Letters

Toy Soldiers

The wind whipped around them and Steve ran a hand through his blonde hair, listening for the sound of wheels on the tracks. Bucky pulled down on the cord, testing its resistance warily.

"You're doing this on purpose aren't you." Steve grinned at his best friend.

"What do you mean?"

"This is payback. For all those times I made you ride the Cyclone on Coney Island." Steve started laughing, recalling the memory as he tightened the straps of his gloves. "But hey, it wasn't all my fault. Willow wanted you to go too and you couldn't disappoint her."

"Yeah but you pressured me more than Willow did. She was willing to go on with just you but you insisted." Steve hit Bucky's arm. "You know I have a weak stomach."

"Not so weak anymore." Bucky said hitting Steve back on the chest. The two of them laughed.

"You were right, Doctor Zola is on the train." Looking back at Gabriel Jones, Bucky muttered under his breath a,

"Oh great."

"Hydra dispatcher gave him permission to open up the throttle. Wherever he's going, they must need him bad." Steve pulled on his helmet, nodding his head as the rest of the Howling Commandoes got ready to board the train.

"Let's get going because they're moving like the devil." James Montgomery called out, lowering his binoculars as the train came into view.

"We only got about a ten second window." Steve called out. "You miss that window, we're bugs on a windshield." Some of the men smiled and snickered behind him.

"Mind the gap." Montgomery warned as Steve got ready to jump.

"Better get moving, bugs!" Dugan shouted as the sound of the train drew closer and closer. The grinding of metal on metal coming from the wheels and rails echoed through the mountain range.

"Maintenant!" Jacques shouted motioning for Steve to go. Jumping off the cliff, Steve held on tightly to the flimsy rod and rope that was carrying him down to the train. God.. If it broke, that would be the end of him. Even a super soldier wouldn't survive a fall like that. Steve couldn't hear Jaques over the wind but he assumed that Bucky and Gabriel were right behind him by how the line became a bit more taut.

Steve was just a little bit ahead of the train but since it was moving at a much faster rate than he was, the engine car quickly shot ahead and Steve jumped down. The line was ending and if he jumped any later, he'd hit the side of the mountain. He heard two more clangs behind him as Bucky and Gabriel landed safely but this was no time to celebrate.

Moving slowly towards the stairs, Steve began to climb down them. Bucky and Gabriel followed suit. Bucky followed Steve into the hold while Gabriel stayed on top of the train to keep time and guard. Everything was way too quiet for Steve's liking. Where were the armed guards? The men with guns who wanted to shoot at them? Glancing back at Bucky he watched him furrow his eyebrows and frown. He didn't like this either.

Steve stepped into the next car over as Bucky glanced behind them, gun ready in case someone tried shooting at them from behind. That's when the doors closed between the cars, cutting off Bucky and Steve from each other. But there was no time for either of them to try to reach the other. Just as Steve watched Bucky being shot at by an unknown number of people, Steve heard an arc reactor being powered up behind him. Shooting at the man in the suit, Steve ducked behind several boxes as he shot a blast of blue light at him.

"Stop him! Fire again!" Dr. Zola's voice came over the train intercom.

"Oh shut up." Bucky grumbled under his breath as he shot several rounds at his assailants, taking cover behind the rack of boxes. After knocking out the man in the reactor suit, Steve fired the man's gun at the door, opening it. Bucky meanwhile, was running out of bullets in his gun. As he fired off his last round, listening to the clicking of the barrel, he wondered if this was how he was going to die.

Opening the door, Steve nodded to Bucky and tossed him his gun before ramming his shield into one of the boxes on the rack, causing the man firing at them to jump out of the way and into the line of fire. Bucky put a bullet in him before clearing his throat and saying, "I had him on the ropes." Steve smiled.

"I know you did." A familiar sound behind them made Steve tense. "Get down!" He shouted covering Bucky and him with his shield. The blue light wrapped around them and pushed Steve back, who dropped his shield and fell against one side of the train. The other half of the train was in turn ripped open, exposing them to the cold wind and snow. Grabbing up his shield, Bucky began firing at the man as Dr. Zoloa's voice again came over the com.

"Fire again! Kill him, now!" Steve jumped up hearing his voice. His best friend was in danger, he needed to help him. Another shot was fired from the reactor suit and the force of it knocked Bucky backwards towards the open hatch of the train. Grabbing onto part of the railing, Bucky cried out seeing the trench below him. White snow covering the bottom of a canyon. This was not how he wanted to die.

Steve ran for his shield. Grabbing it up, he threw it in an arc at the man. It hit him square on, knocking him back. He didn't get up again. Running towards the destroyed part of the train, Steve could see Bucky clinging to the railing, his hands slipping. "Bucky!" He shouted but Bucky didn't look his way. He was too concentrated on not falling. "Hang on."

"What does it look like I'm doing!" Bucky shouted back at him as he watched Steve begin moving towards him slowly. The bar Bucky was hanging onto was breaking, he could feel it. The metal was coming loose from the train.

"Grab my hand." Steve shouted. The both of them reaching out for one another. Bucky could almost just... The metal snapped. "No!" Bucky screamed as he fell hundreds of feet down. Steve stood there, staring at him as the train continued on. He felt frozen in time. Numb. And it wasn't just because of the icy wind. He gripped the railing tightly and squeezed his eyes shut. No.. Bucky. He couldn't be.. But he was.. When Steve opened his eyes again, he couldn't even see where he had fallen.

----

Far, far below Bucky gasped, opening his eyes. He felt numb and he wasn't aware of his body. Could he even move? Breathing heavily, Bucky looked around wildly. It was no longer snowing. The sky was clear and the sun was shining. The light reflecting off the white snow was blinding. Groaning, Bucky attempted to first, wiggle his toes and then his fingers.

Why wasn't he dead? Would he be dead soon? Would they come looking for his body? Would they even try to look? He fell into a ravine. Nobody was going to find him. His heart still racing, Bucky closed his eyes and tried to move his legs slowly. Only one of them seemed to be working. The other one was probably broken or fractured. Who knows.

Opening his eyes again, Bucky was shocked to see another face staring back at him. It was some old guy. He had white thinning hair and he was wearing a thick fur jacket. His arms were behind his back. Bucky tried asking who the man was but no words came out of his mouth. Looking away from Bucky, the man shouted,

"Komm her!" In a thick German accent. No.. No! Two armed HYDRA soldiers came into view and saluted the man. "Nehmen Sie ihn zurück zur Basis." He said, gesturing towards Bucky. "Schmidt will be very happy to know that we have the Captain's little friend." He said to Bucky in English with a smile.

"N-no. St-st-stop!" Bucky exclaimed, finding his voice. The man merely laughed as the soldiers grabbed him up. Bucky cried out in pain. The man eyed him quizzically, tapping his chin as he began to be dragged off.

"We'll have to do something about that arm.." Bucky blacked out to those last words.