"A leader leads by example not by force."
- Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Late in the night, when the house is sleeping, and only a flying fox in her cage is struggling with the cell bars, James has fallen asleep on Wanda's lap again. It became their tradition, just for two of them: every Wednesday and Saturday they watch old movies, Soviet and Russian, and Sokovian. Sometimes Wanda shows the great power of perseverance (without magic tricks, of course), and then they have to watch soap operas of 1920-30s. On these days, Bucky falls asleep much faster.
Despite the fact Zemo being busy either in the library or in Doom's castle since his own office became a huge mess (and Oeznik is not allowed to get it cleaned because of the important order of the calculations formulas thrown according to a special system only Helmut knows), Wanda hears his voice like the man is here.
'Find the start of the experiments. Hydra must have prepared his body for incrementing a new identity. He may not realize what his memory contains, but the answer is there.'
As the years pass, Wanda's become skilled at reading people's minds. Controlling them, and healing – in most cases but Bucky's. She'd love to find a cure for him by her own hands, but James' mind is way too vulnerable to survive intervention.
"Sleep tight, dear friend. And show me your past." Scarlet fog, thin feather-like lines of magic appear to shroud Bucky's head.
His mind feels almost whole.
Almost...
Wanda falls down his memories suddenly, it looks like a deep rabbit hole, where a strange mix of images melts into one man's story.
She turns around to find herself in a little Romanian town, where a group of children plays in the yard. It's a playground between low-story houses. Clothes and bed linen are hung on the ropes between trees.
Similar to Sokovian poor districts. But what time is this? It should be before World War II...
"Bucky! Bucky, wait!"
Dirty, as children always are when they spend too much time outside, but happy with a wide smile from ear to ear, a little boy with dark messy hair is running along the street. When he's passing by Wanda, she notices a little pocket with candies.
"Did you steal them!? Again!? Your parents will kill you!"
"They won't if they don't know!"
Wanda doesn't know the Romanian language, but James' perception is showing the sense of the scene. It ends with an image of a little girl with the same dark messy hair and dark freckles. Bucky gives the sweet to her first.
Vertigo, a hurricane of history, brings Wanda to the USA, probably in the 1930s. A young man, tall and handsome, is sitting on the bench in the park and talking to his friend. But when she approaches to get a better look, she can't hold a strong shiver of fear.
The other man, not as tall as Bucky, doesn't have a face. And he has no name. Words merge into a hum, senseless and barely heard.
Bucky's memory... It's ruining.
The next pictures attack Wanda with aggressive shards of a kaleidoscope. They don't hurt her seriously, but the bitter taste of sorrow fills her.
YOU ARE READING
United we stand
FanfictionEverything Bucky dreams of is a mere, peaceful life away from people and from the struggle. He is tired of being involved in stressful shit. Everything Winter Soldier wants is safety for his original identity. United they stand but divided they fall.
