My Name Is Bucky

девять (9)

I've been in this cage for two weeks.

That's what it was. It's a cage. I can't go anywhere. They do tests on me. They taunt me. I am nothing more but a toy to them.

The bird visits me often. He pretends to care. He will ask questions like "are they feeding you?" and "did you eat?".

Steve doesn't visit. I want to see his face because even in my madness I know him. You know that uncertain feeling you get when completing a task, but you look at a teammate or a friend and you know everything will be okay? That's what I feel with Steve right now.

If he touched me I might just have to fight him, though.

Natalia came over to my cage. She slid open the slot and pushed in food for me. I threw it into the pile of spoiled foot that accumulated in the corner. I snarled at her.

I could tell it really pissed her off that I wouldn't cooperate. But you must expect a wild animal when you treat me like a wild animal.

And I couldn't shake this uneasy feeling that HYDRA was near. They were near and watching. On the rare nights that I did sleep, I would often wake up hearing my handler's voice.

They made the smart man cancel the noise in my cage. They got sick of my screams.

The smart man came over to my cage and unlocked it. I heard the clink of the doors. Natalia looked at him. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"Cap wants to see him." He replied

"Tony, he's not stable. We're not even sure if-"

"Romanoff, I cant go against Cap. He'd tear me to pieces. Plus, we're keeping him handcuffed," he flashed a pair of glowing handcuffs, "with my latest invention. I'll monitor while in the suit. It'll all be okay."

Natalia huffed and stepped aside, watching me closely. I kicked 'Tony' in an attempt to get him to leave me alone. It didn't work.

They cuffed me and shackled my legs. They paid special attention to my metal arm, putting some sort of power drainer on it.

I was escorted by about eight people. We walked down a long, winding hallway. There were pictures of people on the wall. Portraits. Why did I know the old man with the mustache and his wife. I flinched when I saw their picture. I was guilty. I did something to them.

I remember the woman covered in blood. I didn't look at her, but I stuck my hand in the car and choked the life out of her. The man had a more violent death.

I pulled away and one of the guards shoved me forward. Steve was waiting in a large room, with two of the walls being mirrors. Most likely one way glass.

"You're treating him like a wild dog, Tony!"

The smart man stepped forward. "Listen, Rogers, I know you're living in your own little fantasy world where everything is rainbows and unicorns, but this man is a murderer. He tried to kill you. Several times, actually, in the past month. I'm looking out of you."

They stared at each other, in what if only call a battle for dominance.

"You get fifteen minutes of monitored speaking. Then he's back into his containment. Understand?"

Tony lead all but one guard away, and Steve glared after them. The guard unrestrained my legs and closed a long, gray, metal door.

There was a small table, circular in shape, that was placed in the middle of the floor. Steve look up at me, his eyes were filled with anxiety. I slowly trudged to the table and sat down. Steve sat down quickly and stared at me.

"I'm sorry for what they're doing to you. If it were up to me, you'd be walking around and interacting with everyone else. I'm sorry. Buck, I-I...I miss you."

There was a long pause of silence. He tried to look me in the eye and I did everything in my power to avoid it.

"Buck?" I glanced up. "Do-Do you remember anything?" Steve asked, his eyes frantically scanning my face for any sort of recognition.

"You," I answered shortly.

His eyes lit up with hope. "You remembered me? What about me? Or was it just me as a person?"

I nodded. "Both."

Steve smiled. "That's progress. You're on the road to recovery. How did they brainwash you? Do you know?"

My thoughts drifted back to the old couple. They had died at my hands. I scanned the room as Steve rambled. That was drilled into my head. Scan, assess, scan, assess, scan, assess, scan.

I spotted a few lockers in the corner of the room. One was slightly open and had a gun point out of it slightly.

Think before you do this. What's the plan? Get out? Shoot Steve? No. No I can't shoot Steve. But I can't be here any longer.

I waited until Steve glanced down at a glowing box and sprinted up towards the locker. I kicked it open and grabbed the gun with my bound hands.

I checked the amo. Full. I turned back around to face the only door. Steve stood up, looking shocked. I instinctively pointed the gun at him.

"Bucky," He whimpered, sounding like a lost puppy, "I can help you. It's okay I'm not going to hurt you. Put the gun down."

He was right. He wasn't going to hurt me. The only one here that was a danger to anyone was myself. I looked at Steve again. The guards would be here any minute.

Assess the situation. What's happening?
I just made a big mistake.

Fix it.

I took a deep breath and stared at Steve. We all know the problem here is me. I pressed the barrel into my temple and closed my eyes.

"Bucky, NO!"