CRUEL INTENTIONS, bucky barnes

four

February 25, 2009

Conference Room, HYDRA Base

Undisclosed Location 

"She's completely out of control!"

Rumlow slammed his hands down on the surface of the hardwood table. He was surrounded by a room full of agents. He was a superior to most of them, aside from Alexander Pierce and Jasper Sitwell—the man in charge and his right-hand man.

"And you're telling me you're still considering the possibility of her being instated on the handling team. Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Brock, listen, I don't think you're hearing us out," Jasper said. He stepped forward, his hands clasped together in a pathetic show of faux diplomacy. "This isn't about the breach in protocol. That... That is completely unacceptable. She will be reprimanded for her actions. Our concern is—"

"If anyone else pulled that shit, Pierce would've put a bullet through their head without a second goddamn thought. Without hesitation. But suddenly—" Brock shook his head, trying to compose himself. He was having a hard time. His blood was boiling. "This is wrong. She's a risk. She always has been. This is crossing the line. She could cost us all of our progress if we continue like this. She's a liability."

"None of our progress will be jeopardized," Alexander said from across the room. He stood in front of the screen that was displaying footage of the day before. The actions in question. Savannah King practically burning down all of HYDRA with a few simple words. "This is one of the best displays of power over the Asset that I've seen."

Brock couldn't help but scoff in disgust. "You're joking, right? That isn't power. That's careless disregard for the cause. The only reason he reacted that way is because he hadn't been wiped in over two weeks. Why are you making excuses?"

"They're not excuses," Sitwell chimed in. Rumlow rolled his eyes and turned his back to both of them. "Brock, Savannah King could be the next breakthrough. We just need to... refine her skills."

"No," he said, turning back around on his heels. "We either need to kill her or wipe her. That's the only way we'll make the most of her."

"Don't be ridiculous." Pierce turned away from the screen and slowly made his way over to Sitwell. They both stood across the table from Rumlow and the five other agents in the room, who had remained completely silent. "The only reason he can withstand what we do here is because of the super soldier serum. Trying to do the same to Savannah, or any other non-Enhanced, would kill them without a doubt."

"Even better," Rumlow muttered. He turned to the handful of his colleagues. Their expressions ranged from terrified to infuriated. Still, none of had the nerve to speak up. Pathetic. "Anyone else? I can't be the only one who sees the huge fucking problem here."

"No, it's definitely a problem," one of the women at the back of the group said. "Brock is right. Director Pierce would have been the first to personally execute anyone who decided to break any of the Asset Protocols."

"He's probably got a thing for King," another said, a man this time. "It seems to be going around."

All of their eyes fell back on Brock for a moment. He spun back around to spew more venom, but stopped short. The door had opened a crack and Savannah slid herself inside, a mass of long, dark hair and black, skin tight clothing. All of the acid that had been fueling him for the last twenty minutes suddenly evaporated.

"Oh, don't go quiet on my account." Her caramel eyes flicked to the screen, the paused image of the Asset breaking an agent's neck. A smile crept onto her face. "I see you're watching my favorite movie."