For Better or For Worse - Book 3 (The Winter Soldier)

Chapter 13 - Revelations

Bucky sat in the chair, staring straight ahead of him as one of the doctors worked on the damage to his metal arm.

"Sergeant Barnes," a man said, snow falling around his frame behind him, a face he knew. Zola.

Standing around maps, the man on the train there along with a young girl, a few other men with them.

"High tech train- Dr. Zola- No happy trigger fingers," she smiled at them. They were in a tent next, the young girl from before rolling over to face him. "I'm really glad we found you."

Bucky sat up straighter, looking to the side as more flashes came back to him.

The train. The coldness. Holding on tightly to the handrail of the busted door. The metal slipping.

"Bucky, no!" The fear as he fell, a scream echoing around him. His scream. Being dragged by a soldier through the snow, his head lolling to the side to see a stump where his left arm should have been, blood tainting the snow.

"The procedure has already started," Zola's voice came again and he was in a lab room, drills and other tools cutting into his body.

Bucky moved again, causing the doctor to move back slightly.

Waking up and moving again, raising his hands and looking at them, but one wasn't his hand. Clenching his left fist as one of the doctors walked closer. Grabbing the throat of the doctor. Feeling a prick on the leg. His grip releasing and world turning black

"Put him on ice," Zola's face appeared once again as his vision blurred. A metal capsule with a small window over his face. Fear. Reaching forwards. Cold. Ice. Freezing.

Bucky moved his arm, knocking the doctor away, his attendant rushing over to him as the guards in the room all aimed their guns at him. He continued to sit still as the room was quiet, the guns not moving.

"Sir, he's unstable," a voice came from outside. One of the doctors who had left the room. "Erratic." The door opened next, a man holding up his hands and the guns were lowered.

"Mission report," Pierce ordered, Rumlow standing next to him. Bucky stayed silent. "Mission report. Now." He walked closer and leant down to look him in the eye before slapping him across the face.

"The man on the bridge," Bucky finally spoke. "And the little girl. Who were they?"

"You met them earlier this week on another assignment."

"I knew them."

Pierce grabbed a stool and sat down. "Your work has been a gift to mankind. You shaped the century. And I need you to do it one more time. Society's at a tipping point between order and chaos. Tomorrow morning, we're gonna give it a push. But, if you don't do your part, I can't do mine, and Hydra can't give the world the freedom it deserves.

Bucky cocked his head and looked at him. "But I knew them."

Pierce sighed before standing. "Prep him."

"He's been out of cryo freeze too long," the doctor told him.

"Then wipe him and start over." The doctor's pushed Bucky back against the chair and he opened his mouth for the mouth guard. A button was pushed beside him and clamps came over his arms, holding him down. His chest started to heave as a piece above his head started to move.

Sitting on a rooftop, fireworks around them. He glanced beside him to see the young girl staring at the sky with wide eyes, admiring all the colors. It was her, but she was much younger, looking to be around the age of five. The man was sitting beside her, but he was skinnier, smaller.

"You like them, dilly?" he asked, leaning down to her. She nodded, a large smile on her face.

"I love them!" she yelled over the noise, giving him a hug and curling into him and he kissed the top of the girl's head while sharing a smile with the man. "Thank you, Bucky!" Bucky. What they had called him. His name was-

He let out a mangled scream as his head was scrambled, an immense pain flowing through his body.

***

Maria opened the van door, Steve getting out first and helping Natasha, Annabelle and Sam after them. They looked up to see a large dam in a secluded part in the woods. They walked inside, a man jogging towards them as they entered,

"GSW, she's lost at least a pint," Maria called to him.

"Maybe two," Sam added.

"Let me take her."

"She'll want to see him first." Annabelle, Steve, and Natasha glanced at each other while continuing to follow Maria through the concrete structure until she pulled back a plastic sheet and they all went still.

"About damn time," Fury let out as he looked at them from the hospital bed. The doctor got Natasha sitting down and started working on her as Sam, Steve, and Annabelle stood by the bed. "Lacerated spinal column, cracked sternum, shattered collarbone, perforated liver, and one hell of a headache."

"I understand that last part," Ananbelle let out, putting a hand to her head which was still throbbing.

"Don't forget your collapsed lung," the doctor pointed out.

"Let's not forget that. Otherwise, I'm good."

"They cut you open," Natasha spoke up. "Your heart stopped."

"Tetrodotoxin B. Slows the pulse to one beat a minute. Banner developed it for stress. Didn't work so great for him, but we found a use for it."

"Why all the secrecy? Why not just tell us?" Steve asked.

"Any attempt on the director's life had to look successful," Maria told him.

"Can't kill you if you're already dead. Besides, I wasn't sure who to trust." They all looked at Annabelle as she winced, taking in a deep breath of air.

"You okay?" Steve asked, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"I... I don't know," she squinted her eyes, putting a hand up to her head. "Something just feels- Ah!" she shouted, falling to the floor as she put both hands to her head, a splitting pain causing her vision to disappear. Her mind started to race and she heard people shouting, but she couldn't understand what they were saying as her heart race increased along with the pain until everything went black. 

Short chapter, but I hope you enjoyed. The next one's gonna be great! Happy Thanksgiving!