Disclaimer. I do not own anything except my original characters.
Authors Note: Thank you all for your amazing support! I'm really glad you all are enjoying this story as much as I am writing it. Please feel free to leave me some reviews if you can because I love hearing what you all think. Enjoy!
"I see you recognize the Winter Soldier." Pierce stepped up to the glass beside her, his eyes observing the Asset-no Bucky. "I heard Captain Rogers had a similar reaction."
"How is-this isn't real. James was killed when he fell from a train. From that height...no human could survive…" Bucky's image was starting to get blurry as she fought to hold back the tears that were threatening to escape.
"Yes, a human couldn't survive it but at the time Sergeant Barnes wasn't all human. Your a history fan? I take it you know all about the Sergeant's time in the war." He had said it as if he were having polite conversation to a colleague and that made Abby want to slam his face against the glass. A broken nose would do him some good.
But he was right. "His regiment was captured by Hydra. They were taken to a weapons factory. Bucky was-" She froze, her eyes turning to regard Pierce. "The experiments?"
"Dr. Zola was trying to replicate the super soldier serum that worked so well on Rogers. It seemed that James Barnes fit the bill. The serum kept him alive after the fall. Lost his arm in the tragedy but we saw to it."
She shook her head, unable to fully believe any of this. She had learned about Bucky, she had heard stories from Steve. He was good through and through. Almost as good as Steve. There was no way he could be this weapon before her.
"Your confused? I can understand that." As if her read her mind, Pierce continued on. "It took quite a bit of conditioning to mold him into the perfect weapon. He lasted longer than they had thought but everyone breaks eventually. They wiped all traces of James Buchanan Barnes and the Winter Soldier was born, the Fist of Hydra. Awakened from cyro when he needs to help our vision afloat." Abby lost the battle as a few tears fell down her cheeks, her eyes shutting tightly. They had turned him into a shell, they had taken everything that he had been, everything good and ripped it all away for their own benefit. They had turned him into a machine, a weapon, a killer.
She hung her Steve must be devastated.
Brock grabbed her wrists, pulling a key from his pocket. She felt the pressure loosen from around her wrists, rubbing them as the cuffs were pulled away. "You try anything princess." Brock tapped the side of his gun for emphasis. Abby didn't need him to elaborate.
Before she knew it, she was being shoved into the room, the large metal door slamming shut, echoing through the room. Everything was silent, all except the humming from the machines. Abby didn't move for a moment, her back turned to the other occupant in the room, something she realized might not be the best idea with a super soldier assassin.
Summoning every ounce of courage, she could, she slowly turned to face her "patient". He had not moved an inch from where he sat, his dark eyes trained on her.
"Um hi." She tried at a smile, trying to seem as less threatening as possible. He gave her back the same blankness, unnerving her to her core. "So I hear you got some arm problems. I'm going to try and work on that if it's ok?" Nothing. He remained silent, just starring at her. Abby hesitantly moved closer, noticing that he followed her every movements, probably assessing if she were a threat. She made it to the stool that sat next to the chair, the computer monitors open and ready. She noticed the tools attached to a mechanical arm, ready for instructions.
Up close, she was able to take him all in. Getting a better look at his left arm, she guessed the metal was titanium, the arm made up of multiple plates that seemed to whirl and move in place. She saw were the damage was, a large gap in the plates near the elbow, the perfect size for Steve's shield.
She also noticed how tense he was, his muscles taut, his fists clenched as they laid on the arm rests. She felt her heart crack, recognizing the actions. She had seen similar actions in those of former POW'S. He was ready for something, and from the look of the chair that he was strapped to, that something must not have been pleasant.
"You're not the doctor." Abby's head snapped up when she heard the words, quiet but still audible.
It was the first time he had spoken, startling Abby slightly. His voice sounded a bit hoarse, almost like he didn't use it too much. Abby's heart fluttered however when, under it all, she heard a faint hint of a Brooklyn drawl. So, they hadn't completely wiped everything about Bucky.
"No but I do know a bit about this tech stuff to help you out. My names Abby." Tinkering with the keyboard she glanced back at the assassin in front of her. "Is there something I can call you?"
"Soldat." Was his only response. Abby chewed on her lip, drawing blood as she felt her anger boil. That's all Hydra saw him as. Bastards couldn't even give him a name.
"Alright soldier it is." Getting a bit braver she rolled the stool closer, her eyes moving over the metal of the arm, assessing the damage that needed to be repaired. Steve's shield really did do a number on it. She noticed the restraints, how they dug into him. It looked painful just looking at them.
As she examined him, she couldn't help but let her eyes linger. She had only ever seen this man on the pages of textbooks and on the old film reels that played in the museum. She had known he was a handsome man but in person it was a whole other ball game. His built was a bit larger, the toned body he once had bulked up a bit. She could probably than the serum he had been given. His face was still had the movie star good looks but now there was an edge to it. The light that she saw in it every time she watched a reel frame was gone, replaced by the emptiness that took over. The playful smile that usually adorned his face was no where to be seen and probably hadn't been seen in quite some time. Her cheeks tinged red, quickly shaking those thoughts away. They were definitely not important in this moment.
"Those don't look to comfortable." She noted, met only with silence once again. Chewing on her lip, she knew how stupid her next move was, one that could very well get her killed when she saw the large body sized dent in the wall. "Can I make a deal with you? You let me work, and not bash my head against the wall, I'll take the restraints off?" It was hard to read the man in front of her, his facial features not giving anything away. Taking a large leap of faith, she looked over the controls, typing in the right keys. The clink of the restraints retracting echoed off the walls.
Abby paused, waiting for any moment now to feel her body hit the concrete of the wall behind her or the feel of metal around her neck. When neither happened, she chanced a look at Bucky, his gaze pinned on her. Taking this as a good sign, she gave him a small smile before turning to the computer and getting started.
The silence was nearly suffocating as the tools moved, working at repairing the damage on the metal appendage. Abby picked up the controls quickly, noting how similar it was to the controls her father used when fixing one of his suits. That thought worried her. How much did they know about her fathers work with his suits?
When she was finally happy with her work, she rolled up next to the chair, carefully examining the metal plates. Up close, her eyes drifted to where flesh met machine. She felt bile rise in her throat, doing everything she could to push it down as she examined the scars that adorned his shoulder. They were puckered and angry, giving her the hint that his comfort and care weren't the top of their priorities when they had done it.
"Why are you crying?" his quite question broke her out of her train of thoughts. She blinked, suddenly realizing the tears that had fallen down her cheeks. Turning her head, she quickly wiped at them.
"Sorry just...does it hurt?" she questioned. When he gave her a look of confusion, she moved her hand, her fingers brushing against the rough scarring. She quickly removed it when she felt him tense, afraid she may have overstepped some line. "Sorry I didn't mean.."
"Its fine. Just …not used to gentle touching is all." His matter of fact admission made her want to cry again.
Trying to shift focus away from that topic, she thumped lightly on the plating of the arm. "Well your arms good to go. Steve's shield really did a number on it." Abby gasped when she felt a hand (thankfully flesh) wrap around her forearm suddenly. She noticed Bucky's shift. His eyes looked at her, confusion swirling like a raging ocean.
"The man on the bridge? The one who did this? You know him. They won't tell me anything. He called me..Bucky. Why the hell do I feel like I know him?" His voice sounded pained, like he was trying to recall something that was just out of reach for him. This bit of information sparked something in Abby. Maybe Hydra hadn't wiped everything out of him. Maybe, deep under everything they had created was the same man as before.
Abby felt the pressure from her forearm disappear when something caught his eye. She watched as tentative fingers reached forward, grasping the chain of the dog tags around her neck. During her encounter with Rumlow, they must have somehow worked their way from under her shirt. "32..557..Sargent James….Buchanan Barnes." he repeated the words carved into the metal, Abby watching as the wheels in his head turned.
Before she would say anything, anything about him, about Steve, about his past, the door to the room was opening and she was being slammed up against the wall, a hand tight around her throat. Brock tsked tapping the barrel of his gun against her temple. "What did I say about behaving yourself sweetheart?" Abby struggled to breath, her fingers clawing at the hand around her throat, trying to pry them away.
A flash of movement caught both of their eyes. She saw Bucky standing, his body taught with unreleased tension, his fists clenched as he starred at the two. She could faintly hear the whirl of the metal plates as they shifted with his stance.
The STRIKE team quickly turned their weapons on him. "Stand down now asset!" A man (she remembered his name was Rollins?) barked out. Bucky stayed where he was, his eyes never leaving Brocks.
Abby was surprised as he started to laugh, wondering if he had finally just lost it. "Well, this is an interesting turn here. Got a little crush soldier? Getting a little hot under the collar?" he turned his gaze back to Abby, his eyes dragging slowly up and down her body. She glared back, wanting more than anything to claw his eyes out.
"Can't really blame you. She's a nice piece of ass." She flinched when she heard his gun cock. "Now sit back down and comply or I'll splatter the walls with her brains." Bucky's eyes locked with yours, not moving. His teeth gritted when the gun pressed to her head, Abby biting her lip to hold back the whimper as the metal dug into flesh.
After a beat, Bucky slowly sunk back into the chair, the restraints slamming back into place once more. When he was fully secured, Brock holstered his gun, yanking Abby into his hold. The door opened as Pierce stepped in, a team of scientists following him in.
"Thank you for your help Miss Stark." He regarded her before turning to one of the men in the room. "Prep him and wipe him."
Abby looked at him, confused. "What the hell are you going to do to him?" No one said anything as she watched as Bucky reluctantly opened his mouth, a bite guard shoved in. His eyes never left hers, keeping her gaze until the chair tipped back. Abby watched in horror as a contraption came down, locking in on both sides of his head.
Abby didn't know what was louder, the whirring of the electricity, Bucky's own anguished screams, or her own sobs. She watched as his body convulsed, restrained in the chair as the electricity coursed through his head.
"STOP IT! PLEASE!" She screamed, thrashing in Brocks hold as he stood their, forcing her to watch.
"Hope he remembers you sweetheart." Brock whispered mockingly, before dragging her from the room, Bucky's screams following her down the corridor.
