Red, White & Blue | Bucky x Reader

Chapter Thirteen

Dugan and Jones introduce me to some of the other prisoners who were captured at Azzano. The Englishman, James Montgomery Falsworth, has brown hair, blue eyes, a thin moustache, and wears a red beret along with his uniform. The Frenchman, Jacques Dernier, has thinning, mahogany brown hair and brown eyes. Although he doesn't speak English well, Jones is always happy to translate for us. Finally, the other American, Jim Morita, has black hair and deep brown eyes. He explains to me that although he is of Japanese descent, he was born and raised in Fresno, California.

In the days following my capture, I'm kept in the cage with the other prisoners, forced to work in what I now know is a factory for HYDRA, the Nazi rogue science division. Their leader, Johann Schmidt, was the lovely gentleman who interrogated me when I arrived.

At the beginning of each day, soldiers come to collect us, and we follow him onto the factory floor, where we build parts for weapons that I have never seen before. At the end of the day, the soldiers return us to our cages, where, if we can, we sleep on the hard floor.

The labour is hard, and they give us very little food, sometimes only once a day, sometimes not at all. Whenever we leave the cages, I find myself scanning the area, desperately searching for any indication that Bucky is alive.

As the days pass by, I feel myself growing weaker and weaker, the physical labour and lack of food finally taking its toll. After what feels like weeks of being a prisoner, I sit on the floor of our cage, leaning up against the bars, when two soldiers stop outside the door.

"That one," one soldier states, pointing to me as the other one enters that cage and seizes me by the arm.

"Hey, wait a minute," Dugan interjects, coming to my rescue as he and the other prisoners stand.

"Get back!" the first soldier orders, holding his baton threateningly as he comes to his companion's aid.

The prisoners get in the way, using their bodies to physically shield me from the soldiers, and a few of them are savagely beaten as the soldiers press in, pulling me from the cage against my will.

"Where are you taking me?" I demand, struggling to get out of their grip.

They don't respond as we weave our way through the hallways and into another room, where they throw me to the floor.

Sitting up, I take in my surroundings. This room is small, and void of furniture. The walls and floor are grimy with years of dirt and dust, and the only light is coming from the barred window opposite from the door.

"Y/n?"

In all the confusion, I didn't notice the man sitting in the corner. However, I would recognize that voice anywhere. I turn towards him.

"Bucky," I gasp, and he cups my face with his hands, looking at the bruises I most likely have.

"What are you—" he breathes. "You came for me."

It's not a question. I give him a weak smile as I start to cry, and he folds me into his arms.

"I couldn't just leave you here," I sob into his chest. "You said you would be back."

"I know," he replies, his voice filled with regret and grief. "I'm so sorry, Y/n."

He holds me in silence for a while and soon I fall asleep, exhaustion washing over me.

I don't know how long I sleep, but I wake to Bucky urgently shaking me. "Y/n, you need to listen carefully."

I sit up and rub my eyes, sleep still clouding my vision. Bucky's body is tense and alert, and I hear footsteps approaching from down the hall.

"They're coming for me now," Bucky tells me. "When they do, you need to do exactly what they say. Don't try to fight them."

"Against the wall!" someone shouts from the other side of the door.

"Bucky?" I ask, concerned. "What's happening?"

"Do exactly as they say," he says again, and we move to stand with our faces against the wall. Bucky puts his hands behind his head, and I do the same, following his lead.

After a moment, the door opens, and the soldiers enter the room. Suddenly, one of them grabs my arms and pulls me back. I shriek in surprise.

"No!" Bucky shouts, hearing my shock and turning, trying to get to me while the other soldier holds him back. "Leave her alone! You're supposed to take me! Take me instead!"

He fights against the soldier, punching him in the jaw and reaching for me. Before our hands connect, the soldier recovers and hits Bucky over the head with his baton, knocking him to the ground and continuously beating him.

"Bucky!" I shout, struggling to free myself as I'm hauled through the door. I shout at the other soldier as he takes swing after swing at my friend, "Please, leaving him alone! Stop hurting him!"

As the soldier drags me down the hallway, I see the other soldier step out of the room, locking the door behind him. He catches up with us and grabs my other arm, helping his companion lift me off the ground. I kick and scream as they carry me into another room and tie me down to a gurney.

Like the other room, this one is dark and dirty with age. But, unlike the other one, this room looks like it would've been a medical room before the war. Empty bookshelves line the far wall, and to my right there is a small office that would have belonged to the doctor. Through the open office door, I see a map marking the locations of other HYDRA bases.

On my other side, a man wearing a lab coat and glasses stands at a worktable, filling a syringe with an icy blue liquid.

"Hello, fraulein," he says, approaching me. "My name is Dr. Arnim Zola."

"What do you want?" I choke out, trying to steady my fear. "Why am I here?"

"You were chosen," he answers. "You are here for only one purpose: to help me with my experiments."

Before I can respond, Zola injects the syringe into my arm and pushes down on the plunger. The liquid enters my body.

Blue. The colour of healing, associated with freedom, trust, and tranquility. I feel none of that now. As the liquid enters my veins, my body feels like it's on fire, like every cell is being ripped apart over and over again. Despite the immense pain, I refuse to cry or scream. I refuse to be at the mercy of this man, begging for my life. Unfortunately, my body disagrees, and I let out a strangled cry as the pain becomes too much.

I blackout.