The Break of Winter ▸B. Barnes

Chapter 7

Winter's POV

"What do you mean Bucky isn't dead? He fell from the train, I saw it before HYDRA took me." I ask in disbelief.

"He fell from the train, but we were able to save him thanks to Howard Stark's technology. We found him in the snow barely alive. We think that whatever HYDRA did to him while the 107th was captured helped him to survive the fall." Steve explained.

"But it's 2014. He's gotta be a hundred years old by now."

"So are we," Steve smiled. "After his fall, we were able to get him a serum similar to the one I got in order to help him to recover. We continued to go on missions as our way of avenging you. On one of our missions, we had to crash a plane into the ice. We were frozen there for almost 70 years, but we didn't age. So we're both the same age we were when you were taken."

"Oh," I said softly. If Bucky is alive, why isn't he here? He probably hates me. I don't completely remember what HYDRA made me do, but from the pieces I do remember, I did horrible things. I want to get back to being the smartass, caring girl I was before, but that just doesn't seem possible right now.
•••
I was sitting at a table reading a file that Steve gave me containing all of my personal information.

Name: Olivia Rose Quinn
Aliases: The Winter Soldier, Subject A28
DOB: February 28, 1918
Gender: Female
Age: 97
Siblings: Alec Quinn † and Luna Quinn †
Parents: Jace Quinn † and Alyssa Quinn †
Notable features: Numerous scars all over body; metal right arm
Skills: Highly intelligent, specializes in archery but skilled with guns and knives as well, extremely observant and excellent at reading people; Was given a different version of the super soldier serum that was given to Steven Rogers and James Barnes, so she has enhanced strength and stamina as well as enhanced senses. She also heals faster than the average human being and can withstand extreme temperatures. She has been trained to survive extended periods without food or water.

The next section made my heart drop.
Number of documented kills (as Winter Soldier only): 87

"Liv?" I hear a deep, raspy voice question. I look up and my eyes meet the beautiful blue eyes that belonged to James Buchanan Barnes. However, they weren't the same that I remembered. Under them were dark bags that almost looked like bruises. The normally bright eyes were now empty. But other than that, he looked exactly the same. His hair was cut the exact same way, and he hadn't aged a day.

"Bucky?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"She knows me?" His attention turned to Steve.

"Somewhat," Steve replies. "She remembers pieces."

"You guys know I can speak, right?" I call out. Before I can process his movement, Bucky had his arms wrapped around my neck. I tense up and flinch, expecting a fight, but quickly realize that he's not attacking me, he's hugging me. I freeze, not knowing how to react. I loved him, I know that much, but I just don't know enough about him right now. Before I can find a reaction, the sharp pain returns to my head.

Flashback

"He hits me," A younger me cried. Only Bucky was here for this one. "My brother used to take the worst of it to protect my sister and I, but he's off at war. So now it all falls on me." At this point, Bucky was fuming. He stood up and was about to storm off to do god knows what, but I grab his wrist and turned him back to face me. He was still full of anger, but his expression softened when his eyes met mine. Instead of trying to pull away from me, he wiped the tears off my cheeks.

"I think you need to kick some ass instead of crying," he chuckled lightly. That was the day that Bucky started training me to really fight.