Remnants of Time

Chapter 10

Steve woke up feeling more than just uncomfortable. Every breath felt like someone was rubbing a frickin' grater against the inside of his throat. He coughed and hated himself for it. Coughing felt worse. Steve slowly reached for his neck and examined the skin there. Not only was it warm, but he could barely touch it. Still too sensitive.
Steve sighed and sat up very slowly. The dizziness in his head passed and suddenly, a new awareness of his surroundings sent him into a little shock. The green leather sofa he sat on, the cappuccino-colored walls and the white candles on the window sills. The little bonsai sitting there. The shades before the windows, the futon bed on the other side. He didn't recognize any of that. But seeing Bucky asleep on the mattress reassured Steve a little; at least he wasn't alone in this strange place. His thoughts wandered back to the previous events. He'd fought Rebecca. She'd almost killed him. Steve's hands wiped over his face.
It hurt, seeing her like this. A woman he knew. It was different than with Bucky. He'd never believed he'd be alive without Bucky one day. Before the army, that was Steve's unwritten truth. Bucky and him, they'd stay together. And then, Bucky had gotten drafted and Steve had stayed back and everything developed into a different scenario than Steve had pictured. His choice, however, had brought them back together.
But Rebecca? She wasn't supposed to go through any of this. Not through the war, not through seventy years of Hydra. Her life was with her family, unlike Steve and Bucky's life in the city. Pursue a career, have kids, live a life that was peaceful and pure. But Hydra just had to pervert everything, twist people until they didn't fit into their own skins anymore. Until they had to become someone else. Until they killed without remorse.

A sound pulled Steve away from the drama unfolding in his head. Immediately, he went into high alert. Who was that? Bucky still hadn't moved, so someone else had to be in there with them. The supersoldier wasn't sure if his memories were real. Had Natasha pulled him out of that living room? Or was it someone else? What if Hydra had captured him and the others? What if-?

Sam stepped into the room, wiping his hands on a small towel. His exhausted face lit up a little when he noticed Steve was up.
"Hey, man. Good to see you. Alive, I mean. You looked pretty messed up."
"I feel messed up. Where are we?"
"Another one of Nat's places. I wonder how many else she's got. Didn't take her for the rich girl."
"You'd be surprised."
A little beep sounded through the room. What was that? An activated explosive? Steve's head whipped around and it brought tears to his eyes.
"Hey, take some care of yourself! Your throat is swollen. I think that means you shouldn't move it."
"Did you hear that?"
Sam nodded and held up his wrist. He wore a digital watch that was blinking a little. The pararescue gave it a look, then turned towards a cupboard.
"Yeah. It's time."
Time for what? Steve spotted a little ampoule and a syringe on the cupboard. Sam took it and walked towards Bucky. Before Steve could move, his best friend had been injected with something.
"Sam! What the heck!? What is going on?"
"Making sure we don't die a ridiculously painful and ill-timed death by this idiot's... idiocy. He doesn't get to kill me, I made that decision this morning."
Steve shot him a look that would've been capture-worthy every other time. Sam would've loved it as a screensaver or even better, background. That look of confusion was just memorable. But considering their circumstances, Sam just continued rambling.
"So, ever since that, we've kept him on sedatives", he held the ampoule before his face to examine it. "This stuff is for horses. He just keeps burning through it. What we need is that stuff they shoot the, uh, the dinosaurs with at Jurassic Park. It told Nat she should get that."
Steve scrunched his face. What the hell was going on!?
"Sam, are you alright?"
"Peachy. I feel good."
Okay. That was... good considering the thick bandages all over Sam's body. Steve mustered his friend who sat down on the armchair. Something was wrong. For a moment, Steve wasn't sure what it was, but then he noticed. Sam hadn't flinched while sitting down, not for a second.
"Sam, did Nat give you anything? For your pain?"
"Thank God she did."
"And where is she now?"
"Not sure, man. Just told me to keep an eye on you two. Called you sweetheart." Sam sported a wide grin. Of course he'd remember that, Steve thought. Great. What do we do now?