Nightingale's Song (My MCU #3)

Chapter 13

When they arrived at the jet everyone was waiting for them. As soon as they were on board, the ramp closed behind them and moments later they were lifting off. Anna watched as Steve secured Bucky at both the wrists and ankles before running a chain between them and through a metal hoop on the floor. He was still out and slumped forward.

Her gaze moved from him to the other two restrained in much the same manner. They'd rescued them all. Relief flooded through her. She could only hope that they could bring them back to the people they were meant to be without Hydra's interference.

Isolde moved to Bucky first, Loki following closely behind her. Anna bit her lip as the other woman placed her hands on Bucky's head. Someone stepped up behind Anna and she knew it was Steve without looking. She leaned back and he wrapped an arm around her. "We'll get him back, Anna. We have to."

She nodded because what else could she do. If Bucky didn't come back to them, if only the Winter Soldier remained, she would have to kill him. It would be the only way the love of her life would find peace. And it would be her that brought it to him. She wouldn't let Steve live with that burden even though she knew he would do it to keep her from carrying it herself.

Isolde turned and looked at the two of them with a shake of her head. "He is badly damaged. I have done some minor repairs to keep him calm when he wakes, but it will better if we can bring him back organically. It will be that much less damage we need to repair. I will take another look at him when he wakes."

"Thank you," Anna said with a quiet voice. She turned her face into Steve's chest as she struggled against the tears that tried to fall. It wasn't hopeless. Not yet.

"As much as I don't want to interrupt this little cuddle session, I thought you might like your present now, Ms. Charles."

Anna turned to find Tony grinning from ear to ear. "Present?"

He motioned for her to follow and walked off to another part of the jet. They reached a small door and Tony opened it before stepping aside. There on the floor was the Doctor. Her gaze darted from the man, who quite frankly looked terrified, and back to the billionaire. "That's a lovely gift. Thank you, Tony."

He gave her a nod and a cheeky smile before walking away.

"Who is this guy, Anna?" Steve asked behind her.

She pursed her lips and pulled out one of her blades. "This is the Doctor, Steve. I have questions about the validity of his degrees myself." He grasped her wrist lightly before she could step away from him.

He leaned forward so his lips were only a breath from her ear. "What are you planning on doing to him?"

"Don't worry, Captain. I promise to contain the mess." She pulled from her friend's grasp and stepped into the room before shutting the door behind her. Surely there were cameras in here but her target didn't know that. No, as far as he was concerned, he'd just been left to the tender mercies of one of his assets.

She flipped the knife in her hand as she stepped across the floor, her eyes never leaving the Doctor. In the midst of everything else, she saw his confusion. It took her a moment to realize it was because he'd heard her speaking to Steve and Tony. "Ah. You're wondering when I regained the ability for speech. Never lost it. I was just tired of talking to you. I wasn't going to be used by you anymore." As she said the last, she ran the point of her blade from his temple to his chin.

He gasped in pain and jerked away.

She patted his cheek with her hand. "No tears, Doctor. There's no reason to cry yet. We will be spending a great deal of time together you and I and I have so many plans for you."

With that she turned and walked away, shutting the door behind her and locking it from the outside when she left. When she returned to the others, it was silent where they gathered around a monitor on the wall. Cameras. She grabbed a rag to wipe the blood from her knife. "Watch that wound. See how long it takes to heal."

When no one responded she glanced up. Steve wore that pinched expression he got when he was worried or unsettled. Tony's eyebrows were lifted in surprise while Raven Barton and Natasha watched her with something akin to understanding in their gaze. The Asgardians were by the prisoners, talking amongst themselves and Clint was flying the jet. The silence continued to stretch and Anna sighed before slipping her knife back into its sheath.

"When I woke up for the first time in Hydra's possession. I was greeted by that man. When I asked who he was, he told me I would get to know him as we would be spending a great deal of time together. When I cried, he told me there was no reason yet. When I begged to be sent home, he told me I was home and they had so many plans for me." She stepped forward, keeping her eyes glued to the man on the screen. "I was terrified and alone. He reminded me of that every single day as I was tortured and experimented upon. When Hydra no longer allowed him his fun, I rarely saw him. Just often enough to know he was still alive and looking as hale and hearty as ever."

"What do you mean they wouldn't allow him his fun?" Steve asked. Pain mixed with equal parts fury in his tone.

Anna sighed as she dropped onto the bench that ran along the side of the plane. Her shoulders hunched forward and she rested her elbows on her knees. "I heard them talking one night. They intended to see if I could bring Bucky's memories back simply so they could see what they could get him to do to spare me their torment. I decided I would no longer do as they wished. Regardless of the consequences for me, I would not allow them to hurt Bucky that way. I couldn't."

Steve sat beside her and took her hand in his, lacing their fingers together.

She smiled and leaned back so her head rested on the wall behind her. "When the Doctor came in the next day, I was uncooperative. Mouthy. He decided I needed to be punished. He left my cell. When the door opened again, Bucky stood there. The Doctor gave him an order and he marched over to me and slit my throat. Then he left." She patted Steve's hand so he'd loosen his grip a bit. "Even though I healed, I didn't talk. They couldn't expect me to bring his memories back if I couldn't communicate with him. The powers that be at Hydra decided my healing power was too important to risk losing so they ordered the Doctor to cease his experimenting. God, he was pissed."

"I have to admit when you said Winter slit your throat and left you for dead, I assumed you were exaggerating," Natasha said with a slightly arched brow.

"That would have been preferable," Anna agreed.

"And that was the last time you saw him before today?" Steve asked.

"Yeah."

Raven crossed her arms and shook her head. "No wonder you froze for a minute. That's some serious shit to live with."

Everyone just watched her for a moment but Anna had nothing else to say. Eventually she'd have to talk about all the shit Hydra did to both her and Bucky, but not right now. Her gaze shifted back to the screen as the doctor wiped blood from the side of his face. "Cut's healed."

They all looked at the screen. After a moment, Natasha glanced back to her with a small smirk. "Well, he'll be fun to play with."