Disclaimer: I Own Nothing
February 1944
Bucky was laying down, he could feel straps holding his arms and legs in place. There was a fog around him that prevented him from seeing anything "Stay calm Lieutenant Barnes, I promise that this won't hurt too much" came a voice from the fog. He recognized the voice as Arnim Zola.
"No, no, no" Bucky cried out trying to pull himself free from his constraints, he looked over and saw a syringe approaching his arm. "Please stop, please" he shouted.
Bucky jolted awake with Steve sitting next to him in the back of the truck that they were riding in "You okay?" Steve asked after hearing Bucky talking in his sleep and the sweat beading down his forehead.
"Yeah just a nightmare" said Bucky looking around noticing that the others were sleeping soundly around them. "Why aren't you sleeping?" asked Bucky hoping to shift the focus from himself.
"I haven't been sleeping well lately" he said looking out the back as they drove through the French countryside.
"Where are we headed?" asked Bucky not wanting to fall back asleep.
"Peggy got information about some kind of Hydra test facility, we think that Zola would be heading there to continue his experiments" explained Steve stretching out after sitting for almost eight hours. "Before you ask we are not driving the whole way, Colonel Philips has arranged for a transport plane to take us the rest of the way after we reach the air field nearby."
Steve looked to find a distant look in Bucky's face who seemed to snap out of a trance after a few seconds "Sorry I wasn't paying attention. What were you saying?"
"Not important" replied Steve knowing that something was bothering Bucky "What was your nightmare about?"
Bucky tightened up at the question "Just Zola's lab" he said hoping that Steve would drop the subject.
"Maybe talking through the experience will help you move on" said Steve wanting his friend to open up about the experiments.
"I told you, Stark, Carter, and Philips already that I can't remember anything. I just get flashes of what happened" replied Bucky growing irritated by the constant questions.
Steve put his hands up defensively "Sorry, forget I asked" Steve said standing up and walking towards the front of the truck sitting himself down and opening up the front in order to see Stark and Peggy.
"You really should get some sleep" chimed Peggy turning to see that Steve leaning into the front of the truck.
"I'm fine" stated Steve hoping to get some meaningful conversation out of somebody on the way to the airfield.
"How's your friend?" asked Stark knowing that whatever happened with Bucky was key to understanding what Hydra was up too.
Steve looked back and saw that Bucky had closed his eyes and was trying to get some sleep before the plane ride. "Still just flashes" said Steve sighing after he spoke.
"His mind is probably trying to forget what happened to him, it might be what's best for him, maybe we'll get lucky and get some clues in Italy" stated Stark looking into the distance and seeing that they were approaching the airfield. "Better wake everyone up we are almost there" he said as Steve stepped back to get the others ready.
The truck came to a stop where they could see the C-54 waiting for them to board, as Steve and the others unloaded themselves and their equipment and walked towards the plane they could see Colonel Philips boarding the plane himself. Philips was waiting for the team on the plane and was looking over the various maps of the area where the Hydra facility was located. He looked up as Steve sat down across from him and the howling commandos sat down in various positions behind him "Gentlemen I hope the ride over was comfortable because we have a mission to go over" stated Philips seeing that Stark and his scientists were loading up their equipment from the truck.
Philips stood up and handed folders to everyone on the plane "Our plane will be landing in the city of Turin, Italy, from there we will follow the Po River to the Hydra facility" he explained as Steve poured over the folder. "The facility is being run by a man named Joseph Manfredi who has been overseeing the experiments that have been ongoing at the location since the start of the war. According to our sources he has been doing similar experiments to what Zola was doing in France."
Bucky shifted in his seat slightly at the mention of Zola's experiments "Is Zola at the facility?" asked Steve hoping to get his hands on the scientist as soon as possible.
"Our intelligence says yes but Zola may have moved on with the Red Skull by now, our main objective is to shut this facility down and free the prisoners" explained Philips. "Rogers will enter the building under cover with Carter, the Commandoes will be sneaking in with your equipment after you have located Manfredi. The rest of us will be joining you in the camp once you have secured it and we can figure out our next move."
Stark and the scientists boarded the plane and it prepared to take off bringing an end to the briefing. Steve was sitting in his seat when he was joined by Peggy who sat herself down next to him. Steve looked at her for a second "The only other seat is next to Stark and I would rather take on all of Hydra than deal with him the whole trip" she joked prompting a smile from Steve. The plane took off and the two sat in silence as the plane headed for the drop zone which was quite a while away. Steve was looking over the folder from the briefing when a piece of paper came flying over his right shoulder. He looked and found that "Say Something" was written on it. Steve turned and found Bucky sitting behind him who was motioning at Peggy and then setting his head back and try and sleep.
Steve closed the folder and looked over to find Peggy reading and taking some notes most likely about the mission "Hello" he said prompting a strange look from Peggy. Steve froze when she looked at him realizing that he hadn't thought any farther ahead about what to say. He looked down at her notes "So what are you working on?" he asked after a somewhat long pause.
"Just examining going the infiltration route again" she explained closing the folder and sitting her head back knowing that she would have plenty of time to go over the plan once they were in Turin.
"What is our infiltration looking like?" asked Steve wanting to get some kind of idea about what the plan was.
"Our spies have managed to get us two invitations to a party being held at the facility Manfredi is supposed to show off what his scientists have achieved. You and I will be going as guests until we can get Manfredi alone and find out where the Red Skull is hiding" she explained.
Steve nodded after she finished "so I'm assuming that this party will have dancing" asked Steve with a slight shudder.
"Yes I would expect there would be why?" she asked noticing a slight fear in Steve's eyes.
"I don't know how to dance" he explained dropping his gaze slightly as he spoke. He looked over and found Peggy giggling slightly. "It's true never had a partner to learn how" he explained realizing that not knowing how to dance was a little bit funny.
The two of them sat for a few moments until Peggy stood up "c'mon get up" she said grabbing Steve's hands and pulling him up. She took his right hand and placed it on her lower back and then grabbed his left hand with her right and finally placing her left hand on his right shoulder. "Now this is the simplest dance that we can do so this is the only one I am going to bother teaching you."
"So nothing fast huh" he said jokingly.
"Well maybe someday I will teach you something faster" she said taking the lead and starting to move in a slow rhythm until Steve got the hang of it.
Bucky opened his eyes and could see Steve and Peggy practicing carrying on a seemingly funny conversation given the amount of laughter he was hearing. He smiled at the sight, he began to ponder if he could ever find something like that. He had begun to doubt his personal future given how ferocious his nightmares had been since Zola's lab. He had hoped that as time passed things would get better but they had only gotten worse, Bucky felt that he was cursed and that he would never get over what happened to him.