Avenger Arising → Bucky Barnes [3]

16|HER

Bucky awoke to the sound of loud breathing that was his own. It was heavy. He listened, still trembling. His body was cold, almost frozen, and it had taken him a few moments to really adjust to his surroundings. He was strapped to a bed, with multiple things attached to his body. He couldn't move his legs or feel his body. He only had one arm. Though his eyes were open, he couldn't think of why; his heart was pounding, mind empty. It was as if a hypodermic of adrenaline had been emptied into his brain. Then he remembered falling off the train and the sharp, bitterness of the wind in his face as he fell to his death.

Or what he thought was his death.

Was it possible that the SSR had went after him the moment he fell? Was he saved? His heart jolted with hope and Bucky's mind went to Ally. He knew that Ally would walk through those doors any moment now, crying with joy since he wasn't dead. He began to come up with jokes about only having one arm, knowing Steve and Ally would find them funny. His chest raised and fell softly, he had finally calmed down. In the last moments before he fell, he couldn't imagine leaving Ally alone. Her family was dead. She was fighting in a war that she never wanted to be apart of and he was so very proud of his girl. Leaving her was the worst thing he could ever imagine.

The metal door creaked opened and he tried to sit up. "Relax Mr. Barnes," a voice had told him. "Everything is going to be alright."

He squinted his eyes before all hope drained from his fast. "Zola?"

"We meet again," he reached over and fixed the straps on Bucky's wrist. "We will be spending lots of time together so I want to make your stay as comfortable as possible."

Bucky used as much force as possible to break the straps covering his wrist, reaching over and swinging at Zola. Zola fell back a few feet, blood drawing from his nose. Multiple HYDRA agents followed in after Bucky's attack, aiming their guns at the weaponless man.

"Easy Mr. Barnes," Zola warned. "I don't want these men to shoot you."

"I do," Bucky seethed. "But then I wouldn't get to see your face when Captain America and the Alchemist come for me."

Zola began to laugh. "You have been proclaimed dead for over twenty-four hours now, you even made headlines in America."

Bucky felt his face get hot. "W-what?"

"Come now, you don't actually believe that your sweetheart would come for you?" Zola questioned.

"You better stay away from her, you hear me?" Bucky snarled. "I'll kill you myself!"

"No need to kill me, I'm just here to better you," Zola began to exit the room before turning to Bucky once more. "I'm sure the Red Skull will have her dead by noon tomorrow."

In his intensity, he somehow screamed with his whole body. His eyes wide with horror, his mouth rigid and open, his chalky face gaunt and immobile, his fists clenched with blanched knuckles and the nails digging deeply into the palms of his hand. He had never wished more than anything that he had just died when he fell.

—

"We gotta go. That guy's probably in Siberia by now."

Steve looked over at Bucky, nodding his head. "We gotta draw out the flyers. I'll take Vision. You get to the jet."

"No, you get to the jet! Both of you!" Sam radioed in. "The rest of us aren't getting out of here."

"As much as I hate to admit it, if we're gonna win this one, some of us might have to lose it." Clint agreed.

"Hey Clint, can you write that down somewhere so I can get it tattooed somewhere?" Clara responded to the transmission. "Sounded dramatic."

"This kid has your attitude Ally," Clint laughed. "But I don't have time for attitude right now if we're gonna win."

"You got that right," Sam said. "This isn't the real fight, Steve."

"Alright, Sam, what's the play?" Steve questioned.

"We need a diversion, something big!"

"I got something kind of big, but I can't hold it very long," Scott explained. "On my signal, run like hell. And if I tear myself in half... don't come back for me."

Bucky's eyebrows furrowed. "He's gonna tear himself in half?"

"Are you sure about this Scott?"

"I do it all the time. I mean once... in a lab. Then I passed out." Scott told his team. "I'm the boss..."

Clara looked at Steve from across the courtyard. "What the f—"

"When did you become so mouthy Clara?" Steve turned to Bucky. "You can't possibly be rubbing off on her already."

Bucky shrugged in response. Suddenly, Scott grew into a towering behemoth and grabbed War Machine's leg. Steve looked at his surroundings. "I guess that's the signal."

"Way to go Tic Tac!" Sam cheered.

Scott kicked a bus toward T'Challa. Vision descended and braced himself, splitting the bus in two and protecting T'Challa from the impact. T'Challa has spotted Steve, Clara and Bucky sprinting past everything. Ally climbed on top of a bus to scout everything. She had a choice now. Stay and fight or leave with them, to help end more people who were like the Winter Soldier.

"We have this fight Ally," Valerie yelled at her. "Go with them."

Wanda sent something flying, before turning towards Ally. "Natasha is heading there now, you need to get there before she does."

"You wanna get to them... you gotta go through me!" Scott swept his gigantic foot through the crate T'Challa was standing on, smashing them to pieces. "Go with them Doctor Jones!"

She nodded once before jumping down and sprinting after Bucky, Steve and Clara. It was almost a race it seemed. If Tony wasn't so egotistical then maybe, just maybe, he'd listen to her and hear Bucky's innocence. She was determined to help stop whatever evil was brewing in Siberia but proving that Bucky was just a lost man seemed more important. In her heart she knew that everything she ever did came back to Bucky. She loved him. She had never stopped, and everyone knew that she'd kill them herself if they tried to go after him.

—

In her heart she knew that everything she ever did came back to Bucky. She loved him. She had never stopped, and everyone knew that she'd kill them herself if they tried to go after him.