Helena Stark: A WWII Survivor

chapter eighteen: Stagger

So, five rosaries later, I find myself sitting next to a man who gives off some very gut-nervous vibes. I didn't trust him, but it's who was brought in. I looked at Bucky, but he wasn't looking at either of us.

It was something I was used to seeing him do. Whenever he was brought out of ice for another mission, he would always look like a stone wall. It was even more unnerving when I was brought out to force him to do what they wanted. He would never look at me, not until he was at his breaking point.

"Hello, Mr. Barnes," the man greeted. "I've been sent by the United Nations to evaluate you. Do you mind if I sit? Your first name is James?"

"I'm not here to judge you," the man said, and I looked at him with confusion. These aren't your typical questions. "I just want to ask you a few questions. Do you know where you are, James? I can't help you if you don't talk to me, James."

"My name is Bucky," Bucky said. 

"Tell me, Bucky," the man began. "You've seen a great deal, haven't you?"

"I don't wanna talk about it," Bucky said and I was starting to squirm. 

"You fear that if you open your mouth, the horrors might never stop," the man said before I felt a sudden pinch in my neck. 

"Hey!" I said as I stood up, but my legs were feeling like jello.

"Don't worry," the man said as he sat me back down. "We only have to talk about one."

"Bucky, don't listen to him," I said as the room spun.

"What the hell is this?" Bucky asked angrily as he struggled against his bonds. 

"Why don't we discuss your home?" The man asked. "Not Romania. Certainly not Brooklyn, no. I mean your real home."

"Get the hell away from him," I said as I stood up again and managed to jump onto the man. 

"I'm sorry, Miss Stark," the man said as he easily got me off of him and I crashed into the ground. "But there isn't anything to stop me from this."

"Don't touch her!" I heard Bucky shout as I looked up at him. 

"I won't," the man said as he opened a book. "Longing."

"No," I whispered as Bucky broke out of his cuffs. 

"Rusted," the man continued in Russian. I know those words, I learned those words. 

"Stop," Bucky begged. 

"Seventeen"

"Stop," Bucky said as he tried to break out of his prison. 

"Daybreak," the man continued as I fought to stay awake. "Furnace. Nine. Benign. Homecoming. One. Freight car." There was silence as Bucky was fully under control of the man, "Soldier?"

"Ready to comply," Bucky said, and I stopped fighting against the fog surrounding me. When I woke up again, I was on Bucky's back being carried around. I knew we were in a staircase, and I tried to move to get up, which resulted in Bucky putting me on my own two feet and dragged me along.

He had an iron grip on my arm, and it wasn't even his metal hand. We made it upstairs, only for us to be attacked on all sides. I was flung around a lot, until Bucky just hauled me back onto his shoulder to fight with both arms. "Hey!" I objected, and then my head was spinning from a sonic blast.

"Sorry, Auntie!" I heard Stark yell as Bucky put me down. But I couldn't think straight, much less get up and walk. Tony was crashing into some chairs, so I crawled over to him. "That hurt."

"He's brainwashed, what do you expect?" I questioned and then I saw him choking Natasha. "Gotta run."

"Helena!" Tony shouted after me, but he was still unsteady. 

"You could at least recognize me," Natasha gasped out and I tried pulling Bucky away. He glanced at me, and because of that missed a kick to the head from T'Challa, the cat man without his costume. I staggered back as they went at it, but Bucky ended up getting the upper hand. 

What I mean is T'Challa didn't keep Bucky on the lower level as the man dragged me with him up the stairs. "James Buchanan Barnes, could you just I don't know, stop?" I asked as I pulled against him. 

Didn't do me any good. 

T'Challa came flying in again, and Bucky was forced to let me go to defend himself. "Go!" The cat guy yelled at me, and I didn't argue as I ran down the stairs. Only problem was when I got down there, Bucky just about landed on me. 

He took one look at me before grabbing me again and tossing me over his shoulder. 

"You have to be kidding me," I said angrily as I beat against his back, but that, of course, did not affect the freakin man. We got to the roof, and Bucky magically stumbled upon a helicopter. He quickly broke off the tether and forced me inside. "Bucky, please," I pleaded. "Don't do this, you need to stop and turn yourself in." 

He, of course, ignored me.

"I had to try," I said as I tried to open the other door, but Bucky grabbed onto my arm again. I glared at him, and then I saw Steve running towards us. "You might not want help, but you're going to get it, Barnes."

The helicopter suddenly lurched, and I figured Steve grabbed onto it. However, that wasn't stopping Bucky as he guided the helicopter off the pad, but when he got there, we stopped. I looked over and saw Steve holding on, and then he pulled us back in.

Well, Bucky didn't like that since he tilted the helicopter. I held tightly onto my seat as we crashed onto the launching pad. I could hear the helicopter blades destroying everything around them as they destroyed themselves. I just hope they didn't cut Steve to shreds. When we finally stopped, Bucky punched an arm through the glass.

Normally I would think that's a good idea, but he punched through the glass so he could choke Steve, so that's not good. "Bucky, stop!" I shouted as I tried to pull him off. "He's your best friend!" 

We started to tip, and there wasn't anything I could do about it. As we fell off the ledge, Bucky's head slammed into the glass when we hit the water. 

But I was ready for it.  

I might have some whiplash in the morning, but I was still awake. Bucky was out, and so was Steve. We hit the bottom, and the water almost filled the area. I took a deep breath and kicked out the glass and pulled Bucky out. 

Steve was still passed out, so I swam to him and gave him the air I had left. When he didn't wake up, I slapped him, which did the trick. He looked at me in panic, and then started to swim up with Bucky. I followed behind him, and we broke the surface of the water. 

"Are you okay?" Steve asked. 

"We need to get out of here," I told him.

"You need to get to safety," Steve said. "You can't be dragged into this."

"As far as everyone would be concerned, I've been kidnapped," I told him with a wink as we swam to the shore.

~*~