Добросердечный - Benign

The Winter Soldier woke early the next morning and beneath a calm exterior, anxiously awaited the promised call. He sat at the table and placed his cell phone face up directly across from him. He watched it intently with an impassive expression and waited. It didn't ring. Hours passed and still nothing.

Bucky forced himself to eat something even though he wasn't really hungry. He broke apart a few bulz, the traditional Romanian polenta balls, he had gotten at the market and slowly ate them. The butter and sheep's cheese filling had no flavor to him today. He found himself simultaneously dreading the familiar tone of the cell phone while also looking forward to the next command.

After finishing a cup of strong coffee in one gulp, Bucky began pacing around the small apartment. As he walked, his mind ran over the past few weeks. The pain that had been seemingly triggered by the words Hydra had ingrained into him was now gone. It had been replaced by an emptiness. He felt no emotion and making the slightest decision took an effort. With a deep breath and a concentrated effort, he picked up his phone and headed out the door.

Bucky went out into the small town with no plan. He wandered the streets aimlessly with his hands tucked deep in his pockets and hood covering his head. His stoic expression and hardened gaze had the few passersby that he encountered moving swiftly out of his way. Bucky paid them no attention as he strode along.

The walk had not provided him with any additional clarity nor had it erased the Winter Soldier programming. Right before opening and re-entering the apartment, Bucky's phone rang. The screen displayed the same mysterious number as before. When he answered, it was the same voice speaking that had given him the previous mission. Unbeknownst to Bucky, the voice belonged to Oeznik, Zemo's loyal butler and the assignment had been plotted out carefully by Zemo before he was jailed in the Raft.

The Winter Soldier was to travel to the airport without alerting anyone. A plane would be waiting to take him to Madripoor and aboard would be blueprints and other information to assist him. Once on the island, Bucky was to steal back a piece of artwork missing from the Zemo family collection. Though originally obtained through nefarious means, The Portrait of a Young Man by Raphael had been in the Zemo family's possession for many decades.

Since Bucky had been in Madripoor not that long ago and was sure to be recognized after the melee he had been involved in, Oeznik ordered him to keep his arm covered and stay out of sight. If anyone attempted to get in his way, he was to eliminate them quickly and quietly. Zemo's private plane would be on stand-by to get him and the art out of the country.

Bucky listened intently to his orders. Internally, he struggled against the programming. He wanted to refuse the assignment or at least end the call. When asked if he had any questions, the answer came without any hesitation.

"Understood," Bucky said. The programming had won.

Bucky arrived in Madripoor in the middle of the night. A car was waiting to drop him off at a ramshackle building in Lowtown to use as his home base. He made use of the darkness to surveille the location where the picture was located. After some observation, Bucky returned to his dank room and attempted to sleep.

The next evening, Bucky disabled security and gained access to the Hightown house. He crept through the hallways without a sound and entered a large study. Directly across the room, a large still life hung on the wall. Bucky walked over and pulled at one corner of the frame. The picture swung outward revealing the stolen artwork in a hidden recess.

Bucky punched in the code to disable the laser security protecting the artwork. When the code was accepted, he reached and grabbed the frame with both hands. He carefully leaned the painting against the wall and returned the large canvas to its original position. Bucky picked up the painting and went to leave the study thinking the whole thing had almost been too easy.

As Bucky approached the door, a dark figure entered the room holding a gun and ordered him to freeze and put down the painting immediately. Bucky looked at the other man with a glint of amusement in his eyes as he put down the artwork. He slowly stood back up unobtrusively holding a knife that he had retrieved from his boot.

When the other man relaxed slightly, Bucky deftly threw the knife hitting his opponent in his dominant shoulder. With a yelp of pain, the man dropped the gun giving Bucky the opportunity to easily overpower him. Bucky pinned his adversary and reached for the dropped gun. Without a second thought, he did as he had been commanded and eliminated the one person who stood in the way of completing his mission. Bucky then stood up, picked up the painting and left the Hightown house.

With the painting safely tucked in the back seat of the car that had been left for him at the airport, Bucky drove off. Halfway to the airport, he sent a text saying that the mission had been accomplished. Soon after, a text message appeared on Bucky's phone letting him know that the plane would be waiting.

A second text message appeared Bucky's phone soon after landing at the small airport in Romania. It directed him to leave the painting on the plane and to return home. Almost as soon as Bucky arrived back at his apartment the phone rang. This time, it wasn't Oeznik. It was Zemo calling.

"Well done, Winter Soldier." Zemo said. "Do you miss your previous life?"

The question was met with silence. Zemo took the stillness for agreement. "I didn't think so."

There was still no response from Bucky so Zemo kept talking, "How does it feel to have them all fooled?"

"I don't," Bucky tried to argue, as he finally managed to emerge from the programming's control.

"You do," Zemo corrected, not letting him finish. They think you were, and are, harmless...benign. James Buchanan Barnes, the valorous and benevolent soldier. In reality, you are dangerous, a cancer silently attacking."

"No," Bucky shouted into the phone.

In his cell, Zemo laughed. He continued laughing even after ending the call and passing the receiver back to the guard. He had told Bucky that he had decided not to kill him; he had not said anything about mental torture.

In the apartment, Bucky sat and stared at the phone. It was too late to unhear Zemo's words. The Winter Soldier commands and the cutting statement Zemo had just uttered echoed in his mind.