Steve rolled in long after midnight. He resisted the urge to run in the house yelling "Bucky." Instead he kicked off his shoes at the door and took the stairs three at a time to land at….his wide open door.
"Huh? He never leaves it wide open…ok…he's here somewhere."
Sam's door was open, so was Natasha's so "Maybe downstairs…bonding?"
He hurried through the empty living room and finally landed in the basement. The light in the tactical room was on…"Maybe he's under the table…Sam's going to be pissed if he had to 'Barnes sit' all night down here."
Steve rushed in to find Natasha and Sam at the far end of the room; she was balanced in a chair tilted back with her feet propped on the table; he was hunched over a pile of papers and maps. A wall of images on the computer screens behind them; they barely looked up as he ran in.
"Where's Bucky?" Steve leaned down to search under the table only to be disappointed.
Sam gave Natasha a side ways look as she unperched herself and sat up straight.
"Steve. You're back" she offered stiffly.
Sam sighed and spun the chair around to scan the video from the surveillance "The system's up and running…bigger and better."
"Impressive." Steve barely looked at the screens. "Where's Bucky?"
Natasha softened a bit as she crossed to stand near him.
"We've searched every inch of the house, the property; reviewed the surveillance a hundred times…."
"Where is he." Steve's jaw tensed as he stared at her.
"He's gone, Steve. He ran."
Steve held his breath as he tried to take in what she said. "No. He wouldn't do that." He finally huffed out as he stared at the floor.
"Sam was able to piece it together from the videos…he's gone."
"No. You're wrong…he's hiding here…somewhere…he does that when he's upset…" Steve was shaking his head as he turned to leave but Natasha grabbed his arm and pulled him around to look at her.
"Steve…we saw him go….on the tapes…he's not hiding here….Steve…he isn't a child running away from home by hiding in the cellar." Natasha said angrily.
"Here… why don't you watch this for yourself." Sam added as he cued up the footage.
Steve and Natasha turned to face the screens, her hand still on his arm. A grainy image opened on the main screen; a view of the garage and beyond towards the east. Someone moving cautiously through the frame, then past the garage and off towards the thick woods; leaving very few tracks as he used the terrain to his advantage.
The image was clear enough to reveal who it was.
Steve slumped back against the table's edge. "Bucky?" He whispered.
Sam swung around to look at Steve. "It's time-stamped 5:15pm." He paused then added "We didn't realize he was gone until after 7…he had a two hour head start."
Steve's back stiffened "You didn't notice he was gone for two hours? You were supposed to be watching him."
"We were right here, Steve the whole time. He was walking around the house, like any other day" Sam protested.
Steve stood to face Sam "Like any other day? Sam, come on, he just found out Sharon's group is looking for him, knows where he is…you saw how upset he was…"
Sam angrily continued "He walked past me at least three times; he showered ….thank god…changed his clothes; rummaged in the kitchen for food…"
"And he walked right past you and out of the house…" Steve leaned across the table towards Sam.
"Stop it." Natasha barked. "He played us…that's what a good operative does. And we, all of us, need to start giving him the credit he deserves."
"Played us?" Steve finally choked out.
"Yes. Played us…all of us." Natasha leaned back against the wall.
"Are you trying to say…he's been triggered? He's the Soldier? I don't think I can go through that line of thinking again." Steve's voice trailed off.
"No. That's not what I'm saying." Natasha clarified.
"We've watched the video for hours" then added "while you were gone."
Steve didn't notice the slight sarcasm in her voice.
She continued "He's Barnes…not the Soldier…he's not possessed, Steve. He's trained. A highly trained….assassin; like the word or not. And, if he's hearing voices or hallucinating, it's not interfering with his functioning, at this point."
Sam manipulated the video to back up his narrative "He purposely moved past us repeatedly so we would notice him, but not what he was doing. After seeing this, we pieced together what he took: food, a small folding knife, a burner phone."
Sam didn't mention his watch…"That asshole" he had thought when he discovered it was missing.
Natasha finished with "And something from your room."
Steve stepped closer to the screens to study the images of Bucky going through his bureau. "A credit card…I had it hidden in the drawer…he knew about that?" He murmured with surprise.
Then he watched as Bucky took something from the closet shelf, stared at it then tucked it in his jacket pocket before leaving the room.
"We couldn't make out what he took from there." Sam sighed.
But Steve knew what it was. "He loved the Brooklyn Dodgers…I had a vintage cap I wanted to give him….when he was better." He quietly admitted as he started to regret some of his choices recently.
Sam and Natasha looked at one another, a silent question passed between them. Natasha nodded. Sam pulled his lips into a tight line. "So we want to show you something Steve."
Steve had slumped into the nearest chair, his head in his hands. "I don't know, Sam, maybe later. I need to think this through…"
Natasha cut him off…"Whatever you're telling yourself…stop it. One self-dialoguing team member is more than enough. And frankly, Barnes does it better than you…now, at least, he's functionally psychotic which gives him even more of an advantage. We need to focus. Are you capable of that?"
"Nat, that was a bit harsh…don't you think?" Steve protested.
She slowly drawled out "You have not seen harsh yet." As she pulled him to a chair in front of the screens and settled down next to him.
Sam started: "Ok this is the first camera online…just after you reconnected the surveillance."
Natasha looked at him "And just before you called the unknown number."
Steve could see himself in the office and heard himself say "Hello Sharon."
A few moments later Bucky stumbled into the frame and called Steve's name.
"He got back earlier than I thought…I didn't hear him…"
They watched as Bucky pulled off the sweatshirt, and start to pass the office door but then get distracted by Steve's voice.
"He was outside the door the whole time." Steve murmured.
Natasha gave him a hard look. "How's he look to you Steve?"
Steve was confused by her question but suggested "he looks…great…"
Natasha corrected him "pick a better word...…"
Steve tried "awesome…"
Nat groaned "how about something that doesn't reference sexual innuendo."
Steve protested…"I am not referencing sex…"
She raised an eyebrow.
Steve looked closer at the image of his friend "He looks confident…strong…sure of himself."
Suddenly Bucky's confident body language crumpled, like he'd taken a hard gut punch. He slid down the wall next to the door.
"Wait? What just happened?" Steve blurted out.
Sam rewound the tape and said "Listen."
Steve leaned closer to the screen as they watched it again.
He heard Sharon say "You have an asset with you."
Sam replayed it again "Let me clean up this audio for you."
Steve heard it the second time but listened again to the third replay. "Asset." He whispered as he watched the word take Bucky away.
Steve felt sick…."I've seen enough" he blurted out as he rose to leave.
"SIT." Both Natasha and Sam spit out.
"What's the point of all this…he heard me talking to her. He's upset about the word she used. What we need to do is go find him."
Sam frowned as Natasha explained. "This is an intervention….the one we should have had weeks ago. Sit down."
He slowly dropped back into the chair. "Intervention? That was for Bucky."
"Well we were all so sure of ourselves back then weren't we?" Sam suggested as he resumed the video review.
"Sharon has changed, Steve. You can hear it in her choice of words. Her attitude. Whatever allegiance she showed before might not be reliable now." Natasha turned to prop her feet on the table again once the video review was done.
Sam stood up and stretched before he limped over to the cold coffee pot. "We blew it with all the texting and calls; but he was so messed up, I just never thought anyone would notice it."
"What happened to you?" Steve was afraid Bucky had something to do with it.
"Nothing….I twisted it checking outdoor cameras."
Natasha allowed a quick smirk to come and go as she recalled how it really happened.
"Sam, it's too dark and we only have these cheap flashlights. We need to head back."
"No, Nat, we need to look a little more…I should've never let them disconnect the surveillance. I should've never texted his name. We let him down, Nat, we need to find him and….SHIT."
Sam tumbled down an embankment face first in the dark. Luckily the ankle was twisted and not broken. It took her an hour to drag him back to the house.
"No doubt, Bucky enjoyed that little show, Sam." She teased; since she was positive Bucky was close by and saw the whole thing.
Steve rubbed his face as he ruminated about "lessons learned." As Nat had so pointedly shown him, he hadn't protested when Sharon called Bucky an 'asset'; he didn't confront her when she said they knew where he lived; hell he didn't wait to tell Bucky about the call to begin with. Then as he argued with Bucky he dismissed his fear with 'stay calm. She was an ally.'
Nat had been brutal in her assessment "What Bucky heard was 'I pick Sharon over you'."
"That is not what I was thinking, Nat." Steve tried to protest.
"Look at him Steve…look at what her words did to him. Look at what our choices did to him when he finds out we were school children texting about him."
Steve closed his eyes but all he could see was Bucky's head shake and twitch; his fear; then his dialogue with the voices. He'd thought when he hugged him it worked to contain his rage. "He let me think a hug would fix this…" Steve murmured.
Natasha stared at him a moment. "Sometimes love doesn't fix things, Steve. Sometimes it gets in the way. But what would I know about love….I'm a Widow." She added as she dropped her feet to the floor.
"Same could be said about sex." Sam added from across the room. "I mean about not fixing things; not about being a Widow and knowing about sex." He waved his hand as he mumbled "Whatever."
"Nice transition, Sam." Natasha stood up to pop her back. "Speaking of sex, Steve."
"What?"
"Sex and the offer of sex is a tried and true tactic. Simple, crass some might say, but a direct and very, very effective tool. Covert operative lesson 101."
"What are you talking about…if your going to lecture me about Bucky, my feelings about him are all platonic…he's my friend…"
Both Sam and Natasha smirked as Natasha went on. "That, is a conversation for another day. Tonight's conversation is about Sharon. She batted her eyes and your brain stopped functioning."
"Ok…what are you talking about."
"Your meeting at the hotel…you never asked any of the hard questions. You didn't confront her when she called him an asset. You only walked away when she threw the truth at you."
"The truth?" Steve bristled.
"That you were living in a fantasy world…setting up housekeeping with your BFF."
Steve recalled the moment…although it felt like it happened a week ago not a few hours earlier. He wanted to protest more but it was becoming clear Nat and Sam were right about a lot of things.
"You're right…I blew it."
"I'm not finished…."
"Great." He sighed.
"She played you…like some novice virgin schoolboy."
He wanted to clarify his status but thought better of it.
"Sex…she used sex, Steve." Natasha pulled him up from his chair."When you tried to walk away she pulled you back, touched your arm, right? Pulled in closer." Natasha demonstrated each move as she said it. Showed him exactly how Sharon had moved. "Then she looked up at you, looked deep into your eyes and parted her lips."
Steve blushed bright red at Nat's demonstration.
"You've made your point." He conceded as he pulled away from her.
"I'm sorry Steve but stop thinking with your dick."
"I left the comm active, didn't' I?" He asked sheepishly.
"Yup." Was all Sam had to say.
Natasha shifted gears "The good news is…"
Steve interrupted "There's good news?" As he started to pace the room.
Natasha shot him a withering look and continued "Bucky took a burner phone; we tried to call it of course and track it but he didn't turn it on and likely won't until he needs it."
"We can keep monitoring for when he does use it." Sam added.
Steve welcomed a change of topic "And he took the credit card so we can track that."
"He'll use it once and then ditch it." Natasha chimed in. "He won't risk using it more than that."
"We checked some old news feeds from the DC fight…compared it to him now." Sam wanted to be objective about things this time around "his stance, posture and movements aren't the same really. You can see some similarities but …"
Natasha finished his sentence "He's Bucky…he's himself. He may be afraid; not feeling safe or trusting us, but himself."
Steve nodded. "Thanks. Thanks for all of this."
Natasha sat cross-legged on the table "So…the bad news."
Steve groaned and dropped his head into his hands. "No."
"He left the medications in his room."
"Damn."
He touched everything in Bucky's room. Dug in the closet and drawers; it didn't take long.
Steve knelt to look under the bed.
"Trust me, Steve…we checked under the bed…he wouldn't fit." Natasha leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed.
"Just trying to find a clue." He answered weakly.
"A clue to what? Where he went? Or a clue to why he went?"
"Both I guess." Steve dropped on the bed, dejected.
"Are you interested in my opinion, Steve?" She didn't wait for an answer. "You're getting it anyway." She crossed to sit on the bed next to him.
"My theory…he is sitting up on that ridge to the south of the house watching us. Waiting to see who comes and goes. He won't run too far. He's Barnes, not the Soldier. He won't want to leave you even if he's pissed, disappointed or he feels he can't trust us."
"Will he come back?"
Natasha hesitated. "Not yet." "Look…it took a lot for him to finally run. He had to feel he wasn't safe here. He heard you actively court someone who sees him as a thing to be used."
Steve stiffened but didn't argue.
"I know we saw him have a breakdown….but he survived out in the world for nearly two years away from Hydra…no medications…no support."
"But now he has his memories…he remembers what he did for them. It haunts him, Nat."
"I know. I understand, more than you realize, maybe." She whispered.
"But he's a survivor…that is what he does. Who he is. We all forgot that in our big "Project Barnes" plans. He's also a highly trained assassin…I know you don't like that word but it's the truth. He has a skill set unlike nearly anyone else. He remembers that as well."
"Ok, ok…so what now? How do I get him back?"
"There you go…taking away his choices again. He knows where to find you. He chose to go. He'll choose to come back. Or not. We have other work to do Steve if we're going to help him stay safe."
Steve struggled with that idea "I'd rather go out there and scream his name until he gets sick of hearing me and comes home."
"Well I'd bet that'd make him stay away even longer, Steve." She drawled. "It'd appeal to his asshole cat-like nature to just ignore you."
"Great." Steve sighed.
Natasha stood and crossed to the doorway.
"My last bit of lecturing ….Stop handling him. You may be a kinder, gentler handler than he's ever had but still a handler."
Steve groaned. "That's harsh…how did I handle him?"
"You dressed him from your closet…. Steve, figure it out."
"Second item." She continued as Steve tightened his jaw.
"Stop pining for him. If he wants you, he'll open that door….when he's ready. And maybe he'll never open it. He may never get past what was done to him, Steve. You need to tuck those thoughts away for awhile. Just sayin'."
"Excuse me? I am not pining for him" Steve's face flushed red.
Natasha raised an eyebrow and called back over her shoulder as she headed for bed "Learn to masturbate, Rogers."
Steve stood on the deck and watched the night sky; thinking about Bucky out there alone. He started to go down the road of picturing him being cold, scared, hungry….then stopped himself. He changed his mind. "Yeah, he's probable enjoying his stolen supper; tucked into someone's unused spare bedroom while they sit obliviously watching TV."
Bucky had headed east when he left the house then swung south once he was beyond the perimeter cameras. He paused when he reached the peak of the ridge south of the house.
What are you doing Soldier? Keep moving…you have a time line.
"Get over it, pal. I'm not going any further for now." Bucky didn't really want to leave but he wasn't feeling safe; couldn't think with all the chatter; the Voice in his head yammering on; the whirlwind of emotions stirred by the woman Sharon and how Steve had let her call him an asset.
This is not our destination. You know where to go…now get moving.
"You're not in charge….so back off." He growled.
Bucky shook off the Voice and settled in 6 feet beyond the furthest perimeter camera. He was able to tell when Wilson got the system up and running as the tiny green light just above him flickered on in the dusk. A short time later he saw Wilson outside the house staring up at his open window. "Well now they know…took them long enough…professionals." He snarled.
They'll come for you soon, Soldier…he went to meet her….you heard her call you the asset…they'll take you in, lock you up, use you….time to get moving.
"Arrrgghh. Shut up." Bucky moaned out his complaint as he pulled his hand through his hair and off his face. "Better settle in somewhere before it's completely dark." He told himself as he swung up into the crook of a cedar tree for the night. "Ok…let's see what time Rogers gets back." He didn't want to admit how hurt he felt that Steve had gone to meet the woman.
He was busy perseverating about the situation when the two figures with flashlights caught his attention as they moved across the field and headed in his general direction. "What the hell are they thinking?"
Searching for you Soldier…you should have run….now they'll find you.
He shook his head to push the Voice away briefly.
Sam and Natasha were methodically swinging the flashlights back and forth, heading straight for his location.
"Romanova." He growled. "I've underestimated her." "Gonna have to change it up to stay ahead of her."
He could hear their incessant chatter as they got closer and chided "You've been away from the Red Room too long Romanova."
He held still in the branches of the tree; consciously willing his arm plates to stay settled. They were nearly on him now, so close he could here exactly what they were saying. "Nothing worth holding onto" he thought as his brain turned cold to process their words.
The last thing he heard from Wilson was "We let him down, Nat, we need to find him and….SHIT" Followed by a long groan. Wilson had tumbled down the embankment that arced around Bucky's location…the deciding factor in his choice of a vantage point.
Bucky had to scramble to grab his backpack as it tumbled out of his lap when he stifled his laughter. It only got worse when Romanova jumped across the embankment to avoid following Sam down the slope; her head damn near brushed his dangling foot.
"Shit, I'm going to wet myself." He groaned silently as he tried to regain some composure. Later as he shivered in the night air, his squelched laughter warmed him as he thought of nearly peeing ontop of Romanova's head.
As he watched them hobble off towards the house he had two thoughts.
"Was that Wilson feeling bad about this?" And "I kinda miss them."
Stop it Soldier. They are only looking for you to bring you in. You're nothing but a commodity to them. An asset… you heard the woman. Hydra will take better care of you.
"I'm starting to really, really dislike you…mostly."
Bucky's stomach tightened when he heard the bike off in the distance. "That damn box of raisins I ate for supper" he told himself, not wanting to admit the thought of Steve approaching would upset him.
He watched for one thing…No one followed him home.
He felt another wave of nausea as he thought about Steve coming home to find he had left. He imagined Steve looking for him in the house; realizing he stole the credit card; the phone; the cap; oh and the watch. "God, he's going to be really angry with me." He pictured Steve talking to Wilson and Romanova….his stomach cramped some more. The more he thought about how disappointed Steve would be, the more he realized he couldn't go home.
Steve spent the night rewatching the surveillance video of Bucky and going over the intel he had left about Hydra. Natasha and Sam brought fresh coffee with them as they settled in around him.
"Anything new?" Sam quizzed.
"Nope. No signs of him but I've been thinking about what I want to do next." Steve sipped his coffee.
"Ok..what's the plan." Natasha yawned.
"Keep your friends close….and your enemies closer." He stated emphatically.
"Ok, I'm intrigued." Sam smiled.
"Sharon claimed Hydra's after him. They want to take down Hydra. The closer we get to their intel the more likely it is we protect him."
Sam nodded "She said they wanted Barnes? What'd you plan on telling them?"
"The truth. He's gone."
"You going to give them his intel?" Sam pointed at the wall of information Bucky had left behind.
"As it suits me… and benefits him."
"So where do we fit in?" Natasha quizzed.
"I can't ask you two to do anymore than you already have. You've been through too much and put your lives on hold for too long."
Sam laughed "Seriously? You think I'm abandoning you at this point? I have no social life anyway besides the two of you, and of course Barnes…who is more entertaining than cable TV."
Natasha was emphatic "I for one, want to see Barnes again. You…Steve…I'm a little sick of. But I'm in if it means we get to bring Dodger back home." She gulped down her coffee and headed for the shower. "Let's get this show on the road."
Sam started to laugh as he headed to the downstairs shower.
Steve looked confused and called as they left "Who's Dodger?"
The agreed upon meeting place was a little used hanger at the local airport. Steve took the bike. Sam and Natasha took the pickup truck. Before they left Steve stood in the front yard and look towards the ridge to the South. He thought about what Nat had said "He'll stay close, the ridge to the South." He imagined that Bucky could see him. He repressed the urge to wave..like a kid…"New day, Buck. Time to get back to being off the record Avengers." He nodded slightly, got on the bike and was soon roaring down the dirt road.
Sharon was at the hanger alone. Steve approached alone. Sam covered his six from the hanger entrance. Natasha was watching from 50 yards out with a clear view inside the meeting place as well as the surrounding area. They were all geared up, weapons and all after a pit stop at the storage container on their way over.
"Sharon." Steve greeted her tersely. "I see you're alone."
"Steve." Equally as terse. "I don't see the Soldier."
"His name is Sergeant Barnes…..Bucky to his friends,…or Barnes to some of his friends. He is my friend; past, present and future. His name is not Soldier, not asset, not crazy, not someone to be handled or managed."
"Well someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning." Sharon chided.
"Actually…I didn't sleep at all….which gave me a whole new level of clarity about life in general."
"Ok, as you wish. I don't see Sergeant Barnes with you. I had hoped you'd see your way clear to work with us." She bit out the Sergeant Barnes part.
"Sergeant Barnes is rightly abundantly cautious given his situation. I am here to represent him, at his request, and will bring your proposals to him for his consideration."
"We want him here….." Sharon stood firm.
"He won't be here. You'll need to work with me." Steve was wearing his best Captain America persona….if not the outfit.
"There's a single vehicle approaching the rear of the building, Steve." Natasha's whispered guidance tickled his ear through the comm.
"I understand you want to protect him but relaying information isn't the same as actually seeing him. How do we know the intel is coming from him?"
"You'll just have to take my word for it." Steve replied.
Sharon smiled and took a step to close the distance between them. Steve stiffened.
"I'm not a threat Steve, to you or him."
"At this point, our circle of non-threatening personnel is very small."
"There's one person exiting the vehicle and coming in the building." Natasha updated .
"Suddenly so cautious…we practically had dinner with the two of you with your lax efforts at security and now…"
"Lessons learned…thank you."
"Bring him in here, now." Sharon sounded irritated.
Steve shook his head "Again, Sharon, Sergeant Barnes' choice is to not be here. I do not 'bring' him anywhere." "Anymore" he added to himself.
"He's unstable…you can influence his choices….manage him…"
"We're done here." Steve turned to leave.
"Now wait a minute, Cap…let's not get too hasty. Can I call you Cap? Or are you going by a new name?"
Steve stopped cold.
Natasha narrated what he was thinking. "Fury."
Bucky squatted on the ground, elbows tucked between his knees; watching the house as the sun came up. His metal fingers absently playing with the gold-colored cord.
"Guess they slept in." He frowned "obviously don't give a shit that I'm gone."
His grouchiness was well above his baseline given sleeping…or not sleeping…in a tree.
Then he remembered the "Wilson and Romanova show" from last night and started laughing out loud this time. His enjoyment of their misery was interrupted by a buzzing noise that startled him for a moment. "What the fuck…" he mumbled as he struggled to quiet the watch on his wrist with a metal finger.
He smirked at the watch, "Wilson's pissed." He just had to take it. "Maybe he'll understand…eventually….It's a worthy cause afterall." He sighed to himself as he dug through his backpack and pulled out the pill bottles; he read each label carefully; dropped the correct number of pills in his hand and shook the orange juice carton to gauge how much was left. He had just enough to swallow the pills.
As his mind had started to clear, he had a few strategic thoughts…he had stored the refills in the backpack, just in case.
Movement in the front yard caught his attention. "Where the hell are they going now?."
Steve went to his bike. He was dressed in dark pants, a black T shirt and a dark colored jacket. "Stealing my look, pal." He grumbled.
Wilson and Romanova headed for the pick up truck, they were dressed in a similar efficient manner.
He had a twinge of sadness as he watched Steve stare up at the ridge which was his viewing point. "Well…let me guess. Romanova clued him in to her theories of Barnes movement."
Steve nodded slightly and got on the bike. "Was that for me, pal?"
He watched them drive off as his stomach rolled over…"Hungry, that's hunger…not nerves…" he told himself.
He kissed her remember…he wants her…the other two don't care about you…the Widow has no loyalties….the Falcon is loyal to Rogers …you need to run now, my Soldier.
"I am not your soldier." Bucky growled fiercely at the Voice.
They're going to turn you over…you know this. Don't you? They're going to meet that woman and give you up…
"We'll see about that…" he murmured as he dug in the jacket pocket and pulled out a small object. He tucked it in his ear as he turned it on. Bucky knew that the noise of the bike engine and the endless chatter in the car would cover the click as his comm entered their network.
Sam glanced at Natasha as she fiddled with her phone in the car. "So where is he?"
"Who?" Natasha answered without looking at him.
"Who? Nat…you know who….. Dodger." Sam laughed. He had to admit, Natasha had outdone herself with the new code name for Barnes. They had spent a rather stressful night viewing Barnes like voyeurs and created some comic relief dreaming up code names for him. Laughing too hard at not so funny jokes:
"Snowman"
"Snowflake"
"Yellow Snow" Sam's favorite.
"Jon Snow" Nat's favorite
Before they finally settled on Dodger. He was dodgy after all and it was his favorite baseball team; AND he stole the hat. "Perfect!"
They had agreed to not tell Steve.
"I have no idea…" she shook her head, and then held her phone up for him to see.
Sam nearly went off the road trying to read her message.
HE'S ON THE COMM
"What?" Sam mouthed to her.
I HEARD THE CLICK...NETWORK SHOWS 4 COMMS
Sam shook his head and laughed.
"Asshole." Sam grimaced at the thought of his missing watch.
Natasha poked his arm to look at her phone again.
DO NOT TELL STEVE
"Why not?" he mouthed again.
PLEASSSEEE COME HOME PULLLEESSEEE
Sam nodded in agreement as they both started laughing at the idea of Steve pining away for Bucky.
"So you watch Game of Thrones last night?" Sam switched to a topic he knew would really piss off Barnes.
"Yes…it was a great episode wasn't it! I just love Sansa's hair." Natasha gushed.
"It's getting pretty Machiavellian now…Cersei pulled out all the stops."
It was a long ride to the airport.
Once they rolled away from the house Bucky decided to move. "Where the hell are they going?" He had a fair idea though.
What's your plan, Soldier? You do have a plan, correct?
The Voice was mocking him.
Soldier, your plan? Are you going to walk to the town? Hitchhike? That metal thumb would garner plenty of attention and likely a ride. Go ahead, Soldier, hitchhike to town.
Bucky growled at the Voice. He was tired. 'Already…so fucking out of shape."
He shook his head to clear the cedar needles and sleepiness.
He pulled the pilfered hair scrunchie from his pocket. "Wonder if she noticed yet."
It was black, of course, otherwise he'd have left it; he pulled his hair up and into a ponytail, put the ballcap on; settled the backpack on his back, and started the 10 mile walk to town; listening to their mindless chatter.
"Fucking Thrones Game…what the hell are they talking about." Bucky groused with irritation. After about an hour of walking he couldn't hear them anymore. "Shit. Too low." He looked at the terrain and saw a higher elevation. "Maybe I can stay connected up there."
He made his way up the slope and settled down on the highest open area he could find. After wandering a few minutes the signal in the ear piece came in clearly.
"His name is Sergeant Barnes to you." Bucky swallowed hard as his stomach flipped.
"Barnes to some of his friends." Steve went on; "he is my friend…."Bucky heard the whole little speech.
"What the hell is he doing?" Bucky worried. "They'll come after you pal being my friend."
Bucky felt the wind change, and pushed the comm deeper into his ear. A cloud skittered past the sun and blocked it out. He was so intent on hearing Steve "finally grow some balls with that woman" he never heard the chopper overhead. He certainly felt the tranquilizer darts at they slammed into his back and thigh. "Fuck…what the fuck is wrong with me…I keep dropping…my…guard." His mind slurred his words. He staggered forward and swung around to see who his assailant was this time. His diminishing vision could only give him a big black horse "What the fuck? You again! I hate you horse." He stumbled away from it and towards the tree line.
Keep moving Soldat! Get to cover….you can outrun them if you get to cover!
"Oh right, now you're being helpful…" he screamed at the Voice. 'Where were you when they snuck up on me. Huh?"
Bucky was staggering forward, falling to his knees every few steps, pushing himself back up again. The chopper hovered overhead, the sound filling his brain, wrenching terrifying memories forward; blood and screams and guns. The dust was swirling around him as something sharp wrapped around his struggling legs. He fell forward onto his stomach and tried to pull his legs free. Panic was overtaking his thoughts, drowning out even the Voice. "Help me.." he begged the Voice…but it had slipped away whispering
No sense both of us getting caught.
"Ok, ok, my arm is still free…roll, punch, keep moving, soldier….Barnes, no, I'm Barnes, keep moving." He rolled over and swung his metal fist hard at the first figure closing in on him. He connected; the blow tossed the man across the clearing. He swung again as he sat up and heard the crack of the second man's femur breaking from the force of the blow. "Screaming sounds good coming from someone else." He was vaguely horrified by his own thought.
He reached to grab the bollo around his ankles and dug his metal fingers in as he tried to rip himself free. The deafening whirr of the chopper blades ripped at his hearing. "Three seconds, two seconds, almost there…." His eyes stung from the dust. His panicked mind was pushing him to hurry, to get free, get away, hurry, come on…..when he heard a woman's voice speaking gently in Russian
Pasha, my child, stop struggling so much. I'm not here to hurt you.
Bucky's fingers stopped moving. He heard himself draw in a sobbing breath, his vision wavered as his head shook hard; he looked up into the face of his past. She smiled as she held the chloroform soaked cloth over his mouth and nose.