Spoiler of most Captain American: The Winter Soldier movie. Just some little part that I've change to fit with my story.
39 : THE WINTER SOLDIER*
The flight to Ecuador was quiet and intense. The team was in Coulson's airplane with the ready of the agent tasked for this mission. Victoria Hand would be helping them from the Bus while the Avengers lead the strike with Steve's assault team. Coulson and his team would infiltrate and recover everything that HYDRA took from the Fridge.
The Avengers were sitting in a quiet, awkward silence in the living area. Steve obviously let his emotions get the best of him. Natasha was at his side every second to calm him down and pull him back from the edge.
They knew it was hard to do this again, for both of them, when last time they barely made it out alive.
"I feel like there is something that you two didn't tell us or didn't want to tell us" Tony spoke up to break this awkward silence. "Guys, you need to tell us what's going on"
Steve wasn't in the state to deal with this, not to mention that he had to recall that incident again. He left the room immediately and Natasha had to fill the rest of the team in.
"It all started 2 years before we came back to the tower and reunited with you guys…"
Natasha proceeded to tell every detail about her journey with Steve throughout the Winter Soldier incident.
She began with her mission with Steve to rescue hostages on the Lemurian Star. Her mission was to retrieve confidential protected S.H.I.E.L.D. files on a flash drive for Fury. Steve found out and they had a conflict between them. Fury showed Steve the Project Insight and was trying to uncover the file that Natasha retrieve.
Fury was ambushed by mercenaries led by the Winter Soldier and he just narrowly escaped. Later, he got shot by the Winter Soldier again while he delivered the flash drive to Steve. They believed that Fury wouldn't make it. Steve almost got captured by SHIELD agents but managed to escape. Steve forced the information about the shooter from Natasha. She told him that he was someone she fought once before.
Steve and Natasha discovered that HYDRA had infiltrate the inner rankings of SHIELD and planned to take over the world and it had something to do with project insight. Steve seeked help from Sam Wilson or the Falcon but they almost got kill again. During the fight, Steve discovered that the Winter Soldier was his best friend, James 'Bucky' Barnes. Before they could do anything, he disappeared and the three were captured by SHIELD but Maria helped them out.
Hill took them to Fury's secret base where they found out he was in fact alive. Natasha finally told Steve everything she knew about the shooter, that he was once her trainer, her partner and her lover. Steve took it pretty hard that she concealed the truth from him but he totally understood her like no one ever did before.
The Winter Soldier accepted the mission from Alexander Pierce who was the leader of HYDRA in SHIELD, to cripple the organization, stole the file, and steal the helicarriers. Steve and his team were able to take back two carriers but the last one was up in the air. Sam and Steve were trying to stop the carriers while Natasha and Fury rescued the Council members and exposed HYDRA to the world.
Steve was able to replace the chip to allow Hill to hack into the carrier system for activated self-destruction mode. Even though he was shot by the Winter Soldier multiple times.
"Get out of that ship, Steve" Hill yelled
"Do it, Hill! Destroy it!" Steve said
And Hill did just that, she activated the sequence while Steve was still on the ship and helped Bucky who was trapped under the debris. Steve let Bucky attack him but tried to say something to help Bucky regain his memory. He was willing to let Bucky kill him, despite Natasha protesting through the comm. The ship crashed into the river and Bucky pulled Steve out of the water to the shore where Fury, Sam, Hill and Natasha were there to capture him.
"Steve asked Fury to help Bucky but Fury said that the only place that was safe for Barnes is lock down in the Fridge. Fury maked a deal with Steve not to see Barnes until he was fully recovered in case of his own safety and no one outside me, Fury, Hill, Steve and Sam know about this. We are not allow to talk about this event. Fury hand picked scientists to help Barnes."
"How long did it take for Fury to get SHIELD back up and running?" Bruce asked
"About four months. It's the most stressful four months we had to endure. We interrogated every single agent and hunted down those who did not appear for the test. The traitors mostly were sentenced to death but some are still in the Raft waiting to pay for their crimes or some we even have to execute them on sight."
"It's must be hard for the Captain to do this again" Thor spoke up "Like myself when it comes to face with Loki"
"I don't want him to be involved in this" Bruce said "He is clearly compromised"
"You can't stop him, Bruce." Natasha replied bitterly. She knew Steve more than anyone and she could say that a situation like this killed him inside. "I will go talk to him"
Natasha found Steve sitting on the stairs to the main hanger. He stared vacantly at the car, not noticing someone had approached him. The spy knew he was occupied by a million of thoughts right now.
"Hey, babe" She quietly said and sat down next to him.
"Hey" He greeted back but not looking at her
She forced him to look at her and she could see all the pain in his eyes.
"We are gonna be okay" She whispered "We can do this…"
"Are we?" He asked back "Because I cannot fight him again"
She pulled his face to her shoulder and hugged him tightly "We will find him, Steve. There is still time to save him again"
"What if..?"
"Don't do that. Don't think of something that will hurt you"
"I love you, Nat" He murmured "Thank you so much"
The rest of the team was watching this heartbreaking scene quietly. They never saw their Captain like this before. Even at the lowest time, he never displayed his emotion like this.
The team landed at SHIELD base and they continued their journey into the jungle where the HYDRA base was hidden. It was a small compound but they knew it was fully fortified. Tony scanned the perimeter and broadcasted the information to the team and Victoria Hand on the Bus.
Steve was able to put his mind away from Bucky and returned to his usual commander self. The assault team received his orders and got to their position. Hulk and Thor would draw the attention while Ironman and Falcon were in charge of the aerial coverage.
"Anyone got a visual on the Winter Soldier, tell the Avengers his coordinates and we will handle with him" Steve said "Do not engage"
They began their assault. Hulk and Thor lured most of the HYDRA foot soldiers to their position. Coulson's team snuck into the storage unit to recover the lost artifacts stole from the Fridge.
Natasha infiltrated the main server room to retrieve important information that could be useful in the future. Steve and Clint were buying her some time at the ground floor of the building.
"Cap! These guys are packed with a lot of dangerous weapon. You better be careful"
"Copy that, Hawkeye"
Steve was dealing with three HYDRA soldiers without noticing that another one was approaching him from behind. When he turned around, the man got shot by an arrow.
"Thanks, Clint"
"I saved your sorry ass again, Cap" Clint remarked "By the way, it's your job to cover his ass, Nat, not mine"
"Shut up, Clint. I'm trying to hack their computers"
"Please tell me you are almost done with that" Steve said "Their soldiers keep coming at us"
"Almost….done!" Natasha replied "I will meet you back down there"
The Black Widow was about to move but then Tony informed them that
"Guys, Coulson just sent me a distress call. Anyone copy?"
"Romanoff, copy that" Natasha said
"Nat, please be careful" Steve chimed in through their private channel
"Don't worry, baby"
"Anyone got a visual of the Winter Soldier?" Steve asked his team and no one saw their target.
"Agent Hand, do you still have a communication with Coulson's team" Natasha asked the agent at the Bus
"Negative, Agent Romanoff. Their last location was at the storage. It is likely that they were made and HYDRA captured them. Please proceed with caution"
"Send me back up in ten minutes to take Coulson's team out of this"
"Copy that"
Natasha crept her way to the warehouse and as Hand predicted, Coulson and his team had been captured by HYDRA agents, John Garrett and…Grant Ward?
The spy still couldn't believe what she saw. Grant Ward was a member of Coulson's team and had been a HYDRA agent all this time?
"Guys, Ward is a mole. I repeat Ward is a mole. Coulson was captured and I will try to get them out"
"Nat! Wait for the backup" She could feel the worry in Steve's voice "I will be there in five"
"There is no time"
"Nat—"
Natasha didn't listen to her leader and jumped from the roof through the window and shot most of the HYDRA agents. She threw a knife to Agent May and dealt with the rest of the remaining HYDRA agents which she easily took care of them.
When Ward saw that he had no chance to win this fight, he fled with Garret before Natasha turned her attention to them.
"Hand! Garrett and Ward already left the warehouse. Coulson and his team are secured!"
"Agent Wade and Blake are on their way to you" Victoria informed
"You guys alright?" The spy asked as she helped Simmons and Skye get up.
"I want to punch that son of a bitch—" May said before getting cut by Coulson
"We have no time for that. We must retrieved everything and head back to the Bus"
Wade and Blake met up with them and helped the team carried everything onto the quinjet and took them back to SHIELD base where Agent Hand is waiting for them.
"Steve, Coulson and his team are heading back to base with the artifacts and I got the data we need"
"Alright, meet up with us at the front gate"
But a bomb exploded behind her and Natasha quickly dodged the blast. She peeked from her cover to check who the attacker was.
"Nat! Where are you?" Steve asked "I heard the explosive!"
"North of the warehouse and heading…" Natasha suddenly stopped
"Nat!" He shouted again
"Steve…he's here" Her voice audibly shaking "The Winter Soldier"
In front of the Black Widow was the Winter Soldier. He was standing still, looking at her. She could hear Steve yelling through her comm but her mind was on defensive mode now. The Winter Soldier didn't attack her right away.
"James" She called him
"Natalia" He said back "My greatest student. It's a shame that I have to kill you now"
"James, that's not you. HYDRA brainwashed you."
"They may be brainwashed me but I do remember everything about you. How we fell in love, the time we spent with each other, how every touch…"
He was trying to manipulate Natasha and take her off guard. The words he kept speaking, every detail registered in her brain and woke every memory buried deep down.
They were in love deeply, passionately during her time in Russia. During her training in Red Room, she received extensive training from him. She could say that he made her. He was a part of turning her into a killing machine.
The haunted nightmare that she feared the most, her true self and what they turned her into.
Natasha was flooded by her old memories and Winter Soldier took this as an opportunity to attack her but he was knocked away by Steve Rogers who jumped out of nowhere and tackled him away from the Black Widow.
"If you hurt her, I have no choice but to fight you, Bucky" Steve warned "If you want to hurt me, hurt me and leave her alone"
"You are not my mission. She is" Winter Soldier replied "The only weakness of Captain America must be terminated"
"I cannot let that happen"
Winter Soldier charged in with all his strength but Steve fought back with more powerful strength and his will power to protect the love of his life.
"Steve, be careful. Hydra brainwashed him again" Tony warned but Steve ignored it and said to Winter Soldier,
"Bucky, remember who you are. This is not you"
"Shut up!" He yelled and landed a punch at Steve's stomach.
Steve stumbled back and braced himself for another attack "You are a good man, Buck. We grew together and we fought together. Try to remember that! I'm your friend!"
"No, you are not" The assassin replied but his power cannot match with the Super Soldier.
Steve hit him hard in the head before he swung his shielded arm and Winter Soldier was sent fly into the wall. Steve and Natasha went to see that he was still there and prepared for another attack.
But he didn't do anything but groaned painfully.
"Bucky…" Steve called, uncertain that this man was his friend or still be the assassin.
"You hit me too hard, punk" Bucky replied "You seem to learn how to do the cognitive recalibration from your girlfriend"
"You know that"
"Yeah, I taught her back in Russia"
Natasha looked at her ex-lover with concern "James, are you alright? Did you get all of your memories back?"
He shook his head and tried to get up "No, not all of it. Just some parts but it is better than last time. Whatever SHIELD did to me, it helped prevent the memories to be wash away again. I just need to be reminded."
"For the first time Fury seemed to do something right" Steve said sarcastically "I will not let Fury help you again. I will set you free and you go find the truth about yourself by yourself, Buck."
"Thank you, Steve" Bucky replied and hugged Steve "I'm sorry for trying to hurt her and you again"
"Don't worry, James" Natasha said "We always help each other. You are Steve's best friend"
"If you need me or Natasha, you know where to find us" Steve ensured
"Take a good care of her, Steve. Take care of her better than I did" Bucky looked really hurt when he thought about it "I hurt her"
"It's not your fault, Bucky. HYDRA is the one to blame not you"
Before they could say anything more, the beep from Bucky communication device took their attention. Bucky read the message and told them
"You two have ten minutes before HYDRA agents get here. Go now"
"Thanks, Buck" Steve said and hugged his best friend again "And remember who you are"
"I will, Steve" He promised "When I remember everything, I will go find you, my friend"
With that, Bucky ran away into the wood and stripped off any tracking device from himself. Natasha and Steve met with their teammates but something went wrong again.
And explosive came from the main building and minute later, there was an army of HYDRA and Leviathan agents appeared everywhere in front of them was Deathlok. The Avengers were out numbered.
"Surrender Avengers!" John Garrett said from his helicopter.
AN:
- Thank you to my proofreader, RushmanNatalie!
- Please kindly leave a review!