"He just… fell asleep," Stark breaks the silence.
Steve's skin itches all over, it feels tight, wrong. The fingers on his right hand are slick with the Soldier's blood and he wipes it off on his pants with more vehemence than necessary. His eyes pulse at the rhythm of his heart. Steve feels the compulsion to leave and take a long, hot shower. That's why he stays where he is and waits for his breathing to calm before he speaks up.
"Nat, are the other two taken care of?"
"Yeah. We gave them their own fancy cells," she says.
Steve nods his head, eyes still on the dark-haired man. He looks at his assaulted body and his mind screams at him that he's missing something major and it has to do with the Winter Soldier's role in HYDRA.
"We won't tell S.H.I.E.L.D. about this until we find out what is actually going on," Steve informs his team, making a stop on each set of eyes so he can get their nod of understanding.
Steve starts unlatching the reinforced straps that bind the man to the bed. He picks him up and carries him out of the quinjet and enters the elevator, the other three Avengers following him inside.
"To Hulk's reinforced room?" Stark questions and when Steve nods his approval the elevator descends.
The floor is chilly due to not having been used for a long time. Dr. Banner already has his own apartment in a different level and, apart from not being in the States, he hasn't needed the room in months. The Hulk-proof door opens to let them in and Steve journeys to the reinforced bed that's for Dr. Banner before and after his transformation; there's a different one for when he's a green brick shithouse, three sizes bigger.
This time, Steve places him on the bed with more care.
"Stark," Steve calls out. Stark hums from his left side. "You have any reliable doctors?"
"Yeah." They're about to leave when Stark says, his words leaving Steve with one more thing to ruminate, "I wonder why his wounds aren't healing if he's enhanced."
"What?" Steve croaks, turning to gape at the others—Barton seems taken by surprise as well—and then back to the unconscious man. Now that it's been pointed out, Steve wonders how he didn't notice it sooner. An hour has passed and the Winter Soldier's contusions and other numerous marks are still visible. Moreover, they haven't healed in the slightest.
Natasha nears the bed and takes into hand the man's only arm. She inspects closely and carefully the wounds that cover it and then sits on the edge of the bed so she can take a look at the shoulder that misses an arm. She sweeps one finger over the mangled skin, inspects her digit and then brings it close to her nose.
"Nat, why are you smelling his blood?" Barton asks, tone carefully free of any criticism.
"Because it's not only blood," Stark is who answers the query. Addressing Natasha, he says, "You noticed it too?"
"What? What else is there?" Steve fires out, feeling frantic and needing at least one answer before the end of the day.
Stark studies him for a split second and then walks to the door. "We better discuss it somewhere else."
"Give us a clue at least, man," Barton pleads but he's the first to exit the room and the rest follow suit. Steve chances a last look at the bed—the man still only in a pair of boxers—and then he enters the elevator.
Steve has too much energy to sit on a chair so he hovers near the opaque windows. "Stark, say whatever you have to say, don't beat around the bush."
Stark stops his babbling with a knowing smirk. "Okay. Well, here is what I have. J, pull up our newest roommate's thermal image."
A mostly blue hologram pops up in the middle of the table.
"What am I looking at exactly?" Steve questions, trying to make heads or tails out of the image that hangs before them. It has a human form, he gets that much.
"Are you saying the Winter Soldier is a reptilian humanoid, like Zuckerberg?" Barton voices before Stark can give the Captain an explanation.
Stark stares at the marksman with an amused expression and then shakes his head. "I scanned the Soldier when we got him to the med bay," Stark starts explaining, hand pointing at the holographic image. "This is how his thermal image came."
Steve stares with wide eyes, the significance of the engineer's revelation sinking in. The image spins before him and he inspects it with new eyes.
"Reminds you of anyone?" Natasha asks the room at large. She shares a knowing look with Stark as if they've already reached the same theory.
Steve probes his brain and it finally hits him. "Wait. Nat, are you implying that he's like Loki?"
Natasha answers with a shrug of her shoulder. "Loki's thermal image was completely blue—cold—, a lot like this one. And we know he isn't from Asgard like Thor."
"And Thor never told us where they 'adopted' Loki from," Stark cuts in. "And it's not implying," he tries to explain, "it's only one theory. Look at that; it's like he's a human-shaped icicle. How is he still alive?"
"We know he's enhanced," Barton makes an input, eyes not leaving the blue hologram.
"His wounds aren't healing," Stark fires back.
"Maybe they used a different serum on him," Steve speculates out loud. His teammates turn their heads in his direction in complete synchrony. "When Erskine died he took the formula for the Supersoldier serum to the grave."
"It's possible," Stark agrees with eyes that are already lost in who knows how many different theories. His head snaps up. "Oh, I almost forgot: there are tracking chips inside him."
"Of course there are," Natasha mutters under her breath, loud enough for her teammates to hear.
"My team will extract them when they arrive; we don't want to cut an artery."
The other three make faces of disagreement.
"What about Nat sniffing his blood?" Barton asks. Natasha directs an annoyed look at him.
Stark makes a gesture for her to explain. "His stump was coated in something more than blood; probably some of his other injuries, too." Natasha lets that sink in. "I don't know what, though."
"Me neither," Stark adds. "But I'll have it analyzed when my people are here."
"You've already called someone?" Steve asks surprised, eyebrows flying up.
"Yep. I have my lawyers taking care of the NDA the doctors will have to sign. The moment they set foot in the Tower, we'll get the Soldier to the medical floor."
Steve scowls at that, conflict clear on his face. He already knew they would have the man's wounds treated but… Sam is on that medical floor. He doesn't like the idea of Sam being even in the same building that the man that almost killed him, let alone allowing medical treatment to be provided to the same guy. He better not dwell on it because there's nothing he can do about it.
"Do the other two need medical attention?"
"No. The woman only needed some tissues for her bloody nose," Natasha informs. Steve is not sure that is really all but he knows Natasha wouldn't risk their lives, even if they don't deserve such good treatment. "They each got a luxurious prison cell," she comments sending Stark a meaningful look.
"What? You want me to throw them in a dungeon?" Like the one they have is clearly implied.
"Nothing they don't deserve," Barton points out, something all of them can agree with.
"You think that's why they threw him in there?" Stark asks. He leans back, chair reclining, and rests his cheek on his hand. "You think HYDRA itself despises the Winter Soldier but won't let go of him because he's too efficient?"
"What kind of despicable things has someone to do for HYDRA to abhor them?" Barton voices the question everyone has already in mind. The Avengers share a troubled look, wondering what they've brought into the Tower.
"Okay," Steve says trying to break the tense atmosphere. "Let's go do something more productive than theorize about a murderer. J.A.R.V.I.S., inform us if the Winter Soldier or his two associates do anything suspicious."
"Of course, Captain," the A.I. answers with a pleasant voice.
Less than a minute later, the conference room is emptied. Steve closes the door with a click and takes a moment to decide what to do next.
