The Buchanan Effect

A Harbinger Of Doom

A few moments later, James silently returns holding a rolled-up case of syringes with glowing green opaque liquid. I immediately recognize them and hurriedly leave the couch and take them from him. An anxious wave of unease settles over me as I try to find the words to explain what these green vials are even though James didn't ask...yet. 

He eyes me trying to read my expression of anxiousness before saying, "You okay pal? You seem to have gone green."

I knit my eyebrows together and muse, "What? I've gone green?" I turn and glance at my reflection in the dark glass of the window and notice a slight green hue slowly forming on my skin and mutter, "Drat, this must be a side effect of the tracking serum."

I turn back to James and see his questioning eyes. I sigh, open the satchel, take out one of the syringes of green tracking serum, and study the increments on it. I noticed that the syringe is exactly 10ccs. I set down the glowing green syringes on the coffee table before stabbing myself in the muscle of my upper thigh and injecting the 10ccs of the tracking serum. Once finished I put the empty syringe back into the satchel and closed it. 

I glanced up at James and noticed his wary expression, "What? You can have weird medicine, but I can't?" 

James sighs and mutters, "The liquid was an opaque florescent green fluid," after a beat, "Ya know, the sign of radiation?" 

I sigh and grumble, "Like I said before I'm from the future and this green liquid is a tracking serum that regulates my body. It's perfectly harmless...I think..." I trail off and muse for a minute. 

James just nods and sarcastically says, "Oh sure it is perfectly harmless even though you were turning green a few seconds ago and are now a more healthy color after injecting that serum into yourself. Maybe you should have Howard Stark look at it to see if it's safe to use." 

I shake my head and grumble, "No, I don't think he would even know what it is let alone if it's safe no matter how intelligent he is," after a beat, "I also don't want him involved, for safety reasons." 

"I just think, Howard could help, is all." he goes to pick up the bag.

I feel acute panic and possessiveness and lunge for the bag swiping it before James can touch it and I involuntarily growl at him. He backs up with his hands in the air. He studies me some more before huffing and muttering, "I'm going to check on Steve." and leaving the room. 

I sigh and mutter to myself, "What was that? Weird." I saunter over to the couch and sink into it still clutching my satchel of weird glowing green fluids. 

I don't know what came over me. I sigh and muse about my green skin. If that happens every four hours then that would be a signal to inject another 10cc syringe of green fluid into me. I sigh and lay down on the couch and slowly drift to sleep. 

Zemo's Dream:

I find myself in a dimly lit room that reeks of body odor. I look around trying to find the source and come across a long-haired man with a silver arm plastered with a red star wearing thick black combat fatigues and armor. As I approach him, he glances up and I see a black mask that muzzles his mouth and nose keeping him quiet. As I study him I see tears fall from his eyes that are covered in a milky film blinding him to the world around him. I slowly kneel before him and gently touch his right hand which is cold and clammy. I place my other one on his cheek which is feverish and softly say, "James? Can you hear me? James?" 

Nothing but silence fills the room as James just sits there deaf and mute to the world around him. I shake him and plead, "James, please, I know you're in there! Please, James, wake up! Come back to me, James, please!  Don't listen to Hydra!" tears paint my cheeks as I struggle to get through to him.