HYDRA's Finest

-8-

I looked over at Bucky as we flew in silence, tears forming in my eyes as various emotions swirled in my mind. That's the thing about being numb for so long, when your emotions took over, it was foreign, a reaction that made me vulnerable, and that terrified me. "Come here." Bucky's voice calmed me, and I found my body moving towards him, as soon as I got close, he pulled me onto his lap. "I've got you."

"I'm weak."  It was a whisper.

"You're human."

"Am I? Or am I just a machine that hydra created? A killer trying to play hero." He fell silent, and I let out a small sigh, "I'm sorry."

"Don't do that. Don't apologise for your own mind." He shook his head at me.

"Why not? You do it too." I stated, looking up at him.

"Because you don't deserve to go through it." He moved his hand, tucking my hair behind my ear and meeting my eyes, his own reflecting nothing but care.

"Neither do you."

Silence fell again, and Bucky finally away, his hand playing with my hair, looking towards Steve. "What's gonna happen to your friends?"

"Whatever it is... I'll deal with it." Steve let out a sigh of his own, shaking his head, clearly torn over the losses of the fight.

"We don't know if we're worth all this, Steve."

"What you did all those years . . . it wasn't you. You didn't have a choice." Steve looked back at the both of us.

"I know. But we did it."

"Steve, the things we did, the things I did without him...I've seen children burned where they lay, at my hands, you can't look me in the eyes and tell me I deserve to be fought for." I held back tears, and he fell silent, I was right, he knew it, he couldn't do it. My hand lit up where my fist clenched, and then, metal enclosed it, Bucky's eyes following mine as the tiny flames danced around our hands.

"I don't know how much longer I can do this, James." I whispered, leaning further into him.

"Then don't, Steve and I will fight, you stay on the jet."

"Nice try, I'm not leaving your side." I rejected the idea.

"Careful, I'll start thinking you actually like me." I watched a small smile creep in, distant, but I saw it, and all I could do was take it in, examining his face as if it were the last time I'd see it. "What is it?" His eyebrows creased in concern. I didn't respond, "Fia?" I recognised the name, one he'd used long ago to tease me, but now it held something else.

"Bucky..I.." we moved closer, and then a jolt rocked us apart, and Steve turned around, the two of us quickly separating.

"You ready?" Steve looked between us. I reluctantly nodded, not meeting Bucky's eyes as he moved to Romanoff's gun rack, taking one, whilst I found a set of throwing knives. I didn't know how this was going to end, all I knew was that it was going to lead to a fight, and if this guy had managed to get the soldiers under his command, it would be my job to make sure they could do no harm. Bucky was one of them, but with more training, I was one of them but with fire. I was the one they weren't allowed to beat. I was Hydra's fail-safe. "Come on, it's time." Bucky nudged me, and I followed him to the exit, the three of us looking out.