Девять – Nine

Bucky stared at his phone. He read and re-read those three words. Seconds later, another message appeared instructing him to call the number that the texts originated from. He tapped the screen and waited for someone to answer his call.

The wait wasn't long and soon Bucky heard a voice coming through the phone. "Greetings, soldier. We have a mission for you."

There was silence for a minute or two. It was as if the person on the other side of the call was waiting for some type of confirmation or acknowledgement from the Winter Soldier. Getting none, the voice spoke again. It provided orders for the mission to take place the following day along with an address.

"You are to go there and retrieve files. Once you have the files, you are to deliver them to Helmut Zemo. Be a ghost; no one is to see you get in or out. Eliminate anyone who gets in your way."

"The files…," the Bucky began.

"You will receive a package shortly. It will contain further instructions and all you need to deliver the files to Zemo as well." With that, the voice ended the call.

Bucky got up from the table and moved the curtain to look out the window. Aside from one car, no one was about. He walked over and opened the door. There was no package. As he shut the door, his cell phone which was still sitting on the table began to ring.

Assuming it was the mystery caller again, Bucky walked over to the phone. It was Sam calling again. And again, he immediately sent the call to voicemail then sat back down.

A knock on the door, roused Bucky from his reverie. He got up and went to the door. When he opened it, no one was in sight but there was a plain, brown paper wrapped box setting on the stoop. He picked up the package and with a final glance around went back inside.

The package contained a USB drive, a paper with the required passwords and a few instructions, a book titled with Zemo's name, and some ammunition. After reading the sheet of paper twice, Bucky retrieved his gun from where it was hidden and reloaded it with the bullets he had been given. He then returned to his seat at the table and spent most of the rest of the day staring at the wall.

The Winter Soldier's mission proceeded the same way the majority of them had in the past. He infiltrated the building unobserved and had gotten as far as the main computer before running into anyone. The lone guard didn't even manage to yell before Bucky pulled his gun and shot him.

Bucky stepped over the man slumped against the wall and proceeded to download the files onto the drive. He retraced his steps on the way out, this time meeting no one. Once he had gotten to the area where he had secreted his motorcycle removed the mask that partially covered his face. With a lone look back over his shoulder, Bucky returned home via a circuitous route.

At the apartment, he haphazardly tossed the USB drive onto the table before unloading his gun. In the morning, he would dispose of the extra ammunition. As he had been instructed, Bucky sent a text to the mystery number. It consisted of one word. Completed.

He received a two-word message in return. Tomorrow Zemo.

This time, the Raft security guards looked at Bucky with amusement when he showed up in front of them. They led Bucky to Zemo's cell taking no notice of his stiff posture and probing stare. From behind the glass, Zemo smiled broadly and asked the guard to bring his visitor a chair. With a look back and forth between the men, the guard brought over a chair before departing back to his desk.

Once they were alone, Zemo spoke. "Soldier, how nice to see you. I hear all went well."

Bucky sat back in the chair and didn't answer. Early that morning, he had packaged the USB drive in the false spine of the book that bore Zemo's name. Then, as the paper instructed, he packaged it up and sent it by carrier to a nearby address.

Bucky observed the man behind the glass and waited to hear what the next mission would be. Zemo, however, had no intention of being so direct. He was quite sure that underneath the programming, James "Bucky" Barnes was struggling to emerge. Zemo looked forward to watching the internal battle and decided to take advantage of his captive audience.

"Do you miss Hydra, soldier?" Zemo asked.

Bucky's eyes narrowed but he offered no response. Zemo smiled and nodded. He offered an assurance that the organization still existed. "It is after all, just like the nine-headed mythological creature it was named after. When one of the heads was cut off, two more grow in its place. So difficult to eliminate… just like you."

As he sat in his chair, the prisoner tilted his head and observed his visitor for a bit. Bucky shifted a bit in his chair much to the delight of Zemo.

"Not to worry, I have no intention of trying to eliminate you. You are much more valuable to me alive."

"Is there anything further?" Bucky asked impatiently and stood up.

"Sit down, soldier," Zemo commanded. "I am not finished yet."

Bucky hesitated and looked down the long hallway towards the guard station. Zemo cleared his throat and tried to conceal his surprise at the other man's slight show of defiance. He gestured towards the chair and watched as Bucky slowly sat back down.

"The lack of pain. It must feel so much better," Zemo speculated.

Bucky nodded, all the while carefully watching the man behind the glass.

"You are now who you are always meant to be. There was wisdom in the programming. Similar to the Hydra, you represent another facet of the number nine."

"And that is?" Bucky said emotionlessly.

"The number nine always returns to itself. Multiply four times nine. You will get thirty-six. Three plus six is nine. Eight multiplied by nine is seventy-two. Seven plus two is nine. And so on. In the same way, you return to your true self."

Bucky stood up. It took more of an effort than he let on but he was determined to leave this time.

"You know I am right. There is no pain when we are truly ourselves," Zemo said as he watched the other man turn and take a step towards the hallway. "You will receive a call tomorrow, soldier."