𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐈𝐃𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄 • avengers

10- HYDRA

Flashback: Three Years Ago

HYDRA base, Sokovia
...

Nadia Maximoff sat cross-legged on her thin bed, her hands folded together. She concentrated on the TV that was playing a sitcom. The corner of her lips slightly turning up as one of the character's say something funny, the background laughs from the show filling the room.

The sound of her steel door caught her attention, making the fourteen-year old girl turn her head.

The familiar man in HYDRA-uniform and stubble on his face reveals himself, his voice stern "The soldier is here, come with me".

Nadia's heart skipped as silently stands up and walks out the door, following the man. She peeked down to at his hand to see the familiar red book, the one she dreaded.

They stopped at a steel door. One of the guards standing in front of it opened it, and both of them walked in.

As they walked in, Nadia stared at the familiar man with the metal arm sitting down. She can hear him panting and shaking slightly.

The man beside her gave her a blank look "You know what to do". He gives her one last stare before walking out of the room along with the guards, and closing the door with a lock behind him.

Nadia sighs before walking over to the shirtless man. Kneeling in front of him, she could hear his breath shaking and his lip quivering. She placed a hand on his knee "Do you remember me?".

The man slowly looks up into her eyes, his voice broken "Nadia...your my friend".

She nodded "Yes, yes I am your friend. Do you know who you are?".

"...I am the Winter Soldier".

Nadia's heart ached at his words, scooting closer to him and lowering her voice "No..your name is Bucky Barnes".

Bucky stared at her face "Bucky.."

"Mhm, your name is Bucky" Nadia pauses "Will you allow me to show you something?".

Bucky continues to stare at the girl before nodding. She smiles "Okay, close your eyes".

The quivering man obeys and closes his eyes. Nadia raises her hands and places her palms on his cheeks. She closes her eyes and concentrations on his mind.

A moment later Bucky feels a pull on his mind until it stops. Feeling a small breeze on his face, he slowly opens his eyes to realize he was now surrounded by a beach.

The unfamiliar sounds of the waves crashing and meeting the sand, the fresh air blowing in and shifting the sand. Bucky looked around in slight shock, only to be more confused once he sees the same small girl from the room now standing in front of him. The only difference here is that she didn't look tired and sickly like she did in the room; this time her cheeks were full and red, her hair clean and put into a half-up half-down, wearing a red sweater with dark jeans.

Bucky looked down to see he was dressed in a causal black t-shirt and jeans instead of his suit. He slowly walked over to the girl "Where are we?..".

Nadia sighed and smiled to him "Technically the beach, but in reality we're in your mind. I created a small little area for you to calm down".

Bucky took in her words and nodded. She scanned his figure before sitting down "Come, sit down" She while motioning the empty spot of sand next to her.

The soldier inhaled and sat down next to her. The pair both sit down in silence, watching the waves crash into the sand and the seagulls fly over the ocean.

Nadia was the first one who broke the comfortable silence "You know, only thirty-percent of earth's oceans is discovered. That means most of the world's water has been un-identified, making it dangerous for man to explore it" She inhales before sighing "Maybe that's why I like the ocean. Only part of it people see and know, but most of it is unknown; which makes it unpredictable, and being unpredictable can be dangerous or even worse...breed catastrophe".

Bucky listens to the young girl speak intuitively, her works sticking to him like gallon of glue. He noticed the stoic look in her eyes and continued to stare at her "What if it doesn't?".

She quickly looked up into his stare "What?".

"You said...it being unknown can lead to chaos and catastrophe, maybe that part of the ocean doesn't equal more danger; maybe it opens to a part even more beautiful than what people already see" He said, his voice lightening for the first time. Bucky sent her a smile, knowing secretly what he said wasn't about the ocean.

Nadia snickered and shook her head "Keep it up and you'll be more intuitive than me".

Outside of Bucky's mind and into the real world, his breath stopped laboring and he began to calm down.

Bucky paused for a moment before staring back at the young girl as her hair was blowing in her face "Can you do it again? Make me remember something?".

Nadia sighed and wrapped her arms around herself "Bucky I can't keep doing this, I already have four times. If I do again and they find out, they can hurt you even more or worse; reset you-".

"-Please, I just need to remember something that'll stick, anything" Bucky pleaded, grabbing her hand and squeezing it.

She pursed her lips and looked up at him, nodding "..Alright".

Turning her body to face him, Nadia gave him a hesitant look "May I?.."

Bucky scoots closer to her and nods eagerly. Nadia sighs before raising her hands and placing them on his cheeks, concentrating on his mind until he felt a suddenly pull forward and the voice of him and another man talking.

"Don't do anything stupid until I get back"

"How can I? Your taking all the stupid with you"

"Bucky hang on! Grab my hand!".

"Steve!"

"BUCKY"

The soldier gasped as he was pulled out of the memory, opening his eyes to realize they weren't on the beach anymore but back in the empty and cold steel room.

He stared at Nadia as he panted "Steve...he was my friend..".

Nadia began to tear up and opened her mouth to speak, only to be cut off by the sound of the steel door opening. The man who escorted her earlier had came in with two other guards, his face stone cold "Did you succeed?".

Nadia swallowed and nodded, looking down "Y-Yes, sir..."

He nodded and turned to another guard who walked in "Alright, prepare the chair for the soldier" He ordered.

Bucky tried his hardest not to flinch at the sound of the chair and despite his comfortable and calm face from earlier, he had his expression stone cold.

Two guards walked up to Nadia and pulled her up and out of her seat, walking her out. She resisted slightly and looked back at one more glance at Bucky.

His cold expression cracked slightly to reveal concern for the young girl, before quickly concealing it. She gave him a sorrowful look before the steel door of the room closed back up.