Winter's Redemption [winter soldier//Bucky Barnes AU]

Chaper Two

BUCKY'S POV

Hollow. Empty. Broken. Three words to describe how I have felt since I took the plunge off of the train, so many years ago.

I feel so, so lost. I can't describe the awful feeling of hopelessness that is clawing at my stomach. I have nowhere to go, nothing to do, except avoid death, and I don't even know who I am. I'm a blank space on a piece of paper, a space that once had words but has long since been erased.

Just trying to retrieve these long forgotten memories is like sticking a red hot iron into my ear. A searing pain rushes to my temple every time, blacking out my vision and causing me so much pain that I have no choice but to stop. It kills me to know that I am unable to remember anything of my past life, a time where I might've been happy. Right now, happy is a foreign term, and I don't think I could define it if I tried.

How I longed for something that would allow me to properly define it.

All these thoughts were clouding my brain as I trudged through the thick underbrush of the woods, unable to stop staring at the blood that had now dried to my hands. Most of it was not my own. Most of it was Steves, whom I left lying on the shore of the river. I am not sure why I saved him. But I got a knot in stomach when I think about what would've happened if I didn't.

I wasn't sure what, or who, I was looking for at this point. Maybe just a place to sleep, for now, and possibly some food. I couldn't for the life of me remember how to get either.

But luckily I ran into an old house in the woods about a mile into my walk. It was dilapidated and certainly in need of some care, and pieces of the exterior paint were peeling off in chunks, but it would be enough for me right now.

So I broke in, and was met with a surprisingly habitable interior. It appeared as though the weathering that had torn apart the outside had yet to reach the inside, and for that I was thankful. I took a quick look around the downstairs, ensuring the absence of any people or wildlife, and then headed upstairs, collapsing on the bed in a fit of complete exhaustion.

-

STEVE'S POV

"Hey JARVIS, can you let us in, buddy?" I asked. We stood outside of Stark tower, which was basically a glorified bachelor pad for Tony I-have-a-long-term-girlfriend-and-a-career-but-I'd-rather-party, Stark.

"Of course, Captain Rogers." JARVIS replied immediately, opening the doors for us.

Sam, Nat and I stepped into the lobby, only to be greeted by an angry Tony Stark.

"Can someone please explain to me what's going on? I'm gone for one week. ONE WEEK. And suddenly S.H.I.E.L.D. has fallen, Fury is dead, there's a new terrorist group called Hydra on the loose, and Cap was almost killed by some guy with a metal arm?!" Tony ranted, his arms crossed. I rolled my eyes and took a deep breath. Dealing with Tony is incredibly difficult.

"Tony, calm down. I'll explain everything when we get inside, alright?" I replied calmly, raising my eyebrows and daring him to challenge me. He just narrowed his eyes at Sam, who was standing on my left.

"Who are you?"

Sam paused for a second, glancing at me, before replying.

"Sam Wilson."

Tony looked him up and down, very clearly judging him, before glancing back at me.

"I'll have Pepper get you settled. And you had better tell me everything."

----

Once we told Tony what happened, he had calmed down a bit. Apparently he no longer cared much about the looming threat of Hydra, and instead focused on the glass of liquor he held in his hand. Typical Stark. Also a lot like his father.

"Sounds like you guys handled it pretty well. I've been through hell myself lately. A couple months ago, I was threatened too. I know I know, surprise, right? They destroyed my suit, leaving me abandoned in some run down town. They created humans with....unnatural, I guess, abilities. They turned Pepper into one of those things. She's all I got. Luckily, I managed to save her in time." He looked up at me. "But you just found out your best friend is still alive. And he's the only one from your past that isn't dead or old. I can't imagine how awful that is."

"Yeah it's not great. Glad to hear that you are ok," I said, "but I came here to ask a favor. I need you to help us track Hydra, and maybe find Bucky before anything else happens to him."

He nodded. "I can help with that. Let me see what J.A.R.V.I.S. can gather."

Tony stood up and went over to one of his several computers. He began typing vigorously, and Natasha peered over his shoulder. Me and Sam went to the kitchen and ate some of what Pepper had prepared, both to be polite and to fill our empty stomachs. Half an hour later Tony called us over.

"Well, I didn't find Bucky or Hydra, but I did find some of our own."

I looked at the monitor. On it were several pictures of a group of six S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in what looked like a bunker. Suddenly I caught sight of someone, and my eyes tripled in size.

"Wait a minute. Is that...is that Coulson!?" I asked, bewildered by the sight before me. There's no way that was him. Nat and Stark looked at the monitor, their eyes widening.

"Oh my god. It's Phil." Nat murmured, clearly a little weirded out. "Wait. Tony where did you get these files?"

Tony looked at the top of the screen.

"It says it's from Director Phil Coulson."

--