Immortal

Part 8 - But I Knew Him

It took me days to convince myself there had to be a mistake no matter how many times they explained it to me over and over again.

And there was that feeling again; that this wasn't a coincidence and that all along somehow I was meant to see him again... but surely this would be impossible? He'd be in his nineties - then again I can't say much about age considering my own history.

I did a lot of digging. I did a lot of research. Tony had left contacts for me; a Dr called Bruce who was nearly as brainy as Tony had been and the kid called Peter who turned out to be more of a whizz with technology than anyone else he had known. They came in handy.

With as little detail as possible as to my current job, I explained my predicament to them and told them it was important to me to know who had hired me - anonymity be damned - and if Steve was really alive. Once those two things were answered I could move on to making him safe.

"Mr Sol... the people who hired you to kill Mr Rogers were the people who made you. It's HYDRA." Peter couldn't have been more polite if he had offered me tea and cookies.

Still, it really didn't surprise me that this entire 'thing' that is my life had come around full circle and HYDRA had found me after over two hundred years. I wasn't even surprised to find they were still around.

"Mr Rogers is indeed alive and well. Hasn't aged a day since he was cryogenically frozen over seventy years ago...I'm afraid I can't tell you more about why as I've been left with strict instructions."

I sighed down the phone but grunted an okay "...can you tell me where he is at least?" I was given coordinates, times, dates and buildings.

Things moved quickly and after a visit back to Stark's tower; a bittersweet moment as an aging Virginia greeted me at the door and lead me through to the lab, I was on my way with a few fun new list of modifications to my arm and some new weapons to boot. Dr Bruce was nice if a little intimidating with all the questions; Peter reminded him many times that everything was on my file but still he asked the same questions.

I marked off the places I visited with who had seen him. Where he had been. I tracked him down back in New York. Steve was still a master at slipping through everyone's nets and one of the main reasons was a name change. Steve was now Chris and was working as a mechanic at a place called "Cap's Lone-Star Garage". The image of Captain America was their 'thing'; the red, white and blue shield was part of the logo and working in the back as I rode up on my motorbike was a sight that made my heart beat faster.

Steve was stood bent over, under the hood of a large truck that looked like it had seen better days. He's as tall as I remember but I'm sure he's more built still with an ass I could bounce a quarter off of; the greaser overalls did nothing for it but I knew what was under them.

I look around and walk in noting that Steve was the only person in at all.

"I'll be right with you!" The Brooklyn accent rang through the small space and sent shivers over my skin; a strange vibration going down my left arm.

"So much for flying cars in the future, right?" I speak up then stifle a laugh as he hits his head on the propped-up hood of the car as he stands and spins to face me.

"Buc-...Sol..." he shakes his head as if clearing a thought from it and walks over. "I knew you'd find me again."

I frown a little "what were you gonna call me?" Tilting my head and stepping closer.

"Uuh...nothing it's okay." Steve smiles a little. "It's so good to see you!" He looks as though he's going to cry and I'm pretty sure I look the same; I wrap my arms around and pull him against me.

"Steve I've fucking missed you... what happened?!"

He closes the garage up and sits down with me in the back room; I want to talk and get answers but it's been so fucking long and all I want is Steve against me. We end up on a worn couch with our pants undone, his overalls pulled down as far as they'd go grinding on each other. His hands were filthy and soon so was my skin from wherever he scratched, grabbed and gripped me. His lips were heaven against my neck; he whispered random sweet bullshit while he grazed my skin with his teeth and I felt like a teenager who had snuck out to get laid; that feeling was complete for both of us when we came in our pants, still grinding against each other slowly, making out like we were the only people in the world.

"Steve baby... I need...to know what happened..." I swallow thickly and chance a look into his eyes. Steve rests his forehead against mine and nods. "...okay."

The short version goes like this; he was deployed and captured by HYDRA - weird how my life still comes back to them - he was experimented on but before they could finish doing whatever they were doing there was an airstrike and the whole place went up in a fireball. It was reported Steve was KIA when in fact he had been rescued; he was almost dead but not quite. They put him on ice and then brought him out over seventy years later.

"We're super soldiers Bucky." He whispers to me.

I blink and frown "...who...who's Bucky?" My heart is racing because I'm pretty sure I know; something in my head, in my memory, is...breaking. splitting. Unlocking?

"It's you, jerk...and I always knew we'd find each other again.."

Steve is wording things very carefully; almost like it's scripted but not. It's something he's wanted to say but it hasn't been time.

"...Punk..." I smile and watch his face. I don't know where it came from but it makes sense. "I uh... I have to go and you need to hide... somewhere. I'm meant to be killing you right now..."

Steve nods "fucking HYDRA..." he says it like there's so much more than those two words. "They ruin lives... that's all they do."

"Steve...?" Another frown because something feels so normal but so unfamiliar at the same time. "Just... watch how you go and don't do anything stupid until I get back."

"How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you..." Steve smiles and looks at me.

And just like that; every barrier HYDRA had put up in my memory, everything I had been striving to remember... hit me all at once. The last thing I remember is Steve rushing towards me as a stabbing pain drilled through my skull and then nothingness.