Titanium | Barnes (1)

28. Going Under

"I'll go with you."

"I think you're our best shot at figuring out how to trust our minds again. You made it, now you can destroy it." He drapes an arm over her shoulders as she holds his waist while they walk. "Besides, you have friends here who want some answers. You learned how to trust yourself, Malka. I just need time."

Though the thought of putting him in cryo-freeze again makes her tremble, Malka forces herself to nod. "However long you need."

"Uh, yeah, no. I'm ready for answers now, so don't keep us waiting." Malka frowns as she looks up to see a group of four all standing in a circle, watching as they approach. Sam smirks when Malka blushes, saying, "Yeah, we got out."

"When? I could have helped—"

"It's all good," Steve replies. "Nat and I figured it out."

As Natasha nods, her shimmering platinum hair framing her jaw, Wanda rushes forward and gives Malka a hug she isn't expecting. The girl shakes a bit, and Malka can see a small indent on Wanda's neck when she pulls back as if she were wearing a collar. "You ok?" She asks.

Wanda shrugs. "Better now."

Malka sighs before she meets Natasha's gaze. "Glad I don't have to fight you anymore. Wasn't fun for me."

"Wasn't fun for me either," Natasha says. "Both Scott and Clint were given immunity deals with house arrest, so they're home with their families. It's just us left."

"So," Steve crosses his arms, and Malka feels Bucky's grip tighten, "care to explain a few things?"

"Like?"

"Like you trying to kill me? It's ok, but I'd like to know."

Malka bites her lip and shakes her head. "Nat knows."

"Nat knows everything," Steve rolls his eyes.

"There were rumors of a frozen Captain America somewhere on the globe, so Aura was sent out to ensure the rumors were fake," she says. "I think it was HYDRA, but I'm never sure. I found you in your ship, saw the shield, and knew. But, I was me. I hadn't been Aura since the late eighties, not really. At least, if I was, I don't remember."

Bucky shifts his weight. "So, the nineties—"

"That was me." Malka forces the heat from her cheeks. "Anyway, I, uh, I couldn't kill you then, so I turned myself in to SHIELD, to Nat, and I told Fury where to look."

Steve furrows his brows. "So, why didn't you kill me?"

"Because I knew that if there was anyone on this earth who could save him it'd be you." There is no hesitation in her voice, just the cold truth. "One of us deserved to have a chance at getting out, of having the program degrade from the inside. I wasn't about to take that chance away from him."

When she looks up, she finds Bucky already staring at her. "Don't look at me like that. You and I both know he's gonna bring you back every time. And I... I killed the only person who stood a chance for me, so..."

Natasha silently digs into her jacket and pulls out a folded piece of paper. "Wasn't able to grab all of your notebooks, but everything I did get is with the Wakandans. I thought I'd give you this in person before we scatter to the winds."

She curses her shaking hand as she takes the folded paper from Natasha and opens it. A smile spreads across her lips as tears fill her eyes: a family of four smiles at the camera as only the Polish can, two almost identical girls in their mother's lap, their father standing beside them. One girl has deep brown eyes that appear black in the photo, while the other has a barely visible iris from the quality of the picture.