Infinity | B. Barnes

The rescue

The cold wind howled against my ears and nipped at the open wounds that littered my skin, but I didn't even flinch. The pain and the cold was a welcome distraction from the battle that I had just endured. I never thought I'd have to fight against my own friends. My own family. The doctor had won. We had torn ourselves apart just as he had planned.

The ramp of the Quinjet was lowered down onto the snowy ground, Steve had his arm around Bucky as the two men started to enter the ship. I couldn't help but think of Tony, how was he supposed to get home with a broken suit.

The sound of footsteps approaching from behind me brought me out of my thoughts. I turned my head with my hands balled into fists, ready for whoever was coming. The sight that greeted me wasn't what I expected, however, the now king of Wakanda, T'Challa, was leading the doctor who had handcuffs around his wrists.

"Your highness?" I heard Steve say in a questioning tone. All three of us felt cautious, especially since the last time we saw him he was trying to kill Bucky.

"Stand down, Captain. I am here to help." T'Challa said with a calm tone of voice. I turned my head to see that Steve had his fists balled up, ready for another fight.

"Why?" Steve asked cautiously

"I heard what happened, what this man did. He was the one who killed my father, and he will face justice." T'Challa said with a tone of calm authority

"What about Bucky?" I asked him cautiously, wondering if he still planned to punish him as well.

"I believe that I can help with that, too." T'Challa stated. I tilted my head curiously and glanced between Steve and the king in front of us. A small amount of hope glimmered in my chest, that maybe something good would come out of this day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I stared at my distorted reflection in the fogged up mirror. I could make out several healing scratches and wounds on my face and the deep purple bags that lined the underside of my eyes. My hair was damp and dripped onto my shoulders ever so slightly.

I sighed gently and crossed my arms across my chest in an attempt to comfort myself. The long sleeves of the clean hoodie added to the comfort. After a moment of staring blankly at myself, I moved to grab the hair dryer that sat on the bench below the mirror.

Once my hair was no longer dripping down my shoulders, I opened up the bathroom door and stepped out into the corridor. I walked down the hallway while occasionally staring out the window in awe. Wakanda was one of the most beautiful countries I have ever seen. The architecture and the technology alone was enough to blow my mind. I couldn't help but think about how much Tony would love it here.

The door at the end of the hallway slid open to reveal Steve Rogers. He was standing with his hands in his pockets as he glanced around the medical facility of Wakanda. He had a large bruised cut on his cheek that stuck out like a sore thumb against his skin. I walked into the room and stood silently besides Steve.

"How are you feeling?" Steve asked me quietly. Ever since the fight that happened yesterday, there has been tension between the two of us.

"Fine. Better, I guess." I said with a slight shrug. I glanced around the room, my eyes darting from monitor to monitor, until they landed on Bucky.

The man was sitting on the edge of a medical bed, he had been cleaned up since the fight and his face was no longer covered in blood. He wore a white tank top and a pair of joggers. His left arm was wrapped up since it had been cut off by Tony. A doctor was wrapping up Bucky's hand with a white bandage.

In front of Bucky there was a large tube, they were planning on putting him back under until they had figured out how to redo the damage that Hydra had done to his mind. The doctor moved away after he had finished bandaging Bucky's hand, so Steve and I approached him.