WILD CHILD │ barnes ¹

fourteen

Evgenia looks down at her body. Blankets are wrapped around her tightly and she can make out the form of her legs. No. No. He was lying to her, it couldn't be, she could still feel them for God's sake.

'They couldn't save it. I'm sorry Zhenya.'

Natasha's hand leaves her as the child jolts up from the bed and rips the blankets off of her. Her left leg lay on the bed, toes touching the wall that faced her. Besides it, her right leg began at the hip but where the knee and calves should be, lay a stump.

They couldn't save it. Steve's words echo through her mind.

Sadness? Grief? Anger? What is she supposed to feel? Evgenia realises that she doesn't know. All her life she's been taught to suppress her emotions. Emotions made her human. Humans had no place, only ruthless, mindless soldiers stood a chance in this cruel world of hers. She'd learnt that from an early age. You have no place in the world. The words of Madame B's come crawling back, a timeless lesson. She doesn't know what to say.

'I can still feel it.'

'Phantom pains, they're normal for amputees.'

Did Papochka feel these too? Did he walk around for days, weeks, months and still feel the ache of where his left arm should be?

'Will I get a prosthetic?' she asks, the last word coming out uncertainly as the little girl struggles to find the word in English for it.

'Yes, I've reached out a friend.' Natasha stares at her. There's no pity in her eyes and Evgenia is thankful. She doesn't want pity.

The redhead and Steve both standing with their arms crossed now glance at each other, an emotion that Evgenia can't decipher is exchanged between them.

'Hey,' Natalia's cheeriness is forced, attempting to distract her from her loss, 'Fury's been meaning to speak to you, so if you're up to it I can take you to see him.'

Nicholas Fury. Director of SHIELD. A failed mission. She thought she had successfully terminated her target but it seemed that the man would always elude death. What would Karpov do to her once he found out? Kill her? No, she was too precious of an asset to dispose of. Wipe her? Perhaps, it worked on Papa, it would work on her.

Evgenia can see that she has no control over this situation. One of her legs is gone and she can't escape. She doesn't know if she really wants to though. She misses her papochka terribly but Natasha and Steve's friends treat her better than Karpov and his agents.

'Sure.'

But her tone suggests otherwise.

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The soldier's dark locks hang in front of his face. His eyes are open but hollow, glassy. They seem to be fixated on something out of this world.

Doctors drill at his arm, electricity flying into their faces.

'Sergeant Barnes.'

A man appears above him, greenery spread out as his backdrop. His voice is croaky and low, sending shivers up the Asset's spine. Then the scene changes. A blonde haired man - the one from the bridge reaches out to him, fear in his eyes as he desperately tries to grab ahold of him.