Winter's Blade // Bucky Barnes

Winter's Compliance

Striding out of the shadows, I notice a team of scientists in the room, watching and studying us. They purpose is to prep us and to study us for further improvements. My partner was standing stationary to my right, waiting for me.

"Ah, soldiers, welcome back." A man with beady eyes, one of the scientists in charge of keeping us contained, steps forward. We don't respond, staring straight ahead and not making eye contact. Looking around, I know none of their names, only their faces, but why would I need to know them? I don't deserve to know their names and they are not important. Pierce is the only name we're granted to know and only because it is necessary.

"Approach soldier." The man motions me forward and I obeyed, walking to the other side of the room and abandoning the shadows with a tinge of regret. Placing one foot in front of the other, I approach the man, actively avoiding the metal machine in the center of the room. My skin bristles as I pass but I tell myself that as long as I follow orders I won't be put in that chair.

"Your mission. Kill the target. Leave no trace. Become a ghost." He hands me a file which I flip open and scan over the information it contains, memorizing what I do and don't need to know. My eyes focus on the picture clipped to the corner of the page, cataloging every feature that distinguished them from other civilians.

Before I can stop myself, a question falls from my lips. "Sir, why are we doing this?"

"That is none of your concern soldier. Do we have a problem?" He snaps. His eyes dart towards the metal chair. A veiled threat is evident in his voice. I question anything and I will be put into the chair. I curse myself at my mistake. Why must I be so careless? I should have known not to question orders. I couldn't understand why I did.

"Your compliance will be rewarded. Are you ready to comply?" As he says the words, a forced calm washes over my body, wiping any stray thoughts from my mind. I waited for my mind to resist it. For it to scream out. But it was silent. I felt nothing.

"I am ready to comply sir." The words roll off my tongue. There was a time when I would fight it. Loathe having to surrender my will. But those times are long gone now. Washed away with years of torture that Hydra has deemed necessary to form their perfect weapon.

"Good. Then complete the mission. Styx" The order was given. The use of my codename was the final tool to keep me contain. I was their weapon to use and I had neither the right nor the desire to fight it.

The man waves men over and they wheel a table as they advance towards us. Various guns and knives, a mask, and goggles lay upon it, ready for me. My partner's lay upon the table as well.

Suiting up, I silent strap on my weapons, carrying enough to supply a small army. My partner had moved beside me to do the same. He had been briefed on his mission and sent over.

We move in brisk, smooth motions. Going through a routine we've done dozens of times before. Hydra has trained us well, we function as a team, or as much as one that is allowed. Emotional bonds are forbidden, personal attachments cloud judgment and diminish efficiency. But this man besides me, both familiar and unfamiliar and everything in between. The one they call "The Winter Soldier". I feel connected to him and so does he, though we do not speak of it. Otherwise we wouldn't be able to function like the perfect team Hydra wants.

Strapping the last holster on, resting comfortably on my hip, I pick up the mask resting in front of me. Staring down, it dawns on me that it looks more like a muzzle than a mask. It's function is to silence us as much as hide our identity. But the thought does not deter me.

Facing him, I take in the lack of emotion in his stare. It reflects mine. We both feel empty and our glassy, hard stare shows it. But I hold my arm out anyways and say, "Nu ezitați." [do not hesitate].

He takes my arm and repeats the statement. It's our motto that drives our missions. We do not hesitate. Hesitation can cost us our lives. We obey and complete the mission. As long as we do what we were created to do then we do not suffer.

Releasing his arm, I put on the mask and it molds to my face like a second skin. My breath is slightly muffled against the material but I can still breath without restraint. Grabbing the goggles, I strap them on and my vision darkens with the tinted lenses. Strands of hair fall in front of my face and I quickly tie them back. Loose hair can be a distraction in missions.

If anyone were to look at me now they wouldn't be able to recognize me. My uniform, the mask, the goggles. They all function as part of a fear factor, a way to intimidate anyone I came across and it works. I looked like death - cold, callous, and deadly. We both did. It only seemed fitting that I was named after a goddess of the underworld, a land of death. A small part of me stiffened at the fact that they allow me to know the story of my name but not anything of my past but that small part was banished before it could grow. It didn't matter.

"Time to complete the mission soldiers."

Leaving the table, I stalked back towards the dimly lit corner of the room, dimmed especially for my use. Drawing on the shadows, they swirl as they come to life, opening a passage to my destination. A tendril flows out of the shadows and caresses my face, its cool touch trailing down my cheek.

"It's ready." I say, my voice hoarse for an unknown reason. I close my eyes as the shadows embrace me, listening as footsteps join me, the shadows encircle him as well. Traveling through the shadows is quick. We don't spend much time in the shadows, its calm, winter-chill atmosphere disappears in an instance as we emerge under a bridge. Under the bridge is shaded but the sunlight dominates all but a small area around us.

"You couldn't find a way to get me on top of the bridge?" His bitter voice appears beside me.

A small smirk appears on my lips as I respond. "It's the middle of the goddamn day. You're lucky I found this."

Shaking his head in annoyance, he jogs off to find a way on top of the bridge but I remain. My job is to wait in the shadows until it is time. I have a feeling that the conflict on the bridge will soon end up on the ground anyways.

So I step back, half-hidden by the shadows, and wait, unseen, until our target arrives.