Mine (Bucky Barnes)

Twenty One

We're getting closer and closer...

<3 Artie

---------------------------------------------------------------------

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DIDN'T GET HIM?!" Pierce shouted.

Malo cowered behind her Zaštitnik, shaking viciously. The new Head of Hydra was terrifying. More than she ever expected. The man appeared to be in his fifties, but she was certain he could tear her limb from limb with no problem. The fury that emanated off him was what had her shaking in fear.

"The car rolled onto its top. We had him surrounded. He cut into the ground and escaped through a tunnel," the super soldier repeated.

They had already gone through the mission report a few times. Each time Pierce's voice rose in anger. He paced in front of them, deep in his thoughts. Malo slipped her hand into Zaštitnik's, feeling more relaxed at his touch. He squeezed twice, letting her know silently that he was there for her.

Pierce stopped pacing, turning on his heel to face the pair. A sinister smile spread across his wrinkled face. He stalked closer, sending Malo's nerves back into overdrive.

"I almost forgot about our... leverage." He snapped at one of the guards. "Give him the words. And put her in the chair."

A surprising amount of people shouted in dissent. Pierce's eyes narrowed, his gaze burning into Malo's. She tried to hide behind the super soldier once more, but rough hands yanked her away. One hand pulled Malo close to someone's chest, the other twisting her hair in its grasp. She let out a cry as pain rocketed down her spine from the force of her head being pulled back.

A syringe plunged into Zaštitnik's neck, the wielder of it immediately thrown against the wall by a thick metal arm. Malo's eyes grew wide as another guard stepped next to her, holding a gun to her pulsing head. What the hell was happening? She understood Pierce was upset they hadn't completed the mission, but it's not like they could've expected a wounded older male would create a tunnel in under a minute.

And now they were paying the price for that oversight. They (somehow) should have taken that option into consideration.

"Sir, Fury used a laser to make a tunnel. We're still not sure how he managed it in under a minute. That's tech they wouldn't have known about," Izak offered in explanation. He seemed nervous. It was rare that she ever saw him show nerves.

Pierce clenched his jaw. "I don't care if he wasn't aware of the technology. I have allowed him to keep his precious toy alive. Do you know how much that costs?! To run a cryo chamber for twenty years for someone not crucial to Hydra?!"

Izak swallowed hard. "Yes, sir, I do. We were made aware of these numbers before the decision to keep her alive was made. Vassiliev and Fischer knew they would have to offset that money in some way."

"And they paid that price with their lives," Pierce smiled, recalling something that clearly made him happy.

"Give us two hours to get him up to speed on everything he may need to know about the 21st century. He doesn't normally go under for so long and doesn't require that much to catch up on. If he is not able to finish the mission tonight, then a punishment would be well deserved," Izak suggested.

The room was thick with nerves. Malo barely breathed, partly in hope that she would be forgotten about. Partly because she didn't want to inadvertently annoy Pierce into making a rash decision. The quieter everyone was, the less chance there was of him getting angry again.

After another tense minute, Pierce's eyes snapped to hers. She let out an involuntary gasp, making the edges of his mouth twitch. Zaštitnik fell to his knees, whatever was in the syringe kicking in. If she had to guess, it was a heavy sedative.