Becoming Legion

Chapter Sixteen

Rose was bagged before she got in the car, but she could tell Bucky was to her left. Since she had shown him that memory, she could hear the confusion in his head.

Legion, he called, wary of if she would answer.

Yes, Buck, she answered.

Who was that man with you? He seemed familiar, he questioned. Rose held her breath at that.

The blond on the bridge? That was Steve, he was your best friend growing up, she responded, trying to keep her mind as clear as possible.

And you? Did I know you before you were Legion? He asked, the questions piling up in his head.

Yes, you did, she answers truthfully, but not knowing what she would say to his next question.

Who were you to me? He asked. Truthfully, she didn't know how to answer him. She knew how she had felt about him, but she didn't want to send his mind spiraling when she was so close to getting him out.

I... We were in the same squad, during the war, and we became... close, her pauses left more questions than answers for him, Look, Buck, I will answer all your questions in time, but right now I need you to trust me. Can you do that?

I think I can, he responds. He had a grasp that she was important to him, but he couldn't tell if it was from the present situation or another world that lived in his head. She cautiously inched her hand to his, placing hers against his, trying not to draw attention. His sharp intake of breath caused her to release hers, especially as he brushed his hand cautiously against hers.

Yes, I'll trust you, he finally agrees.

The transport stopped abruptly, causing Rose to move her hand in order to gain her balance. She was pulled from the car and brought into a room where the hood was finally removed from her head. Once her eyes adjusted, Rose saw the machine that had broken her mind so many years before, with Bucky sitting in it. Currently, the technicians were fixing his arm, seeing as Rose had been able to put some damage into it while they fought. Since his brain wasn't being monitored yet, it was still safe to talk.

I need you to act as you normally do when you come back from a machine, states Rose, looking over Bucky. He throws his eyes to hers, and she sees the man she once knew starting to resurface. The entrance of Pierce turns that off, which Rose was grateful for. She needed him to play his part, she needed him to be the Winter Soldier for just a little longer.

"Mission report," orders Pierce, cutting off Bucky's view of Rose. This caused him to not respond, causing Pierce to slap him and ask again.

Play along, answer him, begs Rose.

"The man on the bridge," Bucky starts, "I knew him."
"You met him on a mission earlier this week," clarifies Pierce, worry in his voice that Bucky's memories were coming back. Rose's recent additions in abilities hadn't been noted by Fury, so he didn't know the whole scope of the story.

Just agree, he can't know that you know me or Steve, pleads Rose, trying to catch Bucky's eye.

I don't know you, I think, Bucky sounded unsure, but still retained his neutral expression.

"And this woman, do you recognize her?" asked Pierce, turning to let Bucky see Rose. He did know her, somewhat. He remembered the hair and her eyes, but what confused him was the name on the dog tag hanging from her neck.

"She is Legion, she was supposed to be our commander, but she was taken," Bucky answered after glancing over at her. Right now, that was the only truth he knew, but he seemed to have said the right thing in her eyes.

"Good. We need you focused to do your part tomorrow. You've shaped this country for decades," starts Pierce, but Bucky cuts him off.

"But I knew that man," he says quietly, almost like a child after being scolded by their parents. His answer brought tears to Rose's eyes, knowing he would be put in the machine as a result.

"Wipe him, make her watch," orders Pierce, "she makes a move she goes next."

With that, the man left for god knows where. Rose hung her head in an effort to not watch, but Rumlow grabbed her face and forced her to look as Bucky was strapped down, two metal pieces resting on his face.

"How does it feel to watch Lover Boy get his brain blended?" laughs Rumlow. She tried to look everywhere else, but she was forced to her knees, her head held up by her hair so she couldn't look anywhere else. As the machine started up, she slipped into Bucky's mind, praying she could keep the small number of memories she had brought back.

Sarge? She called, her sadness evident in the link, I, I don't know if you can hear me, but I will get you out of here, okay? I need you to hang on to that memory I gave you, don't let it slip. Can you tell me what it was?

Even in his pain, Bucky did as she asked, reciting the memory internally to her, while he yelled and screamed on the outside at the pain. They stopped the procedure ten minutes later, carrying a weak Bucky to a room before throwing him in, Rose being pushed in after.

Are there cameras in here? She asked, unsure if she could speak.

No, but this is safer to talk through, he responds, his head hanging in his hands.

Do you remember that memory I gave you, she waited with bated breath for a response, but she didn't get one. Instead, he pulled her over to him, making room on the cot they had placed him on, and pulled the chain from his neck. On it, was the other piece of his dog tag.

They told me it was to help me find my commander, so imagine my surprise when they send me after a girl, he remarks, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. For a second, he sounded like the Bucky she knew.

You gave me this tag before every mission, and told me I wasn't allowed to give it back until we were back at base, said Rose, smiling at the memory.

Why do you still have it, he asked. She carefully placed her left hand on top of his right hand. Almost on instinct, he turned his hand palm up, so she could do the same with hers as she pressed each fingertip against his. Bucky pulled his hand away like she had shocked him.

I... I'm sorry, Rose stammers, not realizing what she had been doing.

I, I remember someone doing that, starts Bucky, she looked, no looks like you?

What was her name? Guides Rose, sucking in a breath.

Rose, he answers, Are you Rose?

Not having the courage to trust her mind or her voice, Rose nods, tears welling up in a good way for the first time in a few days. Bucky's eyes dart between hers, then over her face, over all of her, pieces of a puzzle clicking in his mind. Ever so carefully, he brings his right hand to her face, softly placing it on the side of her head. Rose sighs, leaning into it, smiling at the recognition running across his face, before tears begin to take over.

"Hey, it's okay," whispers Rose, wiping the tears as they fall, "What's going on?"

"Did I hurt you?" he questions, hurt in his tone, "When you were with Hydra?"
She didn't know how to respond to his question, unsure of what a true answer would do.

"It was the first time they successfully wiped our minds," responds Rose, "I didn't even remember who I was, let alone the person standing in front of me. They told you they needed you to bring out my powers. So they made you hit me. Even though I didn't know it was you, I could see the tears in your eyes, and I never once felt anger towards you about it."
And that was true, over the years she had come to terms with the horrible acts Hydra made them both do. She never once blamed him for his actions when they wiped his mind.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, his voice breaking. She mimicked his hand, which was still cradling her face. He couldn't remember the last time he felt a form of caring human contact, but he embraced it for as long as he could.

"It wasn't you," she whispered, "You have nothing to be sorry for."

With that, they turned in for the night, knowing they would be woken up in a few short hours for whatever task Pierce wanted to be completed.