The Man
With the Metal Arm
Scarlett Michealson
I sat at the end of the bed, he sat at the other end. The sun was shining through the window behind him. It displayed his handsome good looks and his rugged hair and beard. I smiled.
"I loved you." I barely whispered, but he heard me. He always had.
"I love you too, Sweetheart." He smiled back sympathetically. The love in his eyes and the warm look on his face told me he didn't like this anymore than I did, but he still felt it was necessary. I had always known it would be inevitable, but I had still dreaded the day.
2 years Earlier
James and I had been together for over a year, and in my heart, I knew I loved him, but he was an old soul, always taking things slow. So slow, in fact, that he hadn't even taken his shirt off in front of me. He never spoke about his past, but I knew it was dark, and I had quickly figured out that it wasn't good to push him.
Until that night. He had gone off on a business trip with a few colleagues. He couldn't tell me where, but I knew it was because he worked for the government. But when he came home, he was different, and he suddenly wanted to tell me why.
"What happened? Why are you being like this? You don't have to tell me James." I spoke softly. He was curled up on the couch next to me, his arm around me. I looked shaken and I knew it wasn't good.
"It's time I told you the truth, Sarah." He said, sitting up. I gave him a hesitant look, but he wanted to do this, so I was going to let him.
"You know me as James Barnes. But my real name is James Buchanan-Barnes." He started. The name rung a bell in my head, and I sat forward. "But the world knows me as… The Winter Soldier." He said and he tore the sleeve off his shirt and removed his glove.
I stared in utter astonishment. The Winter Soldier name didn't exactly have the best reputation. In fact, his reputation was that of a cold-blooded killer. A shover ran down the length of my spine and my heart raced. I was terrified.
"Why are you here? What do you want from me?" I started, a thousand images running through my mind. He held his hands up and sat down again next to me.
"No, no, no! Sarah! Wait! It's not like that!" He burst. I stared at him wide-eyed.
"Then what's it like?" I breathed, afraid for my life, and of pissing him off.
"That's why I told you my past…who I am…is complicated. But I swear, I would NEVER hurt you." He comforted me. The pleading look in his eyes told me he wasn't lying. He believed I was safe with him.
"How do I know James? That metal arm has done serious damage, which the world has seen." I replied carefully. He nodded.
"I know." He said, hanging his head. He sighed.
"If I tell you the truth, promise to listen first? You can ask as many questions as you want after, just…hear me out, okay?" He asked. I nodded.
"I am both James Buchanan-Barnes, and The Winter Soldier, but they are two separate…personalities." He started. "I was born as Bucky, but during WWII I was in a bad accident, and found by Hydra. They took me and messed with my mind. I endured various forms of torture and mental therapy – not the good kind – and by the time they were done, I was the Winter Soldier. I stayed that way for many years. I was their slave and went wherever they said and did whatever I was told. As the Winter Soldier, I've killed hundreds, if not thousands…but I don't remember any of it." He paused. I could tell this was a lot for him. I listened quietly as he had asked.
"When the Avengers found me, they took me to Wakanda and worked to get the Winter Soldier from my mind. They succeeded…in giving me back control of who I am, but if a certain person ever says those words…I can still become the monster again." He said. I had so many questions going through my mind.
"So…WWII: you were a friend of Captain America?" I asked. He nodded.
"His best friend. We were separated on a mission. I fell from a train off the side of a cliff. When I woke up, years had passed, he was gone, and my mind was not my own anymore." He replied.
"So you're how old?" I asked. He chuckled.
"102 this year." He replied, smiling. I nodded
"Wakanda: what do you mean they gave you back control? And who is this certain person you mentioned?" I asked, confused. He sighed.
"They gave me the ability to control who controls me. I will now only respond to one voice giving those words. If someone else were to try to use them, they would not work on me." He replied. "The certain person is whoever I designate."
"Who is it?" I asked. He tilted his head and looked at me.
"I haven't programed that yet. Until then, anyone can command me, but when I find someone I can trust, they will train that into me." He replied. Suddenly my eyes grew wide as I realized why he was telling me all of this.
"…and you want that person to be me…?" I asked, trailing off. He looked at me and slowly nodded.
"I know we've discussed engagement and marriage. I want whoever that person is, to be the one who has those controls. I wanted you to know the truth about me so that you would understand what life might look like with me. James is a normal man with normal problems. I want a life, wife, kids, job, house, car and to grow old. But the Winter Soldier will always be in there and I want my spouse to know how to use him if the time would ever come. It also means I can trust that person that they would not use or abuse me and I can live a relatively normal life with them." He finished. I nodded.
Everything made sense. I just didn't know how to respond.
"And will you grow old?" I asked. He shrugged.
"They say at some point the super-solder serum in me will wear off, but no one really knows when that will be."
"So, you could possibly stay young and watch me and your kids grow old?" I asked. He nodded. I frowned.
"This is a lot." I replied. He nodded.
"I know." He whispered. He leaned over and for the first time, caressed my arm with his metal hand. Strangely, it was cold, like I thought it would be. He controlled it so fluidly, I thought for sure it was real, and under a sleeve and glove, you couldn't tell the difference.
"You feel so gentle." I relaxed as he wrapped me in his arms and I laid my head on his chest.
"Right now I am. I'm just…me. But make no mistake. The Winter Soldier is deadly." He said. The way he spoke that last sentence was so cold and dark, I could hear him in his voice and I shivered.
"But…if you decided this was meant to be, then I would teach you how to control him, and he would never hurt you." He whispered and he kissed my head.
2 Years Later
"Bucky, are you sure about this?" I asked. He leaned forward and laid his metal hand on my leg, caressing me. He nodded.
"I am. Otherwise I wouldn't have gone back to Wakanda after our wedding." He replied. He had traveled there a few months ago and spent several long weeks under therapy. He was now trained to listen to my voice. And mine alone. But he wanted to make sure no one ever decided to come after me. I needed to know how to use him. How to use him against other people…
I took a few deep breaths. I was already shaking. He edged closer to me on the bed.
"There are a few things you need to know." He started. "First is that I will respond generally, only when spoken to. You need to ask me questions. I will be cold, stone-faced. I will not recognize you. As a test, take me outside and have me throw that large rock deep into the forest. You'll get an idea of my strength then. Once that's done, take me back inside and repeat the words. I'll return to myself." He said all these things matter-of-factly. I nodded, still shaking. He grabbed my hand.
"Everything will be fine, Love. Just do your best not to look nervous in front of him. I don't know what he's like. You need to show mastery over him." He finished. I nodded and he rose from the bed. I took his hand and stood up too.
"Ready?" I asked. He nodded. I gave him a kiss and then stood back. I remembered back to when he made me memorize the words. I took a deep breath. Silence.
"Toska, rzhavyy, semnadtsat', rassvet, pech', devyat', dobrokachestvennyy, vozvrashcheniye domoy, odin, tovarnyy vagon." I spoke the words one by one, with pauses between each as he had taught me. I spoke them softly, but cold, without feeling, as he had instructed. As I spoke, I walked around him and stopped when I finished the last word. He was as still as a statue.
"Ty gotov podchinit'sya, Zimniy soldat?" I finished the Russian phrase, which translated to: Are you ready to comply, Winter Soldier?
Slowly, like something out of a horror film, he tilted his head and then his whole body, to look at me. His facial expression was dead. His eyes were dark now and bore holes right through me. I gulped as I looked him up and down.
"Gotov podchinit'sya." He replied. He was the Winter Soldier. I had just successfully turned my beloved husband into a cold-blooded killing machine right before my eyes. And he didn't even know it.
"Come with me." I spoke coldly in English without looking at him again, I turned and walked downstairs, through my house, and outside onto our property. We lived in a house on the side of a mountain, surrounded by trees on all sides. I came to stop several yards from the backdoor of our house. He walked up behind me and stopped.
"Take the rock. Throw it." I ordered. He walked past me, leaned down, and without hesitation, picked up the large rock, about two feet long and wide. It was a small boulder. He leaned back, and with his metal arm, launched the rock through the air so rapidly and with such force, that it took out a full-grown pine tree which proceeded to fall over as the rock kept sailing through the air.
The Winter Soldier turned around and faced me. His blank stare never changing. I shivered. He looked exactly like my husband, but yet I knew it wasn't him. He had no idea.
"Inside. Now." I said again and he walked past me and into our house. His name was on the title, like mine, but he had no idea. No memory of that, or me. I watched as he walked by and took another deep breath. My heart was racing.
When we got back inside he stopped, waiting for his next order.
"Sit down." I said. He sat on the couch and glared at me.
"Toska, rzhavyy, semnadtsat', rassvet, pech', devyat', dobrokachestvennyy, vozvrashcheniye domoy, odin, tovarnyy vagon." I repeated slowly. About half way through his eyes closed and he groaned. After the last word, his arms came up and he put his hands against his head. He groaned out loud and then slowly put his hands down and lifted his head. Looking around, he oriented himself and then looked at me.
"Did I throw the rock?" He asked. I nodded towards the back door.
"Look for yourself." I replied. He rose from his place on the couch, gave me a curious look at then gazed out the back window.
"Holy sh**!" He burst. He looked back at me, his eyes wide.
"Are you okay?" He asked. I nodded
"How was it?" He asked. I sighed and looked out the window at the fallen tree.
"Terrifying." I replied.
Over the next few months, James worked with me to train me on exactly what to say and how to handle different situations. We worked on my emotions, and trying to be cold. If something ever came up, in which I had to use him, I had to be able to do so without showing emotion, or people could figure out who I was to him, and I could be killed for it. As time went on, and with more practice, I got better.
Until one day. James had gone to work in the city. He partnered with the government and the Avengers in tracking down terrorists when world-ending events weren't going on. At least, that's what he told me. Half the time I didn't know what he was doing. I wasn't allowed to know. I worked from home as a travel agent, but also as his every-day therapist. He had opened up quit a bit since we had gotten engaged and married. I knew almost as much about his past as he did. But he still had more to tell. I never bothered him. He came to me when he had something on his mind. I listened.
As I sat by my desk, working on my computer. The doorbell rang. I froze. We weren't expecting guests and we lived in a neighborhood which did not allow for soliciting. Carefully I rose from my desk and called James with my camera on. He knew what that meant.
Going over to the door I looked through the "peep hole." A man in a suit stood on the porch, looking around. I took a deep breath and opened the door slightly.
"Can I help you?" I asked.
"I'm from the CIA. I'm looking for this man. I was told by the neighbors that he lives here." He said, showing me a picture of James. I took the picture in my hand and carefully examined it.
It was a picture of him as the Winter Soldier. His hair was still long, so it was prior to him working with the avengers. His metal arm also still had the Red Star on his shoulder. It was a symbol of the Soviet Union. I frowned and shook my head.
"I'm sorry. I don't know him. This is my husband." I showed him a picture of James which had been edited to change his face.
"They look similar, but it's not him. And we are the only two people who live here. Sorry." I shrugged it off, trying to be fake honest. He sighed and looked at me carefully. He was trying to read me. I smiled.
"Well, if you see him, please let me know." He said, handing me a card. I nodded and watched as he turned, crossed my lawn, and got back in his car. When he had pulled away, I waited until he was around the corner before I grabbed my phone.
"You get all that?" I whispered.
"Yeah. I'm on my way. He wasn't from the CIA. I just got off the phone with the director. They know who I am and what I look like. I'm an Avenger for heaven's sake. No. Someone is searching for me. That wasn't good. We need to find out who and fast. The team's already working on it. Go down to the basement and turn off all the lights upstairs. Seal yourself in. Don't leave until I get there." He instructed me. I did exactly as he said. "I love you." He finished and we hung up.
When he got home, he let me out of the basement again, but I could tell he was on edge. He walked the house, looking through every window meticulously and methodically.
"This is ridiculous. We're already in a very safe and secure neighborhood, and they still got to the door. And how did they find out our address? This isn't good. This is bad. Very bad. Bad. Bad. Bad." He spoke, almost to himself. He was thinking things through.
"So, what do we do?" I asked him. He paused, mid-pace, and looked at me.
"Well, we can't rely on the government. They haven't done jack. And Loki just resurfaced, so the Avenger's are a little tied up at the moment. We've got two options. Either we flee to Wakanda and lay low there for a while, or we do this my way, and we end all of this once and for all." He said. I gave him a curious look.
"What's your option?" I asked.
"We go back to Madripoor. There's a women I know who lives there. She can erase me, my history, and any evidence of my existence from the internet. She can also find out who, if anyone, has any hard evidence such as files and what not on me. Then we track them down. Destroy all the evidence and I'm free. If the world doesn't have any evidence of my existence, they won't find me ever again. I'll be forgotten. I'd much rather that, than live the rest of my life knowing that the world knows my sins, and how many there are." He replied.
"If we go to Madripoor, what does that mean for us?" I asked. He sighed.
"It means you have to become my owner, and I, your slave. I have to become the Winter Soldier again."
Despite the long plane ride, the time went fast. Every moment that we flew closer, I dreaded it, knowing he would go under and it would be my doing. As soon as we had made the decision, he had trained me even harder on everything I needed to know. How to act, what words to say, what not to do, what to look for, who to talk to, where to go. Everything. I was scared, but we had played the scenarios out so many times that I also felt confident in my instructions. It was the human factor that had me concerned.
"We're an hour out." The pilot told me from the cockpit. I nodded.
"Thank you." I replied and sat down again. It was the moment I had dreaded.
"Open it." He told me softly. Eyeing the wooden box on the floor by my feet. I stared down at it, knowing perfectly well what lay inside.
"Look at me." He said. I looked up at his reassuring eyes.
"You can do this. Just like we practiced. The Avengers have a heads up. If something goes wrong. We'll be rescued. We just have to stay alive. I love you. You can do this." He reminded me. I nodded and took a deep breath.
Carefully I leaned down and picked up the wooden box. It wasn't heavy, but the weight of it was enormous. I frowned and stared at the lock. I glanced up as James let his hair down. He had grown it out as much as he could. He grew fast and it was almost down to his shoulders again. I watched him shake it out and look at me, waiting.
Opening the box slowly, I stared at the contents and then carefully picked it up. I had never opened the box. I had never held it in my hand. I had only seen it in pictures. It was his mask. I sighed and handed it to him. Watching, he smiled at me one last time and then put it on. It covered his face up to his eyes. Putting the box down, I looked back at him. He nodded
"Do it." He said. I sat forward in the chair.
"I love you." I told him. He nodded. I took a deep breath and sighed.
"Toska, rzhavyy, semnadtsat', rassvet, pech', devyat', dobrokachestvennyy, vozvrashcheniye domoy, odin, tovarnyy vagon." I repeated slowly. About half way through the long phrase his eyes shut and he froze like a statue. When I had finished speaking his eyes flashed open and he stared at me, unknowing.
"Ty gotov podchinit'sya, Zimniy soldat?" I asked him. He didn't blink.
"Gotov podchinit'sya." He replied coldly and he sat back in his seat and looked out the window.
I stared at the man across from me. Moments before he had been my husband. Now, he was a killing machine. I gulped and looked out the window as we descended over Madripoor. I held the reigns of a monster.
"Your car is waiting, Madam." The pilot informed me once we had landed. I nodded at the Winter Soldier and he went ahead of me.
It was dark when we landed. We had intentionally arrived at night, so less eyes would see us and we could be in and out before being caught.
In the car, he stared out the window, taking in our surroundings. I stared at him. I knew I didn't have to be afraid of him. But this could be the first night I saw him in combat and I was nervous
"Here." I instructed the driver. He pulled up in front of the Purple Monkey and we got out. I had a few glances my way as I got out, but everyone stared when he opened the door and climbed out. They knew who he was.
"Bud' gotov, Soldat." I told him as we entered the bar. Heads turned at the sound of a foreign language. I could feel eyes staring at me as I walked up to the bar.
"Who are you?" A man asked from behind me. I looked over my shoulder and watched him look me up and down as I approached. I remembered what James had told me. I had to walk around like I owned the place. I had to be cold, calculated, and arrogant.
"You don't know me?" I smiled at him. He raised an eyebrow. People were listening.
"'Fraid not." He replied. I grinned.
"Soldat." I said. He returned from the bar where he had parked himself. When the man saw him with me, he backed off.
"We don't want trouble here." He told me. I nodded.
"I understand. And as long as I get what I came here for, there won't be any." I assured him. Then I turned and went up to the bar.
"What will it be, Princess?" The bartender asked. He held a heavy Asian accent. I smiled.
"I would like to speak with the Outlaw." I told him. Behind me I heard a few guns get cocked as the bar got a little quieter.
"You can't just come in here and make demands like that, Sweetheart." The man behind me called from halfway across the bar. The room fell silent. I turned around, venom covering my expression.
"Zimniy Soldat" I started, "Hаступательный бой." Which meant: attack, in Russian. Turning, I watched as he nodded at me and then turned towards the man who suddenly turned pale white as the Winter Soldier walked up to him. He grabbed his arm, jammed it up, cracking something loudly making the man scream and then threw him against a wall. I had to remind myself not to let my mouth fall open. Another man shattered a glass over his head. The soldier turned, grabbed the man by his jacket, and tossed him against the bar like he was a feather.
By this point, people were running and screaming. I just stared in disbelief as he turned and went after the original man who was already lying on the floor. He grabbed him by his shirt and drug him across the floor until he was lying at my feet. I looked down at the shaking man.
"You didn't tell me it was the Winter Soldier." A women's voice suddenly said. I looked up to see Sharon Carter standing across the now-empty room. Meanwhile the Winter Soldier was getting ready to kill the man on the floor.
"Отличная, Soldat." I quickly said to stop him. He backed off the man and came back to my side. Sharon stared at me, astonished.
"Come with me." She said. I nodded.
We followed her through a maze of back alleys and hallways and through several basements before we found her hide-out. When she closed and locked the door behind us, I relaxed.
"A warning would be nice next time." She chuckled as she strode across the room to pour drinks. I laughed.
"I'm sorry. I thought James told you we were coming." I replied. She looked up.
"He said you and him were coming. Not you, and him." She said, nodding at the Winter Soldier. I frowned.
"He didn't think there was another way. I'm sorry." I replied. She shrugged.
"I must say, I'm surprised you know how to…um…use, him." She struggled to find the right word. I nodded.
"A lot of training." I replied as she handed me a drink.
"So, you're Outlaw?" I asked. She laughed.
"Who would have thought, right?" She joked and we drank.
"So why is he creating messes in my bar, huh? What's this all about?" She asked. I looked over at him. He was pacing the room, staring out the windows, keeping watch. Always on guard. I frowned.
"James told me you could erase his name, identify, and everything else about him, from the internet." I replied. She nodded.
"So that's why you came. Makes sense." She said, rising from the couch. She walked over and got another drink.
"Did something happen?" She asked. I nodded.
"A man showed up at our front door while I was home alone. He had a picture of James, calling him the Winter Soldier." I replied. Sharon's eyebrows shot up.
"Really?" She asked, astonished. I sighed.
"Yeah. It wasn't good. He got very nervous. So, here we are." I replied. She looked at him as he paced.
"We better hurry then." She confirmed and she grabbed a laptop from her desk. Sitting next to me, we spent an hour working together, but by the end, he had been wiped from existence. He was gone. Especially any connections between James and the Winter Soldier.
"What do we owe you?" I asked. She smiled and took my hand.
"Sarah, once a part of the Avenger's family, always a part of it. No worries. But right now, we need to get you back on that plane before anyone knows you were here. There are a lot of people on this island who would love to get their hands on the Winter Soldier." She replied. I nodded and rose from my seat. He was by my side in seconds as she grabbed her coat.
"Come on." She said, and she lead the way.
Back on the tarmac, she grabbed my hand. He watched carefully.
"If you need anything else, call me." She said. I nodded. "I have extensive knowledge into his background." She whispered under her breath and nodded towards him, then she ushered us onto the plane.
As soon as we were on board, the doors were closed, and we were rolling down the runway. I sat back in my chair, amazed that we had actually succeeded, but I felt bad about her bar.
When I had caught my breath and we were in the air, I sat forward in my chair, preparing the repeat the words when he suddenly looked at me.
"Are you my owner?" He asked. I froze. I had never known the Winter Soldier to speak on his own, and in English.
"Ye..yes, I am." I stuttered.
"Who are you?" He asked. I gulped.
"My real name is Sarah Buchanan-Barnes." I replied. He was quiet for a moment. He was thinking.
"Like James Buchanan-Barnes?" He asked. I nodded and sat down in the chair directly across from him.
"Yes. Exactly." I smiled gently. He paused again.
"I think that's my real name." He replied slowly. I nodded.
"It is. You are correct." I told him. He thought for another moment.
"So…we are related?" He asked. I chuckled.
"In a way. Yes." I replied. And suddenly, just like that, something in his mind clicked.
"You…you are his wife…?" He asked. I nodded. "…my wife…?" He was connecting the dots.
"Yes. I am." I replied. He was silent.
"The last missions…they were short. You made me do simple things. Why?" He asked. I frowned and looked down.
"I was training." I replied. He didn't respond.
"And today?" He asked.
"Today the mission was to erase your existence from any and all records, especially online ones. We succeeded." I replied. He didn't respond again. After a few moments of quiet, I relaxed, took a deep breath, and repeated the words. When I had finished, James leaned forward in his chair, his head in his hands. After a few deep breaths he lifted his head and oriented himself to his surroundings.
"So?" He asked, looking at me. I smiled.
"We succeeded." I replied. He smiled.
"Seriously? They let you see Sharon?" He asked. I waved my head back and forth.
"The Winter Soldier let us see Sharon." I corrected. He nodded and sat back, slightly surprised.
"Really? Wow…so you saw then…?" He questioned. I nodded.
"He threw two men against different walls, shattered a few tables and drug one across the floor, lying him at my feet." I finally explained. James sat forward.
"Oh jeez. I'm sorry." He breathed. I shook my head.
"It's okay. I'm okay. We're okay. And everything went according to plan." I replied. He sat back.
"But?" He asked. He could always sense when I had something to add. I shook my head and looked out the window at the clouds. The sun was starting to come up again.
"But…now I know how you feel. I hated myself back there. Even though it wasn't really me, I still hated it…" I trailed off. He came over and sat next to me.
"What happened?" He asked. I shook my head.
"Besides the fight, nothing much. But it was hard. It was hard walking into that bar with a blank expression. It was hard commanding you and ordering you around like I didn't care what happened to you. It was hard watching the man I know as my husband become a killing machine and almost beat two men to death because I repeated one phrase in Russian. It was terrifying!" I finally let out and I began to cry. I curled up in a ball and cried into his shoulder as he held me. I could feel his metal arm around me, holding me. I looked up at him and pried the mask off his face, and tucked his hair behind his ears.
"There. Now you're my husband again." I smiled. He nodded.
"He asked questions." I suddenly remembered. He gave me an odd expression.
"How do you mean?" He asked. I sat up.
"He was asking if I was his owner and who I am. James, he asked about his name and figured out that I was your wife." I started to panic more as I thought about it. He shook his head, hearing the panic in my voice.
"Don't freak. That's normal. I'm sorry. I should have warned you. Every time he encounters a new owner, after about the third or fourth mission with them, he will ask questions so if he gets lost or separated from you, he can find you again. He always asked about who I am. That's all fine."
"He asked about the mission too." I added. He nodded.
"He will do that every now and again. It's for his mission reports. He keeps a 'database' in his mind of every mission he has ever done." He explained. I nodded and sighed.
"Don't panic. Just remember, that no matter weather I am James Barnes or the Winter Soldier, I will always protect you." He smiled. I nodded and I fell asleep against his chest.
6 months later
"What are you going to order?" He asked, looking up at me from over his menu. I laughed and looked at mine.
"Not a clue. It all looks so good." I replied. He nodded and went back to staring at it intently.
"The Merlot-marinated Steak looks delicious. I might have that." He said after a moment I nodded. We were sitting at a corner table, surrounded by glass windows on two sides, overlooking the ocean. He had made reservations at the Rivera to celebrate our 3 year anniversary. I looked at the various selections of steak and veal that they offered. My stomach grumbled.
As if by magic, the glass window directly next to me shattered in an instant, sending glass everywhere and making me scream. Then the pain right behind James shattered as did a few others and suddenly all the restaurant goers were screaming and running as chaos ensued. James grabbed my arm and we ducked under the table. I was shaking.
"Look at me!" He shouted over all the noise. People and bullets were everywhere. I looked into his eyes.
"Say the words. Do it fast. NOW!" He commanded me. I nodded.
"Toska, rzhavyy, semnadtsat', rassvet, pech', devyat', dobrokachestvennyy, vozvrashcheniye domoy, odin, tovarnyy vagon." I said as fast as I could, but careful to pronounce every word correctly. I watched as his face and eyes glazed over and his whole body shuddered. When I had spoken the last word, I paused for a second and then asked: "Ty gotov podchinit'sya, Zimniy Soldat?" He nodded.
"Hаступательный бой." I commanded and glanced at the men at the bar. They had killed all the staff and employees and we were all hostage. But that was about to change. I handed him his mask and then I watched in awe as he rose from our table and stared at them. They hadn't even noticed him yet.
As I watched, he quickly crossed the room before they noticed and snapped one of their necks. Suddenly they were all on him, shouting and shooting. The other guests all screamed and ducked for cover as bullets flew. He seemed unphased by the bullets and guns and kept fighting them. He grabbed one man by his vest, drug him through the room and threw him out the window, towards the concrete. I gulped. As he turned back, one ran off, the other shot at him, but only succeeded in pissing him off further. I rose from under the table as he walked up to the man and picked him up by his neck. The man struggled, eventually dropping his gun. As he held him in place, I put the mask on that we had designed for me in case of emergencies. It was to prevent people from recognizing my face or taking my picture and learning my identity.
A moment later the man choked and when the Winter Soldier finally dropped him, he crumpled to the floor, a dead man. I gulped.
"Отличная, Soldat." I called out across the room. The Winter Soldier looked at me, but so did the eyes of every other person in the room. Hence, the mask. I watched as he walked up to me.
"Follow me." I instructed him in English. He simply nodded and followed me as we quickly left the destroyed restaurant. The other guests quickly followed. As we fled towards the parking lot, sirens could be heard in the distance. Suddenly he grabbed my hand and we ran for our vehicle. Once inside, he locked all the doors, and flew out of the parking lot as flashing lights could be seen in the distance. By the time they parked, we were gone. He ran every light and sped through the streets like he had done it a thousand times before. When he was sure we weren't being followed, he drove us into a shipping container yard and parked the car. Before us, you could see the ocean. I was shaking and terrified. As we sat there I took a few deep breaths until I was more calm.
When I had calmed down I looked over at the Winter Soldier and practically jumped out of my skin. He was already staring at me. I gulped.
"Why did you make me do that?" He asked. My heart skipped a beat, and not in a good way.
"We were in danger. James told me to. To…protect me and him." I replied. He nodded.
"So you did it to protect him too?" He asked. I nodded.
"You have training in your head that he does not remember." I replied. He nodded.
"So…he cares about you…and you care about him?" He asked.
"Yes. We're married." I replied. He looked out at the ocean.
"Do you care about me?" He asked suddenly. He looked back at me after a moment. I nodded.
"I do. I care a lot about you." I breathed. He leaned in and studied me intently.
"None of my previous owners cared about me. Least of all Hydra. You are different. You are special. Since you care about me, I will care about you and protect you. You are safe with me, Sarah. Do you understand?" He asked. I nodded. I was shaking, but trying not to show it.
"You can say them now." He said, and he fell silent, looking over the ocean. I frowned.
"Have you ever been given the chance to spend a day on your own, without being told what to do?" I suddenly found myself asking him. He sighed.
"Yes. A long time ago." He replied.
"One day soon, I'll give you a day like that." I told him. He nodded and looked at me again.
"Thank you, Sarah." He said. I was about to call him by his name…but I realized he was only called the Winter Soldier.
"Have you ever been given a name other than the Winter Soldier?" I asked, curious. He sighed.
"Many times. My previous owners liked to give me names. I hated all of them." He said, his voice cold again. I sighed.
"If you could name yourself, what would you be called?" I asked. He thought for a moment.
"John." He replied. I nodded.
"Thank you for protecting me John." I told him. He nodded.
"You're welcome Sarah." He said, leaning his head back against the seat. I gulped and then repeated the words. They were bitter, rolling off my tongue and I hated the taste they left behind. But I didn't know why.
"Please tell me we're safe." James voice trembled a moment later. I nodded.
"We're safe." I told him as he opened his eyes and adjusted to his surroundings.
"What happened?" He asked, so I explained the last two hours. When I was done with my explanation, I paused.
"What is it?" He asked. I shook my head and sighed.
"Every time he comes out, he …feels more. He shows more emotion. He…cares…about me, I think." I finished. James stared at me wide-eyed.
"Did he say that?" He asked. I nodded.
"He seems to understand reason. When he realized that I cared, then he cared too." I responded. He leaned back, amazed.
"In all my years, I never thought he had emotion, feelings, or opinions on things." He breathed. We both say shocked at the days events.
Time passed and the world was rocked that they had seen the Winter Soldier again. But as quick as he appeared he was gone again. We moved to a safe house and had our address changed over night. Some friends helped move our things from the house to our new place and we were once again, off the grid. The government pried into our personal lives and questioned us, but then they left us alone. He had been given a conditional pardon from the president since he was the best friend of Captain America.
As I sat trapped in the safe house, waiting for the world to move on, I wondered about James and John and the mind they shared. Apparently James wondered too.
"I wonder what he thinks…" James pondered one night as we lay in bed next to one another. I nodded.
"Me too." I replied. He looked at me, putting his book down, and sighed.
"Ask him." He told me. I blinked.
"What?" I asked. He nodded.
"Ask him." He replied. I shrugged.
"Right now?" I asked. He nodded.
"Seriously? You want me to go through the whole thing right now?" I asked. He nodded. I sighed and put my book down. Sitting up, I focused.
"Toska, rzhavyy, semnadtsat', rassvet, pech', devyat', dobrokachestvennyy, vozvrashcheniye domoy, odin, tovarnyy vagon." I repeated slowly. Every word hit me like a freight train. When I had finished speaking, I paused until I saw him go still.
"Ty gotov podchinit'sya, Zimniy soldat?" I asked him. He raised his head and looked around and then at me.
"There's no threat." He repeated. I nodded.
"That's true." I replied. He paused.
"Why am I here?" He asked. I smiled.
"I wondered what it was like for you. Always going out of consciousness when you're not being ordered around. I just wanted you to know that I don't like giving you commands." I explained. He nodded and rose from the bed. As I watched, he walked over the window and stopped. He looked out across the skyline.
"Do you know why they trained me in Russian?" He asked.
"No." I responded.
"It's so different from English that Americans don't want to learn it. Therefore they wouldn't care about me and the Russians could go on using me. I was trained in Siberia. They called me the Winter Soldier because I killed all the men on the base." He finished. I took a deep breath and crawled to the edge of the bed.
"How many confirmed kills do you have?" I asked. He was quiet for a moment.
"You don't want to know." He replied. I frowned.
"Why not?" I asked. He looked back at me and the darkness over his face sent a shiver down my spine.
"Because I am a monster Sarah." He finished. I rose from the bed and walked over to his side. Gently I laid my hand on his metal arm. I had never touched the Winter Soldier. He looked at me and I held his eyes.
"You are not a monster anymore. I won't let you. I promise." I whispered. He stared at me and then slowly nodded.
"What happens if people find out who you are, or how important we are to each other?" He asked. It was the first time he had ever shown fear. I took a deep breath.
"We figure it out. We run. We hide. We have friends in Wakanda." I told him. He nodded.
"Sarah?" He asked. I looked at him again and nodded.
"What happens if you…grow older and…I don't?" He asked. I smiled.
"Then we make sure that whoever becomes your "owner" next, is just as responsible and respectful and loving of you as I am." I replied. He nodded.
"I promise to protect you no matter what." He whispered and he kissed me on the top of my head. I took another deep breath. He was letting all his emotion out. One hundred years of it…
"I promise to take care of you." I whispered back. For the first time in my life, I saw the Winter Soldier smile…I saw John smile. And I smiled back.
We stayed that way for a long time, holding one another. He was tired, mentally, and physically, so when he climbed back into bed, I let him go to sleep without saying the words. I wanted to give him rest.
When I woke up in the morning, I expected him to be lying next to me, but instead the bed was empty. I shot up. Where was he? Instantly my heart dropped. Had it been a ploy? Did he enjoy the horrible things he did? My mind and heart instantly started racing. I hurled myself out of bed and flew down the stairs, stopping in my tracks.
"He said he's a friend, but I wouldn't let him get close until I knew for sure." John said. He had Sam Wilson pinned against the wall. Sam was not amused.
"Oh my gosh! Yes! John! He's a friend! You can let him go!" I freaked, running down the remaining stairs. As I did, he let Sam go.
"What on earth is going on here? And why do you keep calling him John, Sarah?" Sam asked, looking at me and him with a very weary look.
"I can explain. Sam, this is John, a.k.a. the Winter Soldier. John, this is Sam. Sam is a good friend of James. He's also an Avenger." I introduced each of them. Sam got wide-eyed.
"Wait…so you mean to tell me, you just let the Winter Soldier roam around this place freely?!" He freaked. John was giving him a deadly glare. I held John's arm.
"It's okay. I promise. Let us talk for a few minutes, okay?" I asked. John didn't respond, but continued to glare at him. Finally I gave in.
"Zimniy Soldat?" I asked. His head snapped in my direction.
"I'll be up in a minute." I said, nodding at the stairs. He nodded and disappeared. Sam stared at him as he went up.
"What on this green earth is going on? Speak now. Fast!" Sam was freaking out, as he half dragged me into the kitchen. I sighed.
"Sam! It's not what you think. Relax. Seriously." I replied, grabbing glasses from the cupboard.
"Do explain." He said, his voice still harsh, but his demeanor not so much.
"So, James and the Wakandans trained me to handle him. In emergencies, he's still the Winter Soldier. It's true. But we've only used that side of him twice in public since we married. That being said, as we've trained, the Winter Soldier became more curious about. I don't act like his previous handlers did, and I treat him…kindly." I told him. He nodded. "Well, after the restaurant thing, he started asking more questions. He's been trying to figure out who we are to one another and just everything in general. He became more and more curious…so James and I agreed to tell him some things. Well, as I've talked to him, he's began to…care, more about me. We're becoming close, and James and I both want that because then he'll protect me better and we feel he's owed some love. He's been abused his whole life, Sam. We're just trying to give him some sense of normalcy." I finished. Sam was quiet for a moment.
"Bucky wants this…?" He asked. I nodded.
"It was his idea." I replied. He sighed.
"Okay, well, next time a little warning would be nice. And tell me who I'm talking to from now on. Those two are identical twins." He joked a little. I smiled and patted him on the back.
"I take it you're here to see Bucky?" I asked. He nodded. "I'll go get him. Hang tight."
"Nice friend you've got there." John commented when I came up. I sighed.
"I'm sorry about that. The Avengers are a good group…they're just not always incredibly trusting is all." I told him. He watched as I slowly walked up to him.
"You need James for this, don't you?" He asked. I nodded. He sat down on the bed and waited for the words to come. I took a deep breath. I hated this part.
"I'm sorry." I breathed. He looked up at me and shook his head.
"Don't be. It's not your fault. Never was, never will be." He smiled, holding my hand in his. Though he had the same body as my husband, he still felt like a completely different man. It was enough to mess with the mind. I nodded.
"Toska, rzhavyy, semnadtsat', rassvet, pech', devyat', dobrokachestvennyy, vozvrashcheniye domoy, odin, tovarnyy vagon." I slowly said and I waited for James to come around. After a moment he lifted his head and looked out the window before giving me a suspicious look.
"It's daylight Sarah." He said. I smiled. He shook his head and laughed.
"Nice." He rolled his eyes and gave me a hug and kiss.
"Sam's down stairs. Fair warning…John may or may not have held him hostage for while this morning." I frowned. Bucky rolled his eyes.
"Of course he did. Wonderful. I'll go find out what he wants." He said he left. I knew I would get backlash for that later.
When I was dressed, I came back down to see what they were talking about. They both looked at me with apprehension.
"What is it?" I asked.
"New kid in town." Sam said, as he leaned on the counter. I came and sat down next to Bucky.
"Oh?" I asked.
"Yeah, he's on base. He's…interesting. He um…doesn't have any history. Completely blank slate. It's like he didn't exist until he walked onto the base. No records, no family history, no nothing. We've searched every database you can think of. Nothing. Natalie even tried her connection, but nothing came back. We can't pin him." He explained. James looked at me.
"So you came here?" I asked. He shrugged.
"Just thought I would ask." He replied. I looked at Bucky.
"So?" I asked.
"Does the name William Carmichael mean anything to you?" He asked. I shook my head.
"No. Is that his name?" I asked. Sam nodded.
"I didn't recognize it either." Bucky said. I shrugged.
"Yeah, sorry Sam." I replied. He nodded, sighing.
"It's fine. I figured as much. But hey, if you guys aren't busy, you could come up to base for the day. We're gearing up to do some training and Bruce has an interview this afternoon that we want to watch." He told us. James looked at me. I shrugged.
"Why not?" I asked.
After Wakanda, Bucky was deemed safe, but the Avengers were…skeptical at times. As we rolled up to base, James looked at me.
"Do you remember all the training? The words?" He whispered in my ear, out of ear shot of Sam and the others who might be listening. I nodded.
"If things get heated. We leave." He told me. I nodded again.
Once inside the main holding bay, we got out of the suburban. When James got out, the tension in the room rose. All the Avengers present instantly tensed.
"No one mentioned the White Wolf would be here." King T'Challa said as he approached James. He laughed and they 'bro-hugged.'
"Nice to see you too." He chuckled. They were good friends. They had been through a lot, but the king felt peace was important. Slowly Natalie and Peter also approached.
"Nice to see you again." She smiled, giving me a hug. I nodded.
"You too." I smiled. In the corner I could hear Bruce and Colonel Rhodes talking in the corner. They were not big fans of James and myself.
"Be careful. Leave if this gets intense. One unleashed monster is enough." Colonel Rhodes said to Bruce who nodded firmly. I sighed. I didn't hold anything against them. Bucky's introduction to the group had been a rough one. Even Nat had been afraid of him, and she bad been an assassin once upon a time herself.
"So Nat tells me you two have gone through extensive and intensive training together." Stark said as he approached and shook my head. I nodded
"That's correct." I smiled politely. I hated the politics, but he was actually being genuine. He had learned the honest truth about James the hard way. They were on good terms now, and they had worked hard to keep it that way.
"I'm not sure I'll be able to do this all day." A familiar voice chuckled as he entered the room. I turned and watched as Steve crossed the room carrying his shield. I grinned as he gave me a big hug. He was one of our closest friends. He visited often when he wasn't off saving the world. But the tension only rose in the room when he entered. The Avengers had seen them fight in hand to hand combat, and they were dead equals, especially when it was Captain America fighting The Winter Soldier and not just Steve messing around with his old pale, Bucky.
"So, who wants to start?" Bruce asked, stepping forward. One by one, everyone took turns fighting one another. Natasha and King T'Challa took turns coaching the others in hand to hand combat and the use of certain martial arts combat. But few of the Avengers were willing to face the Winter Soldier. They didn't mind fighting Bucky, but they all feared him, even Bruce. Only Cap was brave enough to fight his not-best friend.
"We should give him a chance. He needs to know our faces, and he's good practice." Cap explained to everyone. There was a collective deep breath.
"I promise, I won't let anything bad happen." I said out loud. I was usually pretty quiet, but if he was going to be counted an Avenger, he had to be trained and treated as one.
"I'll go first." Steve nodded at me. I looked at James.
"Are you ready?" I asked. He nodded.
"Do it." He said. The room fell dead silent as I approached my husband. I gulped. Things were about to get very interesting. It was the first time since we had been married that they would see our training. They had watched in horror as Zemo had activated him, but this…would hopefully be different.
"Toska," I started. The room was so silent, one could have heard a pin drop. "rzhavyy, semnadtsat', rassvet," I continued. The words rolled off my tongue easily now. "Pech', devyat', dobrokachestvennyy," As I spoke, he flexed his arm, tilting his head, and groaned loudly. "Vozvrashcheniye domoy, odin, tovarnyy vagon!" I finished. He stood before me, glaring at me.
"Soldat?" I asked. He raised his head and looked down at me. "Готовы соответствовать." He responded. He breathed and looked around. The Avengers were almost ready to pounce if he made one wrong move.
"Are you okay?" I asked, slowly smiling at him. He looked at me and his face grew warmer. He nodded.
"I'm good. Thank you." He nodded. Even Steve was surprised.
"Everyone, meet John. John, meet the Avengers." I said out loud and I backed away. Rogers looked at me.
"Wow…what?" He asked, looking from me to John. John sighed.
"She gave me a name so she didn't have to constantly call me the Winter Soldier." He smiled, sticking out his hand, and they shook hands. He slowly re-introduced himself to everyone. The shock in the room could be felt. It was borderline tangible.
"Alright, let's do this." Steve said, getting into a fighting position. John did the same and then looked at me, waiting. I sighed. I hated this part.
"Hаступательный бой." I commanded him, looking at Steve. Suddenly the Winter Soldier was fully activated and he launched himself at Captain America.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Nat asked, coming up to me. I didn't take my eyes off the fight.
"No. But it's the best we can do." I replied. She gulped.
"Is he attacking to…kill?" Peter asked. Of all of us here, Parker was the youngest. And although the men currently fighting were over one hundred years old, they were two of the best, most intense, fighters in the room. It thundered and echoed when Bucky's metal fist punched Steve's shield. I had braced myself, but Peter fell over.
"Yes he is." I replied. Everyone stared at me when I spoke the words. As I watched the fight, Steve rolled back over his shield as Bucky swung around and missed. The move pissed him off and he came forward in retaliation before Steve could get up. He brought his arm down on his shield, pinning it against the floor with Steve's arm still in it. He lay, back against the floor up at Bucky as he began to punch him again and again. Each punch grew in intensity. I stepped forward after the third punch to his face.
"Otlichnaya Zimney Soldat!" I yelled quickly. His fist froze mid-blow and his head snapped in my direction. Everyone was holding their breath. "Otlichnaya." I repeated and carefully walked up to him as he stood up straight. Captain America quickly got up and backed off as I approached the Winter Soldier and stood directly in front of him.
"Are you okay?" I asked. He sighed but nodded his head.
"I'm good." He breathed. I raised an eyebrow.
"Are you sure?" I asked. He nodded, and as he did, he raised his metal arm and hand up to stroke my cheek. Steve jumped forward, about to pounce on him, but I looked at Steve.
"No!" I burst. He froze, about to grab his arm. I shook my head and smiled. "It's okay, Steve, he won't hurt me." He looked up us and then backed off. John put his hand on my cheek and stroked it.
"Thank you for watching me." He smiled back at me and kissed my forehead. I nodded and backed off.
"Who's next?" He asked, looking around the room.
As we watched the next fight and the next, they gathered around to watch. Natasha was especially intrigued by John and his personality.
"So…he actually cares for you?" She asked. I nodded.
"Over the last months he has grown increasingly more caring of me. We are very…protective…of one another. That's why I feel more comfortable doing this now. Because I know the man inside him is okay, and is okay with this. And it's not as painful for him anymore. The Wakandans," I began, nodding at the King who nodded back. "They really helped him tremendously." I smiled.
What I did not know that day was that there was a bug in the room, and I had unknowingly just given away a secret. Thankfully, though, I had not given away both. There was one thing which John and I had agreed to keep secret from everyone. Only James new…
That day finally came to haunt us over a year later.
It was warm outside. The ocean breeze could be felt as it flew between the buildings. We were in Cape Town Africa. It was dark, but that didn't stop the night life. The place was lit up like Las Vegas. As we walked through the streets, I went through all the details in my mind.
We were on a mission. The Avengers were here too. Captain America's shield had been stolen. Upon investigation, we had discovered a massive underground operation to steal Vibranium, the strongest metal known to man, and the metal most coveted by the Wakandans. The bread crumbs had lead us here and now it was up to us. James' face was recognized by many all across the world as that of the Winter Soldier. Just walking into the right building at the right time made heads turn. He was our ticket in.
As we walked down the street, he tore the sleeve off his jacket and looked at me.
"You have to be brave and cold. Calculated, just like last time." He reminded me. I nodded.
"I'll protect you, no matter what." He whispered. I nodded. I wore a long, sparkling, red dress. It was beautiful, but far too showy for my taste. But that was the intention tonight. And tonight I had to rock it like I owned it, and everything else around me. I took a deep breath as we turned the street corner.
Before us lay the District Six Museum, known for it's famous artwork. It was also known by the night life for it's connections to the underground. When we approached the doors, the guards backed off, and we practically waltzed in. James scanned the room when we entered.
"Location confirmed. Buyer is on site." He spoke quietly into his mouth piece. I had ordered a drink at the bar. Iron Man and Rhodes were on the roof above. Cap and Falcon were on the roof across the street, watching the main entrance. They saw us go in.
"I hope this works." Steve replied. I took a sip of my drink.
"Me too." I whispered. As I scanned the room I heard two men to my right talking.
"Did you see him? The man with the metal arm?" One asked, and he pointed across the room to James. I casually glanced over the men and then back in the opposite direction.
"You've been recognized." I breathed. I saw him slightly nod across the room and new he had received the message.
"Yeah, over there. The man with the metal arm. Do you think it could be him?" The gentlemen asked. The other shook his head, but his expression was ghost white.
"It's been over 40 years. There is no way." He told the other. They shook their heads.
"But he was put under. You remember!" He continued. The men had accents, heavy accents, and the more I listened, the more my spine tingled. They had once been scientists…Russian scientists. I finished my drink and ordered another.
"The last I remember, I knew everyone on this guest list." A man's voice said, somewhat loudly, behind me. I put my glass down and looked up, across the counter. He was tall and handsome. His suit was expensive and the accent he had gave him away. He was Wakandan. No doubt he was part of the ring.
"Oh," I smiled, blushing. "My good friend is on the list. He invited me as his…guest." I took a sip of my drink. The man smiled, but it was smug. The tension rose by a notch. I noticed the suits in the room coming closer.
"And who is your good friend? He should have known better. This is a very private event." He said, coming closer. I smiled as I finished another drink.
"Oh! Let me call him over. I'm sure we can clear this up." I smiled politely. Without turning my stool around, I simply turned my head so my chin was over my shoulder.
"Zimney Soldat." I smiled as I spoke the words, but they cut like a knife through the air. The looks on the men's faces was priceless as the blood drained from all of them and they turned pale.
"Is that…the ghost?" One of the suits breathed, shock written across his face.
"It's the White Wolf…" Another murmured.
When he stood next to me, I looked up at him and smiled. The Russian Scientists next to me quickly got up and fled to across the room. I would deal with them later.
"Apparently you were not supposed to bring a guest." I told him. His chuckle was cold. His expression: haunting. He had locked eyes with the man who claimed to be the host of the event. "I told him, I'm sure we can come to some kind of agreement." I continued, still smiling. His men had backed away. They knew better than the mess with The Winter Soldier. He rose from his chair, growling under his breath.
"You know," He said, coming even closer, "I heard a secret." He told me. I raised an eyebrow. "I heard he had retired. That he had forgotten his training, and that he had even gotten married." He continued. I did not let my face express the panick taking place inside of me. Some of this men chuckled behind him.
"Yeah. I heard he found himself a cute little wife and they settled down in suburbia in a little house." He mocked. I laughed.
"Well, considering he's at my side 24/7, I would know if he had a wife. He certainly does not." I replied and motioned at the bar tender to bring another drink.
"I think he does. And I don't think his cute little wife would know the first thing about how to use him. Nor, do I think, would she be able to." He almost laughed. He felt confident he knew the situation. I looked down at my glass as it was placed before me, and then I glared up at him.
"Shall we find out?" I asked, my smile gone, and my fake pleasant voice, vanished. He squinted at me. Slowly, I rose from my chair. The room had gone silent, all eyes on me.
"Toska," I started. The room was eerily silent as I spoke. "Rzhavyy, semnadtsat', rassvet," I continued. He tilted his head sideways and growled. "Pech', devyat', dobrokachestvennyy," Next he flexed his arm, spinning it around completely and putting his fist into the wall as he cried out. "Vozvrashcheniye domoy, odin, tovarnyy vagon!" I yelled as I finished. He glared at me. He knew how to put on a show. I smiled, devilishly. The men were visibly shaken.
"Zimney Soldat," I started, "Hаступательный бой." I finished, telling him to attack. Suddenly the man's eyes grew wide as John jumped right over the counter, landing on him, and they fell to the floor, then, before I could blink, they rolled over, and John threw him halfway across the room. He landed on his back hard, with an audible crack. He cried out as John got up, crossed the room, and picked him up off the floor.
"Otlichnaya Soldat!" A voice suddenly cried from across the room. I looked over. Zemo was standing in the middle of the room, a smile on his face. I knew exactly what to do. We had practiced for a situation such as this.
"Otlichnaya Soldat." I softly whispered into my mouth piece. I watched as John put him down and looked at Zemo, who walked up to him.
"Did you really think he was the one behind it?" He chuckled, looking over at me. I just glared back him.
"Where's the Shield, Zemo?" I asked out loud. He rolled his eyes.
"Ha! You think it's that easy. Clearly you don't know how this works." He smiled with an evil grin on his face.
"Hаступательный бой." He ordered John, nodding at me. I watched as John stormed across the room towards me and put his hand around my neck. He winked at me from underneath his mask, his grip was not hard at all.
"Now you get to watch as your husband kills you." Zemo laughed. He and the men turned to leave. But I laughed coldly, making him freeze.
"Will I? You see Zemo, unlike you, I went through proper training to handle the Winter Soldier." I said, flicking his hand off my neck and walking around him to face the Sokovien mad man. His face turned white.
"Zimney Soldat, Hаступательный бой." I ordered him, smiling. Then I sat back and watched as he destroyed Zemo and his men. As I watched, they all ran towards him. There were six men in total: Zemo and his five body guards. I finished my drink as he threw one man through a window and another, against a wall. But even I paused when he picked up two of the other men, spun around, and launched them across the room. They landed on the upper floor, just above the short staircase at the opposite end of the room. He turned and flipped a knife out, just as the last one ran up behind him and he sank it into the man's gut. I watched as he crumpled to the floor. By now, the one which had hit the wall and gotten up again. Without a second thought, he turned, jumped up onto the man and within thirty seconds, cracked his spin. He fell to the floor. One of the two from above the staircase got up and started making his way down, but when he saw the two dead men at John's feet, he stopped and they locked eyes. In the blink of an eye, the Winter Soldier pulled his gun and the third man was on the floor. The other two never got back up. I gulped. I had never seen him be…deadly.
As I continued to watch, he lowered his gun and turned to face Zemo. The look in his eyes made me shiver and for a moment my mind went blank and I could feel fear begin to grip me. But just before he killed Zemo I stopped him, and walked up to them. I looked Zemo in the eye.
"I might not be the Winter Soldier," I whispered. "But I am his handler." I smiled politely and told John to drop him. As he hit the floor, the Avengers stormed in and grabbed him.
"You're getting good at that…almost too good…" The Falcon commented. I chuckled.
"Training helps." I replied and I looked back at John. He still stood frozen in the center of the room, surrounded by the bodies he had left behind. I frowned and slowly approached him.
"Otlichnaya Soldat." I said slowly. He lifted his gaze and looked at me. I knew it would hit him hard. But I hadn't done it without good reason. "Otlichnaya." I whispered, and I put my hand on his cheek. Slowly he tilted his head into it, closing his eyes, and gently laying his metal hand across it. I smiled.
"It's okay. It's over now. We can go home." I whispered as he opened his eyes and gazed into mine. He smiled, nodding his head.
"That sounds nice." He whispered back. I nodded.
"Are you okay?" I asked him. He nodded but I knew this wouldn't help his nightmares or the PTSD he had from time to time. I took his hand in mine and we walked out together.
As we crossed the street, we walked between police cars, and other emergency vehicles with their lights flashing. Crowds had gathered to watch and they stared at us as we walked by. But as we turned the corner, I paused and looked up. Just ahead of us were the Russian Scientists. Before I could even say anything, John let go of my hand and approached them. When he came up behind them and spoke, all three men jumped out of their skin, their faces white.
"It's you!" One of them cried as he put his hand around the man's neck.
"Yes it is." He smiled coldly. One of the others got a weird look on his face.
"The Winter Soldier doesn't speak." He commented. I chuckled darkly and the men all looked over at me.
"Correction: The Winter Soldier didn't speak. He does now. I gave him a voice." I replied. The men looked me up and down and I wanted to slap them all off the face of the earth.
"And who are you?" One of them asked with his thick and heavy accent. I smiled.
"His handler. But unlike the ones before, I actually care about this man. I value his life and his…abilities. And you…you tortured him and put him through so much pain and anguish. I cannot believe he hasn't killed you yet." I replied angrily. They all looked at him and then men again.
"He won't, unless you tell him too." The one smirked. I grinned.
"You're wrong. He's free to do with you whatever he wants. After all, you tortured him, not me." I replied and I turned around and started down the sidewalk.
A few moments later he was by my side again, holding my hand. He smiled at me and didn't say anything else. I only saw on the news days later that all three of the men were found dead on the sidewalk. It struck me that John had made the decision. But, he was, after all, the Winter Soldier. He had once been known by many as a legend, a ghost, an old wive's tale meant to make countries cower in their corners. Many had thought that he didn't exist. Until he was seen by the world and they saw what he was capable of, they couldn't believe it.
We arrived at a hotel in street clothes, wigs, and sunglasses. By the time we entered our hotel room, the hotel only knew that Mr. and Mrs. Smith had booked a room for the evening. As I closed and locked the door to our room, I watched him stretch his arm and heard him groan. He took his jacket and shirt off and then his boots. He flung the wig at the wall and let his hair down. Then he stood in front of the window, overlooking the city, and was quiet. I could practically see the gears in his mind turning as he let the night's events sink in. I frowned and kicked off my shoes. I took my wig and sunglasses off, unzipped my sweatshirt and let it drop to the floor.
Carefully I approached him, aware of who he still was and what he was capable of. I put my hands on his shoulders and leaned my head against his back. We were both taking deep breaths.
"It was a trap I think." I whispered. I nodded. "They wanted to get me back. Zemo didn't expect my training to be changed." He explained. I slowly walked around him and looked up at him. He ran his fingers through my hair and I sighed.
"I'm sorry about…back there. But I hope you…" I started to say, but he held his hand up.
"I have eyes. I could see what we had before us. They were all armed and ready to use deadly force on us both. You did exactly as you were trained to. Nothing back there shocked me." He smiled at me. I nodded.
And then we kissed. And then he picked me up, my legs around his waist. And then my back was against a wall. And then I was under him on the bed…
And that's how I fell in love with the Winter Soldier, and how he fell in love with me.