Sergeant Barnes: The Last Mission (COMPLETE)

Chapter 1: Bucky

Theme song: You Are a Memory by Message to Bears

I just kept shooting.

There was always another monster to shoot. I couldn't turn without seeing another nightmare. I heard the cries of fallen Wakandans, the people who had taken me in and made me one of their own, the people who had freed me, mixed with the screech of aliens as we stood against Thanos' army.

It was strange fighting this time. I wasn't fighting a friend anymore, and I wasn't trying to break free from the Winter Soldier, but I wasn't out of breath, like I was the last time I remember fighting a war. I don't think the scuffle with Stark counted. Between the flashes of the sun reflecting off of various weapons and warriors, I saw glimpses of World War II. I remembered the Howling Commandos, and all those times we followed a skinny twerp in a captain's body into HYDRA compounds all over Germany and the rest of Europe. I remembered all the times I covered Steve's six because he was too busy fighting someone hand to shield that he didn't see the sniper 20 feet away.

Now I was following the same reckless kid into a battle for the good of the whole earth. He was a few feet in front and to my right, the same place he always seemed to be. Still running into fights he shouldn't be able to win. Now I didn't even try to talk sense into him.

He's not the only one I see. Out of the corner of my eye, Stark is blowing these things to kingdom come, King T'Challa is off with the Dora Malaje, and for some reason, the spider kid is helping. Still don't know what he's doing here. Natasha, Wanda, and Okoye seem to have formed a trio of power on my left. God knew who else was there to help, I had given up trying to remember who was there. I just tried to stay alive, and keep an eye on Captain Reckless, who had decided to go kick one of Thanos' generals in the shin. And the gut. And the head. Drama queen was lingering a little too long over his latest adversary that a couple monsters snuck up on his six. Again.

I shot just over his shoulder. Probably not necessary, but he turned and saw more monsters and got back into his fight. I stepped beside him and alternated between shooting and strangling. We fought for a few seconds like that, just the two of us. I covered his left and he covered my right. Eventually they got the message and became wary of coming close, save for one punk who ran towards Steve's three. Steve squared up to punch him right as I shot him straight through the head. He looked back at me as I reloaded.

"I had him on the ropes, Buck."

"Sure you did." I found a smile somewhere and chuckled, despite being on a battlefield. He grinned and looked on at the battle raging on the fields of Wakanda. I followed his gaze and surveyed the war. If we held out a while longer, this might not fail.

If only Steve didn't scream.

I didn't hesitate to turn. The general Steve had just fought apparently wasn't as dead as we thought. I barely aimed before putting ten rounds through his skull. I looked up at Steve, and nearly yelled when I saw the spear protruding through his chest. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he stumbled to his knees. I only barely saw him mouth my name before he fell over.

"STEVE!!!"

I woke up screaming his name, the same way I always do on these nights. I reached out to catch him, again, and again he was nowhere to be had on the mattress I was sleeping on. Not in Wakanda anymore, but in Brooklyn. Not during the Infinity War, but five years after we won. Five years after he was gone.

I held my face in my hands as I caught my breath. The apartment sounded so quiet after my nightmare, with just the heater running. I didn't let myself cry; I had done enough of that in five years to last me even through my extended life. I just wanted it to stop hurting every time I thought about it. I would go maybe a month, and I thought maybe I had finally healed enough to think about Steve without it hurting worse than anything HYDRA had done to me, and then I would dream again. I would never heal. This wasn't like the Winter Soldier. Nothing, no treatment even from Wakanda, could take this away.