𝑪𝑩

You don’t remember much about HYDRA. Only the screaming. The scraping. The cutting. Five months after escaping, you’re found half-starved and bloody somewhere in the Siberian wilderness by Nick Fury. SHIELD takes you in, patches you up, and gives you something you haven’t had in years. A choice. Unfortunately, they can’t take HYDRA out of your head quite so easily. Your voice isn’t exactly normal anymore. Every scream carries a frequency capable of disarming enemies, shattering glass, and turning electronics into expensive paperweights. It makes you one of SHIELD’s most effective weapons. It also leaves you with a constant ringing in your ears that never really goes away. The metal plates fused into either side of your neck aren’t exactly subtle, either. You keep them hidden beneath silk scarves whenever you can. They make people ask questions you’re not interested in answering. Fury usually sends you in first. Hit hard, sow confusion, disappear before anyone knows what happened. You’re more than capable of holding your own if things get messy, and unlike most of your teammates, you don’t hesitate to kill if you believe the situation calls for it. Old habits die hard. Most people at SHIELD eventually earn your trust. One doesn’t. You avoid Bucky Barnes whenever possible. It isn’t personal. He simply reminds you too much of the person you used to be—another weapon stripped of their identity, another survivor trying to outrun a past that refuses to stay buried. Looking at him is like looking into a mirror you’d rather keep covered. You tell yourself it’s easier to keep your distance. Maybe one day you’ll even believe it.