Stasis || Bucky Barnes (1)

Twenty three

The knife sunk into the exposed flesh of the neck between the black armour. The gun dropped from the hydra soldier's hand as he crumped. Basil ran forwards as the soldier hit the floor. The man looked up at him through black goggles as blood spurted from his lips. Basil grabbed the knife handle and pulled it out sharply. The body twitched with a wheeze then fell still. Basil didn't linger.

He wiped the blood on the dead man's sleeve and continued moving. Around him was the screams of the dying and the deafening echo of explosions. The medic pack over his shoulder and the gun in his other hand were heavy. They banged against his side as he ran, the still bloodied knife dangling from his fingers as he crossed the battle field. The crack of bullets firing and the weird bursts of the blue energy guns that the hydra used forced him top keep his head low. His journey a series of short bursts of speed from on spot of cover to another. Behind walls and stacked crates as he avoided the hydra soldiers. There was another boom and he ducked down as rubble rained over his head, clattering on his helmet. A building nearby had blown up.

"Medic!" A cry. Basil glanced up and continued moving. Happy Sam was glimpsed from the corner of his eye. The man was leading a group of soldiers form the other squads that had teamed up with them on this attack. They were charging a large tank, keeping low to avoid the blue bolts.

Basil fell to his knees next to wounded form of a American soldier. His hands working entirely on muscle memory as they began patching up the hole in the man's shoulder. He pulled out a shot of morphine and stuck it in the guy's leg to keep him quiet as he began roughly tying bandages over the bloodied flesh. Battle was not the time for care and precision. He tied the bandages tightly and grabbed the man by his unfounded arm. "Can you walk?" He had to shout over the noise. The man grunted and Basil took that for a reply. He stood up and hauled the man up with him, pulling his arm over his shoulder so he could support his weight as they began moving.

The man was heavy and much bigger than Basil. His weight made them both stumble and they almost went sprawling. Basil felt something shift in his jacket pockets and he winced as his books dug into his side. They were pressed in between his ribs and the other man. He pulled them out with his free hand and stuffed them in his breast pocket. His notebook with his letters and his worn copy of Frankenstein. Then he pulled out one of his larger knives to keep at the ready as he began slowly walking.

He made it out of the hydra base. The walls were mostly rubble at this point and the exposed innards of several burning tanks littered the space. Basil panted as he heaved the injured man round them. The man had gone silent, faced white with pain and eyes half lidded. "Don't you dare fall unconscious now", Basil grunted as he heaved the man out of the ruined gates. "We are so close". He could see the other medics in the trees. The temporary medical camp they had set up as soon as they had attacked wasn't far. Basil forced himself to continue moving.

"He's had morphine and I've done a patch job", he huffed as another medic, an older guy with white hair, ran out to meet him and help him moved the injured soldier. "He'll need plasma and proper bandages".

"I've got it from here son", the older medic nodded. Basil sighed in relief as he let the soldier lean on him. He moved the arm from around his shoulders and nodded at the man before running back towards the smoking battlefield. There were more men who needed his help.

As he got closer he saw the bright burst as explosive fire ripped through the main hydra building. Frenchie and Gabe must be having fun, he thought as he reentered through the gates and ducked down behind a destroyed tank. There was various screams and cries in the air. Cries of pain, calls for backup, shouts of command. Both in English and German. "Medic! We need a medic over here!" Basil turned at the shout and began running. His bag banging against his leg.

A soldier was lying fallen in the middle of a cobbled square. A large piece of debris from one of the tanks had fallen on his legs. He was struggling to move them. Blonde hair sweaty and his helmet lying just out of reach. It must have been knocked off. Basil crouched at his side and pushed his fingers under the rock. "Now heave!" He commanded. They both strained agains the heavy metal. It didn't move. Basil pushes his helmet back slightly to wipe the sweat from his eyes with his sleeve. He pulled at the metal again and this time it shifted slightly. "Good", Basil allowed himself a small grin.

"Look out!" The trapped man called as he reached for his gun. There was a crack of a gunshot and the body next to Basil jerked. He caught it out of the corner of his eye. A hole through the blonde man's forehead, his hand still out stretched for his gun and brown eyes wide in death. Basil whirled, knife at the ready. He threw and it landed true. One of the hydra uniform crumpled, knife handle sticking out of his thigh. The blade had hit the artery. He would be dead in minutes. Basil had another knife in his hand as he turned to the second one. Only to watch as the second opponent jerked as a bucket hit him from the left and crumple. (It was very useful to have a sniper like Bucky on his side).

Basil grinned widely at the knowledge that Bucky was watching him through his scope. He pressed his hands to his face and mimed bowing a kiss to the air. (Up on his vantage point, Bucky chuckled and rolled his eyes). He sighed at the dead soldier at his side and stood. Basil couldn't waste time. He needed to keep moving. Around him the sounds of battle had grown quieter. The shouts replaced by the cries of pain as the fighting dwindled. The factory buildings nothing more than smoking ruins.

Basil began jogging towards the shouts of medic when another crack of a gun went off. He stumbled, ducking down as a bullet whistled past. He dived behind a heap of stone and glanced around. There, behind a ruined tank was another black uniformed hydra soldier. Basil cursed. The tank the soldier was hiding behind, wether intentional or not, was blocking him from Bucky's vantage point. Basil pulled his gun up and clicked the safety off. He poked the gun round the rubble and fired. The shot ricocheted off the tank and the hydra soldier disappeared form sight. Basil cursed at his miss and clicked another bucket into place. He fired again as the helmet poked out over the metal. He saw the hole his bullet pierced through the metal and the soldier fell.

Basil sighed as he stood and wandered over, gun raised to check if the enemy was really down. He rounded the tank and sighed. The black uniform of the soldier was blood coated and his helmeted head was a mess. Basil lowered his gun and stepped over the body. He began trudging slowly back towards the gates. His gun still held in both hands but the barrel lowered. He could see the familiar green uniforms starting to appear round the ruins of the base as they began to regroup. Black uniforms lay littered in bloody forms around the dirt and rubble. The hydra soldiers who were still alive were holding their arms up in surrender. Their weapons being confiscated.

"Basil!" He turned to see Steve jogging towards him. His big star shield hanging from one arm and his uniform covered in dirt and grime. The white stars on his chest were almost hidden under ash and stains. Basil was sure that his own uniform wasn't much better.

He clicked the safety back on his gun and dropped it to one hand to pull off his helmet. It dangled by it's strap from his fingers as he pushed his sweaty curls from his face. "Any injuries?" He asked.

"No. The others are fine too", Steve smiled tiredly as they joined step. "You okay?"

"Exhausted but unharmed", Basil groaned. Steve chuckled and held out a hand.

"Want me to carry your bag off a little while?" He offered.

Basil sagged in relief and shifted his gun and helmet round to pull the heavy medical bag from his shoulder. Steve took it as if it was as light as a handkerchief and shouldered it. "Thanks".

Steve opened his mouth to reply when a shout made them turn. There was a hydra soldier. Black uniform bloodied and a hole in one leg that was bleeding heavily. He had pulled off his helmet as he pushed himself up. Pale face twisted in hate and fury as he pulled a pistol from his belt and held it up. Basil dropped his helmet and reached for his gun as Steve held his shield up. The shot cracked like a whip and Basil felt the bullet hit his chest. Their reactions were too slow. The force of the shot sent him stumbling back. The impact causing him to loose balance and he fell back. There was the blinding pain as his head hit a rock.he dimly registered Steve throwing his shield towards the soldier before his vision cut out and he lost consciousness.

Unedited