Tangled Paths | Bucky Barnes

Chapter 10: Fight or Flight

10
Fight or Flight

Darla laid on the couch in Bruce's office staring at the ceiling with a pillow under her head and her arms and legs crossed. She thought about what Steve had said and questioned if she was too hard on him. She told herself none the less she was going to apologize she knew he was only trying to help. Tears stained the sides of her face from the last twenty minutes she'd spent crying as the emotions that came with her memories of Hydra overwhelmed her.

She began to realize that she'd forced herself so hard to figure out who she was in the present that she hadn't really thought about her past or even attempted to break any of it down. She'd just shrugged it off, probably because she didn't want to think about the fact that everyone she'd ever truly known was gone, or maybe it was because Nick was keeping her so busy she didn't have the time to process.

Darla's thoughts were interrupted when the sound of the elevator doors opening rang through her ears. She wiped away her tears quickly and sat up to see Steve and Bruce step into the lab. Darla put the pillow back the way she'd found it and stood up. She approached the glass door of Bruce's office and pulled it open then departed the steps to meet Steve and Bruce in the middle of the lab.

"I'm sorry I got mad at you. I know that you're only trying to help." Darla said to Steve as she closed the gap between her and the two men. Her eyes locked with Steve who was almost taken aback by her apology and the fact that she projected it almost as if Bruce wasn't there.
"Don't worry about it, I know you were worked up. I didn't take it to heart." He replied honestly. Darla nodded then turned her head to the side to make eye contact with Banner.
"Hello, again Bruce," Darla said with a small friendly smile. She didn't have to look up to much to make eye contact with him as he only stood about an inch taller than her.
"Hi, Darla." He said softly with a smile.
"Your couch is comfy." She said.
"Yeah, it's nice for naps." He said with a small smirk. "I'm gonna go set up." He said as he looked at Steve. Steve gave a small nod and Bruce walked off to begin.

"What are you guys up to?" Darla asked as she stood beside Steve and watched Bruce putter.
"We were wondering if we could take a scan of your brain to see if your conditioning can be reversed." He said honestly. Darla thought about it for a moment. She would like to not want to murder a person the second she saw them in fear for her life.
"Sure, whatever you think will help," Darla replied.

After a series of scans and tests a 3D giant holographic model of Darla's brain hovered over a table. Steve paced around the square table in a horseshoe pattern while Bruce worked. Once again soft music broke up the silence. Darla sat on a nearby chair and stared at the technology in amazement.

"So how's it looking Doc? Am I flatlining?" Darla tossed out before laughing a little at her joke which earned a small smile from both Steve and Bruce.

"No, but I have good news and bad news." He said honestly. He pressed some buttons on the tablet and a scan of Darla's brain broke up into different lobes then it zoomed in on the system that was responsible for her reactions.

"Okay, I know you guys aren't particularly scientifically savvy so I'm going to try and explain this as plainly as possible. Normally when someone feels as though they're in legitimate danger their mind shoots off neurons that trigger your fight or flight response, this usually triggers in moments of acute stress, or extreme danger, then the body's sympathetic nervous system is activated due to the sudden release of hormones. Which is how Adrenalin is usually made.
Now, the reason I'm saying this is because it seems as though your brain has compartmentalized the Winter soldier and created its own system of a similar sense when you are met with him due to the fact that you've been convinced and brainwashed to subconsciously feel like you need to defend your life the moment he's around you." He explained in hopes he didn't overcomplicate it.