Captain America Bucky Barnes Winter Soldier Steve Rogers Fan Fic - The Constant

Chapter Thirty: After The Wipe

After The Wipe

Part One

The Constant - After The Wipe

The patient is unconscious.

They have moved him back to a special room made for containing him. It has been set up as a medical facility, and has been outfitted with precautions such as straps on the single bed, panic alarms, telephones, and two guards outside.

You sit by his bedside.

This is the first time they have used this technology on him and they are worried; you can see it in their eyes. Jakobs has told you about the poor bastards they have tested it on already, that they were left as gibbering idiots or catatonic and had to be put down with a single bullet between the eyes. You know that it is your fault they have used the wipe earlier than they intended to. If only you had not told him what they had done to you. You blame yourself.

You always blame yourself.

This machine used for the wipe is an amazing piece of technology. Thankfully, it had already been at the end of its testing phase and was calibrated to the Winter Soldier's brain waves. Lehmann was the one who has ordered it. He took full responsibility, and he recognised that this was a make or break moment for both him and the patient. But he was confident it would work.

And he was right.

The other doctors had wanted to start with a basic run, baby steps, but Lehmann insisted they went the whole way first time: a complete wipe. No one can tell the damage at present. His arm is bandaged where the arm band sunk into his flesh in his need to escape the pain but it is already healing. There was blood from his nose and ears but you have wiped that clean. The doctors do not expect there to be any other problems with the bleeding inside the brain as the lasers have burnt and cauterised the flesh. The slight burns on the side of his face and in his hair are almost completely healed.

They have decided to allow the Winter Soldier to wake in his own time. It is out of their hands. They cannot force it.

The door has been left open, and the doctors have been in and out all day. Lehmann is like a cat on a hot tin roof, demanding regular updates. All you have been able to tell them so far is he is still sleeping, twitching occasionally as if in a dream state.

The Winter Soldier is strapped to the bed. They cannot guarantee that when he wakes up he will not still retain the two personalities, and if so which one will be in charge. They don't want to take any chances. All of their hopes are riding on the possibility that they will have combined.

And what will that make him to you?

You are watching him when his eyes open, but only because you spotted his hand curling on the bed. You press the buzzer by the bedside, stand up, and put your hand on his shoulder.

"Its all right. You're okay." you say quietly, but when you look into his eyes you draw back slightly. At first you think it is the second personality - you think there is anger there and it takes you a few moments to realise it is not. This man looks at you a slight frown on his face. Looks at your hand. Unconsciously you take it away.

He doesn't seem to know you, not in the way he should.

He tries to move and sees that he can't, and his focus is back on you.

"Why am I being held down?" His voice is strange, cold, and it feels like someone has walked over your grave. He spoke in Russian. You try and remain calm, try not to let your discomfort show on your face.

"Do you now where you are?" you ask. You don't recognise either personality in him.

He looks at the straps and starts to flex his arms, then he looks back at you. "Release these."