the base. No one would hear her if she needed help.

The right hallway would take her to an elevator near her room but would also be an enclosed space that a pursuer could use to his advantage. From the heavy steps and breathing, Maria was positive a man followed her.

If she went to the left, away from her room, she could double back to the kitchen and medical areas. They were more public but also further away.

Before she could choose a direction, a voice commanded,

"Stop!"

Maria startled and did as ordered. She paused for just long enough to look over her shoulder. But then she saw him--one of the soldiers that trained with Bucky. There was murder in his eyes and she vaguely remembered seeing him glare at Bucky the past few days. His face was littered with cuts and bruises and he seemed to have taken quite the beating.

Revenge darkened his gaze. 

Maria took off toward the kitchen, the last place she had seen Bucky, and ran as fast as she could. One advantage of having her youth restored was her speed. A woman her age couldn't normally run this fast.

The soldier seemed even faster though and right as she spilled through the doors outside the kitchen, he grabbed her shirt and yanked her back.

A whoosh of air left her lungs as she slid into the wall. He pounced on her before her vision cleared; his hand again pulling her up by her clothing.

"His only weakness," he sneered. "You'll pay for what he did."

He raised his fist back but before he could connect with her face, she reached her hands out and stabbed at his eyes with her fingers.

Not expecting the defensive move, he dropped her and pulled back. Just long enough for Maria to stumble to her feet and through the kitchen door.

"Help!" She yelled, grabbing the closest weapon--a fork.

He jumped through the door after her, more murderous than before. "You'll pay for that too."

He lunged at her but she ducked and swiped the fork at him. It wasn't enough to injure him but the light touch of metal let him know she was somewhat armed.

He circled her, cracking his knuckles, and got ready to charge. Maria kicked out a chair at him and then ran past him. He kicked out a leg and swept her feet out from under her. The fork flew out of her hand and again, her lungs emptied of air as she crashed against the floor. She was helpless as he grabbed her foot and dragged her closer.

Just as he had his hand enclosed around her throat, a voice spoke from behind him.

"Let her go."

Bucky's voice while soft, held numerous threats in it. The soldier clearly stiffened and even from Maria's dazed state, she could see his fear.

He released his grip and she stumbled to stand.

"Move away from him." Bucky ordered her. His voice was softer when directed at her though.

She didn't look at him but turned to glare at the soldier. He smirked at her.

"Maria," Bucky said almost pleadingly.

She twisted her head and looked at him for a moment, annoyance flashing in her eyes. He took a small step back, eyes studying her.

With the soldier still smirking, she kicked his legs out from under him. As he fell onto his knees, she grabbed his head and jerked it towards her knee. A distinct cracking sound punctuated the air followed by his gasp of pain. Good--his nose was broken.

Maria tugged his head up and leaned close to his ear. "Don't ever touch me again," she hissed. She pushed him towards Bucky and stepped away.

Bucky looked at the wounded soldier and back to her. He slightly grinned, almost like the old days. "You finished?"

She smiled back at him, feeling like they were kids again rescuing Steve from some back alley bully.

"He's all yours, sugar."

***

"Well that was interesting," Pierce said as he rewatched the footage. It was well past his 10th time viewing it but he still was mesmerized by the former socialite's fighting skills.

"Yes," von Strucker agreed. "She seems to have been trained. Maybe for personal safety?"

"No," Pierce disagreed. "She was professionally trained. I'd imagine by Shield. Her husband has ties going back to Shield's founding so she must have some of her own. I'll look into it."

"What about the Winter Soldier?" Von Strucker asked.

"Has he shown any other familiarity with her? He spoke to her as an old friend."

"He is very protective as you suspected. He monitors her movements but today his schedule was interrupted and he lost sight of her. Otherwise, they have barely spoken."

"Keep an eye on that too." Pierce instructed. "Have them train together and room together. See if that makes him more or less compliant. We can always put her back in cryo if he acts out again. Last time it didn't take long to reset him."

"And she doesn't seem to remember last time either."

"We need to see if we can use this part of his subconscious against him. That devotion he shows to her is valuable. If we can make him believe that all orders from us protect her..."

"He'll not question any order we give him."

"Exactly," Pierce smiled and hung up the phone.

He continued staring at the frozen image of Maria and Bucky on the screen.

"Friends are a dangerous commodity in this game."

***

A/N: Hi guys! I've been a bit busy lately but got a lengthier update today for you. I'm still planning out the next chapter but hope to have it up sooner than I posted this one.

Hope you're having a lovely week :) Vote/comment if you don't mind? Thanks!