The Final Word
Chapter 2:
Bucky sat there for a few moments more, taking in deep breaths. To Evelyn, it just looked like he was trying to enjoy the last little bit of the sunset before he left. But she knew that it was so much more for him. It would involve him facing so many demons. The demons which have lurked in his head for over seven decades. It would mean that he would have to relive the memories of turning into the man who would then turn around a kill so many innocent people.
Evelyn just sat next to him, squeezing his hand every now and then like he was her own personal stress ball. But she waited patiently by the waterside waiting for him to be ready to leave.
“If it’s any consolation, I will be right there with you.” Evelyn looked toward his tense face and saw tension there. He didn’t make eye contact at first, but soon he must have noticed her stares for he looked at her apprehensively.
Bucky just nodded and the slowly stood to his feet. Evelyn followed suit. Seeing Ayo standing back a bit behind them, she smiled.
“You’re going to be okay. Ayo is going to be there and she is not going to let you hurt anyone.” Evelyn ran a comforting hand up and down Bucky’s flesh arm before walking forward toward the awaiting Dora member.
She turned to look back briefly and grinned when she noticed he had started to follow her. Evelyn led him toward an awaiting ship Ayo must have brought. She settled him into a seat, watching carefully to make Sur ehe wouldn’t run again and then sat down in the co-pilot’s chair. Ayo then sat in the captain’s chair and swiftly began to start the Wakandan spacecraft up. Evelyn almost didn’t let out a breath till they were in the air, fearful that Bucky would ask to remain on the ground away from the two of them and what they were about to do.
It didn’t take long before they arrived at a remote forest on the edge of Wakanda. The area they were going was a small campsite used by wandering Wakandans who just needed a place to rest for the night. It sat in the middle of a small clearing. Two rather sizable longs sat to either side of a fire pit that was lit. Small bowls made to be torches lined the rocky outcropping surrounding half of the area. The rest were all a small distance away almost hidden behind small trees that outlined the areas the rocks were not.
Ayo guided the two toward the grounds and gestured for Bucky to sit down on one of the logs. Evelyn could feel the tension practically radiate off of the man sitting beside her. She could see it too. The way that his chest rose and fell with every breath faster than it had been on the ship meant that the former assassin was nervous. A very strange behavior to say the least, but one that Evelyn completely understood was valid.
“It is time.” Ayo finally broke the silence not permeated by the din of the night and looked right at Bucky. Bucky hadn’t taken his eyes off of the fire in front of him, “Are you ready to gain you freedom, White Wolf?”
“White Wolf? Is that some sort of new…”
“Let’s just say it has some deep roots in our history. It means that one person has overcome many adversities to be the best version of themselves they could be. We Dora think it’s a fitting name for Sergeant Barnes here.”
Evelyn turned to Bucky and realized he hadn’t looked up from his death stare towards the fire. She wondered what he heard or if he heard any of it at all. Then she realized he was trying his hardest not to mentally freak out on the two of them.
“Are you sure this is going to work?” Bucky’s voice sounded shaky. Evelyn could practically hear the fear radiating off his voice.
“I won’t let you hurt anyone.” Ayo stared at Bucky for a few seconds then slowly started walking toward them, “Longing.”
Evelyn held her breath when she heard the first Russian trigger word. She saw Bucky lower his head as if concentrating on something within the fire. His face scrunched up slightly at this.
Ayo slowly said two more of the words, rusted and seventeen, before Bucky suddenly started shaking his head.
“It’s not going to work.”
Evelyn’s heart broke at the words. She hated seeing Bucky in so much pain. She even caught a glimpse of some tears starting to form at the edge of his eyelids. As a friend, she longed to run a finger across the tears and wipe them away, but then Evelyn didn’t want to startle Bucky.
“Daybreak”
Bucky started breathing in deeply and grinding his teeth together. The tears started to flow at the same time as his hair blew in the small amount of breeze they had. He leaned a bit forward, most likely trying to concentrate on not succumbing to the words’ power. Then he was caught off guard by a flash back to the past.
It was someone opening the red book. The one thing that contained all the secrets of how to control him.
“Furnace.”
Then another flashback this time, he saw him pounding the glass on the front of a cell. He remembered that this was when Zemo had caught him off guard by saying the words to him the first time they met. Then he was fighting on a hellicarrier watching as the men around him scrambled for cover or shot at him.
“Nine.”
The flashbacks just kept coming over and over again. He was helpless to stop it.
Evelyn even noticed that he was concentrating so hard that at points it was like he would forget to breath. Then someone seemed to startle him and he would take a very shaky, but promising deep breath. She watched his face contort into agony as the words, many many years of condition and now the supposed fix for this battled for control over his mind and body.
“Benign,” No change happened. Bucky’s gaze just remained fixed on the flames in the pit in front of him, “Homecoming.”
Bucky’s breaths started to come in faster waves. They were still deep, as much as Evelyn could see, but they were faster/
“One,” It was down to the final two words. It usually took saying all ten for the programming to kick in. This was the make or break point if this deprogramming of the former Winter Soldier’s mind would actually hold or if it even worked in the first place.
Evelyn started to bite her nails. She closed her eyes and waited for Ayo to say the last word. The final word that would tell the tale of how their healing worked.
“Freight Car.”
Evelyn looked up at Ayo and saw that the Dora Milage member was staring at Bucky as intently as he was staring at the fire. She then turned to Bucky who appeared to be fighting something internally once more. At the same time, a bit of relief seemed to color Bucky’s expression. Once Evelyn was sure he hadn’t reacted, she turned to face Ayo once more.
“You are free!” Finally there was movement from Bucky in the form of him moving his tear filled gaze toward Ayo as well. He seemed both relieved and then unsure if what he was hearing was true. He looked at her and then back up at Ayo clearly not believing what he was hearing. To reiterate the point, Ayo smiled. “You are free.”
Bucky suddenly relaxed and now sobs replaced the heaving breaths with sound. Evelyn quickly scooted closer toward Bucky and placed a hand on his shoulder as she too started to cry.
It worked! The deprogramming worked!
He didn’t turn into the monster!
“You did it Bucky!” He slowly looked up at her, blue eyes gleaming with the emotions and the tears, “You’re free.”
His gaze showed surprise, but his face showed an enlightenment. He had broken through the other side of an extremely long nightmare. He returned his gaze to the fire pit and then a smile formed on his lips. He almost laughed.
Evelyn turned to Ayo who smiled at the reaction and then nodded. She slowly started walking away in the direction of the ship, pleased her mission was complete.
“I’m free.” Evelyn almost missed him say that. She wrapped him in a side hug which garnered his gaze for the third time that night. Evelyn felt the need to run her fingers through his hair. It was something she knew he enjoyed.
“You are free. The Winter Soldier is no longer in control.” Evelyn basically has his upper body resting against her as she held him. He swiftly turned his eyes toward his left away from her. She quickly realized he had probably never cried in front of someone before. Of it he did, he was scared into believing he would be hurt if he showed emotion.
“It’s okay to cry!” Bucky turned back around surprise evident on his face, “if it makes you feel better, I won’t tell anyone. So please be yourself. After all we are going to be in the same cabin together while you recover and relearn to live.”
Bucky just laughed. He then held his hand up to his mouth while it was half open. Evelyn’s smile grew. This was the first time in a long time where he must have just genuinely laughed.
“Okay tough guy.” Evelyn playfully pushed against his shoulder, “You’re a mess. Let’s get you home and clean you up.”
Bucky nodded and the slowly stood to his feet. He then turned back toward the scenery in front of him and saw the skyline of a city far away. Evelyn saw what he was looking at and continued to smile.
“Come on!” She pulled at Bucky’s hand and then started walking back toward the ship.
Bucky took one more glance out toward the night life and then walked back toward the ship himself.
He was now free. Which begged this question to be asked.
“Now what?”