Chapter Text
Zara stood on the wooden coffee table and leaned against her apartment window. It was the kind that only opened a little at the top, and if she wanted to have a cigarette, that was the only place she could blow her smoke without setting off the detectors.
There was no smoking in the rooms, but she wasn't allowed outside the building so she didn't see another option.
Fuck them...
She blew the last breath of smoke out threw the window into the night air, dropped the butt onto the table, and stepped on it with the toe of her cherry red Doc Martins. She looked at her watch and grinned, five minutes before she was due to leave. She was sneaking into Sam's apartment - she was another ex-hydra agent that had been pulled from the rubble that day. The two girls were both around the same age - 22 and 23 respectively and they had become fast friends in the time they'd been at Shield.
They both hated Steve Rogers and all his little Avenger buddies, and had both been uncooperative and rebellious from the get go. In Zara's opinion, Steve thought because him and his Winter Soldier friend had rescued the girls, that he owned them. They weren't allowed to leave the Shield building and they were expected to work for Shield. Like HELL that was happening.
Zara had been an ordinary kid, grew up in an ordinary neighborhood, with ordinary parents. Her Mom and Dad both worked across town - her Mom a teacher, and her Dad a computer technician. They'd never bothered moving as they lived on a great street where everyone was like a big happy family.
Zara's parents had been the kind that pushed her straight into sports at a young age. She'd done gymnastics at a high level, acrobatics, target shooting, archery and Martial arts. Her Dad had even pulled a few strings to get her into a driving academy when she was only 14 and by the time she was old enough for her learners permit, she'd done 5 advanced driving certificates. She was an only child - typical over achiever and top of her class in everything she did.
When she turned 17 she was pulled from her bed in the middle of the night by two men in black combat gear. She had never been more terrified in her life, added to the fact that her parents were apparently in on it. Her Mom stood beaming proudly at her, holding a suitcase, while her Dad gagged her and pulled a black bag over her head. The man that pulled her out of bed held her while all this went on, and when she struggled, he'd yelled at her to shut up, and hit her, knocking her out.
She'd woken up in a room she didn't recognize. It was lit with harsh fluorescent lighting. From then on she'd been told her parents were Hydra agents, and she was one of many kids that had been raised the same, bred to become soldiers.
For the next 5 years she trained with them against her will, when they turned 21 the best of them were to be selected to be injected with the serum and become Assets...
Zara stood in front of the mirror, adding another layer of black eyeliner and swiping on some red lipstick. She was good to go. She gave her long, dark hair a fluff up, and pulled on her overcoat, which she had hidden a couple of flasks of Jack Daniels in. She grinned to herself again.
She picked her door lock easily enough and slipped out, silently making her way up the hallway, down 2 flights of stairs, and to Sam's room, picking that lock too, letting herself in.
"I got the goods" She said to her friend as she pulled the door shut quietly, locking it again. Sam grinned back to her, and pulled a bottle from her dresser drawer.
"So do I, Z baby!" The girls both laughed together and took a long swig out of their bottles. Zara shrugged out of her coat and let her shoulders drop and relax.
"Skinny jeans, Doc Martins and a tight little band shirt... Errrr, the 90's called..." Sam teased, met by Zara's laughter.
"This is actually one of your shirts." Zara said
"I thought so, I have excellent taste."
The night wore on and of course things got rowdy as they tend to do when alcohol is involved with the two laughing and carrying on together.
The two went silent when they heard the jingle of keys outside her door. Zara darted under the bed and Sam stashed the bottles, whipping out a magazine to pretend to read it. She made a point at laughing loudly at whatever she was supposed to be reading. It was Steve at the door. The metal-arm guy behind him.
Ah, shit...
He looked at her and suspiciously narrowed his eyes.
"The gig is up, Sam. Where is she?" He demanded. Metal-arm guy started opening and closing cupboards looking for Zara, even looking under the bed. She must have hidden under all the junk that had been shoved under there...
"I dunno whaaaat you're talking about" She slurred right back.
"You're drunk!?!?"
"Don't be jealous, Steeeeeevie boy!"
With that he grabbed her by the arm and angrily yanked her to her feet.
"Damn it, WHERE IS SHE!? I won't ask again!" Steve roared at her.
"Gone. She left." Sam lied.
"You're coming with me." He said, dragging her out of the room. She was going in a cell to sober up and they would both be dealt with in the morning. "Bucky - go and find the other one. I'm so done with this bullshit!"
With that Bucky darted out of the room and Steve dragged Sam out by her arm.
"Give em HELL, Zeeeeeee baaaaaybeeee" Sam's voice echoed down the corridor. Zara had to cover her mouth to stifle a giggle.
She stayed there for a good 5 minutes before she mustered up the courage to crawl out and stand up. She laughed silently at herself and she struggled to stay upright. She snuck out of the room quietly and tip-toed up the hallway to the stairwell. She stumbled into her room and flopped down onto the bed, face first, and fell asleep.
Bucky was sat across the room on her couch, waiting for her. He shook his head, and called Steve to let him know.
"Leave her there, sounds like she's out for the count. Lock her in the room, I'll get someone to deal with them in the morning. I'm washing my hands of these two, I'm done." and with that he had hung up. Bucky looked the girl up and down and let out an exasperated sigh. He left the room, locking the door from the outside on the way out.
"Rise and shine, sweetheart" Came the voice of a Shield agent as he gave Zara a shake. Her arm shot under her pillow and thrust a dagger at the man at lightening speed.
His hands shot up, defensively.
"I don't know HOW many times I tell you people... I don't like being woken up, especially by strangers!" She growled.
"Drop the fucking knife or I'll tranq you" He warned, holding up a small pistol. She rolled her eyes and let the dagger fall to the floor.
"Get in the shower, and get your uniform on. You're wanted for disciplinary action this morning. You have ten minutes. I suggest you hurry up, you don't want to make things any worse. I'll wait outside your door. Knock when you're ready."
Aah fuck... This could be bad...
She showered quickly, scrubbing last night's makeup off and brushing her teeth. She pulled her uniform on and zipped the front up, threw on some makeup and tied her hair back. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and cringed a little. Her eyes were usually a bright baby blue, today they showed the effects of last night's alcohol-fueled antics. Her head pounded, she took a long drink of water from the bottle on her counter-top before making her way to the front door. She knocked three times on the door as she pulled her boots on and took a deep breath.
Steve and Sam were already in the room waiting. There was a field agent in there with Sam, he must have brought her in. She looked up when Zara walked in, and shot her a smile. Zara smiled back and the two stood together, waiting for their fate.
"I don't even know where to start with you two" Steve began. "Sneaking out, picking locks, getting DRUNK, lying right to my face..."
"I tried with you two, I really did. You'd be dead if it wasn't for us, you'd have died in the rubble that day, and we've given you every opportunity to improve yourselves, find your feet and get a fresh start.
Zara mumbled something to Sam that Steve couldn't make out.
"What was that!?" He snapped.
"A fresh start would be a life, outside. Not locked up and being forced into Shield!" Zara said, unafraid to speak up.
"Yeah, we'll just send two bitter, spiteful ex-Hydra agents out there into the world - who just so happen to be trained killers. Hell, we'll give you a gun and some ammo too while we're at it huh?" Steve said, getting fed up.
"Oh shut your fucking mouth Rogers, you never gave us a god-damned chance in hell. Scooped the pair of us out of one zoo and locked us in another." Sam snarled at him. She pulled out a knife she had hidden on her and threw it at the field agent, hitting him in the neck.
"Sammy, NOOO!" Zara cried out but the agent dropped to the ground. Another agent had run in, hurling Zara at the wall and he barged past her, protecting Steve, and he lunged at Sam. She pulled out another dagger and there was a loud snap and then everything went quiet.
Zara sat on the ground where she had been thrown and it took her a few seconds to realize what had happened. Sam was dead, he'd broken her neck.
"No, no, no, NO!" She scrambled over there, desperately hoping that she was wrong, that Sam was fine. A gun barrel was up against her face, and Steve had grabbed her and pulled her back. Her hands flew over her mouth and she started crying, her only friend was dead, and those fucking Shield bastards had done it. They were no better than Hydra.
Agents flooded in, and she was dragged away into a very small white room and sat on a chair to wait, alone.
Zara sat in that small white room for what felt like hours. She hadn't moved a muscle, and was absolutely just... Numb. Her hands were cuffed in front of her and they rested on the table she was sat at. If she had of known better, she guessed it had been an interrogation room. She heard the door click, not caring enough to look up to see who it was.
Steve walked in and sat opposite her. She was pale and shaking, obviously in shock.
"She's dead." Steve said, not bothering to sugar-coat it. "My field agent, Bryce Tanner, fighting for his life." He said, keeping his voice low. "You planned this." He added.
"I didn't have anything to do with it. I though we were there for disciplinary action..." She stammered. "She had knives on her, how would I have known? Why wasn't she searched?" She added, letting her bloodshot eyes meet his.
"They're telling me I should kill you. You're too dangerous to release, and too dangerous to keep." He said, pressing his lips together.
"Do it then. I'd rather be dead anyway." She said back to him softly.
"No, we don't do that here. We're not Hydra-"
"You're no better than Hydra. It's all the same." She cut him off. Steve drew in a sharp breath.
"Well we lock you away then and throw away the key."
"You've already done that and look where it got us." She said.
"What do you want, Zara?" He asked, exasperated.
"You know what I want, Rogers. I want my freedom. My whole life has been this. Wipe me like they did to The Winter Soldier, and send me on my way." She suggested.
"We can't do that either, and you know it." He said.
"Shoot me then. I don't care anymore. I'm done." She said, letting out a breath, and looking back at the tabletop.
Steve decided he believed her for some stupid reason, he was sure he would regret later. He had seen people do awful things and turn their lives around. His best friend had been the perfect example. Bucky hadn't wanted to be a Shield agent. He had fought them every step of the way and the one thing that had brought him through was the compassion of a friend, someone just as broken as he was to show him the light.
Zara hadn't killed anyone. She had been rebellious, but he was sure she wasn't a bad kid. Steve hadn't been able to get through to her in the few months she's been there, she didn't get along with Natasha, and Tony wasn't interested in even trying. They hadn't bothered with Bucky, who had only settled into his agent training role at Shield in recent months... He was getting quite cocky though, and maybe throwing a spanner in the works would knock him down a peg or two...
Steve shook the thought off and tried to come up with something else, but the more he avoided it, the more perfect it sounded...
He called for someone to take Zara to a new room with more security and surveillance. He would deliver the news to Bucky the next morning.