Antedate | Bucky Barnes

Chapter Six

"You're going to do just fine, remember, the target is going to be wearing the blue suit. The man in the black is with us. I have no doubt that you're going to do just fine. Be confident in yourself and your abilities. I'll be here for you afterwards, I promise." I try to give him the best pep talk I can come up with. I feel my stomach tying itself in knots. Obviously, he doesn't respond to me. We stand in silence until an agent comes up to the two of us, interrupting our solemn moment.

"Miss Averina, it's time to put the asset in position." He speaks with false confidence. I can tell he's terrified, his voice wavered as he spoke and I can see the sweat on his brow. I nod my head stiffly and turn to the Soldier.

"It's time. Follow this agent and he will put you in position. Good luck." I say quietly and watch as the Soldier takes my orders and follows the man.

I rejoin Dane and the others in front of the several monitors that are being set up. I check my watch again, fifteen minutes. I take a deep breath to try to calm myself. This is the moment everyone has been waiting for. On one hand I hope he is successful. It would not only save him but myself as well, though I know this reasoning is selfish. If he fails, then my father will lose millions in contracts and I know that will not go unpunished.

However, on the other hand, I feel for the man who has to take another's life. I know this isn't being done out of his own free will, he's being forced to murder. It's a lose-lose situation in my eyes.

"Are you excited?" Dane asks me. The last thing I want to do right now is have any sort of interaction with him, but I know if I act out of line my father will hear of it. I fake a smile and turn to him,

"I am excited. I know he's going to do well." I say and hope that he buys my performance. Luckily for me, Dane doesn't seem too in tune with any sort of emotional intelligence and doesn't question me. We both turn our attention to the monitors and I can see the Soldier being placed in position for the hit and is given an earpiece. Five minutes until the hit.

The squadron leader turns on his earpiece and makes sure that it works. The Soldier confirms that his earpiece is working. I start picking at the skin around my nails anxiously. The squadron leader gets a message on his phone and reads it. He informs the Soldier that the target will be moving in shortly.

The entire room is silent, everyone's eyes are glued to the screens. I think my heart is beating so heavily that the people around me can hear it. It's not long until I see two other people walk into view of the cameras. Any moment now.

I watch as the man in the black suit, the Hydra agent, offers the target a seat. The man sits down with the agent and I see the man look around the room quickly. I think he senses something is awry.

"Target is in position. Engage." The squadron leader speaks into the earpiece. With wide eyes I watch as the Soldier turns the corner and quickly heads to the target. The Hydra agent with the target abruptly stands ands runs from the scene so he isn't caught in the crossfire. The target shouldn't be armed, but you never know.

The target stands from his seat as the Hydra agent runs and looks around frantically. He sees the Soldier walking towards him and backs up as much as he can, tripping over his own feet as he tries to flee from the Soldier. I can see the man with his arms out in front of him, likely pleading for his life.

With skill, the Soldier grabs a knife from one of the holsters on his leg and spins it in his hand. In the blink of an eye, the Soldier slits the target's throat. The target's hands reach for his neck and he falls to his knees. I can see the blood run down his neck onto his hands. As the man loses blood he falls further onto the floor.

"Target eliminated. Return to communications." The squadron leader speaks into the earpiece. My throat feels dry and I can't seem to tear my eyes from the monitor. I hear people around me start to talk and celebrate the victory but I can't focus on them.