Wolf Like Me • Bucky Barnes

chapter one

It's always a thrill meeting a new client. Someone who's in need of some extra help and has chosen me to do the honours.

Only, today's new client didn't choose me.

So, this will be interesting.

I take a seat at my desk and pull my new clients case file out of my bag, looking through it for only the thousandth time.

James Buchanan Barnes.
Born: March 10, 1917.

Like I said; this is no ordinary client.

Mr. Barnes is 106 years old. Yet he doesn't look to be any older than mid thirties.

How?

Barnes was a Sergeant during World War ll and an excellent marksman.
During the war, Barnes was believed to have been killed in action, January 1945. Thrown from a train travelling through the Austrian alps.
Sergeant Barnes survived but was taken by the secret terrorist organisation; HYDRA.
Barnes was injected with Super Soldier Serum and fitted with cybernetic arm, after losing own arm in fall.

Barnes was then experimented on, brainwashed and cryogenically frozen for preservation.

Kept in cryosleep until HYDRA awakened him to perform assassinations on their behalf. They named him the Winter Soldier.

2014, Barnes' true identity was discovered by Steve Rogers. With the aid of Rogers and Avengers, Barnes was recovered from HYDRA.

The Winter Soldier laid dormant within Barnes' mind, able to be activated with a set of trigger words.
- Winter Soldier was activated in 2016, by Baron Zemo, who is currently in custody.

Barnes spent 2016-2018 in Wakanda-

I pause at the sight of 2018, my whole body freezing, except for my lungs as they take a big inhale exhale through my nose, before continuing.

-where he successfully received the needed treatment to release his mind from HYDRA's trigger words.

He's now free of the Winter Soldier.

Free to be James Buchanan Barnes, once again.

Well, at least once this court appointed therapy is complete.

To further my research and better prepare myself, I travelled to Washington over the weekend, to visit the Captain America exhibit displayed in The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

There was a lovely old photograph of Mr. Barnes and his best friend, Steve Rogers. AKA, Captain America. They were both very handsome men, and in this photo in particular, they were both smiling. They looked so genuinely happy, I could feel the friendship and love just looking at the image.

There was a panel dedicated to Mr. Barnes, with some extra information in his war achievements. I'd read it through three times and then fixed my eyes on the last sentence of the dedication.

"The current whereabouts of Barnes remains unknown."

Said Barnes is due in my very own office, any time now.

I take a quick look at the few photos in my file.

There's one of James from back in the 40's. He was so from the forties, with that perfect bone structure and smooth skin. Sheesh.

Another from 2016; with longer hair and stubble.

Then a more recent photo, post 'blip.'
His hair is down to his shoulders, nearly as long as mine, and his stubble, thickened to fluffy scruff.