𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐘 𝐃𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐃, b. barnes

𝟎. 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥

2014

"𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐌𝐄"

Rhea Heidrich always knew her past would come back to haunt her eventually. That's exactly why she dropped her last name as soon as she left Siberia and began a life of fake documents and fake backgrounds. Markov and her moved through all seven continents before settling in Chicago of all places, as Mike and Rebecca Adams — a father and daughter duo. The former HYDRA soldier knew the people he and Rhea ran away from were likely to find them one day if they wanted, the man was paranoid — and who could blame him? So he started teaching Rhea everything he knew about self-defense, weapons, and combat. The Heidrich girl wasn't as skilled as the Black Widow, but she could throw a wicked punch and run like hell if needed.

Now, years later, standing in her kitchen facing the man who ended her sister's life Rhea didn't think that the idea of punching him would be successful and she definitely wouldn't be able to run her way out of this. However, Rhea would be damned if that was the end of her barely lived life — quite literally damned actually. With that in mind, she grabbed a knife from the counter near her and threw it at the infamous Winter Soldier. There was no surprise when he dodged, and Rhea was already ready to throw yet another knife — just for the assassin to catch it. 'Great!', Rhea thought, she had given a weapon to the man trying to kill her — not that he needed any.

"I need your help, Rhea." he spoke after dropping the knife hoping this would make her realize he was no threat. "I don't work for them anymore."

"Bullshit." she threw a plate at him and when he was distracted dodging it Rhea kicked his side.

Well, she tried to. Before the woman could even realize the assassin had already grabbed her leg. Markov repeatedly trained her for situations like this, Rhea remembered how much she had her ass kicked before she learned how to knock out an opponent. So, as the Winter Soldier had her right leg trapped in one of his hands, she got closer to hold his left forearm and immediately grabbed his jacket collar. Using all her might and focusing on everything she had been taught, the redhead used her trapped leg as support to put her other leg around the assassin's neck, pushing his left arm she was already holding with her. Inevitably, both of them ended up on the floor.

"Someone like you can't simply stop working for them." she tried to hold her grip on him as hard as possible, but... Well, smartass Rhea didn't give much notice that she was pushing a super-strong metal arm and soon the Winter Soldier was free from her grasp — only by turning his left arm around and leaving her grip.

Rhea was no longer winning that fight and now she had an assassin on top of her pinning her against the floor in an attempt to immobilize her. "Stop, Rhea!" he demanded.

"How do you even know my name?" she questioned trying to free herself or hit him somehow.

"Some memories are coming back, but not completely." the man explained. "I can remember your voice inside my head and your father shouting your name. I don't know why, I just knew I had to find you."

For a few seconds, they locked eyes and Rhea remembered why she once wanted to help him. The sadness, the despair... The hopelessness — it was like looking in the mirror. She knew he was only a weapon to HYDRA, exactly like she and Themis once were. Rhea never forgot his real name, the one she found in his memories of a life before all the killing and brainwashing, James Barnes. She felt sorry for James, yes. However, that guy was long gone — just one more victim of the Winter Soldier. Here, looking back at Rhea were the same eyes her older sister saw before dying. This was the man who pulled the trigger on Themis. 

"Well, congratulations you found me!" Rhea exclaimed right before freeing one of her legs and managing to kick him between his legs. "Now leave."

"I will." he groaned in pain. "Just give me back my memories."

The request made Rhea scoff as she stood up and dusted herself. "You think is that simple?" the redhead crossed her arms over her chest. "I never gave someone their memories back, I don't even know if I can do this."

"You can try." he insisted while getting up from the floor with all the dignity he still had.

"Why would you want your memories back? Some things are better forgotten."

"I need to remember who I am."

Not at all affected by his gloomy tone, Rhea rolled her eyes. "When I erased your memories I consequently hurt your brain leaving a scar behind, maybe a healer could fix it. But, hey!" she paused dramatically. "You put a fucking bullet through the only person I knew who had the power to heal. " the accusation hit Bucky like he was the one being shot at. "If having a huge brain scar wasn't enough, HYDRA fried your head countless times, and even though their barbaric methods aren't permanent, and you should recall more things with time, it happened too often it must have scarred your brain even more." the man's expression made it clear he didn't get what she meant, not entirely at least. "What I am trying to say is: I have no idea whether I can restore your memories or not. For all we know I could make it worse."

"You seem too worried for someone who was trying to kill me a couple of minutes ago." the former assassin sassed.

"And you seem too snarky for a one-hundred-year-old man close to having brain damage." Rhea retorted.

What an infuriating guy! Rhea wanted to strangle him, honestly. Not only he had the audacity to show his face on her doorstep asking for help after having taken the life of the most important person in Rhea's life, but he also had to be sarcastic and arrogant. God, did this guy even remember Themis? Rhea wondered. Or was she just one more victim of his crimes? Being a telepath, Rhea knew more than anyone how one's mind could be a personal hell. Perhaps the worst punishment she could give to her sister's killer was the curse to remember all the awful things he did. Having him relive his bad deeds would be worse than death, the woman concluded. It seemed like a great way to avenge her sister.

"Alright, here's the deal." said the determined Heidrich woman. "In exchange for my help and collaboration, you will stay out of my sight forever after we're done here."

"Sounds good to me."