Sweet Like Arsenic (B. Barnes) ✔

4 | fighting in flip flops

I was led to an atrium with four cushioned walls and a viewing deck which could be accessed from the floor above the entrance. With my handcuffs off, I walked to the centre of the room, where Cap was standing, watching us enter warily.

"Donatella," He nodded politely, and I smiled in reply, nodding too. I can be polite if I want to, and right now, I do.

"Are we supposed to fight?" I asked him, noticing that he was wearing his overly-patriotic suit. Meanwhile, I was in an oversized hoodie and a pair of grey sweatpants. Also, how the hell do I fight wearing flip flops?

"Yes, but with Buck over here." Redhead walked over with a pair of Adidas trainers, a grey tank top and leggings in her arms. She thrust the clothes to me and I took them, looking around the gigantic room for some sort of changing room.

"Changing rooms are at the back," Bucky instructed, pointing at a panel of cushion that was shaped differently from the others.

"You ready?" One-Armed Wonder watched me, getting into position as he crouched slightly and raised his arms protectively over his chest.

"Uh, yeah?" I replied, then started to sprint forwards. Hydra told me to always attack first - it gives you an advantage as you can surprise the opponent.

I curled my hand into a fist and aimed for the front of Bucky's nose instinctively. He grabbed the fist with his metal arm lazily and threw me to the floor like I was a bag of rice. I slammed into the padded floor with a thud. Ow.

Bucky landed on top of me with one knee on my chest and his metal arm around my throat, tight enough for me to breathe but not to escape.

"You rushed, and everything's rusty." He stated almost boredly as he got off me, extending his flesh hand to pull me up to my feet.

"Round two," Kelsey ordered from the side, and we started all over again.

I shifted position and crossed my feet with the left in front of the right. I spun on my left foot, the right coming up and out, almost catching him squarely in the jaw, but he intercepted the kick with a simple swipe of his metal hand, pushing it down.

"Not fair!" I gasped for air and pouted, making Bucky chuckle. I pulled my arm back to punch his overly-arrogant face but he grabbed my fist, whirling me around so my hands were behind my back and his long hair tickled my right cheek.

"You suck." He whispered into my ear. I stomped on his booted foot in retaliation.

He probably wasn't expecting that. I pivoted on the balls of my feet and sent a quick kick to his sweatshirt-covered abdomen and he groaned in pain, almost doubling in over.

"Bucky, you're going far too easy on her," Natasha stated from far behind. I could hear a smile in her voice.

"No, I'm not," Bucky replied, panting. Before he could get onto his feet, I was already placing my leg behind him then pushing his chest, pulling my leg in to make him fall over. Sometimes, the classic fight moves are overlooked.

Aaandddddd... it worked!

"Yeah, I was going easy on you." Bucky smiled for the first time, propping himself up on the floor.

I reached out my hand, just as he did when I was the one on the ground. He accepted the hand and grasped my wrist firmly, pulling himself up.

"Jesus, you're hella heavy."

Bucky smiled again.

Kelsey walked over with a clipboard and a small smile on her face. "We have to test your powers, Tella. You didn't use them just now, why?"

I frowned, turning to face her. "Powers? I don't have powers! Like, superpowers, right? I don't have powers."

"Your profile says otherwise," Kelsey said in an accusing tone.

"Honestly! If I had powers I wouldn't even be here!"

"The cell absorbs powers." Captain America walked over, glancing behind his back to see the Black Widow walking out of the room.

"Uh... do you guys have lie detector tests? I can take one." I offered.

"They must've wiped you, Donatella," Bucky muttered before raising his voice slightly for everyone in the room to hear. His voice was still on the quieter side when he did so. "Hydra must've wiped Donatella so she wouldn't know that she has powers after she left them..."

America's golden retriever nodded, frowning. "Donatella, What do you remember from Hydra? What weapons did you use? How did you train?"

I took a deep breath and turned to Bucky, who had shuffled over to Captain America.

"I was never very good at hand-to-hand combat, and I would always be sent as a sniper figure. I- I took out people from above, but I don't remember how I could get up there... I just remember firing shards of bright stuff at the enemy and watching them scream and fall down."

"Good, we wanted you to say all that you know to double-check our data." Kelsey, unfazed, handed me the leather clipboard, and I began to scan the page.

"This is unbelievably creepy," I exclaimed once I finished reading, returning the clipboard to Kelsey who smiled.

"We'll have to do some sort of electrode implantation to trigger your memories of training so you can access your powers." Kelsey ignored us and said, beginning to walk out of the atrium.