A freezing icy wasteland lies stretched out as far as the eye can see. The cold is biting, and the wind worse. Water lies underneath ice, its depths immeasurable.
It is here we find our heroes, frozen in a time long gone. The larger one looks as if he were holding onto the smaller. Even in death, one still tries to save the other. But, frozen as they are, they will never be able to save another soul; our heroes, their faces stuck in an expression that will never change.
A shadow appears overhead. The figure of a plane-like aircraft lands nearby. Will our heroes soon know a warm touch; the warm sunshine on their faces? Or will they forever be lost to the ice? We'll see...
The Quinjet landed in a flat piece of ice, the ice's thick structure not giving way to the weight. The Wasp, a beautiful hero, whose short brunette hair was practically unfazed by the wind, steaked past her comrades, Iron Man and Thor. Her wings made a slight fluttering noise as she flew through the air.
She heard Iron Man say something about picking up a faint life sign, and stated as she zoomed away, "Okay, if this is some sort of ice monster, I'm going to be-" She cut off as she hit a large chunk of ice. "ticked..." She finished, as her teammates caught up to her. "Nevermind." She said, staring at the new scene trapped in front of her.
There, in the ice, was a sight they were not expecting to see. Ever. America's hero, Captain America, was there, holding tightly to the smaller frame of his partner, Bucky Barnes. The two were frozen in place, the Captain looking as if he'd just gone limp, and Bucky looking as if he were knocked unconscious.
Both of them had definitely seen better days, Bucky most of all. His suit held the scorch marks of something that had just been burned by an explosion. His flesh was ripped open on his left arm, his bones partially showing. If he survived, he would need immediate medical attention.
The last thing Captain America remembered was dragging Bucky over the ice, his arm draped over the Captain's shoulder. They fell through thin ice, plunging into the ice cold water. As much as he tried, he had spent all of his energy getting Bucky out of the water the first time. He wouldn't let his partner drown alone, though. If Bucky went down, so did he.
The next thing he knew, he was lying on a bed, figures surrounding him. He heard their voices, although muffled. He rose from the bed, rubbing his forehead. Some of the people around came to aid him, but he brushed them off, not needing them.
That's when he saw it. Bucky's form, lying still on a bed nearby. Cap could see large bandages covering his left arm and his legs. A spot of blood showed through the bandage on his arm. He wasn't completely still, though, his chest slowly rising and falling.
Cap's breath caught in his throat. He ran to the small figure on the bed that was his best friend, kneeling down by him.
"Bucky!" He choked out.
His friend seemed to hear him slightly, turning his head when he heard Cap. Another bandage appeared, covering his right eye. He moaned, obviously in so much pain. His visible eye flickered open, staring into Cap's own blue gaze, which was full of pity and sadness. Bucky's eye soon closed, though, and he let out a small sigh, falling asleep again. Anguish contorted his face even in slumber.
Cap felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see a man with blonde hair and a long white coat with some red clothing underneath it. The man gave him a sympathetic look before speaking.
"It's going to be fine, Captain. He'll likely survive; he has so far. He needs rest, though. Otherwise he'll never heal correctly."
Cap nodded, rising to his feet. "Thank you." He mumbled. They escorted him out of the room, bringing him into a hallway with several doors lining it all the way down, on either side. The people turned to face him. One of them, the blonde with the long coat, spoke first:
"I'm sorry you have to endure this, Captain. Bucky will have to be here for a while, but we'll have to take you back to our place. We have to tell you something almost just as important."
