The Black Dahlia (Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier)

Chapter IV - Nightmares

Third Person's POV

"...It'll be fun. All you gotta do is just shine my shoes, maybe take out the trash. Come on." James Barnes said to Steve Rogers as they stood outside the smaller man's apartment after his mother's funeral; he couldn't remember where he put his key so his best friend handed him the spare one that he kept under a brick by the stairs.

"Thank you, Buck. But I can get by on my own." Steve answered while taking the key.

"The thing is...you don't have to." 'Bucky' answered before clasping a hand on his shoulder in a comforting way. "I'm with you till the end of the line, pal."

The image blurred and the scene changed completely. James Barnes was now crossing over from one side of a facility to the other taking cautious steps on a long and thick metal bar of sorts that served as a bridge between the metal platforms. The facility was self-destructing and the space a few floors under him was already completely up in flames, so if he took one false step he would meet a very painful death. When he was halfway through, the structure started to tremble as if it were about to fall, so he began to walk a little faster and just as the beam broke off completely he jumped and managed to hold on to the railing on the other side which he used to haul himself over onto the platform. He turned to see that the only way for his best friend – who stood on the other side – to cross had just fallen into the inferno bellow.

"There's gotta be a rope or something!"

"Just go! Get outta here!" Steve ordered.

"NO! Not without you!" James ardently countered, slamming his hands on the railing.

The image changed again and both men were now inside a military cargo train. James was trapped inside one of the compartments of the train fighting HYDRA agents, so far he had finished off two but he was currently having trouble with the last one because his gun had run out of ammo. Suddenly, the door of the compartment slid open and from his hiding place behind some weapon crates he saw Steve – or rather Captain America – pressing himself against a wall. When Steve realized that James had seen him he showed him his gun to let him know that he would be throwing it to him; when James nodded he threw it at his best friend who caught it effortlessly and stood up to shoot at the agent as he – Steve – charged in with his shield up which he used to knock some crates out of their places to cut the agent's path so that he had to stay on the isle he was in and James would be able to kill him.

"I had him on the ropes." 'Bucky' defended himself as the two best friends regrouped after he'd just shot the agent.

"I know you did." Steve assured him. All of a sudden Steve heard the telltale sign of a HYDRA weapon charging to fire and turned around to find the same armored agent he'd just knocked out on the compartment next to theirs, about to shoot them. "Get down!" He shouted at his best friend while pushing him behind him and holding up his shield to protect both of them.

The agent fired a shot that bounced off of the shield and not only managed to knock both men down with its force but to also blow a huge hole on the side of the compartment.

"Fire again! Kill him! Now!" Dr. Zola's voice ordered over the PA system.

The shield had tumbled out of Steve's hand as he got thrown against a wall and it landed near Bucky, who grabbed it to shield himself while he shot at the agent a few times before he fired a shot out of his weapon that threw him out of the train where he barely managed to grab onto a railing attached to its side before he fell. The shield had of course dropped out of his hand and Steve immediately shot up and grabbed it, throwing it at the soldier and knocking him out straightaway. Steve instantly removed his helmet and ran over to the edge of the hole in the compartment.