Full Summary:
Bucky weaves back into the modern world, adjusting well with the Avengers. But his forgotten memories continue chase him. As he unlocks the mysteries of his bloody past, he unearths the Winter Soldier's dirty little secret. What happens when a tempestuous history meets the calm present? Slight AU: Avengers reconcile. No slash (Brotp Steve/Bucky and Sam). Eventual WinterWidow, hints of (one-sided) WinterWitch and other canon pairings.
❝It's a distant memory that won't leave.❞
The extraction mission, lead by Steve, was successful. His team had consisted of Sharon, Bucky, Sam and Wanda. SHIELD intelligence reported that a selection of biochemical engineering scientists were under threat; held captive by the cynical organisation AIM (Advanced Idea Mechanics). After they were rumoured to have produced a biological weapon called Extremis many years ago, SHIELD kept a close watch on their activities. The mission was simple, Bucky snorted mockingly at how easy it was. It was laughable for a master assassin and soldier with decades of training in the field of espionage. Sharon hacked the security mainframe and network, briefly disabling the cameras, and later on joined Steve and Wanda in releasing the scientists. Sam and Bucky were allocated outside. With his trusty Redwing, Sam was perched atop of the building, while Bucky held his gun close, vigilantly hidden in the surroundings further away. His body tensed in anticipation, alert to the smallest murmur. He was enough back-up if AIM's security was unexpectedly triggered soon.
Just as the thought passed him, loud alarm bells reverberated. Instantaneously his senses sharpened and instinct kicked in. Sam took out the guards from above. As Bucky aimed and shot guards with a ruthless efficiency, it was then he identified Steve and Sharon escaping with the anxious scientists in the midst of the chaos. Wanda was further upfront, creating a large protective shield that deflected numerous bullets. Bucky's face lit up in awe. But then he quickly reverted back to normal as he focussed on the job. Needless to say, the guards had zero chance. Along with the offensive above, their power in numbers proved useless to the Avengers' swift strategy. And that weird... magic, Bucky added inwardly, as clouds of red dust asphyxiated many opponents simultaneously. It really was fascinating; spellbinding.
The managed to reach the undercover van (much better than the unbelievably tiny yellow Beetle in Bucky's opinion): it looked like a regular, unassuming vehicle, except the interior was entirely Stark tech worth thousands. Bucky and Sam met up with the rest after they surpassed a safe distance from the enemy territory. As Sharon contacted SHIELD in the car, outside the scientists babbled on about their immense gratitude. Steve asked them about their interrogation by AIM, as Sam smiled pleasingly to himself, without a doubt mentally high-fiving himself. Wanda grinned widely at their triumph, saying she was glad to have helped.
But rather than paying attention to the rescued scientists, Bucky scrutinized her, unable to forget the image of scarlet smoke. He couldn't help but ponder over how she managed to possess such a unique talent. When Sharon finally received the co-ordinates for the location of the covert SHIELD quinjet, they settled back inside and headed for the road again. Bucky couldn't wait to get back to New York. He would ask her then, but it wasn't until many hours later they were alone in the Avengers' lounge. After (begrudging) small talk, the aching question finally slipped out.
"So how did you get your powers?" Bucky asked, unable to hide his curiosity any longer. He'd remember seeing flares of red spark that could levitate, destroy and control what came in contact with it. It was the kind of power organisations like Hydra would love to hold in their fist. To manipulate that sort of power for their own agenda. Cause destruction, it was dangerous. But mesmerising. Like a fantasy book he read a while back in Romania about a Romani Jewish lady who was born with a similar ability due to a rare genetic mutation. "Where you...born with it?" His eyebrows slightly scrunched up together in confusion. He was sure the book was fiction.
"No, I was not," Wanda gulped nervously, feigning a bright smile at his perplexed expression.
His usual guarded eyes were vibrantly inquisitive. It made him look years younger, and she could almost see the handsome, carefree soldier he looked like in old photos peeking out. Wanda respected Bucky for what he had gone through, and admired his courage. And internally reprimanded herself when caught herself staring to long at him when he smiled. There was something about it Wanda liked. She could see more physical resemblance to his former self every day. It was hard not to confess that.
Her eyes darted towards her hands as he flashed her an prolonged expectant look, clearly wanting more detail. She could feel his childish curiosity morph into apprehensive scepticism. Secretly she knew that if she didn't give him a satisfied answer, he'd ask somebody else. Or worse, somehow find her file. He was an expert spy as well as a super-soldier after all. The file probably showed what kind of monster she was. She scoffed internally.
"My family were killed a long time ago," she started, staring at her black nails, "my brother and I wanted justice for them. To take revenge on the person responsible. And a man offered to help. To make us stronger and we agreed."
That instant Bucky's muscles became rigid, his eyes lost their vibrancy and became darker. He knew what "stronger" entailed. Foreboding thoughts entered his mind as he clenched his jaw. "You let him experiment on you." There was no emotion in his statement. Wanda looked at him hastily. It was impossible to decipher his facial features.
"Yes," she conceded, unmindful to his past. There was no reason to lie when there was a whole document written about it. "It was a mistake, I understand now. We shouldn't have trusted Hydra-"
"Hydra?" He injected immediately and loudly, his mouth agape in incredulity. "You let them experiment on you?" He couldn't comprehend how someone was willing to cooperate with Hydra's procedures. Out of everyone.
Regret once again washed over her, "I didn't-"
"-You let Hydra experiment on you so you could kill the man. You did it for vengeance," he said robotically and she flinched. "Did you? Did you eventually kill him?"
"No," she let out a shaky breath. "After the Ultron incident I could not kill Tony, nor do I want to any more. He's a friend now. There's no hatred." She may have once despised him so much that if fuelled her every vein with a boiling anger, but things change and he had done so much for her to rectify for his mistake.
Bucky remembered seeing news headlines plastered everywhere during his hiding in Bucharest when Sokovia was in peril. An artificially intelligent robot had planned to destroy humanity, with the Earth's Mighty Avengers as the only source of hope to end it. It was also the first he saw Steve again since he left him unconscious near the Potomac in DC. "You teamed up with Hydra because you wanted to kill Stark." He muttered, unable to hide his disgust.
"I did not 'team' with them," she retorted heatedly, "Tony Stark was one of the world's biggest weapons manufacturer and contractor before an avenger, you may not have known that fact!"
Bucky stared at her evenly, "I do know. Steve told me. He told me about everyone. Except you," he said deathly quiet. "I get it now."
She exhaled in disbelief as tears formed in her eyes. She couldn't conjure the ability to defend herself properly, she knew it was her fault. She couldn't justify her actions, but she could justify the emotions that controlled her then. This was not the way she wanted to explain her story to him. His reaction injected another dose of guilt inside her. "It was a mistake, " she repeated weakly.
"We all make mistakes," he replied, though his sturdy posture and steely expression did not change at all, "But if I was ever, ever given a choice, I would have had the damn common sense not to go to some fucking Nazis," he spat, his eyes blazing ominously.
Hydra robbed him of his identity, programmed, dehumanised and tortured to the point where reading his own biography felt like he was studying someone else. Not him. He didn't once have the miraculous opportunity to have a choice to leave. He tried sometimes, to run away. To find freedom. He was good at hiding. But they would always ultimately capture him and reprimand him with electrocution. He could vaguely remember wishing he was dead instead of enduring the countless hours the piercing screams ripped through his dry throat. The searing agony that enveloped his entire being as hot electricity shot through his head relentlessly, causing every nerve to frazzle in despicable torment. The revolting stench of his own sweat, which drenched his hair and every inch of his skin, forced his stomach to lurch sporadically, desperately making him want to vomit. And just as dizziness and fatigue overtook him, another brand-new surge of electricity violently shook his entire form, draining his energy to resist the anguish. He was reduced to an unceremonious heap of muscle and bones, convulsing from the shocks. And repeat. Again. And again. And again.
It was baffling for Bucky to discover a person who wanted to be experimented on. By Hydra for personal revenge. His bewilderment intensified as his brain failed to fathom the logic. Poorly buried resentment slowly rose to the surface as he glared at the girl before him.
A figure materialised through the wall but both were still, unmoving like statues. The tension in the air was thick and palpable. Wanda's meek aura was overpowered by Bucky's seething ferocity. And that didn't go unnoticed by Vision. He hoped he could brush off his concern as paranoia when he sensed a sudden manifestation of imbalance in the air all of a sudden."Is everything okay?" He enunciated each word clear and slow deliberately, glancing worryingly between the two. Bucky's stony face was impassive, but he recognised the hidden rage. Wanda was on the brink of crying and it automatically made him defensive and disturbed by the situation.
"What happened?" he cut brusquely, annoyance creeping in his tone. His question once again dissipated in the room. Surely Bucky had not tried to attack Wanda. She was far more powerful than him. She was on par with himself, and Vision was one of the strongest avenger. Certainly it would be absurd to do so. He would have lost easily. No, this was something else. A long pause stretched across the room.
"Nothing Vis," she lied, despite already knowing it was futile. She roughly wiped her eyes and attempted a small smile, but failed.
Bucky, on the other hand, marched out the door, not even bothering to answer Vision. His rage increased the longer he stayed in the small room. His mind became a swirling storm of frustration, thoughts became black, but he wouldn't let his rage control him. It suffocated him. He needed space, fresh air and a healthy outlet.
His legs came to a sudden halt.
No beta, all mistakes are mine. Me gusta el evalucion, Gracias mucho.