Ok its super long and I have worked on it for a few days now so u better give me an in-depth review, don't be stingy with them words 🤣
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Chapter 5
‘You ready, doll?’ Bucky asked me. He took in a sharp breath, ‘Wow look at you.’
‘What?’ I smiled at him teasingly, looking at myself in the mirror. All the makeup was off, I was wearing my combat suit with very practical sleuth shoes, my hair tied in a tight bun. My guns, tasers and other handy weapons were already strapped in the suit. ‘You’re one to talk.’
Bucky’s new suit was…something. It was a shade of dark blue and all leather. The material clung to him in all the right places, outlining his abs, the bulge of his muscles and his strong legs. He had ripped off his left arm sleeve, leaving his metal arm exposed.
‘What?’ he repeated in the same tone as me teasingly.
‘You know what…’ I turned and hugged him tightly, the minute I felt my heart racing.
‘Gosh doll, you okay?’ He held the back of my head with one hand, caressing my back with the other.
‘No one’s allowed to look like that…’ I muttered into his chest.
He laughed, ‘Yeah? So what are you gonna do about it?’
‘I don’t know…’
‘After the mission then huh,’ he whispered into my ear. My heart sped up yet again, but this time it was out of tremendous anxiety.
‘I am going home, James. I don’t know what to do…’ I whispered, changing the topic out of nowhere.
‘Hey,’ he held my face in his hands, making me look directly into his beautiful eyes. ‘We’re gonna get through this, okay? And your parents will be perfectly fine when you meet them.’ The softness on his handsome face made my heart melt.
‘You’ll meet them, won’t you?’ I felt stupid the minute the words left my mouth. Great Gauri, he isn’t desi, he doesn’t need to do things like that!
‘Of course I will,’ Bucky smiled at me. ‘Whatever you want okay? But now, lets go save your home.’ Giving me a quick kiss on my forehead, we went to meet Sam and Zemo, who were also suited up. The helicarrier began its descent.
‘Wow you look…fancy. Whats your alias?’ I looked at Zemo, in his black armour and red full face mask.
‘I like to call myself Citizen V,’ he half-grinned at me.
‘Well you look like Deadpool.’
‘What’s that?’
‘Never mind,’ I noticed Bucky cough back a laugh. ‘Maybe we’ll have him visit you in jail one day, you know to entertain you.’
‘As much as I love this conversation, we’re almost there. Gauri and Bucky, I need you to help get the hostages out of the WTC. Zemo, you and I will be heading towards the international airport.’
‘Won’t you stop them on the way?’ Bucky asked.
‘No they are still on their way. The army has managed to outnumber them so it’ll take them time. But they are heading towards the airport. We suspect they are gonna try sabotage the flights.’
‘As long as they don’t kill anyone…’ I murmured.
‘With the two of you on their asses I doubt they will be able to,’ Sam looked out of the window.
‘What about the serum?’ Zemo asked the burning question.
‘We found that Nagel had sent the ingredients needed to manufacture the serum from the hospital in NYC to a lab here in Mumbai. He thought no one would suspect a “developing country”,’ I smirked.
‘Seeing the amount of time shipping takes, we can assume they will start manufacturing around the time we land,’ Bucky said. ‘So once we’re done clearing the VIPs, we’ll be heading to the factory. Gauri already has an idea where it is. After that, we’ll meet you at the airport.’
‘Sam…where’s the shield?’ I asked him. The shield Bucky and Sam had managed to get from John Walker. Not only did they get the shield, but got the man jailed in The Raft, the same place Zemo was headed after we were done with him. Did I mention they broke John’s arm? It was pretty brutal, hearing the crack of his bones. I shuddered internally remembering the scene very vividly.
‘I don’t know Gauri. I—’
‘No,’ I said firmly. ‘Steve gave it to you. Better use it. He made you Captain America for a reason. You cannot do this to the world.’
‘But—’
‘No buts,’ Bucky chimed in. ‘I have seen you practicing with it. Its yours, the title is yours. Claim it today Sam.’
Sam hesitated for a minute, but then I saw him reach for the shield and strap it on.
‘It looks good on you,’ Zemo said quietly. ‘Steve was a man of honour and integrity. I see that in you. All of you.’ He looked at us.
‘Excuse me, I thought you hated the Avengers,’ I asked him.
‘I hated how much power they had over regular citizens, how many lives could have been lost due to their own created mess. But I always see both the good and bad in everyone. Like you,’ he pointed to me. ‘There has never been anyone more efficient at combat and hand-to-hand fighting after Black Widow than you.’
‘I was trained by her,’ I reminisced about Natasha.
‘I could sense that. And also you have emotions, but they don’t cloud your judgement. You,’ he looked at Bucky. ‘The deadliest assassin in the world. You have managed to subdue your strength intentionally and gotten free of your brainwashing. But…the two of you are working together, and are in love. Do not let your personal emotions hamper your professional commitments…you cannot afford to.’
The jolt we felt indicated we had landed. With my heart thumping wildly, due to what Zemo said and where I was, we got out of the helicarrier.
Mumbai was a nightmare. The city which never slept was being terrorised by live nightmares. I could see the army members shooting at the Flag Smashers, but there were casualties on both sides. The WTC was surrounded by police vans, barricades were erected. Sam held Zemo and took off flying towards the airport.
‘Sergeant Barnes. Agent Gauri,’ a police officer saluted. ‘You can go inside.’
‘How bad is it?’ Bucky was analysing the entire place, scanning for any surprise attacks.
The officer tried sounding nonchalant, indicating he was going to lie, ‘Just the hostag—’
I cut off the officer, ‘Sach sach bataye, hum madad karne aaye hai. Ye jo log hai, inhe rok sirf hum sakte hai.’
The officer’s eyes widened, then his shoulders slumped, ‘Bahot logon ko pakadke rakha hai andar. Humein darr hai kuch kar na de.’
‘Darriye mat, humari jaan pe khelenge, par kisi ko kuch hone nahi denge. Aap sirf aam janta aur samaachar walon ko dur rakhe. Baaki jaise hum logon ko bahar bhejenge, aap unko evacuate kar dijiyega.’
‘Dhanyawad,’ the officer said, his eyes tearing. I could clearly see he was scared of the situation.
Nodding at him, I grabbed Bucky’s hand and started running towards the Fire Exit of the building.
‘What did you tell the guy?’ Bucky asked me.
‘He was really scared to own upto the actual situation. But I found out,’ I said.
‘So…how bad?’
‘Even the forces are scared. There are way too many VIPs in the building.’
‘So what’s the plan?’
‘We have to get them out anyhow.’
‘Guys, there are 10 of them inside, all on the top floor,’ I heard Sam in the headset. ‘Redwing’s tailing you.’
‘Thanks Sam. We’re in.’ And we were. Bucky and I would have to climb some 100 steps for sure.
‘Whats it with us and steps…’ Bucky muttered and slung me on his back again. ‘Hold on tight doll.’ He ran with all his might, skipping steps and jumping.
‘This is not the time for parkour!’
‘Shh doll, just trying to get us up quicker.’ He wasn’t wrong though. We were on the top floor in a matter of few minutes. As I cracked open the door, I could see only two Flag Smasher members guarding the door.
‘There are four where you are right now, the rest are in the conference hall. The hall’s soundproof.’ Sam said into our headsets.
‘Thanks…’ Bucky whispered and smashed open the door.
The four attacked us, two against one. I tased two and pushed them to Bucky, who got to business immediately. The other two tried to pounce on me but I was quicker, somersaulting and kicking both of them in their faces when I was at a hand stand. Seeing them wobble, I pulled out my garrote and wrapped it around one of my attacker’s neck, strangulated him. To the other, I merely pulled out my gun and shot them square between the eyes.
Bucky and I panted and looked at the four we had just killed.
‘Quick, take a mask and jacket,’ I looked out for one my size. ‘It will help us get in.’
‘Its a wonder how you think, doll,’ Bucky was done putting on his ensemble. He picked up the four efficiently and threw them towards the Fire Exit steps leading to the terrace.
‘Come on, darling. we have six more to take care of.’
‘Gauri,’ I looked at Bucky quizzically. ‘I am gonna do something in there to get everyone out safely. But I need you to trust me completely. Do you?’
‘Of course I do.’
‘Then follow my lead okay?’
****
We entered the conference room quietly, analysing the situation. There were 20 hostages, but only 6 of them. Yeah right…but they were super soldiers. This could end very badly.
‘You two, what happened?’ It was Karli. ‘I told you to stay outside. Those b**t**ds from SHIELD could be here any minute.’
I felt Bucky’s demeanour change. His eyes, those warm blue eyes, turned cold and frozen. The lack of emotion in those cerulean orbs started to scare me.
‘желаниe,’ he muttered. Longing. My eyes widened, oh no! This was his brilliant plan?!
‘pжавый.’ Rusted. I looked around, not knowing what to do. Bucky was shaking in anger now, his eyes hard as steel. He was preparing to kill.
‘семнадцать.’ Seventeen. Too late to change anything now. I took my position, my hands on my tasers, eyes on the three Flag Smashers who were slowly walking upto me.
‘рассвет.’ Daybreak. Karli’s eyes widened when Bucky ripped off the jacket and mask to reveal his metal arm and face. His deadly expression was sending chills down my spine too.
‘Печь.’ Furnace.
‘Девять.’ Nine.
‘Доброкачественные.’ Benign. The six members were around us now, we stood with our backs facing each other, contemplating how to attack. Karli and I were directly looking at each other, along with two of her minions.
‘Возвращение домой.’ Homecoming.
‘Один.’ One.
‘грузовой вагон.’ Freight car. It was done.
‘You don’t have to do this Karli…’ I tried to coax her, looking at the terror in her eyes. She knew what Bucky had become.
‘You don’t get it…you are bullies of the highest level,’ she grabbed a metal bar out of her boots, whizzing it to life to electrocute me. Alright then. ‘зимний солдат, атаковать сейчас.’ Zimny Soldat, attack now.
Just as Karli was about to jab me with the metal bar, Bucky grabbed me with his metal arm and spun me to keep me from harm. Bucky grabbed the metal bar and used it to give Karli a huge shockwave, making her collapse on the ground. I kicked the Flag Smashers who came in my way, still hanging on Bucky’s arm but saw four of them back on their feet, charging towards us.
‘Gauri, do you copy? There are CRPF members outside the conference hall, waiting for the guests to get out.’ Redwing.
Time to get creative.
‘Bhaago yahan se!’ I yelled at the VIPs who were crouched in the corner.
‘Kidhar?’ I did not see who said that. I swung myself and wrapped my legs around Bucky’s waist, placing two tasers on the men who intended to attack Bucky on his back and using his hips as leverage, did a backflip, landing on my feet, fighting one Flag Smasher.
‘Bahar army hai, aap ko leke jayegi, abhi jaao!’ My throat hurt from screaming. About eighteen of the VIPs managed to leave the room. Unfortunately, one of the Flag Smashers had managed to stop two. Karli was still unconscious on the floor.
From the corner of my eye I could see Bucky. My blood froze when I realised how strong he actually was. The ease with which he was being able to throw these other Super Soldiers around, and even kill them. He was fighting three while I only had one, deflecting his punches and kicks. Now I understood how much he was holding back during missions. Why people feared The Winter Soldier. Killing was so easy for him, almost like second nature. But…he was still holding back! Why? Those words…were for brainwashing right? Or did I— oh!
Bucky was not brainwashed! This seemed to be his way of finding closure, ending the Winter Soldier chapter once and for all. Those trigger words were not turning him into the Winter Soldier, they were helping him channelise his strength!
No…he was no longer the Winter Soldier. He was the man who had been through years of trauma, who was now attempting to rebuild his life. With me. He was Bucky, my Bucky. My James.
I snapped back to reality, kicking my opponent in the shin. Pulling out my gun, I showed no remorse as I shot him in the head. I ran towards Bucky, helping him finish the others. Even though he did not need it.
With all his friends dead, the Fifth Flag Smasher charged at us but he was overpowered easily. I scissor moved on his shoulders and cracked his neck, giving him instant death. We looked around at the dead bodies and their unconscious leader, breathing heavily.
‘Doll?’ I heard Bucky mutter, engulfing me into his arms, lifting me to his height.
‘Its ok James, I am here,’ I hugged him back tightly.
‘I should have told you what I was doing…’ His voice was shaking.
‘Darling it was your way to get yourself closure…besides we can talk about this some other time…’
‘Gauri?’ My brain stopped working.
Forcing myself out of Bucky’s hug, I turned slowly towards the source of the voice, ‘Hi mumma, hi papa.’
‘They are—’
‘My parents,’ I finished the sentence for Bucky, feeling embarrassed. Hugging my man, calling him nicknames…in front of my parents?! Welcome home, Gauri.
‘Gauri whats happening here?’ My mother seemed more concerned about the hug than the fact we had just saved lives.
‘I’ll tell you later but for now…mumma papa, this is James, James these are my parents. But he likes to be called Bucky. Now I need to get you out of here.’
I pushed my parents out of the room, Bucky closely behind, holding Karli in his arms. The awkwardness was kills me, we were finding it extremely difficult to focus on the entire hostage and safety situation. A CRPF member escorted my parents.
‘Doll…’
I sighed loudly, ‘Abhi nahi yaar please…’ I could not handle desi drama right now!
‘I didn’t understand what you said but we can talk later,’ Bucky said waiting for the lift.
‘Thank you darling.’
We rode in comfortable silence, but were looking at each other, our emotions evident. The elevator dinged and we stepped out. Police Officers came upto us and put Karli in handcuffs.
‘Airport.’ Was all I said.
‘I’ll go find us a car or bike,’ Bucky kissed my forehead and left.
Suddenly, I felt a prick in my waist. I opened my mouth to scream but no sound came out. Fear filled me, feeling my lower body paralysing. The last thing I remember before my eyes closed was my head hitting someone’s shoulder…
Anupamaa
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