Chapter 7

Steve Rogers was still staring at the Winter Soldier, who seemed to be conflicted. The Winter Soldier, for his part, was far past the point of conflicted; a headache that seemed to be constant at this point was only growing in his mind and the presence of Captain America was doing nothing to help. The Winter Soldier wasn't sure if bringing the man with him had been a good idea, but the move had been instinctual.

"Why did you save me?"

The Winter Soldier turned and saw Steve still staring at him, a determined expression on his face.

"I didn't save you," he growled in reply.

"Yes, you did," Steve argued, leaning forward in his chair. "I know you did. You can't deny it; I just want to know why."

"There is no 'why'!" The Winter Soldier snapped.

"So you did save me."

"No!"

"But you're acting like it."

Why was this man so calm? Why couldn't he just shut up?

"I didn't save you. Those weren't my orders."

"You don't seem to be following your orders now," Steve pointed out.

"You act like you want me too."

"Now you're jumping to conclusions, soldier. I don't want to be at HYDRA's disposal any more than I want to be a pawn for SHIELD, but I certainly prefer one over the other."

Steve couldn't help but notice how tense the other man was getting. He couldn't stop the pang of regret that pulsed through him; if he'd been more careful, if he'd helped his friend, if he'd searched for him after, maybe Bucky wouldn't have fallen into the clutches of HYDRA.

The Winter Soldier still said nothing, which was beginning to make Steve uneasy. It was easier to understand your opponent if they gave some reason for their actions, but the Winter Soldier was doing nothing. He just seemed . . . confused. And angry.

"Whatever you're thinking," Steve eventually said, "I'm sure letting me out of this chair won't hurt."

"You're not going to get out of that chair just by asking," a new voice said.

Steve looked up to see someone else descending the staircase and his stomach dropped slightly. He turned his eyes to the Winter Soldier, his gaze accusing.

"You brought me to HYDRA after all," he growled.

The man with the metal arm said nothing as a HYDRA agent slowly circled Steve.

"If I'm honest," the HYDRA agent mused, "we wanted you more than we wanted . . . Bucky." His voice was full of distaste when he said the name, and he shot the Winter Soldier a dirty look. "He's proved to be a difficult challenge over the past years for both me and my predecessors."

"You're a scientist," Steve said flatly. "What are you after? The serum?"

"Well, yes," the man admitted, "but that can wait. How would you like to join your friend Bucky in the service of HYDRA?"

"I'd rather die than serve you scum."

"I thought so, Captain. Unfortunately, you will not have a choice. You see, you are not in some dirt basement. You are in a HYDRA base, which you will not be escaping."

"I've proved you people wrong before," Steve spat, glaring at the HYDRA agent. What caused a man to join an organization like HYDRA? What had this man been like before?

"Yes, yes, I know all of the stories, Captain. Soldier, disable the hologram!"

The Winter Soldier didn't move, his expression stormy as he looked at the HYDRA agent.

"What are you, deaf?" The man yelled. "I order you to turn off the hologram!"

The man with the metal arm blinked and his brief moment of defiance was over as he pressed a previously unnoticed button. Immediately, the dirt walls flickered and were replaced with metal ones and Steve truly realized that he was, in fact, imprisoned in a HYDRA base. The HYDRA agent laughed, pulling out a panel in the wall to reveal a variety of tools that were no doubt designed purely for torture. Steve went taut, but there was nothing he could do, being restrained in the chair and all. His eyes went back to his old friend.

"Where's my shield?" He asked. The man was caught slightly off-guard with the question - Steve could see it in his eyes - but didn't reply. Apparently the Winter Soldier wasn't as independent as he had acted.

"I wouldn't even try anything with your friend, Captain," the HYDRA agent smirked. "He just went through another round of . . . treatment for his condition."

"Condition of being a free American," Steve snarled. He couldn't believe that HYDRA would do something so horrible.

Actually, he could.

"Freedom is a disease!" The HYDRA man snapped. "You would do best to recognize that!"

"If it was a disease," Steve replied coldly, "then why is there a nation founded on it?"

"Because that nation is doomed to fall. You see your economy, your corrupt politicians and businessmen. Look me in the eye and tell me that freedom has helped you." Steve and the HYDRA man had a short glaring contest, which Steve won, but he couldn't come up with anything to say in response to the HYDRA man.

The entire time, the Winter Soldier had been staring straight ahead, not focusing on anything in the room. However, the fact that his right hand was clenched into a fist gave away some of what he was thinking.

"No matter how you put it," the HYDRA man said, walking up to Steve with a syringe in his hand, "your 'freedom' is a sickness that needs to be cured, and HYDRA is here to cure it. And you, Captain America, are going to be the second of many to be saved."

Steve could do nothing as the needle was jammed into him and the sedative dispersed. Even with the super soldier serum circulating through his body, there was nothing he could do but black out.

The Winter Soldier watched as machines were placed around the unconscious Captain America. He recognized a few of them, though he didn't know how or when he'd seen them. Either way, he felt uneasy, as if he was the one who was supposed to be in the chair, not Steve Rogers.

"You did a decent job," the HYDRA man said, coming up to the Winter Soldier. "Now you need to go back to your room."

He knew what that meant: darkness and silence.

"No."

The HYDRA man froze.

"What was that?" He asked dangerously. He knew that he had to keep the Winter Soldier from seeing the process that the Captain was going to undergo; it would unravel the treatments that the Winter Soldier had gone through himself.

"No," the Winter Soldier repeated, not knowing where the defiance was coming from.

"Listen here, soldier," the HYDRA agent hissed, "you will follow orders. Do you understand?"

The Winter Soldier felt the need to follow the orders of the man in front of him but at the same time he wanted to stay, to watch what was going to happen to this man who claimed to know him. He had probably been lying, as the HYDRA agents had told him, but the Winter Soldier was still curious.

"I understand," he eventually said, feeling the desire to follow orders win over curiosity.

"Good. Now go."

The taller and stronger of the two men turned and left, walking up the stairs and leaving the American symbol of freedom to his fate. However, as he walked, that seed of curiosity only grew. It was as if suppressing it only made the feeling worse. There was an elevator nearby, the Winter Soldier knew. He recalled what Steve Rogers had asked: "Where's my shield?"

The Winter Soldier stepped into the elevator and hesitated. After a few moments of deliberation, he pressed a floor and waited as the elevator descended.

Plot twist? Honestly, since this is more of a closure thing for me (and whoever else seems to like where I'm going with this), it was hard to find some action, but throwing in HYDRA made it that much easier and honestly made this story longer.

So, yeah. Please review! It may not seem like much, but the support is amazing and lets me know that you guys like what I'm writing.

-RoR