Monster

Since the ordeal with HYDRA, again, SHIELD was in shambles. Ninety percent of the workforce had been arrested, killed in action, or simply disappeared into the wind. Those of us who stuck behind were interviewed, followed, and just plain harassed. Majority of us had been labeled HYDRA even when there was no evidence to back that accusation, aside from our unknowingly doing HYDRA’s dirty work for years, and the ones who managed to get free from the government takedown went on to work for various other places.

I managed to make it through the interview and scrutiny for the simple fact that I was a level one agent, fought against HYDRA with a pink knife, and had a history with Colonel Talbot of US Special Forces. I had been cleared quickly, though I wasn’t sure that they weren’t still watching me anyway.

The new job was going to be more difficult to find. Tony Stark had offered me a job almost immediately, and I had considered it a great deal. I just didn’t want to leave my home in DC. I didn’t want to be closer to my sister so that she could see everything I tried to keep away from my family, and I couldn’t be positive that working for Stark would be any less stressful than working for SHIELD. Since he seemed to have a new death threat every day. I still had a mortgage to pay though, and a car, and despite HQ being swarmed with military personnel and construction crews, I decided to go back for what was left of my stuff anyway.

The front courtyard was empty when I walked through it. It almost felt like a ghost town. In the old days, the place would have been crawling with agents. Sunshine used to sparkle through the glass ceiling and make the whole place come alive. Now it was devoid of life except for me, some dying plants, and whatever birds had snuck through the shattered ceiling. I headed into the main lobby and made for the blinking elevator bank. The other tower had been closed off due to most of it having been damaged when a helicarrier went down. My tower was still mostly intact, thankfully.

“Where do you think you’re going?” a uniformed soldier said as he stepped in front of me. He held his gun against his chest and stretched his spine to appear taller and more intimidating.

“To get my stuff,” I replied.

“What stuff? What’s left? Important documents? How’d you get cleared?” I pulled my bag up higher on my shoulder and looked him straight in the eye. He was taller than me by nearly half a foot, but I was far from intimidated and he was getting on my nerves. I had already waited long enough to get my stuff, and I had nothing to hide. I may have done a lot of HYDRA’s work, but I didn’t do it intentionally.

“I’m former agent Johanna Hayes. I’m also ex-Special Forces and your superior. I’ve been cleared by Colonel Talbot, and I came here to pick up my personal belongings. If that is a problem for you, please give the Colonel a call. I’m sure he would like to be bothered with the news of me collecting my family photos.”

He gave me a huff but turned to his companion anyway. The other guy was lounging lazily at the security desk. I could barely see most of his body except for his feet crossed over the place I used to check in each morning. The man gave a shrug and didn’t bother to reopen his eyes.

“Talbot cleared her. Let her go. He’s too busy to care,” he said. The guy turned back to me and stepped away.

“We’ll be watching you… Agent,” he said. I held my head high as I stepped passed him and headed to the elevators.

Even though I had a desk job and did nothing but paperwork all day long, my office was one of the few that was hit the hardest. A great deal of our paperwork had been compromised, falsified, rendered useless, or just had HYDRA written all over it. My level was even quieter than the courtyard. At least you could hear birds sing out there through all the broken glass.

My cubicle was littered with papers and the remains of the fight that had taken place there. Luckily the bodies had been removed but when I told my mother I was going back for my stuff, she strictly forbade me. She was afraid that seeing the battleground would send me into a horrific flashback. But besides the melancholy feeling about the fact that I no longer had a steady job, I felt just fine.

I had to do a dance around the rubble and mess to get to my chair on the cubicle bank closest to the window. Then I plopped down on my chair and looked out over the entrance courtyard and the mangled SHIELD statue. I could see the partially demolished second building from my seat. I watched some birds take flight from a broken section before taking another sip of my coffee and placing the mug on my desk.

Then I began to empty my drawers. I tossed my files and paperwork into the trash bin at my side even though they were probably better placed on the floor. I dug through my junk and began removing what I needed or things that were mine. Like office supplies and personal items.

“Hey,” I heard a voice say sharply. I looked up at another soldier who stood in the walkway, holding onto his gun as if he would have to use it on me. “Do you have clearance?”

“I’ve been cleared by Colonel Talbot. I don’t know why I keep having to tell you guys that. You don’t seem very organized,” I informed him.

“You SHIELD?” he asked. I sighed heavily. Yes, I was SHIELD, but I was tired of the way people reacted when I said I was. I still believed there was a difference between SHIELD and HYDRA.

“Special Forces,” I told him. He gave me a once over, as if coming to the conclusion that I didn’t look Special Forces at all.

“You’re not taking any data, are you? We’re not supposed to touch the files.”

“I’m leaving all the paperwork.” I lifted my in/outbox and dumped it onto the floor just to show him it was useless to me now. “But I am taking my stuff.” I stuffed a few supplies into my bag, and he approached the cubicle.

“We’re not supposed to take anything.”

“I’m taking my stuff,” I repeated. “Unless you want to keep my parents wedding photo, and this macaroni necklace a kid from the VA made for me, by all means.” I held the chain out to him, but he just kept staring down at me. So I shoved them into my bag and reached for my laptop. He jolted, and his fingers twitched toward his gun.

“You can’t take that,” he insisted. I sighed and lifted the screen.

“It’s my personal computer,” I explained. “No access to SHIELD or HYDRA databanks. I had to access them from my work computer.” I put my hand on the desk by the mouse. “My login ID doesn’t work anymore, remember? But this computer is mine. My mother paid for it. And I need it to apply for new jobs.” I closed the laptop screen and slid it into my bag. “But you can go ahead and run that by Talbot if you want to.” He shifted on his feet.

“Talbot says not to bother him, but he also says not to trust anyone.” I shrugged and reached for my stapler.

“Talbot trusts me.”

“Why?”

“Because I saved his life.” He watched me gather more of my supplies before another soldier cruised through the hallway.

“She’s cleared,” the woman said. “Just got off the phone with Talbot. He said to let her take what she wants.” The guy nodded and turned back to me.

“You’re clear,” he told me.

“I told you that I was,” I replied.

He walked off to join his companion on their rounds. I reached into the bottom drawer of my desk when I felt my phone vibrate in my blazer pocket. I pulled it out and looked down at the screen. It was a text from an unknown number.

“Agent Hayes, this is Agent Hill. I have a mission for you,” the text read. I looked up to see if the soldiers were still watching me, but they were in a discussion and no longer looking in my direction.

I had seen Agent Maria Hill several times during my employment with SHIELD, but I had never met her. The woman always appeared cold and indifferent and stuck by Director Fury like a permanent second limb. After Fury’s assassination, I hadn’t seen Hill at all. The last I heard from her was when SHIELD had named her an enemy, and she assisted Captain Rogers in bringing down HYDRA. I knew that whatever reason she had for contacting me now must be important. As far as I knew she managed to get cleared and was going to work for Stark.

“I’m listening,” I texted back. Her response came just a second later.

“Meet me in the basement in interrogation room four. Take the stairs, don’t use your badge.”

“I’ll be right down.”

My phone went silent again, and I stood as I swept a strand of light brown hair from my face. I didn’t know what Hill could want from me, but she knew I was in the building and she still referred to me as an agent even though I no longer had a job. I lifted the bag I had stuffed with all my supplies and then swung it back over my shoulder. It was heavy with the weight of my laptop and picture frames, but I felt for the knife in my pocket and walked past the soldiers.

“Good luck on your job search,” the man said. I gave him a quick nod before heading to the elevator bank. I was alone in the small room, and I looked around to make sure the soldiers weren’t watching me. Instead of pressing the button to get on the immobile elevator car, I opened the door to the stairwell and pulled it closed before it could slam shut and give me away.

I never had a reason to go to the interrogation rooms before. I was at a desk all day. I didn’t do any field work. There was never a reason for me to interrogate anyone. I knew where they were though, because that was part of my job. I couldn’t ever be lost, and I had toured the building more than once. Although, the interrogation rooms were usually set to deny my access when I swiped my badge, but a man was waiting for me at the door when I left the stairwell.

I recognized him from the battle against HYDRA. He had stolen military equipment and aided Rogers and the others in taking down the helicarriers that were set to commit genocide. His name was Sam Wilson, and word on the street was that he was now best friends with Captain America and called himself The Falcon.

“Agent Hayes,” he said when I approached. I nodded to him.

“Wilson,” I replied.

He already had the door open while he waited for me, so he pushed it wider to let me into the hallway. Then I followed him down the windowless corridor until we reached the door marked four in clean, sharp letters. He gave the door a quick tap with his knuckles before turning the handle and pushing it open. Then I nearly stumbled over my own feet when I saw the group waiting for me inside. Agent Hill stood at the end of the singular table, Agent Romanoff sat in a chair beside her, and Captain Rogers sat next to her. They were all facing me and the only two available chairs left had their backs to the door.

“Have a seat,” Hill instructed when I entered the room. Wilson closed the door for me, and I took the chair across from Rogers. I wondered if anyone else who had been cleared was getting interrogated by this crew too. Or if I was just special.

“What’s going on?” I asked as I sat my bag down beside the leg of the aluminum table.

“I have a few questions for you.”

“Okay, I’ve already been questioned. Was there something wrong?”

“No, I’m just curious how you got cleared.”

“I got cleared because I’m clean. I’m a level one. I never did anything but paperwork. They determined I was harmless, and Colonel Talbot gave me a recommendation.”

“Are you working for Talbot now?”

“I’m not working for anyone. I’m unemployed.”

“Stark didn’t offer you a job?”

“Of course he did. I didn’t accept it.”

“Why not?” I looked up at her and narrowed my eyes in disbelief.

“I’m sorry, Agent Hill, but last I checked I don’t have to answer your questions. If this is another kind of examination then just be straight with me. Talbot has already cleared me. I’m not HYDRA. My reason for not accepting Stark’s job offer is my business.”

“This isn’t an interrogation. It’s an interview,” Rogers said from across me.

I looked up to meet his clear blue eyes. He was sitting his civilian clothes but seemed tense and ready to jump into action at the first sign of trouble. My guess was that he was always like that. Even though he seemed so alert, he also appeared as exhausted as the rest of us. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his usually perfectly styled blond hair was ruffled as if he hadn’t slept in days.

“Interview for what?” I asked. Then Hill slapped a folder down on the metal table in front of me. I felt my spine go cold when I looked at the words printed on the cover. They were in Russian. “I don’t speak Russian,” I informed her.

“I’ve included translations. Open it,” she told me.

I opened the file and looked down at the first page. A large photo had been attached to the inside of the cover. It was a blueish toned photo of a man with his eyes closed. The edges of the picture seemed almost frosted. A smaller photo was attached to the larger one. It was an old print of a man in military uniform. I ran my fingers over the glossy old print and removed it from the paper clip.

“Sergeant James Barnes,” I said, reading the name on the translation.

“Bucky,” Rogers informed me. “His name is James Buchanan Barnes. I’ve always called him Bucky.”

“He’s also known as the Winter Soldier,” Romanoff said from the other side of Rogers. I cut my eyes to her and saw the exhausted expression was mirrored on her face as well. I knew she was involved with a lot of legal trouble, but call me crazy, I trusted the both of them. They had saved my life more than once, even if they hadn’t done so knowingly.

“The Winter Soldier?” I repeated out loud. “I thought that was just a myth. Just a ghost story SHIELD used whenever we didn’t have enough information on something.”

“The Winter Soldier is a person, and if you accept this job, he’s also going to pay your bills.” My eyebrows rose.

“You want me to find him?”

“No,” Rogers said as I turned back to him. “He’s going to be impossible to find. And he’s… not himself. He doesn’t know who he is. Your mission won’t be to find him because you won’t succeed. Your mission will be to help me bring him out of the shadows. Help me help him.”

I never thought I would see a day where the famous Captain America would need my help for anything. Not when he had Romanoff, Wilson, and Hill at his side. Not with his gang of super buddies. I was good at my job, but I didn’t have any particular talents. At least not any I wanted to show off. I wasn’t an assassin, and Tony never let me touch his suits. I couldn’t even pull a trigger. I was just a girl who sat behind a desk and filed reports. My only claim to fame was that I carried a sparkly knife and had a distant association with Tony Stark.

“James Barnes has undergone decades of brainwashing on part of HYDRA,” Romanoff told me as she stretched her arms across the table and cracked her knuckles. I turned my attention to her again. “He was born in 1917 in Brooklyn. His father was a soldier. He and Rogers were friends growing up. He was captured by HYDRA while on active duty during World War Two. Rogers managed to rescue Barnes from a HYDRA facility, and he joined the Howling Commandos. He was believed to be the only Commando to have died in service.

“Until he resurfaced as the Winter Soldier. HYDRA’s toy soldier. He’s had a hand in numerous assassinations and terrorist attacks. Including the assassination of Howard Stark and the recent attacks above DC. He’s undergone similar experimentation as Steve, only he’s been manipulated by HYDRA since the beginning. He has a bionic arm. He’s highly dangerous. Probably confused on top of that. But he saved Rogers’ life and now that HYDRA has been dismantled he’s gone AWOL.

“No one knows where he is or how to find him. But we do know that he’s aware of his connection to Steve, and we think it’s possible, and very likely, that he’s going to come back to gather more information on his past.”

“So what does this have to do with me?” I asked her.

“We want to create a friendly, safe, and threat free environment for Barnes to use as a gateway to Rogers. Barnes is a soldier. He’s an assassin. He’s like a ghost. And we think he’s going to watch Rogers for a while before he makes a move. He’s not going to show himself if Steve is surrounded by government officials. He’s going to come to Steve when he’s most relaxed and appears less threatening than Captain America. But we can’t have Steve do this on his own and chances are Barnes already knows Steve is being watched at home. So we figure we’d set up a false environment. A place Steve visits regularly. A place where the government isn’t watching.”

“I still don’t understand what this has to do with me,” I said.

“You’re one of the few remaining agents that isn’t dead, HYDRA, or in custody. Talbot doesn’t view you as a threat; therefore, there’s minimal surveillance on you at present. We need to give Steve a reason to visit our designated safe place regularly. It has to be private, dark, and free from spies. We figure a girlfriend is the perfect cover. We can make your place seem as welcoming and threat free as Barnes needs to reach out. The person we needed has to lack government surveillance and needs to be viewed as gentle and non-threatening. But we also want someone we can trust. Someone who has a basic understanding of medical procedures, but also someone who can hold her own in a fight if it comes down to it.”

“Against a super-soldier with a robotic arm?” I asked with a tired laugh. I ran my hands over my face. “I don’t think I’m what you’re looking for. I can’t… I can’t even shoot a gun.” I whispered the last part even though they all heard me.

“We don’t want you to have any weapons while under-cover. Aside from the cute knife.” I put my head in my hands and rubbed the ache from my eyes. “Chances are Barnes isn’t going to show up if Steve isn’t there,” she continued. “But he isn’t going to show himself at Steve’s apartment because he knows he’s being watched there. He’s going to follow Steve to a safe place, and Steve never goes anywhere. A girlfriend is just the perfect decoy. A place Steve can occasionally spend the night. A place that seems threat free and welcoming. Someplace the government isn’t keeping tabs on. A place he can easily get in and out of without being noticed.”

I opened my eyes and picked up the smaller photo again. I examined the face and reattached it to the paperclip. He seemed like a pleasant sort of guy in the smaller photo, and from what I remembered from Cap’s exhibit at the Smithsonian. But I hadn’t been paying much attention. I never thought it would apply to me. I only went because my sister Clara wanted to see it when she came to visit.

“Why me?” I asked then. “Why not another cleared agent?”

“Because Barnes won’t see you as a threat and Talbot isn’t keeping spies on you. At least not to the extent as the rest of us. He trusts you. He’s a dick, but his opinion means something.”

“I was a Combat Medic, Agent Romanoff. I may not be able to shoot a man, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t killed anyone. I had… other skills. I wouldn’t have been recruited otherwise.”

“That’s why we’re recruiting you. You’re one of the few agents left that we can trust; you have the skills and training needed to do the job. And even though you’re an ex-soldier you still have the face of a fairy princess.” I knew she didn’t mean to insult me, but I had been fighting the fairy princess thing since I joined the military.

“Barnes won’t view you as a threat,” Romanoff continued as she fought off a yawn. “As long as he doesn’t feel threatened by you and your actions don’t get suspicious, your life shouldn’t be in any danger. But just in case, you know how to get Barnes down without much assistance. Even if you do require it, Steve will be there to help you out, and Stark agreed to help too.”

“Stark is part of this?” I asked with raised eyebrows.

“Your sister convinced him.” I nodded slowly. Of course she did.

“So the plan is that we’re going to set you up with a false identity. Chances are he won’t have access to any of your background information, and he won’t be watching you before Steve leads him to you. So you’re safe for at least a week. We’ll help you establish a false life and then Steve will start coming around. We want you to act like a couple. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Barnes will view you as a couple with problems. Talbot will see you as a couple just starting out. You’ll sleep in the same bed, share public displays of affection at the front door and in front of windows. Make it look like Steve is comfortable enough in your presence that he can kick off his shoes and fall asleep in front of the TV. That way Barnes will think it’s safe to approach Steve in your house. That way you can be there to alert Stark or us if the situation goes sour.”

“And if I have to face him alone?” I asked.

“Lie. Build your story. Make him think he can trust you.”

“And if he gets violent?”

“Take him down.”

“Don’t… take him down. Don’t kill him,” Rogers said as he shot a glare in Romanoff’s direction. I finally turned back to him. “Please?” he added. I nodded slowly. They had more faith in me than I had in myself. I didn’t think I could take someone like Captain America in a fight. Even with a gun. I definitely didn’t think I could take a guy with Cap’s strength and a robotic arm… and violent tendencies.

“What if he tries to kill me first?” I asked.

“He won’t.”

“We’ll set up precautions anyway,” Romanoff told me. “Stark sent us this prototype.” She slipped a bracelet off of her wrist and placed it on the metal table between us. It was a simple beaded bracelet, but she lifted one of the beads and fingered the raised design. “It’s a panic button,” she told me. “It’s still a prototype, so it’s not perfect. But Stark offered to let us take it to help you with the mission. It’s virtually undetectable, and it can distinguish between an accidental alert and a real one. If you begin to believe your life is in danger all you have to do is press the button, and Iron Patriot or one of us will be at your door in less than five minutes. Whoever’s closest.”

I reached across the table for the bracelet and located the single bead with the raised design. Upon further inspection, I could see it was obviously a button. Not Stark’s best, but I appreciated it nonetheless.

“I’ll have to send Stark my thanks,” I said slowly. Romanoff shrugged a shoulder. I turned to Captain Rogers again. “So what do you think of this plan?” He had his hand under his chin as if he was bored and wanted to sleep more than anything else.

“I think it’s absurd. And it could be dangerous,” he told me. “But if it helps us get to him before anyone else then I think it’s worth trying. I have a lot of faith that Bucky is still in there somewhere. I don’t want anything to get in the way of him trying to reach out to me.”

“How long are we going to do this for?”

“As long as needed, or at least until you decide to back out,” Romanoff told me.
I kept my eyes on Rogers. He was the only one I really trusted in this situation. Not just because he was my superior but because it was also his mission. The rest of them were only there because of him. If he wanted me to do it, I would.

“We’ll set you up with a job as part of your false identity. Rogers will make up the difference between your new job and your previous income,” she continued.

“Do you want me to tell you, Captain?” I asked him. He waited a moment to answer. “I can’t ask you to help me. It could be dangerous,” he said.

“That’s not what I’m asking. Do you want my help?” He took a deep breath and gave a quick, short nod. I dropped my head and looked down at the bracelet. Then I slipped it onto my wrist. “I don’t do laundry,” I finally decided.

Notes

I know this is like the most cliche start to a plot ever. I'm so sorry. It happened because of a dream that I had after I saw the movie. And I was an actress and I was in Captain America 3 but I played Steve's girlfriend. And the only scene we ever shot in this movie was when Bucky was breaking into Steve's house and had an altercation with Steve's girlfriend. And me and Sebastian Stan filmed that scene and then had lunch and he was dressed as the Winter Soldier and no one cared. So when I was thinking about how badly I wanted to make a Bucky story I realized I already had one. Hahaha.

Oh yeah, and there's no love triangle, I promise.

Also, speaking of dreams. This story is in the same universe as my other Marvel fics. I only have two of them up at this time. One is a Loki fic but it won't be mentioned in this story because I couldn't cross them in any way. The other is just a one shot right now about Tony, but it's being rewritten into a full story. The character in this story (Jo) is Tony's girlfriend's little sister. So if you've read my one shot then she is the main character's little sister. The sister and Tony both have parts in this story. In fact the next chapter is Jo's first interaction with them.

And because I mentioned dreams. I had a dream once about Captain America and a story is going to be made of that dream too. I don't know when it will be up since I want to finish Tony's story first. But it will be mentioned in this story as well. :D And those are my only Marvel stories at this time.

Also, I feel like I should mention that I don't watch Agents of SHIELD (I've only seen the first episode). Not that I don't want to watch it, just that I don't have a TV. I wanted to watch it before posting the story but I don't have the time to watch the whole season right now. So if things are off or inaccurate because I haven't watched it, I apologize and feel free to tell me so I can make any corrections.

*Edited*