I need to clear something up before we continue, there are some people who think that I am being anti-Tony or Tony-bashing. I'm not. As a matter of fact, Tony Stark is my absolute favourite character and that hasn't changed even with Civil War. I understand it seems like I'm deliberately making Tony into a dick, and for a bit, that's how I need him to be, but it will not last. It's just for a little longer.
Now, without further ado, onwards we go. As always, no money is being made off this story and no copyright infringement is intended. All Avengers related things and characters belong to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Chapter Ten- Mission Active (Bucky)
Bucky followed Tony to the gym in silence, his gaze taking in the observation deck, wondering if the glass would be strong enough if something went wrong. He knew they were all aware of the strength he had, and if he launched something hard enough there was a very good chance that he would put the glass right through.
His eyes locked with Tasha's and he smiled, a mere twitch of the lips, but her tip of the head told him she had seen. Guilt wormed through his stomach, memories of trying to kill her when he was the soldier came to the forefront of his mind. He shivered, burying those images deep down. He could afford no distractions, nothing that could divert his attention from what was at hand.
Banner gave him a wave, offering some support though he didn't know the man except from what he knew that HYDRA had on file. Wanda stared down, her eyes locked on him but they lacked the coldness they had done when he had put Tony in hospital. She nodded at him once and spoke to Vision, his eyes only on her.
He noticed Barton was not on the deck, but was in fact in the rafters, bow in hand and quiver on his back. It had been agreed that if he could not be subdued then Barton would shoot him with a tranquiliser arrow and take him down that way. His gaze found Steve and a tension he hadn't realised he'd been holding in his limbs melted away.
A warm smile spread across Steve's lips and Bucky felt his own curve in response. He focused when Tony approached him, watching the confident gait the Iron Man held. "Time to get the show on the road?"
Tony nodded. "Yep. So, like I said, Thor will go through everything that I said that day, see if the trigger is the words, the second step will be me saying it, to see if the reaction is to me, and finally, I'll use other methods and phrases to get a reaction out of you."
Bucky swallowed and nodded. "I understand."
There was a pause before Tony spoke again. "I said some hurtful things, and I will undoubtedly say more to get a response. Whether or not you take them to heart is your choice, I'm not going to pander to any delicate sensibilities. However, if it becomes too much, say and we'll take a break. If a reaction comes, try not to fight it, we're prepared for every possibility."
He nodded again and glanced up at Tasha for a little comfort. She smiled and gave him a little salute, red hair illuminated by the bright lights on in the observation deck and looking like the fiery halo he remembered it being.
"Barnes, you ready?"
He came back to himself and sighed, closed his eyes and reopened them a moment later. "Let's do this."
Thor took Tony's place in front of him. "If you feel the control slipping, try to keep your attention focused on me. The Hawk is prepared in the event you cannot, but do try to. It would help if they can see you trying," he said in a low mutter so no others could hear.
Bucky gave a barely perceptible nod and prepared himself to re-visit the things he and Tony had said to one another. Strangely though, he only recalled himself being quite brutal, but something had set him off and he could not for the life of him work out what it was.
The words spoken by Tony were spoken from Thor, as much feeling inflected in them as he could muster when he was not angry, but as Bucky had suspected, there was no reaction, he wasn't remotely bothered and he hadn't really been that night either, just miffed.
He recalled his own words, and ran through them in his mind, then spoke them to Thor to repeat to him. Blood thundered in his ears and he listened to everything he said. "…so far up Steve's ass that you think you're in love with him?"
Nothing. Bucky shrugged and shook his head. "I'm sorry, nothing."
Thor patted his arm. "No need for apologies. We have tried and now it is time for Tony to step in. Remember, I will be here to take his place if you, as he sometimes calls it, wig out."
Bucky snorted and laughed quietly. Tony stood before him, and for once, the burning hatred that had been in the brown eyes was not present. "I have a brainwave, I don't think the words are the trigger, I think it's the emotion. It's possible that when you become too emotional, you're…programming tries to take over. The Asset doesn't feel, so your mind shuts down and allows the programming to come in and make sure you feel nothing."
He had to agree that it made more sense than words being a trigger. The only words that were a trigger were the sequence of Russian words with no relativity to one another that basically made him compliant- completely.
Tony circled him a few times, but not in a predatory way. "I think…I reckon we should try to re-create those emotions."
His eyes darted to Steve, knowing he could hear and he saw him give a nod of encouragement. "Okay, if you think this will work."
He took a few paces back from Tony, not prepared to have him too close in case he lashed out without warning. He looked up at Tasha and mouthed 'malen'kiy pauk' softly, knowing she could tell what he was saying.
"Eyes on me, Barnes, we have work to do," Tony snapped.
Bucky returned his attention to Tony immediately, unsure of the billionaire was actually annoyed with him, or if he was starting small in triggering his outburst. He gave a meek nod, feeling a little guilty for not keeping his focus.
"Sorry," he murmured.
"Sorry? Sorry isn't good enough, Barnes. I'm busting my balls to help you, putting my life at risk to try and get you better and you can't keep your focus for more than half an hour?" He barked.
Bucky narrowed his eyes at the tone and growled out something indiscernible in Russian. Tony stalked closer and got in his face, brown eyes boring into blue ones. "What was that, Barnes? Are you protesting my methods? I offer to help you and all you can do is whine about how I do things? If you don't want my help, then leave."
Nothing came from Bucky, he was trying to keep his temper down, even though Thor had told him not to. But Tony was too close, there was too much a risk that he would lash out and kill him. Even though the suitcase containing his armour was at his feet and being shuffled around if he moved, Bucky couldn't help but fear what could happen.
"Tony, back away, I can't lose it with you so close."
He just laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. "Okay, let's cool it down, come back in a few minutes."
Bucky stared at the hand touching him, and Tony snatched it away as if he hand been branded. He walked away shaking his head, muttering to himself though Bucky couldn't hear him. He ran for the stairs and went up to the observation deck, finding Tasha talking to Bruce, her hand touching his arm.
He raised a brow at Banner but said nothing, it was nothing to do with him and he had no right to comment on whatever relationship Tasha held with him, her life was her own. But he did need to speak to her so he tried to edge closer without being obtrusive in their conversation.
"I believe your attention is required, Natasha, go talk with Sergeant Barnes," Banner said softly, making his way downstairs and out of the room.
Barnes threw him a grateful glance and sidled up to Tasha. "Hello, malen'kiy pauk."
She smiled softly, a small sigh escaping her lips. "Hello."
He wanted nothing more than to hug her, to sweep her into his arms and hold her close. He wanted to tell her how sorry he was for attacking her. "I…don't even know where to begin."
She shook her head and shrugged. "Where is there to even begin, soldat?"
Bucky lowered his gaze and sighed. "They don't know?"
She nodded. "No, they don't. I do not think it would be wise to inform Tony that we know each other, that you are my teacher and the very reason I was, and am, so good at what I do."
"Secrets are what has caused this, Tasha, is it really wise to carry more?"
Again, she shrugged. "Another day, perhaps. Not today when you know Tony is looking to get a reaction. He might be helping you, but he will still be looking to press buttons. He isn't going to let this go until he's gotten rid of this anger and hurt."
He understood that, and knew he was part of the reason for that hurt. "Tell me something, Tasha, is he more pissed at the fact I killed his parents, or the fact that the information was known and withheld from him?"
She chuckled. "Bit of both, mostly the latter I reckon. Try talking with him, get him to understand you wish you could change the events but you were controlled and there was no way for you to break that control."
If only it were that easy, he thought. He'd give anything to take back the events of December sixteenth, nineteen ninety-one. But he couldn't and as much as he loathed to say it, Tony was going to have to come to terms with that somehow.
"Yeah, maybe you're right, Tasha. I'll try talk to him after all this is done."
"Talk to who?" Steve asked when he walked back into the room. Bucky hadn't even noticed he had left.
"Doesn't matter," he said with a smile and caught Tony's wave from below. He headed back down for round two of their attempts to rile him.
"So, here we go again. Gonna really put the pressure on, Barnes. You ready?"
"Not in the slightest. Let's go."
Tony's lips quirked slightly, and Bucky swore that was an almost smile. It was better than what he'd seen so far from the man. He prepared himself for the worst of statements and prayed to God that he didn't kill the last member of the Stark line.
"Do you know what, Barnes? I'm beginning to think you don't want my help, this has all been a game to you, hasn't it? Worm your way into the home of the last Stark and end the line for good. Was that the plan all along? Get Steve to feel sorry for you, run off with you and come back to finish the job?"
Bucky stood still, his face emotionless and not rising to the bait.
"You're good for nothing except killing, and even HYDRA have given up coming for you. There's been no activity since the party, FRIDAY has been keeping every search open for any mention of them or you. Guess what? Zilch. They've left you, Barnes. You're nothing to them."
Still nothing. He saw Tony smirk a bit and his heart jumped a little. It was a smirk that held so many things and he just knew that all he would be seeing was the cold side of him.
"Just a washed-up soldier with a shiny tin arm and a bunch of murders on his hands. How many kills, Barnes? How many women? How many children did you murder?"
Bucky flinched and lowered his gaze. He knew he'd given Tony exactly the weapon he needed and he was going to exploit that until he snapped. He wasn't prepared for this, he could not see the faces of his missions, he saw them every night in his sleep, he didn't want to see them when awake.
"Come on, Barnes! Killing is what you do! You held your hand over my mother's face until she couldn't breathe and waited until her heart stopped beating! How many innocent children did you smother? How many have you shot in cold blood because you were told to?"
He put his head in hands and shook his head, backing away, but Tony kept at it, following him, the suit left behind. "Please stop," he begged.
But Tony continued, he kept pushing and pushing at him, saying cruel things that twisted his gut like a hot knife. "Do you even see their faces, Barnes? Do you remember every despicable thing you've ever done? Do you hear their screams? Did you listen to the pleads for their lives, for mercy? Did you even cry for any of them?"
"Yes!" He hissed. "I have cried for so long over each death! I can barely sleep for the nightmares- their faces always haunt me when I close my eyes."
He could see Tony's face twist in anger, the eyes blazing as he kept poking Bucky, kept pushing at him. "Good! You deserve nothing less, you should live with the guilt for the rest of your miserable life! Did it feel good to take each life? To watch the light fade from their eyes as their hearts gave a last beat?"
Bucky roared in agony at his words, then a calmness spread over him, his body going stiff and expression blank. "Current mission active- kill Tony Stark and destroy Stark Tower." It was all the warning Tony was given before he left hand shot out and closed over Tony's throat, squeezing harder.
The Soldier saw Thunder God run over, panic over his features. A hand clamped over his, attempting to prise open his fingers that clutched at Stark's throat, cutting off his air supply.
"Mission active- kill Tony Stark," he said coldly, trying to keep his fingers in place.
But the God of Thunder was powerful, and eventually managed to overpower his hand and remove Stark from his grasp. The man fell to the ground choking and coughing, his face a deep shade of purple, the whites of his eyes reddened as the petechiae formed.
"Barnes! Try to come back to yourself!" The Thunder God bellowed.
The Soldier narrowed his eyes and wrenched his hand out of his hold and threw a punch at his head, missed, span on the heel of his boot and threw a second punch, this one connecting. "Mission active- kill Tony Stark. Mission parameters- kill all who oppose mission."
The Thunder God went for him again, but there was no real heat to the actions other than an attempt to subdue. The Soldier took this for weakness and used all training to ensure removal of the opposing God.
He spun and threw punches, dropped to a crouch and tried to kick the God's legs out from under him, their dance continued for some time before someone from above shot him in the back with an arrow.
Unable to find anything to throw at the assailant, he could no longer focus his vision, and he realised he had been tranquilised. Darkness creeped in his vision, and he locked eyes with a red-head running toward him. "Romanoff," he called. "Mission active- kill Tony Stark."
She didn't come to him though, she stopped at Stark and helped him to his feet, fear in her eyes as she led Stark away, her arm around his waist for support. The Soldier was confused and then recalled their fight not long ago- Romanoff was a deserter and traitor, siding with the opposition. The last conscious thought he had was another repetition of his mission.
malen'kiy pauk'- my little spider (Russian)
soldat- soldier (Russian)
Please note the translations are from Google Translate- I don't know anyone who speaks Russian. So, if someone who is reading this does- please feel free to give me the correct translation and I will update
Chapter 12 is already written and 13 is in progress so I hope to be back with some sort of regular schedule again soon. I always appreciate your patience so if I struggle to post, please bear with me, I promise this story will NEVER be abandoned.
