2014 - Present day

Winter Soldier's POV

"Blue suit. Red, white and blue shield with a star." Winter Shadow was murmuring under her breath.

"That's what they said." I look at her as we walk down SHIELD's landing site.

We hurriedly crouched behind a large metal container while we waiting for our target. This guy must be pretty important, judging by the amount of backup we have.

Soon enough, him and another man wearing mechanical wings appeared at the site. HYDRA agents were shooting and attacking them from all directions; from the air in jets, on the ground. It was just completely insane. We needed to wait before making a wrong move.

The man with the wings was too busy dealing with the air threats to help out our target, who was in combat with the agents on the ground.

After about five minutes, we see the target heading onto the helicarrier.

"We gotta take out his backup." Winter Shadow states. She was right, there were a few SHIELD pilots heading towards the smaller aircrafts to help him.

"Let's head in." I say.

I pull out my grenade launcher and fire at the jets. The pilots scurry out of the way to avoid the blast, covering their heads with their hands.

Winter Shadow came in and shot at the agents and pilots who fought back. She was quick to notice one of them tossing a grenade, and shot him directly in the forehead before he could activate it.

"Nice shot." I mutter under my breath.

I pick up his grenade and throw it through the closing door of a aircraft before it shut. The jet burst into flames. The number of SHIELD agents had been cut down sufficiently, but the remaining ones were still fighting back relentlessly. I deflected the incoming bullets with my metal arm and took out the agents as they kept coming at me.

"Got it." Winter Shadow hollered as she kicked one of them straight into another jet, causing it to explode. I stare at it in awe before getting back to business.

One last jet remained, parked at the very end of the row. We both climbed on top of it and shot the pilot who was about to start the engine and take off. She effortlessly detached windshield of the jet and threw it aside along with the lifeless pilot in our way. I got into the drivers seat and she secured herself in the passenger seat. The jet took off and soared over the chaos just below us. From a distance, it was hard to make out who were the HYDRA agents and who were the SHIELD agents. From this altitude, they looked like tiny specks going to war with each other.

We headed for the helicarrier at full speed. I was piloting while she kept watch on what was going on. Moments later, she sat up attentively. "I've got eyes on our target, he's with the other guy with the wings. He's carrying him to the top."

I nod and drop us off above the aircraft. We quickly departed and hid to spring a surprise attack on the two.

We watched as they came our way, managing to overhear their conversation about the blonde one being heavier than expected, or something like that.

They were walking just close enough to the metal railing. I took advantage of it.

I emerged from my hiding spot and knocked him clean off the ship.

"Steve!" The other man with the wings cried out.

He sprung off and reached for him, until I grabbed him by the left wing and threw him back behind me.

He acted quick and fired at me. I easily dodged his bullets and dove behind a large metal box.

"Your turn." I whisper hoarsely into my com.

Winter Shadow didn't hesitate and launched a wire at the man to stop him from reaching the target. She yanked at the wire towards her and pulled him down to our level. His right wing had been broken off completely, meaning he now had no way of rescuing the target.

She kicked him in the chest and knocked him off the ship for good this time. We stood at the edge and watched as he fell. Fortunately for him, he apparently had a parachute on him, catching his fall.

"I wouldn't worry. He has no way of reaching us without those wings of his." Winter Shadow smirked.

"Good point." I acknowledge.

We scan the entire perimeter. He could've fallen, or possibly had the luck of catching on to something.

"Down there." She pointed.

The man was dangling at the bottom of the aircraft, holding onto a ledge. His suit had an odd familiarity to it. Was there a chance that I'd seen him on another mission before?

Apparently I wasn't alone. Winter Shadow was furrowing her eyebrows as she gazed at him. Now that I think of it, I'd seen her somewhere before too, and I have an odd feeling that it was before HYDRA.

I then remembered what we were supposed to do. "Hey, snap out of it. We have a mission." I snap my fingers in front of her eyes.

She throws me an annoyed look. "Right."

We start heading up to the control room of the helicarrier. We needed to stop him at all costs from deactivating the ships.

"Who's it gonna be, me or you?" I ask her as we hurry to the top.

"You heard what they said. He freezes in our presence. I'd say one of us goes up there while the other stands by, then we can both attack together after he's distracted." She suggests.

"You go. I'll wait for your signal." I say.

"Don't count on me. You'll know when." She states.

I watch as she clambered up the narrow, metal staircase, her hasty steps echoing every so slightly.

Something was still on my mind; what did the agents mean when they said we were his weakness?"

Winter Shadow's POV

His once determined expression completely fell when his eyes made contact with mine. We stood at each end of the catwalk, hundreds of feet off the ground.

"Y/n...? No.." He said doubtingly.

The name rang a bell. Where, where did he get that name from. I put my thoughts aside and remained silent.

He did the same, clearing his throat. "People are gonna die Y/n, I can't let that happen."

I continued my blank stare.

"You were always so kind, so caring." He said, his voice breaking slightly. What he said next was more to himself. "I'd never imagine you doing something like this."

My eyes narrow as I lower my head. He was talking shit. I'd never seen him before, and I'll make sure this is the last time I do."

After one last sad stare, he makes the first move and flung his shield right for me. I deflect it easily with my forearm, ignoring the sharp pain that came with it.

It ricocheted right back to him. All of my bullets were easily blocked by his shield, each making a piercing cling sound as they hit the surface.

Swiftly, I duck down and managed to only graze his side with the last of my ammunition. He grunted in pain and agitatedly threw me into the pillar in the center of the aircraft.

I grimace and bite my lip. Now was the time, I had to signal for Winter Soldier to step in.

I jam my finger onto the button of my com, to which followed in him darting straight towards the blonde and knocking him into the metal railing.

He had him for now. It was a good time to reload so I could eventually help him out.

Winter Soldier was apparently done with wasting his ammo and had switched to a dagger. My eyes widen as I patted down my sides. My dagger. He was using my dagger, and using it well. I scoff and glare at him from where I was sitting and recovering. I hadn't even noticed him slide it out of my pocket.

I shakily stand up and brush myself off. Now was not the time to be sitting and resting while my teammate did all the work. My body heals four times faster than the average human, and you could understand how much that helps me in battles such as this one. I lean against the rail and wait for the right moment to jump in.

The two were equal in strength. I couldn't help but be amazed at how strong the blonde man was. He had the strength comparable to HYDRA's super soldiers, which was odd considering that I'd never fought one outside of HYDRA. I don't remember, but if I'd engaged in that kind of combat before, I'd most definitely remember it.

Something odd about this blonde guy was that he was trying his hardest to remain in defense. Winter Soldier was trying as hard as he could to land a single hit on him with the dagger, but the man just blocked everything with his shield, restraining himself from attacking fully.
What was holding him back?

Now was my chance to get involved. Surely he wouldn't be able to keep up the defensive if there was two going up against him.

He hurriedly ran up to a key pad and began punching in a code of some sort. "You're not getting away that easy." I smirk to myself. I lunge a kick at him to get his attention. I snatch a quick glance at what he had done. He was accessing the controller chips of the helicarrier, probably to gain control of the ships. From what it looks like, he'd already replaced a few of them.

Two winter soldiers going full force at a single person should have been more than enough to take them down, but this man wasn't giving in. He was putting everything into the fight as well, and had dropped the whole defense plan. Winter Soldier would swing a right hook his way, and when he'd use his shield to deflect, I'd sneak underneath him and try to trip him, which only followed with him dodging that as well.

Something was boiling his adrenaline. I could see it clear in his eyes. Whenever his eyes met mine, a glint of both sadness and anger would appear, causing him to get even more aggressive.

He aimed a high-kick to my head, and when I dodged he landed his fist right into my gut, causing me to tumble backwards.

Winter Solider had already had enough of this fight, and suddenly yelled and charged straight at the man, knocking them over the railing and onto the level below us.

I grasp the railing and gaze downward. They were fighting on a very small, slanted platform. An electronic chip had fallen out of the blonde's pocket and lay only a few feet away from them on the edge. I want to let Winter Soldier know that it was there, but I'd be risking two things; one, I'd be distracting him, and two, the other man could hear. Guess the only thing I can do is go and get it myself.

I swing myself over the railing and land near the chip. I reach to grab it, when the blonde suddenly came sliding down the slanted surface and snatched it right from me.

"Damn you." I say through gritted teeth.

Winter Soldier slid down and kicked him, aiming to push him off the ledge. He sprung up to counter, only dropping the chip once again onto the lower level.

I jump off the ledge and onto the lowest level of the helicarrier. It was laying on a series of glass panels that displayed just how high we were above D.C.

I grab it and tuck it away in my pocket. The man was sprinting my way to grab it. Little did he know that Winter Soldier was tailing him with his shield that he'd forgotten about. He flung it his way, causing it to strike him in the back and smash into the panels. He hit his shield with his fist so that it would cling back to his arm and use it to dodge the bullets coming at him.

He turned back to me and threw his shield my way. I deflect it with my forearm, only this time I heard a clean crack come from it. I gasp in pain and clench my jaw in desperation to control myself. That had to be the dumbest decision I've ever made.

Winter Soldier came up behind him and stuck the dagger in his shoulder. I waiting for him to activate the electrocution feature, but I realized right then that he was using a different one.

No... why wasn't he using mine. That was our chance to kill him.

He shoved him face first to the glass, and approached me. He dug his hand into my pocket and took the chip, knowing that his strength was better than mine at the moment.

I push off the ground to stand myself up, until I'm knocked back down by the blonde. It was  the two men now.

I arch my head to watch as they punched and kicked at each other. Soon, they began choking and strangling each other for the chip that would control the ship and stop HYDRA.

"Drop it!" The blonde shouted.

"Drop it!" He repeated when Winter Soldier didn't give in. He held onto the chip tightly, not wanted to let go and into his hands.

When he wouldn't give in, the man finally gave up with trying to convince him and choked him till he passed out. He was heading for the controls now.

I crawl his way and nudge Winter Soldier desperately. "C'mon, we're not done yet."

His eyes flutter open and he met my gaze. He snapped out of it when I shook him even more by the shoulders until he was fully aware of our situation.

I stood up and shot the man in the head with my good arm, only for it to bounce off his helmet.

Winter Soldier stood up and opened up my hand with his. He placed my dagger in my palm and looked at me longingly. I nod and we head up to catch our target together.

The man was climbing the center pillar, dodging the bullets coming from Winter Soldier with the gun I was initially using.

Winter Soldier was clutching his stomach unknowingly. He was hurt, as was I. We were trained to ignore pain, to ignore sentiment and emotion. Something about this particular fight just hurt more than usual, and I didn't know why.

The man was panting as he shakily tried to place the replacement chip in its place. He cried out when Winter Soldier put a bullet straight through his abdomen. Unfavorably for us, the bullet couldn't have hit anything vital, otherwise he'd be in a much more critical condition than he was currently. It was enough to slow him down though. He was sitting up against the pillar and speaking into his earpiece, wincing in pain.

What we didn't expect happened before we could stop it. Before the ship could fire, the man had pushed himself up with all his remaining strength, and put the chip into place.

"Shit!" I mutter. Winter Soldier was just as angry as I was.

He whispered something inaudible into his earpiece. "What did he say?" I question.

"He said fire now." Winter Soldier said hoarsely. I glance nervously at him before he pulled me downwards by the shoulder as we both ducked.

The ships were all being fired at and was collapsing with us three still on it. A giant metal railing fell right on top of us both, crushing us with its weight. Even if we had super strength, we didn't have enough to push it off of us. We both wail in agony as the ship came crashing down, taking us with it.

I weakly turn my head to look through the glass panels. There were ships coming crashing down into the water below us, creating devastating damage to the city. Anyone on those ships were as good as dead.

The blonde turned around and gazed at us wide eyed when he saw our situation. I don't know why, but the next thing I knew, he was pulling the metal piece off and freeing us from it's restraint.

We both drag ourselves away from it and get up to face him.

"Both of you, you know me." He said insistingly.

Winter Soldier was just as worn out as him. "No I don't!" He shouted, swinging a punch at him.

All three of us were using the last of our strength. As much as I want to deny it, I'd seen him before. I know I have somewhere. I've seen Winter Soldier somewhere before too. Whether it was on another mission before a wiping, or before HYDRA, if that had ever happened, I know him.

I groan to myself. No, I need to forget about that. I have a mission.

The three of us stood in a triangle, facing one another. We were a mess of tired gasps and panting, all cut up and bloody.

"Bucky, you've known me your whole life." He started.

Bucky, there it is again. That name. The one I hear in my dreams every night. The one wiped away by HYDRA every damn time.

Was that him? Was Bucky the Winter Soldier?

He ignored it and punched the man again anyways. The man wasn't fighting back anymore. He had nothing to fight for this time, he'd already put the chip into the control system.

"Y/n, you were always the sweetest, kindest girl out there. You proved that a woman like you could do anything."

I stare at him confusedly. Should I fight him, or should I listen to him. My anger and confusion got the best of me and I kicked him hard in the head.

He continued regardlessly to try and reason with us. He turned to Winter Soldier again. "Your name is James Buchanan Barnes."

"Shut up!!" Winter Soldier cried and shoved him closer to the edge of the platform. He stood up before he could be pushed off and took off his helmet to reveal his face in more detail. That's when it struck me. This man, I'd seen him and known him. I know him. Looking at his face gave me the same sense of warmth and familiarity that I'd get when I looked at Winter Soldier.

"I'm not gonna fight you guys." He said dismissively. He let go of his shield, letting it fall through the opening on the floor.

"You're my friends." He stated.

Winter Soldier roared and shoved him to the edge of the platform. "You're my mission." He said before beating him senselessly.

I fall on my knees, both in pain and confusion. The stress and everything was getting unbearable for me to comprehend all at once.
I watched them as Winter Soldier punched him over and over again, trying as hard as he could to go through with it. We needed to complete this mission, or we'd be punished again.

"Then finish it." The man said weakly, as if he hadn't been just beaten to a pulp.

"Because I'm with you, to the end of the line."

I stare at him in awe as a piercing pain jabbed into my head. Those words meant something, to me, and to the Winter Soldier, because he wouldn't land another punch. I could only see half of his face, but I saw the same look that came upon me. A look of despair and confusion to what was true and what wasn't. To what we really were deep inside. Who were really were.

The ship was barely holding together at this point, and soon enough, the platform beneath me and the man had detached, where we plummeted down to our deaths.

Maybe my name really was Y/n after all.

Winter Soldier's POV

I wasn't sure if either of them would wake up, but I couldn't leave them there.

This man, I know him. I do. I guess I didn't want to admit it, I didn't want to come to terms with it. Maybe I was just scared that there was no other purpose for me in this world, and that his words were just lies, but I think I understand now. He's not the liar, HYDRA is.

Their bodies lay limp and weakened on the shore of the river. Ahead was a forest that I could escape into and never come back.

My eyes flick to Winter Shadow. I needed to take her with me, no matter what. We were the same, and we had to stick together from now on.

I gently pick her up bridal style and head for the forest. Something about holding her in my arms scared me a little. Like she was a delicate flower that I could break and hurt with a single touch. The man had mentioned a name that switched something in my mind. Y/n. When I say it out loud, a certain warmth comes over me. It was something I hadn't felt in a while.

I don't know where, I don't know how, but we were escaping now. Together.

Author's Note

I woke up a few days ago and whaaattt??! We reached 1k!!! Thank you all so much, it really means the world to me.