Russia, 70's

The woman kept her eyes in front of her, as she was not paying attention to what was happening in that hidden place in Siberia. On her left, a man was kept inside a capsule. He seemed frozen or something like that. One of the men shouted something in russian and the machine began to make strange noises. She didn't do anything. She didn't even blink.

Elise had worked hard to being part of Hydra. She had changed herself as much as she could, thanks to the technology Howard Stark had given to her. He tried to dissuade Elise to do it, but she felt she had to. That chapter of her life was not closed, and it would never be if she didn't do that. The organisation accepted her after several proofs. She was sure they didn't know about her real life as Elise Baker. For Hydra, she was a russian girl from a village in Siberia, called Ekaterina Ivanova. There was no reason for them to think otherwise.

The man was pulled off of the capsule and put on a chair. His blue eyes stared around him, trying to guess where was he. Elise's face turned pale as she recognised the man she had loved decades ago.

Bucky Barnes.

One of the soldiers took a red notebook with a star on it. The words in russian filled the room as the machine began to brainwash Bucky. Elise felt her heart breaking although her face didn't change. For all those soldiers, she was part of Hydra and nothing more. She didn't know that man. She never did. Before the last word was pronounced, Bucky whispered a word. Elise.

That broke the woman completely.

"Soldat?"

"Ready to comply" Bucky answered. His glance was now cold and cruel. Elise understood.

He wasn't James Buchanan Barnes anymore. He was the Winter Soldier.

Present time.

All the people around her were shouting orders as they tried to have Bucky's images again. Steve and Alice looked at each other and the girl knew they were thinking the same. Sam and Steve ran away and she tried to follow them, when Tony pushed her inside the room and locked the door.

"What the hell are you doing, Stark?!" She shouted, hitting the glass door with her fists. "Let me out!"

"I'm sorry, Alice" Tony said staring at her worryingly. "I can't let you go. I can't lose you again and I don't want you to be hurt"

"Tony, Bucky needs us!" Alice screamed as she pulled the handle.

"He's not Bucky, Al. He's the soldier again"

Alice screamed as she saw Tony disappearing with the rest of the men and looked around her. There was nothing that could be used to open the door. Instead, she threw a chair and hit the walls, but the glass was unbreakable. She felt anxiety inside her chest as she was there, kidnapped by her own brother. Suddenly, she saw a blonde girl approaching the room. Sharon.

"Go Alice! He needs you!" Sharon Carter kept the door opened and Alice ran away, following the screams and the noises.

She arrived to a hallway where Bucky was fighting against Tony. Alice saw him raising a gun and pointing Tony who covered himself with something she couldn't see. Alice felt a lump in her throat as she saw that image. Bucky had not hesitated to pull the trigger and she knew Tony was right. It was the Winter Soldier again. Whatever Bucky Barnes knew, was not in his mind anymore. His only thoughts were about obeying. Sharon tried to stop him too. As Bucky was fighting her and then Natasha, Alice could see the man who was supposed to be the doctor, running away.

"Bastard" she muttered and ran, trying to catch him, when she heard a growl behind her. She turned slowly and confronted Bucky, whose eyes were staring at her. "Bucky...It's me, Alice"

"Не ври мне" (Don't lie to me) "Я видел тебя с помощью ноутбука" (I saw you using the notebook)

"Bucky, I...I'm here to help" She said after she heard him. It was confusing. She didn't use the notebook. She had no idea what he was talking about.

"Liar" He replied with a strong russian accent. His metal arm held her by her throat. Alice gasped, trying to get some fresh air.

"Bucky...It's me. Alice Baker. You knew my grandmother, Elise"

"You are Ekaterina Ivanova" Bucky's eyes were dark and Alice felt pain as she was slamed against a wall. Her eyes were teary as she couldn't breathe properly.

"At least you could recognize me" She replied softly when suddenly, air entered inside her lungs. She felt on the floor and coughed. Her lungs burned and tears fell through her cheeks as she was breathing again. Her knee hurted as she had hit it with the floor. When her glance stopped being blurred, she saw king T'Challa fighting Bucky. The man was whispering something and the soldier didn't reply. He just smiled as he threw T'Challa with his metal arm.

"Your name is James Buchanan Barnes" Alice stood up feeling her legs shaking and walked towards Bucky. "You fought with Steve during the war. You fell in love with my grandmother, Elise Baker. Then you fell off a train while the Howling Commandos was trying to get Zola" His blue eyes shone a little bit as he was staring at the girl who stood bravely in front of him. His glance showed his confusion. "Bucky..." Alice whispered raising her hand and showing her palm, as she had done while he was in that prison.

Then, the Winter Soldier caught her wrist, pulling the girl towards him. Alice felt Bucky's hard chest against hers, his breathing heavy and fast. His left arm pulled her hair so her eyes were fixed on his. Alice screamed as she felt pain and tried to move away, but it was useless. Bucky smirked as he saw her efforts to release herself and pulled her closer.

"You always say you'll free me" He said in Russian in Alice's ear. "But I always see you using that notebook. You say you loved me in the past, but I don't know you, Ivanova. Why should I trust you this time?" His blue eyes were fixed on hers and Alice tried to move again, even though it was completely useless.

"I don't know what are you talking about" She replied in a perfect russian, taught by Elise. "I'm not that Ivanova" Her green eyes didn't avoid his glance and she spoke loudly, trying to calm her steady voice. "I'm Alice Grace Baker. My grandmother was Elise Marie Baker. You knew her during the war and there was a time in which you claimed you loved her" Bucky's laugh filled her ears and he moved his face closer. She felt his breath hitting her face as he spoke again.

"Blah, blah. You claimed to be that Elise in the past. Now you use another name. But, Ekaterina, I know you...You are a member of Hydra. You are part of them"

"I'm not" Alice shouted and hitting his chest with her hands. His right hand held her wrists behind her back and his metal arm moved to her chin, making her to look at him again. "Soldier, I order you to free me"

Bucky laughed again and murmured something in russian she couldn't understand. His lips were barely touching hers and Alice tried to ran away while his mind was organizing the information she had got from him. Bucky kissed her cheek and moved again to her lips. While he was about to kiss her, a scream made him to free the girl.

"Alice!"

"Steve!" She screamed looking at him.

"Goodbye, дорогой"

Bucky ran away and she saw Steve behind him, trying to get his best friend. Alice took a deep breath, feeling her heart bumping against her chest. She still remembered Bucky's lips touching hers and his stubble tickling her. Alice swallowed and followed Steve's steps, reaching the roof of the building. When she got there, she saw Steve on the ground and a destroyed helicopter. The blond man was pulling a body from the inside of the machine and she saw Bucky with his eyes closed. His chest was moving steady and calm and she felt relief when she knew he was alive. Sam came and looked around him before fixing his eyes on Steve's face.

"What do we do now?"

"We have to leave. They'll come for him. I'm sure they are thinking he's the Winter Soldier and is dangerous" Sam helped him to carry Bucky's body and Steve's blue eyes looked at Alice. "Did he hurt you?"

"Just in my ego" She answered smiling slightly, even though her hands were shaking. "He remembered things...I don't understand very well"

"You'll tell me. Now we have to leave"

Alice Baker looked at Bucky's face. He seemed calm and she thought maybe that was the only time he wasn't chased by ghost from his past. She felt sadness for him and tried to imagine the Bucky Elise loved and Steve knew while images of him choking her were still in her mind. She followed the two men who took one of the cars and put Bucky inside. She sat by his side, caressing his cheek.

Steve was right. They would try to get him. And he didn't deserved that.