The Girl with Wings and a Metal Arm || Avengers Fan Fic

CHAPTER TEN

She found the Winter Soldier five minutes later, fighting Steve. Natasha was nearby, but wounded, and she knew that Natasha wouldn't risk making her gunshot wound any worse. Cosima glided up into the sky, pulled out her twin guns and shot at Steve. He looked up at her as Soldier knocked him over with Steve's shield.

Cosima sped up, flying downwards to try and take Steve out. She fired her guns at him, but they missed. Bucky started attacking Steve with a penknife. Between trying to stab Steve, he looked over at Cosima and signalled for one of her guns. She happily obliged.

A shot fired from behind Cosima and something hot hit her left arm - the non-metal one. She looked behind her. Natasha had shot her. She seemed slightly scared. Cosima assessed the situation and decided that twisting Natasha's arm backwards would be best so that she wouldn't try anything again. 

Natasha couldn't run away fast enough from Cosima's outstretched wing. It caught Natasha's arm. She shrieked in pain. Steve looked over, causing Bucky to hit him on his jaw. 

"You don't have to do this," Natasha said as Cosima got closer.

"I have to. It's my mission."

"Missions change," Natasha said, frantically trying to get out of this situation.

"My orders were clear." Cosima was ready to flip Natasha over using her wing when she saw Bucky's mouthpiece come off. It never came off. Cosima thought that Steve must be a good fighter, whoever he is. The two stared at each other for a long time, before Steve spoke.

"Bucky?" Soldier looked confused.

But before Cosima could hear the rest of the conversation, Sam had kicked Cosima using his suit. She fell to the ground. Sam continued to glide and hit Soldier to the ground as well. Natasha fired a grenade at Soldier. He had disappeared from view. He disappeared altogether.

"Don't think about leaving," Sam said, addressing Cosima. "I can catch up to you."

Cosima laughed. "I doubt it." She instantly took off, followed by an angry Sam. However, Cosima was just too quick for Sam and he had to drop back as he had lost her. All of Cosima's long, intense, Hydra flying lessons might just have saved her life.

Cosima flew to a safe house twenty miles from where she was. It was engraved in her memory. There, two Hydra agents would be waiting to pick her up. She did not look forward to it. Failing on a mission meant certain punishment and that someone would be angry. Cosima didn't like angry.

---

Cosima was brought into the room where Soldier was. A man was lying on the floor and guns were pointed at Soldier. Cosima almost wanted to break free and protect him, but she knew she would be punished. Soldier looked at her. His eyes looked fearful almost, something she hadn't seen in him. He just didn't get scared, but Cosima had to wipe that thought away.

A door opened from behind and the same person who put Cosima and Soldier on the last mission walked through. He took his glasses off and marveled at Soldier. He signaled for the guns to be put down. The men did as he wished. Cosima now knew he had power above all of these men. The door locked behind him. He stood in front of Soldier, bending down a little bit.

"Mission report," he said in a stern and monotone voice. Soldier looked off into thin air. He was trying to remember, trying to piece back the man on the bridge. He had seen him before, but he needed to know where. Why was his face familiar? Why did he call him Bucky? Did he have a connection to him? Maybe even before this all happened? The man, Alexander Pierce, repeated his question to the Soldier. "Mission report, now." Soldier remained in his stance. The man slapped him harshly on the cheek.

"No!" Cosima yelled out. She had tried to stop herself, but watching Soldier get hurt made her sad. The men around her grabbed her small body and wings and held them tightly in place. Pierce turned around.

"She's got a loud mouth. She doesn't mean what she said," one of the agents said on her behalf.

"I haven't decided what to do to her yet. Keep her here." The arms remained on her body. This was torture enough, watching Soldier - her unlikely role model - be tortured slightly.

Pierce turned back to Soldier. "The man on the bridge. Who was he?" Soldier asked.

Pierce lied, "You met him earlier this week on another assignment."

Soldier was unconvinced. "I knew him."

Pierce sat on a chair in front of him. Cosima worried over what might happen. "Your work has been a gift to mankind. You shaped the century." Cosima knew the routine now. The man with power would try to convince Soldier to keep going. She wanted Soldier to realise this was all a lie, but he couldn't see it. "And I need you to do it one more time. Society's at a tipping point between order and chaos. Tomorrow morning we're gonna give it a push. But if you can't do your part, I can't do mine. And Hydra can't give the world the freedom it deserves." Cosima cringed at the amount of lies sliding off the man's lips. 

Soldier spoke up. "But I knew him." He looked as if he was reduced to tears. Cosima knew something was wrong, she could feel it.

Pierce got out of his chair. "Prep him."

"He's been out of cyro freeze too long," a doctor said. Cosima didn't know what this 'cyro freeze' was, but she assumed Soldier didn't get a cell to rest in like she did.

"Then wipe him and start over," Pierce commanded imperatively. Soldier had tears in his eyes. Cosima wanted to know what was wrong. Pierce turned around and looked Cosima directly in her eyes. She looked at the ground. He looked at her as if she was something to be ashamed of.

"Let's speak outside." The memory-wiping machine had started, and Soldier screamed a little. Usually he was quiet when that happened. Cosima put it down to the fact that he wanted to remember something but he knew he was going to forget it. Cosima was pushed outside and into another room with two chairs in the middle of the room. "Sit down," Pierce said. Cosima was let go and took a seat. So did Pierce. She looked to his left.

"You believe me, don't you?" Pierce asked.

"On what?"

Pierce got up and slapped Cosima. "Look at me while I'm talking to you." Cosima adjusted her eyesight. "On giving the world what it needs. A boost from Hydra?"

Cosima had been lying to Hydra for months without a hiccup. They didn't suspect that she was lying to them at all. "Of course."

"Then why do I get the impression you don't?" For a second, Cosima panicked and must have let it slip. Pierce laughed. "You're good. You know, you're very good. How long have you been lying to us? A month, maybe two. Do you know how I know? You showed affection towards the Winter Soldier. We wiped your mind to forget the emotion of love, but it looked like Zola failed." Cosima didn't say anything. "Aren't you going to speak?"

Cosima looked the man directly in his eyes. "No."

Pierce put a smile on his face. "You're mad that I found you out, C? I want you to admit that you failed. Say it." He sat up and bent over to looked at Cosima. "Say it."

"No."

Pierce's eyes hardened. "Say it."

"No." Pierce's knuckles collided with her jaw, knocking her to the floor. 

"Seems you can think for yourself as well. We really underestimated you. All we ever thought about was Soldier, but you were the one we should be trying to improve." He looked at a doctor. "Wipe her until she can't remember what emotions are."

Cosima got up to pin Pierce to the ground with her wings, but seven guns were pointed at her. These agents knew her weakest points. They would easily hit her. She retracted back her wings and let out a defeated sigh. Agents took her to the memory-wiping machine.