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Chapter 9

Reinhardt stared at the paper in his hand. "And you're sure this information is accurate?"

"Positive."

The doctor stared at the man. "This complicates things."

"I know. With Steve Rogers alive re-capturing Agent Carter will be even harder. We all know he will do anything to-"

"protect his wife and child, yes. We will have to move the timetable up. You say he has been awake for..."

"Three weeks, sir." The man straightened up a bit.

Reinhardt set the paper down on the table. "I was hoping we could hit while he was still weak, but if he has been awake for three weeks he will already have regained his strength."

The two were silent a moment, before the man spoke.

"Perhaps we should try something more subtle."

"What did you have in mind?" Reinhardt tilted his head, and folded his hands.

"Perhaps, if we were to use someone the Captain knows, someone he trusts."

"Are you suggesting..."

"They are perfectly matched in terms of strength."

Reinhardt sat back, contemplating. "There is some risk in waking the asset up too early. We are not entirely sure if the programming is stable."

"There is that, yes."

They sat in silence a moment longer.

"Lets proceed with this plan." Reinhardt said, standing.

"Shall I call it in?"

"Yes. Tell them it is time to wake the Soldier." Reinhardt smiled.

...

Warm hands aroused Peggy from her sleep, making their way around her middle. She smiled and hummed, burrowing deeper into Steve's arms.

"Good morning darling." She turned over to face him, and was met with his soft gaze.

"Good morning." He smiled gently, and kissed her forehead.

Steve had been home for two weeks now, and they had moved back into their apartment in Brooklyn. Peggy, being just over four months pregnant, had been officially taken off duty. She worked at the SSR office twice a week, but she was not allowed to do any sort of field work. With the war wrapping up in Europe, Steve had also been taken out of commission. America was still unaware of his "return from the dead," as Howard put it, and Steve had asked that it remain that way, at least until Hydra had been completely eliminated. Steve had also taken up a job with the SSR as an agent; he had proven to be quite useful as an operations manager. In the meantime, he and Peggy had been spending quite a bit of time tracking down Reinhardt. They had gotten close a few times, but he had managed to evade them thus far.

"Are you going to visit him today?" Peggy asked.

"Nah. I want to give him some space. Yesterday he seemed a little irritated."

Bucky Barnes had been in the SSR hospital ever since his rescue. Hydra's brainwashing had set in deep, but the psychologists had done a wonderful job and he was almost back to his old self. The only thing he couldn't seem to shake was his paranoia, which the doctors said might never go away. Steve visited him frequently to help him regain his memories.

"Well, I guess that means you actually have to go to work on time then." Peggy gave him a teasing look.

"More like, 'I guess you actually have to put up with me all day.'" He teased back.

She laughed, and rolled out of bed.

...

Bucky looked out the window, watching the people on the street below. He smiled as he observed a little boy helping a little girl up who had tripped. Now there was a good kid; a proper little gentleman. Things like that renewed Bucky's hope in humanity.

The door opened to Bucky's room, and someone stepped through. Bucky tensed, but then relaxed as he realized it was Dr. Frank, his usual "head doctor," as Bucky called him.

"Morning, Doc." Bucky nodded to the thin man.

"Good morning, Mr. Barnes." The doctor sat down in the chair next to his bed, resting a clipboard in his lap. "How are we today."

"I feel fantastic, I can't speak for you though."

The doctor gave him a puzzled look.

"You asked how 'we' are." Buck shrugged.

The doctor did his best to hide an exasperated look.

"What's on the schedule for today, Doc?"

"I want to try something with you today, if that is alright." Dr. Frank studied his clipboard, flipping through the pages.

"Uh, sure?" Bucky felt very uneasy all of a sudden. He tried his best to convince himself that it was just his PSTD paranoia.

"Longing." The doctor said.

Pain seared through Bucky's mind, and it took him a moment to realize that Dr. Frank had spoken in Russian.

"What are you doing?" Bucky sat up with a gasp.

"Rusted." The doctor continued.

It felt like something was splitting through Bucky's skull.

"Please stop! Something isn't right!" Bucky put his head in his hands.

"Seventeen."

Bucky felt himself losing control of his limbs, and they began to clench.

"Daybreak."

He heard himself scream, as his mind continued to disconnect from his body. He fought hard against whatever this was, but felt himself slipping.

"Furnace."

All he could see was red.

"Nine."

He continued to scream, but the sound was growing distant.

"Benign."

This intruder was winning.

"Homecoming."

He thrashed against the bed, but couldn't feel it.

"One."

He was hanging on by a thread.

"Freight-car."

James Buchanan Barnes slipped at last into oblivion, and the new consciousness took control.

"Good morning, Soldier."

The Winter Soldier turned to look at his master. His breath evened out, and his eyes turned deadly.

"Ready to comply."