Red Ledger- A Marvel Short Story

Part 3

While the Winter Soldier was credited with two dozen high ranked kills and many other smaller ones, those actions had been taken against the man's will. James 'Bucky' Barnes had been taken as a prisoner of war and violently brainwashed; forced to commit the atrocities that now haunted him.

You on the other hand? You were recruited at the tender age of eight, your own parents Hydra officials. Ranking high in training, you racked up your first mission kill by the age of twelve. Unlike the strong yet broken man that held you pinned to the wall by the throat, you hadn't needed to be brainwashed and controlled.

You were bred and raised Hydra. You knew nothing else. Sought nothing else.

It wasn't until you'd been put in co-command of the Winter Solider and finally seen what Hydra would do against a person's will, that you'd realized you weren't the good guy.

You'd tried to find a way out, to save those you could, but you'd never made it far before being yanked back in. The first few times, Hydra had been lenient with the repercussions for their beloved handler. It wasn't until after you'd turned a blind eye to the disappearance of their precious Winter Soldier that Hydra had poured out the full extent of their wrath on you.

By the time Fury found you, you weren't much more than a bloodied pile of ripped flesh and broken bones. But that didn't matter to you. You'd racked up a high enough body count for Hydra that nothing could wash away the innocent blood of others staining your hands.

"You shouldn't be here. You should be dead. Rotting in hell where you belong."

You willed your body and mind to remain calm as you opened your mouth to speak, your hands clenched at your sides. "I know."

Your neck muscles tightened in response to his metal fingers tightening around your throat, but you refused to bring your hands up to his arm in defense.

"You don't belong here. They shouldn't trust you." Fury and disgust flooded the man's eyes. But you didn't blame. If anything, you agreed with him.

"Listen, Barnes," your voiced strained against his hand, "my soul was condemned to hell a long time ago, we both know that. But I'm not that person anymore. I'm just trying to right some of my wrongs before I jump into the pit."

Barnes snarled at you again, his arm pressing against your chest bone, threatening to crush you. "You could live a hundred sinless lives doing good and you'd never be able to wipe out the blood that stains your hands."

You tried to swallow past the lump in your throat, willing the tears forming in your eyes to stay away. "I know, Barnes. Believe me. I know."

"Why should I believe a damn thing that comes out of your mouth?"

Remaining calm, you moved on, knowing nothing you could say would make a difference. Not after what you'd done. Slowly, you lifted your hands up beside you in a sign of surrender. "I'm leaving, Barnes. You never have to see me again."

His hard eyes stared into yours as indecision silently crossed his face.

A cough from further down the hall has him snapping his head to the side. Already aware of the new presence, you kept your eyes focused on the super soldier in front of you.

"Um, is this some BDSM thing I'm interrupting or should I be concerned?" Tony asked, his voice full of concern masked with humor.

Barnes released his grip, stepping back. You gave Tony a small reassuring smile. "Nothing to worry about, Stark. I was just leaving."

Bucky's eyes never left your back as you turned, disappearing into the hangar. Clenching his fists, he turned on his heel and made his way back down the hall, only to be stopped by Tony's light touch on his arm.