Chapter 2

The frozen pods hissed as icy vapor spilled into the dimly lit chamber. Metal groaned, mechanisms unlocking after decades of silence. One by one, the figures inside stirred.

Bucky staggered forward, his limbs stiff, his mind sluggish. His breath came out in sharp exhales, his body adjusting after being locked in cryosleep. Something felt... wrong. He didn't remember stepping into that pod. He barely remembered anything.

Across from him, Baron Zemo stretched his fingers, eyes scanning the unfamiliar room. His sharp gaze flicked toward the nearest Hydra operative, whose trembling hands operated an old console covered in frost.

"Oh man… What year is it?" Zemo muttered, rubbing his temples as a dull ache pulsed in his skull.

The Hydra operative hesitated, then checked the flickering monitor. "Uh... Sir, the year is... 2015. We've been asleep for approximately seventy years."

Zemo's lips curled into a smirk. "Hmmm… Most impressive." He turned slowly, taking in the rusted remnants of an old Hydra facility. "Seventy years, you say?" His voice dripped with amusement.

The Hydra operative gulped. "Sir… Hydra has faded from public memory."

Zemo's smirk widened. He stepped forward, clasping his hands behind his back. "Which gives us an advantage. The world believes us dead. Forgotten. That will be their greatest mistake." His eyes narrowed as he turned to Bucky.

The Winter Soldier had been silent, staring at his own reflection in the glass of his cryopod. His metal arm flexed involuntarily, the plates shifting.

Zemo clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Come, my friend. We have work to do."

Bucky turned, his face void of emotion, but deep inside, something about those words gnawed at him.

The sky roared as the SHIELD Helicarrier hovered above the Atlantic Ocean, its floodlights cutting through the night. The deck was lined with SHIELD agents scrambling in controlled chaos—unaware that their greatest threat had already boarded.

Deep inside the ship, alarms blare. Hydra soldiers, led by Zemo and The Winter Soldier, moved like shadows through the corridors, eliminating agents in swift, brutal takedowns.

Zemo strode confidently, his long coat trailing behind him. "Secure the bridge," he ordered. "Take control of their systems and prepare to rewrite history."

Bucky, silent as ever, struck with terrifying efficiency—breaking a soldier's rifle in half before driving him into the wall. Another agent tried to react, but before he could raise his weapon, the Winter Soldier was on him. A single punch from the metal arm knocked him back into a wall.

The Hydra operatives reached the control room, hacking into the Helicarrier's systems. Zemo stood before the central console, fingers tapping rapidly on the interface.

"Hail Hydra," he whispered as the screens flickered, their logo overtaking SHIELD's.

Then—

A blur of red, white, and blue bounced around.

The Vibranium sheild ricocheted off a console, sending sparks flying as it whizzed past Zemo's face. He barely had time to step back before it came hurtling toward Bucky. The Winter Soldier twisted at the last second, the shield scraping past his metal arm, leaving a deep gash in the wall.

A hand grabbed the sheild and the sound of boots hitting the floor echoed through the room.

Captain America had arrived!

Standing tall in the doorway, Steve Rogers lowered his shield, clad in his classic suit—red stars on his shoulders, his red gloves tightening into fists, his brown boots planted firmly on the metal floor.

Beside him, Sam Wilson, the Falcon, folded his wings with a sharp mechanical hiss, his goggles locking onto Zemo and Bucky.

Steve's blue eyes burned with determination as he leveled a finger at Zemo.

"Zemo! This time you won't win!" Steve yelled as he got his shield up and ready for action.

Zemo's smirk faltered for the first time.

Bucky, however, just stared at Steve. For a split second, something flashed in his eyes—recognition. But then, just as quickly, it was gone. His expression hardened, his hand tightening into a fist.

The Winter Soldier was ready to fight.

And so was Captain America.

Bucky's foot slammed into Steve's shield, knocking the super-soldier backward. Without missing a beat, the Winter Soldier drew his pistol, leveling it at Steve's chest.

Bucky fired of some shots, but Steve raised his shield, the bullets pinging harmlessly off the vibranium surface. He gritted his teeth and charged forward, pushing through the gunfire until he was within striking distance.

With one powerful upward swing, Cap's shield smashed into Bucky's face, sending his mask flying across the floor.

The assassin crashed to the ground, dazed. Cap rushed in to finish it—shield raised high—until he saw the face beneath the mask.

Steve froze.

"Wait… Bucky? Is that you?" His voice wavered, confusion and hope colliding in his chest.

Bucky blinked, the name stirring something deep inside him. For a split second, memories flickered—laughter, training together, a friendship that spanned decades.

But it wasn't enough.

His expression hardened. His instincts took over.

With a grunt, Bucky knocked Steve's shield aside and planted a brutal kick into his chest, sending him skidding backward.

Across the room, Sam and Zemo were locked in combat. Zemo was quick—ducking and weaving between Sam's punches, striking back with calculated precision.

Sam twisted around a knife strike, then retaliated with a spinning kick to Zemo's ribs, sending the Hydra leader staggering.

Zemo's eyes narrowed. With a fluid motion, he pulled out his pistol.

Sam's wings snapped up, forming an impenetrable barrier. The bullets bounced off harmlessly.

But Zemo wasn't done.

"Hmph. You're not bad." He smirked, grabbing his sword and swinging it with accuracy, Sam did his best to block wht attacks with his wings, however Zemo landed a well timed slash across his cheek, causing his to fall backwards holding his face.

Steve saw Sam in danger and made a split-second decision. He rolled across the floor, snatching his shield, then whipped it at Bucky, catching him off guard. The Winter Soldier stumbled, giving Steve just enough time to pivot—

And slam full-force into Zemo with a shield bash.

Zemo grunted, stumbling back before glaring up at Steve.

A slow, sinister smile spread across his lips.

"Ah… Captain America. At last." He straightened, brushing dust from his coat. "So I finally get to test my blade against the so-called hero of America."

He drew a slender, gleaming sword from his belt, twirling it effortlessly in his grip.

"Perfect. I will show you how the Zemo bloodline is superior!"

With a battle cry, he lunged forward, his sword shining with light striking at Cap's shield with relentlessly brutal blows.

Steve stood strong resisting the intense attacks but was soon faltering due to fighting The Winter Solder.

Then with a persice slash, Zemo cut Cap's leg as he fell onto the ground.

"Hmhmhm… You've grown weak, Captain." He leveled a pistol at Steve's head, smirking. "Feel honored. You will die by the hands of the Zemo bloodline."

He pulled back the hammer.

A few feet away, Bucky watched.

Something in him cracked.

His hands shook—both flesh and metal—trembling violently as a storm of memories flickered behind his eyes. Steve. The war. The friendship they once had. He clenched his fists, his body rebelling against Hydra's programming.

Zemo's finger tightened on the trigger—

And then Bucky moved.

With a sudden burst of speed, he lunged forward, grabbing Zemo's wrist. The gun fired—but the shot went wide, sparking against the metal walls.

With a crushing grip, Bucky's vibranium hand clamped down, pulverizing the pistol in Zemo's grasp.

"What!? Soldier, how dare you!? That was not supposed to happen!" Zemo snarled. His eyes behind his mask flared with fury.

Without hesitation, he drove a boot into Bucky's gut, sending him stumbling backward.

Zemo straightened his coat, his sneer returning.

"No matter. I have no use for defects. If you won't serve me, you can die with them."

From his pocket, he pulled out a small remote and pressed the detonator.

Across the helicarrier, explosions erupted, the ship shuddering violently as flames burst from its core.

"Farewell, Captain." With a smug grin, Zemo disappeared into the chaos.

The helicarrier lurched, metal groaning as it began to tilt. Smoke poured through the corridors. Sirens blared.

Steve pushed himself up, barely registering the ache in his limbs.

"You… saved me, Bucky."

Bucky blinked, his breathing unsteady.

"Steve…" His voice was hoarse, uncertain. His mind was still a battlefield. "...Who am I?"

Before Steve could answer, Falcon staggered to his feet, pressing a hand to the side of his bleeding face.

"Save it for later. Right now, we've got a helicarrier full of SHIELD agents who need evac."

Steve snapped back to reality. "You're right. Let's move!"

The trio rushed through the burning corridors, breaking open doors, freeing trapped agents, and guiding the wounded toward the emergency jets. One by one, escape jets launched, carrying SHIELD operatives to safety.

Finally, the last agents were aboard. Steve, Bucky, and Sam jumped into the final jet as the helicarrier's structure began collapsing in on itself.

Behind them, flames engulfed the sky as the warship plummeted toward the ocean.

SHIELD Base – Outside New York

The jet touched down on a classified SHIELD airstrip. As the ramp lowered, Nick Fury was already waiting for them.

He stepped forward, his one good eye scanning the scene. His expression was unreadable.

"Cap, Falcon. Glad to see you all made it out alive… and with a good number of my men." His gaze shifted to Bucky, his tone immediately turning sharp. "But why is this assassin with you?"

Steve took a step forward, standing firm. "He's not an assassin. He's my best friend from the war. Lieutenant Bucky Barnes."

Fury's face remained stone-cold.

"Friend or not, Rogers… he's dangerous. We've got decades of reports on his stealth ops and assassinations."

Steve clenched his jaw. "Sir, let me talk to him. I know him better than anyone—"

"No." Fury's tone was final. "You're too close to this, Cap. You want to believe he's still the guy you knew, but we both know brainwashing doesn't just go away overnight."

Steve's fists tightened. "He saved my life. That means something."

Bucky, silent through the exchange, finally spoke.

"...It's okay, Steve."

Steve turned to him, eyes searching.

Bucky didn't meet his gaze.

Instead, he quietly stepped forward, allowing two SHIELD agents to take him by the arms.

As they led him toward an interrogation room, Steve could only watch.

To be continued.

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Sorry it took so long to come out. I have been majorly busy with life and a ton of stuff. But glad it's finally done. Look forward to the next chapter. Leave a review if you enjoyed this. Thank you.