Chapter 21

By: MysticFantasy

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Steve had his eyes cast down to the table but then looked to his side to see Clint staring at him with studying eyes that was almost eerie.

"What?"

"This is the longest I've ever seen you banged up." the archer answered before getting a slap to the back of the head.

"Leave him alone." Natasha said as she took her seat next to the captain.

"Sorry but even you have to admit that it's not every day we see Cap with a bruise." Clint said.

"Point but still."

"So, what's all of this about?" Tony asked as he, Bruce and Thor took their seats on the opposite side of the table.

"James Barnes." Fury answered and placed a small plastic cup on the table that held what looked to be a small microchip. "Scans showed it in his brain and surgeons dug it out. Has the Hydra logo on it so it's a safe bet that it was the cause of Barnes being under Schmidt's mind control."

Steve felt a huge weight lift from inside him. He knew that this friend couldn't be evil on his own will. He just knew it.

"So, he will be the way he was before this Schmidt turned him against his friends?" Thor asked curiously.

"Great possibilites of that being true are high." Fury answered. "Right now, Barnes is in recovery. We should be able to know if he's going to be the same as before or not within a few hours. Rogers, natrually, we're going to need you to verify if he's back to normal or not."

"Yes, sir." Steve answered.

"Question, if this chip was activated the whole time and giving him the order to try to kill Steve, who was giving the order and sending the signal?" Bruce asked.

"Is there anyone you might know who would do this, Captain?" Fury asked.

"The only enemies that I know would want to do something like this are long dead." Steve answered. "Schmidt was the only one who had this kind of tech back then so he's the only one who could have done it."

"But there's way that this chip could have been active like this all this time." Tony declared. "There had to be a clear signal giving him this order. Let me check it out and I'll see if I can track a signal."

"Fine and see how quick you can do that." Fury agreed. "Sooner we can find out who started this, the sooner things can get back to normal. Dismissed."

The six Avengers left the bridge and then parted ways.

Tony and Bruce went to the lab to analyze the chip while the other four went to the medical wing. They quickly found the private room that Bucky was being kept in. Two guards were standing outside the door but the four weren't about to go in right away.

They stood at the viewing window and spotted the familiar soldier confined to the bed. His head is wrapped in fresh bandages and his wrists were in straps attached to the railings.

Steve hated seeing his friend strapped down but he knew that he couldn't win in trying to get him set free until things were cleared up.

He still couldn't believe that Bucky was alive and looked almost exactly the same. Only now he looked twice as serious as the youthful and energetic man he'd once been. His hair was down to his shoulders, he had a slight stubble growing and he looked more hardened by the things he'd done over the years.

Not to mention the mechanical arm.

Steve felt guilty enough thinking that he was the reason that Bucky had fallen from the train and now his arm...

"Do not think that this is your doing, friend Steven." Thor said as he placed a powerful but comforting hand on Steve's shoulder. "He was a warrior who followed his leader bravely in battle but he was not given the same fortune as you. Your enemy made him this way, not you."

Steve nodded as he continued to stare at his friend. He knew that it was Schmidt's fault that Bucky was like this but he still felt guilty about it.

If he'd been able to grab him before he fell from the train then none of this would have happened.

Bucky wouldn't have lost his arm, wouldn't have been brainwashed into becoming an assassin and wouldn't have tried killing someone he grew up with.

A doctor walked over toward them and stopped a few feet away.

"He should be awake within the next hour or so. The operation was fairly simple and didn't take long."

"Was there anything else out of the ordinary?" Clint asked.

"No, sir. Everything was very normal once we removed the chip."

"So why the restraints?!" Steve practically demanded.

"Captain Rogers, it's just a precaution. Sergeant Barnes may actually believe that he's still Winter Soldier when he wakes up. It's for his safety and everyone else's."

"You actually think those cuffs will hold him?" the soldier asked. "If he really does have a version of the super soldier serum, he can get through those restrains like he was ripping through paper."

"Steve," Natasha said and held onto his arm in hopes of calming him down. It seemed to work a little but she could tell that he was still on edge.

She was sure he would be until he was certain that his friend was back to normal again.