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Bucky sent her an address of where to meet them in Baltimore. It turned out the address was for a neighbourhood.

"You met John Walker?!" she cried as they walked to their destination, Bucky leading the way, both relaying their mission.  

"Yeah, he was sent in as well.  Called us Steve's wingmen."

"No."

"Afraid so."

"Asshole."

Bucky led them up to a house and knocked. A teenaged boy answered the door, very resistant to let them inside.

"Tell him the guy from the bar in Goyang is here," Bucky said. "He's going to know what that means."

"Nice kid," said Sam.  "How do you know this guy?"

"I used to. We had a skirmish during the Korean War."

"Ah."

"Today's  your lucky day." The kid returned.  "He said he wanna see for himself." He opened the door and led them inside. 

"Thank you."

An older man, who must have been the kid's grandfather, stood inside awaiting them.  

"Isaiah," Bucky addressed him. 

"Look at you."

"This is Sam, and Carina. This is Isaiah," Bucky introduced. "He was a hero. One of the ones that HYDRA feared the most. Like Steve. We met in '51-" 

"If by met, you mean I whupped your ass, then yeah," cut-in Isaiah. "We heard whispers he was on the peninsula, but everyone they sent after him never came back. So the U.S. military dropped me behind the line to go deal with him. I took half that metal arm in that fight in Goyang, but I see he's managed to grow it back. I just wanted to see if he got the arm back. Or if he'd come to kill me."

"He doesn't do that anymore," Carina jumped in, quick to defend.

"She's right, I'm not a killer anymore."

But Isaiah didn't seem so convinced.  "You think you can wake up one day and decide who you wanna be? It doesn't work like  that. Well, maybe it does for folks like you."

"Isaiah, the reason we're here is because there's more of you and me out there."

"You and me."

"And we need to know how."

"I'm not gonna talk about it anymore!" In anger, Isaiah threw a tin - which embedded itself halfway into the wall. Carina jumped as it whipped past them.

Then he approached Bucky.  "You know what they did to me for being a hero? They put my ass in jail! For thirty years! People running tests, taking my blood, coming into my cell. Even your people weren't done with me."

"Isaiah," Sam tried.

"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

"Come on man, let's go," the teenager ushered them out.

"Oh, that poor man," cried Carina, her heart breaking as they left the house.  

Sam stormed ahead. "Sam," called Bucky.

"Why didn't you tell me about Isaiah? How could nobody bring him up?! I asked you a question, Bucky."

"I know-"

"Steve didn't know about him?"

"He didn't. I didn't tell him."

"So you're telling me that where was a black super soldier decades ago and nobody knew about it?"

To Have and to Hold - Bucky Barnes (TFATWS)Where stories live. Discover now