Chapter 23: Chapter 22: Winter Soldier
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Barry's apartment, six months ago
Night
"Tony allowed you to keep it?" Wanda said as she and Barry walked inside the apartment Barry had lived in while he was undercover.
"Yeah. And since I figured there's not a lot of privacy at the compound, we could come here if we ever just wanted to be alone. Make this our place." Barry said as he gestured to the apartment.
"A place of our own…I like the sound of that." Wanda smiled.
"I was hoping you would." Barry said with a matching smile.
Wanda's smile widened as she reached up and pulled him into a kiss.
Now
Barry groaned as he felt someone slapping him.
"Cut it out." Barry grumbled as his eyes opened.
"Barnes got the drop on you?" Sam said amused as he helped Barry sit up.
"It's not funny. My ankle still hasn't fully healed from when T'Challa cut me; it slowed me down enough for him to get the drop on me. Plus, he's a lot faster than I expected and it caught me off guard." Barry explained.
Sam and Barry got to their feet and Barry saw Steve holding the psychiatrist by the collar against the wall. As Sam walked into the room, Bucky was suddenly there. Sam dodged his fist that collided with the wall but Bucky grabbed him by the chin, throwing him into the containment unit. Bucky then turned on Barry, but this time he was ready.
Barry dodged Bucky's punch before swooping down at super sped and sending a kick to Bucky's legs, knocking off his feet. Then, Barry sped back up and grabbed Bucky by his shirt and spun around, throwing Bucky into the wall.
"Stay down Barnes." Barry told him firmly.
However, it was clear this was not Bucky, but The Winter Soldier. The Soldier stood up as Steve rushed in. Steve tried to rush The Solider but The Solider held up his metal arm and grabbed Steve's fist. He punched Steve's chest and then threw Steve. Barry sped over, grabbing Steve and stopping him from hitting a desk. They looked up to see The Soldier fleeing.
"I got him." Barry said before speeding after The Solider.
Barry found The Soldier on the stairwell leading up and sped around him in a circle. Barry's plan was to stall The Soldier while he built up enough charge for a lightning bolt. However, The Soldier reached out his metal arm and somehow managed to grab hold of one of Barry's. He bent it back roughly and Barry cried out in pain as he heard a loud snapping sound and pain shot through his arm. The Soldier then punched him and threw him into the wall. The Soldier fled as Barry held his broken arm, Steve rushing up.
"Are you okay?" Steve asked as he saw Barry, hesitating.
"Fine, go after him," Barry said as he held his wounded arm, "I'm no use with a broken arm. Go!"
Steve hesitated only a second longer before standing up and going after The Soldier. As Steve left, Barry pulled out his cell phone with his good arm. He dialed a number he knew by heart and put it to his ear.
"Barry?" Wanda answered.
"Tell me you haven't signed The Accords yet." Barry all but begged.
"I haven't." Wanda assured him quickly and Barry breathed a sigh of relief.
"Good, don't. I wanted you to choose what do, but if you sign these Accords, it will be the last free choice you ever make. If you sign them, you might as well be back in Sokovia. Promise me you won't sign them." Barry pleaded.
"I won't," Wanda immediately promised, "Barry, what is going on?"
"I love you. No matter what happens, I want you to know that." Barry said his voice thick with emotion before he hung up, not waiting for her to respond.
Barry then vibrated his hand so it was hard enough before squeezing his phone. It shattered into a million pieces and Barry opened his hand, letting the pieces fall to the ground. He wouldn't be using it anymore and no one could use it to track him.
Unspecified location
Later in the afternoon
After Barry had met up with Sam, the two had gone to where Steve had requested them to meet him, an abandoned warehouse. While Sam stood guard over Bucky, Steve tied Barry's broken arm up with a cloth, making a makeshift sling.
"You sure this will do?" Steve asked as he stood back.
"I just need a few hours to heal. I'll be good as new in about four hours." Barry quickly assured him and Steve nodded.
"I'm sorry." Steve began but Barry held up his hand.
"Not your fault Steve, it's not his either. It's the psychiatrist, who I'm guessing is not even a psychiatrist." Barry said and Steve nodded.
"Fair guess." Steve agreed.
"All this just to get to Barnes, why?" Barry wondered and Steve sighed.
"Hopefully, he'll be able to tell us when he wakes up." Steve said as they looked over to the unmoving Bucky on the floor.
"What were you and Tony arguing about before shit went down?" Barry asked and he saw Steve hesitant. "Not liking the look on your face Steve. What's going on?"
"Tony has Wanda under lockdown at the compound." Steve said carefully and waited for Barry's reaction
"He what?!" Barry exclaimed as he jumped up. "I swear to god, I'm gonna kill him."
"No you're not." Steve said knowingly.
"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Barry demanded.
"Because I didn't think you attacking Tony in front of dozens of government agents was going to help our cause." Steve explained.
"That's…fair." Barry started off angry but needed sheepishly.
"I reacted the same way. Tony was trying to convince me to sign, saying he could amend The Accords later and I was almost on board until he mentioned Wanda. Every time I think he's seen the right way." Steve sighed.
"Tony was playing you Steve," Barry said and Steve looked confused, "I've grown up around cops and lawyers and I've worked with them for years. Tony already signed The Accords, the UN has no reason to change their mind about them and Tony has no leverage to get them amended. Tony would know that, he was just trying to get you to sign."
"Cap, Barry!" Sam called out.
The two looked over to see Bucky was awake. They made their way over to the pair as Bucky zeroed in on Steve.
"Steve." Bucky said.
"Which Bucky am I talking to?" Steve demanded.
"Your mom's name was Sarah…you used to wear newspapers in your shoes." Bucky said as he started laughing.
"You can't read that in a museum." Steve noted.
"What, just like that we're supposed to be cool?" Sam demanded incredulously.
"What did I do?" Bucky asked as he eyed Barry's wounded arm.
"Enough." Steve said simply and Bucky moaned.
"God, I knew this would happen. Everything Hydra put inside me is still there. All he had to do was say the goddamn words." Bucky grumbled.
"Who is he?" Steve asked.
"I don't know." Bucky said.
"People are dead Barnes!" Barry snapped.
"The bombing, the setup, all just to get ten minutes with you. I need you to do better than 'I don't know.'" Steve said firmly and Bucky thought for a moment.
"He-he wanted to know about Siberia. Where I was kept. He wanted to know exactly where." Bucky said.
"Why would he want to know that?" Steve inquired.
"Because I'm not the only Winter Soldier." Bucky explained to their shock.
"I'm sorry, what now?" Barry demanded, desperately hoping he had misheard.
"In 1991, Hydra acquired five samples of an exact duplicate of the Super Soldier serum," Bucky said, looking pointedly at a pale Steve, "They injected five people with it."
"Who were they?" Steve demanded.
"Their most elite death squad. More kills than anyone in Hydra history, and that was before the serum." Bucky explained.
"They all turn out like you?" Sam demanded.
"Worse." Bucky said grimly.
"Could the doctor control them?" Barry asked.
"Enough." Bucky said grimly.
"He said he wanted to see an empire fall." Steve noted.
"With them he could do it," Bucky said, "they can assassinate, infiltrate, destabilize. They could take down an entire country in one night and you'd never see them coming."
Steve looked over at Barry and Sam and they got the message. They stepped back, having a more private conversation.
"This would have been a lot easier a week ago." Sam pointed out.
"If we call Tony-" Sam began.
"He probably wouldn't believe us. And even if he did-" Sam continued.
"On the chance of that big if, The Accords won't let him help." Barry said grimly.
"We're on our own." Steve said grimly.
"Maybe not," Sam said and they both looked at him, "I know a guy."
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