Black Star: HYDRA War

丅𝔀𝓔︎𝓷𝐓︎ⓨ︎-丅𝔀๏

WHO were they?"

    "Their most elite death squad," Bucky answers. "More kills than anyone in HYDRA history. And that was before the serum."

"They all turn out like you?" Sam asks.

"Worse."

"The doctor, could he control them?" Steve questions.

"Enough."

Steve sighs. "Said he wanted to see an empire fall."

"With these guys, he could do it. They speak 30 languages, can hide in plain sight... infiltrate, assassinate, destabilize. They can take a whole country down in one night and you'd never see them coming."

"The things some people will do to get power are sickening," you conclude.

Steve walks over to Sam and begins to talk business with him. You're standing on the fringes of their conversation, but really, you're more focused on Bucky. He's watching Steve with lost and defeated-looking eyes. You go inside the cell and sit cross-legged on the floor next to him.

"Hi. Sorry about earlier. I'm... I was..." you flounder for an excuse about why you backed away so suddenly, but fail.

The pause seems explanation enough, though. "You've already met the Winter Soldier, haven't you?"

"Twice, actually. Tried to kill me both times." When Bucky looks at you with guilt and horror written all over his face, you hastily add, "I don't blame you, though."

"You– what? You don't?"

You shake your head.

He seems unconvinced. "Why?"

You pause, biting your lip. There's one major reason, but Bucky won't understand the context, and you really don't want to get into it. So you give him reasoning that won't require any explanation, and is somewhat truthful.

"Well... because of Steve. I know him — not better than you, obviously, but better than almost anyone else. And I know that he would not trust the Winter Soldier as completely as he trusts you. Anybody who knows Steve's values even slightly should be able to come to that conclusion. And I also know that HYDRA is horrible. I've fought them before, and it's pretty damn obvious they'll stop at nothing to get the power they want. If that path to power includes brainwashing somebody to carry out their dirty work for them, well, I'd almost be surprised they hadn't thought of that earlier."

Bucky doesn't say anything, just stares at you with an unreadable expression.

"Lexi," Steve calls out.

"Yeah?"

"I need to talk to you." He jerks his head towards the door.

You stand up and follow him outside. Sam leans against the holding cell doorway as he takes a turn with Bucky. You wait until you and Steve are outside the room and the door has fully shut to begin talking.

"What's up?"

"It wasn't Bucky who bombed the UN conference."

"Never said it was. Didn't we already establish that fake therapist dude did? Or was that just, like, a theory left unproven?"

"No, we know it's him. Problem is, how do we prove it?"

He hasn't reached his point yet, but he doesn't need to, because it clicks. "You want me to get you to Siberia."

"It might be the only way to clear his name."

"And when you find the fake therapist? I know you're going to bring Bucky. Won't he just be able to say the words, reset the cycle?"