𝐈𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃 - Bucky Barnes

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞

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❝ 𝐇𝐘𝐃𝐑𝐀 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐨𝐦. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞, 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐨𝐦, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭. ❞

NATASHA USED HER practically magical device to decipher the keypad's code. The elevator opened, and the trio looked at each other before stepping inside.

The elevator went deep into the ground, reminding Thaea of the room she was trapped in for far too long. The doors slid open with a ding, and they stepped out. The room was pitch black, save for the small flashing lights of what Thaea assumed to be computers. They walked forward, signalling a motion sensor to activate the lights.

The room was large, filled entirely with what looked like an old super-computer. Thaea guessed it had to have been one of the very first. In the centre of the room, was a console and a large monitor. There were a few other smaller ones around it but the size of it caught the most attention. One of the machines to the right had a space for data cards to be filled out.

"This can't be the data point. This technology is ancient." Natasha said, frowning in disbelief. She then noticed a small USB port plugged into the console. That would be it. She plugged in the hard drive, immediately starting up every single data channel in the computer. The tape drives spun madly. A small camera started up, but their attention was moved to the monitor in front of them.

Initiate System? It asked. Natasha leaned over the keyboard and typed 'Yes.'

"Shall we play a game?" She mocked in a deep voice. Thaea snickered, but Steve raised an eyebrow. Natasha turned around. "It's from a movie that was really-"

"I know. I saw it." He said, shaking his head. She sighed and turned back to the monitor. It lit up with a flash of green pixels and a voice echoed from the speaker.

"Rogers, Steven. Born 1918." It spoke. The camera on top of the monitor swivelled to Natasha. "Romanoff, Natalia Alianovna. Born 1984." The camera moved to Thaea. "Unknown." It spoke simply. Thaea raised her eyebrow.

"It must be some kind of recording-" Natasha started.

"I am not a recording, Fräulein." The voice snapped. The pixels on the monitor were arranged to depict some kind of mask. The mouth moved with its voice. "I may not be the man I was when the Captain took me prisoner in 1945, but I am." Another monitor flashed with a picture of a small, bug-eyed man.

"You know this thing?" Natasha asked, frowning to Steve. He was frowning at the computer.

"Arnim Zola was a German scientist who worked for the Red Skull. He's been dead for years." Steve said, walking around the machine in disbelief.

"First correction, I am Swiss. Second, look around you. I have never been more alive. In 1972, I received a terminal diagnosis. Science could not save my body. My mind, however, that was worth saving. On 200,000 feet of databanks. You are standing in my brain." Zola spoke. Thaea frowned and walked over to the nearest databank. "Don't you dare, infidel." The scientist hissed. 

Thaea placed her hands on the databank and focused. Her eyes began to glow as she extended her ability. She scoured the room for any sort of conscious, but there was nothing. They just programmed an ancient computer to work like an AI. That, she could not touch.