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. ** .

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She was back.

The target was back.

Alone.

Alone with the little blond boy.

No men around her. Nobody guarding her. It was just her and the boy.

It didn't make any sense.

Checking the park for the tenth time, I was sure. Only the two of them here.

There were a couple of others at the park. None of them seemed to be Hydra's men. Hoped none of them were.

The target hadn't spotted me. So I slunk into the shadows. Between the bushes. The trees behind the bench. Watching. Waiting. In the shadows.

'What do I want to do now?'

Should I grab her? Should I watch her? Should I follow her?

How do I get the information about what they did to me from her? Torture? Did I want to torture her?

Was that who I am now?

Was I to kill her after I was finished?

And what of the little boy?

Pain ripped through my head. The decisions. I couldn't handle it. I don't remember how to make them. What was I supposed to do? Nobody was there to tell me.

And I couldn't shrug this off.

Clenching fists did nothing to help. Though it did distract me from what I needed to do. To make a decision. The damage in the metal arm sent shocks into my body from use.

Then a thought.

One that drifted through my hazy mind.

A leaf.

I could toss it like a coin. It could decide for me.

Face up, I take her now.

Face down, I follow her until I understood more.

It was beautiful. Watching the green leaf twist, flip and sway its way to the grass below.

Face down.

The dull thumping in my head calmed down.

I knew what I was to do. I had a direction again.

I didn't have to wait long in the park.

The boy had fallen off the slide. Scraped his knee on the wood chips. The target gathered up the little blond boy. Said a couple of words for the tears to morph into sniffles.

Hand in hand, they left the park.

There was no car waiting for them. I had the chance to follow them with ease. Keeping to the shadows of the houses. Leaping over fences and shrubbery to stay out of sight. For the most part.

I couldn't believe how close she was to the park. Three blocks away. A mere three blocks away.

A big house with an attached garage. A large black S.U.V. parked in the driveway. It was like any other house on the street. It blended right in.

A shadow moved behind the white curtains. Someone else was in the house. Male judging by the size. The way he moved. The sway in the shoulders instead of the hips.

He opened the front door. Greeting the pair. A blue eyed blond. Same as the little boy he picked up. With a kiss on the target's lips, the man closed the front door.

One final sweep of the neighborhood. I logged the target's house number and location into my mind. Before returning to the shelter for the night.

I found what I was waiting for.

It wouldn't be long. Not long before I got what I truly wanted.

I'd have to tell that young woman farewell tomorrow. I wonder how she'd take it.

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. ** .

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My lips twisted into a frown.

The sun had set couple hours ago. The food truck had long packed up and left. There was nobody in the park now.

That young woman never showed up.

She said she'd be here. I believed her words. Her eyes.

She'd be here.

But she wasn't.

I couldn't even understand why.

Why was I still sitting here? On the bench. Waiting.

Unease twisting itself in my gut. She should've been here.

She'd never miss that pulled pork sandwich.

In the past month, she'd never missed it. She'd run until she was out of breath. Just for it.

A yell echoed through the park. A scream cut off into muffles.

My heart raced. My body shot onto its feet. My eyes trained on the east entrance. I leaned away from it. Ready to dive into the bushes.

Had they found me?

"Why the fuck are you taking me here!? Eve!?!"

I knew that voice! It was the young woman's voice. I could hear the fear. The fear hidden under the obvious frustration.

"I can't believe this is fucking happening again!"

She came flying over the low wall. Tucking into a ball at the height of her jump. Her body plummeted like a stone. Pressed against the bricks of the half wall. She scooted herself along it. Towards the direction she came from. Away from me.

That was until those wild gray eyes locked onto me. Her brow furrowed and one rose up. Her shoulders heaving with each breath. Each breath her body demanded.

Her eyes looked up. Trying to peer over the wall behind her. From her position, she couldn't. No one could. Not without the help of reflections.

Her arm waved wildly. As if motioning for me to get into the bushes. She focused on me again. No way for her to know –

Beep.

"Behind you!!!" I yelled at her.

"Fuck!" She dove into a summersault. Braided hair barely escaping the man's grasp. "Damn phone!!"

She didn't look back. Only bolted once her feet were under her. It wasn't a full out sprint. Legs bouncing for distance. Keeping light on her feet.

"Don't make this difficult on yourself," laughed a man. The one who tried to grab her.

Three more showed up from around the corner. All of them walked with ease. In no rush to go after her. Blocking the eastern entrance.

"What do you mean there's a second team!?!" the young woman cried. Racing across the fountain.

"Who told her that!? Never mind that. Checkmate, bitch."

"Why the fuck did you lead me to a checkmate!?!" She skidded to a stop. "Good luck!? What so you mean good luck!?! The fuck you go!?! Damn it!!! Bloody dead zone!!" Her chested heaved a frustrated huff. Eyeing her surroundings.

A group of four men blocked the western entrance. The original group of four were at her heels. All were masked. All wore black. These were clearly not her men.

"I suggest you cooperate."

"'Kay, 'kay." She raised her hands. Her lungs still trying to catch her breath. Otherwise, she was calm. "I give. I give."

"Good choice." The speaker, with a jerk of his head, motioned for one of his men to move.

The largest man. One much larger than myself. Taller. Bulkier. He stalked up to the much smaller woman.

It would have been amusing. Their size difference. In a different situation, yes. Not this one. Not with a cloth bag in his hands. Not with their masks. Not like this.

The young woman backed up a half step. Nose wrinkling in distaste. "Please tell me that's clean."

"Shut up, bitch," the large man spat.

"Oi, not nice. I'm cooperating, ain't I?"

The questioning tilt of her head camouflaged the movement of her shoulders. Her knee snapped up. Her foot shot out at the man's groin. With a howl of pain, came chaos.

"RUN!!!" she screamed at me. Arm waving wildly.

She sprinted straight at me. It was the only sensible direction she could go. But she didn't make it very far.

They were stronger. They were faster. They greatly outnumbered her.

Eight to one.

One tackled into her side. Right into the dirt. The one with the bag.

She fought back wildly. Kicking out with all the ferocity she had in her little frame. But there was nothing she could do against the giant man.

He caught her leg.

A wounded screech split the air before it faded to a vicious snarl. Another cry of pain and blood stained the air.

"You little bitch!!! You're going to regret that!!!"

A blade was brandished in the night.

I snapped into action. Broke a wrist. The one that held the tactical knife. Before it found a new sheath. In the young woman's back.

Catch the knife. Cut to the jugular. Target incapacitated.

The clean knife fell from the metal fingers. The pain too much. The pounding in my head. The electricity running rampant from the mechanical arm.

'No more killing.... Don't want to kill....'

My foot sailed right at the man's head. He flew. Too much strength.

'Shit.'

Punch to the chest. Ribs break. Puncture organs. Target incapacitated.

My fist found another man. The side of his head instead. Hope I held back enough. Held back too much.

Apparently.

The man still stood. Confused. But he still stood. Barely even budged.

My fist collided with his chin. He fell back with a thud. Kicking up dust. He no longer moved.

Target incapacitated.

I hauled the young woman onto her feet. Being on the ground would limit her escape. "Go."

A push towards the bushes. An opening. A fast closing one.

The men descended.

A blade cut into my sleeve. Scraped against the metal plates of the semi useless arm.

Reflexes kicked in. Punched the attacker. Landed on his side. He too flew. Farther than the first.

Three targets incapacitated.

Panic rose. Suffocating. Couldn't breathe. It only got worse. Muscles only coiled tighter. To hide. To fight. Ready to explode in pure reactive power. Power that wasn't mine.

I was going to kill someone.... If I haven't already.

An arm snaked around my throat. Opening my stance. Pressing my back into a body. Choking me.

Break the arm. Sweep the legs. Break the skull. Target incapacitated.

Blood splattered onto my face. I backed away. Away from the young woman. The one dragging the once fallen knife down the forearm. The one wrapped around my neck.

A screech blared at my sensitive ears. Too much. Too loud.

Her hands gave my chest a shove. It wasn't strong enough. Not enough to budge me. But the blood sprayed out of that mouth of hers. That did.

A man yelled about his eyes. Somewhere over my shoulder. The lump of flesh she spat out told of the knife's owner. The story that he was missing a chunk of his arm. A chunk she bit off in their struggle.

My forearm found the side of a neck. The neck of the now blinded man.

Four targets incapacitated.

These men were simple to deal with.

No match for the Winter Soldier.

But I didn't want to be that. The Asset.

No more killing.

But it was hard. Harder to keep them alive than to kill.

A sharp pain sliced across my chest. Three at once. Made trickier with a barely functional arm.

Seven targets incapacitated.

The last one found himself in my choke hold.

Crush the throat. Target incapacitated.

The light was fast fading from those eyes.

Punch to the face. Break the skull. Target incapacitated.

Hands clawed at my arm.

Cut off the oxygen supply. Wait. Target incapacitated.

"Hey, Buddy, let go," the young woman ordered. Voice scratchy but somehow still soft in tone.

I quickly released the man.

Backed away. Tripped over a hopefully unconscious body. I tried to slow my racing heart. But it only pounded harder at the crackle. The crackle of electricity snapping through the air.

The young woman stood over the bodies. Completely favoring her right leg.

The left was injured. The one who caught her. The one she bit. The one who pulled too hard on her foot.

Her hand fell to her side. Taser clutched between her bloodied fingers.

"Bastards be glad the fucking bear mace is at the bloody hotel," she sneered with a huff.

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Author's Note:

Had a lot of fun with the last bit. Hopefully, it's as confusing to read as Bucky feels.

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