Bucky's Anchor

Chapter 69 - Mirrors of the Past

The tension in the air was thick as Bucky and I stood near the outskirts of the building where Karli Morgenthau had been spotted. I could feel my heartbeat quicken, but I wasn't sure if it was because of the situation or the secret I was still holding inside me.

For the last few days, Bucky had been preoccupied with finding Karli. She represented everything he feared—someone who was so sure in their cause that they'd do anything to achieve it, even if it meant destroying themselves. He saw a reflection of his past in her, and I could tell it was eating him alive.

We made our way through the debris-laden streets, and Bucky's eyes were sharp, focused. He was always like this before a confrontation—silent and brooding, as if he was gathering all his strength and focus for what was to come. I wanted to reach out, to say something comforting, but the words never seemed to come. Instead, I stayed close, a silent presence beside him.

I knew this would be dangerous, not just for us but for Bucky's mental state. Every time he came face-to-face with Karli, I could see it—the way his internal battles mirrored hers. They were both soldiers, both fighting to be more than what the world had made them.

"Stay behind me," Bucky said in a low voice, his hand brushing mine for just a second before pulling away. I nodded, my throat tight with emotions I couldn't let out. Not now. Not here.

We entered the building quietly, Sam already ahead of us. His voice echoed through the narrow hallway, calling out to Karli, trying to reason with her. Bucky tensed beside me, his fists clenched. I could see the storm brewing inside him, and I feared what would happen if this didn't go the way he hoped.

"Let me talk to her," Bucky said suddenly, his voice low but firm. "Maybe she'll listen to me."

I could hear the desperation in his words, the need to connect with her on some level. I placed a hand on his arm, feeling the tension beneath his skin. "Be careful," I whispered, my voice barely audible over the chaos around us.

He gave me a quick nod before stepping forward, moving toward the figure that stood in the shadows. Karli was there, her stance defiant, her eyes filled with a mixture of anger and sadness.

"Karli," Bucky called out, his voice steady, though I could feel the emotion behind it. "You don't have to do this."

---

Karli's eyes narrowed at Bucky's approach, her body language radiating hostility. "You're just like the rest of them," she spat, her voice laced with fury. "Trying to stop me, trying to take away everything we've built."

Bucky held his hands up, his posture non-threatening, but I could see the strain in his face. He wasn't here to fight her—not physically, anyway. He was trying to reach her, to connect with the part of her that still believed in something good, something just.

"You think I don't understand what you're going through?" Bucky said, his voice steady but filled with a kind of heaviness that only came from years of carrying burdens too big to bear. "But I do, Karli. I've been there. I know what it's like to be used, to feel like the world is against you."

Karli's expression twisted with anger. "You don't know anything about me!" she shouted, her hands shaking as she balled them into fists. "You're one of them now! You fight for their system. You protect the very people who created this mess in the first place."

I could feel the tension building, and every instinct in me wanted to step in, to pull Bucky back before things escalated. But I stayed rooted to the spot, watching, waiting. This wasn't my battle to fight, not this time.

"I know what it's like to be a weapon," Bucky continued, his voice quieter now, almost as if he was speaking to himself. "To be used for someone else's agenda, someone else's war. But this—" He gestured around at the chaos left in the wake of Karli's actions. "This isn't the way. You're better than this."

Karli's face faltered for just a moment, a flicker of doubt passing through her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by defiance. "I'm fighting for something real," she said, her voice breaking. "I'm fighting for a world where people like us don't get trampled underfoot by those in power. You should understand that better than anyone."

Bucky's face softened, and I could see the pain in his eyes, the weight of his own experiences mirrored in her words. He took a step closer, his voice gentle now. "I do understand," he said. "But that doesn't mean you have to keep fighting this way. It doesn't mean you have to become the thing you're fighting against."

---

For a moment, I thought Karli might listen to him. Her stance shifted, and the tension in her face seemed to soften, just a little. But then, just as quickly, her resolve hardened again.

"You don't get it," she said, shaking her head. "I can't stop now. I can't turn back. I've already gone too far."

Bucky stepped closer still, his voice barely above a whisper now. "It's never too late, Karli. Trust me, I know."

Karli stared at him, her chest heaving with emotion, but she didn't back down. "People like you—people like me—" Her voice cracked, and for a moment, I saw the fear behind her anger. "We don't get second chances."

"You do," Bucky said, his tone so gentle, so filled with understanding, that it broke my heart. "We always have a choice. Even when it feels like we don't. I'm proof of that."

I watched from the shadows, my heart in my throat as I saw Bucky pour everything he had into reaching her. He wasn't just trying to stop her from making the same mistakes he had—he was trying to save her from herself, from the same darkness that had nearly consumed him.

"Please, Karli," Bucky said, his voice strained now, filled with desperation. "This doesn't have to end in more bloodshed. You can still walk away."

Karli's eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them away quickly, her jaw set in a hard line. "I can't," she whispered. "I can't stop now. If I do, everything we've fought for, everything I've sacrificed—it'll mean nothing."

Bucky took a deep breath, his shoulders slumping slightly as if the weight of her words had hit him harder than any physical blow could. "It'll mean something," he said quietly. "It'll mean you chose to be better. That's the only way any of this ever means anything."

I could see the conflict in Karli's eyes, the way her body shook with the effort of holding back her emotions. For a second, I thought she might let go, that she might listen to him. But then she stepped back, her face hardening once again.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice so quiet I almost didn't hear it. "But I have to finish this."

And with that, she turned and ran.

I felt the breath leave my lungs as Bucky stood there, staring after her, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. He had tried—God, he had tried so hard. But it wasn't enough. Not yet.

"Bucky," I whispered, stepping forward and placing a hand on his arm. He didn't move, didn't speak, just stared at the spot where Karli had disappeared.

"I thought I could reach her," he said, his voice hollow. "I thought... maybe she'd listen."

I squeezed his arm gently, offering him the only comfort I could. "You did everything you could," I whispered. "But she's not ready to hear it. Not yet."

He nodded slowly, but I could see the pain in his eyes, the way this moment had shaken him to his core. I wanted to tell him everything—about the baby, about how much I loved him, how proud I was of the man he had become. But I couldn't. Not now. Not yet.

Instead, I stood beside him, silent and steady, as we both stared into the distance, waiting for whatever came next.