Not A Weapon

Chapter Four- Found Him

It was Tuesday, around eleven o'clock, I was just finishing with one of my patients when my secretary Helena knocked and told me I had an urgent phone call. Making my way to my desk, I anxiously I put the receiver to my ear. 

"Hello?" 

"Hi Alex, it's Steve. I'm sorry to interrupt you at work but–we found him. We found Bucky." 

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I parked the car and jogged inside and went into the elevator, pressing floor 25, which is where they were keeping 'Bucky', or James. I tapped my foot impatiently and pushed my way past the doors as they opened. I rushed down the hall and found Tony and Steve quite easily. "Have you guys talked to him?" I asked them, peeking curiously at the one-way window the two men were looking into, where you could see inside, but not the other way around.

"No" They answered. 

"Okay. Listen, we have to get a couple of things straight before anything else." I waited for them to nod before continuing. "First, if I'm his counselor, then I should probably be the only one to talk to him until he's ready. Okay?" Steve didn't look happy about it, but I got a little 'okay' out of him. I nodded, satisfied. "Good. Second, to help him understand who he is, I need one name to stick to. So, Steve, you knew him best. Bucky? James? Mr. Buchanan? What should I be calling him?" I asked.

When he didn't answer I pushed the question further. "What is most likely to jog his memory?" I asked. 

"Bucky" Steve said, so quietly that I almost didn't hear him. I nodded. 

"Okay. Tony, should I go in now?" I asked. He looked away from the window and at me, as if surprised to be asked anything. He shrugged.

"Whenever you're ready" He said. 

"Okay. keep this with you, I don't want any distractions." I handed my phone to him.

I walked over to the window, peered inside at the man inside. He was wearing a torn and bloody black uniform, and looked ragged and hurt, but sat, stiff as a board, on the bed, staring at the window with blank eyes. His hair was long and ragged, matted with what looked like blood and dirt. There was a cut above his eye that looked rather recent, the blood was still oozing slowly down the side of his face, but he didn't make any moves to take care of it. 

I took a deep breath, looking at the man long and hard, then nodded once, accepting my mission. "Wish me luck" I said, turning to the two Avengers next to me before stepping to the door and slipping inside the room, shutting the door quietly behind me.

The man didn't move at my entrance but I could tell he was observing my movements from the corner of his eyes. "Hi" I greeted quietly. "My name is Alexandra, but everyone calls me Alex. You can too, if you want." I spoke quietly, approaching him cautiously. I finally stood in front of him. "Can you tell me your name?" I asked. He said nothing, his face still as blank as it had been before I entered the room.

"That's okay, I know your name. Your name is Bucky." I knelt down in front of him. "Do you want to get out of that uniform and get yourself cleaned up?" I asked. He said nothing, but I could feel that he did want to. "There's a change of clothes for you here." I gestured to the roll of clothes that sat next to him on the bed. He didn't even blink at me. 

I tried not to sigh.

"Okay well you can do that later if you want." I glanced at the tray of food they had given him earlier that lay untouched. "There's food too." I told him, stating the obvious in hopes that it would encourage him to make a move. 

He didn't. 

"Bucky, talk to me. You must be hungry, why won't you eat?" I asked him sympathetically. 

To my great surprise, he spoke. "The asset needs no provisions. The asset needs only to complete its missions." His blue-grey eyes finally flickered over to mine, though they conveyed no warmth. "The asset will not fail this test." He looked forward once more, and I got the sense I would get nothing more out of him for a while. 

So he thinks this is a test from HYDRA. One he's terrified to fail, I realized, sensing the fear pooled inside him, hiding just under his rough exterior. He was trying so hard to convey no emotions but the terror was too strong, he couldn't quite hide it. What did they do to him, I wondered sadly, looking at the man sitting before me. 

Trying desperately again not to sigh, my eyes went once more to the gash above his eye. I stood up finally, walking towards the door slowly. Stepping out I looked at Steve, who was now alone. "Hey do you know if there's a first aid kit anywhere?" I asked. 

He nodded and went off down the hallway, returning quickly with a small box. "Here." He said gruffly. 

"Thanks" He nodded once at me, looking back at Bucky through the glass. I squeezed his arm in reassurance then turned and went back into the room. 

"I'm back" I said softly, hoping for a reaction though I knew I wouldn't get one. 

I knelt back in front of him and set the box down next to me, taking out some supplies. 

"I'm just gonna clean up this cut you've got alright?" I told him, surprised when he glanced at me for a moment. I took it as a yes, and, sensing no hostility, I reached up to his face with an alcohol wipe. 

I cleaned around the wound first, as gentle as I possibly could, then got to the cut itself. 

He flinched once at the initial sting but then there was no response as I continued to clean the cut. Finishing up, I bandaged it well and disposed of the used items. "There" I whispered, closing the first aid kit back up, then standing up. 

I then started to leave. I stopped in front of the door, sensing a lot of gratitude from him, even if he didn't vocalize it. "You're welcome." I told him gently, then left.