Whumptober 2023 ~ Marvel Edition

'You're a Liar.' - Bucky

Day 9:

"Learning everything ain't what it seems, that's the thing about these days."
Polaroid | Mistaken Identity | "You're a liar."

~~~

All of these thoughts kept running through Barnes's head, which was odd, because there usually wasn't this much thought inside of him. Sure, he had his instincts, and he had his inner dialogue telling him exactly how he needed to handle a situation out in the field, but thoughts of his own? These were relatively new.

It started off small, with little things such as disagreeing with statements the people around him would say, but it had evolved into something bigger. And along with these thoughts came memories; or, at least he thought they may be memories? Flashes of images from another life kept coming to the surface in small increments, but as much as it confused him, he didn't give them too much thought. He served one purpose, and nothing else mattered. Hydra was all there was for him.

"Hello, soldier," a man spoke as he entered the room. Barnes stood up straighter. "I don't believe we've met before. My name is Alexander Pierce, but you can call me 'sir'."

Barnes gave the man a small nod out of respect.

"What, you don't talk?" Pierce asked.

The soldier continued on staring at Pierce. Pierce gave Barnes a few moments to respond, and when he continued on staying silent, he sighed.

"I have a new mission for you," he informed Barnes. He rummaged through his pocket, pulled out a polaroid picture, and held it out for Barnes to take. "He's your target."

Barnes took the photo and looked at its subject. His eyes narrowed as he realized something about this man seemed familiar to him.

"What is it?" Pierce asked, seeing the shift from the soldier's usual air of stoicism.

Barnes contemplated saying something, but he knew better than to question any order he was given. Receive orders, execute the mission, then return to base and start again. That's how it had always been, and that's how things needed to be. This man's familiarity didn't matter.

But...how did he know this man?

"He seems familiar," he stated with a lack of emotion to show that it meant nothing to him.

"I'm not surprised," Pierce said. "He's a very famous man. Which is why this needs to be done discreetly, and be made to look like an accident. Are we clear on that?"

Barnes nodded.

"Good."

Barnes wanted to put the polaroid into his pocket and prepare himself for the mission, but for some reason, his gaze wouldn't leave the picture. Something in the back of his brain was nagging at him, like an itch he couldn't scratch, and somehow trying to piece together this puzzle was beginning to scratch that itch.

Suddenly, another flash of memory entered Barnes's mind, and his eyes widened slightly. The image in his mind was of a younger man than the one who's photo he was holding, but there was no doubt in his mind that it was the same man.

"His name is...Howard," Barnes scrunched his eyebrows as he tried to recall.

"That's right," Pierce said. "And he is a man who is proving very troublesome for us, so we need him off the board. I don't care how it gets done, just make sure it's discrete, like I said."

Pierce turned to walk away, but he barely took three steps before Barnes muttered something under his breath.

"...I knew him."

Pierce stopped in his tracks and turned around. "I'm sorry, what?"

Barnes's heart rate increased slightly at the realization. Who was this man to him? And why did he seem to have some sort of emotional connection to him? And more importantly, since when did he feel emotions?

"I knew him," Barnes repeated, finally looking up from his picture to meet Pierce's gaze.

"No, you didn't," Pierce insisted. "You think you do because you've seen his face before in the media."

"You're a liar," Barnes said in almost a low growl.

"I'm sorry, what?" Pierce asked incredulously.

"I remember him. Why do I remember him?" Barnes asked, almost in a whisper. He shook his head and clawed at his hair as if doing so, he would somehow be able to physically pull the memory to the surface.

"Soldier, look at me," Pierce demanded. Barnes seemed to come out of it a bit, however, he still didn't seem to have his full attention. "Soldier! Comply!:

Seemingly having pulled him out of his own head, Barnes lifted up his head and returned to neutral expression.

"...My name is Barnes," he spoke with such conviction that even surprised himself.

He wasn't even sure how he knew, but all he knew was that the name had popped into his head, and it felt true. His name was Barnes. Not Soldier, not Soldat, just...Barnes.

Pierce stared blankly at Barnes for a few moments before he sighed and shook his head. "They warned me something like this might happen. I guess that means it's time for a reset. Follow me, Soldier."

Despite his newfound doubt in both himself and pretty much everything he'd come to know at this point, he still followed the man, because despite his doubt, he still knew his place. He knew his job. Maybe he could figure more out later, but right now, he had his purpose to serve.

He followed Pierce through the halls and different rooms, until finally, they reached a room in the facility that he recognized all too well, filled with people he'd come to despise. Despite his fear, he knew the drill. Sit down, take the pain, and eventually the anguish would be over. Before he knew it, it would be over, and he could continue his purpose. And maybe then he would find out more about these memories that kept resurfacing.

Keeping his expression void of emotion, Barnes sat himself down in the chair, got his limbs into position, and waited as the doctors in the room began strapping his arms and legs into place. Once he was secure, the robotic arms above him slowly lowered and placed the metal plates onto the sides of his face and head.

Though he kept himself stoic on the outside, his heart began racing as Barnes mentally prepared himself for what was to come. Finally, after agonizingly long seconds of waiting for it to come, it happened. The indescribable pain and pressure in his brain as it was zapped with electricity made Barnes's mind go blank.

Once again, Barnes would lose himself and become the soldier he had been conditioned to be, and he would have no memory of ever having lost his way in the first place.