Broken Soldier [#Wattys2015]

Chapter Twenty-Five

Let's go back in time a little, to see what was going through Barnes' mind when he had been shot at the safe house...

**********

Safe House, 2015

Barnes

All I can hear around me is the sound of people arguing - well, two people arguing; a boy and a girl from what I can decipher.

A thumping pulse runs through my head and it hurts. I try to remember what happened, but the only thing that comes to mind is a loud bang.

Was I shot?...

I let my eyes flutter open and I find myself in a room, a light directly above my head. Lifting my arm up I move the light out of the way and push myself into a sitting position. I rub my temples with my flesh hand.

A woman yells at a man names Peter and I figure out that it's the same people who were arguing before. With an annoyed groan I say:

"Would you two can it?"

All goes quiet and before I know it someone is headed directly my way. Their arms embrace me and I'm caught too off guard to fight them off before I realise who that person was.

Maria.

A sudden burst of affection runs through me and I find myself hugging her back - tender and loving. My heart flutters and I think back to the time that I told her that I didn't love her...how mistaken I was.

**********

It's not long before everyone disperses, Valerie is asleep and Maria and I are alone. She's absolutely exhausted so I carry her to her bedroom and lay her down on the double mattress. Just as I go to leave, she grabs my metal arm and pulls me towards her. I have no choice other than to lay next to her.

"You almost died," she whispered to me.

I don't say anything.

"I don't know what I would've done if you had of died."

She had her back to me but she turns so she can see me. Her eyes scan mine, dark brown almost black. She takes a breath in and exhales slowly.

"Love is a strange thing," she says.

Again I don't reply and she seems saddened so she goes to turn her back to me when I stop her, leaning in for a kiss. She kisses back, wriggling her way closer to me as she can get. One thing leads to another and, well, I think you get the picture.

Love sure is a strange thing...

**********

SHIELD Facility, Location Classified, 2015

Maria

I'm sitting quietly in a rocking chair, swinging myself back and forth, back and forth, thinking about where the hell my family could be and if they're safe.

It's nearing Christmas now, nearly the end of the year. And what a year it's been. So much has happened in such a short time it's hard to believe, and I can't seem to see an end to it.

I wonder if Valerie and Barnes are still together. What if only one of them is still alive? What if they were separated and Valerie is in the hands of some sick, disgusting person? What is Hydra has taken them and Barnes is The Winter Soldier again and Valerie is being used for experiments and testing? What if-

"Maria! Stop! You're going to blow the whole place up!" Someone yells.

I snap out of it and see gold all around me. My arms are glowing and my hands are starting to pulse with power. I shake my head and rub my temples, leaning forward onto my knees. Tears well up in my eyes and I sob softly.

"Maria, it's ok. We're going to find them," someone says, rubbing small circles on my back.

I gather myself together and sit up, wiping the tears away and looking at who was with me. Skye, a young SHIELD agent who was looking for her parents.

She smiles warmly. "Need to talk?"

"No, I'm fine," I shake my head.

Skye nods. "Ok."

She walks over to the door and stops, waiting for me to follow her. She must have something to show me, either that or Coulson wants to scold me about not being able to control my powers.

I hop up and follow Skye out the door, heading towards Coulson's office. When we get there, I see him standing before a lit up screen on the wall. He sees us.

"Maria, come in."

I walk in and Skye turns to leave, shutting the door behind her.

Curious...

"Please, join me. I have something I want to discuss with you," his voice is soft and his face warm. This gives me reason to believe that whatever he wants to discuss has to be bad news.

I walk over to his outstretched hand and he grabs my waist gently, turning me to face the screen.

"What's going on?" I ask him.

He smiles again. "Well," he starts "we think we've located Valerie."

My eyes light up and all the darkness that seemed to be clouding me is lifted. However, his face is still soft.

"But?" I ask.

"But," he says "we have reason to believe that she's under the influence and control of Hydra."

"No," I say shaking my head "she's too strong for that. They were never able to bypass her powers."

"Well they must have found a way because the footage that we have of her she is dressed in full Hydra uniform." He presses a button on his laptop computer that sits on his desk and a video pops up.

It's blurry to start with but in a matter of seconds I see a small girl standing in the middle of the screen. She has a silver haze surrounding her that seems to be controlling the minds of the people that stand in it. She is dressed in full black, a red Hydra emblem on her shoulders. Coulson was right...

The video ends.

"She's working for Hydra Maria, and you're going to have to help us get her back." He says.

I nod my head, willing to do anything to help get my family. Then I remember, he never said anything about Barnes.

"What about Barnes?" I ask.

"We can't find him," Coulson replies.

"What do you mean? You were able to find my daughter, why can't you find my other half? Why?" I yell, frustrated.

"Because he's gone, Maria. He's gone..."