Wraith [MARVEL x Invincible Crossover]

Chapter Eight

Steve felt like the scrawny kid in Brookly, getting into fights that had no chance of winning, getting his ass kicked over and over until Bucky would come to save him. Since finding out that Bucky was actually alive and has been used by HYDRA as their weapon, he would always feel like that young kid in Brooklyn, the memory left a bitter taste in him. He didn't know what to feel, everything just exploded in his face since Nigeria. If he hadn't frozen that way when Rumlow mentioned Bucky, then he would have seen the bomb and dealt with it, Wanda wouldn't have had to go through the blame, the Accords wouldn't be made and signed. And maybe, things would be different. Maybe he would have had the Avengers to back him up in this, and even prevented everything that happened since he came to Bucky's apartment in Bucharest – no, it was Bucky and Rebecca's apartment.

When he heard Bucky call the girl with the name "Rebecca", he once again felt like that scrawny kid in Brooklyn. Bucky's sister's name was Rebecca. A part of him believed that it was a sign that Bucky was still in there, and that he saw the girl as his sister, but then Natasha showed him Rebecca's file and he realized his theory earlier was completely wrong. It is one of those coincidences that happen so rarely. A part of him wanted to believe that Bucky was in there, he had to, but now, standing by the wall, Steve took one look at him and that small hope of him still there was slipping.

Slouched on his seat with his metal arm put in a vice, Bucky was showing no signs of being the same James Buchanan Barnes that Steve grew up with. Steve's gaze turned to Rebecca, the girl finally woke from being unconscious, she was taking off her layers of clothes and tried to rinse them to dry. Steve noted that her clothes had bullet holes, and he was sure that it wasn't there before.

"How many are you wearing?" Sam asked.

Rebecca didn't reply, she was having trouble with removing her shirt, she kept wincing and when she managed to take off the shirt, she let out a huff of relief. She wore four layers of clothing – two jackets, then two shirts, including the one she was wearing that had bullet holes.

"They shot you?" Steve asked.

Rebecca sighed in defeat. "Yes."

"Why?"

"I managed to get out of their restraints... and I kind of escaped," Rebecca muttered.

"Kind of?" Sam raised a brow. "Or you did escape."

Rebecca gave him a deadpan look. "Fine, I escaped... but they're also not Task Force agents."

"What do you mean?" Steve asked.

"Whoever that doctor is, I think they're with him... they tried taking me."

"And where are they now?"

"I left them in their cage – don't worry, I didn't kill them," Rebecca added the last part when she saw Steve have an alarmed look. "I don't do that anymore... Bucky made sure that I didn't."

She then took the knife she had in her sleeve and reached inside her shirt. Steve heard the sound of tearing of plastic, and not long, Rebecca pulled out a book. Steve and Sam turned to each other at the sight of the book.

"Why are you hiding that book under your clothes?" Sam asked.

"To avoid what happened earlier," Rebecca muttered. She walked around the area and went to collect some things: a bin, a rod, and then a piece of cloth.

"What does that supposed to mean?" Steve asked.

Rebecca settled back on her seat earlier, she got the bit between her legs and then started to tear the cloth to pieces. "What you witnessed earlier is the Winter Soldier programming, it could be activated by a series of words – codes – it could only activate the Winter Soldier if it's said in a certain pattern."