Classified || Bucky Barnes

Chapter 24

Marina hugged herself tighter and trembled in the freezing air. Her gaze was stuck on the locked metal door across the dimly lit room. The light hanging overhead produced a low, incessant buzz that seemed to ring in her ears and pile onto the pain in her head. An empty bedframe sat pushed against the distant wall, a few leather straps were looped around the metal bars that lined either side of it.

This was where she was taken when she failed, but not as punishment for the failure. The punishment was being denied a suppressant. The concrete room was simply a way to isolate her from other people when she inevitably snapped. 

"Seven." Marina flinched at the voice that suddenly sang through the silence from an intercom in the corner. "Get on the gurney."

Her eyes flicked to the "gurney" across the room, and for a long moment, she remained frozen in place. She knew how this worked, but that didn't make it any less sickening. They always told her to get on the "gurney" when they could see her beginning to crumble from the mounted security camera. Only once had she disobeyed the demand, and it wasn't long before the trio of men came in to force her into submission.

"That's an order."

Marina slowly pushed herself off the floor and a shiver shook her frame. She started over and lowered herself onto the bedframe, pausing for a moment to take a slow, deep breath in preparation. She laid back and squeezed her eyes shut knowingly.

The door of the room let out a metallic squeal when it swung open a few minutes later. She went rigid, not needing to look to understand exactly what was happening. One guard would stand at the door while the other two came to her side. Marina bit her lip when she felt them go to work strapping her wrists in place. They left almost as quickly as they'd appeared.

Marina's eyes finally fluttered open and she blinked in the room's abrupt darkness. For a brief moment, she wondered if her eyes were still closed. Worry clawed its way up from her gut until it had her held in an impenetrable casket of fear. Her heart sped up to race her quickening breaths and she tugged lazily against the restraints holding her arms in place. The panic seemed even to seep into her bones. She tried convincing herself this truly was to keep her from hurting anyone.

She grimaced at the hazy blue light in the corner of her eye. She felt the searing pain gnawing at her arms, and tried to turn her head away so she wouldn't have to watch her hands tremble. She shut her eyes when a burning sprouted in them, fighting to ignore the pain bouncing between her temples.

It couldn't have been more than ten minutes before Marina caved in to the scream swelling in her chest. It tore past her lips and cried back into her ears after rebounding off the walls. She knew she was held down, but couldn't help the instinctual need to try and squirm herself free of the pain.

To her surprise, the straps digging into her wrists almost instantly loosened. Marina shot upright and gasped, her eyes snapping open.

She was again met with darkness, but this was different in that it was pierced by a single lamp across the furnished room. Her chest heaved and she gritted her teeth, gaze wandering what looked to be a living room. 

"Your eyes..."

Marina jumped at the sound of Bucky's voice, attention switching to where he stood a few feet away. His features were etched with concern and surprise while he watched her carefully. She blinked through the familiar burning in her eyes, shaking her head lightly.

"What happened?" She fought back a wince.

"I don't know. I just- you screamed," Bucky quickly explained. Her face scrunched and she looked around the room once more.