Not A Weapon

Chapter Seven- You're Okay

I woke up with a start to someone groaning and nearly panicked until I remembered that I was in the Avengers tower with Bucky. I sat up and turned to look at him on the bed. His eyes were closed but he was murmuring something in his sleep and twisting around, seeming to wrestle with the covers. I got up and went over to him, gently putting my hand to his forehead to try to see what was going on.

Bucky was sitting in an uncomfortable looking silver chair stiffly, his back straight and facing directly in front of him. There were guards wearing matching uniforms surrounding the chair with their guns in front of them, standing at attention. A door near the front corner of the room opened, and an older man wearing the same uniform as the guards, but with lots of medals and an air of authority stepped into the room. Another two guards walked in behind him and closed the door. The man stepped forward. His hair was dark grey and slicked back, and there was a big ugly scar on his right cheek.

He stood in front of Bucky, who continued to stare forward. "I hear that the asset refused to kill it's target as it was ordered to do." Said the man, looking around the room. "Is there a reason?" He asked dangerously, leaning forward and looking into Bucky's eyes. Bucky stared back at the man, not making a sound.

The man punched Bucky in the jaw suddenly, without any warning or hesitation. "Answer me." The man demanded. There was already a bruise forming on Bucky's jaw. 

"Because it was wrong." Bucky said quietly. 

"What?" The man asked, deadly calm. 

"It was wrong. The girl was innocent." Bucky said louder, challenging the man with his eyes.

Another punch, this time harder and more painful. "I don't care." The man said. "The Asset does what it's told, the Asset works for HYDRA, get it?" Bucky didn't respond, and the man gripped his chin, forcing Bucky to look up at him. "Get it?" He asked again. Bucky nodded minutely, but it was acceptable for the man, and he dropped Bucky's chin. There were red marks where his fingers had been.

"Repeat it" The man said. 

"What?" 

"Repeat it. The Asset does what it's told, and the Asset works for HYDRA." When Bucky didn't say it fast enough, the man kneed him in the stomach. Bucky groaned. "Repeat it" The man spat. He grabbed a gun from a guard next to him and slammed the butt of the gun in Bucky's shoulder. "Say it."  Malice dripped from his every word. 

"The Asset does what he's tol-" The man kicked Bucky in the shins 

"Don't change it" He hissed venomously. 

"The Asset does what it's told, and the Asset works for HYDRA" Bucky said resignedly.

The man straightened back up. "Good," He handed the gun back to the guard. "Now, wipe him." 

This immediately caused Bucky to look up in alarm. "No, no I did what you asked-" 

"But the Asset failed to carry out it's instructions, so it will be punished, and reset." The man walked back to the door, and doctors immediately started pouring in from another door, a machine being prepped. 

"Please!" Bucky cried desperately. 

"No second chances" The man said coldly, stepping out of the room. 

"NO! Please, no! NO!"  Bucky howled and begged, wrestling with the constraints to no avail. 

I pulled my hand back from Bucky's shoulder and snapped out of it. Bucky was tossing and turning and muttering feverishly. "I'll do what I'm told. I won't fail again. No, no." He was on his back now, looking from side to side with his eyes squeezed shut. "NO!" 

"Bucky" I shook him by his metal arm. "Bucky!" He shouted once again and shot up from bed, sweating. His now open eyes were filled with terror.

I sat on the bed in front of him and tried to get him to look at me, to come back to his senses. "It's okay, you're with me, Alex, remember? No more HYDRA. You're okay Bucky, you're okay." I moved his hair out of his eyes and squeezed his shoulder, ignoring the emotions that were radiating off him. He suddenly slouched over and started to sob, his hands going to his head, gripping at his hair desperately. 

Gently I wrapped my arms around him and held him. "It's okay" I cooed. "You're fine Bucky. You're fine." I brushed through his tangled hair with my fingers.

He calmed down eventually, and I sat there, stroking his hair and telling him he was okay quietly. "I'm sorry" He said hoarsely. 

"For what?" I asked, a bit shocked to hear him talk finally. 

"I'm weak. The Asset-" 

"Bucky" I said. 

"What?" 

"Bucky. You aren't the Asset, you're Bucky." I told him. He didn't say anything more, and I felt a bit like I might have discouraged him from talking or whatever, but I couldn't stand to hear him refer to himself like that. And even though he was hurt and afraid, this was better than having him not register me and show no emotion. I think I was making some progress. I thought about ways to help him heal as I kept brushing through his hair and stroking his cheek, relieved that he wasn't pulling away, and that I was breaking through, bit by bit. I had made the right choice by staying with him for the night.