Chapter 22:
[Raijin POV]
[Berlin]
[Car.] "So you like cats?" Sam says to T'Challa. "Sam," Cap reprimands in a firm voice. "What? The guy runs around in a catsuit; you're not curious?" Sam says. "I am. Your suit's clearly Vibranium. Odd being that Wakanda is supposed to be a third world country. Yet that suit is top of the line tech," I say. T'Challa's eyes narrow, glances sideways at me then to Cap, "The Black Panther has been the protector of Wakanda for generations. A mantle passed from warrior to warrior. And now, because your friend murdered my father… I wear the mantle of king. So, I ask you as both warrior and king, how long do you think you can keep your friend safe from me?" Cap doesn't answer. "Did you consider the possibility Bucky Barnes may have been framed for the crime?" Wanda questions the Wakandan king. T'Challa eyes Wanda but stays silent. 'Not sure about the others, but I'm taking the man's silence as a no.'
[Drake POV]
[Rooftop.] I tap my comlink, "Move to the next part of the operation. Be advised the AVENGERS are on site." "That fine we get to take out two birds with one stone," a woman says over the comlink. Skeith. "My troops and I are in position. Waiting for the go order," she says. "Copy. I'm moving in."
[Raijin POV]
[JSOC HQ, Berlin]
[Lobby.] Walking the main lobby, we're met by a blonde woman and Everett Ross. Cap eyes the woman in surprise, "Kate?" The woman shoots him a small smile, "It's Sharon, actually. Kate was my cover name. Sorry about that, by the way. I was only doing my job," Cap waves it off, "It's fine. I get it. Besides, it's in the past. No point in dwelling on it." She nods, thankful that Cap didn't hold against her. She gave off the impression that she wanted to say more but didn't. The shorter man on Sharon's left coughs, bringing everyone's attention toward him. "You guys really know how to put on a show," Everett says, "The Secretary of State been blowing up my phone for the past hour." "Never liked that man. Thaddeus Ross always had a vendetta against the AVENGERS since day one," Cap says. "More like he has a vendetta against SUPERS in general," I spit with an eye roll. "Him and that woman Ellen Nadeer," Wanda comments, voice bittered. Since the existence of aliens and SUPERS came out to the public eye, tension been high. The media wasn't making the situation any less bad with their fear-mongering. The worst offender would be a congresswoman named Ellen Nadeer. I've caught some of the woman's rhetoric on TV. The woman has some serious issues with SUPERS. Worse, now hate groups are popping up out of the woodwork. "What's going to happen to him?" Cap asks, watching Bucky being rolled out in the containment unit. "Psychological evaluation and extradition," Everett tells him, "If everything goes well, Barnes gets transferred to an American psych-center and not a supermax prison."
[Steve Rogers POV]
[Mission-room] I walk into the mission-room, Tony and Nat are there. "Hey, Cap," Tony greets. I shake his hand, "Good to see you, Tony." "Same. Nat and I were called in as soon as the word got out about the attack. Coulson thought you might need backup on this op. But it seems you and the others got everything handled here." I nod, "Yeah, but there's nothing wrong with having backup just in case. Anyway, is Pepper here? I didn't see her." Tony shakes his head, "No, she's back in New York taking care of Stark Industries business." Nat strides over and hands me a tablet, "The mercs who targeted Barnes are local hired guns. Ex-German Special Forces turn mercs. They were hired anonymously through the dark web. No traces." "The man has made a lot of enemies. I'm not surprised someone jumped at the chance to take him out," Tony voices, "Could be anyone who has a vendetta against Barnes." I shoot the man a glare. He holds his hands up, "I'm just voicing the public opinion. The rest of the world is not going to accept he was mind-controlled. To them, that explanation is too out there. Too Saturday morning cartoon. Even if it is true." "Tony's right, Steve," Nat says, cross-arms. I sigh, "Yeah, I know."
Tony exits the mission-room, leaving Nat and me alone. I park myself in a chair and pull out Bucky's Journal I grabbed from his apartment. I wanted to get an idea of who this Bucky was. My brother or the Winter Soldier? Opening the notebook, I run through a few pages. A lot of the entries were on his fragmented memories or dreams. He tried to piece together a few of them himself but wasn't successful. Looking up, I see Nat staring at the security feed of Bucky in the interrogation room. I couldn't help draw out the comparison of the way she looks at Bucky is the same way I looked at Peggy. 'So there was more to their relationship.' "Do you want to talk to him?" I ask. Nat jumps like she was caught by surprise. Or rather, for a moment, she forgot where she was. Nat quickly recovers, "No. I highly doubt he'll even remember me." "Maybe, maybe not," I say, placing the journal on top of the table. Nat turns to face me with a perplexed expression; her eyes fall on the notebook. "In one of the entries, he described a woman with red hair he trained with. Natalia Alianovna Romanova." "Is that all it said?" she asks. For a split second, there's a tone of vulnerability in her voice. It's gone as quickly as it came. "Unfortunately, that's all he could get out of it. Everything fragmented," I tell her. Nat walks over and takes a seat next to me, "Do me a solid and never call me by that name. I buried that part of me a long time ago when I escaped the Red Room and joined SHIELD." I nod understandingly. "You know you never told me the full story of you and Bucky's history," I say. "Yeah, I did. Just not much to tell. Bucky was my trainer, and on occasions, he was my partner," Nat states. That moment Sharon steps half into the room, "Cap, the psychologist's here. She on her way to see Barnes now." "Copy that. Let the others know," I tell her. "Will do," Sharon speaks. I put the book down on top of the desk and follow her out.
[Karai POV]
[Office.] "Sorry about your father. I hear he was a good man and a great king," I tell T'challa. The man bows his head in thanks, "In my culture. Death is not the end. It's more of a stepping off point. You reach out both hands… and Bast and Sekhmet, they lead you into the green veldt... where you can run forever." "That sounds peaceful," I say, studying the man over. He glances at me while fiddling with a ring, "My father thought so too." "At the risk of picking up a fight. I'm asking you to give me 48-hours to prove Bucky's innocence," I state. "You would aid a murderer and terrorist," he spits. I glare at the man, "No. And for the record, Bucky Barnes is a POW of HYDRA's. A mind-controlled assassin. All the evil he has done was against his will." T'challa scoffs, "It does not change the fact. Mind-controlled or not, he still did it." "Yes, he did. I'm not arguing that. I'm arguing that he needs help, not a prison cell," I say, cross-arms. He thinks on it, "May I ask you a question?" I beckon, "Shoot." "Why do you speak for Barnes, and not Steve Rogers?" he asks. I rock my head, "Barnes is important to Cap, so he may not be 100% objective. Whether the boss wants to admit it or not, he has a blind spot for Barnes. Same goes for anyone who has a best friend in a bad spot," I answer T'challa. A knock comes at the door, Sharon pops her in, "The Psychological evaluation is about to start. Cap wants you on stand-by." I nod, "On my way."
[Bucky Barnes POV]
[Irrigation room.] I open my eyes when I hear the door unlocks. A formally dressed woman walks in. She sits down at a table while I was still strapped down in the containment unit. "Mr. Barnes, I've been sent by the UN to evaluate you. For the record, your first name is James?" she asks. I tilt my head at the sound of her voice. It's faint, but it's there. A Brooklyn accent. I wondered if it was the man in blue doing or if it just a cosmic coincidence. "I'm not here to judge you, Mr. Barnes, only here to help you the best I can. Now, can you answer a few questions?" she asks. I bow my head in acknowledgment. "Good. Do you know where you are, Mr. Barnes?" the woman says. "My name's Bucky," I tell the woman.
Suddenly everything goes dark. The emergency lights kick in. "No, that name belongs to a dead man," a voice says. From out of nowhere, a man in a tactical combat suit appears behind the woman. "Been a long time, Winter," he says. Before the woman could react to the intruder, the man draws his gun and shoots her in the head. The woman's lifeless body drops to the floor. My eyes go wide. He tosses the table aside, stands right in front of the containment unit, and begins speaking in Russian, "Longing. Rusted. Seventeen. Dawn. Stove. Nine. Kind-hearted. Homecoming. One. Freight car." There's a sharp agonizing pain in my head. "NO! STOP!" I yell out. The pain intensified with every word said. Everything goes black.
[Raijin POV]
[Observation room.] The team's watching the psychological evaluation through the monitor within the office. Wanda stands close to Cap. The way they were acting to each other made me think something is going on between them, but it wasn't any of my business. Like the others, I was watching the interview. Unexpectedly the whole JSOC HQ goes dark. 'What the hell?' Emergency power quickly switches on. There's an explosion followed by gunfire. "WE'RE UNDER ATTACK! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" someone yells over the radio. "Everyone gear up," Cap orders. The team is split into two. Team Cap and Team Iron Man.
[Holding-area.] Sam, Karai, and I follow Cap to the holding area. Dead JSOC soldiers lay all across the floor; standing over them are two individuals. One is in a black-clad tactical combat-suit. The other is Bucky. No, not Bucky, the Winter Soldier. Cap comes to the same realization when his eyes fall on his friend. I lock eyes on the masked man. Each of us sizing the other up. Even though he's wearing a mask, I know he's grinning. "Drake," I growl. "You know this guy?" Sam asks. "We crossed paths," I tell Sam, voice full of venom. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO BUCKY?!" Cap shouts. "Nothing. I just brought out his true self," Drake says. In a blink of an eye, the Winter Soldier gets the drop on Sam Wilson and knocks the man out cold. He turns on Cap, charges forward, driving Cap back to the elevator with a set of combos. Using his shield, Cap manages to hold back the Winter Soldier but using his full strength, Winter Soldier punch Cap through the elevator's doors, sending him falling into the darkness below. Karai and I sprint in, but Drake blocks our path.
Drake throws a powerful punch. I negate the attack, but it still sends me reeling back. We both bolt at each other. Drake attacks with a high hook-punch. I drop low, elbow strike his leg twice, dropping him to a knee. Go to upper-cut him, but he takes hold of me. Drake lifts me onto his shoulder and body-slams me to the ground. He mounts me and rains down punches. I quickly throw my arms around him, pull him down close, draw my pistol, unload five shots to the side of his body. He bellows out in agony as he rolls off of me. Some of his blood spills onto me. The wounds start to regenerate itself. 'Right. Enhanced-regeneration.' Drake laughs, "Still got your edge. Aggro and ferocity! You never bore me, Raijin. A true blood-knight like me." I rush at him, jump in the air, try to hit him with a jump-elbow. He sidesteps, gets me with a hard kick to the body, goes around my back, and back-suplexes me to ground. Karai draws her pistol and fires on Drake. It stunned him, but it didn't stop him. Drake closes in, disarms Karai of her weapon, clutches her throat, slams her to the ground with a choke-slam and readies his gun. I dash forward, tackling Drake off of my partner. Drake quickly push-kicks me in the chest, sending me falling back. Rolling with the fall, I quickly recovered to my feet. Working together, Karai and I charge. We both go at the merc with a blend of punches and kicks. Drake traps Karai attacking leg and flings her at me, then tosses a flashbang, blinding us both. When we recovered, Drake and the Winter Soldier are gone. Karai and I dash over to the elevator to see Cap at the bottom of the elevator shaft. Unconscious.
[Main level.] By the time we get to the main level, all hell broke loose. JSOC soldiers are in a massive firefight with a mercenary unit, and they are losing. Bullets are flying in all directions. Karai and I jump into the fray. I station myself by the wall in wait, waiting for the mercs to come to me. Once I spot the rifle barrel coming from around the corner, I jump. Grab the point of the rifle, back-fist the merc's nose, then flip him to the ground, kill him with two shots to the chest with his own weapon. Zig-zagging around, I shoot six mercs. A merc tries to hit me with the butt of his rifle, but I evade the blow, punch the gun to the merc's abdomen, blast three shots, then finish him off with a headshot. Catch hold of another merc, hip-throw him to the ground, double-tap him. Tag two more mercs. Drake and the Winter Soldier plow through the soldiers trying to keep them from escaping. Despite their best effort, JSOC is no match for the duo. Tony, Natasha, Sharon, and T'challa enter the scene. Tony pats his watch, turning it into an Iron Man gauntlet. He discharges a stun-blast at Bucky. The shot stuns the Winter Soldier for a brief moment but not by much. Using his metal arm, he grabs hold of Tony's hand and breaks it then drives him back with a kick. On the floor, Tony shrieks out in agony, holding his now broken hand. Drak dashes past the Winter Soldier to Nat and Sharon, two of SHIELD best agents. Sharon strikes first. She delivers a kick to Drake, but he catches the oncoming attack. Moving the leg out of the way, Drake shoots in close range, takes the woman by the neck, and flings her down through a nearby table with a chokeslam. Drake goes after Nat next. He jab-strikes Nat in the face, hits a few body shots, takes her back, back-suplexes her to the ground. Speeding at Drake, I jump-elbow him in the face. He reels back but stays on his feet. Karai dashes in. She hits the Assassin with an array of punches and kicks. Drake blocks her attacks. Grabbing Karai, Drake fireman-carry-drops her into a table. 'This suddenly turns into a Brooklyn style street fight.' Just as Drake was going to hit the finishing blow, Cap jumps in for the save, throwing his shield. The vibranium disk strikes Drake, breaking his mask.
The Winter Soldier and the T'challa trade blows. To my surprise, T'challa is holding his own against the super-soldier. T'challa attacks the Winter Soldier with a barrage of strikes. The mind-controlled assassin effortlessly blocks the hits and counter with a fist to T'challa's face with his metal arm. T'challa tries to force himself back to his feet, but the Winter Soldier punches his lights out. Despite his Vibranium suit, the man's still flesh and blood underneath. Drake watches on out with glee, "I do miss watching you work, Winter." Both of them dash to the nearby exit leading to the helipad.
[Helipad.] I bash through the door, pistol at the aim, "DRAKE!" He turns. Suddenly I'm shot from behind. I drop down to all fours. Skeith appears into view. She kicks me in the face hard. I almost lost consciousness. Drawing her pistol, Skeith trains the weapon at my head. Cap springs out, followed by Karai. He throws his shield at Skeith, knocking the assassin back. The masked female merc quickly makes her way to Drake. Drake pulls a device, "Until next time, Raijin." The two mercenaries teleport out. Now it's only the Winter Soldier left. He moves to attack, but Cap dashes at him, hitting him with his shield.
[Steve Rogers POV]
[Med-bay.] It had been nearly two hours since the attack. The med-bay's packed with wounded and injured. "How many did we lose?" Sam asks. "About 40," I say. Tony walks over, a sling supporting his broken right arm, "Well, that was a clusterfuck of epic proportion. Who the hell were those guys who kicked our collective asses." T'challa treks behind Tony, "A query I am interested in knowing the answer." I sigh, "CERBERUS. Most of the intelligence communities don't believe they exist. The once that do calls them CERBERUS. A mercenary unit credited for a dozen black ops. Assassination, terrorism, you name it, they did it. Their most lethal asset is the Winter Soldier." "So, they are the real perpetrators of the attacks?" T'challa demands. I nod. The Wakandan takes a controlled breath, "I will leave Barnes in your hands, Captain, but I may seek your aid in finding the real murderers." "And you'll have it," I tell the king. That moment Nat introjects, "Barnes is regaining consciousness."
[Holding-area.] Bucky starts to wake up, "Steve." "Which person am I talking to?" I ask, a little more coldly than I intended. "Your mom's name is Sara," he says. There's a small light in his eyes of a distant memory, "You used to wear newspapers in your shoes." 'Good.' That hit I gave him must've freed him of the mind-control. For now, at least. "You can't read that in the museum," I say. Sam's still on the defense, "Just like that, and we're supposed to be cool?" Bucky caught Sam's tone of voice. "What happened? What did I do?" he asks, dreading the answer. "A lot," was all I have to say to get the message across. "Damn it," Bucky curses, "This is why I can't be around people. Everything HYDRA put in my head is still there," Bucky tells us, "All they had to is say the fucking code words. I can't be trusted." He looks at me straight in the eyes, "You know what you have to do. It's the only option." My eyes gape at what Bucky's suggesting. "No. I won't do that. There has to be another way," I say. "You know there's isn't! I'm a monster. A murderer. I'm no different than the others you put down. Just do it." "NO! I'm not going to kill you. You're my brother!" I yell, my emotions getting the best of me." The commotion between the two of us got the attention of the others outside the room. Wanda enters, followed by the other AVENGERS. By their expression, it's clear they overheard everything. "I may have a method that could help Bucky," Wanda voices. I snap my head toward Wanda's direction, "How?" She eyes Bucky for a moment then back to me, "I dive into his mind and purge the mind-control trigger." I look at her worryingly, fearful of what might go down. In a span of a second, so many different scenarios played out in my mind, but I put my trust in Wanda. I nod at her, giving her the go-ahead. Wanda's eyes start to glow. A scarlet aura surrounds her whole body. Bucky yells out in agony, clutching at his head. After a long moment, they both collapse to the floor. I rush to Wanda and help her to her feet. "It's done," Wanda says weakly.