Your Choice: Chapter 14

The image of the red book was burning in Bucky's mind. Sam had gotten a lead that a Russian mob in Manhattan had obtained it somehow. They ran a taxi service somewhere but have had a little trouble with a masked vigilante lately. Sam hadn't done much research so they were going into this on a rumor. Bucky hoped they wouldn't see them coming with the vigilante being their main focus.

It was pitch dark on the bad side of Manhattan. Locals called it Hell's Kitchen and the place made Bucky's hair stand on edge. Sam flew high above him, being his eyes in the sky. Bucky was on his motorcycle and payed no attention to the speed limit. The streets were nearly barren anyway with it being so late at night.

"You're gonna take a right up here… then we'll be on top of the taxi shop…" Sam said over the earpiece. Bucky turned right at the next intersection and pulled his bike up by the sidewalk. Sam landed on the rooftop on the building next to him. Bucky swung the rifle he had on his back around and adjusted the silencer on the end of the barrel, "Don't you think we should have swapped places? I'm the sniper, remember?" he quipped.

"Naw, man. The name is Falcon because I'm a bird that flies…. Caw caw. The entrance is about a hundred yards straight on…" Sam said quickly. Bucky rolled his eyes. He kept his footsteps quiet. Two armed gunmen stood on both sides of the garage entrance. Bucky took them out easily. They were dead before their bodies hit the ground. Bucky could hear gunfire on the roof top.

"There were 3 topside. I took care of them. I'm headed down…" Sam said over the mic. Bucky kept his back pressed to the concrete column at the entrance. Sam roared down from the roof with his wings wide open. He landed with ease and his wings contracted back. Both of them kept their heads low and their weapons aimed as they both made their way into the garage. The driveway descended under the building and into a parking garage and workshop. Two more gunmen stood at the bottom.

Bucky jerked his head in their direction and Sam nodded as he whispered in the mic, "On three….one… two…three…" They both fired off a shot and took off running. They caught the dead guards by their shirt collars before they hit the floor to minimize noise. They laid the bodies down carefully and kept going. They reached the bottom of the garage and looked over an ocean of yellow taxi cars.

Several men were clumped together near the office door. They muttered in Russian. Bucky could barely make out what they were saying.

"They're talking about….. Kingpin?" Bucky whispered hoarsely to Sam. "Does that mean anything to you?" Sam shrugged and shook his head.

"Alright we gotta even the odds here….How many are there? Eight?" Sam muttered.

Bucky nodded in agreement.

"I'll roll this out and you take down those 4 on the left…" Sam reached behind him and pulled a smoke bomb from his belt. He pulled the pin gently and rolled it across the floor, towards the men.

"The hell is that?" one of the men turned to see the bomb but it was too late. Smoke exploded around them and they broke into a coughing fit. Bucky made his move, taking down 4 of the 8 men. When the smoke cleared, none of them were standing.

"Pick your four, "Bucky told Sam, gesturing to the pile of unconscious men around him. Within minutes, Sam and Bucky had restrained 4 men, disarmed, and locked them inside the small office. They were starting to come to, muttering curses under their breath and how bad their heads hurt.

Sam kneeled down in front of one of the men with a jagged scar over his eye, "We're looking for a book. A red book… What do you know about it?" The man sneered and muttered something in Russian. Sam turned to Bucky to interpret. Bucky cocked an eyebrow, "I'm not repeating that…"

"You said a red book?" a man on the opposite end asked with a thick accent. Sam nodded," Yeah. What do you know?" The man pulled at his restraints, "Zola had book, no?" the man nodded towards Bucky. "He used to make Winter Soldier again…"

Bucky crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at the man.

An explosion rocked the garage, knocking Bucky to the concrete. Sam and Bucky both scrambled to their feet and turned to see gunmen pouring into the garage. Bullets ate into the wall around them. They were cornered…..

"Dammit…" Sam hissed as he fired off rounds from his 9mm pistols. Bucky took down men one by one with his rifle. Only a handful of gunmen were left when Bucky noticed one in particular. He was tall, big and bald. He was dressed exquisitely. The blood drained from Bucky's face when he saw he had the red book tucked under his arm. Time seemed to slow. Bucky watched helplessly as the man pulled the book out from under his arm and open it. He tugged at the cufflinks on his dress coat before turning a few pages. His eyes met Bucky's and gave him a wolfish smile.

"Sputnik…" the man said loudly and clearly.

Bucky dropped his rifle. His thoughts blurred. He hit his knees, unable to do anything… The man slapped the book shut and turned on his heels, leaving. He'd said the magic word Hydra used to shut down the Winter Soldier when they could no longer control him. Sam's face appeared before Bucky, screaming something. Bucky couldn't speak, he couldn't think, he couldn't move…. The next thing he knew, his world faded black around him.

Bucky awoke with blurred vision. He blinked a few times and found himself looking up into the black sky. He hiss in pain when he took a breath. When he looked down to inspect himself, he was coated in blood. He slowly looked to his right and saw Sam lying beside him, beaten nearly to death. They were both lying in a dumpster. Had he beaten Sam? Bucky cursed himself for not being able to remember….

Bucky could only take small, shallow breaths to avoid the sharp pain in his ribs. He tried adjusting himself to get closer to Sam but failed. Bucky stared at him. Sam's face was swollen and bruised. Blood poured from his nose but he was still breathing. Bucky's eyes grew heavy and he couldn't help but slip back into the darkness.

"Buck? Bucky?!"

Bucky's eyes fluttered open to see Sarah's face before his. He felt her hands on either side of his face.

"S-Sarah?" He muttered painfully. He was lying on a stretcher inside an ambulance. Sarah was at his side next to the paramedics.

She nodded tightly, "I'm right here…What happened?"

"Where's Sam?" Bucky asked quickly. "Where is he?"

"He's in the other ambulance, Buck. We are going to the hospital. What happened?" She said more sternly. He tried to sit up but Sarah put her hand on his chest and forced him back down.

"James Buchanan Barnes, you tell me what the hell happened…" She said with venom. Tears pooled up in her eyes in frustration. He felt a pang of guilt. He looked away from her.

"They must have known we were coming…" he muttered. "He had the book…"

Sarah's gaze hardened, "The Red Book? Is that what this is all about?"

"Sarah, take me home," Bucky said looking at her again. He wanted to change the subject. "I want to go home…"

"No," she said firmly. "We go to the hospital. Then we go home."

He placed his hand on her arm, "Sarah, please…." She took her hand off of his chest and held it up. Her fingers were covered in his blood.

"Hospital. Then home," she repeated. Bucky didn't say anything else. He knew there was no point in arguing with her anymore. The longer he thought, the surer he was that he was the one who beat Sam. Bucky inspected his metal hand. Blood hand run into the grooves on his fingers and knuckles. Whose it belonged to, he didn't know. If that man had the Red Book, there is no telling what he made Bucky do…..