Ascertainment || Bucky Barnes (2)

15

Basil landed in a crouch before immediately running. "Steve!" He called desperately. "Steve!" There were two buses overturned on the street. He could see Nat running and taking shelter behind a car. The civilians fleeing from the gunfire. Basil turned round. "Steve!" He cried out. There was a crash as the Soldier jumped from the bridge and landed on the roof of a car. He stalked down across the bonnet and stepped on to the street. Basil sighed. Even all these years later, even as a murderous hydra assassin, Basil still found him attractive. (Those thighs though).

"Basil!" Steve called back. Basil turned as Steve crashed out of one of the buses and scooped up his shield. The hydra agents had assembled a mini machine gun on top of a car and it was spewing bullets at the shield a hundred per second. Basil ran over and dropped at a crouch at his side. Steve gave him a glance over. The bullets hitting the shield like the pattering of rain. "Are you okay? Is that blood over your mouth?"

Basil wiped some of it away on the back of his hand. "Yes. Not important. But the Winter solider is going after Natasha. I will get these guys, you deal with him. Please". Steve nodded but there was concern in his eyes. There was a look on Basil's face. A scared, tired vulnerability that made him think that there was something wrong. But now was not the time to be asking questions. "Also Steve", Basil grabbed him by the shoulder. "You need to get his mask off. I, I have a theory. Get his mask off". Then they were both rolling and running in different directions.

Basil charged the mini machine gun. He threw his last two knives and they sunk into the shooter. Then he was jumping up onto the car and ripping the knives from the man's body as the gun stopped firing. He twisted with a kick and knocked another agent back. He snatched a grenade from a agent's belt and stuck it to the side of the machine gun before throwing his knives into the last men. They fell and the grenade beeped. Then the car and the men were a ball of fire. Basil stood up and walked out of the flames. Barely a singe on him.

"Basil!" Sam called form on top of the bridge. He had grabbed a gun and was picking off the last of the hydra agents. Basil turned to look up at him. "Get Nat! I've got this". Basil flicked him a thumbs up and began running. Steve and the Soldier's fight had moved down the street. Basil ran through a few cars then came to a stumbling stop as Steve grabbed the soldier by the face and flipped him over. The Soldier landed in a roll and the mask dropped off.

Basil felt his breath catch in his throat as the man stood up and turned to them. Long dark hair framed the face but it was just like he remembered. Square jaw. Deep set blue eyes. Stubble covering his jawline. Straight nose and frowning eyebrows. Steve was frozen too. Basil stumbled forwards until he was next to him. The two of them staring, speechless. "Bucky?" The name was gasp from Steve's mouth. Basil felt his hand creep to his dog tags. The soldier eyes flickered down to the dog tags, then to the tattoo, then to Steve's face.

Then the Soldier spoke, in prefect unaccounted english. "Who the hell is Bucky?" The words broke something in Basil. He thought that the things in him had been broken beyond compare. That there was nothing left to break. But those words. The blankness in his eyes. That broke him. And it felt like those broken pieces were beyond repair. (Oh god Sarge. What did they do to you? Bucky. Bucky. Sarge. How could they do this to you? What did they do to you? You don't recognise me. You don't know me. What do you see when you see my face? I feel ill. I can't take this. I can't take this. I can't take this).

The Soldier, Bucky, raised his gun at Steve. Gaze blank and cold. No recognition. Just a mission to fulfil. But Sam was there, flying down with his wings and kicking him in the chest. The Solider rolled and the gun came up again but a something shot at the car nearest him and it exploded. Basil turned to see Nat leaning heavily against a van with the bazooka in her hands. When he turned back to the car, the Solider was gone. Just smoke and flames. No sign that he had been there at all. Like a ghost. Basil felt himself crumbled inside. He could still taste Bucky's blood on his tongue.

Sirens wailed and black vehicles speeded towards them. Basil turned as they pulled over and ran over to where Nat was sagging. He caught her as she fell. "Where are you hurt?" He asked as he began checking her over.

"Shoulder", she groaned. Basil made a grumbling noise and began ripping pieces of his shirt to tie in a makeshift bandage round the wound. He could hear footsteps and shouts for him to put his hands up.

He managed to get three pieces tied round it. Wads of material pressed to her wound to keep her form bleeding out. It was sloppy and haphazard. Quickly done and with his mind on fire. Then there were hands grabbing at him. "Put your hands behind your back!" They were lifting Natasha to her feet and she gave a cry of pain. "Put your hands behind your back!"

"You can't kill me", Basil looked up to glare at the hydra agents surrounding him. "You can't kill me. You can't even hold me captive. What do you think you can do? You can't kill my friends because the news is watching", he gestured up to the news helicopter circling above them. He grinned bloodied teeth and blood stained lips. "Now. I'm going with you as a courtesy. Things are messy enough as it is. I don't want to make it worse. But if you stop me form treating my patient then I shall cause havoc. Understand".

The agents didn't reply but no one grabbed him and tried to haul him to his feet. Basil stood up slowly. He could see Sam and Steve being forced to the ground. Heavy iron shackles snapped round their wrists. The agents grabbed his and snapped a pair around his as well. Basil let them and allowed them to shove him towards the van. The four of them were bundled inside. The doors slammed shut behind them. Basil leaned his head on Steve's shoulder and closed his eyes.

Unedited