"Five!"

"I fight against them and you try to sneak away, alright? You- you can't hear the trigger words, not now, I just got you back." I whisper shout at him as I quickly text the Avengers an SOS. Bucky shakes his head, staring at me in disbelief. "We don't have much time, no discussion!"

"Four!"

"I'm not leaving you behind." His words surprise me as my eyes are attached to him, a bittersweet pain spreading through my chest. After all these years, he still wants to protect me, even without memories. I force myself to forget my emotions and focus on the threat to survive this.

"Three!"

"I'll be right behind you." I promise him and shove him away, forcing him to leave behind all those gravestones. I stand up and just thinking of his hesitant face to leave me strengthens me and gives me hope. Leaving the grave, I walk towards the Hydra agent. "Leave him alone, Rumlow."

"Well, well, well. If it isn't America's little bird." He greets me and points the gun at me. "You and Rogers always annoyed the crap out of me."

"And who made you the boss of a Nazi organization?" I ask him provokingly to provide Bucky more time to escape. "Honestly, I thought you were dead. The last time I saw your body, you didn't look very well."

Beneath his armor, his whole body tenses up in anger and he pulls the trigger. I shoot the weapon out of his hand with electricity and run towards him, aiming a voltage at his chest. My eyes widen though when he shows no reaction, only a maniac laugh escapes his lips. How is that possible? "I don't work like that no more."

Still paralyzed in shock, he takes the opportunity to throw his armored fist against my head, leading to a nasty crack that makes me lose the balance. My head is pounding and aching like hell as a dizziness spreads through my mind, I groan in pain. I didn't remember him being that strong. Squinting my eyes, I try to focus, but darkness dances in front of my view.

"Find him and use the trigger words. I'll take care of her." He orders and his team goes looking for Bucky. No. Stand up. Stand up! If I won't stand up, Bucky is going to... "I've been waiting for this!"

He forcefully kicks me against the stomach and a pained noise slips through my lips, my breath becomes unsteady as I pant. Every breath is sharp and stabs my lungs, my mouth starts filling with blood but I swallow it down. "You think he'll ever remember you?! He belongs to Hydra! And he couldn't care less about your worthless life! So I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I finally kill you!"

A long knife extends out of his gauntlets and I still fight against the unconsciousness, trying to stand up. Rumlow aims the dagger at my face but before he manages to stab me, he suddenly gets thrown away. I gasp in shock and stare at my savior.

"I told you to leave!" I yell at him, concern running through my voice as Bucky grabs my hand and pulls me up. He shouldn't be risking his life for me again.

"Not without you." He insists and helps me to walk away before the team manages to find us. A mixture of worries and relief overcome me as I let out a sigh, a nauseous feeling settling down in my stomach.

"Желание."

Bucky suddenly tenses up and pulls a pained expression, his eyes squinted as he lets go of me. I turn around, seeing how Rumlow's mask has dropped from the attack and reveals his burned face. His flesh is red and swollen, bitten by the fire, it makes him look like a monster.

"Ржавый." He continues and stands up, a mischievous smile appears on his dry lips.

"Stop it." Bucky's voice rises, his hands covering his ears as I lean on the grave stone and try to steady my balance, otherwise I would lay on the ground. Frowning, I look between them and don't understand anything anymore. What is Rumlow speaking? Russian? Panic laces Bucky's voice. "Shut up!"

"Семнадцать. Рассвет. Печь. Девять." My eyes widen and now it clicks in my mind. The trigger words that were mentioned in Bucky's file. The key to turn him into the Winter Soldier. A pained scream escapes his lips, as if he's getting tortured again.

"No, stop!" I shout and shoot a voltage towards Rumlow, yet it doesn't effect him at all. I can't stop him, I'm too weak to walk, let alone to fight against him, so I turn to Bucky who's mentally fighting against the toxic words. "Don't listen to him, okay?! Stay with me, stay with me. Stay with me, James!"

"Добросердечный." Rumlow goes on and Bucky's hands slowly sink, not able to fight against the Winter Soldier inside him anymore. It's too late. I quickly create a blast of electricity and try to drown Rumlow's words out with the strong sibilance. "Возвращение на Родину."

"Listen to the sibilance, Bucky, focus on this. No matter how painful it reminds you of your torture, it can't be more painful than to lose yourself!" I attempt to talk to him but suddenly feel a blow against my head, making me fall down and land on the ground. The awful ache grows with each second and makes it unbearable to think.

I press my lips together and blood runs down my chin when a foot lands roughly on my back, pushing me harder against the grass. The Hydra team has come back and in the next moment, a syringe is driven into my neck, an injection numbs me. It feels like the same injection that Rumlow used on me once before.

"Один. Грузовой вагон." Rumlow finishes and the pained expression on Bucky's face is completely erased, instead the blank and emotionless coldness is mirrored in his eyes. I stare at him, my lungs capture the breath. The Winter Soldier. "Доброе утро, солдат."

"No..." I mumble in shock as a cough interrupts me, not believing what's happening right now. This can't be happening, not again. I have failed. "Please, no... Bucky..."

But Bucky's not here anymore, only the obedient assassin whose eyes bore into Rumlow's, waiting for an order. "Я готов отвечать."

"I want you to get Wanda Maximoff. Alive. Kill everyone who gets in your way." His order leaves me speechless but the confusion is quickly replaced by anger. Of course, Hydra wants her back, she's powerful after all.

"Don't you even dare to lay a finger on her!" I hiss with hatred and the boot of the foot bores deeper into my back, causing me to groan in pain. The injection still takes an odd effect on me, my whole body goes numb and my powers are disabled. Rumlow just laughs sadistically.

"What? Do you wanna stop me?" He scoffs and before I'm able to answer, a familiar shield hits his head and knocks him off from behind. A relieved sigh leaves my lips as the shield is thrown against the Hydra troop and gives me the chance to crawl away and lean my back against a grave stone.

"Rumlow." Steve snarls angrily and behind him is Sam. Bucky's presence receives for a moment his attention, but he quickly focuses back on the mission. Yet, there's this determined eagerness in his eyes to welcome his old buddy.

"Are you okay?" Wanda suddenly appears next to me and helps me up, my eyes widen. Why is she here?

"What are you doing here?!" Wiping the blood away, I'm about to warn her about the Winter Soldier's mission, but it's too late. Bucky has spotted Wanda now and runs towards her, lunging at her. She reacts fast though and throws him away with her scarlet aura as Sam stops the Hydra team from cutting in.

"America's patriotic boy." Rumlow stands up again and eyes Steve. "Now I've got to kill you and Farrell. It's like Christmas."

"You should've stayed where you were." The fight between these two starts but I can't focus much on Steve right now as the Winter Soldier tries to fight against the red path that presses him against the tree.

"I thought he was on our side?" Wanda clenches her teeth, still focused on using her powers.

"Brainwashed." I sum it up quickly and strain myself, trying to get up on my own. My hands are still shaking and my bones feel like lead.

"Wanda!" Sam suddenly shouts whilst punching a Hydra agent and receives our attention as a pin lands on her back, electrifying her. She screams in agony and my eyes widen while she falls unconscious to the ground. The scarlet aura disappears and the soldier is free, not wasting another second to throw her body on his shoulder.

"Bucky, no, wait!" Using what's left of my strength, I grab his arm and hold onto him. His cold glare just motivates me to get him back. "Don't do this, you're gonna regret it! I know you, I know that you're better than this. You're James Buchanan Barnes, dammit, you owe it to me to try to fight against this!"

Hesitation spreads on his face while I stare gravely at him, the Winter Soldier slowly cracks. He got the order to kill everyone who's in his way, but he hasn't even hurt me yet. Bucky is still there and fights against him, I know it. He heard me.

"Sputnik." The word is spoken by a Hydra agent and suddenly, the soldier falls motionlessly to the ground. Confusion takes over my mind and I frown, staring at the unconscious Winter Soldier. What just happened?

Suddenly, a strong wind blows and my hair flutters wildly around. Turning around, I see a jet flying from the distance closer towards the ground and starts firing at us. Sam quickly pulls Steve and me into protection with his bulletproof wings while the rest of Hydra team drags Wanda and Bucky away. They want to flee.

"No!" I yell desperately and want to run back and save them but the storm of bullets and the injection stop me. "Wanda! Bucky!"

"Hail Hydra!" Rumlow salutes and enters the jet with the two hostages. Steve takes his shield and sprints towards the helicarrier, trying to reach them but they already fly away, leaving a trail of shots.

We lost them. Hydra has got Wanda and Bucky. And only God knows what they will do to them.

***

"It takes longer than I thought to get this injection out of your body." Bruce mutters while the cannula that is attached to my vein is connected to a plastic bag where Bruce has created an antidote. "Do you want me to explain how it could manage to block your electricity?"

"Only the simple version, please." My head still aches like hell, I've got away with a mild concussion and a bad bruise on my stomach.

"There's an enzyme that stunts your adrenaline production and that's why, it disables your powers. The injection also has a numbing effect on your nerves and muscles, but to explain this would take a bit longer. I only hope that my antidote's working, otherwise it'll take a few more hours till your body has processed the injection."

"What a son of a bitch." I groan frustrated. "I really thought Rumlow was dead."

Sam and Tony rush into the room and judging their expressions, they don't have good news. The soldiers grimaces. "Well, what do you want to hear first? Bad news or worse news?"

"Just start with the less negative one." Bruce sighs and his hand runs down his face, appearing pretty tired.

"We're in the news. Well, nothing new for us but this time, it's kinda serious. The government starts disliking the way we save their asses. There may be consequences, a press conference is demanded for sure." Tony rolls his eyes and I tilt my head, sharing a look with Sam.

"After what happened in D.C., I don't trust the government anymore." I only comment and Sam nods agreeing.

"Worse news, and it's kinda my fault, I lost the Hydra jet. Redwing couldn't catch up with the speed, but we have the assumption that they left the country through the border, southbound."

"So Mexico?" I frown and Tony shrugs.

"Nothing's sure for now but we at least got a direction. It's still possible that they flew further away but who knows? Mexico has a lot of empty factories and possibilities for bunkers, they have the necessary space. And we can't count on Natasha and Barton's help, they're busy with something going on in San Francisco."

"Brilliant. Just brilliant." Bruce mumbles. "They were the ones who were the most experienced with Hydra."

"When are we gonna leave?" I demand to know, my tone growing harsher.

"Relax, Popsicle, we can't just leave without a plan or direction."

"No, I won't relax!" I snap and stand up, ignoring the cannula in my vein. "They not only took Bucky after we've looked so long for him, no, they also took Wanda! I promised Pietro to keep her safe and sound and I intend to keep this promise. Check out empty areas and factories in Mexico, then we'll leave tomorrow. Till then, I've got a plan."

Tony and Bruce half grin synchronically while Sam claps enthusiastically, laughing motivated and with determination. "This is so awesome, my first mission as an Avenger! Let's kick Nazi asses again!"