The Asset: The Beginning and End of the Winter Soldier

Chapter Eleven

Back in the forest, sitting near the fire as dusk fell, beginning the focusing exercises that helped him to examine each memory so completely, Bucky turned to Ayo, who sat with him, far more relaxed with him than she had ever been, even before he had tried to kill her as the Winter Soldier. He felt that he had passed a test of sorts, and was pleased with the progress, but immersing himself in the memories again felt even more oppressive as a result. They sat in silence while he decided if he needed to simply remember on his own or speak of it with her. He sighed, realized he was not looking at the memory that had surfaced in his mind as closely as he should and knew he had to talk about it.

"For the better part of two decades, from the mid 1980's until the late 1990's, I had a long-term persona, as an ex-Soviet military officer that deserted and turned to mercenary work before the USSR fell," Bucky began.

"Long term? You were active in that role for that entire time?" Ayo asked, as usual drawing out as much detail as she could.

"No, I wasn't active for the entire time, but I was active enough in that particular identity that I was called upon for specific work by certain people, including criminal organizations, terrorist groups, dictators of smaller, poorer countries who were desperate to maintain their power, as well as some larger governments who wanted plausible deniability. The Winter Soldier set up a few ways for potential clients to contact him, through false companies, or through contacts in places known for areas of lawlessness, or upheaval. The post-Soviet period in Russia provided plenty of locations in chaos, without strong governments to enforce laws and with plenty of corruption to go around. Another location used was Madripoor, through intermediaries that would relay requests to Hydra personnel who would then determine if I was to accept the contracts."

"You would get contracted out by Hydra?" Ayo seemed surprised.

"If it served Hydra's interests, yes," he said patiently, feeling like he was giving a lecture. "It was specifically for missions that needed to be carried out by a mercenary rather than the Winter Soldier and of course was another way for the Winter Soldier to operate without anyone knowing he was involved. By this time, the Winter Soldier had been known to many in intelligence agencies and organizations for decades, but most thought it was a cover story, or that it was a name passed on to make use of that reputation. No one believed that the Winter Soldier could have possibly been active for fifty years and be the same person the entire time. Hydra was fine with vague rumors, but they didn't want the rumors to be given more credence.

"The goals were varied, as usual, sometimes it was political assassinations, other times it was to assist criminal organizations that Hydra wanted to continue operating in certain places, many times throughout the 1990's it was conducting terrorist activities or assisting guerilla rebels in different countries. Hydra would signal to the requesting person that a potential contract was of interest to me, I would be brought out of storage, and I would finalize the details."

Ayo shook her head slowly. "I really should stop being surprised by what you tell me."

He shrugged. "It's helping me to see your reaction, to see that you find something to be surprising, or unbelievable or particularly terrible. I lived these things, and they became normal for me, all of it. But none of it was actually normal. Separating myself from everything is easier when I try to see it from your perspective."

"I'm glad I can be useful," Ayo replied. "How many of these contracts did you take?"

"Too many to tell. Most would be for a few weeks, or a month, none for very long. I was in and out of cryofreeze constantly. There were direct assassinations, terrorist bombings, training terrorists, smuggling weapons, surveillance and intelligence gathering." He shook his head, ashamed of his actions. "Many of the bombings resulted in dozens of innocents dead. Some bombings were by others, with my help and some were done by myself to help destabilize cities, regions, countries. I killed political leaders on the whim of other political leaders, helped to organize terrorist groups that went on to commit worse atrocities."