Chapter 36: The Winter Soldier
Cap let out a groan of pain as he slowly came to. He looked around, finding himself inside what appeared to be an armored truck. His shield was gone, and he appeared to be chained to one of the benches that lined the wall. The only other person with him was Natasha, who was chained up across from him. She was nursing a black eye and split lip, her usually neutral expression cracking with grief and remorse.
"You alright?" Cap asked.
"Physically, yes." she answered, her voice even despite her conflicting emotions.
Cap paused for a minute, hating to have to press her, but needing some answers.
"Did you know?" He asked.
She remained silent for several seconds, then she gave a slow, deliberate nod. Cap just leaned back in response.
"This wasn't how it was supposed to be." She insisted. "I was supposed to find him and bring him in. I was going to half S.H.I.E.L.D. scientists help him. You were never supposed to see him like-"
"Like some brainwashed thug?" Cap cut off.
Her breath hitched, then she nodded again. Cap looked at her, his gaze hardening.
"Tell me everything." He demanded.
She took a deep breath.
"When he was a prisoner of HYDRA back in WWII, Zola experimented on him, trying to recreate Erskine's Super soldier formula." She began. "Everyone thought it was a failure, until he was pulled from the ice in the search for the Tesseract. He'd lost his left arm, but the rest of his body was still intact."
"Whatever Zola did to him helped him survive the crash." Cap pieced together.
"HYDRA built him a new arm, then began..." the words caught in her throat, but she forced them out. "reprogramming him."
"You mean brainwashing." Cap responded.
"No, I mean reprogramming." She replied. "What you saw out there, that was the Winter Soldier, stripped of all emotion, or weakness, or free will. That was nothing more than a weapon ready to be pitted against a designated target."
Cap was silent, but his face was as stern as ever.
"I refuse to believe that." Cap declared. "I can't accept the man I lived and fought beside is gone for good."
"Steve..." Natasha let out, meeting his eyes with a sorrowful gaze. "I'm sorry… but Sergeant Barnes died in that crash. The Winter Soldier is all that's left."
Cap just looked away, scowling. Just then, their transport came to a stop, much to their surprise. Both of them stiffened, turning to the door and preparing themselves. The door opened up, revealing the Winter Soldier standing before them. HYDRA Soldiers flanked him on either side, both armed with high powered weapons. Winter Soldier then grabbed Cap by the arm and pulled him out before doing the same to Natasha. He held Cap in his metal arm, his grip tight and unyielding. This gave Cap a chance to get a better look at him.
The Winter Soldier, upon closer inspection, looked like he'd been through literal hell. His hair was greasy and looked like it had been occasionally cut with a dull knife. His eyes were sunken in, his gaze emotionless and cold with bags the color of bruises under them. He had marks on his face where his mask, or muzzle as Cap was coming to realize, dug into his flesh. His suit, while made to look tactical, looked as though it could also be used to restrain or control him. Seeing it hurt Steve to the very core, realizing that the Winter Solder… that Bucky… really had been turned into and unwilling emotionless killer.
"Buck… what did they do to you…?" He let out.
"Move." Winter Soldier ordered, shoving him forward.
"He's not Bucky anymore." Natasha insisted. "He won't listen to you."
"That doesn't mean I'm gonna stop trying." Cap replied.
The two continued moving forward, catching sight of their destination: an old European Castle covered in snow.
"Where is this place?" Steve asked.
"Sokovia." Natasha answered. "It's one of HYDRA's bases."
The two continued walking into the base at the behest of their HYDRA captors, wondering what they had planned next.
…
Back in New York, Clint stood in line at a Dominos. He had an old hoodie on, the hood up over his head so he was some semblance of incognito. The thick stubble on his face also helped, thought the patrons did give him a wide berth. When it finally got to his turn, he walked up to the counter and dug into the pocket of his hoodie.
"I have an order for Barton." He spoke up.
The kid behind the counter found the pizza and held it out.
"That'll be 11.99." the kid told him.
Clint kept fishing into the pockets, pulling out a few crumbled ones and some loose change. He winced, realizing he didn't have enough money. Before he could say anything, someone dropped a crisp twenty on the box.
"It's on me." the culprit declared.
Clint chuckled, sticking the money back in his pocket before turning to see Agent Hill standing next to him.
"Hello Hill." He greeted, taking his pizza.
"Barton." Hill greeted back. "I need your help."
The kid handed over the change, which Clint shamelessly pocketed before heading off.
"It's my day off." He declared, making for the door as he opened his pizza box and withdrew a slice. "So unless your help involves this pizza, it's not my-"
"Fury's dead." Hill interrupted.
That caused Clint to stop dead in his tracks. The pizza slice dropped out of his hands, as did the box itself.
"How?" He questioned.
"Killed… by the Winter Soldier." Hill reported.
"Impossible." Clint insisted. "He's a ghost."
"Not according to Agent Romanoff." Hill countered.
Now Clint had to sit down. He gripped the chair he collapsed into, his eyes wide.
"Nat… she's back?" He whispered, almost afraid to jinx himself.
"She's also been captured by the soldier, along with Captain Rogers." Hill answered.
Clint was back on his feet in an instant, his gaze clearer than it had been since Natasha had disappeared.
"How long ago was this?" he questioned.
"Just over 24 hours." Hill answered. "We've been working on tracking them, but have come up dry. Was hoping the Avengers could help out."
"I'll scrounge up who I can." Clint assured her. "Just give me what information you have, and I'll bring them both home."
…
Cap and Natasha were thrown into the dungeons of the castle, guards posted to keep an eye on them. His job done, the Winter Soldier made to leave. However, he found himself pausing, his gaze never leaving Steve. Something about him was…
Pain lanced through his head, making him flinch ever so slightly.
…
As he walked down the street, he happened to look down and alley way and saw a sight he had seen a hundred times before. His best friend, basically his brother, was getting the snot beaten out of him by a guy twice his size. Considering his friend was 4 feet tall and not even a hundred pounds, this wasn't a difficult feat to achieve.
"Not again..." He muttered.
He approached the punk just as his friend pulled himself up out of the garbage.
"You just don't know when to give up, do you?" The punk sneered.
"I could do this all day." his friend insisted, though he wobbled hard from the beating he'd taken.
The punk went to punch his friend, but he grabbed him arm. The punk turned to him and he decked him, causing him to fall. He watched him crumble to the ground, then turned to his friend.
"Why do I always have to save your ass?" he asked.
"I had him on the ropes." His friend insisted.
…
"Hey." One of the HYDRA soldiers shouted, snapping his fingers. "Why are you just standing there? Get to work!"
The Winter Soldier just shook his head as he resumed his patrol. As he did, the memory continued to plague him. He couldn't pin any names, and all the faces were blurry. He tried to focus on them, but it just made his head hurt more.
…
Back at the mansion, Clint just finished showering and shaving his stubble for the first time in weeks. He was headed to the armory when Tony caught sight of him. He stopped, doing a bit of a double take.
"Clint?" he questioned. "What's going on? I thought you were turning into a caveman in your room."
"Got a reason to come out." Clint replied. "Natasha's back, and she and Cap are in trouble."
This seemed to get Tony's attention.
"What happened and what do you need?" He asked.
"Not sure, and whoever's already here." Clint replied.
"Me, Panther, and Thor." Tony answered. "Hank and Jan have a science conference, Bruce and Rick went fishing, and the kid has a science exam."
"I'll make do." Clint declared. "Have everyone suited up and in the Quinjet in 10."
"Yes… sir." Tony replied, taken aback by Clint's take charge attitude.
…
Back in Sokovia, Strucker walked through the castle hallways towards a large door. He went through the door, which lead to a large room with several large robots inside, still under construction.
"Dr. Zola!" He called out.
Just then, a large robot body turned from its work. The body had a massive TV screen on its chest with the face of Dr. Armin Zola displayed on it.
"Ah, Baron Strucker," Zola greeted. "So glad your early parole went through."
"I trust we are proceeding on schedule?" Strucker assumed.
"Indeed." Zola confirmed. "The Sleepers are nearing completion. Once finished, they will be unstoppable."
"Excellent." Strucker remarked. "How soon can the first wave be online?"
"I estimate an hour before they will be fully operational."
"Good." Strucker replied. "Now then, I do believe we have guests to attend to."
Stucker then walked off, leaving Zola to return to his work.
…
Elsewhere in the castle, the Winter Soldier resumed his patrol as best he could. His head still seemed to ache though, with flashes of fuzzy memories continuing to plague him. They continued to center around his nameless, faceless friend.
…
"Come on, there are men laying down their lives." his friend insisted. "I got no right to do any less than them, that's what you don't get. This isn't about me."
"Right, cause you got nothing to prove." He remarked.
"That's not the point." his friend grumbled.
He just sighed in response, knowing he wouldn't be able to win this.
"Look, just don't do anything stupid until I get back." He insisted.
"How can I?" His friend replied. "You're taking all the stupid with you."
"Punk." he said, pulling his friend into a hug.
"Jerk." his friend replied, returning the hug.
They pulled apart as he started to leave.
"Don't win the war till I get there!" His friend called back.
…
The Winter Soldier rubbed his head again, trying to purge the memories from his mind. The voice of his friend, while distant, sounded almost exactly like Captain America. He thought back to the look the Captain had given him back at the prison, that look of recognition and horror.
"Bucky..." He had said.
"Who is Bucky?" The soldier questioned quietly.
…
Back at Avengers Mansion, Iron Man, Thor, Panther, and Hawkeye all entered the sub levels, making a beeline for the Quinjet.
"And here I was hoping we heard the last of HYDRA months ago." Iron Man remarked.
"Well, they're back." Hawkeye replied. "And now, they've got Cap and Nat."
"Fret no, Hawkeye." Thor reassured. "We shall retrieve the good Captain, as well as Lady Natasha. If they have not already freed themselves."
"Do we have any idea where they are now?" Panther asked.
"Not sure." Hawkeye replied. "Was hoping Stark could do a trace on Cap's ID card."
"Already on it." Iron Man replied. "Signal's dead now, but last recorded location but him over eastern Europe. Searching for abandoned structures that fit HYDRA's MO."
After a few minutes, something popped up on his Heads Up Display.
"Got it." Iron Man shared. "An abandoned castle in northern Sokovia. Perfect place for Strucker and his buddies to hide out."
"Then that's where we go." Hawkeye declared. "How long will it take to get us there?"
"At top speed, about an hour." Iron Man informed.
"Good enough for me." Hawkeye replied.
…
Back at the Castle, Cap and Natasha were still sitting in their cell, trying to work out an escape plan. As they glanced around their confined holding area looking for any weak points, they were soon greeted by Strucker entering the holding area.
"And how are you enjoying your stay?" Strucker asked.
"You're gonna pay for what you've done, Strucker." Cap swore.
"You're going to have to be a bit more specific, Herr Captain." Strucker quipped.
"For what you did to Fury… and Bucky." Cap replied.
"Ah, the Winter Soldier." Strucker recalled. "HYDRA's greatest triumph "
Cap just slammed on the bars in response. Strucker looked pleased.
"You should be thrilled." Strucker told him. "The Winter Soldier was all because of you. He was created to be your perfect foil. All of your strengths, and none of your weaknesses. The perfect weapon."
"Hope you enjoyed it, cause he's not gonna be your weapon for long." Cap promised.
Strucker just laughed.
"Oh Captain, you do not understand." He cackled. "HYDRA has spent decades creating the soldier. He is perfect in every way. You cannot break him, nor can you return him to the weak, spineless creature he was before."
"That 'spineless creature' was the bravest man I ever knew." Cap threw back. "Worth more than a hundred of you monsters."
"Was." Strucker repeated. "Now, he is mein weapon. HYDRA's weapon. And now, he will be your death."
Cap was about to respond, when suddenly the entire castle started shaking. As everyone stabilized themselves, Strucker moved towards the exit.
"Guess the others found out we were missing." Cap noted.
"Hill." Natasha pieced together. "She's called in the Avengers."
"You sound surprised." Cap replied.
"No." she answered. "I just… I'm not sure what I'm going to say to them. To Clint."
"The truth is a good place to start." Cap offered.
…
Outside, the Avengers plowed their way through HYDRA's forces. Hawkeye rode his hoverbike through the air, firing one arrow after another at any HYDRA agent that he laid his eyes on. Panther leapt down to the ground and threw three energy daggers at the ground, exploding just as a HYDRA jeep rolled by, causing it to overturn and land upside down. Iron Man flew across the battlefield, blasting down HYDRA agents with relative ease.
"Alright JARVIS, talk to me." Iron Man told his AI. "What're we up against?"
"The central building appears to be covered by some energy shield." JARVIS replied.
"Then our friends must be here!" Thor declared, landing in the middle of a group of agents and throwing his hammer at one of them. "Strucker wouldn't mount this defense otherwise."
He punched and knocked soldiers aside before calling his hammer back, allowing it to fly past him, hitting a HYDRA agent from behind.
"Yeah, well this defense is gonna be keeping us company for a while until I can figure out what to do about that shield." Iron Man informed, still blasting away.
"In the meantime, sir, the city is at risk of taking fire." JARVIS reminded as the castle's defenses began shooting at them.
"Well, we know Strucker's not gonna worry about civilian casualties." Iron Man remarked. "Send in the Iron Legion."
"I'm sorry, what was that about a Legion?" Hawkeye questioned.
"It seems you have been busy, Stark." Black Panther remarked.
"Everyone has their hobbies." Tony replied. "Besides, someone needs to work the crowds when Rick's not around."
As the Avengers fought, several compartments opened up from the Quinjet and Iron Man-like drones emerged, flying towards the nearby city. The drones dropped down in front of several civilians, holding out their hands in a peaceful manner.
"This quadrant is unsafe." the drones informed in a non threatening tone. "Please back away."
The civilians were surprised, a few cowering at the sight of the bots, but a few more recognizing them as belonging to Iron Man. One man hurled a molotov cocktail out of spite for the Iron Avenger, hitting one of the drones and while otherwise not hurting it, damaging its face plate to where the eyes and mouthpiece were cracked, showing some of the glowing blue underneath.
…
Back inside the castle, Strucker reached the command room in an attempt to find out what was going on.
"Who gave the order to open fire?" Strucker demanded.
"Heir Strucker, it's the Avengers." one of the soldiers reported.
Strucker let out several expletives in German.
"They came sooner than I anticipated." He snarled. "Can we hold them?"
"They're the Avengers." the soldier replied.
"Deploy the rest of our forces!" Strucker ordered. "Concentrate fire on the weak ones. It will give Dr. Zola enough time to complete the Sleepers. Then we will send the Avengers back in bags. Hail HYDRA!"
"Hail HYDRA!" the soldiers yelled back.
…
Outside the castle, Thor and Panther were back to back fending off HYDRA agents back and forth. Panther threw out several energy daggers at some oncoming HYDRA agents and Thor electrified them, making their explosion all the more impactful.
"This fighting is pointless!" Panther declared. "The longer we delay, the more we risk our friends' safety!"
One of the turrets managed to hit Hawkeye's hoverbike, causing him to leap off and land on the ground, rolling hard before firing off another arrow.
"He's right, Stark!" He agreed, pulling out an arrow and stabbing an oncoming soldier. "We need to get inside!"
"Working on it." Tony responded. "JARVIS, you see a power source for that shield?"
"There's a particle wave emanating from the north tower." JARVIS noted. "87% probability that it is the source of the forcefield."
"Good, I wanna poke it with something." Tony replied, flying towards the tower.
He let loose a wrist rocket towards the base of the tower, causing it to crumble and the shield to dissipate.
"Drawbridge is down, people!" Iron Man reported.
"Great!" Hawkeye replied, firing a grapnel arrow at the side of the castle. "I'm going in!"
He zipped up to the top of the wall and climbed over into the courtyard, letting loose three arrows at once into approaching HYDRA soldiers.
"We're right behind you!" Iron Man replied about to fly after him.
Before the other Avengers could follow through, the floor to the courtyard started opening up, forcing Clint to run towards a nearby door and leap inside. Rising from the floor, was a large silver robot with massive arms and legs, a large green dome on its top, and the HYDRA symbol emblazoned on its chest. The robot turned towards Iron Man and locking onto him, fired a green energy beam at him, knocking him out of the sky.
"On second thought, we're gonna be a few minutes late." Iron Man let out.
…
Back inside the holding cells, Cap and Natasha continued working on their escape plan. Natasha looked outside and saw a guard making his rounds. Natasha thought quickly, jumping into the air and moving her hands in front of her. She then reached through the bars, grabbing the guard and slamming him into the bars. She divested him of his keys before slamming him against the bars a second time. This blow knocked the guard out and crumble to the ground once Natasha let him go. Once the guard fell unconscious, she grabbed his keys and undid her cuffs, freeing Cap right after.
"We better get out of here." she declared.
"Agreed." Cap concurred. "I got a feeling Strucker's got something big up his sleeve."
They unlocked the cell and headed out.
…
Meanwhile, Hawkeye made his way through the complex, an arrow notched in his bow. As he cracked open the next door, he saw two more robots like the one in the courtyard in a lab still under construction.
"Whoa." Clint let out under his breath.
He also caught a glimpse of Cap's shield being taken to one of the lab tables.
"Can't let them have that." Hawkeye declared, drawing a sonic arrow.
He fired the arrow straight at Cap's shield, causing a massive sound wave to strike out throughout the room. It disoriented the soldiers, screwed with Zola's mainframe, and damaged the two other Sleeper robots. Seizing his moment, Clint took out another arrow and fired it at the mechanical top of the robot that had yet to have it's dome inserted. Upon contact, the top blew up, causing the rest of the robot to catch fire. After finally regaining his senses, Zola turned towards Hawkeye in fury.
"Kill him!" Zola shouted.
"Good luck with that." Hawkeye challenged, drawing another arrow and firing.
The arrow hit a nearby work table, causing it to explode and send soldiers flying as he leapt down to the ground.
"Let's do this!" He declared.
…
Out in the hallways, Cap and Natasha continued running to try and find the others as they are alerted the sounds of heavy gunfire.
"Guessing they're that way." Cap deduced.
"What tipped you off?" Natasha remarked, running down the hall.
…
On one of the walls of the castle, the Winter Soldier took a position overlooking the inner courtyard. As he readied his weapon, he looked down his scope and saw Hawkeye shooting arrows at the HYDRA agents below. The Winter Soldier took aim and prepared to take out the archer. Before he could take the shot though, something came up and knocked him aside. He rolled on the ground before springing up and see Black Panther standing over him, claws at the ready. Winter Soldier sprang up to attack, swinging his metal arm at him, only for Panther to duck under it. Panther tried swinging his claws at him, but Winter Soldier used his arm to block the attack.
"I do not know who you are, but you will not see victory this day." Panther promised.
Winter Soldier responded by kicking Panther in the chest, prompting him to land on his hands before springing backwards onto his feet. Panther then extended his claws and tried slashing at the Winter Soldier, only for the Winter Soldier to dodge and evade the blows. He brought his metal arm up to prevent another blow from landing, delivering a kick to Panther's chest. Panther tumbled on the ground for a bit and was about to be hit by Winter Soldier's metal fist, only for Panther to roll out of the way just in time.
…
Back in the lab, Cap and Widow kicked open the door and saw several giant robots half constructed, as well as a few unconscious soldiers.
"Safe to say Clint's been through here." Cap commented. "But what the hell has HYDRA been working on?"
"Something that will revolutionize the art of war." a robotic voice replied.
Widow and Cap turned to see Arnim Zola walked towards them, much to Cap's surprise.
"Zola?" Cap let out.
"In the flesh, Captain." Zola responded. "So to speak."
"What happened to you?" Cap questioned.
"In 1972, I received a terminal illness." Zola explained. "My body was beyond saving. But HYDRA salvaged my mind in this mechanical form."
"Sounds like you got the short end of the stick." Cap remarked.
"Not all of us are lucky enough to have been flash frozen in healthy bodies." Zola retorted before noticing what else their eyes were drawn to. "I see you have been admiring my Sleeper robots."
"HYDRA's latest plaything." Cap noted. "What makes you think I won't take this one from you like I did the Cube?"
"Because, Herr Captain, these were built with you and your 'Avengers' in mind." Zola remarked, taking out a remote and pressing a button on it.
Just then, one of the robots activated, stepping forward and turning towards the two Avengers. It tried stepping on them, but they quickly rolled out of the way of the giant foot, allowing Natasha to grab a nearby gun and start shooting at it. Her bullets seemed to do little more than dent the metal, making it clear that Zola's remark was more than just for show.
"A futile gesture fraulein." Zola told her. "The Sleepers are nie indestructible. The destruction of the Avengers will be soon at-"
Zola was then cut off by an arrow hitting his screen, causing him to topple over. Cap and Widow turned to see a slightly battered Hawkeye standing before them.
"What? Someone had to shut him up." Clint remarked.
"Clint." Natasha let out, relief evident in her voice.
"Nat." Clint replied, sounding a little cold. "I have a few choice words for you, but under the circumstances, they can wait."
"Who else is with you?" Cap asked.
"Stark and Thor are fighting another one of these robots outside, and Panther went off on his own." CLint answered. "Last time I saw him, he was facing off against some guy with a metal arm."
"Bucky." Cap realized. "I'll go help him. You two see what you can do about this thing."
"Right." Clint replied, grabbing Cap's shield off a nearby table. "Hey Cap, you might need this."
He tossed the shield to Cap, who quickly caught it before heading off.
"Thanks!" He called back.
Clint and Natasha then turned back to see the giant robot still looming over them.
"Well, this is gonna be fun." Clint remarked.
…
Back outside, Thor and Iron Man continued flying around the robot, blasting at it in an attempt to bring it down. Their attacks however, seemed to do little as the robot just continued dishing out blasts of its own. One of the blasts knocked Iron Man out of the sky, causing him to drop to the ground. The robot then tried blasting at him again, but Thor quickly landed in front of him to deflect the attack.
"Stark, are you alright?!" Thor asked.
"Had worse." Iron Man replied, getting back up. "JARVIS, give me a once over. What are we up against?"
"Scanning, sir." JARVIS informed him before a schematic of the robot appeared on the left side of Tony's screen. "The main processor appears to be centered underneath the glass dome on its head."
"So smash the glass and bash its metaphorical brains in." Tony surmised. "Nice work JARVIS. Point break! See what you can do about that glass!"
"Aye!" Thor replied, flying off towards the robots head.
Iron Man followed suit as he fired a laser at the dome, beginning to damage it. When it started to crack, Thor heaved his hammer at it, shattering the glass and destroying the machinery inside. The robot then started to explode and topple over, causing the heroes to smile in response.
"The threat is vanquished." Thor proclaimed as Mjolnir returned to his hand.
"Work's not done yet." Iron Man reminded, flying towards the castle.
…
Back with Panther, his fight with the Winter Soldier was going south fast. Winter Soldier managed to land blow after blow on Panther until he got knocked to the ground. Winter Soldier then managed to pull off Panther's helmet and take out a gun, ready to aim it at his head.
"Bucky!" Cap's voice called out.
The Winter Soldier paused for just a brief second, long enough for Cap to jump down, knocking the gun out of his hand. The two locked eyes, Cap putting himself between the Winter Soldier and T'Challa.
"Go find Stark." He ordered. "Tell him Widow and Hawkeye are in the lab fighting another sleeper robot."
T'Challa nodded as he grabbed his helmet and went off, leaving the two old friends to stare down. Winter Soldier glanced over at his fallen gun, then back at Cap. Surprisingly, he didn't go for it. Instead, he just seemed to be staring at Cap, as if trying to see through him.
…
"So what did I tell you?" he told his friend as he sat down next to him and another man in a bar. "They're all idiots."
"So how about you two?" his friend asked. "Ready to follow 'Captain America' into the jaws of death?"
"Eh, death and I have always been at odds." the other man said in a gruff, almost animalistic voice. "Still, someone's gotta keep you guys from getting yourselves killed."
There was some laughter, then his friend turned to him,
"And you?" His friend asked hopefully.
"Captain America, no." He answered. "That scrawny kid always getting beaten up in back alleys because he was too stubborn to quit. That's who I'm following."
"Just promise me you're not keeping the costume." the other man insisted.
"You know what," his friend replied, looking over at a poster on the wall. "It's starting to grow on me."
"You'll never catch me dead in one of those stupid outfits." the other man remarked.
The three of them all laughed, a relaxed air surrounding them.
…
The Winter soldier clutched his head, gritting his teeth under his muzzle. He tried to make the images stop, or at the very least clear so he could see faces. His eyes then locked onto Cap, snarling like a wounded animal.
"What are you doing to me?!" He snapped.
"You're remembering…" Cap realized. "Aren't you?"
The Winter Soldier growled in response before smacking Cap back with his metal arm.
…
Back in the lab, Clint and Natasha struggled to keep ahead of the Sleeper robot. Clint fired a few explosive arrows at it, but they didn't seem to do any good.
"Damn, what is this thing made of?" Clint questioned.
"Not sure." Natasha admitted. "But we're running out of room here.
"These things are weakest at the top," Clint shared. "But I need a way up there."
Thinking fast, Natasha runs towards the sleeper, shooting at with her gun and diverting its gaze from Clint.
"What are you doing?!" Clint called out.
"Giving you a way up!" She called back as she continued running.
Clint looked around, then noticed the scaffolding used by workers building the robot. He quickly shot a grappling arrow at the top, launching himself upward. He landed on the scaffolding and jumped onto the robot. He took out a sonic arrow and placed it on the dome, causing it to crack and shatter. He then jammed an explosive arrow into the inner mechanisms before leaping off and letting it blow. The robot fell as he rolled across the ground, stopping at Natasha's feet.
"Don't think this means we're cool." Clint told her.
As the robot fell, it crashed near the other robots under construction, causing them to blow one by one. At that moment, the doors were blasted open and Iron Man, Thor, and Panther busted in, only to see the two SHIELD agents standing in front of a flaming wreck.
"What kept ya?" Clint remarked.
"You're not the only one with giant robots to deal with." Tony answered, his visor rising up. "Widow, good to see you again? Where's Cap?"
"Fighting against the Winter Soldier I'd imagine." Widow deduced. "And we're still short Strucker."
"Someone should go check on the old timer." Tony suggested.
"No." Widow insisted. "This is something he has to do himself. We need to focus on Strucker."
"Then let us hurry!" Panther declared, heading off with the others following behind.
…
Back with Cap, he continued duking it out with Winter Soldier, though mostly staying in a defensive role. The Winter Soldier punched and kicked, attacking more like a wild animal than an assassin. Cap mostly blocked the attacks, rarely returning any of his own.
"I know you're in there, Buck." Cap told him. "You have to fight whatever they did to you."
The Winter Soldier just snarled, grabbing at Cap's helmet. Cap just kicked him in the chest, knocking him back.
"You're not a weapon." Cap told him. "Your name is James Bucchanan Barnes."
The Winter Soldier grabbed his head, another memory slipping through.
…
He was in pain, his entire body aching as he laid strapped to a table. He was muttering something over and over, something he'd been trained to say.
"Sergeant…. James… Barnes… Serial Code… 32557-"
"Buck!" his friend called out, rushing over to the table. "It's me! It's Steve."
That word pierced through the pain, the fog clouding his mind. A face came into view, the face of his oldest friend, the man he trusted more than anything-
…
The Winter Soldier howled in pain, clutching his head. He clawed at his muzzle, ripping it off as he struggled to breathe. Instinctively, Cap dropped his shield and ran over to help his friend.
"Come on Bucky." Steve told him. "I know you're in there."
The Winter Soldier lashed out, grabbing Steve with his metal hand and crushing his throat. He was panting hard, his eyes full of pain as he struggled to make sense of it all. He didn't know what to trust anymore, but he did know that Steve was the source of his pain and he needed to go.
"You're not… alone, Buck…" Steve wheezed out. "I'm with ya to… the end of the line…"
Something in the Winter Soldier's mind clicked. His hand released Steve, letting him drop to the ground. Steve gasped, rubbing his throat as he looked up, seeing Bucky shine through the Soldier. Before anything more could be said, Bucky backed away, then turned and ran. Steve just dropped to his hands and knees, panting for air as he looked up and saw Bucky was gone.
…
Inside the castle, Strucker made his way through the halls of the castle, trying to make his escape. As he reached for the door, and arrow shot out and hit his metal gauntlet, pinning him to the wall. Strucker turned and saw the Avengers standing before him, with Hawkeye aiming another arrow.
"Not today, Strucker." Hawkeye told him.
Strucker just growled in response as he detached himself from the gauntlet and tried to make a break for it. Before he could get far, Widow clotheslined him, causing him to fall to the ground where he was quickly curb stomped into submission.
"And stay down." She told him.
"Come on," Iron Man spoke up. "Let's see if Cap needs any help."
...
The Avengers found Cap on the ground, still attempting to catch his breath.
"Cap." Iron Man let out as he went over to him and helped him up. "You alright?"
"Yeah." He rasped, his voice hoarse from having his windpipe nearly crushed.
"The Winter Soldier is most likely gone by now." Panther deduced, looking over the wall.
"We can set up a perimeter." Hawkeye began. "Stark, how soon can you-?"
"No." Cap coughed. "Let him go."
"Cap, you sure?" Stark asked.
"Something tells me," he wheezes, struggling to speak, "he doesn't wanna be found right now."
…
"So you wanna tell me why you decided to chase down a psycho cyborg assassin alone?!" Clint asked as medics checked on Cap's throat at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier.
"Because I knew how he operated and I could work better alone." She answered. "I also didn't want to drag you down with me if things went south."
"You know me better than that." Clint responded. "You know I can handle myself and keep up with you. The truth is you didn't trust me with this."
"No, Clint." Natasha insisted. "This wasn't about trust. I didn't want you to get hurt. If you did because of me, I-"
"I did get hurt, Nat." Clint interjected. "By you, when you left without even saying goodbye."
"Clint-"
"After everything we've been through together…" Clint tried to respond. "I would've taken a bullet for you, Nat."
He began walking off, Nat attempting to go after him before Coulson stopped her.
"Let him go." He insisted. "He needs time."
Nat just lowered her head before seeing Cap getting off the medical table. She sighed, putting a hand to her face.
"I messed up." she admitted.
"Everyone makes mistakes in this job." Cap told her as he walked over. "If you and Clint are really that close, he'll come around."
"What about Barnes?" Nat asked.
"I think he was beginning to remember." Steve answered. "He seemed confused, but I saw him. The real him, even if it was for a brief second."
"Then there really is hope." Nat realized. "Wrong twice in one day, that's a new record."
"We all make mistakes." Steve assured her. "That's what makes us human."
"Guess so." Nat replied.
…
Meanwhile in a hangar bay, Maria Hill walked inside one of the storage units. Sitting in the back was an african american man in a ballcap and a pair of aviator glasses.
"So, how was the funeral?" he asked nonchalantly.
"Private service." Hill answered. "Closed casket of course. Skye cried."
"Sounds nice." the man remarked. "And Barnes?"
"In the wind." She explained. "How'd you know?"
"I could hear him from where I was hiding." the man answered. "Cap called him 'Bucky'."
"Right." Hill replied. "So how long you gonna play dead?"
"HYDRA knew where I was and how to find me." the man responded. "We have a leak. Gotta find it and plug it."
"Just be careful out there, Director." Hill insisted.
"Always am… director." the man remarked, heading out of the storage unit and onto a nearby plane. "Coulson, let's take off!"
"Right away, sir." Coulson said from the pilot's seat.
The plane then took off and flew out of the hanger. Hill just stood there, smirking a little in response.
…
In a secluded area of the Sokovian woods, Bucky curled up under a tree, his head in his hands. Memories were swirling in his mind, faces and voices he barely recognized but knew he should. He was so wrapped up in the flood of thoughts and faces, he didn't even notice the figure approaching him from behind.
"Are you alright?" The figure asked in a thick, German accent.
Bucky jolted to his feet, the voice cutting through the fog.
"You…" Bucky struggled to let out. "I… know you…"
"Indeed you do, Sergeant Barnes."
From the shadows of the woods emerged Baron Zemo, holding a red book in his hand. He slowly opened it up as he continued to walk closer.
"Longing." he read in Russian. "Rusted. Seventeen."
"No..." Bucky cried out, covering his ears. "No, shut up!"
"Daybreak. Furnace. Nine."
Bucky tried to rush him, but a metal whip shot out and wrapped around his metal arm. He turned, seeing Whiplash holding the end of the whip and keeping him in place.
"Let me go!" Bucky shrieked.
"Benign. Homecoming."
"Stop it!" Bucky shrieked as he pulled himself free,
"One. Freight car."
Bucky's hand was inches away from Zemo's face before he froze. His eyes clouded over as Bucky was pulled back into the fog, the Winter Soldier taking his place. His arm lowered and he straightened up, becoming as rigid as a statue.
"Good morning soldier." Zemo spoke.
"... ready to comply." Bucky responded robotically.
"Destroy Captain America, and the Avengers." Zemo ordered.
