Unexpected Saviour

- - - - -

"No!"

Ana let out an upset whine when the kid next to her had scored a perfect goal. She dug around in her pocket and pulled out a ten dollar bill, placing it in his awaiting hand. All the kids from the park howled out their laughter from behind her, pointing at her with their little fingers and she waved her hand at them to stop.

Jason grinned up at her and she ruffled his hair playfully, "My man! You're gonna be the next Messi." She praised, taking the soccer ball in her hands when the goalie rolled it back and kneeled down to his level.

"Thank you," He replied in Russian and bumped his small fist against her own with a laugh. She smiled and handed him back his soccer ball just when his friends called out his name to come and join him.

Ana started to make her way outside the large open field that was closed off with a fence. She took an abandoned soccer ball and threw it over the fence into the field when the kids asked for it. It went way too far and she pursed her lips when they all looked at her, mouths agape. She flashed them a smile before walking down the small hill to the park.

Ana sighed out, the cold air allowing her breath to be seen in a cloud of fog. She took a phone from a passerby without him noticing and dialled a number. A few men who kept on turning their heads her way followed her as she talked into the phone, walking onto the market street.

"Natasha? It's Ana."

"Hey there stranger. How's home?"

"You know when you're being followed, and there's four of them hot on your tail?"

"Why, you got some admirers?"

"They've been following me ever since I touched down in Moscow. And I'm itching to punch something, preferably their faces."

"Details."

"Two tall, two short. Approximately in their thirties. All have ink on their necks in a style of a..." Ana briefly turned back and entered a small store, "Circle. I can't get a good look now but I know they're not your standard Russian mafia. You know this kind of stuff, help me out." She stressed.

"Do they have any open pockets, or unzipped jackets? Any heavy clothing?"

Ana sifted through a shelf of chocolate bars, choosing one and ripping the purple packaging open before taking a bite. The cashier was too busy staring at a newspaper to notice a girl was standing at the windows and looking for a group of men outside as she ate the candy.

She spotted the men outside a magazine stand, three of them out in the open as the fourth one spoke to the owner. All their jackets were loose and unbuttoned.

"Yes."

"That means they're carrying guns, and they're easily accessible. If there's a back entrance or alley, hopefully somewhere with a low roof, I want you to lead them there an-"

"And take them out? Got it."

"And get some information out of them, Ana. Who they are, who they work for. You say they've been following you since you arrived, ask them why."

"Right. How's everyone?" Ana asked, scrunching up the empty plastic and waving at the cashier. He waved back, recognising her from the day she saved his life from a robber years ago. He licked his thumb and turned the page on his newspaper, hearing the bell at the door ring as she left.

"Everyone is great. Wanda is getting antsy though."

"Tell her to practise those mind exercises. Also, tell Vision to stop walking into her room, there's a door there for a reason."

"You got it. Come back home safe, Ana."

"I will." Ana closed the flip phone and threw it in the gutter, hearing it clank against the metal crates and fall into the sewer water. She threw her hoodie over her cap and lowered her head, purposely walking by the causal looking Russians and bumping shoulders with one of them roughly.

She grinned, hearing him curse after her. She may or may not have stolen his wallet. Turning back, the men were right behind her. A group of hungry kids that sat on the curb looked in front of them when a bulky wallet landed in front of their feet. Ana started running, heading toward a grey concrete joint at the end of the street. It looked abandoned and isolated. The ground began to get slippery and Ana steadied herself when her legs almost gave out.

"Der'mo." She whispered.

The sound of a gun being loaded made Ana scout for a shield. She ran into the concrete building, shielding her face as the men started shooting. Inside, it looked like it was some sort of post for painting, with the sheer plastic covers and tables scattered around the place. She grabbed a wooden pole about her height that rested against the wall and swung it around, nodding.

"Let's hope Danny taught me right." She mumbled. Dating Danny Rand in college also meant learning the ancient martial arts together.

The second one of the Russians stepped inside, Ana ran at him and smacked him across the face with the makeshift bo-staff, making him cry out. She ducked the second the others rolled up and started shooting at her. She picked up a bucket of paint with the staff and aimed it at them. It opened up and Ana rolled her eyes when red paint spilled out.

She thrusted her flat palm out and passed the staff behind her back, hitting the tall Russian on the nose, before lifting her foot up and kicking him away. He flew across the room and Ana repeatedly hit the two remanding men with the staff. She twirled it up in the air and jump kicked the Russian on her left with a spin. The third pulled out a knife and tried to slash at her, successfully cutting her calf.

She cried out and dropped the staff. It cluttered to the ground and so did she. She could feel the cut burn as if the blade was laced with a poisonous substance. There was a screeching sound out front of the building and she looked up as a black SUV pulled up. The Russians glared down at her, as more of them came out of the car.

Ana grabbed the staff, only for a Russian to step on her fingers, grinding them into the concrete. She cried when the skin on her knuckles ripped open. "Who the hell are you?" She asked, peering up at them on the floor. The red paint spilled out of the tin and engulfed her hands.

A man in a black suit and sunglasses bent down to her level and gripped her chin. She pulled away from him with a scowl, eyes fluttering when her vision became blurry. She could hear him laugh at her, though it sounded distorted like her senses were shutting down.

"We are Hydra."

- - -

There was a gasp that interrupted the high-pitched sounds coming from the monitors. The Warrior awoke with a start and looked up, blinking at the bright light that shined down on her with a groan. She tried to reach up with her hands, but felt they were bound tight at her sides. She was on a chair, with wires and needles attached on her skin that connected to the medical equipment behind her.

Ana pulled at the restraints, clenching her jaw when they wouldn't budge. She tightened her fists and dug her heels into the chair, straining to get out. The events that occurred before she passed out came back to her like a flood and she had to hold back a whimper.

Hydra, or whatever was left, had taken back their Warrior.

"Ah, you are awake."

Her eyes darted to her left. And she froze. The man grinned down at her. She then breathed out through her nose, jerking her body and with all her might, tried again at the restraints holding her down. The goddamn metal wouldn't bend from her strength. They learnt from the last time.

David Michaels, aka Davos Kozlov, the Hydra agent that was assigned the mission of looking over Ana Michaels when she was just a child. His body shook with laughter, clamping his hand down on her healing cut, making her squirm.

"Oh my little warrior, it's been a long time. I've missed you, young one." He sang, taking his hand back. She exhaled as he pressed a few buttons on the computer hooked up to a metal box that was bolted to the floor. There was a hazardous electricity warning on the front of it, it was flaky and decoloured, clearly anyone who used it had no care in the warning.

"What do you want with me?" She bit out, a snarl escaping from her lips. He stamped his hand on a square panel and immediately blue serum flowed out of the bags attached on the hooks of a metal pole, to the needles on her wrists.

Davos opened up a dark blue leather bound book, flipping through the pages unsurely. When he found a specific page, he hummed and trailing his finger across the Russian words with a grin. Ana pulled at the metal again, adamant on breaking out.

"Even if you manage to get out of those restraints, there's more of us outside I assure you." Davos told her. He motioned for the two guards at the door dressed in their black protective gear to come to him. He instructed them to point their weapons at Ana in Russian and looked down at her.

"You seem nervous." He chuckled, before putting on his glasses. "Don't be. It will all work in the end... hopefully." He mumbled, frowning at the fading words on the page.

Ana stared at the two men on her other side, blinking the blurs away from her vision. They had helmets that covered their faces and heavy gear on their body. They would be slow, she would only have to take their guns and run off. Maybe they'll have knives.

No, they'll definitely have knives.

"Can I just say, you are the worst adoptive father in the history of worst adoptive fathers. Give Mary all my hate." Ana said, smirking up at Davos.

Davos stiffened for a second before going on with his reading, but it was long enough for Ana to catch the reaction. She smiled to herself, putting the two together. "Mary is either a way long away from you or she's six feet under." She said.

"Four years ago we were assigned to another mission, everyone but me died." Davos explained, finding it harmless to tell her about the others. He was going to wipe her memory anyway, he just needed to finish reading the procedure. Though, the ink on the pages were smudged and their were papers missing. He would have to figure out the rest.

Ana was surprised when she didn't feel any sympathy or sadness, just nothing. Then again, they were only an extension of Hydra agents that had a duty to watch over her when she was young. She let the unfazed reaction show on her face and let out a long breath.

"Karma." Davos snapped his head to her with a scowl and she grinned, "Don't worry, yours will come soon. I can feel it." She threatened.

Despite not having the complete knowledge of the memory wiping procedure, Davos snapped the book closed and threw it behind him. Ana grew nervous when he started to click different buttons on the monitors, his confusion very clear on his face. Ana flinched at the familiar sound of the machines coming online.

Not again.

The soldiers on her right shifted on their feet as they listened to Davos curse. Davos grabbed the head piece above Ana and lowered it down to her level, setting it up for the next step. The joints creaked and Ana refrained from rolling her eyes.

"I might not have all the steps in my head, but how hard can frying a persons brain be?" Davos chuckled, roughly clamping the metal head piece around Ana's head, earning a groan from her.

"Stop, don't do this." Ana pleaded. She would forget everything in her life that was real and become a clean slate for Hydra. They could set her up against her team and the Avengers would have no way to bring her back. The worst part would be if she manages to complete her missions, she would feel nothing after them. She was to be mindless, lethal, murderous and without emotion.

"The Warrior, with ice in her veins, and armour beneath her skin who crushes the Earth beneath her feet. You will be brought back, and rise again as the new fist of Hydra. May you live long enough to watch millions of empires fall, and Hydra rise up and mould the world our own way."

Davos just had to press one last button and it was a fresh start for Ana. He leaned forward and gave her a grim smile, "You were the mission four years ago." He spat out, glaring at her with hatred.

Ana stared at him, holding in a scowl. He was waiting for her to say something back but clicked his tongue when she only averted her eyes to the walls. He straightened up and looked at the two soldiers, "You might want to take a step back, she could start kicking." He warned and turned his back to face the monitor.

One soldier stepped back while the other looked down at Ana as a tear slid down her face. He lifted his head when Davos took a step back so he could look at Ana and switch on the machine simultaneously. Ana started breathing heavily, knowing the pain that was yet to come would be excruciating.

Davos noticed the tears and clenched his jaw. Leaning down in front of her, he wagged his finger and sent a hard slap across her face. Her head snapped to the side and he growled, "You are a weapon! Weapons do not weep!" He exclaimed.

Ana licked her lips, tasting the blood. She sniffed, removing the emotion from her face. Her hair fell out of her face as she turned back to face him, the hard eyes making him nod in approval. He straightened himself up and made his way to the controls.

Davos pressed the red button and watched as the machines lit up. Ana screamed and withered in the chair, back arching as her mind suffered from the electric charges the head gear gave her. She was gasping for breath before letting out another scream.

The doors slid open and there were three guns shots. Ana quivered with a gasp and Davos froze on his feet. The soldiers at the end of the chair fell as Davos dropped his head, catching the red pool of blood staining his coat. He fell back to the ground, dead and eyes open wide.

The incoming man shot at the control panel, puncturing and ruining the machines and the procedure. He started on getting Ana's restraints loose and she tried to catch her breath, struggling to recall what had just happened. Her brain was burning, and her eyes were stinging with unshed tears.

She looked at the man with the mask, widening her eyes in fear when leaned down to frame her face with his gloved hands, tapping her cheeks when her eyes would loose focus. "Oh man... Ana?" He called, voice muffled.

He removed his mask and Ana looked at the man with blue eyes and long hair, a small frown on her lips. She remembered him.

"James?" She whispered. It was like puzzle pieces came together in her head, slowly, but she could recognise him.

"Yeah, yeah it's me." Bucky nodded, relieved.

Ana let out a shaky breath and pulled a smile, "You're a hard man to find, soldat." She said. She closed her eyes briefly and tried to concentrate. It was like her mind tried to settle down, but didn't know how and it kept on replaying the same thoughts in her head.

"What happened? What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I'll explain later." He said, going to remove the head piece off Ana with his metal arm. Ana closed her eyes when he broke it apart, small sparks emitting when the cables disconnected. She sat up with his help and placed her hands on his shoulders, facing him.

Ana's eyes darted between the machines, Davos and the soldier behind her. "You stopped them." She said.

Bucky gave her a soft smile and crouched down to her level, placing his hands on her knees. "I can't have you becoming a mindless weapon, voin." He replied, calling her warrior in Russian. She quirked a smile and he pursed his lips together.

Ana bit her lip and he pulled her closer for an embrace, cradling her head to his. She hooked her arms around his back and returned it, closing her eyes at the feeling. He eased her off the chair, still holding her before pulling away and checking her over.

Ana winced at the dull throb in her calf. Bucky removed the wires connected to her chest and skin as she looked down at Davos. She clenched her jaw and dug out the needles, wincing at the small stings. After she was clear of the equipment, she took the weapons off the downed soldier and followed Bucky as he lead her to the door.

"You look different." She commented, looking at his broad back.

"Two years since you've seen me and that's all I get?" He teased, looking back at her.

"Well-"

Ana's vision blackened for a moment and she crashed into the wall when her legs buckled, dropping the firearm to steady herself. Her head pounded and she brought a hand up to try and soothe the pain away.

Bucky placed a hand on her lower back and looked into her dark eyes, "Hey, hey. You alright?" He whispered.

Ana swallowed, trying to piece back the situation. He handed her the gun and frowned, "Is it your head? You can't think straight?"

"Yeah. No. I'm fine." She answered dismissively, "Why were you here?" She asked, gripping the firearm as he punched the code into the panel. He stopped briefly before continuing, she had already asked him that before.

"Looking for answers. I was in deep cover for a week and when I heard they got you in," He turned to look at her, a small amount of worry in his blue eyes, "Well, I came as fast as I could." He finished.

Ana gave him a thankful smile, "Well, I owe you."

"You can owe me by sticking to my side. I know this warehouse like the back of my hand, there's an exit close by but it's heavily patrolled. We'd have to take a ride and travel south, I have a small hideout about three hours away." Bucky told her, stepping out of the room when the doors slid open with a beep.

Ana stuck to him like a shadow, back to back, she covered the behind area while he lead her and covered the front. Their heads perked up when alarms blared out, the white lights that ran down the middle of the ceiling turned off as the red bulbs on the upper corners of the ceiling went off.

"Wait. Where are we?" She mumbled unsure.

"Old Hydra warehouse by the docks."

Bucky's metal arm circled behind and pushed her closer to him as he walked into a space in the wall that curved inwards. Hydra agents came running from the corners and Ana sighed, "Great. Hydra is back. That cut off one head, two more shall take it's place shit does not lie, does it Bucky?" She said.