Disclaimer: never did and never will own it. Marvel does.
Spoilers: canon until Captain America: Civil War (and the post-credit scenes of Black Panther).
Timeline: supposedly happens between Avengers Infinity War and Avengers 4.
Bucky found himself outside Summer's cell and leaned on the wall next to the door. Neither could see the other.
"Came to gloat?" she asked in English.
"Not really. People are of two minds about you. There are those who want to give you a second chance and those who just want to give you into custody to any government – or organisation like the one who sent you."
"You don't know who sent me."
"HYDRA. We just don't know the contact name. Now, the question is: are you redeemable?"
"What do you think?"
"Oh, I was told my judgement was askew. So I try not to think about it."
"I would not have left any of those men kill you," she said suddenly.
"I didn't need your help, but it's nice to know, even if it's because you needed me to revert while in the compound."
"No! I swear nothing was to happen to you during the helicopter episode."
"Are you truly schizophrenic?" he asked curiously. "You really behave like you have dual personality."
"Maybe it's because the orders I was given go against what I want!"
He straightened and came in front of the door.
"Then maybe you should think about what you are going to follow. Your wants or your orders."
She looked at him with the eyes of Summer when they had been in that buried shed.
"I'm not two entities," he said. "There's no Bucky on one side and the Winter Soldier on the other side. There's the man and, when someone takes his humanity away, there's the killing machine. But the violence and the skills are still part of me. I just use them differently depending if I'm master of my own mind or no. But you... You have two entities in you. Summer the sweet girl who supposedly likes me and Svetlana the spy who wants nothing more than create chaos. Summer for your wants and Svetlana for your orders?"
He leaned forward against the reinforced glass. "Now, if we were to give you a second chance, which one would you be?"
"Why would you trust me?"
"Convince me. How about we play as if your plan worked? You call your employer, you tell them that the killing machine is back, we show a wonderful fight between Steve and me while you're cheering for me in the background, sabotaging the compound and setting fire everywhere."
She stood up with difficulty since her ankles were still tied up with the wire and came as near as the door as she could. She knew she couldn't touch it without getting a shock.
"Do you really mean this? You would set me free?"
"Would you contact your employer and lie to him for us? Would you help us thwart his projects?"
For a moment, she looked hopeful, then her shoulders sagged dejectedly. "You don't trust me."
"I may be paranoid," he admitted.
Despite herself, she laughed.
-o-o-
"I liked Summer," he added. "She was nice, courageous and her open admiration was flattering. Surprising, but flattering."
"I don't know. You said you unmasked me from the start, since you remembered what had happened in the helicopter. It means that you lied to me since the beginning. I would not swear that you liked me or were just pretending."
"You admit my act was better than yours?"
"Honestly? When you carried me toward the safety apartment, I still thought I was the master of the game, that you were caught up in my act and that you were accepting my– Summer's love. The 'I can be Bucky for you' was masterful."
"Simply because I would have said the exact same thing if you had been who you pretended to be."
She went back to sit on the tiny bench and rested her head against the wall behind.
"I didn't know your life was like you described," she said, careful not to look at him. "When they speak about you, it's about the missions you accomplished, how difficult they were and how easily you carried them, about the training you gave to others, about the fact that nobody could defeat you. How you shaped the century with your skills and strength. Your legend doesn't speak of the brainwashing. It hints a little at the cryogenic state, since your legend is alive for seventy years, but only to preserve you because nobody's as good as you are."
"I was defeated once, by another Winter Soldier, one so wild they couldn't control him and they put him in cryonics until he was killed. I shaped nothing. I was a mere puppet, because if I had had my will, I would have been by Captain America's side, fighting against HYDRA. They fed you a legend that doesn't exist. The only legend living up to it is Steve."
"I realise that now. When your identity was revealed, they made you as a weak sidekick for Captain America, following him because you knew nothing else if you were not pushed into being our legend. But there's more to it, isn't it?"
"I like to think there is."
"You know that's the case," Steve said behind him.
-o-o-
Bucky had a wry smile.
"Heard lots of interesting things?"
"You know I did. Did I do something to hurt you, Buck?" There was pain in Steve's voice.
"Stop blaming yourself for what happened to me. We both realised the exact nature of Zola's experiments on me when I fell of the train."
"Still..."
"No, Steve. There is no 'still'. You know, when we came back from that HYDRA's base, just before you created the Howling Commandos, and I called for everyone to cheer for you... I thought that you had found me only for me to lose you. I thought my dumb little guy had been replaced by his tall soldier with a cheesy smile and a head stuffed with how great he was, how he would save the world just by himself. Then you came to me and you asked me with your heart in your eyes if I was ready to follow you to hell's jaws. Not you, but Captain America. Because you thought you were not worthy. Because the stupid people only noticed you as Captain America and not as Steve Rogers. I didn't care for Captain America. I still don't. But I would follow Steve Rogers anywhere, because he's the one who has a heart and who's intent on doing things right." He turned around and jabbed at Steve's chest. "Without Steve Rogers, Captain America would just be a stupid guy delivering stupid lines to get people to give money for buying bullets. You did all that could be done. You're not responsible for me becoming the Winter Soldier. Not even Captain America is responsible."
Steve pulled him in a bear hug. "If you had not disappeared, Captain America would have continued to deliver his stupid lines. So you're responsible for the legend."
Bucky returned the hug and then elbowed him. "Punk. I'm also responsible for keeping you alive during the missions." He shook his head mournfully. "Everything's my fault."
He turned to Summer and smiled. "Sorry for the digression. So, with or against us?"
For a moment, Summer didn't answer. She was transfixed by his smile. Steve hid his own.
"How will you know if I lie or not?"
"We won't. That's the kind of fun Stark loves so much. But if you double cross us, you won't be given into custody. I'll just kill you myself and I promise you I won't lose a minute of sleep on it."
She shivered slightly. "Okay."
"With or against?" Steve clarified.
"With." She didn't even look at him. Her eyes were still on Bucky.
-o-o-
When Bucky, Steve and Summer arrived at the meeting room, Tony was on the phone with Secretary Thaddeus Ross.
"Hold, please!" he said when seeing Bucky. "I like to see the line blink," he explained to Bucky.
Now that LeAnn realised what backing up Tony's plan meant, faced with Summer free of her bonds, she stepped back. The two men who had made her feel safe until now were next to Summer. She was all on her own. Wanda looked at her and smiled.
"She will do nothing to you. That's not why she's here. I can stop her if needed."
"All right, Barnes, tell me how you knew it. Secretary Ross is telling me about strange flying things, asking me if I let any of my Iron Legion free to cause havoc. He wants some of us to go have a look. If we continue like this, there won't be an Avenger left to go to Wakanda."
Bucky pointed his finger at him. "Now, that's a smart move for us. We have an excuse to go out. Where are the sightings?"
"North."
"Not quite the right direction."
"No, indeed. We'll manage. How did you know?"
T'Challa was still on the screen and Bucky's eyes turned to him. He nodded. Bucky sighed.
"In Wakanda, I am called White Wolf. Well, you understand where the 'White' part comes from. Wolf, because they are canny, loyal and fiercely protective of their own. They thought it suited me."
"Okay, great, but that's not what I've been…"
"They have that kind of secret intelligence service… They're called the War Dogs."
"Spies?"
"We are tasked with collecting information all around the globe to insure Wakanda safety."
"We?"
"They thought it fitting for a wolf to lead the dogs. I've been… teaching them all I knew ever since Shuri deemed me cured. In exchange, they've been keeping me informed of everything they found. All that… unrest." He looked around, seeing worried or uncomprehending faces. Only T'Challa and Steve looked proud. "I've not been used only for killing people on a quick stroll. I've also been used as a spymaster, on long missions, though not too long because I would become unstable if else. T'Challa trusted me and thought it would be a waste not to take advantage of all that time HYDRA had spent teaching me. Sort of rubbing it into their face."
"He is trustworthy," T'Challa put in. "He has a different view on things than we had and we maybe would have spotted all this later than we have. It would have been too late. We're still ahead for the moment."
"So how do you want to play it?"
"Oh no, I'm not the one giving orders. I thought Steve was the leader here."
"You had to do that?"
-o-o-
"Tell Secretary Ross we'll be sending people. FRIDAY, I trust the phone list is bugged?"
"There's no need," Summer intervened. "Ross is watched all the time. As soon as you say yes, we… they'll know it."
"Flying things, so we need to send people who can fly. Sam, Vision or you, Tony. Rhodes if you think he can pull it off."
Wanda didn't protest. She understood that Steve didn't want her anywhere where Secretary Ross would catch her.
"Okay, let's run it like this. Sam and Vision, you take a Quinjet, you leave to wherever Secretary Ross is telling you. When you receive our signal, you turn the stealth mode on and go straight to Wakanda. Tony, Nat, Wanda and Bruce, if you're willing, you go now, stealth mode on. Doc, you move to Doctor Cho's lab and summon Maria Hill over there. None of you is to leave that lab until we give the word."
"T'Challa, can you warn Nakia that I'll give her the word anytime now?" Bucky intervened.
"I don't know where she is."
"Don't try that with me, T'Challa. If she's not near you right now, then we have a problem and she's going to have a bigger one later on."
"I'm here, White Wolf. I'm waiting for your go."
"Thank you, Nakia. I knew I could count on you."
"What word?" Tony asked.
"The War Dogs are in position, Stark. Going to Wakanda is going to take time, no matter what we do. They've been moving into position for the last month. The bad guys will wait for you."
Tony stared at him. "You're full of surprises, Barnes. No, no, I'm calling you White Wolf from now on. I'll laugh about that one all day long, you realise? No, don't answer that. Anything else, Cap?"
"I need to be able to give orders to FRIDAY."
"I think you already can. FRIDAY?"
"Yes, boss."
"Captain here has things to ask you."
"Captain America can ask me anything."
"Good. Thanks, FRIDAY. Are you still here, Tony? You're awaited in Wakanda."
"Stark, you better keep an eye on my Wanda girl," Bucky added. "I mean, if any of you lets anything happen to her, I'll personally kill them with my bare hands. Understood?"
"Bucky…"
"Love you, Wanda, truly do. You're someone tremendous and an awesome fighter. But you're all my family with Steve. I'm keeping an eye on him, so he'll be safe. They better keep you safe for me. Okay, little sister?"
He half-feared she would tear up, but she smiled up at him. "Okay, big brother," she said softly. "Keep our brother safe and sound and see you later."
She turned around, following Natasha out. Bucky looked at Vision and narrowed his eyes. Vision hurriedly left for the Quinjet with Sam. Tony took the phone. "Secretary Ross? People on their way now."
