Take Me Instead, Run!
“Let him go. I won’t even fight you. I’ll-” Bucky's voice breaks, but he steadies himself. “I already have the base programming, and my fighting skills are even better than they were before, since I’ve been training with the Avengers. If you take him, he’s gonna be a liability.” He can’t look at Steve right now, knowing that if he does, he’ll probably change his mind. Try to fight their way out, like he knows Steve wants to try. He keeps his focus on the man holding him.
But they’ll lose. And there’s no way he’ll let Steve become anything like him. Not some programmed toy. Steve deserves better.
And Bucky survived it once, he can do it again.
“If you take him, it’ll take too long to break him. Too long to train and program him. Just take me, instead. Please.”
Bucky glances down at Steve.
Steve’s face is white, and he’s shaking with anger. He looks up just as quickly
“And why shouldn’t we just take both of you? He might cooperate better if we have you as an incentive.”
“Because then you’ll be fighting both of us,” Bucky says, lifting his chin slightly, faking bravado.
The agent looks at him thoughtfully.
“Very well,” he says. He takes a step back, but doesn’t put away his gun. “But just as a reminder,” he shoots Steve in the thigh.
Steve yells, hunching forward over his bleeding leg.
“Steve!”
“Don’t follow us Captain,” the agent says. He keeps his gun trained on Steve as he turns his attention to Bucky, with a hungry look. “Come on Soldier. It’s time to leave.” The man behind Bucky lets go of him, and he shakily rises to his feet.
“No,” Steve grunts, looking up at Bucky, “Bucky, don’t.”
He tries to give him a reassuring smile. He’s sure he fails.
“See ya later, Stevie. Don’t do anything stupid, huh?”
Bucky steps past him, walking with the agents.
“Bucky!” He hears Steve call out to him, after they’ve already made it down the hall. “Bucky, don’t! Run!”
Bucky trips, but keeps walking away.
Bye, Stevie. Please find me quickly.