the dark sapphire -Bucky Barnes-

84

After lunch in the canteen, where Ally also told Clark, who was sitting at her table with them, about the electrotherapy that was to start after lunch, Ally, Bucky and the two doctors met in the room where the examination had already taken place. Sharon and Sam would in the meantime question the agents who had observed this morning the presumed hiding place of Karpov.

Ally had to lie down on the treatment couch as she had done yesterday, was again given a rubber cap, this time attached to a different machine, and was secured to the couch by her arms and legs. Adhesives were attached to several places on her body from which cables ran. This is where she would get the electric shocks. Bucky was a little queasy seeing Ally lying there like that.

"We're going to keep the volts low for now so we don't hurt you unnecessarily. But if we find that it's not helping, we'll increase it, ok?" Doctor Hinton asked Ally after taking her pulse and blood pressure. Ally nodded. "And you really want to do this? Now you can still stop" Doctor Shelby asked. "I'm sure" Ally didn't sound as sure as she would like. She was very afraid of what was about to happen, but she trusted the doctors and she trusted Bucky to be by her side the whole time.

"Ready?" Bucky gave Ally a worried look, but she just nodded. "Let's get started" she replied, smiling confidently at him. Bucky sighed before uttering the first word. Nothing happened, so he continued. The second, the third, suddenly Ally's body jerked. The electric shock had come, she would have slipped into control. "Are you okay?" Bucky asked her as Ally recovered from the shock. She hadn't expected to get one on the third word. "All good. Again" she pressed out.

"No improvement so far" Doctor Hinton sighed as Ally still shocked on the third word after over ten attempts. "We'll up the volts, okay?" Doctor Shelby patted Ally's shoulder encouragingly, who just nodded. It was still bearable, even if electric shocks weren't exactly pleasant. Bucky still eyed Ally anxiously before uttering the first words again. Third word and bam, Ally got the electric shock. Bucky tried to ignore the aching moans from Ally and suppress the need to get her loose and out of here.

After another five strokes, Doctor Hinton looked up from his screen with satisfaction. "It looks like we're making progress. The electric shock is starting about a second later now" Bucky snorted. That's what he called progress? Ally was already clinging to the couch, breathing heavily, beads of sweat gathering on her forehead, her lips pressed together so hard they were turning white. She let herself be tortured like this, only for her control to kick in a second later.

"I think that's enough for today. We'll continue tomorrow" he said to Doctor Hinton without taking his eyes off Ally. "We have to do it again. Otherwise we'll start all over again tomorrow" Doctor Hinton replied. "just take a look at her, doctor. One more stroke could kill her" Bucky got louder. "I understand your concerns, but believe me, so far Ally is not in mortal danger. Just one more time" Bucky was about to retort something when he noticed Ally looking at him and waving her fixed hand in his direction. Immediately he reached for it and looked at her questioningly. "It's okay, Bucky. I'll make it once more" she gasped barely audibly. Bucky sighed before giving her a kiss on the hand. "Alright, one more time"

He did not let go of her hand as he began to recite the words again. As he watched her, memories suddenly came back into his head. Memories that were all too similar to this situation. Him tied to a cot like that, the metal arms around him, his screams of pain. All this he saw in front of his inner eye, while he recited one word after the other. Ally's aching scream brought him back to reality. He was still holding her hand, which, he was shocked to see, suddenly glowed blue. A blue wave exploded throughout the room, bathing everything in such a glare that Bucky held his arm protectively in front of his eyes.

The glare dimmed, the blue mist that had caused the cloud cleared, and startled, Bucky realized they were no longer in the exam room. "Ally, what did you do?" Bucky whispered as goosebumps moved over his body. "I...I don't know" Ally was still fixated on the couch as she looked around anxiously. Doctor Hinton and Doctor Shelby also looked around the large hall they were standing in, frightened.

They were in the place Bucky never wanted to be again, the place he never wanted to see again, and yet he stared in fright at the treatment chair above which the great metal arms loomed. "Did you open a portal?" Bucky asked as he regained his speech. He was more frightened by the whole location than he would admit. he thought he could hear his screams, see Karpov pacing back and forth in the back of the treatment chair, reading Bucky's trigger words. He was cold and hot at the same time. He wanted, no, he needed to get out of here as soon as possible.

"Did you open a portal?" Ally winced as Bucky asked his question again, in louder and more aggressive terms. By now, the two doctors had freed her from the restraints. "I...I don't know" she stammered intimidated. She saw how tense Bucky was. his breathing was faster than normal. Both his hands were clenched into fists. "Then take us back" Bucky snapped at her. "Please" he added softly, almost pleading. Ally nodded and raised her arms. She ignored the pain and crippling feeling from the long fixation. She imagined the examination room, opened the portal, but it immediately fizzled out.

"It's not working" Ally lowered her hands with a sigh. "Take it easy. We got here somehow, so we'll get back" Doctor Hinton tried to bring calm. "What were you doing before that blue explosion went off, Ally?" "Nothing...I...I was just lying there" Ally stammered desperately. "Your hand was glowing blue" Bucky didn't even raise his eyes. "the hand I was holding was glowing blue".

Ally looked at her hand in surprise before gathering all her strength and focusing her hand. "Take us back please" she mumbled as her hand suddenly started to glow followed by the explosion, the bright light. As the fog cleared, Ally realized with relief that she had made it. They were back in the examination room. Exhausted, she dropped onto the cot as Bucky rushed to the door. "Excuse me. I need to be alone" he mumbled before disappearing around the corner.

LOVE YOUUUUU ♥️