HYDRA knew their dirty secrets wouldn't stay secret forever. They knew that someone would break into their base, steal their Super Soldiers.
So they created failsafes.
Helmut Zemo killed the five Super Soldiers in their capsules that day. A bullet...
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NINETEEN
Heading back to the main street where the Senators are all fine, Evelyn's careful to let her hair cover her face, not being seen or paid attention to as she snakes around the group. Bucky's eyes grow sad as he watches, heading through with John, thanked by some Senators, getting looks from the press, but all of it skips right past Evelyn.
Because maybe that's the cold, hard truth. Unless you're someone important or have relations or are known for something, there's no getting out of trouble. Bucky did wrong, but Steve got him out of it. Stark got Steve out of it. A cycle that goes on and on, but with the public's shaky opinion of Bucky there's no way he'd be able to get Evelyn out of something like this.
She'll have to keep running. Keep running and running, never looking back, not allowing herself to get caught, because if she does, the consequences would be severe.
Bucky knows she's changed. Hell, he sees it in her eyes. The Winter Soldier's effect on her is still present, but she's fighting it every second of every day, just like he was. But no one else would see it that way. No one else would understand.
When he finally gets through, passing the cars behind the trucks and the crowds, out of sight, Evelyn's there. There's the lightest smile on her face, bruises on her body, a scratch under her eye. But despite it all, she's there.
She's there.
The moment they're close, his arms fling around her, or maybe her arms fling around him, just holding each other close. Her arms are around his neck, his around her waist, bodies pressed together as they just sag in relief and hope and finality, knowing that it took a lot to get to this point, but it was worth every second.
"Lyn, I'm sorry for–"
"Shut up," she interrupts breathlessly, shaking her head as she grips onto him tightly. "You always end up ruining the moment with your big mouth." He can't help but bubble out a laugh at that, a relieved, joyful laugh, burying his face in her shoulder and pulling her closer.
They only pull away when they have to, a few minutes later when the reporters start yelling and the snap of cameras clicking reaches their ears. In confusion, they glance around, only for horror and dread to place itself in Evelyn's heart at the sight before her.
Sam carrying Karli's dead body. Another child she couldn't save.
Silently, the woman watches alongside the other two Super Soldiers as the girl's placed on a gurney and taken away. Sam walks forward, ignoring everything everyone's yelling, only paying attention to one of the Senators, Ayla, when she says, "Sam, thank you so much, from all of us."
"Sincerely," another one nods. "You did your part in dealing with those terrorists, now we'll do ours."
The word terrorists makes Evelyn tense, and she can see the way Sam's eyebrows knit together at the word, too. "Are you still going forward with resetting the borders?"
