And he can't leave the arm to hang like that, but he can't afford to leave it either to wild animals...Best to make it into a sling, he supposed, though he has a feeling that Bucky will be upset sooner or later, when he realizes that he can't feel it or move it.
Mole thought for a moment that maybe perhaps there might be something to help him with the arm; that Atlantis hopefully has relearned some damn good, advanced prosthetics or something, but he was sure Bucky would be furious about having to sit out the rest of the war because he was missing an arm.
If he survived though; obviously, first things first were making sure that Bucky survived long enough for them to get back to friendly lines. "Come on, Bucky... just hold together...", Mole whispered.
It took all night to get the hypothermia and fever down, but he saw that Bucky is still unconscious and he figured the shock of the fall and everything has shut him down to hibernation of sorts like a healing coma, and so, with care and listening for German patrols near and far, Mole made a toboggan for Bucky, like a harness and such for him to drag Bucky as he kept underground most of the time, with a few times occasionally to check landmarks and the safe spots that were used as camp for almost the whole week, unknowing of the drama and such surrounding his friends earlier.
With the motorcycles, and the soon arriving escort of another Allied team, it was faster, taking up three days as they kept to the main route out of several routes they secretly made through the Alps to the captured, now destroyed Hydra train stations, narrowly bordering Switzerland and Italy, and then eventually made it past the distant landmark of Geneva, not touching the border, to the Allied small airport base inside the borders of France.
Steve saw many soldiers cheering for their return, and as he turned off his bike, he heard Audrey's voice, "Back off, guys! Give them air, it ain't easy to breathe in the Alps!", and he saw her glaring here and there, holding up a wrench, dirty and such, probably have been working on a car.
She saw Steve, smiling in relief, "Thank god that you weren't the one MIA, Steve, or Peggy would have my head! Heard over the radio. Who got injured?", as she got closer, putting the wrench back in her tool belt.
Sweet replied, "I did, but got healed two ways.", with a small nod, and Audrey looked relieved, "That's good. Your wife will be glad...I would have been so mad if it was Bucky.", before blinking in confusion, "Wait, where's Bucky?", looking around the concession of the convoy, and widened her eyes as she saw Bucky's bike, the one she and he worked together on, seeing Jones getting off...
"Steve...where is he?", Audrey whispered, her heart pounding, looking straight at Steve, feeling like she couldn't move. "He fell...", Steve could only say that as he gave the most sorrowful sigh; one that anyone could hear just how much pain he was in.
Audrey's heart froze for a moment as she was trying to wrap her head around it. "F-fell?", she whispered. "We were on a rail line high above in the mountains... a hole was blown in the train... and he fell out into the foggy abyss below...", Steve said. "Mole's looking for him but...". He didn't want to say the words to her about keeping up hope or anything; since he felt in his heart it was a lie.
Audrey shook her head, "No...No! It can't be!", tears falling as she tried to stand up strong...Steve reached to grasp her shoulder, "He was thinking of you, Audrey...He asked me to tell you that...he loved you...I...I tried so hard to reach him, and he was reaching for me...and then...".
Audrey sobbed, seeing memories of him flash by in her mind, wanting to scream, her heart breaking further as she realized that she would never have the chance to show him off to her family, to sleep in his arms ever again, to be told that he loves her over and over, to have his children, upset that she took that special tea, to have dates with him, to try on a dress to dance with him, to move in together into a house, to be proposed to...to be a bride...to be a wife...
She leaned into Steve's chest, sobbing, heaving for breath, almost deaf to everything around her, not noticing that the soldiers had seen the sad scene, leaving them in respect and such, knowing how Sergeant Barnes was to Captain America and the Howling Commandos, and a mocking, cool voice replied, "Who brought the hysterical woman to an army base? Honestly, I thought you were smarter than that, Captain...Unless she is related to that weak link of a man who couldn't even climb back...".
Audrey froze in shock and anger as Jones' voice shouted, "Shut up or I'll gag you again!", and the voice replied, "Pity. That's not even a good threat, since all of you wouldn't dare to harm me...".
Audrey spun around, looking at Jones holding into a cuffed Zola, "That man was Sergeant James Barnes, and he is more worthy than you!".
"Audrey, please...", Steve grabbed her. "Don't give that Nazi bastard the satisfaction...", he told her as Audrey really was trying to hold herself back from straight up taking someone's pistol and putting a nine-millimeter hole in Zola's head.
Zola replied, "Touched a nerve, haven't I? Love, so pathetic. Now, science, that's a powerful thing. I'm worthy than a replaceable soldier, for I'm Dr. Zola, and you can't even kill me.", with a cocky, snooty, and self-narcissistic look.
Audrey felt Steve's hold loosen up in shock and anger as Zola had mocked the name of love, and dared to imply that Bucky wasn't important, and she screamed, "They may have orders of not killing you or even roughing you up, and I ain't going to kill you, but I'm going to make you wish that you were dead!", running from Steve and Zola yelped, trying to hide behind Jones, not noticing that Dugan was muffling his mouth with chloroform from behind as Sweet grabbed Audrey around her waist as she screamed out in Spanish, cursing and spitting and trying to fight, tears flying.
Steve commanded, "Take him out of our sight, throw him in one of the temporary cells!", as Audrey was slowly losing energy from her outburst.
"I still say keeping him's not worth the trouble...", Steve could hear Jones grumble. "Take him out like Mice and Men, put a round or two in the back of his head.".
"Trust me, Jones, we're probably all thinking the same as you, but we still have our orders. Besides, better we know what he knows; might save a lot more lives down the road.", Steve told him.
Jones nodded, saluting him, and both Jones and Dugan took the unconscious Zola to one of the temporary cells that was used earlier as a shed, out of Steve, Sweet, and Audrey's sight.
"Audrey, please...", Sweet replied softly, his heart breaking to hear her sobs and waning curses of Spanish as he held her, feeling her fists trying to batter his chest, but she is losing strength.
Audrey heaved heavily, her sobs waning, not caring that she looks like a mess, coming back to English, "Not fair...I can't...It hurts...", and Sweet rubbed her back, "Just breathe...I...He really fought, Audrey...Gods, he was anxious to get the mission over because he couldn't want to stay longer from you...He was excited, talking of his plans, hell, he was actually committed to the thought of proposing...".
Audrey choked up, looking up at Sweet, "Say that again...", and Sweet paled, looking at Steve, and Steve replied, "He...he didn't make us promise not to say about it...He had plans...he was...he was going to ask your family to vote on a place for him to propose to you on...on your birthday, after the war...after getting to know your family and your father's blessing...".
"Fuck...", Audrey muttered as she closed her eyes and sobbed more. Sweet did the same as he mentally struck himself for saying that. Clearly, it just made the pain even worse by admitting that to her.
"Audrey... I know how you feel in a way, Bucky was a brother to me... I... I don't even know what to feel anymore...", Steve told her.
Audrey barely glanced at Steve and realized even if Steve had freshened up and looked fine, his eyes still held remnants of redness and such, grief in them, and she choked up, "Steve...", grabbing his hand, "It...it wasn't your fault...I... I would never blame you...B-Bucky, he knew what he was in for...Gods, I can't even...H-how long c-can we wait?".
"Four more days here while we're in safe, friendly lines...Phillips was insistent to have Zola in the Britain base quickly, where Hydra won't reach him, and that it's one of Phillips' turfs, not Zola...", Steve whispered heavily.
Audrey took up a heavy sob, "G-good...Bucky deserves to be found...alive or...d-dead...I hope he didn't suffer...I...I can't be out here...but I...I can't even...try to go back to work...".
Sweet replied, "You aren't alone, Audrey...Do you want me or Steve to keep you company...while waiting for Mole to come back with...with Bucky?", and Audrey sniffed, "It has been too long for you, Steve...You don't have to stay here...You deserve to see Peggy and Brookyln...I...I'll be okay with Sweet here...".
Steve exhaled sharply, rubbing Audrey's hand, "One day...I will be here one more day...And you're right...apart from delivering Zola to Phillips...I would feel better with Peggy and Brookyln...Where's...where is your room? I won't judge you if you want to be alone...Just please remember that B-Bucky would want you to stay for us, your family, and everything...".
Audrey gave a small smile, "I-I know...He knows that I...I ain't a quitter, even if I want to ignore everything...I just...", and Steve nodded, "Let's get you to your room...", and so, they went to grieve, and all.
Indeed, Steve was there the whole afternoon, and the next day, being there to lean a shoulder for Audrey, and after hugs and a look at Sweet who nodded at him with an understanding look, he took up to ride in a fast, non-cargo plane, with Zola blindfolded and gagged, all the way to Britain.
Steve was professional when he reported the mission in Phillips' office in the Britain base, as he listened to the captain, and he gave his sympathies as he had gotten the brief, coded news from the airport base about Sweet's recovery of injury, and Bucky's MIA status.
"Thank you, General...Even if...if Mole recovered his body and brought it back before the due date of the timeline...Can I politely request a few days for you to arrange his body back to America, to New York City?", Steve asked.
Phillips replied, "You didn't have to ask, Captain, but yes, I will...And Captain, I do hope Mole recovers him. A fall like that...I know Barnes is a fighter, and such, but...I have to admit that it's a situation that I do not know if he'd survive.".
Steve nods, "Yes, sir...", and Phillips nodded, "Good...Two things left here to ask and say...Was Ramirez truly threatening Zola? He was complaining about a Spanish girl in mechanic clothes.".
Steve nodded, "I'm afraid so. Zola decided it was a good idea to twist the knife; half the unit wanted to put a few bullets in him, especially at that point when Audrey was breaking down. We chloroformed him rather than using a fist or two to knock him out before taking him away.".
"Good idea there; last thing we need is for Zola to have any brain damage. We need to know just how far HYDRA's research has gone in many areas and what Schmidt's got planned.", Phillips said.
"I can tell you from first-hand experience... it's probably worse than we think...", Steve rubbed his arm. "Some of those troops were using weapons that... God, I don't even know where to truly begin to explain what exactly they were aside.".
Phillips hummed, "I see...Did they have that familiar weird blue glowing energy at least?", and Steve nodded, "Yes, sir...And after your order to explode the train off, I guess the energy made the explosion full-through to even destroy the weapons...".
"I never ordered you to take weapons, but I suppose it's for the best that you did that, since we cannot afford to have other nations take up the weapons or that energy at least, since Hydra seems very...very possessive of it.", Phillips replied.
"Oh, that's for sure...", Steve said. Phillips then replied, "And for Ramirez's actions, I'll let it go just this once, as Zola was...rather out of turn, and being a Nazi and Hydra bastard, I can forgive Ramirez for that, since I am sure she wouldn't want a notch on her reputation as one of the darn best mechanics on this Earth, and I have a feeling that Barnes wouldn't want that either.".
Steve replied, "Sir?", and Phillips replied, "Barnes was a hero...As long as he did his orders properly, his relations with Ramirez were acceptable.".
"He never faltered in his orders, General, I do swear on my shield and the U.S. Army.", Steve said firmly, and Phillips nodded, "I know. I've been watching them back in Toulouse Base, and he always attended training and everything, and Ramirez, in her job, working excellently to near curfew, attending mess hall. As long as their personal relations didn't leak too far into their work relations, I never bothered at all.".
Steve gave a fond smile, "Let me guess, never let me speak of this ever.", and Phillips glared at him with a small smirk, "You know me too well, Captain. Now, I will not hold you any longer from seeing your wife and daughter...That Brookyln is quite a likeness of you, I'd say.".
"Thank you, General. She is amazing, and she's a miracle, a gift to us.", Steve nodded, and Phillips replied, "Indeed. And oh, I had to tell Carter of the news about Barnes...Go, and I'll let you know if anything happens back in that base by the due date of the recovery.", with a knowing nod.
Steve nodded, "Yes, sir. Good night, sir.", saluting him, and Phillips saluted him, "Dismissed.", and soon sighing lightly to himself after Steve left, "Lord, give the family some hope.", before getting back to work.
Phillips shook his head as he knew he had to keep his cards close to his chest with Steve. Now was not the right time to tell him what whispers he had been hearing back in Washington; and of course, he had to look forward to extensive interrogations with Zola. Whether he'd fold or resist was beyond him.
Meanwhile, Steve's mood darkened once more when he was away from the general, his mind thinking back to Bucky once more and just how he could keep going. Part of him just wanted to turn in his stripes and request a discharge; sit out the rest of the war and be with Peggy and Brooklyn. Odds are, that after all he had done; he certainly had earned that privilege. Few would truly blame him; every man has his breaking point.
A recent combat theory had been going around, that a man reached his peak of effectiveness in the first 90 days of combat, and after that, his efficiency began to fall off, and that he became steadily less valuable thereafter, until he was completely useless. 90 days. That had come and gone so long ago now, and until this moment, Steve never truly felt himself any less efficient than he was the first time he saw combat. But now...
He managed to make it to their home on the base, his eyes regaining a bit of life as he watched Peggy singing faintly through the window of the makeshift nursery that was Peggy's home office, swaying their daughter softly, looking beautiful and radiant in the rocking chair.
Steve quietly and swiftly opened the front door, closing it behind him, softly putting his one duffel bag and the shield down, walking quickly yet quietly as the lullaby kept going, looking around the corner, and smiled a little as he heard Brookyln's adorable yawns, watching Peggy kiss her little forehead, putting her in the crib, tucking her in, "Sweet dreams, sweetheart...".
After checking for a few moments, Peggy exhaled in relief, and turned around, heading to eat a snack or take a nap, still undecided between those two options, and then seeing Steve...she smiled tearfully as she walked a bit quicker, yet still quietly, and leaned up to kiss Steve tenderly and softly, feeling Steve kiss her back, but with less energy than usual.
Peggy opened her eyes to see his eyes holding back tears and such, and she murmured, "Oh, Steve...", closing the door to the nursery, and guided him into their bedroom across the hallway, closing the door after them, and then Steve collapsed into the bed, finally breaking the dam as he cried, sobbed, and such, with Peggy holding into him from the other side quickly, feeling his arms wrap around her like desperately, with her kissing his head, brushing his hair, tears falling in unison with her husband's tears.