Chapter 1: Wakanda
She'd always known where she could find "The Man in the Ice", and no she wasn't thinking about Captain America, as everyone seemed to think. The man in the ice was her nickname for the man everyone called The Winter Soldier. She knew that after the prince of Wakanda realized that The Winter Soldier had no part in the Vienna bombing Captain America, or Captain Rogers depending on her mood, would convince him to help his friend Bucky as best as they could.
She was saddened to see the Wakandans had made very little in the three months she waited to make herself known. It had taken a month past that to get a work visa approved from Romania to Wakanda because of the known association The Winter Soldier had there. It didn't help that it was public knowledge that her family had ties to the Soviets from before World War II. Finally it was her extensive degrees in various scientific fields and engineering that convinced the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Wakanda to approve her application.
She arrived in the small airport only to be greeted with the stoic face of Prince T'Challa. She took a deep breath, lifted her head, and set down what luggage she had with her. He gave her a quick cursory glance.
"Your highness." She curtsied, "My name is Anastasia Oksana Dunayevsky, it is an honor to meet you."
"I'm sorry I cannot say the same." He barely nodded his head to indicate she could rise.
"I wouldn't expect it to be an honor of any royal member to meet a scientist with soviet ties, but I do hope that we can come to an agreement about a project I know you're scientist are working on."
"Do you find this an appropriate place for such a conversation?"
"In all honesty no." She picked up her purse by the handle. "But I assumed that such a curt greeting could only mean that my presence here is unwanted in the least."
"I'm just wondering what a scientist with soviet ties wants with one of our top secret projects." He stepped into her personal space. "Especially since I know none of my scientists haven't even whispered a word about it."
"Call it a curiosity, and I don't need anyone to whisper a word about anything. If I want the information about any project I only need to search for it."
"So what is your 'curiosity' about this project?"
"I am wondering why it is taking you scientists so long to crack this conundrum." She smirked, "I think they don't have all the pieces to the puzzle so to speak."
"And you think you have one of those missing pieces?" He looked her over a tad slower than before. "You a twenty-two year old in a cardigan can do better than all the scientists here in Wakanda combined?"
"One, have you ever heard the expression don't judge a book by its cover? Which should be readily apparent by the experiment you're working on. Two, I don't just have the missing pieces I have the cover of the puzzle box and the whole put together puzzle just awaiting approval."
"How have you come across this information?"
"As I'm sure you're aware, my family has had ties with Soviet scientists for decades." She sighed heavily. "Not that I like to tout that fact, ever really, but sometimes it does help. I heard about the commotion in Vienna, and the resulting commotion between a few of the Avengers, which had me digging in some old boxes in my storage unit. I found lots of old documents from some pretty high up scientist from the early 1940s. There were a few journals that mentioned a major success in their efforts of mind control, and I figured I might be able to help with the experiment that your scientists are currently working on. Not to mention I have the full blueprints for a fairly groundbreaking, even now, prosthetic that might interest your scientists here."
"How do I know I can trust you?" He stalked around her. "How do I know this isn't all just a ploy to reactivate a dormant part of our experiment?"
"In all honesty, you just have to take it on faith. I don't want to see the world burn, empires crumble, or an entire nation destroyed. I feel there's enough people in the world with bad intentions, and if I can help one experiment have a positive outcome for the betterment of humanity than I feel the need to help as best I can."
"I will allow you to help with the experiment, however there will be guards by your side at all times and scientists I trust helping you and reporting back to me at the end of each day."
"That is all I could ask for your highness." She curtsied again, "I would prefer my sleeping arrangements to be near the experiment in case any need should arise at any hour."
"That I will be arranged when we reach the science center." He nodded to his guards who at once produced the rest of her luggage from the flight and began walking away.
She followed letting out a huge sigh of relief. Soon she would be able to do what she had come to Wakanda to do in the first place. They made it to the science center where, the main scientist working the case of Sargent Barnes greeted her. She shook her head, she would always call him the man in the ice.
"So I see you gained the trust of our prince." The only other female in the room smirked. "I'm Azzaria."
"Anastasia Oksana Dunayevsky," she nodded, "but most people just call me Ana."
"Azzaria you will be over seeing the work of Ms. Dunayevsky while she helps out with Project Barnes." Prince T'Challa stated. "As will the two of you S'Yan and N'Jadaka."
"What if we don't want to babysit?" S'Yan rolled his eyes.
"You are the only two scientist I trust to be not only scientists, but guards as well. I want to ensure that Ms. Dunayevsky keeps her word of just wanting to help. That being said from here on out I expect a written report from all three of you on the days activities to be handed to my chief of staff at the end of your time in the lab for the day."
"Really more paperwork!" N'Jadaka sighed, "So what exactly are you bringing to the table besides a sweater knit by your grandmother?"
"I have extensive notes on the creation of The Winter Soldier including his conditioning and more importantly his prosthetic arm." She said as she walked around the room examining all the equipment. "I feel like we should start on either fixing his current damaged arm or we could start almost completely from scratch."
"We could think it over and make a decision tomorrow as our time in the lab is basically done for today." Azzaria suggested.
"That would be a wise choice. Ms. Dunayevsky please follow me." The Prince turned and walked away.
He lead her down a short hallway to a small room across from the lunchroom kitchen was located in the facility. His bodyguards had already set up a cot across from the chair and desk that previously occupied the space. Her luggage was lying at the end of the cot on a small trunk, and a small lamp and camper table completed the makeshift sleeping space.
"I hope this space will suffice for your time here in Wakanda." The Prince said softly.
"It will more than suffice." She set her purse down on the desk, "I have had worse accommodations presented in my field of study. Thank you your majesty I'm eager to help your scientists figure out the puzzle at hand."
"Then sleep well for tomorrow will probably be a long day."
He left her to get settled and made his way back to his office. He decided against informing Captain Rogers until there was something to tell him. He settled for watching the cameras that were stationed in the science building. He saw her pulling journal after journal out of her luggage and stack them to one side of the desk from the camera that pointed toward the door. She laid the blueprints out on the desk and began to make some notes off to the side. He watched her leaf through several of the journals while settling into her chair with her feet up on the desk. He watched as she turned the pages in an almost loving manner.
She was trapped in her own mind as she pulled all of the meticulously kept journals that had been in the family for years documenting everything that was ever done to Sargent Barnes. Even though years ago she had memorized all of them she felt comforted by the feel of pages beneath her fingers. She made a few notes in her own personal journal regarding some of the upgrades she wanted to make to Bucky's prosthetic. She made a few more notes in her own journal about her travels to Wakanda and the task at hand before she turned in for the night.
The next morning she woke before the sun rose and she trod across the hall to the kitchen. She quickly put together some French toast, and brought it back to her room to eat as she went over the blueprints for the millionth time. The door to her room swung open and Azzaria stuck her head in the room.
"I heard a rumor that Americans preferred to sleep in." She looked around, "Glad to see that's not true."
"It might be true if I were actually from America." She laughed nodding to the blueprints, "Do you think we'll be able to complete this project today?"
"It doesn't look overly complicated, but it all depends on if the Prince approves of the plans."
"I would assume that he wants Sargent Barnes to be quote 'whole' prior to being 'deprogrammed'." Ana sighed.
"You say deprogrammed like it's a bad thing." Azzaria surveyed the room her eyes resting on the stack of journals on her desk. "That's quite the collection of Soviet reading material."
"Well it has been in the family for years, and I couldn't bear to destroy part of my history as horrible as it may be."
"I can't say that I understand that feeling."
"Most people don't understand." Ana ran her hand down the binding of the thickest book, "They're journals of what exactly happened during all the soviet experiments during World War II including Sargent Barnes' success story."
"So no destroying it may turn out to be helpful." Azzaria nodded noncommittally, "I'll let you get dressed and I'll meet you in the lab."
Anastasia dressed quickly pulling on her favorite blue-green sweater. She slid on a pair on inconspicuous gloves, and made her way to the lab. She greeted S'Yan and N'Jadaka with a quick nod as she made her way to the large worktable. All the scientist watched with anticipation as she unfurled the blueprints she had made notes on the night before. She explained a few of the features they were unfamiliar with.
"So what material are you thinking we should make this out of?" S'Yan asked setting his coffee off to the side.
"Well you guys do seem to have an over abundance of Vibranium here in Wakanda." She hinted, "I was thinking if the Prince finds it acceptable that might be a wonderful gift to Sargent Barnes when he wakes up."
"I can go run that by him now so we can get started as soon as possible." Azzaria suggested.
"Sounds like a solid plan." N'Jadaka nodded, "And we can get started on our decision between starting over or fixing what is already there."
"Personally I'm all for starting over from the beginning." Ana leaned against the desk, "It's a better option just in the off chance that there is some type of tech that was skimmed over in the notes."
"So how do you propose to do that since he is currently cryogenically frozen?" S'Yan crossed his arms over his chest.
"Medically induced coma."
"That is actually a very good idea, but how do we know that it will work?" N'Jadaka pushed off the table to pace around the room. "He is a 'super soldier' after all."
"Well it's a good thing that one of my degrees encompassed pharmaceutical training." Ana's eyes slid over to the cryo-pod in the middle of the room, "He's going to need enough drugs to knock out about three elephants and a tiger."
"Is that a joke?" Prince T'Challa asked walking into the lab.
"No it's not." Ana shook her head, "I've extensively read over every note that was ever taken in regards to the Winter Soldier, and although cryogenically freezing was the Soviets preferred method of keeping him down because it was easier and cheaper than the alternative."
"Which is the medically induced coma you're talking about."
"Yes. We would only need him to be under for a few hours if we have the majority of the pieces built prior to pulling him from cryo and putting him under so we can operate, and by operate I mean installing his new prosthetic."
"And you want to use Vibranium?" The prince surveyed the blueprints on the table.
"Yes." Ana stated matter-of-factly. "It's one of the strongest metals on planet earth, and if we give him a brand new prosthetic we can insure that there is nothing inherently wrong with this one."
"By us controlling the entire process of this rebuild we insure that there isn't any Soviet tech left that might hinder the deprogramming." Azzaria explained. "Vibranium is a good choice since it is less likely to rust or decay in any manner."
"In that case I agree." The Prince stated stoically. "Ms. Dunayevsky please make a list of the medications and their quantities you will need to ensure that Sargent Barnes is peacefully in a coma."
"Done and done." Ana handed him a ready made list, "I anticipated this outcome no matter if we were going to be able to use Vibranium. While you acquire those supplies we'll get started on making the pieces for the prosthetic so all we need to do is put everything in place when you get back."
The team of scientists worked for the rest of the day to put together different parts of the prosthetic. By the end of the day everything was in place to be put together. Prince T'Challa had yet to return by the time dinner came around. Ana told the other scientists that it would be best to have a full day to do the 'install', and excused herself to bed. She fell into a fitful sleep plagued by nightmares of experiments documented in the Soviet notebooks.
She woke to the sound of pounding on her door. She rubbed her eyes and threw on her sweater and stuck her hand in the pocket of her pajama pants. Prince T'Challa stood outside her door with the sun blazing in.
"I believe you overslept." He stepped into the room.
"I didn't have a particularly restful night sleep." She sighed sitting back down on the bed.
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"Well sometimes it happens."
"I believe the team is ready to start the process of pulling Sargent Barnes out of cryo and putting him under for the procedure." He nodded toward the hallway.
"Please let them know I will be there in a moment." She ran a hand through her hair, "I just need to get dressed and prepped for the surgery."
"They will be expecting you."
She got dressed pulling on a long sleeved UnderArmour shirt. She put on a comfortable pair of scrub pants and pulled her lab coat out of her bag. She took a deep breath ran her hand down the spine of her journal and made her way into the lab. The team of scientists worked quickly to bring Bucky out of cryo-sleep and start the IV drip of mixed medications that would keep him under while they worked to remove the remains of his previous metal arm and replace it with the new model that they had completed the previous day.
Once everything was said and done the work they had accomplished was a major medical leap for the Wakandan people. The prince who had been watching the entire process was amazed with how seamlessly the whole process ended up being. From beginning to end all four scientists worked together like parts in a well-oiled machine. He even forgot for a moment that he was still slightly suspicious of Ana's intentions.
"Now we wait for him to wake up." Ana sat down in the chair next to his bed.
"Your majesty if you are okay we would okay with you to leave her with Sargent Barnes while he wakes up?" S'Yan asked.
"I will be here with her so it is no problem." The prince nodded, "You three have done enough for the day."
She only left Bucky's side long enough to grab her journal. She began writing the notes from the procedure and drew the new blueprint for the prosthetic. Her eyes would slide from the journal to Bucky every few sentences.
"You write in that journal a lot don't you?" The prince observed.
"It's a habit that was drilled into me as a young child from my father." She laughed. "He was also a scientist and it was his belief that well taken and kept notes are the key to future success in the field."
"A smart man." Bucky's gravely voice broke the tension in the room.
"Sargent Barnes welcome back to the land of the living." Prince T'Challa leaned over his bed.
"Please tell me that you've found a way to get this shit out of my head."
"That Sargent Barnes is why I'm here." Anastasia closed her journal and set it on the bedside table.
"Who are you?" Bucky asked confused, "You're not Wakandan. T'Challa do you trust her?"
"There is no reason to panic Sargent Barnes." T'Challa assured Bucky, "She has proven she had no ill intentions by replacing your prosthetic arm."
"Sargent Barnes I truly am here to help you. I want to ensure that all the Soviet programing is out of your head. From what I've read in the journals I've collected over the years there have always been safeguards in the mind-control they put you under."
"How do you know this?"
"I've read every journal of every Soviet scientist that experimented on any of the prisoners of war from World War II." Anastasia leaned forward in the chair.
"And you're confident you can deprogram the mind-control?" Bucky scooted up in the bed.
"I'm confident that what I've discovered will deprogram the mind-control, but there is a strong possibility of major side effects."
"Which are?"
"There is a possibility you will only remember your name." Her eyes wandered around the room. "There were only two other individuals that underwent a similar process of mind-control to what you've experienced and the results were not promising. They forgot everything about themselves even their names."
"There wasn't one case where they remembered their name?" T'Challa sat down on a chair opposite Anastasia across Bucky's bed.
"In all my research there wasn't a big control group to this experiment it was almost as if the Soviet scientists didn't really want to find a way for the mind-control to be reversed."
"I can't live with this mind-control possibility in my head haunting my every waking moment." Bucky sighed. "Perhaps I'll be the exception in the three person control group."
"The only advice I can think of giving you before you make a decision is to hold on to whatever you feel is important to you right now." Ana smiled setting her hand on Bucky's shoulder, "I'll give you some space to make a decision and get you some water. I'll be right back."
Bucky sat on the bed contemplating the choice that had been laid before him by a person that seemed familiar to him. He shared a knowing look with the prince of Wakanda who stood to walk around the room. Bucky tested his new metal arm. To him it felt even better than the first one he had received at the hands of the Soviet scientists. Anastasia walked back in the room carrying a cup of water for him. She sat back down watching him closely already seeming to know his decision.
"Anything will be better than knowing there are people who can overtake my mind at their pleasure making me nothing more than an assassin for hire with no moral compass." Bucky stated.
"If you are absolutely positive of your choice we can get started right away." She opened her journal to the correct page.
"I'm beyond positive."
"I can't guarantee that this won't hurt."
Bucky responded by nodding. He gripped the sides of the bed and clenched his jaw. Anastasia took a deep breath nodded at T'Challa indicating she was ready to begin.