Steve thought the members of the team accepted the concept of space aliens, but every one of them kept their eyes fixed on the visitor who was now keeping a silent vigil at the window. He hoped she was pondering over their dilemma but she could just as easily be reacting to this strange new world out there. Steve accepted she came here to help, and so far nothing about her set off any real alarm bells. Her interactions with the original team went smoothly, but they were becoming more and more incoherent, reminding him of dementia. Despite this, something foreign weaved its way into his mind, whispering faint warnings of distrust.

She broke her silence. "I am not a scientist. Doctor Strange would understand how these things work, but it seems this drug can keep the personalities separate. I would suggest another dose," she said, not taking her eyes away from the window.

"But we don't know which personality will come through," Clint said.

"But according to Bucky, it brought back this Steve Rogers," she said, finally turning towards him, her brown eyes meeting his. Knowing that wasn't what she really looked like was unnerving. "Perhaps if you give Colonel Rhodes another treatment, the more stable, less angry Rhodey will return. You have him in a safe environment where he cannot hurt himself, or others."

"I admit, it is worth a try, but that still would not take care of the ethical concerns," T'Challa said. "These are living personalities, who deserve the chance to live the lives they should have had."

"I agree," Kuthetha said. "If we succeed in this one thing, perhaps it will give me time to find a place for them, in another dimension perhaps, where they will do the most good."

"And this process starts all over again, somewhere else?" Steve asked. "I don't like handing over our problems…"

"But here, in this place, you would have peace and these people would then be able to choose, to make their own way in their new world. They will be free."

"You, all of you, made things better by coming here," Bucky said. "Mostly. I mean, there were some hiccups but the Consortiums are history. Maybe they'll do the same wherever they go…"

"That's a good point," Sam said. "Although I would suggest they say upfront what they were doing and not keep it such a secret."

"Advice noted," Steve said.

"They aren't going to become disembodied spirits, are they? Just floating around through the Universe? Like ghosts?" Peter asked.

"We will do our best to avoid that," she said. "And for that, I need to contact the Sanctums here and discuss this those who are wiser and more experienced than me. I have to do that alone because there is much I cannot…"

"Share with us," Steve finished. "We understand."

"Will this place suffice?" T'Challa asked, waving his arm about the room.

"This will be fine. I just need to open a portal."

"Very well, we will administer another dosage of the drug to Colonel Rhodes," T'Challa said. "How long do you need?"

"About...two hours?"

"We will meet back here then," T'Challa said, and they all left the room.

Steve was glad to leave her to it. He and Bucky didn't speak but by some mutual unspoken agreement returned to their quarters. Bucky's presence normally had a calming effect on him but now something raged inside of him, something he couldn't stop. He needed him now more than ever. Not just his companionship, he needed, to possess him, too...

Once in the room, after he shut the door, he couldn't stop himself from grabbing Bucky and shoving him up against the wall and planting a hard kiss on him. Bucky body tensed, but he returned it before pushing him away.

"What brought this on?" He asked, then answered his own question. "It was going out on the Battlefield, wasn't it? And then the Speaker showed up...Steve, it triggered everything again, didn't it? I'm sorry, but you know I'm not going anywhere. Maybe we should call Doctor…"

"I don't need the Doctor, I just need you…" another hard kiss and another instance of Bucky tensing up. Steve felt like a man possessed.

"Now?" Bucky asked. "You want to do this now, with all this going on?" This time he pushed him away completely and walked away. Steve could see his reflection in the large mirror on the wall.

"I want to take you up on your offer," Steve said.

Bucky stopped his face blank. "My offer?"

"You know what I mean. You said any time I wanted to cross the line…"

"So I did," he said, his face still a blank. No sense of revulsion, no reaction. Something about him reminded him of Vision accepting his fate. "If that's what you want. Tonight…"

"No, not tonight. Now!"

This time Bucky turned around. "You always said it was my call, and if you want this, we'll do it, but we'll do it tonight."

"So we can do it in the dark, and I won't be able to tell how much you won't be enjoying it. Why can't you be normal? Why can't you want me...like that?" Something, not him invaded his mind. This time Bucky didn't push back.

"Steve, we've been through this. I was born this way and to answer your question, I don't know! But I do love you, and if that's what you want, but later, tonight. I have to…"

"Get yourself mentally into the mood? I'm that repulsive to you?" Steve asked. That thing inside him came to the surface, and he couldn't hold it back. Part of him submerged into a void.

"Of course you're not! Why are you talking like this? What is wrong with you?" Bucky asked, his voice faint as if at the far end of a tunnel. The light was going dim.

"There's nothing wrong with me. You're the freak!" Someone else spoke those words. Steve knew who and fought back but the other one was too strong.

Bucky drew back, but not in anger, studying Steve's face. "Look, why don't we take a walk or something. Not by the Battlefield, go out and wait in the Garden, or go back to the village. We can talk this out." Bucky kept his voice calm and moved closer, reaching out his hand to him.

His touch calmed him down. "I'm sorry, I'm not sure what's happening, but you and that woman. What did you get up to on that planet?"

"Steve, we didn't get up to anything!"

"I've seen the way she looks at you!"

"I just sort of steered her onto a better path, but I did it by thinking about you!"

Steve couldn't take it anymore. Bucky was lying to him and stalling. He knew. It. He turned around to face the window, his thoughts warring inside of him. He needed…

He felt a sudden pain, and darkness surrounded him.

He woke up in a hospital bed. It took a few moments to shake off the disorientation, but he felt like himself again. He could move his arms and legs but something limited his range. It took a moment to realize a Vibranium force field was around him, keeping him confined. He called out but then noticed Bucky sitting by his side.

"Why am I here?" He asked, but the answer came hard and fast. "He came back, didn't he?"

"Yes," Bucky said, his face pained. "How much do you remember?"

"Not a lot. My head hurts."

"I'm really sorry about that, but I had to stop you. He was worse than he's ever been. He wasn't even the Steve I remember. He was rambling, incoherent."

"What did he do?" Steve asked. "Did he hurt you?"

"No, I'm fine. I knew it was him. He was reliving past events but in a weird and garbled way. It wasn't really either of you but don't worry about that. It's over. Rhodey's back and they've done the same with the others but I think those other personalities are going mad inside there."

"Where's Bruce?"

"He's in a special reinforced room. He's ok at the moment, but worried, like the rest of us. Steve, I think we might have to do the unthinkable and ask Kuthetha and the others to just…"

"Get rid of them?"

"I'm sure they can do it, painlessly. Oh, don't look at me like that. I don't like the idea any more than you do."

"We just need to give Kuthetha time."

"Which they may not have."

Steve forced himself to relax. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander as he searched for extra memories. The other Steve was asleep at the moment. "I have no memory of anything after leaving the room except being irritated at The Speaker."

"Why?"

"Because she smiled at you or something. It makes no sense, but that was when it started. At least now I'm aware of the warning signs. I'm sorry about whatever I did…or what we did. I don't think either of us was in our right minds."

"Don't worry about it," Bucky said again sat back in his chair. He was silent for a moment, then laughed and answered Steve's unspoken question to his sudden shift in attitude. "Not that long ago I was there, and you were here. Funny the way things are working out."

"At least you could move. Can't they let me sit up?" He touched something on his neck. He could reach around and feel it. "What's this?" He asked.

It's an experiment, a way to administer the drug. Similar to an insulin pump, or so they tell me. If it works, they might let you out of there, but we have to wait and see. If it doesn't, you might have to stay inside a vibranium shield bubble thing."

"I hope it does, damn it, the others, how are they?"

"Clint's got this," Bucky said. At that moment, the door opened. Sam, with a serious expression on his face.

"Hey," he said, taking a seat beside Bucky. "How you doing."

"Oh I feel fine, that's not the problem," Steve said.

"I went by the room where Kuthetha where holding her seance with the other wizards," Sam said.

"Spying?" Bucky asked.

"Eh, let's call it reconnaissance except for those guards outside the door kept glaring at me, but they didn't stop me from hanging around. To be honest, I think they were just as curious as me. They were arguing, the wizards and at one point she was shouting at someone. I didn't understand a damn thing they said. I don't know why Strange couldn't have come himself."

"Because he's teaching those people new tricks, and it would be dangerous to leave them on their own," Bucky said. "Ask any enhanced person about the mistakes and dangerous situations that happened before they learned to control their new abilities. We know what Peter got up to before Tony found him…heck, even you, when you first got your wings…"

"Point taken," Sam said. "It's this waiting that's hard. So you knocked Steve a good one, did you? You know there's been times when I wanted to do that myself, to the old Steve, not this guy."

"Th

is guy doesn't appreciate you talking about him like he's not here," Steve said. He knew what Sam was doing. Distraction was a fine art to him. "And for what it's worth, I understand him. He didn't want to be that way, they used the serum on him before it was ready. Despite his personality problems, he probably did more good than harm."

"True," Sam said. "Once you got past that, he was a good guy. It was getting past all that, well that was the problem."

"We shouldn't be talking about him in the past tense…" Steve said, giving Sam a side eye but the opening door interrupted him. It was Kuthetha. An unwelcome sensation did its best to come through but Steve felt it melt away almost as soon as it showed up. The drug was working.

"Forgive me for disturbing you, but I believe we have a solution. It will not be easy, but apparently it is the only way," she said.

"When was the last time anything around here was ever easy?" Sam asked.

"This might cause...some distress," she said.

"On top of what they're already experiencing?" Sam asked.

"Yes, I'm sorry. If it weren't for your combined abilities, and the world's need for you, some of the others would have just put you away. I'm afraid the exchange was rather, heated."

"Put them away?" Bucky asked.

"In a place by themselves, in a forgotten realm, but as I said, that's not an option. I was able to convince them that the world needs you, all of you."

"Alright," Steve said. "Where should we do this?"

"I'm sorry, Captain, but the most convenient place to do this is out there, on the Battlefield."