Thanatophobia

5 | Tipping Point

a p r i c i t y

the warmth of the sun on a cold winter's day

~~~

Pierce walked into the bank, Gryffin and Brock flanking his sides. She had insisted on coming with after hearing of the Soldier's encounter with the Captain. She had been trying to convince Pierce to not wipe him, and her constant reasoning seemed to do the trick, or was it just him being annoyed?

"Pierce, you can't wipe him unless you want him to be an idiot!"

"If he remembers Rogers as the kid from Brooklyn then we can't take our chances. That's my final decision," he said, as they approached a golden gate. There were two men in bank attire standing next to the door, talking in low voices.

"Sir, he's...he's unstable. Erratic."

They ignored him and walked straight in to see guns being pointed at the Soldier who was sitting in the wiping chair, breathing heavily. Pierce walked towards him and put his hands up to signal for the guards to put their guns down.

"Mission report," Pierce said, but when the Soldier didn't reply, or even acknowledge his presence, he said it again, more aggressively. "Mission report, now!"

Gryffin tried to get the Soldier to make eye contact with her, but he continued to look down and she winced when Pierce struck the Soldier across the face, hard. This time, the Soldier looked up at Gryffin and frowned.

"The man on the bridge, who was he?" Gryffin shook her head slowly, trying to tell him not to talk about it. The Soldier's eyes flickered with confusion. She shook her head a bit more rapidly, her own eyes filled with fear and worry.

"You met him earlier this week on another assignment," Pierce said, keeping his eyes on the Soldier. The latter opened his mouth to speak again, but he hesitated when he saw Gryffin's face.

"I knew him." Gryffin grimaced and Pierce sat down in front of the Soldier. "Your work has been a gift to mankind. You shaped this country, and I need you to do it one more time. Society is at a tipping point between order and chaos. Tomorrow morning we're gonna give it a push. But if you don't do your part, I can't do mine, and HYDRA can't give the world the freedom it deserves."

He didn't say which side they were tipping to.

"But I knew him." Gryffin squeezed her eyes shut as Pierce sighed and stood, turning to the scientists. "Prep him."

"He's been out of cryo-freeze too long."

"Then wipe him and start over."

Gryffin looked over at her brother then back at the Soldier who was being strapped down, and a mouthguard was being shoved in his mouth. Suddenly he was pushed back, and metal clamps held down his arms. His chest heaved heavily, up and down.

Gryffin looked away as soon as the screaming started.

Her brother and Pierce left, but she stayed behind and waited for the wipe to be over.

'He needs to remember. He needs to be free. I need to help him,' Gryffin thought as the metal contraption started to move away from the Soldier. The scientist moved forward to put him in his holding cell but she stepped forward, stopping them.

"I'll take care of it. Go take a break." The scientists looked hesitant but did as she said. Rollins looked hesitant but she shooed the guards away, saying that she had to speak with him. No one questioned her, after all, she herself was an experiment.

"Soldier. Can you look at me?" The man slowly looked up at her and his metal arm shot up to grab her throat but she grabbed it, squeezing it tightly. "Don't. Just don't. I'm here to help you. I don't care if you trust me or not, but if you do, you'll be out of this hellhole within twenty-four hours."

He pulled his metal arm back quickly as though shocked by her touch and she sat up in the stool, looking him in the eyes. In her hands, she held a picture. The Soldier looked down at it then up at her face. She was looking down at the picture, a soft smile on her face.

"Do you mind if I get a bit closer? So you can see the picture better?" He looked up at her, confused. Since when had anyone asked for permission? "No? Okay, that's alright. Here, take a look at this picture."

She turned it around so that he could see it, and he examined it, then frowned. "That's...me, and the other one, I've seen him before. I know him. Where did you get this?!"

He looked at her, his eyes flashing with fury but he stopped at the determination in her eyes. She grabbed his hands tightly in her own and looked him straight in the eye. 

"Your name is James Buchanan Barnes. You were a part of the Howling Commandos in World War 2. Your best friend, this guy," she gestured to Steve in the picture. "is Steven Grant Rogers, also known as Captain America."

James bucked away from her, the bursts of memories making his head hurt. She grabbed his head and made him look her in the eye.

"He calls you Bucky, sound familiar? Tomorrow, you are going to be sent to SHIELD to protect the helicarriers. No doubt he'll be there trying to stop you. Let him." Bucky was about to protest but she shook her head.

"I know, I know. If you don't complete the mission, they'll only hurt you. That's why I'm going to be there. I told them that if you didn't finish the mission, I would. So if we were to fail, I would get the majority of the hit. If want you to run. Hey, listen to me!"

Bucky had tried to get out of her grasp again but she maintained a harsh grip on him.

"I want you to run. As far as you can. If I don't find you within a year, you can do something else, find a job, live a normal life. But until then, be cautious. HYDRA won't want to loose you quickly. No doubt the Captain will go looking for you. So you have to be careful. Don't let him stop you from being free. You've been captured for too long."

She stood up, and started to head out but Bucky spoke up, stopping her. "How long is long?" She turned to look at him, a sad look in her eyes.

"70 years, Sergeant Barnes."

And with that, she left.

~Sarah