Hmm I'm not especially proud of this chapter... I hope it's still readable !
Also, I don't speak Russian at all, so sorry in advance for the mistakes...
Sam was helpless. Damn he hated that. Being beaten, tied up, dragged on the floor and put to hang through a damn window by some group of kids had certainly done nothing good to his self-esteem.
Oh but his pride had been through worse.
He'd been beaten up by an ant. This had hurt much more mentally than physically.
It's true this time his body had suffered a bit more... But it was just a couple cuts, bruises and contusions (or so he thought), they'd heal with a little patience. Well actually he hadn't paid too much attention to that... He'd been more focused about his partner's state than it's own. Damn, he could have sworn he had heard the older man's neck crack when one of the kiddos had jumped and tried to give him a whiplash. And the way Bucky just dropped to the ground like a puppet without str-
Sam stopped his line of thoughts abruptly as he realised the comparison wasn't really appropriate...
Let's say he fell like a cyborg with no more battery... Yeah, that was better... Anyway, the thing was : it scared him. And it had scared Sam even more when he had come back to consciousness only to realise Bucky was still out... That really must have been some hell of a blow.
In a way he had been more worried about his partner being knocked out than about himself being held through a window with half of his body in the air.
Good thing was : his captors didn't seem to plan on letting him go. Not for now at least. But it might come. And Sam would be in big trouble if that happened.
He could still try to fly with his arms, but to be honest he didn't think that was going to be very useful.
"Oh, don't worry. He'll be brought back safely on the ground if you react properly," Sam heard Thierrault say to Buck.
The new Captain America suddenly felt the irresistible urge to punch the Canadian in the face as his eyes opened wide with worry.
Fuck.
It was the only coherent thought he could manage to make.
They were using him as a pressure point. A pressure point against Bucky. They wanted to use him to control Bucky.
Hell no.
Bucky had spent already way too many years under someone's control, he wouldn't let anyone else ever manipulate him.
Using all of his willpower, Sam attempted to straighten himself a kick his captors, but he soon realised there was no use. His current positioning didn't give him any advantage on them.
And so he could do nothing but stare worriedly at his partner when Thierrault began uttering words in a heavily accented Russian.
There was no need to be a Hydra expert to know what those words were.
He's over it now. He told you. The Wakandans have helped him. It's all good. They can't brainwash him again.
But wait...
If the Smashers couldn't bring the Winter Soldier back... They would most probably kill him... And judging by the desperate look Bucky threw him, the older man knew this too.
Sam wasn't scared about death. If he had been, he would have probably never joined the army nor accepted the shield. He was way more concerned about the mind games Thierrault was playing with Buck...
And this concern increased when he noticed how Bucky was clenching his jaw, blinking his eyes repeatedly, and breathing heavily, as if something was hurting him... Physically or mentally...
And the more time passed, the more confused he looked...
Oh shit...
They couldn't seriously manage bring the Soldier back by using him as a pressure point... Could they ?
The confused look slowly began to turn into a cold one.
Sam was fighting harder than ever to break free, ignoring the contusions, the dizziness it caused, the wounds it reopened.
The only thing that mattered now was breaking free, slamming this Canadian fucker on the ground and freeing his cyborg of a friend.
"Cолдат ?"
The room suddenly fell silent, only interrupted by Sam's muffled shouts, as everyone seemed to hold their breaths, awaiting for the Soldier to answer.
And at this very moment, the man recognised the unmistakable sound of a reactor. A reactor he knew all too well.
Cap saw his chance there. He arched his back impossibly and pulled his legs to his chest as hard as he could letting a cry out at the pain it caused him. He felt the Smashers's fingers slip away from his legs as he finally fell from the window. The wind was whistling in his ears, there was nothing but air to break his fall, but this was a feeling he'd gotten used to over the years. Yet for a brief moment, the Captain surprised himself to wonder if he'd jumped at the right time... Yes, the window had been high over the ground, but high enough ? He couldn't know for sure.
But his concerns vanished when he felt a strong hand grabbing his wrist. He lifted his head to meet the cheerful face of Joaquin Torres.
"Oof, you hopefully you didn't jump earlier, Cap !" said he in a joyful voice, which surprised Sam, given the gravity of the situation.
Oh but... It was true Torres didn't know anything about what was going on...
"Get me back up there ! They've got Bucky !"
Ugh, Sam wished he hadn't sounded this sharp to the poor boy, but they needed to act very quickly. Bucky needed their help, his help. He either needed to be rescued from the Flag Smashers or... from himself... Gosh, Sam hoped it was the first option...
Torres gave the Captain a quick nod, the cheer on his face immediately replaced by seriousness and concern. The young Falcon went straight up to the window Sam had fallen from and bursted in without hesitation, taking by surprise the Flag Smashers who were still standing next to it, apparently arguing. He landed in the middle of the room and dropped his mentor on the floor. They were rapidly rejoined by some militaries. The kid had brought some backup, good.
"Don't shoot !" Sam ordered them, fearing that they would target Bucky as well.
The Captain then rapidly locked eyes with Thierrault, who stood right next to a freed Bucky. A cold shiver ran down his spine as he felt a cold, merciless and emotionless stare piercing through his skull. A stare he had wished nobody would have to face again.
The stare of the Winter Soldier.
Fucking hell. He could find no other words to describe the awful feeling ha had. A powerful mix of fear, despair, concern, dread, anger and guilt.
Taking a deep breath to steady the tremor in his body, Sam asked Thierrault :
"Do you have any idea what you've done ?"
"Yes," he answered simply and sharply.
It took the man's whole strengths and willpower not to jump on the bastard and choke him right away. He felt his throat constrict itself. How could he ? How could Thierrault knowingly destroy a man like that ? Did he have the slightest idea how much Bucky had been through to bury the Winter Soldier ?
It was not an exaggeration to say that this could kill him.
"You all need to pay for what has been done to Karli," said the young Canadian in a bitter voice
"Avenging her death won't bring her back or ease your soul, trust me..." Sam attempted to reason him, vainly.
"I don't care, she was my friend," came the sharp reply, quickly followed by a sentence he easily understood: "Зимний солдат, атакуй !"
Winter Soldier, attack.
Bucky was walking toward him, relentlessly, while a few of the others Smashers threw themselves on Torres and the militaries. Yet Sam didn't back off. He had faith. He knew his partner was somewhere inside, he wasn't scared, he was sure Buck would manage to pull through. He was stronger than what he pretended.
"Bucky... I know you, mate... You're not a soldier, you're James Buchanan Barnes," he said, hoping somehow that the man would react to hearing his name. Sadly he didn't (or at least he didn't show it) and threw an angry fist at Sam's head.
The Captain caught the blow at the last minute, wincing at the wave of pain it sent through his own arm, yet he didn't return it. The man standing in front of him was his friend. He wouldn't, couldn't hit back.
"I don't wanna fight you, Buck..." he said in an almost pleading voice... Damn he felt so helpless once again... He had had to deal with the Winter Soldier before, but this was different... This time he was the only one capable of bringing his friend back. And if he failed... There was a chance that he might lose his closest friend...
At least, he saw a glimpse of... Surprise ? Remembrance ? Something crossing the Soldier's face at hearing those words. And even such a tiny change made Sam feel unbelievably relieved. He could bring Bucky back.
"I know you're in there," he added, hoping to get a stronger change this time.
But the thing in the Soldier's eyes passed as quickly as it came, and before he could realise what was happening, Sam felt his legs being pulled from under him and barely managed to dodge the vicious blow and remain on his feet, wincing as his sudden and sharp movement woke up some of his previous injuries.
Hopefully, his military reflexes kicked in rapidly and, ignoring the pain, he managed to turn around the Soldier, trapping his vibranium arm behind his back. He felt a slight sense guilt building up in his mind as he heard his friend grunt in pain. Damnit ! He hurt him ! He hadn't meant to...
"I'm sorry," he apologised almost in a reflex, even though he knew the Soldier probably wouldn't give a damn about excuses.
Taking advantage on his attacker's current immobilization, Sam continued to talk, hoping that would help. Even in the slightest.
"You're stronger than them, Bucky."
Sadly, there was still no reaction. Not visible at least. Instead, he felt the Soldier's back arch and saw himself being pulled over his attacker's head before landing hard on his back, his breath abruptly knocked out from his lungs, which left him gasping for air for a second.
Now Sam couldn't tell which was hurting more between his body and his soul... Gosh, this was a nightmare. He'd wake up in his bed and all would be over. It just hurt too much to see your friend beating you without empathy, to watch Bucky turn back into the thing he had spent so long trying to get rid of, and to feel so powerless to help him...
The Soldier picked him up by the collar and slammed him against the wall.
Sam was looking right into his eyes now, searching for even the slightest sign that Bucky was still somewhere.
"Bucky... You're my friend... You know me..." he spoke weakly, feeling his throat constricted under the emotion and also, maybe, because the soldier was almost strangling him.
This time he saw a very visible twitch in the Soldier's features, but this was rapidly dismissed by a shake of his head.
"I don't know you. You're my mission." Bucky finally said, and his friend didn't miss how self-convincing he sounded... He was beginning to doubt...
Sam was about to talk to him again, seeing a providential opening in the Winter Soldier's cold and impenetrable soul, but he was suddenly interrupted by a cry from Thierrault :
"Зимний солдат ! Пошли !"
Winter Soldier, let's go !
Sam risked a small glance over Bucky's shoulder and took a look at the other fight that was going on. The Flag Smashers had obviously dominated, but military reinforcements were coming, so the group was slowly losing his advantage.
The soldier nodded and punched Sam hard in the jaw before he threw him over his shoulder and began running off.
The Captain's vision blurred for a moment as a powerful wave of dizziness overtook his already hurt body, yet he barely had any effort to make to keep himself in the land of the conscious, as the blow was obviously not hard enough to knock him out... As if... The Winter Soldier had been pulling his punches...
Suddenly a shot rang out and Sam was abruptly dropped to the ground.
Ugh I'm so bad at writing action scenes, I'm so sorry... I'll try to do better next time.