As much as I liked Civil War this is totally non-compliant with the movie and as a side note, (Spoiler) WTF!... Bucky WOULD NOT volunteer to go back in Cryo….. No F-ing way!
I do not own these Characters but sometimes I feel like they own me.
Authors note: This can be read as a standalone or as a possible third part from my two stories, "No More Pain" and " To be The Man That I Am…Bucky's Recovery." One thing that doesn't quite match up is the metal arm but lets just say he uses the metal arm during combat and the flesh looking arm during time off.
Also lets say, if you do want to count this as a third part to the other two stories, at some point Age of Ultron happened and Bucky was…ummmm…. Taking some personal time,…. Or something… I guess.
In this story we see the effects of Severe Brain Damage and Trauma. In the chapters about recovery I will try to include links to YouTube videos that inspired how I try and depict the harm done and recovery process. What can I say,…. I am a sucker for hurt/comfort,….. poor Bucky!
Brain Damage
Sleeping Sickness
by
City of Color
I awoke, only to find my lungs empty
And through the night, so it seems I'm not breathing
And now my dreams, are nothing like they were meant to be
And I'm breaking down, I think I'm breaking down
And I'm afraid, to sleep because of what haunts me
Such as, living with the uncertainty
That'll never find the words to say
Which would completely explain, just how I'm breaking down
Someone come and, someone come and save my life
Maybe I'll sleep when I am dead but now it's like the night is taking sides
And all the worries that occupy the back of my mind
Could it be, this misery will suffice
I've become, a simple souvenir of someone's kill
Like the sea, I'm constantly changing from calm to ill
Madness fills my heart and soul as if the
Great divide could swallow me whole, oh how I'm breaking down
Someone come and, someone come and save my life
Maybe I'll sleep when I am dead but now it's like the night is taking sides
And all the worries that occupy the back of my mind
Could it be, this misery will suffice
Someone come and, someone come and save my life
Someone come and, someone come and save my life
Someone come and, someone come and save my life
Could it be, this misery will suffice
Sargent James Buchannan Barnes was pressed against the metal wall of the underground bunker, his breaths coming in short wincing gasps gritting his teeth as he used his metal arm to pull out the jagged piece of sheet metal that had punctured his right side in a long, deep gash. He grunted as he dropped the blood soaked metal onto the ground with a clatter then bent down with a hiss of pain as he grabbed his riffle off the dusty ruble and inspected it. He huffed with irritation at the bent and useless barrel then dropped it as he began assessing his current situation. Three knives still on his person, two hand guns but only three bullets in one, his ammo had been lost during the explosion as had his detonation devices. He blinked as his vision blurred red in his left eye and he quickly wiped it with his blue combat jacket sleeve, glancing at the fabric stained red from the wound on his forehead.
Sargent Barnes closed his eyes for a moment as a bout of nausea and vertigo coursed through him, his hearing still fading in and out. He took a deep steading breath aware that he was likely suffering from a concussion. The head ache was dull compared to the bright flaring sting of his side wound and based on the pain of breathing, he was also dealing with a few fractured ribs. With a resolute snort he pushed himself away from the wall, his one remaining gun with ammo in his left hand and his biggest knife in his right hand that he held close to his injured side. He took a step then two as he blinked his distorted vision and tried to clear his ringing hearing.
Priority number one: Find Black Widow and Hawk Eye.
They had been separated during the first set of explosions that came from underground. Bucky had called out to them in urgency when he heard Natasha cry out in pain but then there were the missals dropped from the stealth jets above. The Sargent had been sent flying and crashing down several levels into the subterranean base that he instantly recognized as Hydra. What was supposed to be a simple in and out recon mission, responding to a destructive energy surge in the middle of the Siberian wilderness, had turned into an ambush, a trap set by Hydra that had taken the three Avengers by complete surprise.
Bucky shook his head in annoyance as he thought back to that morning and the argument he had with Steve in front of the other Avengers. He had been on active duty with them for nearly four months, pulling his own weight and then some, proving to be more then capable of fighting alongside his friends and watching Steve's back as the Captain recklessly through himself head first into every battle. The team had been already gathered for a mission assignment coming directly from Wakanda where Hydra operatives had forcibly taken over a Vibranium mine. King T'Challa had requested help from the Avengers as Hydra had taken the nearby village hostage, keeping the families of the mine worker's at gun point while they forced them to hand over the precious metal.
The Avengers had been formulating their plan of attack when suddenly they received another urgent alert from Fury about the energy surge in Siberia. The Director explained how the energy reading was similar to that of the Tesseract and had sent out a destructive pulse that had decimated close to 100 miles of wilderness, stopping just 20 miles short of a remote town. S.H.I.E.L.D was evacuating the citizens but they were strapped for agents as they had also been sending field support to several other conflicts that had broken out around the globe.
A decision had to be made and the team split up. Captain America made the call, deciding He, Ironman, Thor, Vision and Scarlet Witch would go to Wakanda to help with the Hostage situation. Bruce would hang back at the Tower to receive the intel from the second team that was going to investigate the energy explosion in Siberia. Hawk Eye, Black Widow and The Sargent would go directly to the sight of the energy surge while The Falcon went to the nearby town to assist S.H.I.E.L.D and be on standby if the other three needed back up, his wings making response time faster than ground transport or Evac could provide.
Sargent Barnes had challenged his best friend's decision immediately, stating that Ironman would be better able to evaluate the energy source and that Steve was once again trying to protect Bucky from dealing directly with Hydra. His statement had been made at first with a calm and rational tone but as Steve shut him down Bucky let his frustration get the better of him and the disagreement escalated until he stormed out of the meeting room after accusing Steve of doubting his ability to fight against Hydra because the Captain didn't think he was reliable against his former captors. The other Avengers understood both sides and once in the plane Bucky begrudgingly accepted that the Captain was just trying to protect him. Sam, Clint and Natasha helped Bucky recognize how difficult a decision it was for Steve to even send Bucky out into the field without him nearby to make sure he was okay. By the time they had arrived in Siberia Bucky felt slightly embarrassed about his outburst that morning and sent Steve a text message apologizing. To his surprise he received a response instantly with Steve's own apology and a request that Bucky keep himself and the other's safe even though Natasha was appointed lead on the mission.
The Sargent blinked away his distracted thoughts and tried to hone in his Super Soldier senses on the present. He was making his way through the lower levels of the base as he tried to call to the Falcon for back up. To his displeasure, he quickly assessed after hearing only static that there was some kind of electric field hampering the com links. He swallowed down a growing sense of dread as he realized just how planed out this trap was and ideally wondered if the other Hydra activity had not been created as a deliberate distraction to divide the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D agents in the field.
No sooner had the thought crossed his mind when he heard a familiar voice echoing over an intercom, the speaker located in the wall.
"Soldier,…. We have Hawk Eye and Black Widow. You have exactly one minute to make your way to level G, Room 6202 before we terminate these operatives."
Bucky's heart stopped and he felt his blood run cold even as The Winter Soldier processed the instructions and moved quickly as if on auto piolet. He knew that voice and the realization sent a shiver down his spine before a hot flash of anger coursed through him. Rumlow. The man had been MIA from S.H.I.E.L.D custody for almost 5 months. His miraculous disappearance had included the death of almost twenty S.H.I.E.L.D Agents had been part of the reason Steve finally relented and agreed to allow Sargent Barnes to return to active duty. The dread and foreboding that had gripped the Sargent's heart was soothed by a burning rage and desire to personally seek vengeance against the Hydra operative who had been an active participant during much of his suffering.
Sargent Barnes let his anger and need for vengeance fuel his accelerated pace through the underground maze even as his instincts knew he was heading into a snake pit, injured and without adequate fire power. Good thing he as a Weapon himself and as much as he tried to distance himself from the persona of the Winter Soldier, in situations of combat he found it almost comforting that he could let the lethal abilities and single minded focus take over and keep him functioning even as his blood rushed and his heart pounded in his damaged ears. He was a force to be reckoned with and his mission was loud and clear in his mind.
Priority one: Secure fellow Avengers.
Priority Two: Unleash the full force of his fury on every single motherfucker that stood in his way.
Despite clear objectives and unwavering purpose, The Sargent felt his body go tense as he round the corner and heard the echo of a loud cracking sound followed by a muffled grunt of pain that was undeniably Clint. Bucky slowed his pace despite the urge to run toward the sound. He leveled his gun as he inched toward the doorway. Immediately he saw a Hydra agent step through into the hall and Bucky took the head shot before advancing at full force. He grabbed the falling corpse and used it as a shield as he barged into the room and took out the two operative that were standing over Natasha's unconscious form, guns pointed at her head. He was about to throw his knife into the eye of a man standing over a shackled and bleeding Hawk Eye when he felt a sudden pull seize his metal arm and the knife, slamming him to the ground.
The Sargent let out a roar of rage as his left arm was magnetized to a panel in the floor, trapped with a force so strong he could not even curl his fingers. He growled in anger as his right hand grabbed another knife and threw it into the throat of the nearest visible Hydra Agent before he felt a shock wave of electricity rip through him, raking his body in agonizing waves of blinding pain. His vision shook as he collapsed completely on the floor with a choked gasp, disoriented and dazed, pain resonating deep in his bones.
After a moment he rolled on to his side, left arm still magnetized to the ground, right up and guarded, his legs drawn up and ready to lash out defensively. The Sargent looked around with wild eyes as he quickly analyzed his current predicament. Slightly behind him, just in reach of his peripheral vision he could see an unconscious body with red air, laying in a pool of red blood. He felt his gut clench in concern then he saw Clint next to her on his knees, arms shackled behind his back. He was leaning toward her, his body trying to shield her from the two Hydra agents that stood over him with stun batons and guns. Hawkeye looked up at Bucky with a determined stare, eyes piercing through a faced masked in blood. He was covered in cuts and burns and there was a steady oozing wound in his left leg that added to Natasha's pool of blood.
Another three Hydra agents were dragging out the bodies of the operatives Bucky had neutralized while two others hovered near by him locked and loaded with what looked like tranquilizer guns, their eyes intently watching him. The Sargent felt a surge of panic at the sight of the tranquilizers as he realized instantly the purpose of the Hydra ambush. They were taking back their Asset.
Bucky's head jerked up as far as he could while still guarding his body to see the voices behind him to his left. His heart hammered in his chest when he caught sight of what appeared to be six more Hydra agents and a man in a white coat fiddling with a computer that was linked up to a chair, a chair that sent shivers through him and for a second he had to work at suppressing a whimper of fear. His expression must have betrayed his terror as he heard a snicker from the heavily armed men who stood by the outdated maintenance chair. The Sargent clenched his jaw and snorted an indigent huff as he schooled his expression, a look of lethal intent and predatory savagery replacing his momentary weakness.
"Shut the Fuck up….Idiots!" A graveled voice barked from just out of his vision before taking a few steps into his line of sight, walking slowly until he was directly in front of the trapped Sargent. Rumlow crouched down just out of reach, a calm, contemplative expression on his burnt and scared face. He looked Bucky directly in his eyes with a patient, almost curious smile. "Hey there Soldier,…. We've missed you."
