Sweet Surrender

Chapter 2

When the Avengers caught word of a potential way to help The Winter Soldier, Steve Rogers saw fit to have his best friend de-iced immediately.

After his chamber opened and the effects started to wear off, the ex-assassin softly moaned while waking up upon a soft bed.
"Hey, Bucky. Sleep well?" Sam greeted with a smile.
"What's going on?" Bucky asked.
"Well, it looks like we may have found a way to fix that noggin of yours pal." Natasha took it upon herself to answer. She looked familiar to him. She was the one who helped him and Steve escape the airport.
"Come on, let's get on our flight. We'll explain on the way." Rogers helped Barnes gain footing at first, then walked out behind him as the others began leaving the room.

Once they'd reached the airplane,
"Is everyone here?" Steve asked while looking around at the group.
"We're ready. Let's go." Sam voiced.
"Not so fast. If a giant alien robot is supposedly going to help Bucky I want to see this for myself." Tony Stark entered the conversation suddenly. He glanced at Bucky as Steve raised an eyebrow,
"Since when are you interested in Bucky's life?"
"Frankly I'm not, Cap. I'm more so interested in this so called team of Autobots I've failed to meet." Stark answered bluntly. Steve nodded his head while looking down,
"Figures. Well no matter the reason of you coming along, let's just make sure we all behave during the flight." He spoke firmly while walking off to calmly board the plane, the rest of the team members soon following after exchanging looks of concern.

Much of the flight was quiet at first. Steve hadn't exactly expected Tony to want to come along, which caused a bit of tension in the air. But soon enough he snapped out of it, and finally began giving Bucky some explanation.
"She's a what now?" Bucky questioned. Steve merely sighed,
"Naita Koa, part of the Autobots team from a distant planet called Cybertron. Her and her team have been at war with a faction called the Decepticons for centuries."
"Steve, what are you getting me into?"
"Relax, Buck. It'll be fine."
"How in the world does she have time for him when her species is dealing with a civil war?" Stark butted in.
"Well I suppose we'll just have to wait and see, now won't we?" Sam responded.
"Look, I don't care how Maxanarda Evanna has the time or why. What matters is that she does, and she's willing to give Bucky a second chance. Whether or not everyone thinks he deserves it." Rogers subtly glanced in Stark's direction. Before anymore words could be exchanged, a call came in from said Autobot base.

"Colonel Lennox, at your service." Lennox steps forward with a smile, greeting them as they exited the plane. He began shaking Stark's hand before everyone else's, going down the line of the Avengers team.
"You must be the one who debriefed us during our flight." Steve commented, smiling and shaking his hand.
"I certainly am, Captain. And thank you for all you've done for this country." Lennox replied, and Steve responded with a smile and nod.
"Seems Maxanarda has quite the history under her belt. A civil war that destroyed her home world on top of being the only one of her kind?" Clint voiced while shaking the colonel's hand. Lennox nodded with somewhat of a frown,
"It's all true." He continued meeting the team, ending at the Winter Soldier himself.
"I can assure you you've got quite the therapist on your hands, Mr. Barnes."
"Bucky." Was all he said. Lennox nodded with compliance,
"Fair enough," he turned around, "He's all yours, Maxa." He stepped off to the side with a smile, watching as the beastly humanoid leader stepped forward and kneeled down.
"Good night, Ms. America," Tony gawked at the Autobot standing right before his eyes, "Where have you been all my life?"
"What did you just say?" Steve raised an eyebrow at him.
"Things just got real..." Sam whispered to Steve on his left side.
"I wouldn't stand a chance against her even if I was gigantic..." Scott Lang thought aloud.
"Those two tails are wicked..." Clint added. Wanda quietly smiled to herself with amusement.
"Are you quite finished gawking?" Natasha firmly whispered.
"My name is Maxanarda Evanna, and I am honored to meet you all." Maxa voiced in her usual neutral Scottish tone.
"The honor is ours, Maxanarda." Steve bowed himself, hoping that was appropriate to do considering he's never met an alien robot like her before.
"What are you doing, Rogers? She's not the queen of England." Stark questioned quietly.
"No, but she is the only one of her kind and a leader. She's fought valiantly for years, far longer than all of us combined. The least I, or should I say we, could do is show her some respect."
"I quite agree." Vision said while bowing himself. Tony sighed with a few nods as he did the same,
"Alright, alright."
"Steve, are you sure about this?" Bucky quietly asked, obvious skepticism in his tone.
"Would you rather stay asleep for another ten years or so? So far she's been the only one we've had step forward and offer to help you. Might as well give it a shot." He lightly patted his friend on the back with a smile, "Trust me on this."
"Bucky Barnes, I wish to show you around your new home." The Naita Koa chimed in.
"Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone." Steve teased as he and the team began to leave.
"How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you." Bucky smiled a little.
"See? You'll be like your old self in no time. I believe in you!" Cap shouted from the plane before its door closed to separate the friends from each other's sights. It was now up to Maxa to heal such a wounded soul.

For the rest of the day, the two simply walked around together. At first it was nothing but silence, until Barnes finally opened his mouth,
"What exactly are you? A beast machine or something?"
"My species in particular is called Naita Koa. I have the CNA, or in your case DNA, of many other beings combined to form who I am today. I also fall under the category of Cybertronian and predacon."
"I hear you've been alive quite a while." Sounds familiar, he thought.
"The lifecycle of a Cybertronian's is far greater than that of a human's,-" she paused, "Under normal circumstances. I myself date back to prehistoric times, and have thus seen much change since then. And I know you have as well."
"Yeah."
"What kind of life did you lead before the war, Bucky?" That certainly stirred his mind. He suddenly became lost in the last memory he had of Steve before going off to England.
"Steve...Steve and I have always been best friends. We've been there for each other through thick and thin. We're practically brothers." He chuckled ever so softly, but what smile he had faded a little, "He's always been there for me." Maxa nodded with a pleased hum,
"I have learned the many great things he has accomplished over the years."
"Yeah, then all I was doing was tearing everything apart. You know you helping me won't change any of that, right?"
"While we cannot erase anything from our past, we can still rise above it."
"Easy for you to say. You weren't brainwashed into killing innocent people, now forever haunted by their ghosts."
"No, but my hand was forced into killing those once innocent, brainwashed into the illusions of gaining ultimate power. That weight does not bare well on my shoulders, lad." Bucky fell silent after that.
"There are two sides to every story, Bucky Barnes. Whether or not I went through exactly what you did, I know how it feels. I also know overcoming it can be easier said than done, but you're not alone on your journey. There is no step you will not take without me." Bucky lowered his gaze a little with a silent nod,
"Thanks. I don't think I deserve your help, though."
"That is for me to decide," she stopped and turned to kneel down in front of him, "And I've already decided, lad."