Saving the Winter Soldier

Day 64 - Steve / Winter Soldier

Steve

I let her down. I didn't keep her safe. I just wish I knew where Sadie is and if she's alright. If I were the man that looks back in my reflection now, I would have been able to keep her away from Hydra. Or maybe, if I were the size I am now, Hydra would have taken me too.

Six weeks ago I got our neighbour and Sadie's friend, Kate Bishop, out of town. We made it to Clint Barton's farm where I expected to find my sister. I would have gone right back to find her but there were Hydra officers everywhere. We hid under one of the barns when they came by. Clint is over the age of thirty so he wasn't made to join them.

Clint introduced us to a new group called SHIELD, which aim to take down and end Hydra. Every day we tried to find intel on where Sadie might have been taken. Abraham Erskine, a scientist working for SHIELD, offered me a chance to help get Sadie back.

To keep up with Hydras advanced technology, Erskine created a formula to create super soldiers and I was the test subject. I had no doubts at trying anything if it meant increasing the chance of saving my sister. The serum worked and transformed me from my 5'4" and 95lb to 6'2" and 240lb.

Although the serum was a success, Erskine was murdered before he could make any other copies of the formula. He was killed by someone going by the name of the Winter Soldier.

"Most of the intelligence community doesn't believe he exists. The ones that do call him the Winter Soldier. He's credited for over a dozen assassinations in the last 6 years. He's Hydras best weapon" Maria Hill, shields leader informed me.

Since then, my personal agenda has been to save Sadie and avenge Erskine's death.

Day 64

Alarms blare into the SHIELD compound where I have been staying since I was turned into a super soldier. I run out of my room where I bump into Kate and Clint on the way to the armoury.
"What's happening?" Kate asks as she grabs her arrows. Clint trained her to improve her bow and arrow skills and now she's almost as good as he is.
"It's Hydra" I grab my suit and shield that have been created for me.

An agent informs us that about a dozen Hydra soldiers have breached the parameter. Kate and I head out to join the other shield agents who are under attack. There's explosions and gun fire all around.
"Rogers, we need you over at the research building to stop anyone getting in" Agent Hill shouts to me above the noise.

As I turn the corner, I see him. The Winter Soldier. The man I saw kill Erskine is standing right in front of me with the same black mask on. He comes at me with a knife. In the last four weeks in my new body, I've been training hard in all forms of combat, now, time for the real thing.

The soldiers metal arm must be made out of the same material as my shield. The vibranium of arm and shield hit against each other, neither of them making a dent in the other. After a while it's obvious how well trained this guy is and so I have no choice but to just try and stay alive.

Gun fire comes our way from agents which he manages to block with his arm. I take the opportunity to throw a punch and manage to knock his mask off in the process. I freeze. I must have a concussion because the face staring back at me in anger is the face of my former best friend.

"Bucky?"
"Who the hell is Bucky"

Another explosion goes off near by disorientating us. We're both getting tired but he gets ready to come at me again. If this really is Bucky, then I don't want to fight him. I need to try and get through to him, there's no knowing what Hydra have done to him.

"Your name is James Buchanan Barnes"
"Shut up!"
"I'm not going to fight you. You're my friend"
I drop my shield. He looks at me with dark eyes.
"You're my mission"

He knocks me down hard, repetitively punching me in the face. I just about hear someone shout my name which makes him pause mid punch. He almost looks at me differently before my vision blacks out.

Beep...beep...beep

All I feel is pain. My ribs must be broken and I can't fully open my right eye.
"Steve thank god! I'll get the doctor" Kate rushes out the room, retuning seconds later with a doctor who checks me over.
"What happened?" my voice is dry.
"Two broken ribs, internal bruising and a hell of a shiner" Kate grimaces.
"Hydra?"
"We managed to push back and they retreated. He got away" she answers my question before I ask it.
"I know him"
"What do you mean?"
"He's my childhood best friend. I haven't seen him in eight years. He left when we were eighteen to join the army, I never saw him again. How did he escape?"
"I saw him hitting you. I shouted your name and it was like it made him hesitate on his next punch. By the time I got to you, he was gone and you were barely breathing"
"Thanks, Kate" I sigh in pain as I try to move.
"With your injury's you are lucky to be alive. With the serum in your veins the doc says you'll be up in two days"

I shut my eyes. The memory of mine and Bucky's friendship pains my heart, knowing how things have turned out. My main priority is to save Sadie, but I'll have to try and save the Winter Soldier as well.

———

Day 64 - The Winter Soldier

"Rogers!"
I stare down at my target lying beneath me. His face cut and bleeding thanks to my metal fist. An image of a boy much thinner than him flashes through my mind. Him and a girl with the same eyes. They are laughing. Her smile is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.
Your name is James Buchanan Barnes
I hold back from my final punch as my targets eyes close. I can still hear his heart beat although it's faint. He'll live if he gets to a doctor soon but my mission will have failed.

I'm out of the compound within minutes, regrouping with the soldiers that survived before heading back to base. As usual, I'm sent straight to Pierces, Hydras leader, for a debrief.
"Soldier, mission report?"
"Complete" I lie, though I'm not sure why.
"Good work"
"I knew him" the words slip out as if I had no control over them. The officers in the room look at each other.
"Wipe him"

I'm dragged to the machine that part of me knows all too well. I am strapped down and a piece of leather is placed between my teeth and part of the machine is placed onto my head. I know the pain is going to come. I focus all my power on that beautiful smile I saw in my mind. She feels so familiar. She feels like home.