Chapter 3: Rescue?

"You're sure you saw him levitate?" Doctor Strange asked.

Sam stood in a large room that looked like a cross between an office and an ancient library as he resisted the urge to pace in front of Wong and Strange.

"I take it that's unusual for him?" Wong tilted his head and exchanged a glance with the doctor.

Sam couldn't tell whether the man was serious. "Yes! That's unusual for him. The last I checked, levitation wasn't one of the effects of the serum."

The two sorcerers exchanged another glance. Dr. Strange raised his eyebrows and Wong shrugged a shoulder. Sam was sure there was a message between them, but he wished they'd let him in on whatever was.

"Where is he now?" Dr. Strange asked.

"I don't know. He left his phone, so I can't track him." There was a knot of worry in his gut, both for Bucky and whoever he might encounter.

Wong faced Strange. "Possession?"

Sam tried hard not to go there, because with everything he had seen in his life, adding the knowledge that any human being could have their body taken over by some otherworldly entity was almost too much. Unfortunately, he couldn't think of anything else that would explain what happened with Bucky. If he hadn't seen the man rise a foot above the mattress, he probably would've chalked Bucky's behavior up to a psychotic break or a re-emergence of the Winter Soldier conditioning.

"Or dream walker." Strange walked along the massive bookshelves lining one wall and ran his finger along the spines. He stopped at one particularly ancient-looking tome with a faded, frayed cover and plucked it from the shelf.

Wong huffed. "Unless an alternate version of Barnes has the ability to levitate, it's probably possession."

"I've traveled the multiverse." Strange raised his chin with a slight smirk. "It is entirely possible there's an alternate version of Barnes out there who has the ability to levitate."

Wong rolled his eyes. "You're really milking that?"

Sam's head was spinning trying to follow the conversation. Traveling the multiverse was a thing? And Strange had done it? What the hell was a dream walker? He forced his attention back to the matter at hand. "Can we focus on finding Bucky? Whatever the hell is going on with him, it's clear that he's not in his right mind. He's dangerous. He could kill somebody. He almost killed me."

Strange nodded. "Of course. It should be easy enough to find him." He reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a short version of brass knuckles. He slid them on the fingers of his left hand, and his right hand traced a circle in the air. Almost instantly, the circle took shape, outlined by orange sparks.

As quickly as it appeared, it vanished. Dr. Strange's brow furrowed. He tried again, with the same result. "That's odd. This should find him anywhere in the universe. This universe, anyway."

"Or this dimension." Wong grimaced and shifted on his feet with a glance at Sam. "If it's possession, James Barnes might not be accessible."

"Okay, let's try this again." Strange lifted his right hand. "If something is wearing him as a meat suit, I should still be able to find his physical body."

Sam winced at the term meat suit. Did that mean something had stolen Bucky's… soul? He really hated the mystical stuff. He preferred an enemy he could punch or hit with his shield.

This time, when the portal took shape, Sam blinked at the image he saw. His breath caught in his throat and it felt like an elephant kicked him in the chest.

Bucky — or the thing inside his body — had Sarah pressed against the wall with one hand around her neck. Her eyes were wide, and her hands were on his chest. Sam launched himself through the portal and tackled Bucky, but without the suit, he was no match for that serum-enhanced strength. He found himself sailing through the air and crashing into the far wall. He came back down on the bed.

He was still feeling the effects of being catapulted through Bucky's front door. His head felt entirely too big as the room spun, but he managed to croak out an order. "Sarah, get out of here!"

She didn't hesitate and ran toward the hotel door, fleeing into the hallway.

Sam managed to roll to his feet in front of Bucky and looked around frantically for the boys, but they weren't in the room. "What did you do with my nephews?"

Bucky's grin was all menace. "I guess you'll just have to wonder about that."

Strange and Wong emerged through the portal. Bucky's eyes snapped to them. His grin faded, and his eyes went cold.

Strange held his hands in front of him, his cape billowing with an almost palpable sense of irritation. "Who are you?"

"I am disappointed, sorcerer. Have I been gone so long that not even those skilled in the mystical arts recognize me?"

Wong flipped a hand through the air and sent a burst of energy from his palm that briefly enveloped Bucky. As it did, the figure of his friend shifted to that of a ghost-white man with black hair. When the energy faded, so did the specter.

"Nightmare." Wong moved in a circle around Bucky. "What is your purpose with this one?"

"Nightmare?" Sam took position on the other side of Bucky so that the three of them surrounded whatever thing had taken over his friend. "Who or what the hell is that?"

Dr. Strange kept his hands raised and his eyes on Bucky. "He is one of the Fear Lords, a demon from the dimension Everinnye—the Nightmare World. He feeds off nightmares by draining the psychic energy of his victims. The ancient one trapped him centuries ago."

"So where's Bucky? Is he in there?" Please, please be in there. Why did this shit keep happening to Bucky, and how were they going to free him this time? He was pretty sure a knock on the head wouldn't get rid of the demon.

"Your friend is not with his body. He is trapped in Nightmare's realm." Wong held his stance, arms outstretched.

"And if we don't get to him soon, we might not be able to save him." Dr. Strange pushed his right palm outward, sending a ribbon of energy that enveloped Bucky.

Bucky's body straightened, his eyes going wide, and he flailed against the restraint of the sorcerer's energy.

"He is weaker in this realm. While he's inside the human body we can control him." Wong opened a portal into the sanctum. "We should hurry."

-0- -0- -0-

He was strapped to an exam table in Hydra's lab. Three figures loomed over him — Karpov, with his smug smirk; Zola, with a sickening smile; and a masked doctor with a power saw in his hand.

The saw buzzed to life. Bucky's heart pounded like a mad horse, and his chest heaved as his lungs struggled to draw in enough air.

"Sergeant Barnes, It was such good fortune that you lost the arm in the fall. We never would have thought to build a superior prosthetic if you hadn't." Zola's grin widened and he pushed his glasses up. "Now we will replace all of your limbs with Hydra technology. You will be Hydra's first cyborg super soldier."

Karpov stepped back as the masked doctor brought the saw down and carved into the flesh of Bucky's right shoulder. Even knowing it was coming, he was unprepared for the intensity of the pain. It ripped a scream from his throat. Blood and flesh sprayed into the air, peppering the side of his face. It fell on his lips and in his mouth, bringing the taste of salt and copper as he flung his head to the side and bucked against the metal clamps holding him in place.

-0- -0- -0-

Sam hated seeing Bucky caged in the basement of the sanctum like an animal on display, but he knew this was the best place for him. It wasn't really Bucky, he told himself. It was a demon inside Bucky's body.

A fucking demon. So that was a thing now in addition to aliens, wizards, and androids.

Wong and Doctor Strange were hovering at a table, standing over a large book. He caught glimpses of their conversation, enough to know they weren't 100% sure they'd be able to evict the demon and put Bucky back in his own body. Christ, he hoped the demon hadn't hurt anyone between leaving the apartment and going to the hotel.

Sarah and the boys were okay. Sarah was a bit shaken up, but unharmed. They'd gotten there just in time, thank God.

If they did get Bucky back in his body — and Sam had to believe they would because the alternative was unthinkable — it was going to be damn near impossible to convince the government that Bucky hadn't snapped, he had just been possessed by a demon and, once again, wasn't responsible for the bad things he'd done.

People were willing to believe a lot these days after multiple alien invasions, a sentient android, and the Blip, but there were too many people who preferred Bucky locked up and just needed an excuse.

Nightmare was standing in the center of the cage. The walls were transparent and apparently made of magic. The demon remained still and silent, but it was Bucky's cold steel blue eyes that glared at him. Even though Sam knew it wasn't Bucky looking at him, it was still unnerving to have that hard gaze leveled on him.

Sam straightened and walked up to the cage. If the demon was trying to intimidate him…Well, it was working, but he sure as hell wasn't going to let on that it was. "Look as tough as you want. You're the one who ended up back in a cage after just breaking out from one. You're not very bright for an old guy, are you?"

Nightmare grinned, twisting Bucky's face into something dark and menacing. The room seemed to get colder. "That comment just earned your friend an extra nightmare. After he's done getting his limbs sawed off and replaced with metal prosthetics, all without anesthesia, he's going to relive that day in Berlin. Only this time, he's going to watch the helicopter blades chop his best friend into several bloody pieces. The guilt will be unbearable. It might just drain the last of his psychic reserves, and then this whole thing will be over. You'll have nothing to put back into this body. That'll be on you. Who's the stupid one now?"

Jesus Christ! Is that what Bucky was going through every second this evil asshole had control of his body?

Sam spun toward the two sorcerers. "How long is this going to take?"

Doctor Strange looked up. "What we're attempting is tricky. I know you're worried about Barnes, but if we fail, he'll be lost forever, and I might not come back, either."

Wong put a hand on Strang's shoulder and glanced at Sam. "We're just about ready, anyway."

Sam pushed back his worry and hoped his gratitude was evident on his face. "Just about ready for what?"

"My astral form will travel into the dream realm. I'll try to locate Barnes, and if I do, Wong will be able to use the connection to return Barnes to his body and return Nightmare to his realm."

-0- -0- -0-

The only thing he knew was pain and the high-pitched buzzing of the saw. He faded in and out, coming back to himself when pain erupted in a different limb. It was his right leg this time, screaming with fiery agony. The rest of him existed as dull aches.

"My God." The voice was new. "James Buchanan Barnes, this isn't real. Look at me."

He wasn't sure he still had eyes. Everything was dark.

"Sergeant Barnes," the man said, more authority in his voice, as though he were a ranking officer, "open your eyes, and look at me."

The buzzing of the saw vanished, bathing the room in sudden quiet. He lifted his head and looked down at his body. He was a torso without legs or arms, except for the shiny metal arm on his left. They had carved him to almost nothing.

The man standing at the foot of the bed was familiar. His red cloak billowed around him. He raised his right hand, and golden energy drifted outward. It enveloped Bucky, bringing warmth and an end to the pain.

Thank you, he wanted to say, but his throat was raw and the only thing that came out was a sob.

"Do you know who I am?" the man asked. "Nod your head if you remember."

Was he supposed to know the man? He recognized the face, but he had no idea how. He was tired in a way he'd never been before. Everything was fuzzy. He felt like he could fade away at any moment, and at least then he would have peace.

"My name is Doctor Strange. We fought Thanos together."

Thanos. He knew that name. It conjured an image of a battle-worn landscape, a large purple man with a glove, and the bloodied face of a golden-haired man with blue eyes.

Steve.

It all came back to him with such ferocity that he couldn't breathe. The room was spinning and spinning until he felt like he was careening out of control in the vast emptiness of space.

"Take my hand." Doctor Strange was with him in the vastness, one arm outstretched. "Come on, James. I need you to grab my hand."

He had only one arm made of metal instead of flesh. He reached out with it, the titanium fingers outstretched, and grabbed Doctor Strange's hand. The darkness spun away from him, and he was suddenly whole again, with four limbs, standing in the field next to the platform where Steve had said goodbye.

The ghosts of his victims waited for him just beyond the tree line. Howard and Maria Stark. RJ Nakajima. The men from the Triskelion. The President of the United States.

And so many others.

His tank was empty. His legs betrayed him, but he couldn't even muster enough energy to feel ashamed as he crumpled into a weeping mess in front of Strange.

-0- -0- -0-

Sam didn't like the sneer that took shape on Bucky's face. It was an expression he'd never seen before on those features. It wasn't blank or cold like the Winter Soldier. It wasn't brooding or full of self-reproach like Bucky. It was something completely new, and it gave him the creeps.

"It looks like Doctor Strange has found your friend, but too late." Nightmare glanced at Strange, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor near Wong and the book. "Opening the door to the nightmare realm was a mistake. You could've kept me in his cage, but you didn't. That's on you, too." The sneer vanished, and Bucky's eyes rolled upward as his body folded to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.

Sam hurried forward, forgetting about the magical barrier until he slammed into it and fell backward onto his ass. "What the hell just happened?" He scrambled to his feet and looked to Wong for answers.

The sorcerer looked as confused as Sam felt, and that wasn't a good sign.

"The demon has gone back to his realm," Wong answered, but his wide eyes and tight lips told Sam it wasn't a good thing.

"So where's Bucky? Is he coming back?" Sam studied Bucky's limp form, but it was still. There was no sign of breath moving in and out of the lungs. "Is he still alive?"

Wong waved a hand in the air and, with a flash of orange, the magical barrier vanished. Sam rushed forward and rolled Bucky onto his back, placing his fingers on the side of his friend's neck. There was no pulse.

Wong shook his head. "His body won't survive without a soul. If Strange doesn't return within a few minutes, your friend won't make it."

"This can't be happening." It couldn't end like this for Bucky. The guy had just barely gotten a shot at a real life.

He couldn't sit there and watch Bucky die without doing everything he could to save him. Sam tilted Bucky's head back and began CPR, alternating between breaths and chest compressions. He kept count in his head. It was going on two minutes.

"Step aside." Wong raised his hands, and Sam scrambled away.

A stream of white mist crossed the distance between the sorcerer and Bucky's limp body. Sam watched, helpless and horrified, as Bucky's face turned white and ice crystals formed on his skin.

"What the hell did you do?" Sam dropped to his knees next to Bucky.

Wong dropped his hands. "Don't touch him. He's survived cryogenic suspension many times. This will buy us more time. When his spirit returns to his body, I'll reverse this, and just like all the times before, he should survive."

Those were too many ifs and shoulds for Sam's comfort. "I hope you're right about this."

"So do I."

-0- -0- -0-

Bucky was spent, curled on the ground, commanding himself to get up. Doctor Strange stood five feet away, his gaze sweeping the tree line. Bucky willed his limbs to move, but he could barely feel them. He looked at his right hand, pressed flat against the ground. He could see right through it.

Was he dead?

He needed to get up. He couldn't lie at Doctor Strange's feet in an undignified heap. He wasn't sure whether any of this was real, but if it was, he couldn't let the sorcerer face whatever was coming alone.

No matter how much he tried, though, he couldn't move. "What's happening to me? I can't feel my body."

"Because you aren't in it. Your body is back in the sanctum. A Fear Lord named Nightmare has been draining your psychic energy, which is why you're feeling weak." Doctor Strange stiffened and held out a hand. "He's here. I'm going to give you a psychic boost, and I'll need you to get to your feet."

The sorcerer knelt next to him and placed two hands somewhere around Bucky's chest, but he couldn't feel the touch. What he did feel was a sudden warmth and a jolt of electricity. A moment later, sensation returned, and he tried to stand up, but instead of his limbs pushing him off the ground, he floated upward until he was standing, his feet inches above the ground, and the fog cleared from his brain.

Strange pushed to his feet and turned to the right just as the man with the chalk-white face and jet-black hair materialized a few feet away.

"I control this realm." The ghostly figure prowled forward with the grace of the cat. A black horse appeared behind him. "You made a grave error coming here, sorcerer."

"I wasn't planning on staying long."

Bucky sensed a fight was coming, but he had no idea how to fight when he didn't have a real body. He wasn't even sure what the fight was about. "Doc, what the hell's going on?"

"We're in another dimension, and this thing in front of us is a demon. He feeds off of nightmares in our dimension. I understand you suffer from Post Traumatic Stress-induced nightmares? He's been terrorizing you and draining your psychic energy. If we don't get back soon, we'll be stuck here."

"Too late," the demon hissed. "I've already got you both."

Bucky floated in an arc around the doctor. It was a strange sensation, as if he were part of the wind. If he focused, he could almost feel his arms and legs, but with that phantom sensation came cold. "Why are you here? Have you been having nightmares, too?"

He processed the whole dream realm explanation like he had every other crazy thing for the past few years, including aliens, magical stones, and time travel. He rolled with it because there was no other choice. Screaming into the void wouldn't be productive. It would just get him locked up.

Doctor Strange gave a small smile and tilted his head. "I'm here to rescue you."

"Some rescue." If they both ended up trapped here, Doctor Strange would just be one more victim to weigh on Bucky's conscience. "Tell me you didn't jump in here without a life jacket."

Nightmare chuckled, and the landscape shifted to a dark room with a metal chair in the center. Bucky saw himself in the chair, fresh out of cryo, tilted back, screaming, while clamps held his skull in place and drove electricity into his brain.

Bucky couldn't tear his eyes away, though he desperately wanted to. He could feel phantom pain in his skull, and familiar nausea rose.

"You have decades of nightmares, more than any other human I have encountered." Nightmare walked up to the man in the chair as the electricity stopped and the familiar Russian words echoed through the room, though the speaker was nowhere to be seen. "You humans are always finding new and creative ways to torment each other, lucky for me."

The scene shifted again, and Bucky recognized the location instantly. It was the air pad outside of the Triskelion. He knew what was coming, and as he swallowed the bite of bile at the back of his throat, more bubbled in its place. If he didn't have a body, how could he feel sick? But then again, how was he able to feel so much pain before, if none of this was really happening?

"Oh, it's happening," Nightmare said, suddenly behind Bucky's right shoulder. Bucky spun, but the demon wasn't there. He reappeared behind Doctor Strange. "Reality is a perception of your mind. Your mind is mine."

Bucky had had enough of others laying claim to his mind.

He saw himself on the launchpad, carving a path of death and destruction, killing good men whose deaths had been in vain. They'd been trying to help Steve, and for that, they paid with their lives. When he approached the airman in front of the jet, Bucky turned away at last. He'd relived this day over and over again. He knew the names of every one of the men in front of him. He'd looked them up. He'd read about the families they left behind.

"He's feeding off your guilt and fear." Doctor Strange moved in front of him, cloak billowing lazily around him. "The more you feed him, the stronger he gets. Push all that aside, and focus on your body back in the sanctum."

The landscape changed again, and this time they were on a frozen lake. A boy and girl were skating. Strange's face lost the little color it had. This wasn't a scene Bucky recognized, but Strange obviously did. Nightmare had shifted his focus to the sorcerer, and by the horror etched on Strange's face, the otherworldly entity had found a sensitive spot.

As the two children skated, the ice cracked. The boy fell forward, splayed out on the surface. The ice opened beneath the girl, and she went under.

"No." Strange's voice was a whisper, his eyes wide and glazed.

Nightmare's face was almost orgasmic. He was smiling, revealing a set of white, pointed teeth. He leaned forward, riveted by the scene, his chest rising deeply as though he were breathing in the despair before him.

Bucky closed his eyes and focused on his body. If they were going to get out of there, he needed to break the demon's hold over Strange. Bucky felt his legs first. He wasn't sure he was actually wiggling his toes, but he felt them. He focused on his vibranium arm, clenching his fist in preparation. He doubted he could punch his way out of the astral realm, but it was worth a shot.

He launched himself forward, past Nightmare and to the black horse near the tree line. He raised his left fist and, as he came down, delivered a vibranium-powered punch to the beast. He felt the blow connect all the way to his shoulder, as if he really did have a metal arm and wasn't just a disembodied spirit.

Nightmare told him his mind made things real. Thanks for the tip, asshole.

The horse reared back, front legs slicing through the air. The lake disappeared, and everything around them turned to darkness. Bucky caught movement out of the corner of his eye. The powdery face of the demon flew toward him, the only thing visible in the surrounding nothingness.

A golden flash of light enveloped the demon, and suddenly Bucky was surrounded by a red cloak. Warm energy sizzled through him, and everything vanished.