The Winter Wraith (Bucky Barnes x Reader)

Chapter 40 - Winter Wonderland

All agents report to the briefing room immediately. The lights in his room flared to life, the A.I's voice demanding his eyes open. He was already on the move, rising and dressing, before the first sentence had finished. He'd had years to adjust to missions at a moment's notice, often in the dead of night. Not ten minutes later, and he found himself facing the team, solemn faced and stony eyed. This was it.

At the front of the room stood Fury and Hill, presumably having arrived mere moments before. They all knew why they were here, but it was Fury who confirmed it: "Hydra's on the move."

A hiss of breath escaped Lenkov, followed by a muttered, "I shouldn't have waited."

Hill began with the mission details. "You're flying to the Bavarian Alps, the specific coordinates have already been set in the jet. Departure time in 15 minutes."

"Your objective," Fury continued, "is to stop Hydra from accessing what S.H.I.E.L.D. predicts to a be projectile, the purpose for which we aren't certain. But if their last airborne endeavour is anything to go by, we cannot let them gain access. Intelligence suggests a bunker within the mountain, similar to what we've encountered before. We've detected mass movement, so S.H.I.E.L.D agents will be on standby." He paused, eyeing the agents gathered around them. "Failure is not an option."

"When has it ever been?" Stark muttered, scrubbing a hand across his face, dark shadows under his eyes.

Bucky could feel Steve's eyes on him, searching for something he wouldn't find. He wasn't nervous, or agitated, or uneasy. He was detached. Cool, calm, collected. A perfect soldier. There used to be a time when adrenaline would shoot through his veins, his mind racing. That was a long time ago. Now, his mind knew to distance itself from his emotions. Everything he had felt lying in the dark of his room, the images flooding his mind, the thoughts, hopes and regrets, were all but gone. Replaced by a vague blankness, a clean slate. Ready for command.

The mission was fairly simple, but that didn't make it easy. But there was one question left, and it was Lenkov who asked, "What of the Wraith?"

Fury's eye locked on the older man's. "This is about much more than one super soldier. If she threatens the mission, take her out.

"Fury-"

"Is that really-"

"She's not one of-"

"That's an order." His harsh words were met with heavy silence.

Bucky hated it. He hated that Fury was right. There was too much at stake to add saving Y/n to the list.

Still, it was stupid. And it was selfish. But Bucky knew there was no way in hell he was going to let anyone, Hydra or S.H.I.E.L.D, hurt her again. He had made a promise once, and he intended to keep it.

With nothing left to discuss, the meeting was over.

~

Snow whirled around them in a blind rage, billowing flurries obscuring the precarious landscape around them. Snow-capped mountain peaks reared their jagged heads in the distance, only the roar of the Quinjet's engine audible over the restless wind. It was like some macabre winter wonderland.

As they crept closer to the location the first bullets started the rain down from seemingly nowhere, the shooters hidden behind clouds of snow. The weather might keep them hidden, but the wayward bullets were proof that their vision was also impaired.

The two sides collided with a burning pressure; time was of the essence. Bucky lost himself to the draw of sharp crip air into his lungs, the familiar burn of muscles fighting to remain nimble in the mounting snow. Soldier after soldier, callouts from those equipped with thermal vision, bullets like a breath of warning. He barely registered the sudden increase in numbers, S.H.I.E.L.D agents and aircraft swiftly arriving to join the fray.

It was messy and gruesome, nothing like their usual missions. There was no technique here, just the need to survive long enough to finish the job. Whatever was inside that bunker was not getting out. Tony and Bruce had cut the building off from any power they could find, so nothing should be able to get the projectile off the floor. But the likelihood of an internal backup generator kept them pushing to breach the building. 

They were fighting with all they had to get inside, but until anyone actually managed to lay eyes on the threat, it was all guesswork. Something could come catapulting out of the side of the building at any moment. Bucky's stomach plummeted at the thought that this was all some major diversion, that they were in the wrong place and the weapon was seconds away from destroying society as they knew it. But it was an irrational thought and he banished it from his mind – there were too many resources, too many soldiers and machinery for this not to be the real thing.

It wasn't long before S.H.I.E.L.D had the upper hand, Hydra retreating behind the various debris and rocky slopes enclosing the bunker. The very fact that the projectile hadn't bene launched suggested something was keeping Hydra at bay, be it the lack of electricity or the number of S.H.I.E.L.D helicopters patrolling the skies.

With the battle pushing closer and closer to the building, Bucky, Steve and Lenkov – who had apparently joined the skirmish, judging by the automatic rifle expertly held in his steady grip – peeled off from the main combat zone, circling around the back of the imposing building. Their aim was to skirt the melee and find a position close to the two main doors jutting from the hulk of metal. Admittedly, Bucky had been planning to fight his way through every last soldier just in case one of them was her, but Steve's plan was probably more practical.

They crept towards the bunker now and were maybe 50 feet from the doors when the creak and clang of metal erupted from the side of the mountain. The stately doors lumbered not one metre open, barely enough room for the two figures who slipped out. They stood there in the shadows, barely visible, but he'd know that form from any distance. It was the Winter Wraith, finally making an appearance.

Bucky could only just make out what was happening as the other man – was that Captain Hoffman? – leaned down to say something. The Wraith took a step away, she had barely attempted to shake her head, raising a hand to gesture to the ongoing fight, before the man had grabbed her arm, pulling her against him. He stood over her, her arm clasped to his chest like a manacle as he continued speaking. Bucky didn't even realise he had begun to stand, Steve's firm grip on him arm drawing him back down. Foolish. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts.

The dim lighting reflected an eye patch over the man's right eye, and Bucky's mind flashed with muffled memories of just how he lost it. He could have sworn a panic seemed to overcome Y/n, but it was gone before he could be sure, hidden behind the stoic stance of a well trained solider she swiftly adopted despite her obvious objections. He must have been giving her orders, but what could be so bad that she risked insubordination?

Hoffman roughly released his vice like grip on her arm, practically throwing it to the side. The Wraith barely seemed to notice, taking a moment to slowly right herself. Bucky couldn't see her face behind the mask, but she seemed... odd. Something about the way she held herself had changed, the way she moved. She shook her head again, but this time almost like she was trying to get something out of it. He could see her hands opening and closing around the gun against her hip, saw her role her shoulders. Bucky saw Captain Hoffman's mouth move as he said something else. It must have been important because she whipped her head in his direction, and the calmness that overcame her – all twitchiness gone, untensed, almost jovial – was unnatural. It was strange. It was wrong. It was too late.