Hydra's Lair

Chapter 9

When Ward came back in he found James beaten up and pinned to the ground. Despite this fact he smirked a bit. “I see you took full opportunity of my offer.”

            “You are a liar Ward!” Skye hissed as she stalked towards him. “James told us everything. Kasey rescuing him wasn’t James’ fault. It was by choice!”

            “I didn’t lie, I told you what I had been informed happened during the mission.” Ward replied evenly, though really he was getting slightly annoyed that Skye would accuse him of lying to her. Sure other people, but not her.

            “Let me guess you want us to get in our cells now?” Lance shouted from where he still had James pinned down.

            “Yes.”

            “Not without a fight! Look what we could do to mister shadow traveler here.”

            “Hunter, just listen to him.” Skye ordered as she walked into her own cell. “James is just a rookie, you’ve had first hand experience of what Ward can do.”

            “So you’re just giving up and defending him now?” Lance asked in disbelief.

            “No I’m staying alive until help gets here.”

            May cleared her throat to get Lance’s attention. “I would do what she says.”

            Lance glared at Ward and the girls before releasing his grip on James and walking into his cell. Ward locked it and gave him a smug look before walking over to his apprentice and dragging him to his feet.

            Once they were in the elevator Ward let him drop back to the ground. “You are absolutely the most idiotic person I’ve ever had to train!”

            “They forced me to tell them everything… Lance would’ve killed me.” James replied pathetically.

            “HYDRA has an oath that says you will keep your mouth shut and not give away anything even at the cost of your life!” Ward picked him back up and pinned James to the side of the elevator. “Now what exactly did ‘everything’ mean.”

            “It means exactly that.” James replied. “Everything. I told them about the mission, I told them what we found, I told them who I was and about the Winter Soldier being my father Bucky Barnes, and let’s not forget the fact that I told him our most deadly assassin is alive and once again in our possession. Not roaming the streets or dead like they thought.”

            Ward gave him a cold, hard, calculating look before throwing him into the opposite wall. “If our boss ever finds out what you did… you will be killed in the most unpleasant way he can come up with… and trust me. I’ve seen him do it before, the agents beg for mercy before they die.”

            James’ eyes went wider as he imagined the horror of what the boss could do to him, perhaps he would become a ghost like the many HYDRA agents he’d seen before, forever wandering aimlessly where he died, maybe even in eternal pain from his injuries, not to mention reliving his last day over again for eternity like the dead at Red Skull’s old HYDRA base.

            “You won’t tell him… will you?” James asked as he got to his feet.

            “No, who knows what sort of trouble I would be in for both of my apprentices dying.” Ward replied, not making any other move to injure the blood-covered trainee in front of him.

            “She’s not going to die!” James growled as he shook off his weariness. “Not if I can help it. I won’t let her haunt me like all the other ghosts on the planet that I cross paths with!”

            Ward arched an eyebrow at his outburst before moving closer to him, James instinctively cowered away and prepared to attack if Ward made any sudden moves but Ward held up his hands in surrender before leaning close to whisper in his ear. “Look James, I’m not telling the boss for another reason as well, and that reason is because all of them will be killed… I don’t want that to happen, at least not to all of them. Now another reason I can’t just shout out is the fact that if you let it slip you told them that you can say they tortured it out of you, maybe the boss will go easy on you though you’re already on bad terms with him.”

            “You don’t want Skye to die.” James whispered back. “But why even risk letting them out to attack me when you should’ve known this could happen?”

            “Because…” Ward trailed off and looked him dead in the eyes. “If you repeat what I’m about to tell you to anyone I will kill you myself, do you understand?”

            James nodded quickly. “Yes.”

            “Because I’m not loyal to HYDRA.” Ward replied. “I am loyal to myself and the people I care about, which right now is a short list.”

            “But… why are you here then?”

            “S.H.I.E.L.D. won’t take me back unless I’m in chains or a body bag. HYDRA could provide me with a means of a little relaxation until I can gain trust again and get others off my tail.”

            James snorted as he tried to hide his laugh. “Good luck with that. S.H.I.E.L.D. is our worst enemy. If anything being here will only make more enemies for you.”

            “I know things that even Pierce doesn’t. You know that girl Simmons you sometimes have to work with in the lab?”

            “Yeah… Jemma Simmons right?” James replied cautiously.

            “That’s the only Simmons here so yes, well she is working for S.H.I.E.L.D. and guess what? If any HYDRA member finds out she’s going to be killed without hesitation, I’ve been helping to lead them off her trail.”

            James looked at him as if he were talking to a stranger. “Why are you doing this?”

            “I told you. I’m doing this because I think these are the right choices to make.”

            “But HYDRA’s goals don’t seem that bad.”

            Ward gave a short laugh before looking serious again. “Do you know why you’re still alive agent Barnes? It’s because they want to use your powers to their benefit. Once you’re of no use to them they’ll kill you and dissect your dead body to see what makes you tick and try to replicate it.”

            The elevator opened and Ward walked out, dragging James towards the infirmary. “Now who will you tell about that conversation?”

            “No one…” James answered, still slightly dazed from what he’d learned and his injuries. “But what if we’re caught?”

            “We?”

            James grinned. “Well you don’t expect me to let them wait for me to die like vultures do you? I’m going to help you… I’m sure Kasey will too.”

            “Look I’m going to go find someone to clean up all that blood you left on the floor and elevator. Tell a medic that you had an accident while training then I guess you can have some free time.” He changed the subject quickly as they began to see other agents.

            “Yes Ward.” James acknowledged before limping off the rest of the way to the medical wing.