Author's Note: This is a hella-long chapter, so strap yourselves in! :) I thought about splitting it into two chapters, but the way it flows and the story it tells works better if it remains in one big chapter.
Trigger warning(s): Descriptions of violence, blood.
Later that morning, the couple was ready to leave the bungalow and accomplish their one main goal: figure out why Boroshka was on the island, and then take him down by any means possible.
There was only one final step left before they could begin, and that was for Alexis to complete one full power and skill transfer with Bucky. Though the couple had never done this before, they had plenty of experience with Alex's powers entering Bucky and working on his memories and negative emotions associated with his past. Still, the prospect of yet another "first" left Alexis feeling a little more nervous than she had been the day before when they discussed it. Then again, she was always nervous when it came to stuff like this.
"You want to do this like we do back home?" Bucky nodded towards the center of the living room floor and followed it with a warm smile.
Alex chewed her fingernail. "You mean knees touching, hands on each other?" She shook her head. "I think we'll be alright just to do it like I do on our missions." She used the finger she was nervously nibbling to summon him over.
Dressed fully in his "normal looking" clothing, complete with several guns and his trusty knife strapped to his body, Bucky stood in front of Alex. His eyes were friendly and his expression was as inviting as he could make it. "Whenever you're ready, darling."
Alex exhaled. She placed a hand on Bucky's shoulder and closed her eyes. Opening herself to that strange well deep inside her, she called upon her powers, rousing them from their slumber. Once she opened that invisible door inside herself, it was like a jolt of energy shot through her chest and into the rest of her body. Her skin came alive, her blood burned hotter, and she felt all of it exit the hand resting on Bucky's shoulder.
Bucky felt the familiar warmth of Alex's powers as they entered him. Her white light pulsed around her, flickering and shimmering. Gradually, the light flowed through her and onto him, covering his body in her light. This, he was used to. Her strange light was like a friend to him now. Whenever he saw it, whenever he felt it around him, it comforted him. There was something uniquely special about the way Alex connected with him in this manner. It went beyond the physical and emotional connection that happened when they made love. It was so deeply intimate, to trust someone to enter you with an unexplainable power that joined you in ways never thought possible. This was what Bucky was used to.
However, what he was not used to was the mild tugging sensation he began to feel. It began somewhere inside his chest as Alexis extended her powers further into him, then it spread beyond his chest into his limbs. It felt strange, but not uncomfortable. He remained still as Alex did her thing, but kept his eyes on her face for any sign that something was abnormal. Thankfully, it didn't seem to be. In fact, her expression was utterly calm as she gripped his shoulder tighter and her light grew brighter around them.
For Alex, transferring with Bucky was much different than any other transfer of skill and traits she'd done with other Avengers. It had a familiar feeling to her. Maybe it was because she knew Bucky so well, or knew parts of him he never shared with anyone (and vice versa). Maybe that made all the difference. Her muscles adjusted to his level of power and the abilities he had from his super serum, but none of it felt new to her.
She still felt the usual augmentation inside her body, though her appearance never changed on the outside. She wouldn't have a metal arm, but her body would have Bucky's strength, agility, skill, and resiliency without a single difference in her appearance.
When Alex finished and opened her eyes, she felt stronger than any other transfer she'd done before aside from Steve. Her eyesight was clearer, her mind sharper, and her muscles felt as strong as ever.
Bucky stared at her with question in his gaze. "How do you feel?"
Alex rolled her neck, then swung her arms in circles to get a feel for the changes. She looked at Bucky with a grin. "Way fucking stronger, that's for sure." She jumped in place a few times to let her legs adjust, then rolled her neck again. It was like her energy had quadrupled...like she'd been in a deep, restorative sleep for days at a time. "How do you live like this every day and not explode!?"
He tilted his head and laughed. "Explode?! From what?"
"From all this energy."
Uttering another chuckle, Bucky pulled her in for a hug. "You're cute, babe - but after 70 years, you just get used to it." When he pulled back, he kept his hands braced on either side of her shoulders. "So. You ready? Need any more time?"
"Never been more ready" Alex answered with a smile. "Lead the way."
She said this in regards to Bucky being the first to step out of the bungalow and begin their trek up to the main building on the property, but she also meant it for their entire plan and the day ahead of them. This was Bucky's fight, and Alex didn't want to take that from him. Hopefully she wouldn't need to use his transferred skills within her, but she felt better having them just in case. She was there to support him, to help him if he needed it, and to add another superhuman presence in the fight against someone who deserved everything that was coming for him.
All of this was very evident in the way Bucky carried himself. From the way he walked, the way he squared his broad shoulders, the way his handsome face hardened into sharp angles that gave evidence to his level of focus. Alex saw it in every line of his body, right down to the metal fist that clenched and unclenched as though he was testing it for what was to come. To her, Bucky's top-heavy body was a masterpiece, but it was also a powerhouse of a weapon. He truly didn't need any of his usual Avenger decorations to transform into the formidable soldier that he was.
But Bucky was also able to wipe the stern look off his face when he needed to, which is when they arrived at the main building on Stark's property. He did just that, transforming himself once more.
It was time for them to active their plan.
Wearing a more relaxed expression, Bucky opened the door for Alex, who shrugged his black leather jacket up and over her shoulders as she entered. She hugged her arms around her torso, acting as though she caught a chill from the air conditioning inside the building.
Heilani was there, of course. Her friendly smile greeted them before they even reached the desk. "Good morning!" she said, her voice echoing through the lobby like a song. "How are we doing today? Out for another adventure?"
"Doing great, Ma'am." Bucky leaned an arm over the counter casually; any sign of his intense focus temporarily gone. "You know, funny thing...when I returned the Jeep yesterday, I don't know how it happened, but I forgot to give these to Oro." He lifted the keys from his pocket, the key ring swinging on his index finger. "You wouldn't happen to know if he's around today, would you?"
Heilani glanced between the two of them, and Alex gave her a smile. "He can be forgetful sometimes" she said, patting Bucky's stomach lovingly.
Heilani waved a hand. "It's no problem dear. Although unfortunately, Oro called off work this morning. Said he was sick as a dog, the poor thing."
Both Bucky and Alex's eyes met for a brief second.
"That's a shame" they echoed in unison.
Heilani shook her head, little wisps of gray hair billowing about her brow. "He didn't seem ill yesterday, but you just never know with Oro." She leaned in towards the couple and lowered her voice. "He's a polite man and all, but in my opinion, he keeps to himself too much. Doesn't really talk a whole lot unless spoken to, you know?"
Bucky slowly nodded, playing it up further with his expression. "Interesting..."
The only reaction they got from Heilani was a suspicious lift of one of her dark eyebrows. "Like I said: polite man. Just a little quiet." She immediately broke into a smile, acting as if she didn't just judge a coworker. "So! If you two have the keys, Oro will be none the wiser. You can just head down to his office and leave them on his desk, or - if you don't want to bother, I can do it for you?" She held out her hand to take the keys, but both Alex and Bucky began to protest.
"Oh no, that won't be necessary" Alex replied.
"You've already done so much for us on this trip" Bucky added, sliding the keys back into the pocket of his jeans. "It's no problem, really."
"You two are too sweet." She settled into place in her chair. "But if you want to take the Jeep for the day and return it later, I'll never tell. It'll be like forgetting the keys never happened." She gave the couple a wink.
Alex and Bucky's gazes met with a smile.
"I think we'll do just that" Alex told her. "Thanks again, Heilani."
"You kids have fun, whatever you end up doing!"
The couple turned from the desk and headed back out of the lobby. Bucky gave Alex a side-eye and a faint smile. "Oh we will, won't we?" he uttered under his breath.
The grin on Alex's face gave him her answer.
They said nothing else as they headed down into the private garage, going through the same motions Bucky had the day before to pass security clearance. Only when they were below ground and closer to the entrances that would take them to Oro's office did they begin to talk about Heilani's admission.
"What do you make of it?" Alex asked Bucky.
"I think it fits the bill of what I know of him." He withdrew his thumb from the security panel and motioned Alex to head through the door first. "I also find it very convenient that Boroshka's 'sick' today."
"Exactly what I was thinking." Alex placed her thumb on the next panel, watching as the second and final door slid open to reveal Oro's office. All of the security monitors were working, their images flicking between various angled shots around the island properties. She scanned the room for anything else interesting, but Bucky's description had been spot on. "Yep. As boring as you told me." She took a seat at the desk and began logging in to the computer system.
Bucky waited, keeping an eye on the door as well as an ear peeled for any movement beyond the room. "You think you can do this?" He saw her smirk and knew he didn't need to ask that question.
"Do you doubt my skills, Sergeant?"
"Never said I didn't." He nudged her. "Just wondering if our sick groundskeeper placed any additional measures on the computer before he took the day off. If he even suspects we're coming for him-" He stopped mid-sentence when the main screen of the computer blinked a few times and a message appeared:
Stark Industries welcomes you, Alexis Markos. Please enter your S.H.I.E.L.D. clearance code to proceed.
Alex glanced back at Bucky. "Seems he did no such thing" she replied happily. With a crack of her fingers, she got to work. "Here comes the fun part."
Bucky gave a good-natured shake of his head and went back to monitoring the door, shoving his hands deep in his pockets. He never understood any of those on the Avengers team that enjoyed computer work. He found all of it frustrating and somewhat anxiety-inducing. He supposed it had to do with his extreme lack of skill with computers, especially when he all but missed the dawn of such technology while brainwashed. Maybe one day he would learn. After all, he did learn how to use a cell phone and how to text. That had to count for something?
"Bingo." Alex's fingers flew across the keyboard. "Got into the mainframe. Lo' and behold, it's modeled exactly like Headquarters."
Bucky stood behind her chair and rested his elbows on the headrest. From here, he could watch the screen along with her. "Can you take the cameras down without alerting anyone?"
"Should be able to." She stared at the screen intently, clicking and typing. "Oro's passwords are shit, by the way." She looked behind her to see Bucky smiling.
"Doesn't surprise me. He was a Hydra thug, after all."
"I think I'll change them for him."
"Nice girl that you are" Bucky played along.
Alex changed all passwords set by Oro. She changed everything she could, in fact. After a final few programming maneuvers, the security feed in front of them began to flicker off one by one. Each rectangular image faded to gray and eventually turned off completely until all 20-some cameras were dead. Without security watching them, and without any chance that Oro would be able to monitor their whereabouts from a remote location, their plan could continue without nearly as much fear of failure.
"On to the staff directory" Alex said, cueing up a different part of the computer to investigate. "This might take more time. I'm not familiar with a lot of what I'm seeing here."
"Do what you need to. We've got time."
Alex would work efficiently anyway, but Bucky wanted her to know it was more important to find out where Boroshka might be, which was very likely his house. Especially because he called in 'sick'. They needed as much information as they could get for this part.
This still rubbed Bucky the wrong way. Just something about it struck him as premeditated. Boroshka had to know Bucky was coming for him. After he used the words, after he approached him like he did in the garage, all of it lead to his assumption that Boroshka was planning something. Whatever the case, they'd be ready for him. Bucky was sure of that.
Alex clapped her hands together. "Got it!"
Bucky went over and peered over Alex's shoulder, one hand braced on the desk. "What'd you find?"
"Name, address, telephone, hiring date." She enlarged the file for them both to read. "Looks like he was hired several years ago...from Poland."
Bucky scanned the text and his forehead wrinkled. "Stark let S.H.I.E.L.D. hire him? Did they hire all of the people here?"
Alex made a face. "Explains why he doesn't know he's harboring a Hydra agent." She looked at Bucky, noticing the question in his eyes at he stared at Oro's dossier.
"Something isn't right. Why was he in Poland in the first place?" His gaze met hers. "He was always stationed in Russia...with the rest of them." His voice took on a callous tone.
Alex thought this over. "So there's a period of time that isn't accounted for. A period of time that even S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't aware of."
"Or chose to ignore."
The look they exchanged was one of distrust; distrust for their own organization.
Alex didn't want to think like that. "Tony would know. He'd have to know."
"Don't be so sure" Bucky answered. "The same people who brought me in years ago...they were all involved." He shook his head and stood up away from the desk. "But you know the story." He walked away, his hand rubbing at the beard around his mouth.
Alex sat quietly. She understood that everything they were doing, and why they were doing it, brought up layers and layers of emotions within Bucky. Many of which he still wrestled with daily. He was doing so well, but it was hitting too close to home and was starting to eat away at him. She felt this inside herself even morenow that she had transferred some of himself into her. It enhanced the anger inside her, as it did the hatred. She used it as fuel; fuel to bring up Oro's address and locate him so they could end this charade.
"Well look at that." Alex leaned back in the chair. "Looks like his home isn't far from where our waterfall is."
Bucky turned halfway. "Really?"
Alex brought up an enhanced satellite map and zoomed in to the location given on the staff directory. Bucky saw what appeared to be a single-land dirt road that lead to a very small structure on the fringe of the tropical forest. No other homes or structures seemed to be anywhere near him, which was better luck than he expected.
"Any other addresses listed on the file?" he asked.
"This is the only one."
"Does Stark have any other properties on the island beside these?"
Alex shook her head. "This is it. Unless he's hiding in the woods, he's gotta be here." She met the steel blue eyes of her boyfriend. "He's sick, after all. Where else would he be, if not home?"
Bucky smirked. "You think he's there pretending to eat chicken soup with a box of tissues nearby?"
"I hope not" Alex said, pushing back from the desk. "I'd hate to spill blood into a perfectly good bowl of soup."
After calling in and faking an illness, Boroshka used the rest of the morning to get ready.
In the years he spent working for the enemy, watching over his playground and making sure all his toys were safe and sound, he collected stores of spare parts and broken cameras that he refurbished for his own use. He had them all over his property, but he spent that morning installing one final camera at the end of the road leading to his shack.
He knew the ghost would come. How long would it take him to figure out where he lived?
After the camera installation, Boroshka moved to the bed of his work truck where he kept items he frequently needed on the job. Here he kept a variety of toolboxes, spare motor parts, landscaping equipment, shovels and rakes, and several plastic gas cans. He kept the gas cans full in the event he had to refuel the various maintenance vehicles he used around the enemy's playground. Now, he chose one of the cans and walked the entire perimeter of his shack, spilling a line of gasoline behind him.
When he was finished, he tossed the empty can back into his truck bed and then grabbed a line of electric wire he kept on a large spool. Unraveling the line, Boroshka went about laying a tripwire across the front and back of his shack. With a little finagling and skills he learned from his old family, he gathered together a few extra items to make a switch and a reactor for each line.
Feeling a high he hadn't felt since in years, Boroshka took great pleasure in setting the traps that would aim to alert, and maim, the ghost. Riding that high, he decided to string lines around the forest perimeter that lay beyond his hut. When he set the reactors for each of these to his liking, he went back inside. The whole thing took less than two hours.
Boroshka lit a cigarette and settled into his desk, staring at the articles and pictures tacked to the wall. He found inspiration in them now. If he could bring the Winter Soldier back, maybe his family would truly accept his return into the program. Maybe they would absolve him of his past misgivings. He needed them to forgive him. He was nothing without them. Just an errand boy for the enemy, and that's not who he was. It was only who he pretended to be.
Powering on his laptop, Boroshka called up all the camera feeds around his property and the one at the end of his road. When he ensured all the feeds were working and showing live pictures, he signed in to the Stark security feed covering the grounds of the main property.
When he entered his password and identification, an error flashed on the screen:
Stark Industries Security Systems: INVALID ERROR
Devices 1-12, 12-24, 24-29 have been disabled.
Devices will remain offline until security policy has been updated.
Puzzled, Boroshka sat staring at the screen. He clicked on a few of the individual cameras to check their status, only to receive a similar error:
SISS Device 1: There is no connected camera.
SISS Device 2: There is no connected camera.
SISS Device 3: There is no connected camera.
SISS Device 4: There is no connected camera.
He slammed a fist down on the table, rattling all the usual items on the desk.
Exiting out of the program completely, Boroshka went back to the beginning and tried again. This time, he used his backup password and authentication credentials. Anticipation filled him as a tiny wheel on the screen went round and round, plugging and chugging his information. Smoke curled from the cigarette poised between his pursed lips as he waited.
The same error message appeared yet again:
Stark Industries Security Systems: INVALID ERROR
Devices 1-12, 12-24, 24-29 have been disabled.
Boroshka let out a huff of frustration, smoke billowing from his mouth. One final time, now using the security system's default password and authentication, he attempted to sign in to the main property's camera feeds...only to receive the very same error messages.
Running a shaky hand through his grayed and greasy hair, he tried to calm his thundering heart. These were his cameras. His. Why were they not working?
A finger of ice crept into his heart.
Perhaps the ghost was already one step ahead of him?
He cursed quietly to himself.
He should have known the ghost would work quicker than planned.
He bounded from his chair and went to the only closet he had inside his shack: two boards nailed to the rickety hut wall with a makeshift curtain tied on a rope draped across the top. He flung back the curtain and pulled out a small metal case emblazoned with the symbol of a skull and tentacles. He lifted the lid to reveal a Soviet issued handgun given to him by his old family. The family that deserted him. The family that raised the ghost. He hadn't used the gun since he left Russia, but he couldn't think of a better reunion in which to use it. He hoped the ghost would remember it fondly when he had it pointed between his eyes.
He went back to his desk, gun in hand. Taking one last pull of nicotine, he let the smoke burn in his throat and through his lungs good and long before exhaling. He dabbed the rest out on the plate with all the other cigarette butts, then reclined back in his chair with his feet on the desk.
With his eyes on the camera feed showing the end of his road, Boroshka waited.
"Pull over here."
Alex glanced at Bucky in the passenger seat, then turned the wheel. She brought the Jeep to a stop on the side of the road and killed the engine; almost a half mile away from Boroshka's road. "What's the matter?"
Bucky squinted, staring out the window and peering all around him. "He'll have cameras at the entrance. We need to avoid them." He looked at her, jaw set, eyes bright and focused. "You ready?"
Alex placed a hand on his knee and squeezed. "Right behind you, Sergeant. All the way."
The corner of Bucky's mouth lifted, but then it was gone. He exited the Jeep, hearing Alex shutting her door and following behind him. He scanned the forest along the road, eyeing every tree, every frond, every trunk or branch he could. It seemed a half-mile was far enough away to begin the trek in to his property safely. He looked back at Alex and nodded. "Let's go."
They headed into the thick brush, pushing their way through some of the thicker foliage until they found a clearer way that would take them towards the dirt road. The heat of the day was growing, but the humidity was exhausting. Bucky's shirt was soaked in the back and under his arms within minutes of their trek, while the outline of Alex's abs were traced by sweat down the front of her cami. Halfway to Boroshka's home, she had no choice but to take her lengthy ponytail and wrap it into a bun on the top of her head. Strands of hair that didn't stay in her bun stuck to her temples, her skin flushed pink from the heat and humidity.
Though Alex was only a few strides behind him, Bucky waited for her. He took her hand in his, letting her know he was right there with her and was also feeling the effects of the heat. Being away from the water and the relief of the ocean's constant breeze was never more evident than it was on that walk to Boroshka's. And though they didn't talk, the smile Bucky gave Alex and the subtle squeeze of his hand had been enough to let her know they were in this together.
Their trek was a wide berth semi-circle that ended at the forest's edge. When the dirt road finally appeared, Bucky motioned for Alex to wait in the safety of the foliage until he could scope it our. Crouching low, he edged his way to the side of the road and scanned the trees as he'd done before. This time he spotted at least two cameras within eyeshot.
When he got back to Alex, he shook his head to tell her it was a no-go, then waved for her to follow him once more.
The couple did this at least three more times before they came to a portion of the road that was camera-free. Bucky knew Boroshka wouldn't have the entire road covered, since only the first half of the road was the most important part to monitor. This proved to be true, as the rest of their walk along the dirt road remained free from any further security measures.
When they arrived at the final bend in the road before Boroshka's home, Bucky pulled Alex into his arms. He cupped her beautiful face, tasted the salt of her sweat on her lips, and let her know through his kiss that he understood the gravity of what was next and that he appreciated her being there with him. He ended it by placing a final kiss on her forehead. "Love you" he whispered.
Alex brushed away some of the damp hair that stuck to the sides of his face. "Love you too."
In unison, they removed one of their guns and cocked them, then began the last stretch of the dirt road to Boroshka's. Their steps were in line with each other's, their expressions focused and steady. They rounded the curve in the road, the view opening up to a small property. What they saw was just the first of several surprises they would encounter.
Boroshka's home wasn't at all what they were expecting. In truth, it wasn't much of a home at all. It was a dilapidated wooden shack; lop-sided, riddled with holes and cracks, with a thickly thatched roof common of the other structures seen on the island. Even so, the entirety of the 'home' was in rough shape, and that included the roof.
The pair proceeded, hands secure on their guns. Bucky eyed every corner of the property in those first moments: truck in driveway, no noise, no animals. He lifted his gaze: four cameras, one in each quadrant. Then he scanned the ground, noticing the very subtle, but very real tripwire laying in waiting outside the home's entrance.
He held out his hand, stopping Alexis. Her eyes met his with question. He motioned with his chin at the tripwire. She quickly noticed it and gave him a nod.
It wasn't the only one. Bucky moved his eyes over the perimeter of the forest, noticing many more lines had been set. The wires were poorly buried beneath dead palm fronds, but he also spotted the reactors set at the ends. Three visible lines near the east and west ends of property. Two near the north end. Only safe way out of the property will be the road.
Either Boroshka was a paranoid son of a bitch, or he had prepared himself for their arrival.
Bucky suspected the latter.
Alex gave a tilt of her head, grabbing Bucky's attention. She pointed to her nose, signaling for him to inhale. Bucky took a deep breath and noticed right away what she was alerting him to.
Gasoline.
He glanced down at his feet, but there was no shiny reflection of fuel on the grass. Maybe it was coming from the gas cans in the back of the truck, but those were capped and locked.
No, the gasoline had been poured somewhere. Purposely.
Bucky waved Alex closer and mouthed: don't fire your gun unless you have to. Alex gave him another nod. If they got into unnecessary gunfire wherever Boroshka had poured the lines, they'd all go up in flames.
When the couple was less than a hundred feet or so from the shack, Bucky began phase two of their plan: to announce himself while Alex took cover nearby. This part of the plan would test if Boroshka would cooperate without force, and would give Bucky the chance to talk to him one-on-one. Alex would step in when signaled.
With Boroshka's truck parked close by, it would serve as loose cover for Alexis until Bucky got Boroshka isolated and pinned. He was about to motion for her to take cover, but she was already on it.
Her movements were quiet as she rounded the far side of the parked truck. She settled in against one of the truck's wheels with her back pressed against the metal hubcap. In this position, she was facing away from the shack but could hear everything that went on.
Alex closed her eyes, focused her powers, and listened to Bucky's heavy footsteps as he neared the home. Her heartbeat accelerated. Her powers thrummed.
She tightened both hands on her gun and kept it poised near the center of her chest and waited for her signal.
Inside the hut, Boroshka watched all of his monitors with unwavering focus. The minutes ticked by, but there was no sign of the ghost.
His knee bobbed nervously.
He finished his last cigarette, dabbing it out on the plate with the others.
He kept his eyes on his laptop screen, flipping between all the cameras.
Nothing.
No one showed.
And then he heard the ghost's voice outside his door.
"Я знаю, что ты там, Бушка!" Bucky aimed his weapon at the entrance of the shack. He took two slow steps towards the door, ever mindful of the trip wire. "Сейчас я хочу только поговорить!"
He was greeted with silence.
"Boroshka!" Bucky took another step, yet not a sound was heard.
Coward.
Impatience boiled inside him. He took one final step, closing the distance to the front door. He threw all his weight into his left leg and kicked the door down, the force of it sending splintered boards flying into the home. Bucky raised his gun and stepped over the wire and the broken wood, getting his first look at the inside of the hut Boroshka called home.
It was all of two rooms from what Bucky could see. A simple kitchen with a banged up table. A makeshift closet. A thin mattress on the floor. It was dirty, unkempt, and familiar.
Familiar, because it reminded Bucky of his apartment back in Bucharest.
On the far end of the main room, a desk was pressed against the wall. Upon seeing what was tacked to that wall, Bucky lowered his gun. He walked over, eyes focused on the layers of pictures and news clippings. Some were recent. Others were much older; their corners yellowed and curled with age.
He knew the people tacked to that wall. He saw their faces in his nightmares. He remembered their harsh voices when they ordered him to do their bidding.
He hated all of them.
Sticking out behind one of the more prominent articles was a man Bucky never wanted to see again. He lifted the edge of the article with his finger, revealing a picture of Vasily Karpov, the man in charge of Hydra's Winter Soldier program.
Bucky stared at the face of the man who plagued his nightmares, feeling hatred growing inside him like a dark flame. He subconsciously ground his teeth, jaw muscles flexing, as he recalled the feel of cold metal plates from the brainwashing chair attach to his face and head. He felt the searing pain of needles being jabbed into him down to the bone. Smelled the charred ends of his uniform as they electrocuted him.
Disgusted, Bucky turned away from the wall.
That's when Boroshka struck.
He was on top of Bucky with ungodly speed, but this wasn't the first time they'd fought one another and Bucky's memory wasn't shit anymore. He remembered Boroshka's fighting style almost immediately. His muscle memory kicked in as he retaliated against Boroshka, just as he'd done many times decades ago. Boroshka may have had the element of surprise, but Bucky had unmatched strength.
He wielded his arm, the sound of its power whining through the silence in the hut, accenting their muffles grunts and heavy breaths. They parried - Boroshka still had it in him, it seemed - but Bucky was far better. He was quicker; his movements more precise. He blocked every punch, every throw, and every kick, knocking Boroshka back until he had him against the wall.
Metal fingers locked onto his neck like a vice. "You're not as skilled as you once were, Gribinov," Bucky uttered, blue eyes ablaze with adrenaline.
Boroshka struggled against his firm grip. "You're not as obedient as you once were, Зимний солдат."
Bucky bared his teeth. Even in the sweltering heat, Boroshka's voice was as cold and lifeless as it was in his memories. Hearing him speak, even just seeing him again like this, sent Bucky back to dark, horrible places inside his mind.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded, squeezing Boroshka's neck harder. He engaged the plates of his arm, shifting them into position. Locking them. Preparing them. "Why are you on this island? Why do you work for Stark? TALK."
A laugh came from Boroshka's thin lips. "How are you alive? How did you escape?" He dared to inch his face closer. "Who is the woman who arrived on the island with you?"
Every muscle in Bucky's body tensed at the mention of Alexis.
He didn't care for talking, anyways.
He lunged at Boroshka, swinging his metal arm and the butt of the gun directly at Boroshka's head. Boroshka tried to duck but was too slow. He caught the edge of Bucky's solid fist, the sound like a hard pop when it collided with his skull. He fell backwards, only to feel the cold iron grip of Bucky's metal fist pulling him up by the hair.
"I said talk."
Boroshka's head throbbed where metal had collided with his skull. It took him a second, but his eyes gradually floated upward until his gaze met Bucky's. What shocked Boroshka most was that there was none of the frigid depth left in his eyes like there had been in Siberia. Something was different. The ghost's voice was just as dark and just as commanding, but it was also different somehow. His strength, however, had not changed one bit.
When Boroshka didn't answer, Bucky shook him by his head. "TALK."
So Boroshka did:
"Желание." (Longing.)
The first word came out hoarse, Boroshka's voice gravelly from their fight.
"Pжавый." (Rusted.)
"Cемнадцать." (Seventeen.)
Bucky felt that noticeable hitch occur at the base of his neck hearing the words. The same thing happened in the garage as well, and it caused just a fraction of hesitation in him. He never loosened his grip on Boroshka, but he dared him with his eyes to keep going. He wanted to prove it to himself, as much as he did Boroshka, that he was no longer under their control.
Boroshka saw the challenging look in the ghost's stare and ignored it.
"Pассвет." (Daybreak).
"печь." (Furnace.)
Nothing was happening. The confidence Boroshka had began to slip.
He pushed the words out of his mouth harder now, as though more effort might result in something different:
"девять!" (Nine!)
"добросердечный!" (Benign!)
Still, the ghost wasn't budging. The intensity he held in his gaze was nothing like Boroshka had ever seen.
"Возвращение на Родину!" (Homecoming!)
How those words had haunted Bucky. He listened to Boroshka speak them and felt the muscles in his shoulders tighten. A dull ache began to pulse in the center of his skull. But still...nothing else happened. No matter how harshly Boroshka spoke the words, no matter how loudly his voice got - nothing happened.
"Why the FUCK aren't you COMPLYING?!" Boroshka shouted, spittle flying from his lips.
Bucky grit his teeth and leaned in close. "Because I am no longer anyone's slave."
He slammed his head square into Boroshka's forehead, head-butting him backward into his mess of a kitchen counter. Plates scattered everywhere, glasses smashing on the floorboards. "Get up" Bucky growled.
Boroshka slipped on the shattered glass, grabbing onto the edge of the counter to keep his balance. When Boroshka didn't act fast enough for his liking, Bucky strode towards him and launched his metal fist into the side of his head. This sent Boroshka flying to the other end of the room, where his body crumpled to the floor.
One more time, Bucky went to him. He tightened his metal fingers deep into his graying hair and hauled him upright. "I said TALK."
Blood ran in a single line from the wound on Boroshka's temple. Weakly, he pulled his lips back in a condescending smirk. "I never took orders from you before, Зимний солдат. I will not do so now."
A tight laugh left Bucky when he heard this. He pointed his gun to the ceiling and fired one shot. In less than 5 seconds, Alexis stood in the doorway.
Boroshka saw the woman and almost laughed. He should have known the ghost would not come alone. The shocker was that it was the same woman from the private jet, from the day they first borrowed the enemy's jeep: dark hair, dark eyes, and athletic build - and a fixed stare that could have cut through glass.
She approached with confidence, a slight sway to her hips. "Hello Oro."
Boroshka spit on the ground in front of her in response.
Alex eyed Bucky with amusement. She gave him a single nod, and Bucky spun behind Boroshka, his metal arm putting him into an immoveable headlock. For extra measure, he brandished his knife and pressed the blade to Boroshka's neck, the tip aimed for the artery.
"One move and it's over."
Boroshka swallowed when he felt the tip deliver a pinprick of pain against his skin. There was nowhere he could go, not while he remained locked inside that metal arm. He knew what that arm could do. He knew he was pinned. His curiosity, however, was peaked by the woman. Why was the ghost letting her run things? Was she a soldier too?
Alex took another few steps towards Boroshka. She gave him a once over, never more convinced she hated someone more than she did him. Her mind lapsed back to all the horrors Bucky had told her in the months that they'd been together. She thought about all the memories she sifted through from his time in Siberia, always moving from one Hydra facility to the next and being a part of any number of inhumane experiments. This was her chance to look one of them in the eye and see what true evil really looked like.
Boroshka sneered. "What is so interesting?" His Russian accent was coming out now. Gone was the pretending, and with it, his fake American accent.
Alex stood staring at him a second longer before she allowed her eyes to meet his. "Just getting a good look at what a weak, soulless piece of shit really looks like."
Boroshka snorted. "You think I am weak, do you?" He began to laugh but Bucky's arm tightened around his neck so hard that he was forced to swallow it. "Ask him how weak I am" he croaked.
"I'll find out for myself, thank you." Alex lifted her hand in front of his face, palm open. "This won't be pleasant, but try and be a good boy and stay still." She locked her hand onto his face and closed her eyes.
When her powers shot into Boroshka, he shuddered violently. She nearly crushed his skull between her fingers from the force she inherited from Bucky, but luckily, she caught herself and adjusted her newfound strength before she did any harm. Once she gained control, she concentrated her whole being on going into his nightmare of a mind, searching and sifting through the memories and events he kept there.
There were three themes Alex encountered time and time again inside Boroshka: Hurt. Anger. Betrayal.
Over and over and over, these three emotions reappeared. And, not unlike Tony Stark had been the first time she read him, Boroshka also had road blocks that he created inside his psyche. Alex excelled at bypassing these now; Boroshka was no match for her.
She came his memories of Siberia and Bucky was there.
No, not Bucky.
Hydra's Tool.
She didn't want to see any of it. The memories were like black clouds, their contents full of misery and pain. She blew past these memories. She'd heard enough, seen enough, to know what was in them.
Outside of her, beyond the depth and intensity of where she was within her powers, Alex could just barely make out that Boroshka was struggling. She dove deeper inside his mind, ignoring everything beyond her physical body. Bucky would keep him subdued until she was finished.
And then she found what they were looking for: Boroshka's end with Hydra. His removal from the program. His exile to Poland. His years in hiding. His developing paranoia. Alexis clung to these moments inside him, wringing them for the answers they needed: why was he here, was he plotting against Tony or the Avengers, and who knew about him.
Alex discovered S.H.I.E.L.D. was at the forefront of it all.
Someone inside knew Boroshka and had let him in. They gave him a menial job somewhere he wouldn't get in trouble in exchange for keeping eyes on Tony at all times, reporting back about him over the course of several years.
Stark had never met the groundskeeper named Oro. He'd gone by many names in his past, changing his appearance, changing his stories, always evading and always being helped by someone inside S.H.I.E.L.D.
Boroshka was also not planning anything against Stark. He hated him, just like he hated everyone labeled an Avenger, but seemed to view Tony and the others only as a nuisance.
Alex dug through Boroshka's memories, learning that his only true obsession was with Hydra. His life seemed to revolve around his unhealthy, compulsive desire to get back into the evil organization so he could serve them again. He served the man inside S.H.I.E.L.D. in hopes of being reunited with his old family, his Hydra family, but that day would never come. Based on what Alex could read, Boroshka suspected this.
But what happened within Hydra that had forced him out in the first place? Alex went deeper, searching for this one valuable moment in time within Boroshka's psyche. What she found were faces she hadn't seen before. Names she never heard uttered during her brief time as an Avenger. Not even in the time she and Bucky were together did she recognize anything she saw within those crucial memories. She took everything she could from these and banked them in her own memory to discuss with Bucky later. Her powers wrapped around every detail, forcing Boroshka to relive them as she did so.
Outside her, Boroshka screamed.
Bucky maintained a strong headlock as Boroshka wailed against the feeling of Alex violating his mind. He kept him as still as he could, waiting until Alexis was finished. Her eyes remained closed while she worked; her face relaxed and motionless. Every time he saw it, it was fascinating to watch.
Finally, when Alex got everything they needed, she backed out of Boroshka's ugly psyche as fast as she could. The force of her retraction caused her to stumble backward, bumping in to a small table and knocking it over. Her powers retracted back inside her and the white light around her body faded. Once she was able to settle her breathing and calm her mind of what she'd just learned, she looked up to find Bucky staring at her with concern.
"Get everything?" His gaze was hard, but it contained that familiar hint of question behind it; the one that worried about her welfare and if she was alright. It may not be noticeable to anyone else, but Alex could recognize the subtly in his eyes better than anyone.
She answered his veiled question with a quick nod, then stood shakily. "Yes. Got it everything I could."
Bucky's expression relaxed, but his arm stayed wrapped around Boroshka's neck. "Do I let him go?"
"Not yet."
Boroshka was still visibly in pain from her powers entering his mind. He writhed against Bucky as the aftershocks of her invasion wore off, whimpering pathetically. When Boroshka opened his eyes and saw Alex standing near him, he clamored backwards, pushing against Bucky to no avail.
"No, please...no more...stay away..."
"Tell me who the mole is within S.H.I.E.L.D. that hired you" Alex demanded. "Who helped you get this job?"
Boroshka shook his head frantically. Bucky held the knife to his throat harder, drawing blood from the point as he dug it into his neck. "Answer her."
A flick of Boroshka's grey eyes shifted back at Bucky, followed by a twitch of his mouth. "He knows who it is." His voice was barely above a whisper. "He knows."
Boroshka felt the metal arm around his throat loosen just enough to let him continue talking. This could be his only chance. The only way he could win his old family back. If he could divide the ghost and the woman, he might have a chance.
"Do you remember the original program assigned to you, Зимний солдат?" he asked Bucky. "Do you remember who was in charge of it?"
Bucky let go of Boroshka completely. "No."
"You do. I see it in your eyes."
"No." Bucky raised his gun to eye-level and pointed it at Boroshka. "Not another word."
Alex looked between the men, feeling her heart begin to race. "What program?" Neither answered, only stared at one another. The look they shared spoke of some kind of knowledge between them, one that she didn't understand.
Boroshka's eyes never left Bucky or the gun pointed directly at him. "You did not tell her?"
Bucky exhaled, nostrils flaring. "I'm not that person anymore."
"But you were." Boroshka walked towards the barrel pointed at him in Bucky's hands. "It is who you remember. He left before I did. Erik. Surely you remember Erik? You two were close, no?"
"I am not that person anymore" Bucky repeated.
When Alex saw Bucky's hand begin to tremble, she'd had enough. She pulled the other gun from its holster and pointed both barrels at Boroshka. "You have three bullets aimed at your head, asshole. You aren't getting out of this alive. Quit wasting our time with these pointless games and tell us who the mole is."
Boroshka was never spoken to in this manner before, let alone by a woman. Her boldness infuriated him, but the way she entered his mind...that scared him. What an interesting combination, all in one woman. No wonder the ghost cared for her.
But if he could continue this revelation he was working on, it may be the only way he could get her back for what she did to him...for raping his mind. And it could be the only way he could get the ghost to return to Hydra with him. The activation words may not work anymore, but good old fashioned betrayal always did.
Turning, Boroshka stared at Alex. She was a sight to behold with her guns and her angry eyes and her quick tongue. He smiled at her. "You love him, don't you?"
"Don't listen to him, Alexis" Bucky said, his voice dropping a level. "Whatever he says, do not listen to him."
Boroshka paid him no mind. "I can see you do. I see the way you look at him. The way he protects you now. It does not take long to see there is love there. So...why didn't he tell you about the program he was originally assigned to in Siberia?"
Alex flicked her eyes between Boroshka and Bucky. She swallowed, feeling doubt creep throughout her tense body.
"Before the super serums were acquired, did he tell you that Hydra attempted to breed their first Winter Soldier?"
The entire room suddenly went cold. Alex heard the words leave Boroshka's mouth, but they didn't seem to register inside her mind.
"They bred him like an animal with female recruits, hoping they could make copies of their creation" Boroshka continued, his smile calm and calculated.
Alex's hands went limp and her arms turned to dead weights. Bred him like an animal. The thought turned her stomach until she felt sick. She centered her eyes on Bucky, who had since lowered his own weapon. The light in his eyes had died, and the look on his face pleaded to her.
"He's lying to you." His voice was full of grief. "You know everything about me, Alexis. Everything. You know he's lying. I have nothing to hide from you."
Alex felt her own hands begin to shake, so she lowered her weapons.
Boroshka's smile grew. "So he never told you, hmm? I see now. It seems the trust between you has not been what it's seemed."
Alex couldn't pull her gaze from Bucky. So many firsts, he'd said to her that morning. His first girlfriend since the war. His first dance. His first fuck. His first love. His first.
A familiar ache began to knot inside her stomach. It was the ache of hurt she felt her entire life, from her childhood to her teenage years, right up until Nick Fury found her and recruited her. The same hurt that Bucky had been so good at replacing with his love.
"I wonder how many offspring of yours are still alive in this world?" Boroshka continued, turning towards Bucky. "Do you ever wonder? Or do you suppose Hydra killed them too?"
Bucky shook his head. "Fuck you, Gribinov."
Boroshka was so close. He was so close to dividing them. Once he was successful, he could work on the ghost. If he could pull this off, there was still a chance he could get back to his old family...just as long as the woman continued to question the ghost's loyalty.
Alex stared at Bucky, feeling the fresh wound of hurt beginning to split open. "Is this true? This program he's talking about?"
Bucky's throat bobbed. "That part is true."
The air left Alex's lungs. "And they bred you?" The words sounded so foreign she couldn't believe they even left her mouth. She barely heard them over the sound of her own tortured heartbeat.
"They wanted to, but the program never went anywhere."
"What does that mean?"
"They had it all planned out but then the serums surfaced, so I never had to do it." Bucky shook his head sadly. "You know this, Alexis. You know Boroshka is lying. He's a master manipulator. Don't let him do this to you."
Next to them, Boroshka began to laugh.
Alex continued to stare at Bucky, her breath shaking inside her chest. "So I'm still your first?" Her lip trembled as fear consumed her. She needed him to say it. She had to hear him say it.
"You are." Bucky took another step forward, a deeply pained look in his eyes. "I have never lied about that. I have never lied to you about anything. You know this."
Those beautiful, large eyes of Bucky's looked at her - truly looked at her - and Alexis felt his love reaching out to her. She did know this. She knew Bucky would never lie to her. Deep down, despite the fear she felt at Boroshka's words and the sickening image that played in her mind, she knew Bucky had nothing to hide from her. This is what Hydra did. They broke people down, chiseled away at their capacity to love and to hope, and instilled fear and doubt where they could.
Boroshka didn't understand the hesitation between them. He began to feel his anxiety climbing, wondering why the couple was staring at one another without saying anything. He forced a strained laugh, breaking their attention. "Well isn't that convenient! What else would someone say when they were backed into a corner, huh?"
A switch flipped inside Alex's mind. Anger rekindled inside her so fiercely, her knuckles turned white as she steadied her grip on the guns and raised them once more, barrels aimed at Boroshka's head. "My thoughts exactly."
He recoiled. "Wait, what?"
"What else would someone say when backed into a corner" Alexis repeated, feeling confidence flowing through her once more. "Wasn't that what you just said?"
His eyes lowered to the barrels. "Yes..."
Alex smirked. "I'll tell you what they would do: they would try and lie their way out of a situation they knew they weren't getting out of alive."
Boroshka realized his error. His projection outed him, and she caught it. Whoever this woman was, he hated her. Hated her. His hunger to end her life raged in his gray eyes. He wanted to spill her guts in front of the ghost; have her blood run over his floor and watch it spray across the walls. She ruined his plan. Her presence, her voice, everything about her was an insult not just to him, but to Hydra itself.
Boroshka made his final mistake when he charged at Alexis.
He didn't even make it one full stride before Bucky's knife struck the back of his neck, lodging so deeply that the blade pierced through the front of his throat. Boroshka stumbled to the floor, falling limply onto his hands and knees as blood pooled beneath him. A horrific gurgle came from him as he began to choke on his own blood.
Bucky walked over calmly. He yanked the knife out of Boroshka's neck, then pushed him with the heel of his boot until he fell onto his back. Boroshka stared up at him and attempted to speak, but only blood bubbled from the gaping wound.
Bucky knelt in front of him, thumbing the blade of his knife thoughtfully. "I've dreamt about this moment for so long" he mused. "I used to think about all the ways I would kill you if I got the chance." He eyed Boroshka one last time. "Protecting the love of my life was the best possible way."
He rose, sheathing his knife without another word to the man dying on the floor.
Alex remained standing in shock. Since the moment the knife hit Boroshka and a spray of his blood had spattered across her face, she hadn't moved. Now, her eyes met Bucky's as he walked past her.
"Leave him" Bucky said.
Alex nodded; still feeling like the past minute or two had been in slow motion. She gave a glance in Boroshka's direction, then followed Bucky out of the shack.
Boroshka Gribinov would die alone on the floor of his hut, beneath the wall of his family who deserted him, killed by the Winter Soldier and the love he had for his girl.
Bucky grabbed a flare and a small torch from the back of Boroshka's work truck. He touched the flame of the torch to the flare, watching as it sparked and crackled to life. After replacing the torch, he tossed the flare into the line of gasoline Boroshka had spread around his hut.
The flames spread in a perfect circle around the home, grew taller, then engulfed the shack completely.
Without looking back, Bucky and Alexis walked away from the inferno building behind them. Bucky heard the windows shatter from the pressure, then felt a pulse of hot air against his back. He wanted to smile. He wanted to feel good about what had happened. But all he felt was calm.
He opened his hand for Alex, her fingers entwining between his.
They took the dirt road back to the woods, avoiding all cameras as they'd done on their way in. They took the Jeep back to the garage and left the keys on Boroshka's desk.
As far as anyone knew, only a ghost could have been at Boroshka's hut that day. There was no evidence that Bucky or Alexis had been there, no evidence of a struggle, no evidence of anything.
That's what you get when you mess with a ghost, after all.
