CRUEL INTENTIONS, bucky barnes

one

June 16, 2003

S.H.I.E.L.D. Medical Facility, ICU

Washington, D.C.

The high-pitched ringing sound, one of the last things she remembered, returned to her all at once. She tried to open her eyes but shut them again immediately. Was the ringing coming from the fluorescent lights above her or from inside her own head? It was difficult to make a distinction.

When Savannah could finally open her eyes, she couldn't make out much. The shock of sterile, white light around her drowned out much else. As she tried to take a deep breath, she was acutely aware of a burning sensation that encompassed her entire body. It wasn't quite as severe as when the flames had torn at her skin, but it gave her the same rush.

Though thoroughly disoriented, Savannah had the clarity of mind to recognize what she had done. She had been successful, she knew it in her heart. They were all dead, but she had survived.

It brought a smile to her face. As much of a smile as her burnt and bandaged face could manage.

"Morning, sunshine," a husky voice called from across the hospital room. Savannah turned her head slowly. Her strained, faint smirk lingered. "We were starting to think you weren't going to wake up."

"We?" Savannah tried to clear her throat, but even that action sent a wave of unbearable pain through her body. She hardly recognized her own voice.

"Let's take it easy on your end of the conversation, kid." The man crossed the room to her bedside, and she took notice of the thick manila folder tucked neatly under his arm. He was a shadowy man. Charming. She liked him already. "You'll have plenty of time to prove yourself. For now, I'll just tell you what you need to know."

He pulled one of the metal chairs closer to her bed and plopped down. "Name's Brock Rumlow. I've been assigned to your case."

"My—"

"Yes, your case. What did I say about talking, kid?" He opened the file folder and leaned back until the front legs of the chair were lifted off the ground. "Now, settle in while I tell you a bedtime story."

Savannah scoffed, or at least tried to. She didn't even really mind the pain that radiated through every inch of her body, but the damage definitely limited her ability to do much of anything.

"Five years old, killing neighborhood pets," Brock said, his finger tracing along typed lines of text. "By seven, your parents were worried about you being around your little sister. Eight, you're seriously injuring your classmates. And then, oh... ten. You actually hospitalized—"

"I know how this story ends," Savannah said. It hurt to speak, but she didn't care to hear him recite her list of accomplishments. She rolled her eyes and turned her head toward him. The bandages on the right side of her face were starting to itch. "It's pretty boring. Until recently."

He settled back in the chair, arms crossed. "Thirteen. Whole family's dead and the house is a pile of ash. Impressive."

"I was working up to this." She managed a shrug. "So what do you want? Gonna take me away to a foster home? Wouldn't recommend it."

Something glimmered in Brock's eyes that excited Savannah more than his mere presence. It wasn't until then that she saw the embroidered emblem on the sleeve of his jacket. She tilted her head to try to read it.

Strategic Homeland Intervention...

Brock scoffed and turned the sleeve away before she could finish reading. 

"Don't mind that. It's a cover."

Cover. This conversation was suddenly more interesting.

He leaned in closer until his elbows were propped on the edge of her bed.

"I think you've got something, Savannah. Something very unique. Something valuable. I'm not the only one, either. We've had an eye on you for a long time."

The stinging sensation across her body was replaced with a sort of excited tingling. She wanted to hear more.

"You never told me who we are."

A smirk crept onto Brock's lips and encompassed his entire face as he leaned back in his chair. He looked... triumphant. Proud, almost.

"We'll get to that. For now, all you need to know is that we're going to have a lot of fun together."