The Secret Soldier

Chapter 5

Years passed, about seventy, before the mutiny. I was in my room, freshly woken for another mission. Bucky had just gone into hiding somewhere in Romania, and they wanted me to go back and get him, "Bring him home," they said. Only, I find out that he was with the goddamn Avengers. 

I figured I would need some rest if I was going to take them down, so I headed to my room for a long ass nap, before I had to leave. I was nearly asleep when I heard gunshots. The range was across the compound, no way I would have been able to hear them unless they were in the same hallway as me. 

Turns out, they were. 

I got up, already dressed in my mission gear. Something big was happening, I could feel it, so I armed myself to the teeth, hiding weapons anywhere I could, until every pocket and crevice was filled. 

Someone, or multiple people were walking around, knocking on doors, yelling for people to get out and save themselves. Sometimes they would, other times I heard fights ensue, and sometimes bodies would drop in front of the window slot in my door.

They made their way closer to me, and I stepped away form the door, holding up my gun as a familiar voice began to yell. "We aren't here to hurt you! You can come with us, if you want, or run, we don't care. Just get out, the building is about to be on fire!" My door opened to reveal my best friend, in all his blond glory, although he was a bit taller than I remembered. By about a foot and a half. 

"Max?" I kept my gun raised as he moved into my room, his red white and blue suit and shield making me want to laugh. "His eyes filled with tears that he quickly wiped away. "They took you too? Come on, we need to go." He waved his hand and I followed, nodding. 

I didn't want to talk to him, or let him know that I still remembered him. It would be harder that way, but better for the both of us. I could leave, and get on with my life as I always wanted to. But this is Steve we're talking about, so of course that didn't happen. 

He led me outside, never letting me out of his sight, or stray too far form him when I needed to shoot someone. We fought our way out of the building that had caught fire during our escape. I was on high alert, looking out for anyone I knew so I could shoot them, especially that man. The man. 

Steve led me out the back entrance, back to a Jeep, a woman with bright red hair waiting for us. "C'mon, Cap. It's about damn time." She said, starting the Jeep as I climbed into the back. "Who's this?" He shook his head and she shrugged, driving us away from the place I had called home for nearly seventy five years. 

I watched as it went up in flames before finally exploding, the heat reaching my cheeks, despite how far away we were. At some point in our escape Steve must have fallen asleep, giving me the perfect opportunity to inspect him, see how he had changed.

It was odd to see him, alive and, well, not old. It made me wonder what had happened to him for him to still be that way. His shoulders had broadened, filling in with muscle, something he never had growing up. Perhaps that's why he was always sick. His body was too small and frail, I thought. 

His eyes, even closed, gave off a general worry, as though he had been carrying the world on his shoulders for a very long time. His hair was longer, and he had stubble. When I left, his voice had barely just dropped, and even then, it had dropped even more since then. 

"You know him, don't you?" I heard the woman say. I nearly jumped, tearing my eyes away from him only to meet hers in the rearview window. "That's why you're staring so much. I'm sure he's probably changed a lot since the last time you saw him, what with the serum and all." She waved her hand, brushing her hair back from her eyes.

"Yeah. He has changed." I whispered, barely audible over the roar of the car's engine. 

"They did something to you, didn't they? You got the serum too." She commented, focusing her eyes on the road once more. I opened my mouth, but closed it again and just nodded. I knew she saw me. 

Eventually I laid down, my eyes on the stars. I couldn't fall asleep, I wouldn't. Not until I knew who that woman was, and who Steve had become. 

~~~

We drove for hours, not stopping once, until we reached our final destination. We were still in the woods, but there was a clearing, and inside it the most beautiful jet I had ever seen. It was small and sleek, the perfect thing to take us far, far away from that awful place. 

Keeping up my facade, I let the woman wake Steve up, waiting near the car. We got onto the jet, greeted by a blond man who introduced himself as Clint. He wore hearing aids. I sat as far away from the rest of them as I could, at the very back near the hatch.

"Max, why are you sitting all the way over there? Come over here. We have lots to catch up on." Steve said, grinning widely, beckoning for me to go sit by him. I shook my head, and his smile dropped. "What's wrong?" He came over, sitting by me. "Are you okay?" He put his hand on my shoulder and I lost it.

"I don't know who you are! And now you're just taking me away in the beautiful jet to who knows where for God knows what reason! Do you know what I've done? You should have just let me burn in that building like the rest of them." I said, standing up, going to the other side, forcing myself to sound hysterical and my breathing to erraticate. 

Clint smirked at the comment about his jet, while the redheaded woman raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow to my amnesia bit. Steve looked hurt, as though I had just murdered his puppy with a hammer in front of him. I didn't want to hurt him, but I needed to make sure that he stayed safe, and that meant as disconnected from me as possible, no matter how hurt it made both of us feel. 

"I'm sorry," I said. "I really don't remember. Did I used to know you?" His eyes darkened as he placed a fake smile on his lips.

"Yeah. We were best friends, along with... Anyway, yeah. We were friends. But if you don't remember, I'm Steve. I'm sure you know, but you're Max. That's Natasha, and that's Clint. They're good people. We're taking to our base in New York, okay? My friend Tony will get you all fixed up. And maybe you can see Bucky too, if you're ready for it." He smiled weakly before going back to the front to talk to Clint and Natasha. 

I sighed, sitting back down in my original seat. I wanted to tell him so badly, and when he mentioned having Bucky... my heart swelled. I felt horrible, but also grateful for a fresh start, but at the same time... All of my emotions flooded me at once, drowning me in their power. 

I fought hard to keep them all back during my time with HYDRA, and over the years I had developed some exercises to keep them at bay. I took some deep breaths, and imagined that I was all alone on an island, nobody to worry about or take care of, no strings. 

I let my face go blank and stared ahead for the remainder of the flight.