Chapter 6: Daybreak
Bucky found himself once again lying flat on an exam table with a machine over his head. His heart pounded hard in his bare chest, the blood roaring in his ears. He tried to appear calm, but the fast, deep rise and fall of his chest betrayed him.
Steve appeared over him. "Bucky, we don't have to do this right now if you'd rather not."
He gritted his teeth. "Let's just get it over with, please." If they didn't do it now, he'd be thinking about it every second until they did.
He closed his eyes and reminded himself this wasn't Hydra. There wouldn't be any needles, or electricity, or surgery. It was just a simple scanner. A CT scan of his head, with some kind of enhanced imaging courtesy of Stark. He didn't understand it, but he didn't need to. A low hum rose, and he opened his eyes as the table he was laying on slid upward, bringing his head into what looked like a very large white donut.
His lungs ached. It felt like he was trying to breathe under water. His chest heaved. He squeezed his eyes shut. He needed to get a grip. It wasn't the chair. It wouldn't erase his memories. It wouldn't even hurt.
"We're going to start the machine," Dr. Abodon's voice rose. "You'll hear a couple of clicks. Try to stay perfectly still."
An order, something he could latch on to. He felt the emotions settling, his mind calmed as he focused on that single command.
Stay perfectly still.
It was over quickly, and the table slid out of the donut. He laid there, staring at the ceiling. It was white. Recessed lighting. A security camera in the far corner. A single P.A. panel in the center, to his left.
"Sit up now, Sergeant Barnes," Dr. Cho said.
Bucky sat up and swung his legs over the side of the table.
Dr. Abodon was at a monitor near the wall. The screens faced away from Bucky, and the doctor was on the other side. Bucky studied the man's face as he read the images. The doctor glanced up briefly at Bucky, then his gaze dropped back to the screen. His lips formed a tight line. His brow crinkled.
Steve moved next to the doctor. "What can you tell?"
Dr. Abodon looked up at Bucky. "I believe the implants are still there, but they're very thin. So thin, they barely show up on the scanner. Would you like to see the images?"
Bucky took a breath and nodded, then hopped off the table. He moved next to Steve and looked at the large monitor. What looked like a top section of his brain filled the screen. Smaller images were at the bottom.
Dr. Abodon pointed to an almost imperceptible line in the tissue. It looked thinner than a hair, and a little longer than a finger. "This is just one of the probes. If I'm spotting them all, there are six. I'm not even sure how they got them in there. Anything that thin would have to be too delicate to push through the tissue. The only good news about this, is that they are so thin, I don't think they caused any real damage. Or, if they did, your neurons regenerated. Your brain looks to be in remarkably good shape considering what they subjected it to."
Dr. Abodon pointed to another smaller area with a dark spot the size of a grain of rice. "This looks like scar tissue. There are a few of these tiny nodes. Nothing major, but it shows that there was trauma and healing. Frankly, I'd expect to see large lesions in a brain that was subjected to the type of abuse yours was." He looked up and met Bucky's gaze. "I'm sorry about how I said that. I sometimes get lost in the details."
"Don't be." Bucky liked having someone finally tell it to him straight. "I appreciate your candor. Can the implants be removed?"
"That'll be tricky, but I believe so. We'll have to do it with live imaging and, I'd prefer an awake craniotomy. It's safer all around. Frankly, I'm not even sure how you respond to anesthesia or how much to use." Dr. Abodon swiveled in his chair to look up at Bucky. "So, you'd be awake. We'd try a local on your scalp, but it could be quite disturbing and might trigger past trauma. I need you to think about that carefully. The advantages to doing it awake are that we don't have to try to mess around with general anesthesia and, as I'm removing the probes, I'll ask you certain things, keep you talking, put you through some exercises. That will help me know if I'm damaging anything in the process of removal. Though, with how resilient your brain is and the fact they managed to get these things in so cleanly, I'm optimistic about the surgery, but there are risks."
Bucky didn't relish the idea of being awake for the surgery, but it certainly wouldn't be the first time. Hydra hadn't been particularly gentle about their operations. "I was awake when they went in. I can make it through being awake when they're removed."
Bucky heard the catch in Steve's breath, the slight grumble in the back of his throat. The other man had been about to say something but didn't follow through.
A moment later, Steve did speak. His voice was tight. "What purpose do they serve?"
Abodon sighed. "Best I can tell from the book and these images, is the implants conduct electricity. They're designed to focus part of the current on specific brain areas to better suppress emotions, memories, and increase their control over the Winter Soldier. The probes range in length from 9 to 12 centimeters, targeting different areas—the cerebral cortex, the limbic system, the amydgala and hypothalamus. The amygdala, for example, is thought to form part of the neural system for processing fear and threatening stimuli. It activates fear-related behaviors. It's also related to memories, especially emotional memories. The implants are so fine, they target very specific clusters within each region of the brain."
Bucky eyed Dr. Abodon, a hard knot in his stomach. "What book?"
"The red book," Steve said.
Fear snaked down Bucky's spine and into his gut. Steve had said earlier he knew about the book, not that he had it. "How do you have that?"
And how many people know the code words to control me?
"Just know that we do," Steve said. "It's better in our hands than Hydras. We've withheld sensitive pages and only provided copies of relevant portions, such as the diagrams of the implants and certain experiments."
Bucky got the message. The doctors don't know the code words, but Steve does.
"Who else has access to that sensitive information?" Bucky asked flatly.
Steve met his gaze. "Very few people other than myself. You have my word, those that do can be fully trusted."
Bucky took a steadying breath, hoping the trust Rogers had in the people around him wasn't misplaced.
Dr. Abodon pushed himself out of his chair and faced Bucky. "Please know that we're only using the information to find out what was done to you, so we can undo as much of it as we can. I know you're not comfortable with the idea of a physical exam, but I'd really like to see if I can feel any of them beneath the surface of your skin. Would you consent to allowing me to feel for them?"
Bucky eyed the doctor, then nodded. Dr. Abodon gestured to the chair, and Bucky sat down. Steve remained close. He tried to focus on that presence. It gave him comfort. The more time he spent around Steve, the more he realized how implicitly he trusted him.
Dr. Abodon's fingers were gentle and slightly cold. They pushed through his hair, feeling around his scalp. The exam lasted a couple of minutes, and when Abodon finished, he took a step to the side and leaned against the console.
"I can't feel any of them," he sighed. "They're very fine, and just beneath the superficial epidermis. They're almost certainly some type of metal, so they'll have to be removed prior to us even thinking about an MRI."
Bucky wanted them out of his head as soon as possible. "Are they interfering in the return of my memories? How soon can they come out?"
"No, I don't think they're currently interfering with the return of your memories. That's just a matter of time, I'm pretty sure."
"I'm sure." Steve added.
Dr. Abodon turned to look at Dr. Cho at the CT machine. "Dr. Cho, what do you think about these small regions of brain tissue? Would your regeneration cradle be of use? We could also try BDNF. What are your thoughts?"
Dr. Cho looked caught off guard. "Well, I'd have to think a bit more on that. At any rate, I'm in the process of construction on another model. It won't be of use for some time."
Steve jerked his chin at her shoulder. "How did you heal your shoulder so quickly? I know one cradle was destroyed. Was there only that one or do you have an alternative?"
She smiled. "I have a previous model, the beta version, so to speak. I'd rather wait until we finish constructing the new model. For something as delicate as brain tissue, I think it's important we get it right."
Steve nodded. "Of course."
The door to the imaging room opened and Tony walked in. "Hey, team, how goes the brain stuff?"
"We're working on a plan," Steve said.
Tony strolled over the console and eyed Bucky's left arm. "I wanted to talk to you about that. Got a moment?"
Bucky didn't trust Stark, but he certainly owed him. He nodded and moved to the CT table and leaned against it.
"Great. How's that one working out for you?"
"It's functional."
Tony cocked his head. "Does it hurt?"
"All the time."
"It weighs a ton, I bet."
"It's heavier than my real arm, yes."
"Throws off your balance?"
"I've adapted. What are you getting at?"
"Do you want an upgrade?"
"Why would you do that?" Bucky asked. He wasn't entirely sure Stark didn't just want to remove the arm and pull it apart to find out how it worked.
"Because I'm a really, really nice guy," Tony replied, "And also because I can't help but tinker with stuff. I can do so much better than whatever some old school Hydra asshole scientist conjured up. It's an ego thing, really." He pointed to the red star. "As long as you don't mind replacing the star with a Stark logo—kidding about that last bit. Sort of."
Bucky stared at the man. He talked fast. Just listening to him was exhausting. He wasn't sure what part of Stark's string of words was serious and what was just hot air.
When Bucky didn't answer, Stark slapped him on the metal arm. "Well, think about it. Let me know. I'll be tinkering anyway. You're bound to lose that one sooner or later, right?"
"Tony," Steve warned.
"Oh, stop being so uptight, Cap." Tony barely glanced at him. "Barnes and I are cool, right?"
Bucky stared at him. "If you say so. Your call."
"We are."
"Then yes," Bucky replied.
"Do you trust me?"
"No."
Tony smiled and flashed his eyebrows. "Honest. I respect that. You just don't know me, yet, but give it time. You'll realize I'm a swell guy. Just ask Pepper."
That confused Bucky. "Pepper?" Stark couldn't mean the spice.
"Yeah, you also have her to thank for most of what's in your room, except the Keurig. That's on me."
Ah, so Pepper was a woman. "Okay." Bucky found he didn't need to say much when conversing with Stark. The man would talk regardless.
"Anyway, I'll be in my lab. Have fun kids. Don't blow up anything."
"Why would something be in danger of exploding?" Bucky asked.
"He's kidding," Steve said. "Tony, we're just finishing up here, I think."
"Yeah, yeah." Tony waved a hand in the air. "I can take a hint. Well, usually I can't, but this time I am. Because I was leaving, anyway. Not because you want me to."
Dr. Abodon smiled at that. Bucky didn't find it amusing. Tony Stark reminded him in some ways of his father Howard, but more animated, less serious, and a bit more full of himself. Then again, he'd spent most of his life an orphan, thanks to Bucky. That had to have affected him. Bucky wasn't in any position to judge the man.
Tony twirled on his heels and marched out of the room. Dr. Abodon moved over to Bucky and pointed to the metal shoulder. "It hurts a lot?"
Bucky shrugged. "I'm used to it. It's just background."
"Is it hurting now?"
"Yes."
Dr. Abodon raised his hands. "May I?"
Bucky eyed him for a moment, then nodded. Abodon's cool fingers probed along the edge of the metal where it met flesh, pressing on the scar tissue into the ligaments and muscles under it.
Every so often, he'd hit something that hurt. Bucky didn't budge.
"Is any of this bothering you?"
"Yes."
Abodon sighed. "I should have probably told you this up front. I'd like you tell me if anything I'm doing hurts. I want to see where the pain is more pronounced."
"Okay."
Abodon continued to probe. When he reached the collar bone, Bucky nodded. "There." At the top where his shoulder met his neck. "There." In the back, near his shoulder blade. "There."
"Can you describe the pain? Is it sharp? Dull? Tingling?"
"Sharp when you press on it. Otherwise, it's an ache, some tingling. It hurts sometimes when I sleep on it." No one, in the decades he'd had the various arms, ever asked him if they hurt.
Dr. Abodon handed Bucky his shirt. "When we get those implants out, we'll see about doing an MRI, but we're not sure if it's feasible. It depends on what materials make up the inner workings of your titanium arm. I'm not sure how they integrated this prosthetic to your nervous system, but it's obvious they did since it responds to your brain's commands."
"It's an impressive feat for sure," Dr. Cho interjected. "Other than the pain, how well has the arm served you?"
He looked at her. "It mainly served Hydra." He tilted his head. "Though, it has come in handy during the past several months against Hydra."
"Well, I'm sure Tony Stark can get you an upgrade," she said. "Although I'm sure everyone would completely understand if you didn't want another surgery. Seeing how far that attaches into your shoulder and chest, it may be a difficult one."
He studied her. She seemed different than most doctors he'd encountered. She had a confidence in the way she moved. Her eyes studied him critically, and he wondered what she was evaluating behind her dark gaze. She wasn't as vocal as Dr. Abodon, and he wondered if that was just her nature or if she felt intimidated by the older doctor.
"Difficult," Bucky said finally, "would be a walk in the park compared to Hydra's surgical techniques."
Her eyes flickered with something that looked vaguely like sympathy. "I'm sure, of course. Hydra puts its objectives above compassion."
That, he thought, is the understatement of the century.
"If you're ready to move to the full body scanner so we can check for other implants," Dr. Abodon said, "follow me."
-0- -0- -0-
Steve walked Bucky back to his room, made an excuse that he needed to check on something and that he'd be back with dinner, then marched straight to the gym where he pummeled the stuffing out of three punching bags and sent one crashing into the new wall, putting a sizeable crack in it.
He'd have to talk to Tony about reinforcing the gym better.
He heard footsteps, and then, "What did that any of those things ever do to you?" Natasha asked.
He looked back at her as he hung the fourth bag and resumed his rhythm.
"I heard about the scans." Natasha leaned against the side wall, safely out of the fray. "If it helps, remember the version of Barnes we met from the future seemed to be doing…okay. A little rough around the edges, but pretty good, all things considering."
He sighed and stopped abusing the bag for a moment. "Yeah. I know. I just didn't know the details then. Hearing him talk about what they did to him so casually… implanting things in his brain and body, operating on him while he was awake, torturing people in front of him to force him to kill them. What else did they do to him that we just don't know about?"
"Almost certainly quite a lot," she said, her voice gentle but matter-of-fact.
He shot her a glare and pummeled the bag a few more times. He kept seeing the scans in his head—the implants in Bucky's brain, the ones in his chest, hip, and leg. Hydra had been slowly cutting away Bucky's humanity and replacing him with metal and machines.
"We can't change any of that for him, but we can help him move forward. He's resilient." She cocked her head. "We've seen that firsthand. He'll be okay. You already know he'll get there, with the right help."
Steve knew she was right. It did help knowing there was another version of Bucky out there that was doing better, free from Hydra's control.
"I wish we could tell him," he said. "Maybe we can, eventually. I just think it might be a bit much. Hell, we had a hard time believing it when he was sitting in front of us." He thought of the scans again and resumed his assault on the bag. "They put things inside his skull so they could fry his brain better."
"You know, this gym was just finished. You're going to blow our budget," she commented.
"We have a budget?" He turned away from the bag. It wasn't the thing he really wanted to punch.
"I think so. Somewhere. Maybe." She gave a lopsided smile. "So, how did he like Lord of the Rings?"
Steve smiled. "He was pretty blown away by it. We're doing the second movie tonight. I have to round up dinner. I'm thinking Chinese. He used to like it. Of course, he never was a picky of an eater."
-0- -0- -0-
By the time they finished The Two Towers, it was almost eleven o'clock at night. They'd filled their stomachs with various selections from the local Chinese restaurant and downed five bottles of beer between them.
Bucky enjoyed the movie nights. It passed the time, but it also made him realize how much he'd missed out on. There was so much catching up to do, and amazing things to discover. He could spend years just playing catch up.
During this movie night, they didn't discuss anything related to the past or Hydra. Bucky didn't ask, and Steve didn't offer. After the scans and the discussions from last night, he wanted a night off. He was pretty sure Steve could use one, too.
Steve yawned and stretched, then moved off the couch and began to clean up. Bucky helped him. He wondered whether Steve was going to crash on the recliner again or head back to his own bed, wherever that was.
Steve answered the unspoken question shortly when he jerked his head toward the door. "I'll leave you to your privacy tonight. The recliner's comfortable, but I have a real bed nearby."
"You live here?" Bucky asked.
"Yeah, I had an apartment…." He trailed off as if realizing he'd just put his foot in his mouth.
"But I shot it up," Bucky finished for him. "Sorry about that." He thought of Fury. That was something he remembered. Nick Fury. Another one of his victims.
"I'm sorry about your friend. I know he must have been a good man if Hydra wanted him dead."
Something uncertain flickered over Steve's face, then he said, "Fury had a lot of enemies. Don't feel guilty over him. Hydra had control of your mind." He turned toward the door. "I'm gonna head out now. I'll see you tomorrow."
Bucky nodded. "Goodnight, Steve."
"Goodnight, Buck."
After Steve left, Bucky stripped to his boxers and fell on top of the bed. "FRIDAY, turn out the lights."
The room went dark. He laid on his back, staring into the darkness until, finally, sleep claimed him.
-0- -0- -0-
FRIDAY detected an unusual sound from the Veronica room. She enhanced the sensitivity of the microphones in the room and analyzed the noise. A human voice, female, speaking Russian. The cameras did a visual sweep of the room in night mode and detected only one occupant, lying flat on the bed. Respiration and stillness indicated sleep.
She analyzed the speech. Russian.
"…semnadtsat."
English translation: seventeen
"…rassvet"
English translation: dawn or daybreak.
-0- -0- -0-
Steve was woken up by the insistent voice of Tony's AI. "ALERT: There is unusual activity in the Veronica Room. Your attention is required."
Steve was out of bed in a moment. "What's going on?"
"A recording appears to be playing in the Veronica room. I am unable to determine the purpose. It appears to be coming from the center of the room, near the entertainment center, but no devices in the room are on."
"Is Bucky okay?" Steve was dressed and out of the room.
"Sergeant Barnes is unharmed." FRIDAY responded.
He spotted Natasha in the hall, looking only slightly disheveled, and said. "Let me hear it."
"Vozvrashcheniye na rodinu…"
Steve recognized the phrase immediately. His heart thudded in his chest. He ran toward the room at full sprint, careening around a corner, leaving Natasha behind.
"FRIDAY…."
"odin…." one.
"Play loud music in the room."
"gruzovoy vagon" freight car.
It was too late, he knew.
"Soldat…Vy budete podchinyat'sya vsem prikazam, dannym moim golosom…Vo-pervykh, pobeg. Yesli cherez 3 minuty ne udalos', prekratite, chtoby izbezhat' zakhvata."
The loud music played, coinciding with the final commands. Steve wasn't sure what registered and what didn't with Bucky.
He was at the door to the room. "FRIDAY, translate."
"Soldier... You will obey all orders given by my voice," came FRIDAY's reply. "First, escape. If unsuccessful after 3 minutes, terminate to avoid capture."
Steve's stomach twisted. So, they were on a timeline. He heard Natasha's frantic footsteps and glanced behind him. She was breathing heavily. Vision appeared behind her, along with the two doctors. Wanda was in the very back, looking scared and uncertain.
He felt a thud through the floor.
"FRIDAY, give me a visual of the interior."
A screen to the right of the door sprang to life in black and white. Night vision. Bucky was standing on the other side of the door, pounding it methodically, calmly, and relentlessly with his metal arm.
Dr. Cho moved forward. "What happened?"
"There was a recording in his room that triggered the Winter Soldier programming. He was asleep. Can it happen in his sleep?"
"Apparently, it can," Dr. Cho said.
Steve glanced back at Dr. Abodon. "There was limited access to this room."
"There are three incoming helicopters from the East," FRIDAY announced, "armed."
Steve's stomach sank. So, this was an all-out assault.
"Vision, go take care of the choppers, and, FRIDAY, kill the music in the room." He looked at Wanda. She was a rookie, just a girl. He decided to keep her close where he could keep an eye on her.
Vision disappeared through a wall.
Steve turned his attention back to the screen. Bucky was still working the door, but it was holding. Bucky wouldn't be able to escape, but there was the issue of the final order.
"FRIDAY, how much time since the recording ended?"
"Two minutes."
"Options?"
Dr. Cho patted her pocket. "If I can get close to him and inject him with this, it'll knock him out. Something I've been working on. Designed especially for super soldiers."
Steve shook his head. "Too dangerous."
FRIDAY's voice interrupted. "I could attempt a high-pitched sound over the speakers to—"
"Do it."
Instantly, the sound filled the room, emanating from the monitor. Even from the monitor, it sent stabbing pain into Steve's skull. He winced. "Lower monitor volume."
He sighed when FRIDAY complied. Inside, he saw Bucky on his knees, his hands around his head. Then, he stumbled to the kitchen, his movements chaotic. He careened into the island, shaking his head, and flung himself to the kitchen, rifling through drawers frantically until he retrieved a knife.
"No." Damnit, they were out of time. "FRIDAY, turn on the lights in the room, let me in, and kill the noise."
The door opened and Steve bolted in just as Bucky recovered from the temporary audio assault. Bucky held the knife in his right hand, and Steve slammed into him. Bucky rolled, almost somersaulting backward, flinging Steve over him and into the air.
Steve heard an explosion in the hallway, just outside the door.
A woman entered—dressed like Dr. Cho and with her hair, but her face was different, with round, blue eyes. She slid into the room and rolled a slick metal sphere toward Steve. He had only a moment of surprise and disbelief before instinct propelled him backward over the couch.
The energy grenade detonated. His head rang. When he got to his feet, Bucky and the woman were gone. He ran after them. What he saw in the hallway stopped him in his tracks. The interior wall and part of the ceiling were caved in. Wanda was crumpled on the floor, unconscious, covered in dust and debris, but she was breathing. Alive. Dr. Abodon was next to her, blood on his temple and the side of his face. Natasha was groaning, picking herself off the floor, covered with bits of ceiling and white flecks of material that looked almost like snow.
"What happened?"
"Dr. Cho set off a bomb, only it wasn't her," Natasha coughed. "Photostatic veil. I heard her speak Russian, communicating with someone outside. They had a car waiting. I tried to stop them on the way out. Barnes got the better of me."
Steve wondered how they'd managed to get so close to the compound without detection, but he wasted no time pondering that further. "Vision, Bucky's been taken. His Soldier program is active. He's with a woman, might look like Dr. Cho, might not. There's a vehicle close by."
Vision's voice rang in Steve's ear. "In pursuit."
"Two more incoming helicopters, firing, making a right bags of the grounded Quinjet," FRIDAY announced in her Irish-sounding way.
A strange voice sounded in Steve's ear. Male. It had a faint Russian accent. "Captain Rogers, tell the android to end pursuit or we will destroy the complex, and I will order Dr. Cho killed."
That confirmed Steve's suspicion and gut-wrenching fear, but he had no way of knowing that she was still alive. "Go to hell."
"Eventually, but not today. Listen."
Steve heard a woman scream, then Cho's voice. "Captain Rogers," she was breathing heavily. Then, another scream.
His gut twisted. He didn't know for sure if it was her. The voice could be faked, but it tracked with Hydra's tactics. Live hostages were always potential useful leverage. With her advanced knowledge and inherent genius, they might even try to use her. He couldn't risk her life, but he knew if he called off the pursuit, she might be as good as dead, anyway.
"I can just start cutting parts of her off, you know, until you change your mind, or she dies," the voice in his ear threatened.
"Vision," His throat went tight; he could barely get the words out, "call off the pursuit. Get a message to Sam that we need him here."
-0- -0- -0-
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
In re-watching The Winter Soldier, I noticed the monitors near Bucky. I couldn't help but wonder the little white dots were inside the anatomical representation on the screen.
I hope you enjoy the bonus chapter! A fierce storm is currently working its way across northern California. With drought and wildfires, we need the rain...but rains bring floods, power outages, and other menaces. So, it's hunker down inside day. I decided to post another chapter. The next one will come as scheduled on Tuesday! Enjoy. And, as always, I love getting reviews (gives me something to read on a rainy, dark Sunday).
Visit my Tumblr account to see the photo of the monitor attached to Bucky in the Winter Soldier (showing potential implants). I cannot figure out how to post an image on FFN. dcangstfiction (tumblr)
