PTR Arachnid 24601

Ch 2 - Memories and Arachnid hunting

WARNINGS: rape, needles

3rd POV

If you asked anyone who lived remotely north, they'd say that March weather sucked. And today's weather was only proving that. Rain was pouring in sheets and wind was sweeping everything away. The clouds were murderously dark and the occasional lightning strike would appear, followed by grumbling thunder. You could see flags and tarps being blown down the empty streets. The smaller trees along the streets were shaking so violently that they looked like they could be toppled over any second. Some actually already fell. 

Not a car or person was in sight––no one daring to be outside in such dreadful weather. New York was effectively shut down for a day.

Most of the Avengers were gathered in the Common Floor and Sam and Rhodey were visiting from DC for a few days like they do every once in awhile. They were all using the horrible weather as an opportunity to take a morning off, relaxing and spending time with each other. Natasha and Clint were sitting on the floor in front of the couch, neck-in-neck in a heated game of Mario Kart. Bucky was sitting on the couch listening to Steve tell a story about the war to the Maximoff twins. Tony had an odd urge to do something nice, so he attempted to make breakfast. Emphasize on attempted. Sam and Rhodey––the ones closest to help him––were intervening so nothing burned and Tony didn't die.

"I wonder what got Thor in a bad mood," Wanda said with a small smile, eyes looking to the homicidal weather outside.

"Who knows," Clint responded from his spot beside Natasha, amusement hinted in his voice. His eyes gleamed mischievously as he knocked Natasha into the lava. The redhead just growled and gripped her controller harder, as if that would fix things.

Bucky was sitting on the couch, however, his mind was somewhere completely different. The Soldier was zoning out from the world. His frozen thoughts and memories were drowning him in a way he couldn't catch anything anyone said after that. But he faintly heard laughter erupt around him, followed by 'Oh my god, could you not?' from a male-sounding voice. 

Bucky didn't even try to snap out of what he was in. He knew it would be futile to attempt to drag himself from the way he was sinking deeper and deeper into his own past. Not to mention that he felt like he was moments from grasping something of importance. He was having another one of his memory episodes, he knew. The ones where a jumble of recollections came to him and he felt helpless where it came to control. The super soldier stared at his lap while his brain went a mile a minute. And just like that, memories finally came to him. It was rush all at once––sending him reeling from the sudden clarity he was being thrust into.

They were memories of a HYDRA base he was placed in a few years ago. Memories centered around one person. A boy.

Bucky hadn't realized he'd gotten up and started pacing. He didn't even realize he was tenser than a rope; his body was rigid and stiff as his face contorted multiple times with the reactions of everything going through his brain. He strode back and forth almost like he had a purpose, but that purpose wasn't exactly revealed yet. 

Everyone in the room noticed. Mario Kart was paused and potential kitchen disasters were forgotten. All eyes were on the Soldier. He was being very un-Bucky-like right now and the others shared confused glances. They didn't dare speak, though. They just patiently waited to see what would happen.

Memories flooded in, is what happened.

I'm faced against a boy. The boy is younger than me. Probably ten or eleven. That's way too young to be fighting me. It is, right? He's a child. Small and delicate-looking. I don't have time to worry. The fighting commences. The child strong. Deceiving with his youth. He can block my attacks with too much ease. Where is this power coming from?