' ' Perfect Enough To Break ' '

Sword Of Untold Truths

Bucky

The room was too bright for the mood that hung in it.

The kind of light that made everything look cleaner than it really was. The kind that didn't belong in war talk.

Steve stood at the head of the table, arms folded, that steady tone of his trying to pass as calm authority — but I could see the tension in his jaw, the way his fingers twitched against his bicep.

"Okay," he started, eyes sweeping over the table, "today we're going after the Sword of Untold Truths."

He said it like a mission, but the room felt like a confession booth.

I leaned back in my chair, arms crossed, jaw tight. I'd heard about the sword — an ancient artifact rumored to curse its victims with endless bleeding until they confessed something they'd never said out loud. Not exactly something you wanted HYDRA to get their hands on.

Steve went on. "The sword's being held somewhere in Prague. unaware of the swords power. HYDRA's already been spotted in the area. We can't afford for them to reach it first."

I nodded, silent. HYDRA. That word still carried the metallic taste of my past.

Steve hesitated for half a second before adding, "But... there's a change of plans. We're not all going in this time."

That got my attention. My head snapped up. "What do you mean?"

Tony, who'd been lounging in his chair like he didn't care, raised a brow. "Means it's a one-man show, Tin Man."

I frowned. "Who's going?"

Steve's eyes met mine, and for a second, I knew the answer before he even said it.

"You," he said simply.

The room went still.

I let out a short, bitter laugh. "You want me to go alone?"

Sam leaned forward, hands clasped like he was trying to look casual but couldn't hide the edge of curiosity in his tone. "Relax, man. We'll be nearby — backup only if things go sideways. Think of it as... trust-fall training."

"Funny," I muttered, but my pulse had already started to quicken. "Why me, though?"

It was Tony who answered first, pushing his chair back with a scrape. "Because HYDRA's not stupid. They're going to send their best too." His voice dropped slightly, tone turning sharp. "And we both know who that is."

The name didn't have to be said.
I felt it anyway — a weight behind my ribs.

Steve exhaled softly, crossing his arms again. "We think Sova might be there."

There it was. The knife in my gut.

The name echoed around the table like a ghost — unspoken reactions slipping across faces. Natasha's eyes flickered up, a small shift in her expression that said she understood. Tony's jaw tightened, Sam went quiet for once, and Steve just looked... sad.

I swallowed hard. "You think?"

"Pierce has been moving pieces again," Steve said. "We've tracked chatter that she's back on active HYDRA operations. High-level. The kind that means they trust her again."

"She made her choice," I said automatically.
But my voice came out rougher than I meant.

Steve looked at me like he didn't buy it. "And you still think she's there because she wants to be?"

I didn't answer. Because I didn't know.
Because the image of her — the last time I saw her — was burned into me.
Her expression when she looked back, the faint tremor in her jaw before she turned away.

Natasha spoke next, voice quieter, less clinical than usual. "If she's there, it won't be the same woman we met at the gala. HYDRA breaks people differently. You know that."

I did. I knew it better than anyone.

Tony sighed, leaning back again. "So, let's call it what it is — Barnes versus HYDRA's golden weapon. The past versus the present. Symbolic, poetic, tragic — pick your flavor. Just bring the sword back in one piece."

Steve shot him a look. "Enough." Then his eyes met mine again, and his voice softened. "You don't have to do this, Buck. I'll find another way if—"

"I'll go."

The words came out before I could stop them.

Steve hesitated, his mouth pressing into a thin line. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah."
I looked down at my hands, the faint tremor I tried to hide.
"I owe it to her. Or maybe I just owe it to myself."

No one said anything after that

Steve's voice broke the silence. "Gear up. We leave at dawn."

Everyone started to stand, chairs scraping the floor — but I stayed seated for a beat longer, eyes fixed on the flickering hologram of the warehouse.

If she's there, I thought, I'll find her.

"Let's see who breaks first..." I whispered to myself like a secret