Heading into Sokovia would take a few hours, so you were resting in the back when Clint came back to sit with you, Nat taking the pilots seat. "Hey kiddo, how are you doin?" He asked. You nodded, rolling your neck. "I'm good, I think were ready, this mission didn't really have many problems in my world, so I think we'll be good."
"I didn't mean that. I mean how are you doing with Bucky being back?" You had confided in Clint about Bucky after New York. He was easy to talk to and you felt like he had a bit of experience in the whole mind control area. You told him how you were scared of getting him back because you knew he wasn't going to be the same, and how you thought he might blame you because of everything you knew, and you let him go anyway. You shook your head.
"I don't know Clint. Sometimes I look at him and I see Bucky in his eyes. Other times I look and he's so broken, and I don't know how to help. I don't want to push him, but I don't want to stay away either." You told him. He nodded.
"Well, take it from someone who had done horrible things while not in their right mind. He's never going to forget the people he's killed. That never goes away. He has to find a way to live with that for the rest of his life. I think, with your help and Steve's he can find a way to be more himself again, it's just going to take some time." He told you, putting an arm around your shoulder.
"When did you become so full of wisdom?" You asked him laughing. He grinned. "Channeling my inner Laura."
Everyone was huddled in the back, as Nat set the jet down. "Okay, so the base is gonna be heavily guarded, but nothing we can't handle." You told them. "Tony, there's a shield on the building itself, so if you can get that down we'll be good. Now, the other thing is the twins. He's fast, like hella fast. She can mess with your mind. Make you see things you either want to see, or things that scare the hell out of you. Watch out for her." Everyone nodded and Tony was the first out, heading to the sky.
Bullets were flying everywhere. You were in a jeep with Nat and Clint, putting your gun use to the test. There was a mixture of soldiers and robots, and there were more than you thought. Thor took out the jeep next to you, jumping onto a watch tower to take out more soldiers. Steve flew by you on a motorcycle, dragging a robot on the way.
You heard the roar of the Hulk as he ran in front of you, clearing your path. "Hey, uh, Ally. This seems like more than we can handle!" Clint yelled from beside you. "I may have misjudged. You getting tired old man?" He rolled his eyes and took out a robot to your left. Nat turned the jeep and you all jumped, joined by the rest of the team, and you knew from a cinematic standpoint that it looked cool as fuck.
"Shit!" Tony yelled through the comms. You knew he had hit the barrier. "Language!" Steve said. You and Clint burst into laughter standing back to back, trying to keep your composure.
"Jarvis, what's the view from upstairs?"
"The central building is protected by some kind of energy shield." The AI told you.
"I told you so." You shot into your comm.
"Strucker's technology is well beyond any other Hydra base we've taken."
"At long last." Thor shouted.
"At long last is lasting a little long guys." Nat said from behind the bunker you and she were currently hiding behind, and threw a grenade above it, the second one actually and you wondered where she was keeping them on her person.
"I think we lost the element of surprise." Clint called out. As more explosions landed next to you.
"Wait a second. No one else is gonna deal with the fact that Cap just said 'language'?" You heard Tony say. You grinned at Nat when you heard Steve sigh. "I know. Just slipped out."
"And we're never gonna let you hear the end of it." You told him.
You were running through the woods when suddenly you were on your ass in the snow. The woosh of blue let you know it was Pietro Maximoff. You groaned, rolling over and getting back up, knowing he was about to take down Clint next. "Fast little bastard." You grumbled.
"We have an enhanced in the field." Steve said. Yeah, no shit. I told you that.
"Clint's hit! Ally, where are you?" Nat yelled. Crap. You had forgotten about that. "I'm coming I'm almost there."
You made it to Nat and Clint and rested your hands over him, watching the skin pull back together. "There, good as new." Clint looked up at you and smiled. "Thanks, what would we do without you."
"Heal a hell of a lot slower." Hulk took out the bunker that shot at Clint, earning a 'thank you' from Nat.
"The drawbridge is down people." Cool. Tony got the barrier on the building down. Now he could get the staff, hopefully not get mind fucked by Wanda, Steve could get Strucker, and then you could get home.
"And for gosh sake, watch your language!" Tony teased. You laughed as you ran up next to Steve, winking at him. "That's not going away anytime soon."
"Nope." You said. He rolled his eyes and ran past you, toward the building. You started making your way back to the jet, the Iron Legion having taken care of the rest of the soldiers. Now it was just up to Steve and Tony, and for Nat to get to Bruce. You made it back to the jet where Thor and Clint were already waiting. Bruce and Nat came in shortly after.
"Tony, are you alright?" You asked. No answer. You shared a look with Nat. "Tony." Wanda had gotten to him. "Crap."
"Tony! Do you copy!" You yelled.
"Yeah buttercup I'm fine. Got the scepter. On my way back to you." You sighed and closed your eyes, sitting on the ground.
You watched as Nat kneeled by Bruce. She spoke softly to him, trying to ease his guilt. She was going to have to push them together, she'd decided.
"Thor, report on the Hulk." Nat called out.
"The gates of Hel are filled with the screams of his victims." Thor said proudly. You smacked his leg from your position on the floor and he jumped, looking down at you shaking his head. Bruce groaned.
"But not the screams of the dead of course. No, no, wounded screams. Mainly whimpering, a great deal of complaining, and tales of sprained deltoids and gout." He tried to cover.
"Nice. Good job Thor." You said sarcastically.
"Hey Banner, Dr. Cho is on her way in from Seoul. Is it okay if she sets up in your lab?" Tony called from the cockpit.
"Uh, yeah. She knows her way around." You got up and went over to Tony, sitting on the floor next to his seat, facing him. "So, I know the genius in you wants to crate a form of protection around the world. I get it, and I understand. But I'm begging you Tony. Don't. Please do not try and mix Jarvis together with anything. I know you mean well but trust me when I tell you. This won't end well for anyone." He stared at you for what seemed like forever and nodded.
"Okay, buttercup. I promise. For you." You raised an eyebrow, not really believing he gave in so easily, but you accepted it anyway, watching him get up and talk to Steve and Thor about the party.
When the jet landed, you saw Bucky waiting next to Pepper. "Hey." You said smiling. "Are you okay?" He asked, a worried look on his face. "Yeah, I'm okay, Clint got shot, but I was able to heal him in the field, he's good as new. I've gotta get debriefed, but I'll meet you on our floor when I'm done?" He nodded and let you past him.
Steve stayed in the common area, leaving you to walk back to the floor by yourself. When the elevator doors opened, Bucky was sitting at the island waiting for you. Upon noticing you, he got up and made it over to you in just a few strides, wrapping his arms around you. "Hey, it's okay, I'm okay Bucky." You reassured him, putting your arms around his middle. "I was worried." He said softly. You pulled back to look at him. "Why? I told you I'd be okay." You said smiling.
"I remembered something while you were gone." He said, arms still wrapped around you. "Yeah?"
"About where you came from." Oh. Oh.
"Oh, yeah. I was wondering if you would remember. I didn't want to bring it up in case you didn't remember, and it confused you more." You told him. He nodded and went silent for a minute.
"I remember you telling me they were going to take me again. That they were going to do horrible things to me. You knew everything that was going to happen, didn't you." He said in a low tone. Oh no. "Bucky, I- "
"Didn't you!" He yelled, taking a step back from you. Tears started forming in your eyes. "Bucky please, I didn't know how to stop it. I told you, then I begged you to stay with me and you told me you couldn't. That you wanted to go. You made me promise to find you, to bring you back to me. I did Bucky. I found you, just like I promised." He was walking toward you now, backing you up as he did.
"And I waited. For almost 70 years I waited for you!" He yelled, shaking. This wasn't Bucky. You could tell in his eyes. This…this was Winter. While he wasn't activated, you could tell from the tone that Winter was in his head. "And every time I remembered who I was, they wiped me. Every time I remembered Steve, they wiped me. Every time I remembered that you said you'd find me, the wiped me!" He screamed, pushing you against the wall.
"Bucky please." You cried. He slammed his metal fist into the wall next to your head and then something changed in his eyes. He was Bucky again. His eyes widened and he backed away, turned and left in the elevator.
You slid down the wall, into a sobbing mess on the floor. He blames me. You knew that was a possibility. You knew what was going to happen to him and you let him go anyway. You couldn't stay here. You didn't wanna be on this floor when he came back. You crawled to your room, yes you crawled because you were so pathetic you couldn't get off the floor. Packing a bag, you entered the elevator and asked Jarvis where Bucky was. Hearing he was in the gym, you headed into the Penthouse and asked Jarvis to send Tony up.
You were sitting on Tony's couch when he came in the door. "Hey buttercup, J said you wanted to see-" He stopped when he saw your face, coming to kneel in front of you. "Hey, what happened."
You shook your head, more tears falling down your face. "Bucky remembers. He remembers that I knew everything that was going to happen Tony. He blames me for what happened to him." You cried. Tony's face softened and he wrapped his arms around you. You cried for God knows how long until Tony laid you back on the couch, insisting you go to sleep, that you could talk in the morning.
What the hell were you going to do?