Okay, I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep up the two chapters a day thing. It's very tiring. But I'll try. Sorry if the dialog in these rambles on a little. I intend to make a following fanfic to this, a Bucky recovering one. And possibly make these dear characters watch the other two Captain America movies.
And now, onto causing more emotional trauma for our dear Asset- I mean, Bucky. Our dear Bucky.
-PaleWolfsHowl.
(PS; Do you guys have any idea how hard it is to type 'Maybe- Archer Clint' over and over again? It's awful.)
The Asset was still freaked out about The Boss being at Shield. He couldn't help it, the moment that face had come onto the screen, he had freaked. Yes, Rumlow was worse. But it was Pierce who controlled The Asset. It was him that decreed that The Asset should be frozen or sit in the Chair. It was him who let Rumlow do as he pleased with The Asset. It was him who would make The Asset hurt The Captain.
And that was the worst part. Worse than looking at the man and feeling the phantom of electricity coursing through him. Worse than the remembrance of the whips coming down on him.
The thought of The Boss being in the same building as Steve…
Knowing that, in time, he would send The Asset after Steve. And The Asset would have no say in it. He would attack The Captain, he could only hope that Steve was able to kill him. The Captain could, and had to, win. As long as the mask stayed on The Asset's face, The Captain wouldn't recognize him. The Asset, now knowing this was to happen in the future, had made up his mind. He wouldn't- couldn't go back to Hydra. Ever. And since he could never escape Hydra, he would do the only thing he could do. As soon as this movie was over, he'd kill himself. He didn't care how he did it, or what happened during the movie. He had to protect The Captain. Even if he died for it. He would die for The Captain, as he should have all those years ago.
He had almost cried out in shock when Steve had first reached his hand out towards the asset. He had been expecting to be slapped across the face. But instead, The Captain had tried to comfort him. Just like The Asset had tried to comfort The Captain earlier. But it was different! The Asset was a tool, why would someone try to help a tool? It had been such a shock when The Captain gently began rubbing his arm and back. It was so different from how he'd been treated for the last seventy something years. Such a shock that The Asset had almost choked.
It was one thing for him to try and help Steve, that's what a good Asset did, but for someone to try and help an Asset?
Then, he'd nearly jumped out of his skin when the gentle hand rubbed the back of his neck. He would've snapped if it had been anyone but The Captain. Too many memories of harsh, cold hands grabbing his by the back of the neck. But, surprisingly, the touch had been comforting.
And even when the scene with Pierce had ended, The Captain had kept his hand on The asset's neck.
The Asset's attention was snapped to the screen as noises started to come from it again.
[as Fury drives through the city he instructs his car computer to make a call]
Fury's Car: Activating communications encryption protocol.
Nick Fury: Open secure line zero-four-zero-five.
Fury's Car: Confirmed.
Maria Hill: This is Hill.
Nick Fury: I need you here in D.C. Deep shadow conditions.
The Asset fought the urge to say, 'That's an awful code name,' afraid that if he spoke, Steve would realize he hadn't moved his hand and take it away. Or worse, Steve would realize he'd been comforting an asset and be angry at The Asset.
Maria Hill: Give me four hours.
Nick Fury: You have three, over.
The Asset had been so lost in his thoughts that he almost jumped st Stark's huff on amusement.
[Fury stops at a red traffic light, he looks over to the next car and sees the two police officers in the car look at him with suspicion] Want to see my lease? [the policemen quickly sound their police horn once before they start to drive off, as Fury goes to drive off suddenly another police car smashes into his car, his car is then surrounded by several other police cars crashing into him; inside his car Fury is injured]
"Oh dear." Natasha muttered, glancing over at The Asset and The Captain.
The Asset felt Steve's hand tense on his shoulder as Eyepatch's car crashed into another car.
At the looks of intense worry on everyone's faces, The Asset spoke. "This doesn't have to happen. Change it." He said quietly, knowing they'd understand his message.
The asset wasn't used to talking much, so his english was limited. Even when he spoke it was normally in Russan.
Steve's hand untensed and started rubbing The Asset's shoulders again.
"Manchurian Candidate's got a point." Stark said, looking grateful for The Asset's comment.
Really, the room lightened up at The Winter Soldier's point.
"Yeah, thanks Winter." Maybe- Archer Clint said, huffing and leaning backwards in his seat.
The Asset didn't want to speak again, but Winter? Why had Maybe- Archer Clint called him that? He'd never been called Winter in his life- or maybe he had? It's not like he'd know.
But The asset didn't want to speak imprudently, he didn't want The Captain to disapprove of him.
It turned out he didn't have to, for Natasha raised an eyebrow at her fellow Agent. "Clint?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
"He's The Winter Soldier. Therefore Winter. It's rude to keep calling him Manchurian Candidate." Maybe- Archer Clint said, like his reasoning was obvious.
Fury's Car: Fracture detected. Recommend anesthetic injection. [as Fury is giving himself the injection a SWAT team truck pulls up] D.C. Metro Police dispatch shows no units in this area. [Fury is surrounded by the police and SWAT team, he quickly realizes they are all disguised mercenaries; to his car computer]
Hydra. The word seemed to explode in The Asset's mind, Hydra, Hydra, Hydra.
It was so obviously Hydra's doing. The Asset just preyed they didn't drag him into this.
Nick Fury: Get me out of here! [the mercenaries suddenly start shooting at Fury's car]
Fury's Car: Propulsion systems offline.
Nick Fury: Then reboot, dammit! [the armor on Fury's vehicle starts to become weaker, the mercenaries bring out a battering ram to break in]
Fury's Car: Warning! Window integrity compromised.
"I would imagine so." Grumbled Stark as he watched the screen, earning a huff of a laugh from Clint.
The Asset had to agree with Stark. Or was he Winter now? He didn't want to reclaim his former name, it didn't belong to him. And he was still an asset. But why not be Winter until Hydra took him back?
Nick Fury: You think? How long to propulsion?
Fury's Car: Calculating. [the mercenaries start to use the battering ram on Fury's car window] Window Integrity thirty-one percent. Deploying countermeasures.
Nick Fury: Hold that order! [the battering ram is smashed against the car window again]
Fury's Car: Window Integrity nineteen percent. Offensive measures advised.
Nick Fury: Wait! [the battering ram is smashed against the window again]
Fury's Car: Window Integrity one percent.
Nick Fury: Now! [suddenly a minigun pulls up from inside the car and Fury uses it to return fire on the mercenaries causing the SWAT truck and some of the police cars to explode]
"Ya! Go Fury!" Stark exclaimed, throwing his fist into the air. The Asset- Winter couldn't help but flinch at the flying fist.
Steve seemed to notice and he gripped The Asse- Winter's shoulder tighter.
Fury's Car: Propulsion systems now online.
Nick Fury: Full acceleration, now! [as he continues to fire at the mercenaries Fury's car automatically backs up and drives off] Initiate vertical takeoff!
Fury's Car: Flight systems damaged.
Nick Fury: Then activate guidance cameras! [Fury goes over into the drivers seat] Give me the wheel! [Fury takes over driving his car as the mercenaries chase after him in their police cars] Get me Agent Hill.
Fury's Car: Communications array damaged.
Nick Fury: Well, what's not damaged?
Fury's Car: Air conditioning is fully operational.
Even though the scene was highly stressful, everyone burst out laughing at that, except for The As- Winter.
But even The- Winter had to smirk at the line, appreciating the car's sense of humor. Wait, since when did car's have a sense of humor, or talk for that matter?
[the police cars continue to chase after Fury as he weaves through the cars on the road] Traffic ahead.
Nick Fury: Give me an alternate route.
Fury's Car: Traffic alert on Roosevelt Bridge. All vehicles stopped. 17th Avenue clear in three blocks, directly ahead. [as Fury heads into the traffic he smashes into some cars causing a pile up which stops the police cars, the mercenaries get out and start shooting at Fury's car, Fury manages to kill two of the mercenaries by running them down before getting past the traffic, but the remaining mercenaries continue to chase after him and manage to sandwich Fury's vehicle between them] Warning, approaching intersection. [as they approach the intersection Fury manages to shake off the two police cars, killing off the mercenaries]'
"Yeesh, Pirates' kinda scary when he wants to be." Stark huffed in stressed amusement.
"Heh, you could say that." Snickered Maybe- Archer Clint, looking like he was remembering something.
Nick Fury: Get me off the grid!
Fury's Car: Calculating route to secure location. [Fury sees a mysterious figure,
Winter felt himself grow cold, no.. please, please, no. But he wasn't stupid. He knew The figure was him.
Winter tucked himself as far back in his seat as he could get, and though he didn't want to, further away from The Captain. He didn't deserve the other man's comfort.
He could feel the blond's blue eyes burning into him. Winter turned to meet The Captain's eyes. And to his shock, there was understanding in Steve's eyes.
He could practically read what The Captain was thinking.
'You don't have a choice, do you?' Steve's eyes said, as he stared intently at Winter.
Winter blinked before shaking his head a little, a clear, 'No, I don't.'.
He didn't know how, or why, this kind of communication was so easy for him and The Captain to do. It felt familiar, he'd assume he must have done so Before. And if he had done it before, it would make sense that it would have been with Steve. Since, apparently they were best friends since childhood, though, Winter doubted that that counted anymore. It had been Hydra'ed out of him.
Winter noticed that the rest of the humans were staring at him, Steve followed his eyes. And Winter assumed the other man must have glared at the, because they looked away quickly.
emerge ahead which suddenly shoots a bomb that attaches itself to Fury's vehicle causing it to explode and flip over; trapped inside his car, Fury watches as the figure walks over to the car but he manages to escape just in time by using a laser weapon to burn a hole out.]
Winter winced, curling in on himself. Why did it always have to be him? Why did Hydra have to choose him? Why not anyone else? Why did he have to be The Winter Soldier? The fist of Hydra. Why couldn't Hydra have just left him alone? The rebellious thoughts caused a flashback to flash into his mind, pulling him into its intensity.
He was strapped into a chair, The Chair, in the flashback. Someone was speaking, it was a voice he should know.
"We chose you because you mean the most to Captain America, besides that puny woman. You, he won't be able to fight. And the serum has taken a hold on you, Barnes. You will be the fist of Hydra. You will do as we say, Sergeant. You are nothing more than a tool. And you're not getting out of that Chair until you say ``Hail Hydra." The voice said coldly, soulessly. Then, in the flashback, Winter screamed. Thankfully, he wasn't making any noise outside of what was going on in his mind. In the flashback, the Chair's electricity thundered and burned through him. The remembered pain was duler then The Chair was in real life, but still awful. The Chair stopped, the voice spoke again. "Say it, Asset. Say it!" The snake- like voice burst through Winter's head. Then, Winter's past self spoke. "Never." Winter's former self's voice was ragged in his memory.
"This is not the 107th, no Captain America can save you now." The voice said, sounding pleased.
Then, the flashback ended, leaving a shaking Winter. He was aware of Steve's hand strongly clamped on his shoulder. He must have been moving while he was trapped in the flashback.
"Winter?" The Captain asked quietly, unsurety in his voice.
Winter blinked into focus, meeting The Captain's worried eyes, which were closer than Winter had expected.
"Captain." He managed to rasp out, his voice ragged, like his flashback self's voice had been.
Relief shown in Steve's clear blue eyes. Huh, whatever the 107th was, Winter thought the voice had been wrong. The Captain had saved him. Even though he would be lost to Hydra's grasp again, The Captain had saved him for this short time, and that was enough.
Winter knew he didn't deserve it. Not after what he'd done. The voice had been right in that way, Winter would forever be Hydra's fist. And that was why he'd kill himself before he left to go back to Hydra. His mind was forever Hydra's. But this small part of him belonged to him, and only him. He wouldn't let Hydra take it away. Not again.
Winter looked over at Steve again, meeting his gaze. "Sorry." He said simply, nodding towards the screen. The Captain just nodded, silently saying 'It's okay.'
Winter was very aware of Natasha's eyes burning into him as Steve held out a hand, palm up, an offering.
Winter eyed it for a moment, before reaching out with his flesh hand and shaking The Captain's hand firmly. An agreement. That The Captain wouldn't judge Winter for anything he did in the movie. It was also an offer of, well, friendship?
Winter had no clue why The Captain would offer forgiveness so easily, especially to an asset. Winter was just a tool. You didn't keep a broken, rusted tool around for the fun of it.
They kept their hands locked for a couple long seconds before both letting go. Though both super soldiers leaned more towards each other then they had been before.
[As Steve is walking to his apartment his hears his pretty neighbor talking on the phone as she goes to do her laundry]
"Who's that?" Asks Stark noisily, turning to stare at The Captain hard. Winter didn't hear Steve's reply, lost in his own mind. The moment Stark had turned that hard stare at The Captain, Winter had felt like it was a threat. Rage shimmering in him at the idea, before he got a hang on himself.
He didn't understand his reaction, why would he care if Stark looked at Steve hardly? He'd never felt protective of someone like that before.. At least not while at Hydra. No, he had.
For his third handler, she had been so much kinder than all the rest of them. Taking pity on The Asset and not harming him unless necessary. She had been killed for her softness, Winter could remember his rage as he had watched her be beheaded.
He remembered how back when she was alive, he had almost attacked anyone who so much as looked at her wrong. She had been a proper handler, strict, not allowing disobedience or disloyalty.
She hadn't punished him much, but she'd made sure he knew his place. And when she had punished him, it had been bad. But she had only punished him when he seriously messed up.
Like failed a very important mission.
She always explained why she had punished him afterwards, in a soft, stern voice. As the days had gone on, she had become softer and softer on The Asset. Until, one day, she accidentally let it show. And it had cost her her life.
Winter had a guess on why he had felt the same towards Steve. His messed up mind was starting to see The Captain as his handler. He assumed it was a mix of Hydra's programming, and the fact that he had once known Steve.
He knew he'd already follow any order the blond gave him. The only thing that really worried him was that he might accidentally reveal this fact to The Captain. And that would be a disaster.
Sharon Carter: That's so sweet. That is so nice. Hey. I gotta go, though. Okay, bye. [turning to Steve] My aunt, she's kind of an insomniac. [Steve smiles at her] Yeah.
Steve Rogers: Hey, if you want...if you want, you're welcome to use my machine. Might be cheaper than the one in the basement.
"Ooo, does somebody have a crush?" Maybe- Archer Clint said with a smirk towards The Captain, who glared at him. Stark snickered.
Winter managed to stop himself from analysing ways to easily kill Maybe- Archer Clint. He really needed to get control over that.
Sharon Carter: Oh, yeah? What's it cost?
Steve Rogers: A cup of coffee?
Sharon Carter: Thank you, but um...I already have a load in downstairs, and, uh...you really don't want my scrubs in your machine. I'm just finished orientation in the infectious diseases ward, so.
Steve Rogers: Ah, well, I'll keep my distance.
Sharon Carter: Well hopefully not too far. [Steve nods and turns to go into his apartment] Oh, and I think you left your stereo on.
Steve Rogers: Oh. Right, thank you.
Sharon Carter: Yeah. [Steve watches her go down the stairs before turning in suspicion to his door]
[Steve hears music as he cautiously enters his apartment though the window,
"Great. Someone broke into my home. Lovely." Steve grumbled, glaring at the screen. The other humans broke into laughter while Winter raised an eyebrow.
What was funny about someone breaking into Steve's house? Winter just hoped it wasn't him, but he doubted he would play music.
he grabs his shield for protection and finds Fury sitting on his couch in the dark]
Winter almost gasped in relief, even though he'd logically known it wasn't him in Steve's home, he had still worried.
Steve Rogers: I don't remember giving you a key.
Nick Fury: You really think I'd need one? My wife kicked me out.
"Fury's married?" Stark said with disbelief and confusion radiating from his voice.
"No, no he doesn't." Natasha said with a smirk. "Yeah, nobody can hide a family." Maybe- Archer Clint said with a smirk, before exchanging a look with The Redhead.
Winter could tell they were hiding something.
Steve Rogers: Didn't know you were married.
Nick Fury: A lot of things you don't about me.
Steve Rogers: I know, Nick. That's the problem.
"Fury wouldn't be Fury if he didn't have secrets." Natasha pointed out, earning a huff from Steve.
"Yeah, the Pirate's secrets have secrets." Stark said, earning a glare from The Captain.
Winter tilted his head a little, wondering what backstory there was to that.
[as Steve turns on the light he notices Fury's injuries for the first time,
Winter flinched, knowing he was the cause behind half of those. The Captain seemed to notice The Asset's discomfort and stress, for he reached over and gently rubbed Winter's shoulder, making The Asset relax.
but Fury indicates for him to be silent, he turns off the light and writes something on his phone and shows it to Steve; "ears everywhere"]
Nick Fury: I'm sorry to have to do this, but I had no place else to crash. [he writes another text and shows it to Steve; "SHIELD compromised"]
At least he knows. It would be worse if eyepatch- Fury? Knew about Hydra. He seemed to be a dangerous man. A good enemy for Hydra to have.
Steve Rogers: Who else knows about your wife? [Fury shows him another text; "You and me"]
Nick Fury: Just...my friends.
Steve Rogers: Is that what we are?
Nick Fury: That's up to you. [suddenly Fury is shot three times from through the wall and collapses,
A collective gasp went up in the room, and Winter's hand flew to his face so he could pinch the bridge of his nose. Gosh darn it! Of course Hydra wouldn't let him get away with failure. He'd probably been firmly punished for letting Eyepatch get away the first time. He wouldn't fail again. Winter knew that.
Steve turned to look at him, and Winter gave a small nod. Yes, it was him.
Steve looks out the window for the shooter then he quickly drags Fury to the next room, before he leaves Fury hands him the flash drive] Don't...trust anyone. [Fury passes out] [Steve hears someone breaking into his apartment and hears his neighbor calling out to him]
Sharon Carter: Captain Rogers? [Steve sees her walking in with her gun pointed] Captain, I'm Agent 13 of SHIELD Special Service.
"Really can't trust anybody." Steve muttered, glaring at the screen.
Steve Rogers: Kate?
Sharon Carter: I'm assigned to protect you.
Steve Rogers: On whose order? [She notices Fury lying injured on the ground]
Sharon Carter: His. [she goes to Fury then contacts SHIELD through her radio] Foxtrot is down, he's unresponsive. I need EMTs.
"Foxtrot?" Maybe- Archer Clint said with a raised eyebrow. Winter almost smirked at that, almost. It was a silly code name, after all.
"Eh. Nobody would think it was Fury." Natasha pointed out with a shrug.
SHIELD Agent: Do you have a twenty on the shooter? [Steve notices the shooter though the window]
Steve Rogers: Tell him I'm in pursuit. [Steve smashes through his window and runs after the assassin, who is the same mysterious man that had exploded Fury's car, Steve chases him through an office building smashing through the walls, when he finally catches up with him on the roof he throws his shield at the assassin, but he catches it with one swift move, then throws it back to Steve and then jumps down the building and disappears.]
There was a moment of silence before Stark turned to look at Winter. "Okay, Manchurian Candidate, time's up. What's going on." The man said forcefully.
Winter looked at him for a long moment, before sighing. He knew this was coming.
"Yes, please explain, Winter Soldier." Natasha said, looking at him with narrowed green eyes. Once again, Winter remembered shooting someone through her.
Steve's hand tensed on Winter's shoulder.
"Fine." Winter said, testing out his ragged unused voice. "But it's a long story…"