latibule ➳ bucky barnes

19. captured

It happened in a blink of an eye.

The day was peaceful, with no missions, no Avengers trying to get back at one another and everyone was just doing their own thing. There were no responsibilities and no problems whatsoever. For the first time in a long time, the Avengers were free.

They should've known something was wrong. No day was too free, too peaceful.

A series of loud bangs echoed through the silent tower, alerting Anastasia immediately. Bucky was already on his feet, rushing to get the numerous weapons he hid around the room.

"J.A.R.V.I.S., what's going on?" Anastasia questioned the A.I., but all she got was silence. That was when she knew something was wrong; J.A.R.V.I.S. always responded to her calls, and if he didn't it meant something was wrong with him or he was disabled, and both scenarios were bad.

"Bucky..." she murmured, looking at her lover with worry. He also sensed something was off.

"Here," he handed her a loaded gun and a pocket knife, "stay here, and don't leave unless I tell you to."

"Where are you going?" she asked fearfully.

"To suit up." he answered before dashing out the door and slamming it shut. Anastasia swallowed thickly and began to change into a more appropriate attire. Being unable to know what was going on made her anxious, and soon she found herself pacing back and forth her bedroom, biting her nails nervously.

Then she noticed a Quinjet in the distance.

She approached the glass and frowned, narrowing her eyes at the jet suspiciously. Then something hit the glass, hard. She jumped back as she heard more and more solids hit the glass, denting it to the point where it was cracking. Bullets.

She ran inside her bathroom and hid behind the sink just as she heard the glass shattering. She covered her ears as the bullets flew past her. The noise was so loud it caused a ringing to sound in her ears. Even though the rain of bullets had ceased, she stayed were she was, too shaken up to move.

"Ana?! Ana?! Ana, are you okay?!" she heard Bucky yell frantically. Somehow, she found the courage to stand up and stumble her way out of the bathroom, her legs shaking madly. A sigh escaped Bucky's lips as he saw her. His panicked expression morphed into one of relief and he ran up to embrace her tightly. Anastasia melted into his familiar arms and relished his warmth. With him, she instantly felt safe.

"W-Who were they?" she uttered.

Bucky's arms tightened around Anastasia as he answered, "HYDRA, most likely."

Anastasia stiffened immediately at that name. "Do you think-"

"I don't know, but it's not safe here." he cut in, "come on, let's go." he held her hand tightly and together they ran through the hallways. "We need to find the others."

Suddenly, the power went out, plunging the building into darkness. Thankfully, it was still well in the day so the light from outside lit up the hallways slightly. Bucky brought Anastasia closer to him and Anastasia was grateful for that small action. With him by her side, she knew she'd be alright.

Suddenly, they heard rapid footsteps down the hall. Bucky pushed Anastasia into a room and followed. He pressed a finger against his lips, telling her to keep quiet. He got a gun ready and leaned against the wall, preparing himself to eliminate any enemy.

The first person came into view - a soldier of some sort with a large gun and dressed in black from head to toe. Bucky smashed the soldier's face with his metal arm and shot the one behind him. A series of gunshots commenced and Bucky disappeared into the hallway. Anastasia kept herself hidden in the shadows, listening to the sounds of bones cracking, gunshots hitting bodies and solids, fists connecting with human flesh and the groans of the wounded.

Bucky emerged from the darkness several minutes later, pushing a body to the ground. "Yeah, definitely HYDRA." he said, turning to Anastasia. "Stay hidden, and don't come out until I tell you."

"But what if someone needs help?" Anastasia asked, worry clearly evident in her voice.

Bucky shook his head, "no. It's too dangerous, I don't want you to get hurt."

"Bucky..."

"I'll be back for you, I promise." he said, kneeling to give her a passionate kiss. She returned it wholeheartedly.

"Okay." she whispered, smiling weakly, "I'll be waiting for you."

➳ ➳ ➳ ➳ ➳ ➳ ➳

Anastasia hid there for what seemed like hours, listening to shouts, gunshots and rapid footsteps. She heard explosions every ten minutes or so, and she hadn't seen any other Avenger yet. It made her worried, it meant HYDRA was actually standing a chance against them.

But why would HYDRA be so bold? They must know that Bucky would come to them on his missions, so why come to him instead? It was poor strategy, and it wasn't like HYDRA at all.

Unless... Bucky wasn't what they wanted.

Anastasia pressed herself harder against the wall when she saw several men enter the room she was hiding in. Her breath hitched and she grabbed the gun Bucky gave her tightly. They wouldn't find her. They wouldn't.

She closed her eyes and tried to control her trembling body and her quick breaths. She heard footsteps approach her hiding spot and she froze. Beads of sweat dropped down her forehead as she gulped. Tears prickled her eyes. She was so, so scared. If they found her, there was a good chance she'd never make it out alive.

She'd never see Bucky again. He'd be devestated, that was certain. He'd blame himself for her death, even though it wasn't his fault. She was worried about how he'd cope with everything. She hope Steve and Sam would help him, pick him up and get him to start living again.

That was, if they found her and killed her. She needed to make sure that didn't happen. She needed to make sure she lived, for him.

And that's when it happened.

Anastasia felt herself being pulled into the open, right in front of the HYDRA agents. She gasped and out of instinct, began shooting aimlessly at them. She was sure she looked pathetic, but she was panicking.

Unsurprisingly, the HYDRA agents apprehended her easily, though she did injure two of them. However, when they dragged her close enough to the door, she put the skills Natasha taught her into use and managed to escape the agent's grasp on her. She took out the pocket knife Bucky gave her and stabbed it right into his neck, and then she ran as if her life depended on it, which it did.

She ended up hiding in another room again, one that was unfamiliar to her. She sighed and slouched down to the ground, staring at the blood on her hands she got when she killed that man.

She just killed a man.

"Oh god..." she murmured to herself. She just killed someone, something she thought she'd never do. She just stabbed him and took off. What if he had a family? What if he was a father? She might've just left a child, or children, fatherless. She surely killed a son, maybe even a brother. And what if she killed a lover, a husband?

"What did I do?" she whimpered to herself, whispering the four words like a chant.

A scream erupted from her throat when she felt someone drag her out of her hiding spot yet again. By then all her adrenaline had disappeared and she was drained, so she didn't put up much of a fight.

"Target acquired." her capturer said proudly into what seemed to be his earpiece, "get the chopper ready, let's get out of this hellhole."

Something hard hit Anastasia's head, and as soon as it did her world blackened.

However, before she truly fell unconscious, she realized HYDRA wasn't there for Bucky, they were there for her.