The Kind You Save

Chapter 9

I pull my hair back, grab my laptop, and head for my couch, feeling a small sense of deja vu from my first encounter with him as new determination rises within me.

There has to be a way to get in touch with Steve Rogers. He needs to know Bucky is still alive and so obviously in a terrible situation. He's probably the only one who can help more than I can. I wrack my brain with possible ways to get a message to him, then I remember I have unwarranted access to the contact details of the entirety of S.H.I.E.L.D's employ. Being secretary to Alexander Pierce, I needed access to their contact information at a moment's notice. I wrack my brain for a way to make this small lead work. 

Opening the database, I scroll through the names until one catches my eye. Natasha Romanoff. It's a long shot but I'll have to take it and hope she knows where Steve is and that the message is for him. Typing the number into my phone, I write a quick, cryptic message:

His friend is still here.

Not wanting to say anything more, for fear of being traced and caught, I leave it at that and go to bed.

Monday morning comes all too quickly and new dread settles over me at the thought of going back to work. I don't know what today will hold after all the recent events. I take my time getting ready, wasting as much time as I can before having to face the day.  Not in the mood for a walk, I take an Uber to work instead.

We make it to the overpass just above downtown and I suddenly remember why I hate taking a car in this city. Traffic is at a complete standstill. Impatiently waiting, I lay my head back against the cool leather seat, closing my eyes for a moment.

"What the -" My driver's sentence is cut off with a scream as the door next to me is ripped off its hinges and the Winter Soldier effortlessly pulls me out of the car with one hand.

I stare up at him with wide, terrified eyes, unable to make any move. Had they found out what we'd been doing? Maybe they'd done as he'd warned and made me his target. He has on his mask again, more like a muzzle, pitch-black glasses that cover his entire face, and he's armed to the teeth with weapons. Even through those dark glasses, the weight of his gaze is tangible.

"You shouldn't be here," his voice is commanding, though not harsh. "Leave."

My brows furrow in confusion as I stare up at him. What is happening?

"Go home," he urges before he vanishes over the concrete barrier into the other lanes.

Dumbstruck, I stand there as the traffic starts moving again trying to process what had just happened when I hear a scream. I look in the direction of the horrible sound to see a man flung into oncoming traffic.

My hands fly to my mouth, utterly shocked at what I'd just witnessed.

Then I see him, The Winter Soldier, planted firmly in the middle of the highway, standing off with a dark car that has just been rear-ended.

I realize with no small amount of shock that the car contains Captain America and Natasha Romanoff along with another man I don't recognize, as it's pushed toward The Winter Soldier who is still unmoving in the middle of the road.

My heart is pounding in my ears as I watch him jump onto the car's roof, ripping the steering wheel out with his metal arm and the pit of dread grows in my stomach as I realize what's happening. This has to be what Mr. Pierce had planned. Use the assassin to take out Captain America, the one person he knows would stand in the way of his Hydra takeover.

A few apparent double agents I recognize from S.H.I.E.L.D. join The Winter Soldier and a shootout begins. The bullets flying snap me out of my shocked stupor and I break into a sprint searching for a way around it all, finally understanding our strange encounter. He was trying to get me out of harm's way. I feel a twinge of hope that there was enough of himself left that he'd cared enough to warn me.

People erupt into screams and panic as they realize what's happening, some getting out of their cars and running while others try to plow their vehicles through the stand-still traffic, worsening the chaos around us. When I finally make it off of the overpass and onto the street below I'm met with their path of destruction. Cars, left empty and destroyed, are strewn in every position, a bus is overturned, and smoke from the burning vehicles drifts throughout the area. I'm stopped in my tracks when I see Steve standing off with an unmasked Winter Soldier.

"Bucky?" He recognizes him. I don't know why it surprises me. Of course, he'd recognize his best friend.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. double agents swarm them, arresting Steve without a fight. He seems to be in a state of shock. One of the agents, Brock Rumlow, looks my way and I'm glued to my spot as his eyes settle on me. There's no point in running, I know he recognizes me. We've been in close proximity many times working for Mr. Pierce.

He stalks for me and grips my arm roughly. "Well, well, what do we have here?" He looks over his shoulder, calling another agent.

Bucky, still standing in the middle of the carnage, catches my eye. His displeasure is apparent as he watches on. His fists clench and it looks as if he'll make a move toward me but I shake my head, almost imperceptibly. They can't know about our connection, no matter how small. His eyes close, jaw tensing as he forces himself to look away before he vanishes in a blink.

The second agent comes over and Rumlow shoves me to him, my eyes searching everywhere for the assassin. "Make sure she doesn't go anywhere. Mr. Pierce will be interested to know why she was here."

The unknown agent pulls me to a darkened car waiting in an alley and shoves me in, shutting the door. A few moments later, the agent gets into the car and drives me toward S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.