Wakanda, August 10, 2016

Steve groaned in exasperation when there was another knock on his door. There used to be a time when people knocked twice and then left, understanding that the person they were trying to visit wasn't in or didn't want to be disturbed. God, he missed those simple days.

"Go away, Sam!" he called from the other side of the room.

"It's me."

Another groan. Steve should've suspected Bucky would seek him out. It surprised him he hadn't come sooner, having witnessed that absolute disaster with Nemesis earlier.

"Not in the mood to talk, Buck."

"Don't care," reacted Bucky. "Now open the door, or I'll kick it down."

Steve rolled his eyes. Kicking down a door in the palace of Wakanda wasn't something one just did. Not even a super-soldier could accomplish that feat, which Bucky quickly grasped, judging from the loud thump outside.

"It's vibranium, you idiot," said Steve.

"Yeah, got that." Bucky grunted. "Slipped my mind. Can you please open the door before I pull another stupid stunt? I really gotta talk to you."

As much as Steve wanted to let in the one person he could actually spill his heart to, he couldn't bring himself to get up from the floor. He may have won the battle, but it was clear Nemesis still had lots of aces to play to win this war. Every single time he believed he was finally getting through to the enigma she posed, she revealed another part of the puzzle that he now grasped was far greater than any of them could fathom. He felt utterly trapped.

Forlorn, Steve leaned back against the bare gray wall. They reminded him somewhat of the rooms in the Avenger Compound. He wondered how everyone else was doing. Barton and Lang were on house arrest, so he assumed they were okay. Yet what about Rhodes? The US Air Force Colonel had been grievously wounded during the fight at the airport in Berlin, and it pained Steve to think that had happened because of him. And what about Wanda and Vision? Were they still in France, or had they eloped to another country to keep anyone from finding them? Then there was that kid from Queens, the one in red and blue, who shot webs like a spider. Was he an Avenger now? Would Tony actually allow that?
Tony... Steve clenched his fist and hung his head at the thought of Iron Man. They'd clashed more than once during their time on the team, but they'd always had each other's back. There had never been a single moment when Steve hadn't been certain Tony was right there with him, fighting the fight. But that was all in the past now. 

Sokovia had changed everything. And as much as Steve wanted to deny it, Helmut Zemo had been right — the Avengers may have saved some of the people, but where had they gone afterward? Had they stayed to help and organize aid, things might have been different. Perhaps, if Zemo had seen they stood with Sokovia in their sorrow, he wouldn't have been hellbent on vengeance for the death of his family. Bucky wouldn't have been used to kill King T'Chaka, and he and Tony wouldn't have been pitted against each other. Vienna, Berlin, Siberia...
No. Nothing could have prevented that last one. Maybe it wouldn't have been in Siberia, but Tony learning the awful truth about his parents' death had always been inevitable. And that still put Steve between him and Bucky, resulting in the same outcome. 

Thinking about his childhood friend suddenly made Steve realize how silent it was on the other side of the door. He looked up, listening carefully for the slightest motion. All stayed quiet. Steve raised a brow and pushed himself up. He walked to the panel beside the door, activating the camera. The corridor was empty. Strange... It wasn't like Bucky to give up that easily. And where was Sam? The Falcon had stayed close ever since switching babysitting duties with Widow. 
Fear clenched at Steve's heart. Did something happen? Did Nemesis get out again? Were his friends in trouble, fighting for their very lives, while he was in here moping? Steve quickly changed the feed to the live security footage from her cell. She was still there, sitting on the floor with her head down. 

Suddenly, a shadow swept over the wall. Steve barely had time to turn around as the window shattered without warning. He dove for cover, instinctively looking for his shield, cursing when he remembered he didn't have it anymore. Making himself ready to face his attacker with his bare hands, Steve raised himself to his full height with his fists up. His arms and mouth dropped when he recognized the person lying in the middle of the room, surrounded by broken glass. 

"Bucky?"

"Hi." Bucky groaned. "Little help?"

"What the hell?" Steve grabbed his friend's arm, carefully pulled him up, and steadied him. "Since when do you barge into people's rooms like this?"

"Since I can't barge in through the door like I usually do. Though, in my defense, I warned you about me pulling another stupid stunt." Bucky brushed some pieces of glass off. "Damn Falcon. I told him not to spin that hard."

Seeing another shadow pass over the floor, Steve hurried to the window. Sam had his propulsion wingsuit on and was already flying back to where Natasha and Shuri were standing on the overlook one floor down. He saluted Steve right before he landed behind the women. 

"Nice to see you're getting along," jabbed Steve, annoyed at this blatant intrusion of privacy. 

"Pfft, hardly," said Bucky with a scoff. "What's going on with you? Why did ya lock yourself in here?"

"Didn't feel like talking to anyone. I still don't, so if you don't mind?"

Steve walked past Bucky and opened his door. He waited for his friend to get the hint and leave, but Bucky sat down on the bed, clearly not intending to honor Steve's wishes. Frustrated and exhausted, he sighed and leaned against the doorframe.

"Buck, please," he pleaded. "Not now. I know you're here to make me feel better after what happened with Nemesis, but I really don't wanna get into it."

Without uttering a word, Bucky pulled Evelyn's journal from the waistband of his pants and held it up. Steve shut the door. He stared at the diary for a few seconds and then went to sit beside Bucky. He took the journal from him, opening it where the marker was. His eyes widened with every sentence. 

"Oh, my God... She got through. Bucky, she got through to you! She broke HYDRA's programming! We can use this to help you! This is huge, this is..."

His words caught. He got so excited he hadn't noticed how Bucky kept his head hung low, hiding his face behind a curtain of brown hair. His body held a light tremor, and his fist, resting on his knee, was clenched so tightly his knuckles were white. 

"Bucky?" Steve put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, you okay?"

"No." The voice replying was drenched with anguish. "I remember, Steve."

"Remember what?"

Bucky raised his head. The tears brimming in his eyes were threatening to fall at any moment. Cold sweat trickled down Steve's neck. Dear God in Heaven, no...

"Buck, what do you remember?" he asked anxiously.

"You... You were right, Steve. I was in love with her."

Relief washed over Steve. Relief... and devastating sadness. It wasn't what he feared, but rather what he had always wanted — his best friend and his sister. To know now that maybe they had been together secretly after all... 

"I... I was... in love with her." Bucky's voice broke. "I... I loved... God, Evelyn..."

The journal dropped between them as Steve drew his friend and brother closer, hoping to offer some comfort and solace. But nothing could lessen Bucky's grief. And the diary's impact on the floor didn't resonate nearly as loud as the words on the paper.

𝙸 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚜. 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞! 𝙽𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚆𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚂𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚛, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝙹𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝙱𝚞𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚊𝚗 𝙱𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚜. 𝙾𝚞𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔. 𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝙸 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚞𝚖𝚙𝚑. 𝙱𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚒𝚏 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚎 𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚗𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛 𝙷𝚈𝙳𝚁𝙰'𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚢, 𝚠𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚍𝚒𝚎. 𝚂𝚘 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙸 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚍𝚘. 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚊𝚢, 𝚒𝚝 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚜 𝚖𝚢 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞, 𝙱𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚢. 𝙷𝚊𝚍 𝙸 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚍𝚘 𝚝𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞, 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚘𝚏 𝚞𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚔𝚜... 𝚠𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚍.

***

HYDRA base - Siberia, April 25, 1946

Evelyn stared at the man before her, wide-eyed and tongue-tied. She did it. The song — their song — woke him up! James was back! 

"Сестра, что это? Это Солдат?"
(Nurse, what is it? Is it the Soldier?)

Her head jerked toward the guards at the door. One already came towards her, rifle at the ready. Evelyn's heart jumped. Her mind raced. They couldn't see James like this. She had to get them out of the room.

"Привиди Николая и предупреди доктора Зола. Скажи им обоим срочно прийти," she ordered.
(Get Nikolai and warn Dr. Zola. Tell them both to come here at once.)

The guard halted and glanced back at his buddy. 

"Blondie, what the hell is happening here?" asked James, clumsily pushing himself up on the makeshift bed. "Dammit, why can't I...? My arm... W-What is this?"

Evelyn jumped in front of him, shielding James from the guards as their attention returned to her and the man they still believed to be the Winter Soldier. Under no circumstance could they suspect anything else! It was a freaking miracle they hadn't heard him speak English. 

"Чего ты ждёшь? Оба, ведите Николая и Золя!" she yelled.
(What are you waiting for? Both of you, get Nikolai and Zola!)

"Одиниз нас должен остаться для —"
(One of us has to stay for —)

Evelyn cut the man's objections off with a snapping, "Сейчас же!"
(Now!)

Both sentries raced out at her insistent tone, one shouting at the other to find Zola in the lab while he went to get Nikolai. Evelyn didn't waste another second. She spun around as soon as the running footsteps died and hurried over to James. Putting one hand over his mouth to keep him quiet, she cupped his face with the other.

"Ssh, it's okay. I'm here, you're okay. Bucky, you gotta stay calm. Can you do that for me? Stay calm, please."

His frantic eyes locked with hers. It struck Evelyn she'd called him Bucky instead of James, but that bit of familiarity was what she needed to utilize. Gradually, he mimicked her breathing and steadied. 

"That's it," said Evelyn encouragingly. "Easy now. Good. Bucky, I need you to listen to me. We're in a HYDRA base in Siberia. We don't have much time before the guards return, and I need to restrain you for your safety and my own. Ya can't struggle, understand?" 

He nodded. Evelyn removed her hands from his mouth and face and moved down to tie up his right arm first. "You lost your arm after you fell from the train on that mission in Austria, now a little over a year ago," she continued to explain. "That's when HYDRA found you. You're Zola's special experiment."

"Zola?" James lay still, his eyes following her movements as she restrained his waist next. "What did that bastard do to me?" 

"He gave you his own version of the super-soldier serum. They're calling you the Winter Soldier and are using you to hunt down and kill certain people, equipping you with a titanium arm to make it easier. It's how Stark and Carter got wind of your survival. I've been here undercover for a few months now, but this is the first real shot I've had of reachin' you. You're normally kept in cryo, but you were severely wounded on your last mission, and I insisted ya needed time to heal first. Didn't think you'd be takin' three days to wake up, though."

Finally, after making sure James was completely secure, right down to his ankles, Evelyn looked back up at his face. The awe in his expression made her heart quicken. It seemed like ages ago since he last gazed at her like that. 

"I can't believe you came for me," whispered James. "Thank you... Evelyn."

Her body moved on its own. She reached for his hand, gripping it tightly, and then leaned in until their foreheads touched. Their lips were mere inches apart. Tears stung in Evelyn's eyes as she whispered, "Remember who you really are, Bucky. They can take the boy out of Brooklyn, but they can't take Brooklyn out of the boy. Stay strong. And wait for me to sing our song. I'll get you out, I promise."

A door slammed in the distance. Her head jerked as she heard footsteps echoing, growing louder with every step as they came closer. Bucky's fingers tried to keep hold of her, but she distanced herself from him. Shouts filled the corridor, but the loudest was the screaming of her own heart. 

"I'm sorry, Bucky." She brushed her tears away. "I'm so sorry."

"Evelyn? What are you —?"

"Желание. Ржавый. Семнадцать. Рассвет. Печь. Девять. Добросердечный. Возвращение на Родину. Один. Товарный вагон."
(Longing. Rusted. Seventeen. Daybreak. Furnace. Nine. Benign. Homecoming. One. Freight car.)

All expression fell from James' face. A shadow crossed his features. The tension left his body, and he lay evenly on the bed. Hooded eyes landed on Evelyn, sending a shiver down her spine. The Winter Soldier was awake. And not a moment too soon. 
The doors slammed open. Zola was the first to enter, followed closely by Nikolai. The blond Russian immediately rushed toward Evelyn, drawing her even further away from the one-armed man strapped to the bed.  

"Are you all right?" he asked, worry written all over his face. "Did he hurt you?"

"I'm fine, Nik," said Evelyn, a little flustered. "He was dazed when he woke up, so I had time to restrain him."

She dared to meet the Winter Soldier's icy gaze. The way he was looking at her... As if he knew what she'd done with the man he kept suppressed. He knew her secret. 

He didn't answer me, she realized suddenly. Could he be programmed to only recognize the command when spoken by Zola or other superiors? Son of a bitch, why didn't I think of that?

She waited with bated breath as Zola rattled off the words she'd spoken a mere minute ago. When he was done, the Winter Soldier stayed quiet, yet his eyes traveled from Evelyn to his maker. Zola furrowed a brow, looking back at Evelyn and Nikolai, but neither knew what to make of it, nor did any of the other scientists flocking around HYDRA's lead examiner. 

"Я жду приказаний."
(Ready to comply.)

Evelyn exhaled invisibly when the reply finally came. Once again, she remarked the Soldier's voice sounded nothing like James'. It was cold, almost mechanical. Completely dead. 

"Отчет о миссии?" demanded Zola. 
(Mission report?)

The Winter Soldier kept his mouth shut. 

"Солдат, докладывайсрочно!" Zola's round, pudgy face looked like it was about to pop at any moment. 
(Soldier, report now!)

"Доктор Зола, позвольте мне." Nikolai nudged Evelyn back to take charge of the situation and put himself between his boss and his patient. "Солдат, что ты последнее помнишь?"
(Dr. Zola, allow me. Soldier, what is the last thing you remember?)

"Кошку."
(A cat.)

Murmurs arose around Evelyn at the strange answer.

"Кошку? Какую?" tried Nikolai. 
(A cat? What kind?)

"Чёрную."
(Black.)

More murmurs, agitated this time. Evelyn did her best not to roll her eyes. These were men of science, and yet, they held onto silly superstition. Unbelievable. She looked over at Zola. The Winter Soldier's answers made little sense, so it didn't seem like he remembered the mission in Africa. Whatever had happened, they would never know the truth of it. And that crushed Zola. He slumped back against the desk, looking utterly defeated.

"Unsere letzte Chance," he muttered. "Dies war unsere letzte Chance Beweise zu bekommen. Ich werde niemals das Vibranium erhalten. Niemals..."
(Our last chance. This was our last chance to get proof. I shall never obtain the vibranium. Never...)

And a good thing too, sneered Evelyn in her thoughts, reveling in his loss.

The HYDRA scientist sighed deeply and said, "Он в этом состоянии бесполезен. Перепрограммируйте его и оставьте его в стазисе до следующей миссии." 
(He's useless like this. Reprogram him and put him in stasis until the next mission.)

Oh, no, you don't!

"Нет, он мне нужен."
(No, I need him.)

Both men turned to Evelyn as she stepped forward. One gave her a cautionary look, while the other narrowed his eyes suspiciously. 

"You raise objections, Fräulein?" inquired Zola, switching to English to keep the rest of the conversation between the three of them.

"Respectfully, I do," she said, making sure her voice held a German accent. "You instructed Nikolai to advance my trial. I wish to follow your orders, Dr. Zola, but can only do so much with a donor who is available but for such short periods of time because he is otherwise kept in stasis. I would request he remain in this room, fully restrained and under observation, of course, whilst I do what is necessary."

"What of the reprogramming?"

"I've already expressed my fear of what that may do to his body. Is reprogramming absolutely necessary at this point? He's been away for months and still answers your orders, so clearly, we haven't lost him."

Seeing Zola think nearly made Evelyn snort. She could just imagine the little wheels turning in that balding head of his. He turned to Nikolai and asked, "Your opinion?"

Evelyn pressed her lips together. Now wasn't the time to lash out at a man asking another man's assessment of a woman's point of view. 

"Perhaps," said Nikolai, musing over her words. "Though I'm not too keen on keeping the Soldier out for too long, I see some benefit in it for Nurse Roth's trial."

Thank you, Nik. 

Evelyn cranked up the heat a little. "Failure in pregnancy doesn't always lie with the woman, either. Though many shall refute my words, sometimes it's the man who is at fault. Something in the seed prevents a healthy baby. Your past test subjects conceived, true, but none carried to term, and all died. Has anyone bothered to test why? Were autopsies performed?"

Neither Nikolai nor Zola answered. They merely exchanged a glance, hoping the other could offer a reply to her question.

"Hm, as I thought," continued Evelyn. "Dr. Zola, I've warned you from the very beginning that the chances of success were very slim. My tests have proven I'm a fit candidate, but I can't say the same for the Winter Soldier because his conditions have never been the best to work with. I believe if we stall reprogramming and stasis, Lady Fortune's scales may tip in our favor."

The beady eyes behind the glasses glistened. She had him. By offering possible success after having faced defeat, Evelyn gave Zola exactly what he wanted — the prospect of glory and a future of rising further among the elite. 

"Very well," consented Zola. "Do as you must. Yet I still wish a first fertilization attempt to be made by the end of this week."

"Of course, sir." Evelyn bowed her head. 

He ordered the Winter Soldier to comply with his medics from then on and took his leave after barking at the guards to stay on duty, his lab rats following him out like a flock of geese. 

"I hope you know what you're doing, Eva," said Nikolai, letting out a sigh. 

"Don't worry, Nik. It's all going according to plan."