Bound By Purpose

1991: Nick & Anthony

"Howard and Maria Stark are dead." I look up from the floor where I fell from my casket. For the first time a Stark isn't the first to greet me with hands that ease me back into reality. 

I push myself into a kneeling position. "Dead?" The man nods slowly.

He lends a hand down to me. "Agent Moore... My name is Nick Fury. Or I guess Director Fury now." Upon getting up the wave of dizziness hits me but I'm determined to stay upright in this turn of events. When I'm steady enough I let out a deep breath.

"How?" I ask. Instead of answering he lets go of me, turns his back and walks to a screen in the corner.

"I was informed of a mission you took part in during 1963. You were assigned to find intel on how far our enemies were on creating people like you." I never did see the full report on that nor did I ever check to see what was done about the knowledge I required. 

"Yes and I told them that they were close. I was informed that they would take care of it..." Nick turns to me with a concerned look.

"Howard and Maria were headed for a secure base in one of the Carolina's, to transport serum." He didn't. All those years ago when he took that last bit of Erskine's and my blood and took it, swearing it would be safe. We hid it from Peggy and swore he'd protect and make sure it was never used.

"How much of it?" I ask scrounging up the courage to step towards the man.

"We aren't 100% sure. Stark was given a free range  in nearly everything he did. The last we knew was that he was headed south to store it. Our best scientific strategists are stationed down there."

"So they were murdered then? By who?"

"We don't know. I was hoping you might be able to tell us." 

"I'm not a detective, Director."

"No but you knew Howard better than most."

"Ha. I haven't seen him in like... What year is it?"

"It's December 18th 1991."

"11 years?" I whisper under my breath, how was that possible. I shake my head, "Still I hardly think I'm capable of..." Nick walks over to a thing which I can only describe as an advanced computer, which I had seen in my previous awakening. He steps back with his arms cross as the screen begins to play a video of some sort. With caution I make my way over. Footage of a lonely road flickers in and out. Suddenly from out of frame a car comes into frame and then slams into one of the poles on the edge of the road. Two lights zoom by but within seconds are back in frame. 

I know who it is. He may be unmasked but it's still hard to make him out through the grainy footage, which explains why they need me to ID him. He moves around the car dragging Howard behind him. There's no sound but I can see the recognition in Howard's face. He kept his mask off for that reason and that reason only. I must show the recognition as well because Fury acknowledges me. "Can you confirm that this is James Buchanan Barnes?" I watch as he reaches down through a shattered window towards Maria. At this point I turn away.

"Yes, that's Bucky..." I say dead. My emotion is split between the agony of him murdering friends and the fluttering heartbeat of knowing that he is alive. What are you going to do with him."

"We have to find him first." I turn to face him. He could literally be anywhere in the world already, more than likely in the Soviet Union. 

I laugh and shake my head that this. "He could be anywhere. He's a ghost... You know my past with him during the war?" Fury nods. "I ran into him again in 63' and believe me he was not keen on being brought back... And why me, clearly the agency has grown enough by now that you have other capable agents that are just as able as me to find a man like him."