Chapter Text
"A girl's been shot Cap." As Bucky rolled her over she whimpered.
"Ok ok shhh let me just take a look. whispering to her. Through and through to the shoulder...." Bucky trailed off, turning to fire shots at hydra army. They were still under enemy fire but bucky dare not move her just yet.
Steve slid down avoiding oncoming fire reaching Bucky and the girl. Bucky's right hand moved down her body checking for any other wounds. Whimpering a few times but she never moved.
"Fractured ribs maybe, another bullet to the thigh." He turned to Cap giving angry look one Steve hasn't seen for a long time, since his winter soldier days.
Steve rolled her. "Check for hydra chip Buck!" He continued fire unsure if he should move her or not.
Running is fingers down her spine quickly, "Got something." Bucky yelled to get Steve's attention.
"No don't touch that." The girl hissed. "Its not hydras well it is but it isn't a tracker that was in my forearm I removed it." Pausing to catch her breath, "Metal is my spine they replaced my spine with metal." Bucky was about to question her for further details but her body went limp. "Damn it she past out." grunted under his breath.
"Interesting Tony will love her." Steve thought out loud, turning to Bucky who had a less than amused face by that statement.
"Well Tony for now won't see her I'm taking her back to my apartment." Picking up the girl's lifeless body Bucky carefully put her on his flesh shoulder, Steve closed ranks, as the both continued to fire till they were safe once more.
Back at Bucky's apartment the young girl had yet to regain consciousness. Steve had patched her up as best as he could under the circumstances, nothing major, she had been incredibly lucky.
"Hey Buck, the girl she can't be no older than what 18 at most, what does Hydra want with a child?" He whispered trying to keep his voice down as not to wake the girl.
"I don't know, whatever it is it can't be good, I have very little memory of that place but the memories I do have, non have children in them."
Stirring awake, Bucky darted over to her. "Hey there kiddo" he whispered as not to frighten her. "Don't be frightened, do you remember us?" She gave a nod yes. "May I ask your name"
"Ella." Whispering.
"Hi I'm James but you can call me Bucky an that's Steve." Pointing over to him. brushing her hair back in a caring fashion. Bucky felt sorry for her and feeling that he knew all too well. She gave a small smile before coughing for at least 2 minutes.
Steve came prepared with a med kit even had a stethoscope. Ella seemed somewhat surprised of that. Handy. But she didn't understand why they were helping her? Why help her when Hydra clearly left her for dead a failed experiment.
Bucky helping her sit up. As Steve listened with the stethoscope. Frowning as he heard her breathing.
"Its just the air, Hydra kept me underground a lot. I must had dropped my mask, I'm just getting use to the rich oxygen levels. She grunted. While Bucky's metal arm tightened into a ball he grew more angry, but managed to calm himself down to tend to Ella who needed help.
"Are you in pain Ella?"
She nodded. "My spine is hurting or one of the bolts in my back is loose." She hated what Hydra did to her, saving her life when she didn't ask to be saved. Giving her this, working for them for years. she quickly cleared that memory before it surfaced.
"Mind if we look?" Steve asked. "We should get her to Tony. I've never seen tech like this before."
"Fine! Let him know be there in 20." Bucky was not happy, he wanted to protect her.
The tower was massive Ella thought to herself. She couldn't walk but Bucky didn't seem to mind carrying her. She knew he could be trusted, Ella didn't know why but she just felt it.
Laying on a lab table much like Hydras but it wasn't a dark room more like light colour. Bucky and Steve were at her side, throughout the scans that Tony insisted to do, making her flinch and nervous. "Uh! a metal spine interesting..." Tony trailed off. Ella didn't respond she just reached out for Bucky's hand. "Hey kiddo it'll be ok I promise." Whispering to her ear brushing a loose strand of hair back behind her ear. "Jarvis full body scan I want to see what's happening." Tony order.
"It seems that the centre bolt has become loose sir." Jarvis spoke.
"Interesting, Jarvis course of treatment?" Questioned Tony.
"I suggest, we fix it." Tony sorted
"Very well Jarvis that's all"
"Well I think Dr Banner and I can go in, and sort this bolt out doesn't look to complicated much like car mechanics." Bucky tensed up. How dare he speak to her like that.
"This is here scan as you can see her bone spine is there just fractured and infused with the metal one same metal as Bucky's arm." He pushed slightly harder on that one damaged vertebrate, frowning as he thought about how to solve this.
She whimpered. Bucky tensed. Steve spoke "careful Tony." his eyes guided to Tony to Bucky's tense posture.
"Yeah one of her bolts has come loose I can fix it." His hand carried on down to her tail bone. "I'll get Banner set up for the work. She need to be knocked out." Tony went about getting the equipment out, also getting Jarvis to call Banner up to the lab.
"No please" Fear hit Ella. Her Hydra experience didn't need to be remind. "Just numb it I'll be fine."
"Kid if we do that you can't move, not even an inch do you understand?" Tony turned speaking concern.
"I swear I won't move, just don't put me under" She began to cry.
"Ok." Tony grunted went about his business setting up. "Steve will you go see what's taking Banner so long." Nodding Steve left quickly.
"Don't leave me James.." Gripping onto her hand tight enough not to hurt her but in comforting way. Wiping her tears away, he didn't often use this phrase as it meant so much to him, but somewhere deep inside he felt it right.
"I'll never leave, I'm with you till the end of the line."