Chapter 12
By: MysticFantasy
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"How's Rogers?" Fury asked as he walked over to the glass table where the five Avengers were sitting.
"He's on the mend." Bruce answered. "He should be up on his feet in a few days."
"How'd he take the news of knowing that we know where his hide-out house is and the fact that it was his childhood friend that tried to kill him?"
"He never answered about the house but...he's actually handling the identity of the Winter Soldier better than we thought he would." Tony answered.
"Did he mention any possibility of how Barnes is still alive?" Fury asked.
"Nothing." Clint answered. "He's just as in the dark as we are."
"Well, next time you speak with him, ask him if anything happened during the war that might have caused Barnes to stand the tests of time."
"I think I might know already." Tony said with a thoughtful look on his face as everyone faced him.
"How?" Fury asked.
"My old man would never shut up about Captain America and the Howling Commando's." Tony started. "He told me about all of their missions. One in particular. The very first mission that Steve had gone on to save James Barnes. From what I was told, Steve found Barnes in a lab and strapped down to a gurney. What if Red Skull was experimenting something on the prisoners and, somehow, something allowed Barnes to remain youthful?"
"But they didn't have that kind of knowledge back then." Bruce said with a thoughtful look of his own. "The only thing at the time that was even close to that was the super soldier serum and we all know that Steve was the only one to have it."
"But Schmidt had the incomplete version. What if he was testing his blood to try to find a way to complete the formula?" Natasha suggested. "He could have been using his prisoners to test it."
"It's as close as an explination that we have." Fury said. "We'll hold off on anything else until Rogers is fully healed. I'll allow him to return to the tower if he wants but he has to remain on bed rest until he's healed and not a minute before. I also want him monitored. We all know very well that he's going to try to shake this off and pretend he's at one hundred percent when he's not."
"Certainly wouldn't be the first time." Tony muttered.
"Just make sure that he's kept an eye on until he fully recovers." Fury said. "Barnes is still out there with the intent of killing someone he's known all his life. We need to know why and Rogers is the only one who might even come close to having any of those answers. Just keep him safe and on the healing mend."
"We'll do that." Bruce assured.
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Moving Steve to the tower had been easier than they thought. Thor's strength in being able to easily mov things had been a big help and they were grateful that Tony had sent a message to Jarvis telling him to prepare a room for their injured Captain.
While Bruce was finishing settling Steve in, the others were in the dinning room trying to figure out a way of trying to capture Winter Soldier.
They had an strange feeling that he might make a sudden appearance at any time to try to finish the job.
It was something that Clint and Natasha felt was going to be attempted. As master assassins, they both knew that finishing the job was the most important part of a mission.
They voiced these things and Tony had put Jarvis on high alert until further notice with the signal to put the tower on lockdown at his command if needed.
He also had the AI on round the clock Steve watch. They all knew that being back in the tower meant that Steve was going to try his 'I'm fine' act. The inventor was really tempted to just lock Steve in his room but he knew that wouldn't work out for anyone since Steve was more than strong enough to break the door down.
But he didn't have to worry too much since Natasha said she would make sure that Steve rested.
If there was one lesson that even Steve and Thor learned, it was that Natasha was always to be obeyed. Everyone still remembered when Clint told stories about the times that he had been stupid enough to not listen to her.
"Winter Soldier is obviously going to try to sneak by us in order to get to Steve." Clint stated.
"Jarvis is already on twenty four hour watch patrol and he's monitoring Steve just as bad." Tony said.
"I shall continue to stand at his side." Thor said. "I do not feel honorable just pacing the floor while our friend must be confined to his bed while he recovers."
"That would make us all feel better." Clint said. "I doubt that the Winter Soldier will be able to take you on."
"He shall find me most difficult to battle." Thor said.
"No kidding." Tony half muttered.
"Still, we need to come up with a plan." the archer said.
"I wish Cap was talking about this with us." Tony said. "I am a brilliant genius but I do not have the mind needed to come up with a plan that's even close enough to being anything like Steve's."
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"He's asleep. He needs as much of it as possible." Bruce said to Natasha as they quietly spoke outside the bedroom of the suite they were standing in. "If he actually listens and rests for the next week or so, he should be on his feet in no time."
"You know that he's not going to listen." Natasha said as she looked through the door where her boyfriend was sleeping. He looked like he was sleeping but she could tell that it was anything but restful.
His face looked like he was on the edge of having a horrible nightmare. No doubt he was dreaming about being face to face with the best friend he had watched fall to his death seventy years ago.
They already knew that Steve had dreams about being back in his time only for something to remind him that he wasn't there anymore and he never would see it or anyone he'd known again.
Natasha and Bruce couldn't imagine the kind of pain that Steve would feel when he would realize that he was away from the time that he was born into and away from all of the people he had known.
Natasha knew what it was like to be away from the time that you had grown up in and Bruce knew what it felt like to be away from the people you cared about. But they both only felt half of the pain Steve was feeling.
"He's going to want to try to take on Barnes by himself." Natasha said knowingly.
"I know." Bruce agreed. "I'm afraid to think what might happen if he does."
"It won't be good." Natasha said. "Steve's going to want to try to talk to him to find out what happened and then try to help him. If Barnes is anything like a real assassin, he'll play Steve along and then try to kill him."
"I think Steve is too innocent at times." Bruce said with a small sigh. "It's great that he tries to see the good in everything but I think that can be a weakness without him realizing it."
"I know." Natasha agreed with a nod. "That's what Erskine saw in Steve and made him promise not to change. Steve never breaks a promise."
"Both a good and bad thing." Bruce said. "I think we should all talk to him when he's mostly recovered. It's the only way that we'll know what to do if Barnes should try to come and get to him."
Natasha nodded.
"I'm gonna stay here with him for a while." she said.
"Ok. I'll go find out what the others have come up with and come let you know what's going on." Bruce said.
"Thanks." Natasha said before the doctor left and she went back into the room with Steve.
As she predicted, she could tell that the knowledge of James Barnes being alive and out there was on his mind. His face looked like he was recalling something horrible about his past that he didn't want to remember.
No doubt he was remembering the train mission where Bucky fell and they all thought that he was dead and then being shot to near death in the one place that he thought he knew about.
We'll find out what's going on Steve. Natasha thought to herself. I promise.