A Heartless Winter

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel (For I am not Stan Lee) nor any of the characters. This is just a fanfiction. Just read and hopefully enjoy.

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Chapter 1:


The snow was falling silently on the streets of New York, and there wasn't a car in sight. James "Bucky" Barnes stood on the corner of 31st and 11th, looking at a small diner that was across the street. There were a few people inside, and he debated whether he wanted to go in and enjoy the warmth, or if he wanted to wander the dark streets of his hometown alone. Everyone was inside buildings, and had been ever since the storm warnings went out only a few hours later. Bucky was used to this kind of weather, so it didn't bother him much. He turned away from the cheeriness of the bar and continued his way down the street.


2 hours previous....

Mindwashed, Bucky strode into Stark Tower. His mission was to find out information on the so called Avengers. Tony Stark was out on business, so the tower was supposed to be empty. His mind programmed for one thing, he snuck through the tower until he found the office. Putting in the access code, he showed no emotion when it didn't give him access. He knew it would happen, and he was prepared for it. He tried again, and this time it let him in with a little persuasion with his metal fist. The doors opened for him and he quickly went in, going straight for the desk. Find the Avengers files, that was the mission.

"...What are you doing here, Bucky." A familiar voice sounded from behind him, making James turn to face Steve standing in the doorway. Bucky obviously didn't recognise the man standing before him as his friend, but only as Captain America. "What does it look like, Captain?" Bucky answered with no emotion in his tone.

Steve looked not shocked, but saddened. It wasn't their first encounter, and ever since their latest tussle, Steve had been trying to figure out how to get Bucky to remember him. "Bucky. Listen to me, we have to get you to remember! You're not a bad guy." he said, desperate to make him remember. Steve took a step into the room, and Bucky put his metal arm up, ready for a fight. Get the files; that's all that counts right now.

"Maybe I don't want to remember." Bucky said, but it was the mindwash talking. He did want to remember, but didn't know how to go about it. It was like he was locked in his own body, unable to escape. ~Save me...~ his inner self thought, but nothing showed on the outside. He slowly reached behind him for the files, but it was his mistake. He hadn't noticed that Steve had reached over and grabbed his shield, and was now charging at him with it. "Shit." Bucky swore as he forgot about the files and dodged the other male, metal arm slashing out to hit him. Steve blocked with the shield and aimed a fist at Bucky's face. "Remember who you were, damnit!" he yelled as his fist made a connection. Bucky was thrown back by the force, but it was no use. Nothing clicked, except his jaw as he had to snap it back into place. He needed to abort the mission. Bucky had no weapons besides his arm, and so it was an even match between the two. His only exit that wasn't blocked was the window behind him. Turning quickly, he ran for it and braced himself as he went crashing through the glass. "Bucky!" Steve called out and tried to grab his friend before he fell, but it was too late. Falling 13 stories, he was gone in the darkness before Steve could react.
Bucky landed roughly, wincing as he tuck and rolled on the cold and hard concrete. His metal arm made a horrible screech on the pavement as he came to a stop. Feeling bruised, he stood and quickly ran away from the tower, needing to figure out a plan to get back in.



Walking a little ways down the street from the restaurant, Bucky walked deep in his thoughts. He was trying to formulate a way to get back into that tower, and to avoid being caught by Steve again. Subconciously, he reached up and rubbed his sore jaw, feeling the small aches caused by the long fall. It seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite place where it was from. It was agonizing, not knowing. Shaking his head of trying to remember the past, he started to cross the street without looking. He stopped as he heard the screeching of tires and looked up just in time to see a car sliding sideways right at him. He managed to scramble out of the way, but in the process, he stumbled and went headfirst into a lamp post. He crumbled to the ground underneath the pole as it shuddered from the impact. There was a sharp pain in his forehead, and everything was fading from view. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was the form of a person getting out of the car and running towards him, and the color red.



2 hours earlier.....
Evangela Brandt was behind stage, fixing her make up with no expression on her face. The other strippers shot glances at her and muttered whisperings amongst themselves. It was the usual for Eva, and she was not impressed.