All that I know about the Red Room and the Winter Soldier training the Widows comes from other fanfics and some basic research. I've never read the comics, so I doubt anything surrounding the Red Room is canon compliant.

As for the personalities of Pietro and Wanda… At this point I've only seen AoU once and all of Pietro's character comes from that. Something about him makes me think energetic and eccentric, yet able to listen to and understand the other side of the story (in certain cases). And Wanda seems like the protective type able to hold a grudge. I've never written the Maximoff dynamic and I'm kinda excited to try.

Bucky is silent, waiting.

Steve watches him nervously, unsurely fiddling with the strap of his shield. He hadn't wanted to bring it, but the Captain America side of his brain wouldn't let him leave it behind. The group—that is, himself, Bucky, Sam, Clint, Thor and Bruce—sits in the same meeting room they were in when Bucky first came to the tower, the one with the glass table and tall windows and screen at one end.

Beyond the windows, the sky is dark. The lights both inside and out make it hard to see the stars, something Steve has always found repulsive. Too much light in this new century, not enough enjoying the beauty the earth offers. He could remember stargazing with Bucky and Theodore, back when they were together and happy. They could stand outside and look up and see the trillions of stars looking down at them.

You couldn't do that now. Not as easily, at least.

"You are nervous, Captain Rogers," Thor notes worriedly. "Is this about the risk of danger or about seeing your son again?"

Steve sighs, running a hand down his face. "I don't know. I just feel… jittery."

"Understandable," Clint says. "You haven't seen him in years."

"About three years, plus one-hundred and seventy days… for me, at least. I missed six-hundred and twenty-four days in the war, another six-hundred and forty-one here."

If anyone finds his knowledge of the details odd, they don't say.

Steve can remember waking up in the 21st century. He can remember the sinking realization that he didn't drown or freeze to death in the Arctic that had filled his lungs and stolen his warmth and tortured him for hours as he waited for the serum to finally surrender his consciousness. He can remember the vicious, gut-wrenching, horror of realizing that he never got to see his son again, that that same son never got to see him again. Him or Bucky.

Then SHIELD briefed him about as much as they possibly could—world, America, war, technology, sexuality and race (honestly, the surprise and relief that came with those ones was still settling), environment, food, clothing, music and entertainment, culture and society, everything they could think of—on what he'd missed. And that horrible realization of what he'd missed of what mattered turned into a raging storm. Fear, pain, grief, guilt, anger, longing, regret, and the unmistakable Steve RogersTM urge for revenge. Someone had kidnapped his son, on what was supposed to be a day of celebration, the war's end. Someone had taken Theodore from Ma Barnes and Rebecca, stolen him away and he'd never been found.

That might have been the worst part. Not knowing what had happened to the boy who held his heart. His little sunshine, his general, his son. He'd promised Mya, promised her as she lay dying, that he would do his damndest to take care of their son. (Bucky, of course, had said the same for his godson.)

And Steve had failed. He'd let his desire to help his country, his people, take over his love for his son. He'd left his son behind when he could have been one of the few fathers to stay with their families. He'd had that, and he gave it up.

But now he's back. Different, but he's still alive. Still there. It isn't perfect, isn't the family Steve remembers, but it's a chance. It's a chance, and Steve would need to be killed if he's going to miss it. This was the chance he'd prayed for during the two years he'd been awake: a chance to have his son and best friend back.

Steve's brows furrow as another thought strikes him. "How long have you spent out of cryo-freeze, Buck? You don't look much older."

Bucky frowns in thought. He doesn't reply for a long moment before shaking his head.

"I don't know."

"Approximately three years total," fills in a new voice. Steve's head shoots up as Tony appears at the end of the hall, leading three newcomers with Natasha bringing up the rear. The Black Infiltrator—not Theodore, he's not… not Steve's Theodore—continues, "One year being trained and wiped, one year training the Red Room, and the rest of the time was all missions."

Bucky tenses next to him, and Steve can understand why. The two aren't strangers, and memories of the Infiltrator are all associated with HYDRA. It makes sense for Bucky to be uneasy around him.

"Take a seat," Natasha says, her voice cold as she waves a hand towards the swivelling black office chairs at the table. She takes a seat next to Steve, leaving him between two former assassins. "And we'll get started."

The Infiltrator's mask hides his smirk, but Steve can still sense it as the young man sits at the empty head of the table. The two enhanced twins sit on his left, the emptier side of the table. Wanda is on the Infiltrator's immediate left, then Pietro next to her. He's across from Natasha, and then it's Steve, Bucky, Bruce and Sam, leaving Thor and Clint on the same side of the table as the Maximoffs, only at the other end. Tony hums in consideration before sitting on Clint's right, leaving one space between him and Pietro.

The briefcase with the magic gem is set between Tony's chair and Clint's, a reassurance to Steve that it's closely protected by two of his teammates.

There's a soft thud as the Infiltrator sets down the backpack he'd brought with him, pulling out a sleek black laptop. He sets it on the table in front of him but leaves the screen down and closed, instead resting his elbows on the table and clasping his fingers, the metal of his right hand shining in the light.

"Where do you want to begin?"

His voice is altered, a fact that's clearer in person than it is over a phone. It makes Steve wonder what his voice really sounds like. How would he have changed? Would he be unrecognizable? Would he see ghosts and shadows of his Theodore in the Infiltrator? Which one would be worse?

"How'd you find out about the lies?" Natasha asks after a long moment. "In detail."

"I have a better start," Tony interjects, not caring about Natasha's sharp look or the Maximoffs' twin sneers. "Your AI. I want to know about her."

A soft chuckle passes the Infiltrator's lips. "I thought she'd grab your attention. I don't introduce her to others; in fact, only the Winter Soldier knew of her."

"I gotta know," Tony says, sounding like an eager child. Wanda looks like she's swallowed something rotten and Steve can feel the defensive stab in his chest like a bullet. "I've never met another AI like JARVIS, yet yours managed to get past him without alerting him at all."

"I've never seen a building controlled by AI," the Infiltrator returns. "I'm feeling a sharing mood. Reb, why don't you join us?"

Reb. This is who the Infiltrator was communicating with, Steve realizes. The messages he was sending on his phone when he was looking at Loki's sceptre. A trusted friend, who wouldn't grow old while the Infiltrator was in cryo-freeze.

That strikes something in Steve. About sixty-eight years had passed and his son had only aged ten of them. Steve isn't sure if there's a minimum age for cryo-freeze but someone that young… it doesn't sit right with him, the knowledge that it was his child even less so.

There's a glitter in the air near the Infiltrator's head and a simple face appears courtesy of the hologram technology in the room. Two tall eyes, eyebrows, and a smooth, thick line (that tapers at the ends) for a mouth, all coloured white to be easily visible.

"Holy crap," Tony whispers, wide-eyed. "That's genius."

"Unlike you," Pietro mumbles, and only Steve's enhanced hearing lets him hear it.

"Rebecca," the AI introduces. "The Black Fox's helper and second-longest friend."

Her voice is startlingly familiar, it barely takes Steve a second to place it. "Rebecca?"

"Captain," she replies, eyes moving to lock onto him. "Your voice indicates confusion, as well as longing. Records indicate you were close with the Barnes family, the youngest child of which was one Rebecca Barnes. I am not her."

"No but…" Steve trails off, swallowing tightly. "You have her voice."

"Sister?" Bucky asks suddenly, looking confused.

He's looking at Steve, and Steve gives him a nod.

"Her voice?" Clint repeats.

"Yeah." Steve gives a nod towards the AI's holographic image. "Rebecca's exact voice. She sounds just like her, it's… uncanny."

"My Rebecca's voice is taken from an old video," the Infiltrator speaks. If he's confused or surprised at all, he doesn't show it and the mask only helps conceal his emotion and Steve finds himself growing to hate that goddamn mask. "The woman's voice was analyzed and extrapolated to create it."

He looks at the hologram face and makes some sort of gesture in the air, a silent command to the AI, and the screen on the wall opposite to him shifts into a grainy, black and white video. Steve has to turn his head away in the opposite direction of the Infiltrator to see it, and he can tell he's not the only one a little uncomfortable with doing so. It's a woman sitting in what looks like her home, hands clasped in her lap and a shawl draped over her shoulders. The age in her face doesn't make it hard to know who she is.

"He was charming," she says, and the audio makes her voice just as grainy as the picture. Steve can still hear the tones of a young Rebecca Barnes playfully arguing with Bucky over something small, hear her laughing joyfully with him over one thing or another. "The dames loved him. He was good to them, even if he wasn't as interested in them as they were in him. He was smart too. Smart in school. Smart enough to know when his best friend was getting himself into trouble again."

Steve's mouth drops open slightly, surprised and awed, "That's—"

"Sister," Bucky cuts him off. "Older. Talking about… me?"

"Yeah," Steve whispers, throat dry, "She's talking about you, Buck…" When the screen turns blank, he looks back up the table to the Infiltrator, "Did you know it was her?"

The Infiltrator says nothing for a long moment before shaking his head. "No. I liked the sound of her voice when I needed to pick one. As for her name… It sounded right."

"You sound like you don't remember anything," Sam notes. "Yet I hear that Barnes said you don't get wiped like he did."

"I didn't," the Infiltrator confirms. He speaks professionally, almost detached from emotion. Almost. The hatred is clear in his voice as he continues, "Instead, the rat bastard who used me created a sort of drug to suppress my memories. He told me I had some terminal disease and that the pills I took regularly would keep it away. I only learnt of the files documenting this after I realized my true parentage. HYDRA had a hidden drive of files. I never knew they hid things so I had no reason to look for it."

Steve can't help the snarl that crosses his lips. Of course fucking Zola would lie and manipulate his son for his own gain. Of fucking course, it was pure HYDRA.

"Those suppressants kept many things from me," the Infiltrator continues. "I have no idea how they worked, it's not documented digitally, but they did. If the… malfunction was bad enough, they wiped me like they did to the Winter Soldier."

It's silent for a long moment. Steve can feel more ice being added to the growing pile in his veins, more logs being added to the burning hatred in his chest. He feels both hot and cold at the same time, horror and fury and pain and I am going to rip apart every single one of them. His fists clench tightly in his lap as he tries to keep his expression blank, but he can easily tell that it's not working.

Natasha is the one to break the silence, speaking softly. "Take off the mask, Theodore."

The Infiltrator blinks in mild surprise then chuckles. "Miss my pretty face?"

"You have certain ticks that tell when you're lying." Natasha's voice is stone, not letting herself be affected by the Infiltrator's words in the slightest. "The mask hides them."

"Maybe that's why I want it on," the Infiltrator returns.

"Your cooperation was part of the deal."

"So it was."

The Infiltrator hums, a smirk clear in the sound. Still, he reaches up to undo the clasp securing the mask over his face. Steve can feel the second time seems to stop. He can feel the fist wrapping around his heart as the Infiltrator lowers the mask.

He looks so much like me. The thought circles Steve's head on repeat. The same nose, the same jaw and the same damn smirk. Without the mask, the Infiltrator's eyes look even more like exact copies of Steve's own.

It's clear that Steve isn't the only one to think so as Clint lets out a long whistle, his eyes wide.

A low, amused chuckle comes from Pietro's lips. "Alright, you were right, Theo. They are shocked."

His words seem to shoot through the shock in the room, shattering it like glass. Steve blinks, trying to refocus his mind. It's so hard though, how can he focus on the danger and half-interrogation when Theodore is right there. Seeing him with the mask was hard enough, without it…

"Back to the AI," Tony says suddenly, his voice brittle, "What did you do to JARVIS?"

"Nothing major," Wanda says easily, glancing at the Infiltrator to be sure.

"I am still here and functional, sir." Steve doesn't miss the relief that crosses Tony's expression at hearing his AI speak. "I am merely being challenged for control of the tower. It appears that I cannot remove the uninvited guest, but I can work around her."

"I don't feel like leaving," Rebecca replies with a sniff. She smiles sweetly and the hologram face floats around the room, exploring like a curious child, "I like it here. So much to do."

"If you turn on the goddamn sprinkler system," the Infiltrator hisses suddenly, and Christ, Steve can hear his voice, unaltered and pure and so… him. "I swear to whatever higher power is out there, Reb, I will disable you."

"You love me too much." Rebecca sniffs again and Steve gets the image of Rebecca Barnes turning her nose up in distaste. "Besides, you need me, General."

Steve nearly chokes on nothing. Instead, he coughs harshly, drawing all the attention to himself. His eyes are wide and wild as he manages to choke out:

"You remember that?"

Having raised a brow, the Infiltrator slowly replies, "From before HYDRA? Since five days ago. I never programmed that name into the little shit, she just started and refused to stop."

"It fits," Rebecca sniffs rather disdainfully, looking like she's had this discussion before.

Clint hums, leaning back in his chair. "You look pretty comfortable for someone who just learnt that one, they grew up in a lie, and two, is currently surrounded by a group of powerful people who don't trust you at all. Why's that? No sense of self preservation?"

The Infiltrator only shrugs with a smug smirk, "I have enough control of the Tower that I don't feel the need to worry. Veni, vedi, vici."

Tony blinks in utter confusion. "What? Is that more spy language?"

"It's Latin," Natasha fills in. "Attributed to Julius Caesar. I came, I saw, I conquered."

"I know you did, but what did he say?"

Natasha rolls her eyes. "That is what he said, Tony."

"Idiot," Wanda mutters, giving Tony a repulsed glare.

"Alright, what do you personally have against me?" Tony demands, looking fed up. "I don't recognize you outside of HYDRA, I don't know what I did, so some explanation would be very helpful right now."

Wanda sneers at him, and while Pietro doesn't look happy either, he does seem to think over something.

"Rebecca," he says after a long moment. "There is enough hologram technology in this room, correct?"

"There's hologram tech in all the rooms of the tower, all of it sufficient for viewing," the Infiltrator's AI replies. "Would you like me to show Entry Two?"

"Please. Just the shell strike though."

"Pietro," Wanda murmurs. She shoots an untrusting glance around the room. "Are you sure?"

"He wants to know," Pietro replies with a slight scowl. "Doesn't help to hold a grudge if he has no idea."

Wanda hums in consideration before giving a small nod. "Fine."

The air glitters and then the walls of the room shift. Steve places a hand gently on Bucky's shoulder when he senses his best friend tense in alarm. Bucky's eyes are wide as he watches the walls seem to move and the colours shift.

"It's like an illusion," Steve murmurs to him. "Nothing real."

Bucky looks around at what appears to be a small apartment, then nods slowly. Seeing this, Steve takes the opportunity to look around too. The table they're sitting at is near the wall of this hologram, the room opening behind Steve so he has to turn to see it. Everything looks so real. It looks like a small living room, cozy and warm. There's a bed in the corner, and a black and white show playing on a small television, and a family of four watching it. A mother and father sitting on the couch and two children, a girl and a boy, sitting on the carpet in front of them.

The show plays and the children smile and their parents watch them and it's a beautiful, happy family.

Then it's gone.

Steve notices multiple people startle and jump as a loud explosion shakes the air and rubble flies through the room. The warmth is sucked from the room, getting replaced with dust and darkness. The hologram flickers and turns dark.

When it slowly reappears, Steve knows some time must have passed. The dust has settled, revealing the twisted skeleton of the wall lying collapsed at the side of the room. Outside, fire and war rages and Steve realizes with cold horror:

That had been there the entire time, right outside the peaceful family scene.

Screams echo in Steve's ears. Screams and gunfire and desperate crying. Rubble and blood and so much goddamn death. He can remember the small boy from four (sixty-eight) years ago, lying limp in his arms with no family in sight to lay him with.

"Come on, Cap," Morita had said quietly. "There's nothing we can do for them now."

"We can still bury them," he'd replied.

And so they had.

The young Pietro pushes himself to his feet, looking around with wide eyes. He gasps quietly and swallows tightly. More movement and Steve sees Wanda waking up too. There's a distant boom and Pietro is rushing over in urgency to pull his sister under the bed. Another boom and the mortar shell lands in the center of the room and the hologram freezes. Their parents are nowhere in sight and a somber understanding settles over Steve.

It's easy to blame when the name is printed right across the thing that took almost everything from you.

No one misses the shock and utter guilt in Tony's expression. He says nothing, just remains staring at the undetonated mortar shell in the hologram.

"We stayed there for two days," Wanda murmurs, her voice surprisingly soft. Steve expected spite and hate and anger, not this quiet, pensive memory. "We stayed there for two days, waiting for that shell to explode. Waiting for Tony Stark to kill us."

Steve's enhanced hearing lets him hear the way Tony's heart races. The other man still hasn't looked away from the shell, eyes repeatedly reading the words printed across the side of it.

The seat across from Steve is empty but Tony is to the right of it, so Steve reaches one foot out under the table to gently tap his foot against Tony's. The billionaire blinks and drags his eyes up to meet Steve's. He swallows tightly, dark eyes screaming guilt, but he nods silently in thanks and that's all Steve can do for the moment.

"I don't get it," Tony says hoarsely as the hologram fades away. "Stark weapons have never failed. I don't mean I wish it had gone off, but I created a program to oversee the production and practically eliminate faults in the construction."

"Oh, we don't think it was a faulty shell," Wanda replies. There's something in her expression, something still searching for answers that knows may never come. "Theo thinks I may have been born a witch. That that's why Pietro and I survived HYDRA's experimenting. We were always different."

"Witch? Since when do witches exist?" Sam asks sceptically.

"You're right, what was I thinking?" The Infiltrator smacks the heel of his palm against the side of his head in a mocking gesture, "Witches are just as real as aliens, right?"

Clint snorts as he tries to hold in laughter and Tony smirks outright, some of the tension in his shoulders easing.

"This still doesn't explain why you two would go along with the Black Infiltrator," Bruce says. His voice isn't accusing or disgusted. He sounds confused. "If it's true he wants out of HYDRA, why go with him? You volunteered for HYDRA."

"We volunteered to make a difference," Pietro says with a sneer aimed at the table. He sounds tired, yet it's clear that he believes in his words. "To help our country. To protect the people like us who get caught in the crossfire. HYDRA promised to make it happen."

"And I bet that worked out beautifully," Tony replies, and it's clear that he's trying to relive some of the tension, but he's also trying to apologize in his own way.

Wanda scowls at the table, her voice hard with hate. "They were going to make us the next Winter Soldiers."

Beside Steve, Bucky chokes and coughs, his eyes wide in fear. Steve reaches over to comfort him and Bucky lets him, squeezing his hand tightly as Steve interlaces their fingers.

"No," Bucky gets out. He takes a shuddering breath before whimpering, "No, not more."

"Hmm, they wanted more," Pietro replies with a shrug. "We were the parts to a gun, they just had to assemble it."

"Then I stole those parts," the Infiltrator finishes. His eyes are hard, chin resting on his interlaced fingers, his elbows on the table. "They're not getting you back, by the way."

"So you've said," Pietro says with a rather fond smile, "Multiple times. We know."

"This is all well and good and nice," Clint chimes in. "But what do you have that can really prove that you're telling the truth?"

The Infiltrator looks over at him, eyes lighting up with a smirk. "You want some down pay?"

"We want to know if you really mean that you're abandoning HYDRA," Clint replies.

The Infiltrator hums slightly. "Of course. But there's so much to see…" He smiles a dangerous smile, the smile of a stalking lion. "Reb, show the complete version of the video file that let you into the Tower."

The screen at the other end of the table lights up with a white HYDRA logo, the many tentacles writhing in a menacing warning. There's a date below it.

December 16, 1991.

That isolated road is back, and Steve can feel the tension explode in the room once again, sinking icy fingers into Tony most of all. The video is still fuzzy and unclear, still filled with grainy audio and a blue tinge.

Next to him, Bucky swallows tightly, fists clenched.

The car still crashes into the tree. The motorcycle speeds by. Steve finds himself expecting the screaming woman again, but it doesn't come. Instead, the figure in the motorcycle comes back. He stops and climbs off, walking towards the burning car in a slow stalk that Steve has learned to recognize as the Winter Soldier.

He opens the trunk of the car and he must find what he's looking for as he gives the smallest of noticeable nods, glancing up directly at the camera. So he knew it was there and still chose to let the car strike right in front of it. It has to have been on purpose, but was it HYDRA or Bucky who chose it?

The Winter Soldier walks around the car as Howard Stark crawls out. The audio is amplified to allow his hoarse whisper to come through:

"Help my wife. Please. Help."

Steve didn't know Howard that well, but he still feels the icy dread and twisting nausea curl in his stomach. He can't imagine what it must be like for Tony. Still, Steve keeps his ankle hooked with Tony's under the table, a silent gesture he hopes helps him even a little.

"Howard?"

The Winter Soldier hauls Howard upright by his hair, ignoring Maria Stark's weak whimper. He stares at the other man's bloodied face, at his pleading expression.

"Sergeant Barnes?"

Bucky tenses even more, his shoulders hunching as he tries to shrink in on himself. The Winter Soldier seems to hesitate, his metal fist lowering slightly. Steve knows the hesitation doesn't last.

The cracking of bone makes Steve wince. The easy positioning of Howard's body to look like a car crash has Bucky silently tearing up and keeping his head down in guilt and shame. The choked gasps as Maria Stark is strangled make Tony just barely choke back a whimper and Steve's hate of HYDRA grows even more.

With the… witnesses… removed, the Winter Soldier walks around the car again. He doesn't reach for whatever is in the trunk yet. Instead, he walks towards the camera, and Steve can feel the deadness in the Soldier's stare like a cold, dead hand around his neck. The Winter Soldier stares at the camera for a second, then raises a gun and shoots.

The screen goes dark.

Steve swallows tightly. Tony is pale and wide-eyed. No one speaks for a long moment. The Black Infiltrator wears a grim look of silent hate, Wanda and Pietro both looking interested and mildly horrified. Bruce keeps his gaze down while Thor seems to be trying to gauge the well-being of the people around him. Clint and Sam both glance sadly at Bucky and Steve feels a slight reassurance knowing they don't blame him for HYDRA's actions.

"I'm sorry," Bucky rasps out, keeping his head down. "I'm sorry, I didn't want it, I'm sorry."

"I know." Tony's voice is hoarse but he drags his eyes away from the dark screen to look at Bucky. "I know you are. I don't… I don't blame you, Barnes."

Bucky lifts his head just enough for his eyes to be visible as he looks at Tony. He doesn't say anything, but Steve can read the "You don't?" from his best friend's gaze. Tony shakes his head minutely, the most minuscule smile singing regret on his lips.

"That's not enough," Natasha says, cutting through the atmosphere and pulling everything back. She casts a blank glance towards Tony, enough that anyone who didn't know her would guess indifference. Steve knows better. "You could have purposely shown that to shake us up."

The Infiltrator blinks, seeming to come back from somewhere inside his head, then a slow smirk spreads across his lips. "Fine. Reb, pull up Project… Oh, there's been way too many since I was last awake…" His eyes glance over at Bucky, and he seems to reach a decision. "Project Daedalus. All schematics, if you will."

"With presentation settings?" Rebecca asks.

"Yes. Use the table as the show space."

Over the table surface, various holograms appear. Blueprints and diagrams, calculations and predictions and notes float in the air. Standing in the middle is what must be a computer-rendered figure, that… CGI thing Clint said movies used.

This image is what draws the most attention. It's the Winter Soldier, mask and goggles in place over his face. His arms are held out on either side, as if being examined. It's the metal wings on his back that steal the attention however. The wings open and spread, and fold up and close, repeating the movements slowly.

Sam lets out a long whistle. "Holy…"

"This is a project I found most interesting," the Infiltrator explains. "It was created in twenty-oh-six. Meant to give the Winter Soldier detachable wings as a tool for his missions. It would make extraction much easier, as well as give access to almost all areas unreachable otherwise."

"It looks like it would have worked too," Tony says, studying the calculations and the build of the wings. "It would have hurt like hell, but it would have worked." He gestures to some of the notes, "It looks like they wanted to surgically implant the ports for the wings in Barnes' shoulder blades, and with the same tech as the arm, they were going to make them like another part of him."

The Infiltrator nods grimly. "The only reason they haven't already been… installed is because this project is located in Russia. The Winter Soldier has been in America and in cryo. They were going to wait until he was next awake to then ship him back to the main Russian base and implant the wing ports."

Steve's eyes widen in alarm. "So if they caught Bucky—"

"He'd have a lot of conditioning and punishment." Steve doesn't miss the way the Infiltrator glances at Bucky, a hint of… something in his eyes. "But then, yes. They would send the Soldier to Russia and complete the project."

"You're not getting any alone time with Barnes then," Natasha says coldly, and Steve instantly feels a rush of gratitude. Natasha's eyes look over all three of the… guests. "None of you are in a room with him without at least two of us for every one of you."

Instead of looking at all annoyed, the sweet smile spreads on the Infiltrator's lips. "Aw, admit it, Natalia. You missed me. You missed us."

"Us?" Clint repeats. He looks between Natasha and the Infiltrator with a raised brow and an expression that says, 'I don't believe that happened but that's what I'm picking up.' "You mean…?"

"No. Us as in our little group. The Widow, the Soldier, and the Fox."

Natasha only sneers at him. "That was before. I don't need you, Fox."

The Infiltrator smirks and chuckles. The only reason Steve catches the hurt that flashes in his eyes is because he knows what to look for. He's seen it in the mirror. In the reflection of windows, with bruises and split lips and Bucky at his side.

"…I don't remember that."

Bucky looks confused, a distant glint in his eyes that Steve has noted to appear whenever he tries to remember. There's a frown on Bucky's lips and his brows are furrowed, and as the seconds pass, frustration grows in his expression.

Seeing this, the Infiltrator lets out a small, sad sigh. "Ah… I suppose you wouldn't remember that, would you… But it would be in your archives. There's a quick fix to that. Желание [Zhelaniye; Longing]."

Steve doesn't know what that word means, but he can see the effect it has on Bucky. His eyes widen in recognition and pure fear, his body rigid and frozen, and Steve instantly knows he can't let the Infiltrator continue. The demand of, "What are you doing?" from Thor lets Steve know that the others are aware of this too, and they're with him.

"Ржавый [Rzhavyy; Rusted]."

"Stop it!"

Natasha quickly pulls out a gun, aiming it at the Infiltrator. There's a glow of red and Steve finds himself frozen, like there's a tight barrier around his body keeping him in position. The red light surrounds him and the other Avengers, locking them in place. Wanda's hands glow with that same red, a look of concentration on her face.

Movement from next to him tells Steve that Bucky isn't frozen. Instead, he shakes his head frantically, hands trying to block out the words and whimpers passing his lips. There's a swell of anger and fear and I need to help him! in Steve's chest and he tries so hard to move but he can't and all he can do is watch as he fails his best friend again and that sends an entirely different emotion crashing into him.

Still, the Infiltrator continues with the voice of a hammer pounding nails into a coffin. "Семнадцать [Semnadtsat; Seventeen]."

"Leave him alone!" Thor roars, only to get a gag of glowing red magic around his mouth, matching gags keeping all of them from speaking.

This doesn't keep muffled yells from being heard. Steve can see Tony trying to move his hands to do something, anything that could stop whatever this is.

"Рассвет [Rassvet; Daybreak]."

"Stop it!"

Bucky's desperate yell nearly shatters the pieces Steve has been slowly building back up after coming out of the ice.

"Печь [Pech'; Furnace]."

When blocking out the Infiltrator's voice doesn't work, Bucky tries to flee the room. He tries, only to find more of Wanda's magic forming a barrier in the hallway's entrance.

"Девять [Devyte'; Nine]."

This barrier doesn't stop Bucky from trying to punch his way out, metal fist slamming into the glowing red. The Infiltrator stands up to steps closer. He's not tense or wary.

"Добросердечный [Dobroserdechnyy; Bengin]."

Finally, Bucky resorts to getting his metal hand around the Infiltrator's throat and pressing him against the wall near the exit. Steve is with Bucky on this, anything to get the Infiltrator to stop whatever this is, but a sharp pain still digs its claws into Steve's chest.

Did it fail already? Barely a second and he'd have to neutralize the Black Infiltrator. He'd hoped— It was stupid, but he'd hoped…

"Возвращение на родину [Vozvrashcheniya na rodino; Homecoming]."

Bucky's eyes widen as the Infiltrator's voice comes over the speakers in the room. Pre-recorded, Steve realizes. He knew Bucky would try and stop him.

"Один [Odin; One]."

A guttural, choked sob passed Bucky's lips as he drops the Infiltrator and backs away.

"Товарный вагон [Gruzovye vagon; Freight car]."

Bucky falls still and Steve falls apart. He feels ready to break down sobbing, watching as Bucky becomes the Winter Soldier again. He blinks slowly, his shoulders tense as he falls into parade rest, head low.

Steve failed. Again.

"…Готовы соблюдать [Gotovy soblyudat; ready to comply]."