The Handler

"Behold my transformation
And you are empowered to do as you please
My mind was lost in translation
And my heart has become a cold and impassive machine"-

Muse, The Handler

While the stank of Madripoor assaulted his nose, Sam leaned his head on the car door and mulled over the day's events.

-

"Are you sure you want to do this Buck? This is what I meant about messing with our heads, by the way," he jabbed Bucky in his tense torso and nearly apologized when he saw the other man flinch.

"Yes," Bucky replied while slinking down into his plane seat. "I can do it, it won't be a problem."

"What if he-"

"Sam," Bucky snapped, "I'll be fine."

He huffed, turning away from the man in front of him. "Fine, but when you go all psycho-assassin on everybody's ass, I won't come looking for you this time."

He glanced back at the taller man in time to see his jaw tick in annoyance before pulling out his notebook and scratching quick and sloppy sentences on them.

"James, I must ask-"

The super soldier shut down the convict's question with a quick glare before stiffly getting up and heading towards the back of the plane, notebook in tow.

The Sokovian smiled eerily and all-knowing before leaning forward, "I see he's already starting to get in character."

Sam narrowed his eyes at him before casting a worried glance at the man in the back of the plane. 

"Shut the hell up, man." 

-

Seeing Bucky's blank, Winter Soldier stare at the bar was terrifying. He's had that focused gaze on him before when the assassin was trying to kill him, but somehow being on the other end and "holding the leash" was a new kind of terrifying.

The man stood at the bar, looking every bit the Winter Soldier as Sam has seen in years. People's hushed whispers about him throughout the bar brought a new side of Barnes than he's never seen.

He really is a legend.

He had to contain himself from ordering Bucky a "Snake Shot" after he forced his down since he realized that HYDRA would never treat a weapon like a person. The thought just made him even more uncomfortable.

"Солдат, атака." Zemo had ordered Barnes as if he was nothing more than a wild animal. It concerned Sam, but with the simple-minded focus that he was putting into eliminating the threats in the bar, he wasn't appearing as anything more than a wild animal.

Bucky's chuffing breaths were loud, being heard over the screaming, recording, and sounds of fists on flesh. He shouldn't be breathing this loud with how easily he's winning this fight...

"He sure slipped into the act easily, huh?" Zemo leaned over and whispered to him. Holding his tongue was damn near impossible, but with all the effort that Buck was putting into playing his part, he wasn't going to blow their cover with his anger. From his side, Zemo pushed another unfortunate soul into the kill circle and Sam trembled as he saw Barnes almost kill another person.

They were so fucked when they go back to the states.

The mechanical sound of the vibranium arm echoed throughout the panicking club as Bucky slammed a man into the bar by his throat, choking him.

"Damnit, Buck," he hissed under his breath, going against his safety instincts and putting a steadying hand on the bloody vibranium arm.

"Sam, don't break cover," Barron warned from his side.

This is just so fucked up, Sam thought to himself.

The man below Barnes choked as he flexed his fingers further into his throat and fixed him with a chilling glare.

"Хорошая работа, солдат."

The bar was thick with tension as the bartender tentatively cleaned a glass. "Selby will see you now," he said. A clear 'get out' as he could have said without causing a scene.

Sam watched warily as Bucky almost reluctantly let go of the man's throat, his lips and fingers still twitching as if he was still as active as a live wire and itching to fight. The man crumpled as soon as he let go, purple bruises already blossoming beneath his fingertips.

"You good?" Sam asked.

A sharp nod and dismissive sniff were all he got before Bucky shouldered his way through the crowd, a clear path easily dispersing in front of him.

Damnit, he's gotten closer to Buck than I thought he would, Sam worried. That damn idiot didn't listen to me.

"Barnes!" He hissed under his breath, shouldering his way to walk side by side with the man. Bucky gave him a side glance as he marched behind Zemo, his steps purposeful.

"Handler," Bucky murmured quietly in slightly accented English.

The title caused Sam to taste bile and he caught a suspicious look from a bystander before easing the situation. "Yeah, you better be calling me Handler," he laughed uneasily, "because of how well I...handle you, Zimny Soldat." He cringed as the disgusting words came out of his mouth and mouthed 'I'm sorry' to Bucky before walking in front of him and closer to Zemo.

"I hate you even more for this plan," he muttered before they entered Selby's room.

-

"Samuel?" Zemo's voice cut him out of his thoughts. 

Shit, he had zoned out on the way to the runway. What if Zemo had gotten control of Bucky, what if-

He let out a deep breath, letting all the thoughts out with it.

"Yeah, yeah I'm here." He got out of the car, assessing Bucky as he stood at parade rest.

"Hey, Buck." Sam smiled at him and pat his arm, wincing as the coppery smell of blood crusted in the plates wafted toward him.

Bucky dipped his head in a slight nod and murmured, "hello, Sam," with a blank expression.

Zemo walked up to his butler before giving him a kiss on both cheeks, the two exchanging friendly words. Zemo turned around as he started to walk up the stairs to the plane. "Once we get on that plane, we'll have to look up this Donya Madani and find out why Karli needed the doctor to save them."

"Permission to request information?" Bucky asked from beside him.

Sam walked on the plane, trailing after both men. "Yeah of course Buck, you don't have to ask for permission. We aren't HYDRA...you aren't the Winter Soldier anymore and I am not your Handler."

Wrong thing to say.

The metal of the rail crumpled underneath the vibranium arm as Barnes froze in front of him.

"Not my Handler?" He whipped around with a frown on his face.

"I-I just-"

"Guys!" Zemo snapped from his spot in the plane. "C'mon!"

While not seeing Zemo as his primary "Handler" the snappiness of the command stole Bucky's attention as he marched his way on the plane.

While he took a deep breath, Sam shakily made his way up the stairs. He gently touched the warped handrail and gulped. That could be me next, not just a hunk of metal.

C'mon think, Sam. The last time Barnes was triggered, he needed to be dumped into a river and rendered unconscious in a helicopter. But this time...he wasn't triggered with the words, he was triggered with his own head. How the hell am I going to get him out of this without Zemo cooking something up. Unless Zemo did do something to him...

By some miracle, Bucky made it onto the plane with Sam and Zemo, his complaint Winter Soldier nature shining through as he sat down in his usual spot on the plane.

I wonder if he remembers sitting there or if it's just because it's the most defensible location on the plane. Maybe both?

As he slunk down into his seat, the stress of the recent events gripped hold of him again.

What if...Barnes doesn't go back to normal?

His skin prickled as if somebody was watching him and he turned to see steel blue eyes locked onto his face. As soon as he opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, they snapped away and Bucky slowly tensed up in his seat.

"You good, Soldat?" Zemo asked as he returned from the front of the plane with three glasses of champagne. He passed one to Sam, who took it gratefully, before offering one to Bucky.

Bucky slowly took it out of his hands as if he was expecting them to yank it back any second.

"Yes, I'm...functional," he slowly said with his new thick accent.

The accent was slightly worrying, causing his inner psychologist to perk up in interest. Sure, he's heard Barnes speak multiple languages, Russian included, but never slipping up enough for more than one word to sound a little off.

"Buck...you uh remember anything? Maybe about our mission or maybe uh...Steve or-"

"Стоп!" Barnes snarled, metal arm whirling as it recalibrated. It was almost as pissed as he was, reminding Sam of when a snow leopard fluffs its fur to look larger and more intimidating. It was working.

"Солдат, непринужденно!" Zemo said tensely from his spot where he held his own champagne glass.

The Winter Soldier shook his head, akin to a dog shaking off a fly. The spastic nature of the movement was another worry to add to the list. 

"I'm sorry," he gasped, flesh hand shattering his champagne glass as he whimpered uncharacteristically.

Sam's VA training seemed to take control of the wheel, "hey, hey don't sweat it. You're doing perfectly fine. Can you tell me where you are?"

The plates on his arm shuttered as he heaved a deep breath and a horrible glazed look washed over his eyes.

The tension in the plane was visible as his head twitched to the side again. Trading a look with Zemo, Sam gave him a warning look. Their attention was drug back to the third man as he spoke softly, his vowels short and lilting.

"The Asset: Codename Bucky is currently on mission, protect Handler Sam Wilson." With those words, Barnes launched himself out of his seat with a murderous expression and towards a petrified looking Zemo.