Introduction
Blind Past
There was a soldier that let every hand touch him,
Dress him, move his arms, talk for him,
And yet he has never received a name.
† † †
"You know me."
"No I don't!" The Winter Soldier snaps at the man before him. The fragile metal construction under his feet is soon to break the promise of a perfect balance. Yet he ignores it and launches forward to attack the blond hero that he was ordered to eliminate. The other dodges the assault though clumsily, clearly with no desire to put his full effort into the fair fight.
"Bucky, you've know me your entire life. Your name is James Buchanan Barnes…"
"SHUT UP!" He yells as his fist meets the cold metal of the strong shield. The other man is thrown back, unable to hold onto his strength and regain himself. Blow after another is blasted against the firm metal until the two men are panting and glaring at each other with mixed feelings.
The Winter Soldier growls on the back of his throat, his eyes scanning his enemy, his mission, with hatred and a longing to spill his blood. And there is something that makes the soldier's insides quiver with an odd feeling of something familiar occurring before him in a form of a tall hero with blond hair. It is odd how his face that has already received a few cuts and bruises has an eerie connection to the past of the Hydra's favorite dog. And yet the loyal killing machine cannot remember the friend he has cherished his whole life after the incident on the train.
"I am not going to fight you." The hand lets go of the metal shield painted of blue and red, accent of the white star in the very center like a heart of the universe Captain America so longed to protect. The only defense from Winter's rough blows falls through the crack of the shuttle and disappears in the void of smoke and darkness. "You're my friend."
At this point, the Winter Soldier has nothing to say to the other. He grabs the man and throws him against the cold metal of the crumbling shuttle. His metal fingers curl into a strong fist and slam against Steve's right cheek over, and over, and over again, until there is a bright hint of an unfortunate bruise and blood painting the skin.
"You are my mission!" The soldier snarls and repeats his attacks boldly since the hero does not fight back and lets the other beat him up as he desires. "YOU ARE MY MISSION." His fist is brought back to release a finishing strike against his helpless opponent. His dead eyes scan the bloodied features before him, trying to see what was it that painfully screamed for him to remember.
"Then finish it." The hero's soft reply sends a shiver down Winter's spine as his fist twitches with uncertainty. "Cause I'm with you 'til the end of the line." A shock strikes the soldier's brain as his eyes widen and glow with surprise as if a sharp flashback of his past has blinded him for a brief second. Before the soldier can react, a heavy metal plank falls from above and destroys the brittle platform sending both men out of their balance. The Winter Soldier manages to grip on the neighboring ledge and watch the hero fall down into the devouring smoke. His eyes are still wide open as he cannot accept the chunks of bright memory coming back to him.
The strong body of Captain America hits the water and carelessly sinks him down into its depth. The darkness surrounds him as he descends slowly, even delicately, into the arms of death. His eyes are barely open, his lips want to whisper Bucky's name, and yet he has no strength to even move slightly. There is no time to realize that this is the end, no time to try to convince his old friend that he is who he was many years ago. It is still a miracle to Steve as well as a mystery that Bucky is somehow alive, and the damned Hydra has a good grip over his throat. And yet it is too late now. A shame that out of a thousand strangers he has saved today, Rogers could not save one he has cherished from the very beginning.
A hand stretches forward to grab onto the soaked hard fabric of the uniform. Metal fingers clutch over the strap and pull up, away from the water and all the darkness that seemed to claim the hero's body and leave out any chance of survival. The soldier pushes away from the pressure, trying to save the other from the blackness of demise because there is a reason he has forced himself to acknowledge. He remembers that he knew him and there is some connection between them, and yet the past still remains blinding and covered in fog.
He pushed Steve's body against the dry ground and looks over him. He knows that the hero will live and find his way home. Now that the mission was failed, Winter does not have to go back to Hydra. In fact, he has to learn more about those vivid pieces of images in his head that tell him that truth is somewhere nearby. And so he leaves, walking along water and then disappearing in the depth of green trees in order to find himself on his own.