salvation ; 𝐛. 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐬 , 𝟐

006. that's the spirit

I STRUGGLED TO understand. "You know Steve?"

The woman nodded, but her lips curled in something that looked like a distasteful grimace. "Yeah, stars, stripes, and everything that comes with him."

"He never said anything about you," I said plainly, though he probably never had any time to talk about something other than running from the men trying to lock up his best friend.

She clicked her tongue, her eyes drifting to the ceiling. "Let's just say it's been awhile since we talked. Whatever," she shook her head, "I'll tell you all the messy details that you want to know when we get in the car."

I blinked. "That car? I've got a—"

Cara nodded. "I know they're keeping tabs on you. I know you've got a guy out front waiting for you like a personal chauffeur." She rolled her eyes as if to say, duh. "That's why I met you in the bathroom. Come on, we've got to get on the road."

Dumbfounded, my jaw slackened as I tried to process everything this stranger was telling me. "But...I have a hotel room. A fucking expensive one," I scoffed. "I've got all my stuff there."

Cara narrowed her eyes for a second, but then shrugged. "Okay, we'll just make a quick stop over there and pick it up. That's more of a detour than I'd want to take, but I guess it'll be fine."

"Hold on," I held out a hand, scrutinizing her. "Where are we going? And how do I know you're who you say you are?"

She sighed, putting her hands on her hips. It was obvious that she'd thought this process of convincing me to come with her would be much easier. "I've known Sam and Steve for the past six years. I helped rescue your Buckaroo from a Hydra knock-off group called Skull," she met my eyes, "and now I'm seeing that it didn't do much for him, considering he's been captured again."

I crossed my arms to keep myself from throwing my hands up in the air, "Hey, it's not my fault!" Yes it is yes it is yes it is yes it is—

"I never said it was," Cara reassured me. "I'm just saying that Bucky deserves a rest from all of this, but it seems like he'll never get it." She inhaled. "Come on. We're losing time."

"Where are we going? You never answered me."

She smirked, flashing a wink at me. "Where do you think we're going? We're gonna get Steve out of the CIA's slimy hands, we're gonna find Sam, and then we're gonna go on the road trip of our lives to find out where the hell Bucky landed this time."

She jabbed a thumb towards the small window in the bathroom that would lead into the dark night. "You coming?"

————————————————————

He wasn't dreaming, not really.

The images in his mind, flashing across the horizon of his brain like a movie scene, the numbness that came with it, the voice, the pain, oh, the pain...

They weren't dreams. They were memories. That much he knew.

Some of them consisted of the same words, echoing, agonizing, inside his head. He could hear his own screams of protest, bouncing off the walls of his muddled brain. But the worst part?

He didn't even know what he looked like. He couldn't remember. The only memories that he recognized were the ones that caused the most pain.

Good morning, Soldier.

Numbness spread over his whole body, terminating any control he had over himself, reducing it to nothing.

I hope you're not too startled by my voice. This is a new serum, after all.