This ones going to be a little bit different. I've done this kind of thing in a few of my other one shot books. Sometimes I just really wonder what would've happened if...
What if Steve saved Bucky from falling off the train and he was on that plane with him?
Bucky hides himself behind a shelf and waits for something to happen. The longer he waits the more he doubts his plan.
That is if you can even call it a plan. Ever since that close call on the train Steve has been so over protective of him, even more over protective than Bucky was before when Steve was little.
It's driving him insane. Frequent doctors check ups, hardly letting him come on missions or out on the field. Bucky wanted so badly to help him out with today's battle. It is literally a life or death situation for the whole world. It could kill Steve.
He knows exactly what Steve is probably doing right about now and is shitting his pants at the thought of it all going wrong which it very easily could. All he wanted was to be beside his best friend backing him up. But as much as he insisted on fighting side by side with him, Steve insisted that Bucky do no more than storm the base with the rest of his army and do no more than everyone else.
Of course Bucky wasn't going to settle for that. So while they all filed in he snuck off and found the plane and hid on board.
So here he is. Waiting. Praying. Watching. Thinking. For anything to happen.
Suddenly he can hear the clanging of boots on the metal grated floor. His hand instinctively closes around the gun in his belt and he holds his breath as the footsteps get closer.
He doesn't know who it is so he has to wait and see. Finally there is a flash of red through the shadows as the red skull comes just into view between the shelves.
As he walks around the corner Bucky pounces on him without even thinking.
"What have you done to me?" He snarls in the Red Skull's ear as he presses his gun around his throat.
"Ahaha! So it worked?" The Red Skull sneers in reply.
"What do you mean?" Bucky hisses and presses the gun tighter.
"Noticed anything different about yourself boy? Higher energy? Quicker recovery? Higher speed?" He chuckles.
Bucky falters, that's exactly the kind of things Bucky has noticed since his torcher under Dr Zola.
"What are you talking about?" He insists.
"You like what Dr Erskine did to your friend Captain America?" The Red Skull teases.
"Depends. In one way it has given Steve what he's always wanted but in another way he's not my little Stevie anymore." Bucky shrugs in dry humour, never releasing his grip.
"Well I'm sorry my friend but you're going to have to start liking it, because your becoming one of us now." The Red Skull grins menacingly.
"W-what?" Bucky gasps and let's go of him.
He spins around and glares daggers at Bucky, slowly stepping towards him.
"You were the prototype of a different version of the serum and now that we know that it worked, Hydra can build a whole army of super soldiers!" He exclaims triumphantly.
"Over my dead body!" Bucky shouts and points his gun at the Red Skull but on the inside he's terrified.
He doesn't want to be like Steve is now, he never even wanted to go to war. What's going to happen to him now if he has enhanced abilities too?
His thoughts are interrupted by a huge punch to the face knocking him backwards onto the ground. Without spearing a second he's on his feet and attempting to shove the Red Skull.
Although his strength now might match his, he is nowhere near in control of or got the hang of his new abilities and it doesn't exactly work to his advantage. He ends up more or less rebounding back and the Red Skull just pushes him back down, laughing maniacally.
He stands over him, smiling evilly and places a foot on his chest so that he can't move. Bucky squirms in vain beneath him.
"You fool, you need to learn to use these abilities. Don't you see? If you let me teach you we could be unstoppable. We could do anything, especially if we can get your best friend Captain America on our side too." He explains.
"You're insane!" Bucky grunts under the pressure of his foot.
"No. I'm a genius." The Red Skull spits back.
Suddenly out of nowhere the Red Skull is thrown backwards and against the wall.
"I tend to agree with the insane concept." A familiar voice says firmly.
Bucky looks up to see an already beat up looking Steve standing there looking between the two men who were already there.
Oh god, he's always getting into fights. Bucky thinks to himself.
He quickly scatters to his feet and stands beside him.
"How did you get here?" Steve asks, his brows creasing.
"I never really was one to follow orders was I?" Bucky smirks and shrugs. "I'll explain later."
Steve looks at him pointedly but they are cut off by the sound of a Hydra gun firing up. They both turn to see the Red Skull on his feet and pointing one at them.
"You don't give up do you?" The Red Skull growls.
"Nope." Steve grunts as he immediately holds up his shield and deflects a shot giving Bucky enough time to get his gun out again.
He fires and the Red Skull dodges out of the way. Both men lunge at him and it turns into a filthy fight. There's grappling and head butting. Bucky has never seen Steve so aggressive.
Unfortunately the Red Skull manages to get a hold of the shield and hits Steve across the head with it, dazing him a little.
Soon enough though Steve lunges forward and punches him square in the jaw. As he staggers backwards he follows him and then kicks him so that he trips and stumbles against a control panel.
Bucky doesn't know what he hits but whatever it is it causes the plane to lurch downwards into free fall and sends them all flying around.
Everything that happens next is a blur. The Red Skull bumps into Bucky causing him to go flying backwards into a wall. He hits his head hard and gets stunned for a few seconds, unable to gain the ability to bring himself to move.
As he watches the scene before him he sees the Red Skull and Steve fighting as they float up on the roof. Again they are grabbing hold of each other, punching, throwing, kicking. It's nasty and all Bucky wants to do is join in but if he could just get his fuzzy vision and ringing ears to clear.
With one massive, swift kick Red Skull shoves Steve off of him and manages to crawl down a beam with his hands. He drags himself over to the control panel and flicks a switch that stops the plane from plummeting and they all sink back down to the ground. Well, Steve is somersaulting since he is still recovering from the kick.
Bucky slides down the wall and gets to his feet. He's just about to run and grab the Red Skull when he pulls out a gun. Realising that he must've lost his own gun at some point he stops in his tracks and hides behind a beam, defenseless.
"You two could have the power of the Gods!" The Red Skull yells.
"No thanks!" Bucky shouts back snarkilly.
A distracted Steve runs behind the same pillar as Bucky to hide too.
The Red Skull shoots at him and he flinches, instinctively Bucky covers him.
"Where's your gun?" Steve whispers to him.
"I don't know, must've lost it when we were fucking flying around the room do gymnastics Stevie." He exclaims sarcastically.
Steve rolls his eyes at him before peering back out from their hiding spot.
"But you wear a flag a flag on your chest and think you fight a battle of nations!" The Red Skull continues.
"Uh no I don't?" Bucky frowns in mockery to distract him as Steve makes a run for it.
It works.
"Shut up you idiot!" He yells, his rage apparent.
"Ah, that's jerk actually." He remarks.
The Red Skull growls in frustration and fires at Bucky who is distracted by watching out for Steve.
The ray shoots Bucky straight in the left arm, ripping it off.
"Ahhh!" Bucky screams and collapses to the ground in pain.
"Bucky!" Steve shouts, panicked.
"I'm okay Steve! Don't worry about me! Just finish your job!" Bucky gasps as he scatters up against the far wall in pain, clutching at the stump that should be his left arm.
"Fool." The Red Skull snickers. "You let your friendship get in the way of greatness. You could have all of this and more but you choose to stick by this stupid american patriots side."
Bucky can't help but cower away from him, overcome with pain and at a loss for words.
He takes his right hand away from his wound and immediately regrets it when he looks at it. His right hand is already covered with slick, red blood and a searing hot pain has taken over his whole left shoulder. He begins to tremble in shock.
"I have seen the future, Captain. There are no flags." The Red Skull shuns just after turning his attention and firing another shot at Steve.
"Not my future!" Steve growls as he makes a jump for his shield.
He dives and grabs his shield, hiffing it across the room at the Red Skull.
It takes him out with ease but at the same time hits the tesseract. The machine holding it starts to crackle with lightening like electricity. The pulse of bright light causes everyone to flinch away from it.
But when it dies down the Red Skull reaches for the tesseract.
"What have you done?" He gasps. "No."
Suddenly it seems to come alive in his hand. Sparks of blue light shoot out of it and it begins to hum before the roof of the plane starts to look like a galaxy.
"What?" Bucky gasps as he watches in amazement.
Then the most disgusting thing he has ever seen happens. It's like the Red Skull is being burned alive as his skin disintegrates in a purple haze emitting from the cube. Then he is sucked up into the galaxy looking space in a beam of light.
Before Bucky or Steve have time to react a wave of energy bursts through the plane. They watch as the Red Skull disappears completely and the cube falls to the floor. It burns through the metal and falls into who knows what part of the sea without them being able to do anything about it.
Immediately after it's gone Steve rushes across the room, picking up his shield on the way to helping Bucky up.
"You okay?" He asks as he slings an arm around Bucky's shoulders and lifts him to stand up.
"Oh, just cheery." Bucky grimaces sarcastically.
Steve shoots him a look.
"You didn't mean to do that did you?" Bucky grunts in agony, changing the subject to distract himself.
"Well I definitely didn't expect that to happen. I had no idea what would but that one did not cross my mind." Steve remarks as he leads Bucky to stand by the control panel, takes off his helmet and rushes over to the gears. "You don't know how to work this thing do you?" He asks, his brow furrowed in concern as he sits in the chair and looks around frantically.
"They taught us many things in training but not this sorry brother." Bucky says now serious as he realises they aren't out of trouble yet, leaning all his weight on the control panel that he is propped up on.
Pushing aside the pain, he focusses on the task at hand.
"Shit." Steve cusses under his breath. "It's headed straight for New York."
"Home." Bucky sighs. "Haven't been there in a while."
"Bucky you sit down and get that bleeding under control. I'll work something out." Steve instructs.
"No. I want to help you. That's why I came hear in the first place. No point in slacking off now." He insists sternly.
Both men look around frantically for something to do and then at the same time as they are looking out the front window it clicks.
Bucky realises that they aren't getting out of this alive.
"Steve?" Bucky asks. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sorry Buck but there's no other way." He says gravely.
"No it's y. I'd rather die for my country than have so many more people suffer. Maybe it's meant to be, I mean I already nearly died twice now right?" He tries to say as light hearted as possible. "It's okay Steve. I'm with you till the end of the line pal."
"I guess this is the end of the line for us then huh?" Steve huffs.
"Mhm." Bucky shrugs.
"I'll call in." Steve sighs. "Come in this is Captain Rogers, do you read me?" He says frantically into his earpiece.
"Captain Rogers. What is your-" A voice crackles back.
"Steve is that you? Are you alright?" A very familiar and very concerned voice suddenly interrupts.
"Peggy! Schmidt's dead." Steve explains.
"What about the plane?" She asks as if already knowing what's wrong.
"That's a little bit tuffer to explain." Steve grimaces. "Oh and one more thing. Did you know Bucky is on here?" He added turning to glare at Bucky.
"What? No! How did he get on? Why is he there?" She practically shrieks.
"I don't know why don't you ask him yourself?" Steve remarks.
"Look, I wasn't going to let my best friend get all the glory for himself was I?" Bucky shouts into the com light hearted.
Steve rolls his eyes.
"Anyway, give your coordinates. I'll find you a safe landing sight." Peggy says urgently.
Bucky shakes his head and winces knowingly.
"There's not going to be a safe landing. But I can try and force it down." Steve explains as he checks the map on the screen.
"I-i'll get Howard on the line, he'll know what to do." She begs.
Bucky can tell by her voice that she is so desperate to save them.
"There's not enough time. This things moving too fast and it's heading for New York." Steve continues.
There's a long pause and you can literally feel the heartbreak in the room.
"I've got to put her in the water." Steve eventually says.
"Please. Don't do this. W-we have time. We can work it out." She pleads. "Bucky, any ideas?"
"Sorry Peg, I've checked out all the options and this is best for everyone." He says gloomily as he clings onto the back of Steve's chair with his right hand for support.
He's starting to feel dizzy from blood loss and pain.
"Right now we're in the middle of no where. If I wait any longer a lot of people are gonna die." Steve explains sadly.
There is silence as Peggy must think things over.
"Peggy, this is my choice." He carries on.
"Our choice." Bucky cuts in. "I want the papers to know that I'm a hero too." He jokes.
"Buck, not now please." Steve turns to him and sighs.
"Right, sorry." Bucky nods quietly and turns away to give them some time to themselves.
Suddenly Steve must take the controls because the plain lurches downwards causing Bucky to stumble a little and nearly loose his footing, hissing in pain.
"Peggy?" Steve swallows.
Bucky can tell how scared and nervous he is.
"I'm here." She whispers.
"I'm gonna need a rain check on that dance." He continues.
A pang of sadness hits Bucky. Poor Steve, finally gets himself a wonderful gal and now this happens. At least Bucky has no one left to go back to.
"Alright." She sniffles.
It's clear she's crying now.
"A week. Next Saturday, at the Stork Club." She adds.
"You got it." Steve says apprehensively.
There are so many witty things that Bucky could say right now about making sure she brings a friend along for him or how he taught Steve to flirt well but he knows that now is not the time. Although sarcasm and light heartedness may be his way of coping with heavy situations it definitely isn't Steve's so he just quietly listens to their conversation.
There's no need for Steve and him to talk. They already said their goodbyes just before. Now it's his and Peggy's turn.
"Eight o'clock on the dot. Don't you dare be late. Understood?" She whimpers.
"You know I still don't know how to dance?" Steve says, his breathing rate increasing.
Bucky turns to see why and is met with a wall of white as they near the land.
"I'll show you how. Just be there." She says hoarsely.
"We'll have the band play something slow." Steve says as calmly as possible.
Listening to their conversation is actually quite nice. It's at least distracting Bucky.
He reaches forward and places his right hand on Steve's shoulder, patting it twice before leaving it to rest there, letting him know that he's there and it's gonna be okay.
"I'd hate to step on your-" He goes to carry on.
But Bucky doesn't hear anything else except an ear piercing screech as metal meets rock hard ice and he is thrown forwards, getting overcome with darkness and a sudden freezing cold.
******
A bright light invades Bucky's closed eyes and he squints as his eyes flutter open, shielding his eyes with his right hand. As his vision slowly adjusts and stops being blurry he goes to sit up but stops and gasps when a sharp pain shoots through his left shoulder.
He winces and looks down at his left arm to see that right up to his shoulder it is completely made of metal. Shiny, silver plates. Far more intricate than anything he has ever seen before.
What happened?
He lifts it slowly to examine it. He seems to have full use of it. It's a little heavy but he can move it out of his own control and even feels it when he touches it.
It must hurt because it still isn't fully healed where the metal meets skin.
He turns it over, inspecting it to see that on his upper arm is a star matching the one on the Captain America shield.
Steve.
Suddenly everything comes flooding back to Bucky.
The plane, the red skull, the tesseract, how he lost his arm... The ice.
He should be dead.
Why is he awake right now?
Then he remembers the Red Skull's words.
He's becoming one of them.
Does that mean that Steve's alive too?
"Uh, hello?" He calls as calmly as possible as he looks around the room.
It's a very simple room. With pretty much just his bed and cream coloured walls with a small dresser off to the side. Simple much like Bucky's attire; a white singlet and khaki slacks.
It only takes a few seconds for the door to open and a lady with bright red lipstick, a slick, low, blonde bun, a khaki pencil skirt and a white blouse to come into the room.
"Ah, Sergeant Barnes. How are you feeling?" She smiles.
"Um, where am I?" He asks, ignoring her question.
"You're in a recovery room in New York City. You just got moved from surgery earlier today." She says calmly.
"Where's Steve?" He presses.
"In a different room resting." She explains.
"I want to see him. Is he okay?" Bucky almost growls.
"You can't see him right now, I'm sorry sir." The nurse says becoming nervous.
"What is this thing?" Bucky asks becoming impatient as he motions to his left arm.
"I, um, I'm sorry I don't know, I wasn't part of the surgery." She stutters.
By now Bucky can tell something is up. It just doesn't feel right.
"Where the hell did this stuff come from? I've never seen materials like this before and normally when a guy looses a limb he gets nothing to replace it or at least nothing like this." He erupts, sitting up in bed.
"Mr Barnes, please calm down." The nurse begs, striding towards him.
"No! I need to see Steve!" He insists and fully gets out of bed.
He nearly falls to the floor. It feels like he hasn't stood up in forever. But after staggering a bit he gains his footing and dodges past the lady who makes a grab for him.
Running for the door he is shocked to be met by two guards dressed in black walking into the room and blocking his way. Without thinking he kicks both of them sending them flying through the wall.
That took hardly any effort and it takes Bucky a few seconds to remember about his enhanced ability.
Not waisting time he leaps out over the pile of fresh rubble and over the two men.
"Sergeant Barnes, wait!" The nurse calls but Bucky is too distracted by the fact that he isn't in a hospital at all. Instead it seems to be some kind of giant warehouse.
"All agents code 13." A voice booms over some kind of loud speaker system.
Agents? What?
Clumsily Bucky goes to run for the door but finds that it is blocked by four more guards. This time they're armed. He turns to run in a different direction but finds another set of armed guards.
Spinning around he sees he's surrounded and puts his hands up.
"Captain Rogers already tried to pull a swifty on us, you ain't getting away with that too sir." One of them says.
Suddenly one of the ones from behind him grabs him by the wrists and pins them together behind his back. He could easily fight them off but chooses not to. Maybe he can get some answers out of these guys.
They start to march him out the door and down a hall and he doesn't struggle at all.
Tonnes of people stop and look at him, gasping and pointing, whispering to each other. Everyone seems to know who he is.
This place is so fancy, Bucky has never seen anything like it.
He doesn't know why he's being treated like this, as if he is a prisoner. He did nothing wrong. If anything he saved these people so why is he being treated like a monster?
Surely it's american's who he is being held by. They sound american and their plane went down over american turf.
Suddenly he is taken off into a room at the side and what he sees causes him to break out of his restraints.
"Steve!" He exclaims.
"Bucky?!" Steve also exclaims as he looks up from the paper that he is deeply concentrated on reading in shock.
They run and embrace in a hug.
"Nice... Arm?" Steve says apprehensively as he takes in Bucky's flash new appendage.
"Thanks." Bucky mumbles and looks at it with distaste himself.
It will definitely take some getting used to.
"I thought you were dead." Steve frowns.
"I've got some explaining to do." Bucky shrugs sheepishly. "But first, where are we?"
"Ah, it's a long story." Steve huffs and looks down.
"A story that I'm gonna need to explain." A rough voice interupts.
Bucky looks around to see a man standing in the corner that he hadn't noticed before when he first came in.
He wears a large black trench coat and has an eyepatch.
"You might wanna sit down for this one sarge." He says pointedly. "You've got a lot of work comin' for you, the both of you. But you Sergeant Barnes are going to need a bit of extra training first."
"What do you mean?" Bucky frowns and pulls a chair out from the large table in the centre of the room.
"Okay Buck, don't freak out. Just let him explain." Steve says with an edge of caution to his voice.
"You've been asleep Sergeant. For almost 70 years." The man says.