CHILD | james b. barnes

| 29 |

Present Day- 2019

29

Wakanda.

"IF IT'S NOT TOO MUCH of a hassle. . .could you do something for me Nat?" Steve asked and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Depending on what your favor is." She said, but she already knew what he wanted.

"I'll see what I can do."

___________________

"Sometimes you need to let go of the past, to start a new path."

|. . .

I had to say, this chapter was harder to write, especially since I had to ask Steve what he'd done after my papa had dragged him out of the river.

Thankfully Steve didn't ask me why I wanted to know. He just seemed happy that I was indeed no longer cooping myself up in my room.

I sighed, shutting my computer. I stood up, walking over to my door. I took a deep breath, before leaving my room.

It was 1:00 pm, and I was sure Steve, Sam, Wanda, Vision, Clint, and Scott were all training. I had no interest in joining them, instead deciding to do the one thing I hated.

Visiting my papa.

I didn't hate him I just. . .okay maybe I hated the part of him for deciding to go under. But I had to push down my stubbornness for once.

That's why I was visiting him every week or so now, even if I didn't want to.

Today was different though. I guess after diving back into my memories to write about my past, or well, me and my papa's past, I guess remembering Pierce was. . .

I shuddered, remembering how he had completely shot the poor housekeeper- Renata?

According to Steve and the rest of his friends, Alexander Pierce had died when everything fell- SHIELD.

Not HYDRA.

But I knew Pierce wasn't one to die easily. The man was a complete mastermind, and a demon. His death would've ripped HYDRA into pieces.

Clearly, HYDRA wasn't gone and well, it was a clear sign Pierce may have avoided death.

Besides, I had heard my papa's old target, Nicholas Fury, was still alive, hiding behind death.

I shook my head as I entered an elevator, waiting as it lowered.

God I hoped the old handler was dead. . .but again, I wouldn't have been surprised if he was still leading HYDRA.

I stepped out of the elevator silently, my eyes wandering over to the machine that would solve all of my papa's problems.

I walked over to it slowly, placing my hand on the metal clamps hanging on the sides of the chair. It was almost identical to the machine they used to wipe my papa, and I wished they would've at least changed the color.

My papa was scheduled to be taken out of cryo in two weeks, after the machine was finished being made. He'd be given a choice- to let them deprogram his mind, or to wait and let them find another way.

I had a feeling he'd agree, only to back out of it when it was too late. I didn't care if my papa still had HYDRA's programming in his head-maybe because the Winter Soldier never hurt me anyway.