Hello everybody!
This is an idea I saw on pinterest the other day and I thought it would be cool to turn it into a fanfic. The idea was that Bucky was never found be the HYDRA, instead he spent seventy years in the ice just like Steve, and someone decides to start looking for him. So I thought, what if Coulson, the Captain America fanboy, gets a brainwave some day and bands together some agents of shield to find him? So yeah, here's chapter one of that idea.
Please note that I resurrected several charters from the dead and/or from hiding, because I don't accept the second half of season 3 of aos, sorry not sorry! :-P
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this!
oOo
Director Coulson sighed and lay down his pen. HYDRA was officially dead, the organisation disbanded and leaders imprisoned. He had just spent the last couple of hours signing off all the paperwork. This was the one part of his job he could never look forward to, only look forward to its end.
But at last he was finished. He rubbed his eyes tiredly, realising he could actually afford to have some time off. He decided he would go to the Smithsonian, he hadn't seen the Captain America exhibition and it was the first item on his "bucket list" that Skye made him start a few years ago. Bringing the list out, he noticed that was the only item on his list anyway. He decided he would take Skye with him. She deserved a break after everything that had happened.
In the drawer that he had kept the list, he noticed something he hadn't looked at in a long time. His Captain America trading cards. He hadn't the heart to look at them for long since Fury had ruined them after he died. He knew it was for a good reason, but he had spent years collecting those cards, and now they were covered in blood. And after all this time, he'd still never found out whose blood it was.
He flicked through the pile of cards, stopping at the only one with all of the Howling Commandos on it. Thankfully, not too much damage had been done to that one. He looked at the card for a long while, and his curiosity got the better of him. He looked up each of the men, one by one, and true enough, Captain America was the last survivor. He stared at Bucky Barnes's profile.
No body was ever found, though it is believed Sergeant Barnes died from falling off a freight train carrying known HYDRA operatives, somewhere in the Swiss Alps.
He read through the rest of the information.
He endured weeks of isolation, torture and experimentation.
He clicked the further information link.
Sergeant Barnes was exposed to an improved resistance serum, not unlike the serum that was exposed to Captain America, with similar results, which explain how Sergeant Barnes was able to keep up with Captain America for longer than any other of the Howling Commandos, though many believe it was their enduring friendship from childhood that made them the ideal fighting partners.
Coulson took a few deep breaths. No body was ever found, but he had the super serum and he had fallen to his death into Artic-like conditions. He had been present when they were defrosted Captain America. He knew all the procedures. It was perfectly plausible that Sergeant Barnes was still alive. Cap had survived for nearly seventy years, Bucky could still be there.
Coulson delved deeper. He found the location that Bucky had fallen within a one mile radius. He brought up several drones and had sent the order to scan the scene. He had just reconstructed a full body model so the drones had something to compare whatever they found to, using 40s files when May entered.
"Director, the other agents are organising some sort of celebration in the wake of Hydra's downfall. I need an excuse to get out of it- what have you done now?" she cut herself off with exasperation when she saw the expression on his face. "We've just gotten rid of HYDRA Coulson, please tell me you haven't got us stuck in another mess."
"You should go to the party, May," Coulson ignored the latter statement. "It would be good for you, it would be good for all of them."
"Coulson."
Coulson sighed. "I have a theory, May."
May sat down on the chair opposite Coulson's desk. "And?"
A beep sounded throughout the office. Coulson tapped a button and Maria Hill's annoyed expression met him on the screen. "Director."
"Agent Hill. How may I help?"
"Why did I get notified of two SHIELD drones surveying the Swiss Alps?"
"Ah. I didn't think they would work fast."
"Coulson."
Coulson held his hands up in defeat. "Okay, okay. I can explain."
As briefly as he could he explained his theory. Both Maria and May's eyes rolled simultaneously.
"You know that's a long shot, Phil."
"The Avengers think that you're dead, Phil! And what if you get Cap's hopes up and you're wrong?"
"I know it's a long shot and I know they don't know I'm alive, but at least we can say that we tried. We don't have to tell them what we're doing, my team can handle it."
"Coulson, they're all excited about HYDRA's downfall still. They've all booked time off!"
"Then I'll go myself. Me and whoever else that can. We still have some of the agents that were here when Cap came out of the ice. They know the procedures, and they can teach them to the agents that will make up this team."
Maria drummed her fingers on the table at her end impatiently. May sat in silence with her arms folded. Coulson kept one eye on them and another on the drones. It was silent for a few minutes, before another beep sounded.
Coulson brought up the results on the screen alongside Maria. "You seeing this, Hill?"
"Seeing, still working on believing," came the reply.
The drones showed a 95% match to the model Coulson had constructed.
"He's missing an arm," May pointed out.
"Well he did fall, like, about 100 feet-"
"I can't believe this," Maria said again.
Coulson smirked and glanced at May. "A long shot, huh?"
May gave him a look.
"Get them all together," Coulson asked her, all business now, "It's time we put a team together."