Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

James was furious. He was trapped in this chair, forced to listen to the military’s physiatrist, when he should be out searching for her.

A wave of guilt washed over him, and he ignored the man’s questions. Ayana. His sweet Angel. He’d lost her.

The man cleared his throat and James knew something had changed, the doctor’s demeanor went from pathetic, to dangerous in a heartbeat.

“Who are you?” James croaked out.

The man nearly smiled, “The better question, Mr. Barns, is who are you? The world knows you as the Winter Soldier, or the hero with Captain America. But I know something else, you’re not the only one.”

James’ blood turned to ice in his veins. “What are you talking about?” He snapped.

The man let out a small laugh, “I believe you have heard of her, the Winter Warrior, or the Lady Assassin, no that’s not it.” He snapped his fingers as if he realized, “The Second Soldier, your backup.”

James’ metal fist curled inward as he clenched it and his jaw twitched with barely contained fury.
“What did you do to her?” He demanded.

The man pulled out a little red journal with a black star on it, “The same thing, that I’m going to do to you.”
—*—

Chapter Text

She crept silently along the rooftop. It was mid afternoon, but still light enough outside to see without her night vision googles.

She didn’t remember where she was, all she remembered was the mission. A man’s face flashed in a her mind, with blue eyes and dark hair. It left a migraine pounding in her skull.

She remembered the machines they would hook her up to when she needed reprogramming, she didn’t want to face them ever again.

Through the scope of her long rifle, she saw a flicker of movement. She focused and saw a man sneaking down the corridor.

He had features that once had been handsome, but now were faded and raw.

She’d been waiting in this spot for hours. It was where he was going to meet up with someone and exchange valuable intel, her handler didn’t want that information to be shared.

“Sirius!” A voice hissed, coming into view. The new man came into sight.

He had greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and wore long robes.

“Did you get it?” The new man asked, and she panicked.

She had to take the shot. She lined up the barrel and rested her finger on the cold trigger. Her heart pounded and she squeezed the metal.

The small bullet flew through the air and should’ve cut through the man, killing him instantly. However, a blast of blue light shielded him and the bullet clattered to the ground.

She froze. That wasn’t possible. The man should’ve died. The two men spun around and drew short sticks.

“Fuck.” She whispered. They were armed, she’d have to kill them both. She wasn’t to leave any witnesses. She had to do this.

The girl set down the rifle and stood up. She leapt off the tall building, landing right in front of the two men. They stared at her in shock, and she used that as her opportunity to throw her fist at the first man’s face.

“Dammit! Snape, get her!” He yelled, as she broke his nose. The second man, Snape, waved his stick at her, shooting a red blast towards her chest.

She let out a gasp as she dodged it, if she had been any slower, she’d have been dead.

“Who are you? Did The Dark Lord send you?” Snape demanded, soundings unusually shaken.

She didn’t answer him, the Second Soldier wasn’t supposed to speak to her opponents.

She ran at him and jumped up, twisting into a complex sidekick at his head. In the corner of her eyes she tracked her target, the one immune to bullets, he was scrambling for his stick. She didn’t have much time.

A surprise blast of white light flung her backwards, her back hit the brick wall and a weaker man would’ve been knocked out. She simply groaned and slumped to the ground.

When she’d crashed into the wall, her head had hit it hard. The impact had cleared some of the buzz in her brain. A small thought broke through. Dad.

The men stepped towards her, holding their odd weapons, their faces blurred and all she could see were kind blue eyes. “Father?” She whispered, before a red light knocked her out.
—*—

Chapter Text

“Who is she?” A woman’s voice asked, somewhere near her head.

“We don’t know. She seems to be a muggle, but she tried to kill us.” A man’s voice replied.

“You were a fool to even go out on that mission in the first place, you’re supposed to stay here.” Another voice scolded.

“Well forgive me if I wanted to actually contribute to the Order.” The man snapped back sarcastically.

“Quiet, she’s waking up.” Another voice warned them.

She opened her eyes, not bothering to pretend anymore. She took in the room for barely a second, before leaping to her feet and drawing a pistol.

“Where am I?” She demanded, the four adults around her paled at the sight of the weapon, even if they didn’t understand it. She counted a woman with red hair, her target, the man named Snape, and a shabby man covered in scars.

“Please set down the gun.” The man with scars asked kindly, as if he was talking to a child. She was not a child.

“I will not repeat myself.” She snapped in a cold tone.

“Grimmuald Place. This is the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix.” Sirius, her target answered. She turned the gun on him, and her hands started to shake. He had his eyes. James Barns’ eyes. Her father’s eyes.

“You’re my target, they told me to kill you.” She murmured, and suddenly a spike of agony shot through her skull. Her hands shook worse on the gun and she almost dropped it.

“What’s your name sweetheart?” The woman asked kindly. The gun dropped.

“I don’t, I don’t remember.” She said, her mind was pounding and she could barely string a thought together.

“It’s okay now, who are they?” The man with scars asked her gently.

The reminder of her mission broke through her weakness. “Second Soldier, ready to comply.” She said in a stiff tone and her eyes narrowed.

Before she could attack again, Snape threw a red blast at her, knocking her out.

—*—

Chapter Text

Ayana groaned as she awoke for the second time. Her eyes adjusted to the dark and she realized she was alone in a room, tied to a chair. Her heart rate speed up and she wanted to yell, but she didn’t. The door knocked and her wide eyes jerked to the entrance.

A boy kicked open the door, he was holding a tray with a bowl of soup and a slice of bread.

“Thought you’ve be hungry.” He teased and Ayana’s face broke into a scowl.

“Who are you? Why have you taken me? Are you Hydra?” She demanded, the boy shook his head.

“My name’s George. Don’t know anything bout Hydra, probably some muggle thing? I’m a wizard.” He shrugged and she paled.

“Damn you Zemo.” She muttered. Of course she knew wizards were real, but Hydra wasn’t dumb enough to send a regular against a magic. But Zemo, he was different. The man had found her, where she’s been in hiding with her father, Romania. Her dad had told her to run when the news broke out. And she did run, right into Zemo. The man had the damn notebook.

The boy, George, if that was even his name, looked concerned. “You okay? You look a bit nauseous.”

Ayana looked away. How could he stand there? She probably killed his friend. She’d done it a thousand times before. Her mind was a mess. “I’m sorry.” She whispered.

“For what? Almost killing Snape? I wish you’d done it.” He grinned and had the audacity to wink at her.

Ayana’s eyes widened, God, he was flirting with her. This was an odd experience. Most men she’d meant would run for the hills before even trying. Although, that was probably because she’d paralyzed the man that forced her to kiss him while she was undercover. That mission cost her brutally, but no man tried to touch her again.

“I still apologize.” She hesitated, “I don’t have full control of myself. I’m dangerous. You should stay away from me.”

The boy cocked his head, “Why would you tell me that? If you wanted to hurt me you wouldn’t tell me to go away.”

Ayana was quiet for a long moment, “I never wanted to hurt anyone.”

The boy sadly smiled, “I don’t think I need to worry.”
—*—