Lacuna [1] {Completed}

Chapter Twenty Two

"Dor (n.) an untranslatable Romanian word that describes the emotional pain one feels when separated from the one they love."

"No, no, no!" Erin pleaded. She pounded her fist against the force field that separated her from Bucky, but it only sent waves of pain through her hands. Tears clouded her eyes, but Krav wouldn't stop. "I'll do it!" She screamed, "I'll do it! Please, just- just leave him alone! Please."

Krav nodded his head. He pulled down the lever. Bucky stopped yelling, but his head fell limp as the black bands disconnected from his head.

Erin turned her eyes towards Krav. He strutted over to her, a look of triumph on his face. "Now before I let that shield down," He said, "Just in case you decide to do anything funny, I'd like to show you your friends."

Krav turned his head to a set of monitors on the wall to Erin's right. She followed his gaze and saw footage of the team in every corner of the warehouse. How had she not noticed the cameras?

"If you try to contact them, they will be incinerated before you can even blink. Understand?" Krav threatened.

Erin stared at her friends. They had no idea where she was or what was at stake. They had no way to get to her, no way to know... She had to think. Think. Think. Think. She turned and faced this monster. "Why?" She demanded.

"The world is at a breaking point, evolution is playing its role by weeding out those who are too weak to survive. Why do you think there have been so many persons of enhanced abilities to show up the past few years? We must do all we can to remain strong. You will help me do that."

"You're sick." Erin spat.

"Maybe, but you cannot be a genius without the monster I think." He shot a grin at her that made her very bones shake. How was she going to work with a man whose only goal was enhancing himself?

Krav lowered the shield, but Erin didn't move from where she stood. Her feet felt like they were glued to the floor.

            "Come here, don't be shy," Krav said.

            Somehow Erin managed to put one foot in front of the other until she stood next to him in front of Bucky. He was breathing, but he still sat limp in the chair. Slowly, his eyes blinked open and he looked at Erin. He looked so tired, it made Erin's heart hurt.

            "Oh, and I'll take this," Krav said ripping the earpiece out of Erin's ear. He threw it to the floor and crushed it under his foot. "Now, the first thing I want you to do is put all of your father's work into our data base."

            "Your father had access to all of my father's files, you should have everything." It was the first excuse Erin could think of.

            He didn't buy it. "Ahh, but he did not put everything he found into the S.H.I.E.L.D. data base did he?"

            Damn him. "I don't know."

            "I think we should agree not to lie to one another, Erin. You want him," He gestured to Bucky, "To remember who you are? You want your friends to survive? The you will enter the information into the data base."

            Erin looked over at Bucky once more. Thick beads of sweat were already covering his face. He looked back at her though, fierce as ever. He shook his head weakly, telling her not to do, not to give in to what Krav wanted.

But Erin wouldn't let him torture Bucky. She took a deep breath and walked over to the database and began typing in the information Krav wanted.

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