' ' Perfect Enough To Break ' '

A Show Of Escape

Bucky

(Back at the interrogation room)

I saw it. Just for a second.

That flicker in her eyes before she looked away.

And something in me snapped.

All the frustration, the anger, the guilt I'd been trying to bury came surging up like a wave too big to hold back. I grabbed the back of her chair and spun it hard, the metal scraping across the floor.

"Why can't you just... forget about the damn mission for once in your life!"

My voice came out rough, cracking around the edges with something I couldn't name. I gripped the chair so tight I could feel the bones in my hand ache. I couldn't stand the way she was looking at me—like I was the one out of line. Like I was the one who didn't get it.

"That's not something I can do," she said.

That's when I saw it.

Her hands—working quietly behind the chair. Controlled, efficient. She was picking the lock.

What the hell—

"You've gotta be kidding me," I muttered, stepping back as the cuffs popped open. She stood, smooth and unhurried, the steel falling from her wrists like it meant nothing.

"What the hell are you doing?" I barked, even though I already knew.

"Getting out of here."

I lunged, instincts taking over, but she was ready for me. Of course she was. She moved like she was dancing—sidestepping, ducking, turning my own momentum against me. My hand caught her wrist just in time, my grip iron-tight.

"Where do you think you're going?"

She didn't answer. She didn't have to. Her leg swept behind mine. I lost balance for half a second—just enough. My grip slipped, and she slid away.

"Shit," I hissed, taking off after her.

She was already through the door, moving fast. I followed, catching just a glimpse of her grabbing her gear from the desk outside. She didn't even slow down. She knew exactly what she was doing.

"Sova!" I shouted. "Stop!"

But she didn't. She just ran faster. I chased her down the corridor, every step pounding like a war drum in my ears. I cut her off at the end of the hallway, blocking the only exit with my arms spread wide.

"You're not getting out of here."

She looked at me, just long enough to make me feel something I didn't want to feel.

"You're underestimating me."

She dropped low and slid—between my legs, clean as hell. Before I could spin around, she was up again, hurling a dagger at the glass panel on the metal exit. It shattered. She was through the opening before I could even curse. I followed, ignoring the sharp sting of glass against my arms. The night air hit me—cold, sharp, biting. I watched her reach up and tap the side of her neck. Her mask slid down over her face.

Of course. Hiding again. Just like before.

"You really thought you could get away from me that easily?" I growled, scanning the shadows. But she was already moving, always one step ahead.

Then I heard her voice. Calm. Clipped.

"Someone come pick me up."

"HYDRA,"  I swore under my breath, chest tightening. My hand instinctively went for my sidearm. I moved forward, eyes darting, jaw tight enough to crack.

"No," I whispered. "Not on my damn watch."

Then I heard the engine. A black van pulled up at the edge of the alley, quiet as death. Two HYDRA agents stepped out, rifles ready.

I saw her walk toward them.

I moved to stop her. My legs didn't even feel like mine. I raised my hand without thinking, like somehow I could still reach her.

"Sova!" I called out. I didn't even realize I was pleading until the sound of it hit my own ears.

She didn't look back.

The doors slammed shut.
The van peeled off into the dark.
And I stood there like a fool, surrounded by silence.

She was gone.
Again.