Eyes of the Father

Chapter 11. Longing

The air was warm as he took in his first breath then Bucky opened his eyes. Unlike his other awakenings there were no memories that he could recall. It was just a transition between not aware and aware. As his eyes focussed he saw Shuri standing in front of him, along with several other people, one of whom was T'Challa. They were all smiling kindly at him and he raised himself away from the upright bed of the cryostasis chamber.

"Sergeant Barnes," said T'Challa. "How do you feel?"

Bucky flashed a smile to Shuri, as if his answer was a private joke between them. "Hungry, always hungry," he said. "But I feel good other than I have no memories from this cryostasis session." He nodded at the others. "This looks like a welcome party. I take it the treatment was successful?"

"We believe so," replied Shuri. "There is a test we will run while you are conscious but there is no rush to perform it. First you may wish to have a shower and change into something that isn't pyjamas. Then we will eat."

An attendant stepped forward and motioned for Bucky to follow him, to a shower room where he was asked if he needed help disrobing. Bucky declined his assistance and was left alone. With his one arm he pulled the undershirt off, then the bottoms and turned on the shower to a comfortably warm setting. For the longest time he stood under the warm water enjoying the sensation of it running down his body. Then he looked at the assortment of soaps and shampoos on the small alcove inside the shower stall. Picking out a shampoo he flipped open the top with his right hand, smelled it and poured some on his head. It foamed up beautifully even with only one hand to work it through. After rinsing and throwing his hand through his hair again to get it out of his face he grabbed a bar of soap and ran it over his body. Like the shampoo it foamed up well. When he felt clean he rinsed everything off and turned off the shower. Several large towels were on hooks just outside the shower and they absorbed the water as soon as they made contact with his skin. As best he could he used a towel to dry his hair.

Hanging the towels back on the hooks he stepped towards the vanity and looked in the mirror. Smirking at the wild man whose image looked back at him he grabbed a comb and ran it through his long locks, noticing they didn't get tangled. He would get a haircut sometime and shave that beard but it wasn't a priority just yet. A pair of briefs and an undershirt were folded neatly on the counter and he put them on. On a hook was another garment; black in colour, it was made of a fabric he wasn't familiar with but he put the trousers on and they readjusted to fit his body. He looked down, noticing they were a bit snug in the crotch, at least to his eye. Then he pulled the top on and saw it was a long sleeved tunic which was long enough to cover his crotch. Not that he was a modest man anymore, after years of being poked and prodded, but the trousers had shown more than he was used to showing. He noticed the left arm of the tunic was pinned so it was out of the way. A pair of sandals on the floor fit him perfectly and he opened the door to see the attendant waiting for him. He was escorted to a dining room where Shuri, T'Challa and several other people waited for him.

"The clothes fit you well?" asked T'Challa.

"Yes, thank you," replied Bucky. "They're comfortable."

"Good," replied the young prince. "James Barnes, may I present the Queen Mother Ramonda. She had a hand in planning your treatments although my sister Shuri did all the hard work."

"Just Bucky, please," he replied, bowing his head respectfully to the Queen.

His attention was taken by the presence of several women with shaved heads, all dressed alike in what looked like a ceremonial uniform. T'Challa noticed Bucky's glance and he brought him over to two of the women.

"These women are our personal bodyguards," he said. "They are called the Dora Milaje and their fighting skills are a match for any super soldier, yourself and myself included. Their General is Okoye, a most formidable warrior. Her Chief is Ayo, also a warrior of some renown. Ayo will test the success of our treatment in removing the activation words from your mind but there is no rush to do it. There has been a request for you to spar with the guard as they have studied videos of your fighting styles over the past year and believe you have techniques worthy to share."