Winter Sun •Soldiers Series• [Bucky Barnes/Avengers] *Sequel to Soldiers*

Chapter 19: Belgium

Lottie:

I stare into my best friend's eyes. From across me, she is bounded to a vertical column with tubes attached to it. The advanced yet loosely connected technology looks harsh against Matron's battered body and pale skin. I still remember the initial shock of seeing her for the first time in a few months. I wouldn't have recognised her if I didn't look into her eyes, though the once glinting mischief in her eyes was almost gone as well.

I can tell she was shocked to take in my state as well. I haven't looked into any reflective surface for quite a while. I have not the slightest clue of how I present to others. But that is my least concern right now.

Finn, the dark haired agent who once worked alongside with me and the Avengers, approaches Matron with a leather like belt in his grips. "This is going to sting a bit," he states, his knuckles are white against the dark material as he stuff it between her teeth. She resists at first, but Finn then proceeds to pressing tautly against her thin neck. The purple vein pulses under her skin and Matron gasps for breaths, allowing Finn to fix the material in her mouth.

"Honestly with such an important project, you should have imagined Hydra providing us with a bigger quarter." The Professor is ranting to Finn, who ignores him pointedly and continues with his duties. "This place doesn't even have enough power to start up the bad boy. Now we have to change them in turns."

The stale air recycles in my lungs as my heartbeat races. This is different from the previous treatments that I had received from the Professor. Standing aside with a padnote in his hands, the man watches between his thick glasses as he make furious notes on the paper. From the tray next to him, Finn picks up a needle and positions it against a vein in Matron's neck. I stare in despair, wiggling my body in a wan attempt to break free. Ever since my resistance half an hour ago, both Finn and the Professor have decided to ignore me and continue with their agenda.

Matron moans painfully when the tip of the long needle pierces her skin. Just when I thought he's going to stop, Finn picks up another needle that I haven't noticed before and stabs it into her temple.

A blood chilling shriek is muffled behind Matron's restrains. "Stop it!" I plead, my shoulders are trembling vigorously both in spite of the cold, damp air and horrid sight of Finn torturing my friend.

"I hope you remember we're supposed to keep them alive, Professor," Finn mutters when Matron's face turns a worrying shade of purple. Hurriedly, the Professor steps up to the vertical column that Matron is bounded to and pulls down a helmet type of device onto Matron's head.

"We're doing fine, son." He sounds grumpy. Matron's eyes dart to me in fear, and that twists my stomach in panics. She's never showed it when she's scared. This is different. This is serious.

I start pulling at the restrains violently, grunting and jerking myself away from my confinements. Matron's chest heaves furiously when the Professor locks the helmet onto her head and tightening it. Finn, eying my advances with narrowed eyes, approaches me and pulls out something from his belt that I am way too familiar with. "Stop!" I cry out when he stabs the electric shocker onto my neck. My body flinches like a fish out of water, and he takes another stab at my rib. I jerk and my body turns numb. My stomach is turning itself upside down and I gag, about to throw up whatever I have in my stomach.

From across the room, the Professor pulls down a level, and the device around Matron's head starts buzzing. The expression on her face contoured into an immense pain, and her eyes beginning rolling back. I watch on helpless as the room begins to fill with the smell of burnt ashes.

Tony:

I messed up.

Well technically, I wasn't the one who messed up. Barnes has decided to barge into my workplace and read through documents that aren't meant for him.