A New Infinity Stone

TWELVE

James Barnes is sat stiffly in his chair. His back is incredibly rigid; it is like he hasn't sat down since he was a child. His brown shaggy hair hands in loose strands around his face. His human hand rests in his lap while his metal arm sits on the armrest. He stares ahead, his blue eyes sparkling as he avoids my gaze.

"Thanos sent Ebony Maw to collect James Barnes after learning of his time as the Winter Soldier. According to his files, James Barnes was Hydra's best soldier." Nebula explains as she hands me a brown file.
I flick through the pages, taking in all of the crucial information. I hesitate when I reach the stuff about Steve Rogers, but I quickly snap the file shut.
"Thanos has requested that we use the Sceptre on him. We thought he would still be in Winter Soldier mode."
I turn to Nebula and fold my arms.
"Do it!" I snap, anger fulling me. "We cannot waste any more time."
Nebula growls at me but leaves the room.

I slowly walk towards James Barnes; my boots clicking on the floor is the only sound in the bleak room. Slowly, I sit down on the chair opposite him. I cross my legs and lean back; my movements are slow and exaggerated.
"Steve is worried about you." Barnes comments, his fists clenching.
On closer inspection, I can see that he is bound to the chair.
"I came out of hiding to look for you. Your dad, your mum, they are so worried about you, Mellona."
He tries to reason with me, but I can feel the power of the Sceptre blocking my thoughts; all I can think about is serving Thanos and completing my mission
Barnes smiles kindly. "Please, Mel, just let me out of this chair, and we can go back to earth. We can work as a team to stop Thanos."
"Stop Thanos?" I question in confusion. "Why would I want to do that? Thanos has promised me the world."
Barnes shakes his head.
"You saw what happened to Loki, to your father." He pauses. "Mellona, this isn't you; we can fight this together."
Anger surges through my body, and I clench my fists as shadows creep up the walls. They crawl across the floor and towards where James is sitting.
"Do not test me." I growl.
He gulps, glancing at the shadows as they retreat back.

We sit in silence until Nebula returns with the Sceptre. James eyes the weapon but does not move or make any visible signs of distress. He knows he cannot fight this. Nebula strides forward and lightly presses the end of the Sceptre to James's heart, and I watch as the power of the Sceptre seeps into his skin and takes over his mind. Somewhere deep inside of me, a pang of sorrow tugs at my heart. I quickly shake the feeling away and watch as James's mind is muddled again. His eyes flash electric blue, and Nebula pulls away.

"It looks like I will be doing your dirty work." She snarls as she pushes past me.
I stand up and use the shadows to block her path. She spins on her heels and narrows her black, beady eyes.
"Are you going to threaten me again?" She smirks.
I chuckle softly. "I'll miss you, Nebula."
Those four words slap the smile off her face, and she backs down.
"That's what I thought." I grin. "Now, run along and see if James's room is ready. I am positive that after his long journey, he wants a rest." I relax my body and allow the shadows to fade away.
"I am not your servant, witch!"
"Excuse me!" I growl dangerously. "Do you want me to tell your father how disrespectful you have been?" I take a step closer to her, so I am inches from her face. "Maybe he will rip off another body part and replace it with a bit of trash."

I can sense what she is going to do before she makes her move, and I coil a dark rope of shadows around her raised fist. She looks surprised as she notices my hands are still by my side.
"You are getting too powerful, Hex." She groans in pain as the coil wraps tighter around her wrist.
"This is what Thanos wants. He needs fighters and soldiers. He needs an army to take over the realms for him, and the best way to control an army is with a strong and powerful leader." I grin, balling my fists. "James is my new right-hand man. Or should I say, left-hand man, since his Vibranium arm can inflict more damage than most weapons. And the rest of my soldiers are just here to help paint the realms red with blood. No one is going to stand in my way. Not you, not the Avengers, not anyone."

With a smirk, I flex my fingers and watch as the shadows jerk backwards. Nebula's arm twists with a painful crack, and I sigh in content.
"Now, go see if James's room is ready before I break your other arm."
She supports her broken arm with one last glare and storms out of the room. I fold my arms and turn back around to face James.
"I apologise for that minor interruption. As you can see, I am more than capable of dealing with my own problems."
"Remind me not to get on the wrong side of you." He jokes. "And, please, call me Bucky."
"Bucky." I draw out each letter, rolling it around my mouth like a rough piece of meat I'm not sure I like.
"I am ready to receive my orders, Hex."