Winter Soldier (Book One)

Chapter: 18

DAY: 8

Lark

The clocks turned over to midnight. The lights had been shut off and everything was dark, save for the computer screens below. I sat on the bridge, as a few agents worked below on keeping the Helicarrier in the air and out of sight. It was quiet, everyone but a handful of agents had retired to the bunks. I was processing everything that had happened today, everything that could have happened the next day. Well, later that day I should have said. My father showing up to say 'goodbye' was a surprise that I wish I'd been aware of. To me if felt like he was only there because he wanted to watch me suffer. But when Bucky came after me I knew that I wasn't the only one feeling hopeless.

Since Banner had drawn the blood, I felt different. I felt clammy and out of place, anxious and touchy. I didn't want to be around anyone after Bucky and I had our little moment together. Bucky made me feel a certain way. I couldn't describe it. Somehow safe I suppose, but not in a homey or secure way. I just felt safe.

My head was pounding and my skin was coated in sweat. I felt hot, like I was burning again. I had my hands pressed against my temples, my eyes shut and my breathing jagged. Every single movement, every breath, each blink of my eye or movement from my mouth ached. I felt like one giant bruise.

"Hurts doesn't it?" someone said. I opened my eyes and looked up, dropping my hands and moving to stand up, using the railing to help me. I looked around, no one was around, none of the agents seemed to be speaking to me anyway. "You feel like you can't take it anymore."

I thought I was going crazy, that I was starting to hear things, and that terrified me.

"Who's there?" I risked asking. Behind me, below me, I heard the synchronized sound of marching. I turned and looked over the railing. The agents were in rows and were walking below the bridge, out of sight. What was going on? I couldn't figure out if I was hallucinating or not.

"It's amazing what a little Aether can do to one human body." The voice was right behind me. I spun around, Jack was sitting against the railing across from me with his hand held out. The Aether was slinking between his fingers. "I'm surprised you haven't dropped dead yet."

"What do you want Jack? Why the hell did you infect me?"

"Infect you? I gave it to you. It's a gift, not an illness that you can simply get rid of with a few antibiotics. The Aether is here to stay." he answered. Jack was changing, his skin looked more and more like he had been rolling around in ash, his eyes were a brighter green and the whites were a solid black. I almost felt sorry for him. "But I can see it tearing away your insides, I can see how weak you are right at this moment."

 He stood up from the railing and walked over towards me slowly. I started to back away myself but I was against the railing, my hands gripped the metal. Jack walked up until he was standing directly in front of me. His hand reached out and touched my cheek, his fingers brushed back my hair. I instinctively flinched away from him. I saw him grin.

"What have I ever done to you?"

"It's not what you've done to me, it's what you've done for my employer."

"You mean Hydra."

"Look at that, the little ginger remembers. Point one." he said with a smile. Up close Jack looked terrifying, like that demon you pictured living under your bed as a child.

"What happened to you?" I asked him.

"You really want to know?" he whispered. Jack stepped back a little bit, pushed back his hood and pulled his jacket up and over his head. He tossed it aside and stood there in front of me, shirtless. His skin was ashen grey, scars that pulsed green as if it were showing his beating heart, but the strange thing was that they looked symmetrical, as if there were a line that cut his body in half horizontally. It looked painful almost. He had lost all of his hair, not a lock left.