Chapter Text
“So, were you thinking when you let him go, or were you moved by sentimentality?”
Bucky sighed and avoided Phillips’ hard glare. “I wasn’t moved by sentimentality, sir.”
“Bullshit. You let someone who could prove to be useful to us out. What did he say to convince you to let him go, huh?”
“He didn’t say anything. I just realized how futile it was to keep him seeing as how he refused to help us.”
“So you keep him, you don’t let him go so that he can go right back to HYDRA.”
“He didn’t choose to be a part of HYDRA!”
Phillips gave him an incredulous look and Bucky sighed again, looking away. Peggy took a sip of water and gave him a pointed look.
“That’s decidedly different from what you were claiming.”
“I… I know that. However, because of your and Agent Carter’s suggestion, I had been repeatedly interrogating Steve and-”
“Steve, Captain?”
Keep digging your own grave, Barnes. So fuckin’ smart. “Er, the Winter Soldier. I had interrogated him-”
“Seems like it was a little more than that if you’re calling him by his first name, Barnes. Don’t tell me you told him to call you Bucky.”
“No, of course I didn’t. Listen, I just figured letting him go was the best thing. It was a thought-out idea.”
“I sincerely doubt that.” Phillips jabbed a finger in his chest. “This better not bite us in the ass, or it will be yours on the line.” He stormed out. Peggy finished her water and shot a glare at Bucky as she left.
“Barnes.”
It was just him and Howard. He turned towards the inventor and was surprised to see a smirk on his face.
“What is it, Stark?”
“Nothing. I just didn’t realize our talk would inspire you to let our prisoner out.”
“I don’t need to hear it.”
“Hey, don’t get too upset, Cap. I just didn’t realize that your revelation about your… preferences would come from being with the Winter Soldier.”
“You seem to misunderstand.”
“I don’t think I am. In fact, I’m quite sure I’m right about this.”
Bucky scowled and looked away. “Even if you were right, I don’t know what you’d want me to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything. Like I said, just a little surprised you went from hating his guts to well, being sweet on the guy.”
“I never shoulda talked to you.”
“Au contraire, Barnes. Talking to me was the right thing to do. If for no other reason, then to help you clarify and understand your own feelings. But don’t worry, though, I won’t demand a thank-you.”
“Luckily, I wasn’t going to offer one.”
“Barnes.”
He turned back to Howard. “Yeah?”
“Do you think Rogers is going to come back?”
“I’m not sure. I could see it going either way, to be honest.” He walked out. Would Steve come back? If he didn’t Bucky couldn’t blame him. That didn't stop Bucky from hoping, though.
“Just escaped?”
“Yep,” Bucky said. “Guess we didn’t do a good enough job of keeping an eye out on him.”
“You don’t seem too broken up over this, Cap.”
“Can’t focus on the failures of the past, gentlemen. We just need to figure out how to reduce the chance of any similar event occurring.” Wise words from a kind man.
“I guess.”
“No, I think I get it. Not like we can go back and change it. We could prevent it from happening again, though.”
“Exactly.”
“But what if he starts sharing our secrets to HYDRA?” Falsworth asked. “Our lives would be in grave danger.”
Steve would never. “That’s true. And an unfortunate possibility. We can’t let the threat of HYDRA deter us from our job, though.”
“That’s true.”
“Alright, Cap. Guess we’ll take down the Winter Soldier when he crosses our path, huh?”
I’m sure it won’t come down to that. “Exactly.”
“What are we going to do now, Cap?”
“We are providing assistance to soldiers on the front line, over in Eastern Germany. They need some relief over there. Once we get a good stronghold there, we’ll be in a good position to face Schmidt head-on.”
“Is that where we’ll be operating from?”
“Somewhere close to the Army base. We don’t want to put their lives in any danger than they already are.”
“So that means Phillips, Carter, Stark, they’re coming behind us.”
“Well, just Carter and Stark, actually. Phillips will be coming with us?”
“Really?”
He nodded his head. He was a bit excited, to be honest. He knew he wasn’t too keyed up on taking orders, but he greatly respected Colonel Phillips despite their differences. “We’ll be setting out tonight. Less likely to run into Nazis.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“We’re excited to set out with you, Cap.”
He chuckled and punched Dugan’s arm. “Yeah, same here. Don’t do nothin’ stupid, okay? I need you idiots to be okay.” He walked over to Peggy’s tent.
“Then why are you writing off your men?... You are viewing your men so morbidly.” Right. He needed to have faith in both his team and his leadership. He didn’t want to be Mr. Uptight with them. He sighed and kicked the flap to Peggy’s tent, but there was no response. “Peg?” He opened the tent and looked around, but she wasn’t in there.
“I didn’t realize you liked to sneak into people’s tent while they were gone.”
He turned around and saw a fairly annoyed Peggy. “Oh, uh, sorry about that, Peg.”
She sighed and shook her head. “It’s fine. Why don’t we talk in private, anyway. It’s been some time since we’ve done that.”
He stared at her for a few seconds, before nodded his head. “Right.” There was something about her tone that was suspicious.
“Come, over here should do.” She led to him a secluded area of the base, over by a thicket of trees.
“So… Why are you upset with me?”
“And what would make you think that?”
He gave her an exasperated look. “Don’t play dumb, Peg. You know why I think that. With the way you’re speaking and acting, it’s only obvious.”
She sighed. “I’m actually not upset. However, I have my suspicions about something.”
Bucky was sure he knew what she was talking about. “Let’s hear it.”
“You let the Winter Soldier go, didn’t you?”
“Did I? And what would make you think that?”
“Because I am not dumb, Bucky. The Winter Soldier just up and escaped in the middle of the night? You could not have possibly thought we would fall for that.”
“So because it’s hard to believe, it couldn’t have happened?”
“Of course there is a small, infinitesimal chance that he escaped, but that chance immediately falls to zero when you take into account your reaction.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You hated him. The Winter Soldier. You refused to believe that he was a victim for as long as you could. And now, when he escapes, is when you decide to grant him clemency? That doesn’t seem the least bit suspicious to you?”
“I mean… I could see why you’d think that, but I recognize that sometimes it’s healthier to just let things go.”
“Why are you lying?” She gave him an annoyed look. “Fine, keep your bloody secrets. But I know I’m right and that you let him escape. Now, I don’t know why you did that, but it doesn’t matter at this point. I just hope that whatever you were aiming for works out in your favor.” She walked away and Bucky groaned. He always had to stay on his feet around Peggy. She was so damn observant and smart. Bucky sighed and walked to his tent to get his stuff packed. He hoped no one else would figure out that he had freed Steve.
Wonder what the punk is doing now.
Steve crouched low behind some bushes and watched the lone road just a few feet ahead of him. Apparently, Nazis liked using this road to transport future Jewish concentration camp prisoners. He briefly wondered if this was the road he was transported on, but quickly abandoned that thought. It was doubtful, since this road was close to the Italian border. And even if it was, Steve didn’t want to reflect on his times in the camp. He wanted to rescue others from that fate, though. No one deserved to be put through that torture.
You get to atone for your sins.
It might have been selfish, but he really was hoping that doing this would also settle his mind. He saw the Jewish children he had murdered through his indecisiveness, each time he closed his eyes to sleep. Saw their lifeless eyes as they slumped over from Zola’s bullets. No more, if there was anything he could say about it.
The sound of an engine and wheels rushing over pavement had broken into his thoughts and he looked up. There was a truck down the road from him, driving at a moderate pace. Steve took a deep breath and nodded his head. He was actually about to do this. He wasn’t a hero, not like Bucky or Peggy or their men, but he had to try. He steeled himself and once the truck was close enough he jumped out in the middle of the road and stuck his arms out. The truck did not stop in time and Steve groaned as he forced the truck to a stop.
“What on Earth…?”
“Go check it out!”
One of the doors opened and a German guard with a clear Nazi insignia stuck his head out, cautiously looking around.
“What is-”
Steve grabbed his neck and threw him out of the truck. The driver pointed his gun at him, but Steve was quicker and was able to wrench it out of the man’s hand. He kicked the driver out and started up the car.
“What the hell are you doing? Stop it!” The man ran out in front of the car, waving his arms over his head. Steve glared at the man and stepped on the gas, honestly indifferent to whether or not he hit the man. The man quickly realized that Steve was willing to run him over and jumped out of the way in time.
“Lucky bastard,” Steve muttered. He had to think of where to take the would-be prisoners. He was thinking about where Bucky’s camp was, but he figured once HYDRA figured out he was behind this, they would check there first, as they had been the ones to capture him. He wasn’t sure where any other bases were, though. It was the only base in the area he was aware of. He sighed. Bucky’s base was probably the best he could do in terms of finding them a place to be safe. He didn’t want to interact with Bucky, though. It wasn’t that he disliked the man, on the contrary, he found him to be an honorable man with a surprising amount of depth. However, he was afraid if he saw Bucky that he would abandon his mission to join him. And although he was sure he would indeed rejoin Bucky, it just wasn’t the right time. Once he had gotten a far enough distance, he stopped the truck and went to check on the passengers in the back. They probably had no idea what was going on and probably felt terrified. He opened the back and was greeted with haunted expressions from the men, women, and children sitting there. They were chained and Steve gave them a sympathetic look. Their eyes widened in fear when they saw him and he held up his hands.
“I’m going to get you to safety. I’m not here to hurt you.”
He could see the doubtful look in their eyes and he couldn’t blame them. He knew what they had been through and he would have been doubtful of someone claiming to help. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his yellow badge. The marker of being Jewish that had been bestowed onto him by the Nazis in his neighborhood. He showed it to them.
“This is mine. I am here to help, I promise. I will get you to safety.”
They looked more at ease, but Steve could still sense their distrust. He climbed onto the truck bed, slowly, with his hands raised and grabbed one of the chains. He hated that he would have to use such a crude method to free them from their chains, but he didn’t have the keys to do so. They must have been with one of the two men that he had thrown out from the truck. He ripped the chains one to two at time, not wanting to injure any of the prisoners. Once he was done, he gave them all an encouraging smile.
“Just wait. I am going to bring you to an Allied base.” He stepped off the truck bed and closed the doors. He hoped he gave them enough peace of mind to last them until he got them to safety. He got back in the truck and drove to the base. Hopefully Bucky would help them out.
He handed one of the women a note. “Hand this to the Negro soldier with the wolf insignia.”
She slowly nodded her head. He could see the defeated look in her eyes and gave her an encouraging smile.
“The soldiers will help you. They’re not Nazis.”
She nodded her head again and Steve watched as they walked onto the base. He debated for a moment if he should go in the base with them and tell the soldiers there what was happening. It wasn’t like he would get in trouble for it, Bucky had given him the okay to leave. But after thinking about it, he decided not to. He was sure they would be fine. They didn’t pose a threat and if the Howling Commandos and the Allieds were committed to helping, they would do something. He got back in the van and drove away. He was sure he could use it to aid in his mission.
“Now how in the hell do a bunch of Jewish prisoners end up at this damn base?”
Bucky was sure he knew the answer and judging by the way Phillips was glaring at him, he knew as well. “Are… you expecting an answer from me, sir?”
“Keep it to yourself, Barnes. I know if I ask you, I’m just going to get a lie.”
“Sir-”
“So I’m going to answer that question myself. It’s that prisoner you let escape-”
“I didn’t let-”
“Cut the bullshit, Barnes. I know that isn’t true.”
Bucky sat back down and sighed. Apparently it was more obvious that he realized. “Okay… so, you’re right. About me, at least, and-”
“Who else could have sent so many Jewish prisoners here? Had to have been him, the Winter Soldier.”
“That… is a logical conclusion to come to. I don’t know why you’re upset, though. This is less Jewish people that are bein’ murdered by Nazis.”
“Because if Nazis or HYDRA finds out, they’re gonna be marching on our asses. And then those Jewish lives’ are once again in danger. This is not good for us or them.”
“No, it’s still good for them. At least, it’s better than it was back when they were being taken to a literal death camp.”
“That’s true enough. However, I don’t know what do with these people. Do you have an idea, Captain America?”
Bucky scowled and looked away. He did not have an idea and he understood the worry that Phillips had. Honestly, it was the worst base they could have been sent to, but he imagined Steve probably didn’t have much of a choice. Why are you making excuses for him? He’s made your job harder, focus on that as opposed to anything else. “Is there a way we can try taking them to an embassy, or even the US?”
“Maybe… the US would probably be easier, though. Can’t take them an embassy around here and I don’t know how open England is to taking in refugees. They need to go somewhere though.” Phillips sighed. “Rogers probably couldn’t think of anywhere else to take them.”
“Probably. But it’s doubtful he’s going to stop there.”
“True enough. That means we need to come up with a solution sooner rather than later. Tell Carter and Stark I want their opinions on the matter.”
“Yes sir.”
“Oh, and Barnes?”
He turned back to him.
“Pray that this is the most Rogers does. If he does much more, as a man allied to no nation, the US government won’t look on that too kindly.” He gave Bucky a stern look. “And they’ll be even less kind when they learn that you were the one who let him go.”
He nodded his head. “I understand, Colonel Phillips.” He left the cabin and walked over to Peggy’s tent. He saw the prisoners lined up and being counted by one of the sergeants. He walked over to Peggy’s tent and gently kicked her flap.
“Ugh, who is it?”
“Barnes.”
She stepped out of the tent and smiled at him. “Captain Barnes. To what do I owe this pleasure?”
“Well… Phillips wanted me to come talk with you-”
“Ah, about our new guests.”
He sighed and nodded his head. “Yeah… he, um, realized-”
“That the Winter Soldier is most likely behind this?”
Bucky sighed and nodded his head. “Yeah. You figured it out, too, huh?”
She chuckled. “Well, it was pretty obvious. And let me guess, he also figured you were the one who let him go?”
“I suppose when you think about it, it’s obvious, huh?”
“Just a tad.” She frowned and looked away. He furrowed his brow and slightly nudged her.
“What’s wrong, English?”
“Why did you do it?”
“Ah, well… I don’t know. I just got to talking to him, y’know? Got to understand him and I just felt moved enough to free him. Probably sounds crazy don’t it?”
She shrugged. “I personally remember helping a war bonds salesman fly into Nazi territory to free captured Allied soldiers, so I suppose I don’t see it as that crazy.”
Bucky chuckled. “I guess you do kinda get it. But you didn’t free a prisoner. A prisoner connected with HYDRA.”
“Your actions are certainly more… extreme than mine were, but the principle is the same. We both believed in someone doing the right thing. And, despite the rules, we helped them, because our faith in them was that great. Do you regret releasing Steve?”
Bucky thought it over before slowly shaking his head. “No. No, I don’t.”
“Then there you are. I don’t regret helping you out, either.” She looked over at him. “All we can do is our best, Captain Barnes. And to try to do so with as little regrets as possible.”
“Right… Thanks, Pegs.”
“Of course.”
“Oh, before I forget, Phillips wanted your opinion on what we should do about the Jewish prisoners here.”
“Ah, yes. It may not be conducive or beneficial to their safety to keep them here. It would be rather disastrous if any of our adversaries found out, especially HYDRA.”
“Right. Can you think of a place that would be safe for them?”
“It’d be hard to find someone in Europe. Britain might be the safest place in Europe. And of course, there’s the States.”
“How could we get them there?”
“Planes or trains would probably be the most likely way. Them staying here is untenable, though.”
“Right. Gotta go see Howard, too.”
“See you later, Barnes. We certainly do have busy days ahead of us, don’t we?”
“As long as we’re dealing with this war, we got busy days. Once again, thanks, Pegs.”
“Yes, yes, I’m so wise. I’ll speak with you later.”
“Right.” He walked away, thinking everything over. They certainly did have their hands full. How would they handle everything around them? And what could he do to help? These questions continued to swirl in his head as he walked to Howard’s tent.
“I mean, it’s obvious enough that we need to evacuate them somehow,” Howard said. “Wish I had an idea as to how though.”
“Well, we also need to figure that sooner rather than later.”
Howard raised an eyebrow at her. “Oh? And why is that, Pegs?”
“Because Steve is going to try to rescue more Jewish prisoners,” Bucky answered. “We need a solution before the number gets out of hand.”
“Yes, I thought that as well.”
“I think… we should try a train.”
Bucky frowned at Phillips. “A train?”
“Like one that sends supplies or soldiers?”
“Yes. There’s a line nearby that the Allieds control. It will ship these former prisoners to safety.”
“Oh… you’re right. Hey, that is a good idea.”
“Let me send a message to general in charge of guarding the station. He can let us know how viable that plan is.”
Peggy nodded her head. “Alright. And we’ll keep an eye out, in case the Winter Soldier wishes to give us more people.”
“I’ll contact the station as soon as I can. Hopefully we can figure this out before any more refugees are sent our way.”