The Winter Soldier (Female)

11.

Today is our first mission as a newly formed team. Bucky isn't happy about the idea of putting me in danger but he quickly lets go of that as I remind him who got him out of Hydra's grasp.

We'll be taking down a weapons factory, one of the ones marked on the map. I finally had my suit tailored to match Steve, so the enemy knows who they're dealing with. I always keep my hair in a braid so I wouldn't have to deal with it in the way.

We creep along the forest beside the facility, half of us will go in the front, half the back. I lead the group that'll go in the front, Bucky opted to stay with me. We set up positions and when our watches beep, we go in. I twist my engagement ring around my finger, it's become a habit. I hear the beep and take a deep breath. Counting to three on my fingers, I signal my team to head in.

We take out the two guards at the door with our guns before they have a chance to react. The second beep will tell us to charge the building. I hear it almost immediately and kick in the door. We start shooting at everyone inside, being careful of any pow's or innocents.

I run out of ammo and decide on hand-to-hand combat, I think it's time I test out Stark's little invention. I grab a guy and use the electricity. He's dead almost instantly, neat. I look around for another target only to see that there are no other targets. We won. I walk over to Bucky who's nursing a busted lip. "Will you kiss it to make it better?" He asks, mimicking a little kid. I give him a peck on the lips.

"Is it all better?" He nods and I laugh.

That started our streak as a team. Warehouse after warehouse, fight after fight, we all came back. We destroyed each base and wiped them off of our map. We were on schedule to have Hydra entirely wiped out and win the war. Until one mission.

We have intel that suggests Dr. Zola will be on a train, this is a our chance to take him alive, he's the closest person to Schmidt. As we stand atop the cliff that acts as our checkpoint, I twist my ring, I have a bad feeling about this.

Steve, Bucky, and I stand by the edge of the cliff, watching the tracks. "Hey, you remember that time I made you ride the cyclone and you threw up? This isn't pay back for that, right?" Bucky asks warily.

"Now why would I do that?" Steve answers sarcastically. I quietly chuckle and kiss my Soldier.

"You were right, Zola's on the train. Hydra dispatcher gave him permission to open up the throttle. Wherever he's going, they need him bad." Joy, the train travelling faster.

I put on my helmet and watch as the train speeds ever closer on the tracks. We gather our hooks when one of the soldiers worriedly states "Lets get going because they're moving like the devil."

Steve puts his hook on first, followed by me, then Bucky, and so on. "We only got a ten second window. You miss that window, we're bugs on a windshield." He tells the rest of us as he prepares to launch. Oh boy.

"Better get moving bugs." And with that Steve is speeding into the direction of the train. I quickly hook on my device and do the same. Bucky's right behind me. We travel fast, going until the train is right beneath us. We drop onto the roof relatively unscathed. Well at least we aren't on a windshield.

All three of us inch up the train to find our entrance. I finally see the ladder and Steve goes first, followed by Bucky and I. We enter a cabin which seems to hold weapons, great. We start heading to the open door at the end. Steve and Bucky are ahead of me, I look around a bit to see if I can find anything useful.

They walk through the door to the next compartment and I'm about to join them when the door closes, leaving me alone. Bucky immediately turns around and starts banging on the glass.

I hear footsteps and look behind me to see armed men rush into the room. I turn fully around and start firing as quickly as possible hoping to take at least one of them down. I get what I wish for as one hits the ground, but there are two more.

I fire and run over to the other side to take refuge behind some crates. I continue firing but this time they fire back and hit the wall behind me. I run out of ammo on my automatic. Shit.

I pull out my pistol and cover myself as I switch sides again, the men still advancing. I check my clip and have no bullets left. I sit against the wall and try to hide from the bullets that are coming my way, it's all I can do.

I hear a click and see Steve and Bucky at the door. Bucky passes me his pistol and I take it gladly. Steve charges at the racks of cases with his shield and both the men are forced to retreat two different ways. I take out one and Bucky takes out the other.

"I had him on the ropes." I say to Steve, using one of his own lines against him.

"I know you did," Steve replies, smirking. Our sweet moment is cut short when we hear the noise of a weapon charging up. "Get down!" Steve shouts, taking the blow with his shield.

He's knocked back and drops his shield as a section of the train blows open. I pick up his shield and start firing at the armoured man, but he fires back and it throws me off my feet and to the outside of the train. I somehow grab hold of one of the railings, but it's broken. I just can't catch a break today.

I hear fighting and I assume Bucky and Steve are taking out the guy. I hope they can hurry up because my railing is starting to crack and I don't want to end up a pancake, I'm not exactly the weight I used to be. For fear of the railing breaking, I stay put, if I put any extra weight on it, it might go.

I hear the fighting stop and look over to see Bucky looking at me with worry.

"Y/n! Hold on!" He says as he starts climbing onto the good railing to try and help me across.

"I'm not planning on letting go!" I say sarcastically, masking my fear.

I reach out to take his hands but my railing snaps. I gasp and close my eyes. I open them to see he's holding onto me with one of his hands while the other holds the other railing.

Bucky can't hold on. His hand is slipping off of the railing. The realization comes like a punch to the gut. Either we both go down or he lets me go, and I know he won't. I'll have to make the decision for him.

Tears are running down my face and I choose my last words carefully. "Bucky I love you so much. Tell Steve that I love him," I say sadly. He seems to realize what I'm about to do and tries to grip me harder but he's still slipping, this has to be done.

"No! Y/n do not let go. I will pull you back up here! Just wait!" Bucky says desperately, tears welling up in his eyes. He's trying so hard to pull me back up.

"We made it to the end of the line. I love you," I say defeatedly. I can barely see with my hair whipping my face and the tears blurring my vision.

Before I can let us both fall, I rip my hand out of his grip. I let go of my safety net and plunge into the mountains below. An involuntary scream leaves my throat, a hand still reaching toward Bucky.

The last thing that registers before my world goes black is Bucky's scream, his heartbroken face.

I come into consciousness for a fleeting moment. All I can see is a Russian soldier in front of me and a blood trail where my left arm should be.

Why couldn't I have just died?