His Saving Grace

I returned to Bucky not even a minute later, briefcase in my hand. It was exactly like my med-kit back at the apartment, but a bit better stocked, since I hadn’t touched it since I made it, three months ago.

I sat it on the seat next to him and crouched down in front of him. “Bucky? How are you feeling?” I asked, making him look at me. His eyes were tired, and the bruise was highly visible now, it would be gone by morning, and the split lip was already mostly healed.

“Fine.” Bucky grunted, looking away from me and around the living room. I watched him for a moment before sighing.

“Give me your hand.” I said, and he did as I asked, giving me his left hand. I frowned at him. “The other one.” He shot me a look that I didn’t back down from, before he huffed and switched hands. I smiled at him. “Better.”

I took his hand between my own, closing my eyes and seeking out what was wrong with him. Like before, I couldn’t see anything other than his prior injuries. Arm, healed already. Jaw and lip on the way.

But I could feel something else, just under his skin.

“Bucky, what happened at that base?” I asked, a seed of worry growing in my stomach.

Bucky didn’t answer me immediately, but his eyes which had drifted shut fluttered open, fixing on me before flying away to watch something else.

“Nothing. The mission was a success.” He said, his voice cold with no emotion behind it. It made me shiver. I hadn’t seen this part of him for nearly a year. The Winter Soldier was resurfacing.

“Bucky, look at me.” I said, unable to keep the small amount of panic from my voice. I couldn’t handle the Winter Soldier. I couldn’t handle Bucky without help if he went off the deep end.

Bucky didn’t respond, his eyes fixated on something over my head. I stood, blocking his view and his cold eyes nearly froze me to the spot.

“Remember what happened, Bucky. Steve, Sam, escaping Hydra.” I said, looking him directly in the eye even though my instincts told me to run like the devil himself was after me. If Bucky lost it, it would be true enough.

Bucky didn’t move, and his eyes were clouded over. Taking the opportunity, I grabbed his hand, knowing that the metal fist that would fly at my head would hurt like a bitch. I closed my eyes, both to focus and brace myself for the pain. I ignored his injuries, going straight for his head by the time he realized I had a hold of him.

By the time his metal arm moved, I was already digging for what happened in the base. By the time his fist made contact with the side of my face, I found exactly what I was looking for.

The force from his punch knocked me to the ground, upending the ignored coffee table behind me. It broke our connection instantly, but I knew what was wrong with him, how, I didn’t know. I hadn’t ever done anything like that before, but now wasn’t the time to worry about it.

The Winter Soldier was standing, cold eyes on me. It was like he wasn’t seeing me, but it was true in a sense. He wasn’t Bucky anymore, Bucky trusted me, but the Winter Soldier trusted no one but Hydra.

With the taste of blood in my mouth, I scrambled to my feet, moving into a defensive position, my eyes flicking to the med kit that was still sitting on the couch. There was more of that tranquilizer inside, a small amount I had actually forgotten, but it would do the trick. The only problem was that it didn’t come with the wake up juice. If Hydra found us tonight, Bucky would be out of action, and I’d have to hold them all off until he woke up.

But it was our only option at this point.

The Soldier advanced on me, and I skirted around the upside down coffee table. He stopped and watched me for a moment, before moving again, quick as lightning. I barely avoided him, ducking under his arm and grabbing the syringe, holding it like I would a knife. I saw him take notice of it, but it didn’t make him hesitate.

He moved again, faster than before and I wasn’t ready for it. His punch landed on my ribs, and I could have sworn I felt at least one crack. I took a painfully deep breath before I could move, just in time to avoid a punch that would have knocked me out for sure.

I swung my foot at him, but he caught it, pulling me off balance. I jumped and twisted in the air, making him drop my foot. I landed on my feet close enough to him that I could jab the needle into his neck. He knocked me back before I could inject it all. He pulled it out and dropped it onto the ground, stepping on it and destroying any chance of getting him with more of it.

I wasn’t sure if what I had got into him would knock him out, or just make him a little groggy, but I had to hope it was enough to put him out at least for a moment.

He continued to move towards me, so I did the one thing that would help me, and possibly tire him out enough that he’d snap out of it.

I bolted.

He followed after me, and I barely avoided a grab. I launched myself up the stairs, three at a time, nearly feeling his breath on the back of my neck. I jumped onto the landing, sprinting for one of the bedrooms. The Soldier was right behind me, close enough to tackle me over the bed, and into the wall under the window. We hit with a solid thud and I felt my head connect with the wall. Black spots dotted my vision for a moment, and my ribs screamed at me, but I couldn’t just lay there.

I rolled over, grabbing a handful of the Soldier’s hair. I slammed his head against the wall hard enough to make him feel it, and again when his metal hand wrapped around my throat. It took four times before his grip loosed around my neck, and I could barely see what was around me.

The Soldier slumped, eyes rolling back inside his head. He fell forward, crushing me with his weight, but he was out. I pushed at him until I could crawl out from under him, breathing heavily despite my ribs, back against the bed as I watched him.

What I found inside his head scared me.

One of the Hydra agents shot him with something. Not anything to kill him, thankfully, but something new. How were they still experimenting when they should be in a state of panic? How were they doing it? And who were they testing it on?