Chapter 8
The Winter Soldier halted, eyes pulled back to Dean and Bucky was screaming within his own mind. Screaming as he felt cold dread well up in the pit of his stomach. The Winter Soldier pushed the feeling aside as he took a menacing step towards Dean. Dean stood his ground, fists clenched as Sam slowly backed away from behind his brother as the Winter Soldier advanced. Bucky felt as though he was starring through sheer ice as his body moved towards Dean. He could see the hunter, but Dean’s voice was muffled and he could barely make it out through the cold barrier. Bucky couldn’t respond, but the Winter Soldier did. It was a garbled Russian threat about Sam; one Dean clearly didn’t understand and also didn’t care for judging by the indignant flash that crossed his features. Bucky was still fighting for possession as the Winter Soldier eyed Dean critically and it was that momentary pause that forced Bucky to hesitate and assess the situation as well.
Other than the initial threat in Russian which was directed towards Sam, the Winter Soldier had made no indication he was going to attack Dean. A fact Dean hadn’t picked up on yet being too worried about his brother’s safety. But Bucky has been coming to terms with the steady and warm presence that Dean provided not just himself but the Winter Soldier too. The Winter Soldier liked Dean; he probably liked Dean before Bucky could even understand what was going on. It was the only reason Dean wasn’t currently lying in a pool of blood and Dean didn’t even know it. Von Strucker did if the sharp Russian command was anything to go by.
Bucky felt his body snap to attention, the Winter Soldier refocus on Von Strucker’s command to kill Dean. Bucky felt the Winter Soldier’s hesitation as he moved closer towards the hunter and Dean’s warmth which seemed like an inferno melting his cold edges. Bucky attacked the Winter Soldier conditioning with everything he had and he could feel his control lock back into place for a moment. One single scalding moment before the Avengers crashed through the stairwell, Dean’s fist connected with his jaw, and ice froze his veins.
****
Heat scalded his body and Dean’s desire for blood made his vision burn as his fist connected with Bucky’s jaw; because it was Bucky for that brief moment and Dean felt his body cool too late. Dean ignored the shout of the Avengers around him as they launched themselves at Von Strucker and the additional Hydra agents that began pouring in out of nowhere. He was too busy fending off the Winter Soldier’s attacks and returning his own. The Mark was singing as Dean’s fist connected with the Soldier’s face, nose cracking and blood spurting. Bullets flew by and bodies hit the floor around them as Dean continued to duck and dodge the metal arm which lashed out with brutal precision. He wasn’t quick enough though to counter the strike to his ribs from Bucky’s flesh hand or the sweeping kick that landed him on his ass. Dean groaned as the Winter Soldier landed on him, hands wrapped around his throat as Dean struggled for breath.
"This is going to seem real cliché," Dean sputtered as the Winter Soldier’s grip tightened. Dean wrapped his arms around Bucky’s shoulders and pulled the man towards him, lips crashing together in a mix of blood and spit. The Winter Soldier reeled back, shock coloring his face. Dean felt a moment of satisfaction before a metal fist was crashing into the cement next to his head.
"Yeah, alright, not the best plan," Dean groaned as he rolled out of the way and hauled himself to his feet.
****
Sam dove behind the beeping machines keeping an eye on Dean as he tried to make his way over to the Avengers. He peeked around a corner and leveled his gun at the Hydra agent attacking Captain America, hitting the agent and sending the man careening into the Captain’s shield before the body slumped to the ground. Steve looked up and nodded in Sam’s direction before turning to attack the other surrounding Hydra members. Sam glanced around to gage the situation and quickly realized he and Dean had been in worse situations and at least they had backup this time around. Sam looked back in time to see Steve disarm another agent before he heard the Captain’s voice ring over the comm link informing the team to gather at Sam’s location. It took a few minutes but soon enough Sam was surrounded by the Avengers all in various battle weary states.
“He was doing better, what happened?” Steve was looking at Wilson, jaw tense and eyes hard behind the cowl as his blue eyes flickered over to were Barnes and Dean were.
“I don’t know Steve, he’s made a lot of progress but we don’t know the extent of his conditioning,” Falcon answered, calm and eyes level.
“Strucker said a list of words to him in Russian and Bucky just shut down,” Sam spoke up drawing all eyes to him.
“Verbal triggers to bring forth the Winter Soldier. It had to have been the sequence Hydra used when they brought him out of cryo,” Romanov stated after a moment, her eyes continuously scanning their surroundings.
“We have to stop him or Bucky will kill Dean,” Steve stated as the Captain looked back towards the Winter Soldier. Sam turned to watch too and caught the sight of Dean’s fist connecting with Bucky’s jaw, blood trickling out of the side of the Winter Soldier’s mouth.
“Well, he’ll certainly keep trying, but he probably won’t succeed,” Sam grimaced as Steve’s head whipped back around to look at him.
“You seem a little too okay with this,” Stark stated, the mechanical voice clearly fishing for information.
“Dean will be fine, he can hold his own. Right now we need to focus on getting the scythe,” Sam ground out before turning to scan for a good access point to the scythe.
“Yeah, we can see that seeing as how he’s going toe to toe with the Winter Soldier right now,” Barton huffed with a slightly impressed look as they watched Dean dodge another uppercut.
“Look, Dean can take a hit, but if he gets clocked with a metal fist he won’t be getting up anytime soon,” Sam snapped, exasperated. It wasn’t like his brother was a super soldier after all and honestly, the two men fighting shouldn’t be the main concern right now.
“Sam, I know our information is sorely lacking when it comes to the past years of yours and your brother’s life, but if this is something we need to know and will help with this mission, please inform the team as to why Dean can hold his own against the Winter Soldier,” Agent Coulson’s voice crackled over the link.
“I really don’t think now’s the time,” Sam glared at the Avengers, trying desperately to think of some diversion, some way to get them back on track.
“Sam,” Natasha’s softly commanding voice made Sam hang his head in defeat.
“Fine, short version then and don’t interrupt,” Sam grit his teeth, “it’s because of the Mark of Cain. Dean spent the last year as a demon and not just any demon; he was the Knight of Hell. We don’t have time to get into Hell’s hierarchy, but let’s just say there aren’t many things out there willing to go a few rounds with a Knight of Hell. The Mark of Cain is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the curse Lucifer gave to Cain and led to him killing Abel. The Mark wouldn’t let Cain die and now that he’s passed it onto Dean the Mark won’t let Dean die either.”
Sam watched the various stunned faces with grim satisfaction. It was the sound of a sharp, harsh grunt followed by a sickening crack that brought everyone out of their stupor. Sam and the Avengers lurched out from behind their protective cover to see Dean slowly get up from the mess of wires and machinery where the Winter Soldier just tossed him. Blood caked Dean’s face and his jacket and flannel were gone leaving his brother in just a plain black t-shirt with rivulets of blood running down his arms. Sam wasn’t focused on any of that though, no, his eyes honed in on the angry, dark scar on Dean’s forearm. Sam swallowed; it looked alive and like it was burning through Dean again. Although, not to the extent that it did when Dean was a demon, but still, it wasn’t a reassuring sight.
Sam tore his eyes away from his brother and noticed he wasn’t the only one staring. The Avengers were all looking at Dean with various expressions, eyes dipping down to his arm and then back to Dean’s face. Sam sucked in a breath and looked back at his brother trying to see Dean like the Avengers would at that moment. Sam halted with realization as he took in his brother’s state, they were in deep shit. Sam looked at Dean and understood how the Avengers saw him right now. He was a cursed man who had the ability to fight the greatest assassin. A former uncontrollable and unparalleled demon. A man with an ambiguous past and knowledge of a previously unknown world. Dean was dangerous. They were dangerous and now the Avengers were starting to fully realize it. Sam just hoped they wouldn’t turn on them once this mission was finished.
They needed to get their hands on Death’s scythe now.
“Dean,” Sam called out, “get the scythe, you’re going to have to fight him with the scythe.”
“That’s totally unfair Sammy,” Dean yelled back and Sam flinched as his brother caught another blow to his ribs.
“It looks pretty unfair right now,” Sam snapped back over his shoulder as he eyed the Avengers. The Avengers who were all looking at him with distrust and suspicion, body’s taught and ready to attack.
****
Dean rolls his eyes at his brother’s dramatics as he brought his knee up jamming it into Bucky’s gut. The Soldier growls and grabs Dean’s leg, tossing him across the floor. Luckily for Dean it was in the direction of Death’s scythe and he skids to a stop only a few feet away. Dean looked back towards the Winter Soldier and noticed a fleeting glint in the man’s eyes. Slowly rising to his feet, Dean turned towards the scythe only to find himself face to face with Von Strucker on the other side pointing a gun at him. Dean froze, hands coming up defensively as he took in the barrel of the gun and the man’s face which held curiosity. The man was looking at Dean like he wouldn’t mind sawing him open and seeing what makes Dean tick.
Dean felt heat from the Mark seep out through his body and his stance relaxes. He hears the Winter Soldier approach from behind and garbled Russian flow between the assassin and Von Strucker. Dean’s eyes flicker over to see Sam and the Avengers in a standoff with the remaining Hydra agents, Sam’s eyes catching his and an understanding passes between the brothers. Dean feels a metal hand curl around the back of his neck as he turns his attention back to the scythe and Von Strucker. He reaches out as the hand tightens and watches as Von Strucker’s lips curl in an amused tilt. Dean’s own lips stretch into a vicious, predatory grin as his hand closes around the rusted handle and he picks up the scythe.