FATALITY

3

When Brody regained his senses, his leg was trapped between a large piece of metal and concrete. Without thinking he started to panic, trying to pull his leg out from under what was trapping him.

"Hey." Bucky's voice slightly echoed around the warehouse, his metal arm trapped as well, giving Brody a reassuring nod.

The younger stopped thrashing, rubbing at his eyes as he tried to come to a conclusion of what had just happened.

"Hey, Cap!"

Brody flinched at the sudden yelling, Steve and another man slowly entering the room. He felt fear take over his senses, trying his best to get away from the two men.

"They're not gonna hurt you," Bucky called tiredly. "Steve."

"Which Bucky am I talking to?"

"Your mom's name was Sarah," he smiled to himself. "You used to wear newspapers in your shoes."

"Jace?" Steve asked softly, frowning at the boy's state.

"My name is Brody," the boy's lips quirked into a small grin. "You told me I was safe." A numb tone fell into the soldier's voice, eyes training on the wall in front of him. "You told me I was safe and then I fell off a train."

Steve cleared his throat softly, pulling his gaze from the two and turning to Sam.

"Can't read that in a museum."

"Just like that we're supposed to be cool?" Sam asked, clearly not convinced of the two.

"What did we do?" Bucky mumbled.

"Enough."

Brody gave a hooded glance to his brother, tilting his head to the side almost in response it seemed.

"I knew this would happen," Bucky sighed. "Everything HYDRA put inside us is till there. All he had to do was say the goddamn words."

"It's like they open a floodgate," Brody gave a strained laugh, shaking his head. "And we got swept under the wave."

"Who was he?" Steve questioned, Bucky glancing to Brody.

"I don't remember," he whispered, "but I've seen his face so many times."

"People are dead," Steve reminded him. "The bombing, the setup. The doctor did all that just to get ten minutes with you. I need you to do better than, 'I don't remember.'"

Sam watched curiously as the man clenched his fists, glaring harshly at the blond, before it all disappeared once again.

"He wanted to know about Siberia. Where we were kept. He wanted to know exactly where," Bucky told the Avenger.

"Why would he need to know that?"

"Because we aren't the only Winter Soldiers."

Steve was quiet, sympathy in his eyes as he looked toward Brody.

"Who were they?"

"Their most elite death squad. More kills than anyone in HYDRA history. And that was before the serum."

Brody gave a weary smile, glancing tiredly to Steve.

"They gave us a run for our money, says a lot about them, I think."

"They all turn out like you two?" Sam rose an eyebrow at the soldiers.

"Worse."

"Could the doctor control them?"

"You can only control mutated soldiers for so long," Brody gave a slow drawl. "What do you think?"

Steve sighed, scuffing his boot against the ground, "He said he wanted to see an empire fall."

"That's how you'd want to do it, then."

"They speak thirty languages, hide in plain sight, infiltrate, assassinate, destabilize," Bucky listed on.

"You thought we were ghosts when you couldn't trace us?" Brody chuckled. "They're smoke."

Bucky swiftly pulled his arm from the metal, moving to help Brody move as well.

He gave a quick look over to his little brother, only receiving a nod as Brody softly pushed him away.

Steve nodded to him, Brody following him outside the warehouse so they could have a breath of privacy.

"Are you okay?" Steve crossed his arms over his chest, raising his eyebrows.

Brody was quiet, running a hand over his face, meeting Steve's eyes with a sad smile.

"I remember it more than Bucky every time we come back. It's thick, and it's stuck in my chest, clawing to make sure I don't forget."

Brody gave a tired laugh, his glassy eyes meeting Steve's with a frown.

"I like hurting people, Stevie."

The hero went rigid, shaking his head as soon as the words registered.

"No, no. That's not you Jace, it's not."

"No," Brody agreed. "It's not me. It's how I'm programmed, now. You can't delete programming, Rogers."

"You can rewrite it," Steve took a step closer and took Brody's hand in his own. "That's not you, Jace."

"Hey," Sam's voice broke the tension, Bucky following behind him. "We gotta get going, now."

"Can you move your seat up?"

"No."

Brody snorted at Bucky and Sam's interaction, rolling his eyes as he watched Steve retrieve his things from Sharon Carter.

"What's so funny, pretty boy?"

"Ah," Brody grinned obnoxiously, "you think I'm pretty, bird boy? How about I show you my claws?"

"Brody—"

"Relax, Bucky," he kicked open his door with a scoff. "I'm just joking."

Brody winced at the sun as he approached the blondes, Sharon giving him a tight lipped smile.

"Sorry about trying to kill you," Brody sucked his teeth as the woman passed him to get back in her car.

"No worries, you're on the list," she gave a playful wink as she slipped inside.

"The list?" Brody rose an eyebrow at Steve, his back to their car.

"You owe her," Steve smiled.

"You don't have to do all this for us. You should just let them prosecute us, wash your hands of this, Steve."

The man frowned, moving closer to Brody and pulling him in to a soft kiss. The soldier melted into the touch, having been met with such harshness and callousness over the past decade.

And now, Steve Rogers was touching him as if he would break under too much pressure and he couldn't help but find comfort in the touch. For once, not flinching when skin met skin.

"I'll move past this once I know you're in good hands."

Brody gave a smile to the blond, nodding his head as they moved back to the car.

"Your brother's hot."

"I want to murder you, brutally."