#wilfred nagel

[micuko]

[emptymidnight]

After some Nagel discussions on Discord I thought I’d do a little paint over of an old picture I drew last March. Definitely a fun way to see how much I’ve learnt in the last 20 months.

[maple-the-awesome]

We'll Meet Again...I Know When || Chapter 32

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x GN Reader

Words: 3,853

Overview: Given your old-fashioned personality and obsession with all things 1940s to 1980s, it’s no wonder that most people refer to you as an ‘old soul’ who would’ve rather lived back then than in the modern era. Little do they know, you already did, but with your previous life as Hollie Stark cut short, you’ve been left with some…unfinished business, to say the least. Top of your list? Finally getting to marry your thought-to-be-lost fiancé.

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CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO: GET LOW

You have to keep your priorities straight. There's a group of terrorist super soldiers running around while the serum to create them is apparently being created in the worst possible place for it, Madripoor. You only agreed to this mission to solve that problem; nothing else should be on your mind nor of your concern. The sooner you fix things, the sooner you can return home where you somewhat wish you would've stayed to begin with.

Despite your bitter and anxious mood, you keep strictly to your assigned character during negotiations. Standing behind Zemo with hands kept clasped in front of yourself, you pay close attention to every word said not because you care for the conversation itself, but so that you can be prepared if anything goes wrong.

As scripted, you only move when Zemo offers to 'trade' the Winter Soldier to Selby in exchange for information, at which point you briefly hold up a book for her to see containing the supposed code words (none that are accurate, as you made sure to confirm before even entering Madripoor).

Earlier when this part of the plan had been explained to you, you were hesitant, yet now you find yourself caring a little less, a petty side of you almost wanting to actually leave him here with this lunatic crime-lord since she seems perfectly willing to take him off your hands. It's not like you plan to ever come back to Madripoor anyway, so he'd never have to worry about seeing you again; a total win for him.

The good news is you get a lead from Selby: a man named Dr. Wilfred Nagel is the one making super soldier serum. The bad news? She refuses to say where you can find him, not even willingly to mention if he's in Madripoor. The worst news? Sam forgot one of the biggest rules to undercover missions: turning off your damn phone.

It's at this point that your facades begin to unravel like a cat's favorite ball of yarn. Based on the way Sam looks around the room nervously, you can tell it isn't a scam call or wrong number, yet there's nothing any of you can do for him once Selby demands he answer it on speaker phone. Despite his desperate attempts to maintain his role as Smiling Tiger, the woman on the other end doesn't get the hint, stubbornly remaining on line until delivering the final blow by referring to him by name.

"'Sam'? Who's 'Sam'?" Selby becomes enraged immediately, "Kill them -!"

Almost as soon as those words left her mouth, a bullet came crashing through the window, hitting Selby from behind and causing her to fall limp onto the ground. From there, you're only allowed a brief moment of surprise before a fight ensues.

Thankfully unlike the bar downstairs where there would've been a gun pointing at you from every direction, there are only two armed guards in this private room who are slow to react. Bucky and Sam easily knock them out while taking their guns for themselves which is enough of a threat for everyone else to flee without causing any further trouble, although that doesn't necessarily save any of you from this new situation you've landed yourselves in.

"We have a real problem now," Zemo complains, yet his behavior comes across as being no more inconvenienced than he would be if someone spit in his tea, "Leave your weapons and follow my lead."

You wish you could be as calm, too - which is the first and only time you'll be jealous of Zemo for something. Sure, you can act calm, but to truly be it is another talent. It doesn't matter how straight your expression is nor how casual you try to walk while still being swift on your feet; you feel like a deer walking through a shooting range the second you step onto the streets, senses heightened as you wait for any sign of danger directed your way.

You don't have to wait long. The lights of the street suddenly flash off, leaving you blinded by darkness soon disrupted by a flurry of gunshots aimed at your group. It's complete chaos after that. There’s no uniformed or planned attack like what you're used to. It's a city of criminals governed by no leadership or morals, only their own selfish interests in mind.

There's gunshots to your left and gunshots to your right. People screaming as they run for cover, people shouting as they chase after you through the many streets and allies. Now, you haven't been to the gym in months - Alright, maybe years, but practiced exercise is nothing compared to pure adrenaline. The mere thought of your life being on the line as motorcycles roar somewhere close by serves as the perfect motivator for your legs to keep moving, chasing directly behind Bucky who likely has no idea where he's going, but anywhere is better than stopping to ask for directions.

Your pace only slows when coming around another corner, at which point you foolishly duck upon hearing two more gunshots fired from somewhere ahead. When you don't feel the force of any bullets ripping through your body, you turn around to see the motorcycle drivers both hunched over lifeless.

“Well, this is too perfect,” A voice comes as a woman steps out of the foggy darkness, only removing a hand from her gun briefly to pull down her hood which reveals her face to the rest of you. If it weren’t for your excellent memory, you likely would’ve had a harder time recognizing her as Sharon Carter, someone you’ve only met once and under far different circumstances, but she’s an ally nonetheless.

This would be the point where you sigh if not for still trying to catch your breath and steady your nerves.

You're grateful for the opportunity to finally switch out of this stupid disguise you've been forced to wear all night and pleased to see Sharon has offered quite the selection of new outfits to choose from, although most look far too fancy for your taste, particularly the ones drenched in glitter. Not wanting to look like a walking disco ball, you pick something comfortable yet pretty and, most importantly, suitable for action since you highly doubt your game of dodging bullets is over just yet.

Glancing around to check on everyone else, you notice they all seem to be doing their own thing. Sam's trying to find his own change of clothes from the rack, Zemo's currently helping himself to Sharon's alcohol collection, and Bucky has simply plopped down on the couch with back turned to the rest of you (brooding, as you would assume).

"Is there someplace I can change?" You ask Sharon once she returns. She tosses her coat onto the couch next to Bucky and spares you a quick look as she passes by.

"What? Can't change here?" While her tone may have been teasing, that smirk on her face makes you question if she's truly joking, however you certainly aren't.

You'll confess that you've changed in the same room as Bucky before, however you'd also argue that the circumstances were very different then. To him, you had been roommates for so long that it didn't seem like a big deal to switch shirts or sleep in only boxers in your presence. To you...Well, you've always known that you had both done a little more than simply 'change' in front of each other in the 40s, so why be embarrassed about your roommate-once--fiancé catching a sneak peek?

The point is, while you're comfortable around Bucky, that doesn't apply to anyone else in this room. Sam's a friend you barely know, Sharon's a person you don't know, and Zemo's a liability you'd have to strangle if he so much as thought of saying anything remotely inappropriate.

"I'd rather have privacy."

Sharon rolls her eyes with a scoffed laugh, "Sorry, I didn't think you'd mind. You've never seemed that shy around men before."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Your voice alone warns her to answer carefully as does your irked expression, yet she still turns away from you with a careless shrug.

"It's just that you come across as someone who likes attention, that's all. What, with you going from Rogers, Barnes, Stark then Barnes again; you sure get around, but hey, props to you for having fun with your life, I guess."

"You know there's this thing called 'friends', right?" Sam interjects, unable to himself. He knows you all desperately need Sharon's help in finding Dr. Nagel, but he has trouble biting back the offense he takes on your behalf from her unwarranted comments.

For better or for worse, she isn't fazed by Sam's disapproval, instead responding sarcastically to it, "Really? Never heard of it."

"Like that isn't obvious," You roll your eyes then land them on Bucky who unlike Sam doesn't bother to show an ounce of concern for how Sharon's treating you, his back remaining completely turned to the problem.

Although his silence has been bothering you this whole time, you must say it especially stings right now. You understand that he's mad, but so much so that he isn't even willingly to say a single word in your defense? That he's just going to sit there and let her basically call you a whore? He knows the truth, all he has to do is say it. Who cares if it actually shuts Sharon up? At least he'd look like a decent gentleman by attempting to protect your honor instead of a total asshole wordlessly supporting her point!

Looking back at Sharon, you match her crossed arms and pair them with a disinterested stare, "I know you're bitter and shit about Steve leaving you for your aunt, but that doesn't involve me, so if you're that desperate to lift your ego, I suggest picking up a hobby or - better yet - moving on instead of pissing me off which I will only warn you once is a dangerous game to play.

"I'm sure you'll be pleased to know Barnes and I - we're nothing; not even friends. The sole reason why I'm right now is because Sam, a friend, asked nicely and I, for one, don't want anyone dragging the name of super soldiers through the mud; personally, I don't think Steve's legacy deserves that. Now is there somewhere I can change or not?"

Despite the bite behind your words, Sharon appears more impressed than offended or sorry as she nods her head towards the hallway, "There's a bathroom down the hall, three doors to your right."

"...Thanks," You brush past her with your clothes in hand, more convinced than ever that you'll never step foot in Madripoor again after this even if the rest of the world were to be on fire.

Seconds after you disappear through the glass doors, Bucky turns to send a glare Sharon's way, "What the hell was that?"

"What? ...Oh, come on! Did I really hit that deep of a nerve? I thought for Avengers, you'd all have thicker skin," Sharon's attempt at innocence crumbles under Bucky and Sam's intense glares, yet she merely sighs in frustration before going to pour herself a glass of alcohol over where Zemo's been watching the whole scene unfold while sipping his brandy in amusement.

"I highly doubt I'm the only one who finds it a little suspicious that someone who stuck their neck out for the Winter Soldier and Captain America was entirely forgiven when rich boy Tony Stark cried out in their favor only to conveniently fall right back into their former lover's arms after his death. I mean, last I saw they were practically your little lap dog seven years ago and honestly, I can't say it seems much has changed once Stark got out of the way."

Sharon finishes her little rant by collapsing on the opposite side of the couch as Bucky who shakes his head in disbelief, "Wow, you're kind of awful now, aren't you?"

"Look, Sharon. I'm sorry for everything that happened. I'm sorry no one ever called -" Sam starts.

"- You make it sound like it was just a missed date or something -"

"- I know that it seems like (Y/n) got off easy compared to the crap you've had to put up with after helping us, but it's not their fault how things ended. Stark was there to stand up for them while no one was there for you, so don't blame them, blame me. I should've called, but after the Blip, it was chaos and I -"

"- Oh, save your breath," Sharon shakes her head, looking back at Sam from over the edge of the couch, "...You know all this hero stuff is just bullshit, right? Deep down, you know it's all hypocrisy and that's why you gave up the shield."

"He knows, just not that deep down," Zemo asserts from the corner of the room, however Sam himself can't seem to say anything, only able to remain quiet while wishing he had your talent for snapping back. He wants to say something to disprove Sharon's allegations, yet he instead hands her the win with his silence, allowing her to go back to finishing her drink just in time for you to return, clearly still irritated and too much so to question whether the dim energy of this room is from your past conversation or a new one.

"Alright, so what's the plan? How are we finding this Dr. Nagel, hmm?" You get right to business, not even bothering to act cheerful or excited as you normally would; your will to do so for everyone else's sake is officially run dry.

"Are you guys still sure you want to get involved in this?" For once, Sharon doesn't show much confidence, in fact you would even say she sounds genuinely concerned as she sets her empty glass on the table, "For your own safety, I'd recommend that you don't. Nagel works for the Power Broker who, might I remind you, you're already in deep shit against after what happened with Selby."

"Free range super soldiers being produced under the management of a criminal empire? Yeah, for the safety of the world, I'd say backing down isn't really an option here," You argue, half surprised Sharon doesn't have some smartass comment to swing back at you which proves that while she might be a pain to deal with, she at least isn't stupid.

"To do this we need your help, Sharon. We can get your name cleared -" Sam adds.

"- Heh. Haggling with my life now, are we?"

"Not like that -"

"- Mmm, I don't buy it - you pretending to clear my name as your bargaining chip?"

"I can try," Sam walks around the couch, standing in front of Sharon with a hand outstretched towards her, "It's not impossible, after all, they already cleared the name of a bionic staring machine after he killed almost everyone he met -"

"- I heard that -"

"- I don't trust charity."

"It's not really 'charity'," You sit on an armchair and shrug when Sharon's glances around Sam at you, "Charity is the act of voluntary giving. We're not just 'giving' you anything, we're offering an exchange. You help us find Nagel, Sam here gets your name cleared. Can't be that hard. The government's views change like a flip of a dime. Catch 'em at a desperate time of need and they'll be more willing to pardon you for your help in the cause."

"...Nice to see someone here admits to seeing the hypocrisy of it all," Sharon inhales and exhales deeply, her words causing you to raise an eyebrow in confusion after having missed the context to them earlier. Nevertheless, it doesn't matter as she finally shakes Sam's hand and stands to her feet, "I sell to some pretty connected people, so just lay low, stay out of trouble, and enjoy the party while I see what I can do."

You're not a fan of crowds, but at least this suffocating party beats being cornered in a bar full of hostile, armed patrons. Here everything is more laid back, similar to any noncriminal run club. The music is blaring, lights flashing, and ground vibrating as guests dance to their hearts' content. All you have to do now is just look like you're equally enjoying yourself for a few hours which is significantly easier than your previous role as 'silent assistant'.

Leaned against a wall, your laughter becomes comparable to the booming of the bass and is contagious within the group of party goers standing around you. You just gotta keep this up - keep engaging in a few more conversations, tell a couple of funny jokes while downing a drink or two along the way, and soon that annoying, nagging voice inside your head will finally go mute, allowing you to sink deeper and deeper into your game of intoxicating pretend.

"Hey -!" You're suddenly pulled away from your new group of friends when Bucky grabs your arm, quite literally tugging your attention from them to him. While he's technically successful, you're hardly amused, immediately ripping your arm away from him with a glare and another swig of your drink.

"- What?"

Bucky, who was going to say something else, becomes distracted when his eyes flicker down to your half-empty bottle, "...Don't you think you've had enough?"

You huff, bringing the bottle back up to your lips while maintaining your glare, "I'm not going to get drunk if that's what you're worried about. I'm able to handle my liquor quite well, thank you very much. It's in my blood, after all."

Bucky sighs, half tempted to rip that bottle away from your stubborn hand, however he refrains from the urge.

"...Have you heard anything from Sharon yet?" Your question echoes within the glass as you survey the active party around you both.

"No. Last I heard, she's still talking to her 'connections'."

"Well hopefullyshe starts speeding things up. It's been a long enough night already," You'd blame it on exhaustion fogging up your mind, but in truth, it's probably the relief from Bucky's finally talking to you which seems to take some weight off of your shoulders, allowing you to relax and speak more freely in his presences - to be more like yourself unlike how you've been behaving around those other party goers...however you shouldn't have been so trusting to this feeling.

"Then you should go rest."

"Not until we find Nagel."

Bucky pauses, not even looking at you as he just stares at some other far off place in the room, "...I think you should stay here while we go talk to Nagel ourselves."

"There's no point in that," You sigh, "I came here to help you guys, not stand on the sidelines."

"It wasn't a suggestion."

"What?" You return your glare to him once more.

"It's not necessary for all of us to go. We don't need five people -"

"- Does my presence add that much to the equation? Three people is fine, but four's a crowd? In that case, why not have Sharon stay behind? She's the tag-along...Or is it just me?"

"It...It has nothing to do with you, okay? I just think -" Bullshit. He acts as if your accusation is nothing short of ridiculous yet never looks directly at you longer than an impatient glance. It is you.

"- Here's an idea: how about you just pretend I'm not there, yeah?" You put your free hand on your hip, feeling your blood begin to boil the more his words sink into your skin, "I mean, that's what you've been doing this whole time and you seem to have gotten pretty damn good at it, I'd say, so I doubt it'll kill you to do for a few extra hours."

Bucky inhales deeply while pinching the bridge of his nose, "...Look, we've already run into trouble and barely got out of it just searching for Nagel. Actually talking to him is going to be dangerous."

"Alright? And your point is?"

"You're at the most risk out of all of us. You don't have any formal training, you don't have any powers. Just - Come on and be reasonable. You'll only get yourself hurt -!"

"'Be reasonable'?" You can't help but laugh with a shake of your head, "I am being reasonable! In case you've forgotten, I protected your ass for two whole years and helped the Avengers fight Thanos twice! That's not even mentioning the shit I went through against HYDRA, either! For fucks sake, I've been shot at before, so training or not, the fear of dying isn't new for me!"

Your fury falters and you immediately regret your choice of words once noticing Bucky's reaction to them. Almost as soon as they're said, his expression becomes shattered and mournful, and a part of you instantly feels terrible seeing that, yet at the same time, your lingering anger - still fueled by your inner, unresolved pain - prevents you from outright apologizing.

"...You're a liability if you go..."

You grip your bottle, almost wishing it would just shatter in your hands to emphasize what you're feeling right now. Maybe then you'd have an excuse to cry in front of so many people - people who would definitely raise eyebrows if you were to completely lash out right now and confront Bucky with every swirling thought that's been burning hotter on your tongue following each drop of alcohol: 'What am I doing wrong? Why are you treating me like this? How come you don't love me anymore? Can't you see that it's drowning me?

You take a deep breath, calming yourself down a little before opening your eyes to look back up at Bucky with a false smile, "...You know what? Suuure. I'll stay behind. Whatever makes you happy, you fucking asshole!"

After spitting those final venomous words, you shove pass him roughly and storm off into the crowd, no longer caring if anyone heard your little 'lover's quarrel', as they probably all see it as. You have no idea where you're going or what you'll even do in the meantime, but Sharon's house seems big enough, so you're sure you'll have no problem finding someplace quiet to soak in all your self-pity.

Bucky almost calls after you, requiring every ounce of willpower not to chase you and give an apology, but what would that actually accomplish if he did? 'Sorry I hurt your feelings, but I'm still not changing my mind because I stand by what I said'...As if that would fix anything.

Maybe this is for the best, at least that's what he tries to convince himself throughout each second that his guilt eats away at him. For the price of hurting you, you won't be in danger if things go south talking to Nagel. Perhaps you'll even want to go home after this and you'll never have to be at risk because of any of this stuff again. Sure, you'll hate him as you probably do now, but if that's what it takes for you to be alive, then it's worth it.

...It'll be worth this heartache, won't it?

NEXT CHAPTER ->

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Taglist:

@arunabrak,

[sjsmith56]

Making Amends, Chapter 18 - Eyes of the Father

Summary: Bucky and Sam deal with Zemo and the Flag Smashers. A cryptic warning has Bucky on edge.

Length: 5.3 K

Characters: Bucky, Sam, Walker, Zemo.

Author notes: I made the decision not to use dialogue from the TV series to avoid copyright issues. As a result, there is a lot of exposition in this chapter which may just seem like a rehashing of the plot from the series. There is some made up dialogue. While you're reading it and you think back to the scene in the series just remember that my dialogue is different.  After this chapter everything will be original plot and dialogue as Bucky takes on the danger threatening Lacey and Tommy.

<<Chapter 17

💉 🚔

The next few weeks were time that Bucky would never get back.  After "helping" Zemo escape custody, then flying to Madripoor to seek out information about the super soldier serum they found themselves on the wrong side of the faction that ran the lawless colony.  A woman in the criminal world in Madripoor gave them the name of the man making the serum, Wilfred Nagel, then was killed herself, which prompted a bounty on their lives, even though they had nothing to do with her death.  Only the appearance of Sharon Carter helped them temporarily out of being killed by the bounty hunters.  Carter, obviously part of the criminal underworld herself, helped them locate Nagel's lab.  He confirmed the existence of the serum, admitted it was formed from a blood sample taken from an unwilling Isaiah Bradley, and that he had created 20 doses.  They knew of eight Flag Smashers who had taken the serum, meaning there were potentially another dozen people that could be or already were transformed. 

It literally blew up in their faces when Zemo killed Nagel, then a bounty hunter sent a rocket into the shipping container where the lab was.  Zemo disappeared while Bucky helped Carter and Sam out of the wreckage.  After helping them dispose of the rest of the bounty hunters Zemo showed up with a car to get them out of there and back to his private jet.  At least they had a name, Donya Madani, a source of inspiration to the Flag Smashers, and a place, Riga, Latvia, to search for the group.

When they arrived in Riga, and Zemo led them to a safe house there, Bucky noticed several kimoyo beads in the vicinity and hung back, knowing the Wakandans were near.  In a quiet street he spoke to Ayo, the Dora Milaje warrior, who gave him 8 hours before she and her squad came for Zemo.  It was long enough for Zemo to find out where the funeral for Donya Madani was being held, and long enough for Sam to try and talk to the leader of the Flag Smashers, Karli Morgenthau.  At least it would have been long enough if John Walker hadn't shown up to arrest Karli.  She escaped in the confusion Walker's appearance caused.  Later when the Dora Milaje came to take Zemo into custody Walker intervened again starting a fight that never should have happened.  In the confusion of that fight Zemo escaped. 

Karli reached out to Sam, via a veiled threat she made to his sister and nephews.  When he and Bucky met with her they realized quickly her true intent was to occupy them while the rest of the Flag Smashers went after Walker and Hoskins.  It was during that fight that Sam realized Walker had somehow taken the super soldier serum.  That was also the fight where Hoskins was killed and Walker retaliated by killing one of the Flag Smashers in front of a crowd of civilians recording on their cell phones, using the shield to do it.  After Walker ran off they followed him to an empty industrial building where both could see the mental turmoil the man was in.  Sam asked for the shield and Walker took it as a threat.  In the ensuing battle between the three Walker tried to kill Sam and Bucky was forced to fight unrestrained against the man who insisted he was still Captain America.  It took breaking Walker's arm to get the shield from him then Bucky picked up the shield and dropped it beside Sam as he lay on the floor, not caring at that point whether Sam picked it up or not as he was done. 

Walker faced a hearing back in the US where he was stripped of his Captain America title as well as his military rank.  Sam returned back to Delacroix after a brief stop in Baltimore, while Bucky stayed in Europe tracking Zemo, fulfilling what he saw as his personal responsibility to return him to custody.  He found him in what was left of Sokovia, at a memorial to the people who died.  Zemo tried to convince him to go after Karli and kill her.  In response, Bucky aimed the pistol at Zemo's head and pulled the trigger.  It clicked instead of firing and Bucky let the bullets fall through his fingers to the ground, emphasizing for all time to Zemo that he wasn't a killer anymore.  The Dora Milaje appeared at that time to escort Zemo to his new home in the Raft, a high security prison located underwater in the Atlantic Ocean.  Just before he left Zemo glanced at Bucky.

"Now that Nagel is dead the Power Broker will be looking for a new scientist and a new source of super soldier blood for the serum," he said, looking intently at Bucky as he stopped.  "You may want to make sure your son and his mother are safe."

Bucky was startled by this warning.  "How did you...," he began.

"I find out things," interrupted Zemo, then glanced at the women warriors, acknowledging they were there for him.

As they walked away Bucky called out.  "Ayo," he said.  "I have a favour to ask of you."

She turned and looked at him as if that was the last thing she wanted to do for him.  "As long as you make yourself scarce in Wakanda for a while," she replied.

He nodded his assent then made his request.  She looked at him intently.  "I will see what I can do," she promised.  "He is a good man so it shouldn't be a problem."

Bucky watched them walk away then pulled his wallet out followed by a business card.  He looked at it for a moment, considering his next action, and dialled the number. 

"Hey, it's Bucky Barnes," he said to the person on the other end of the call.  "I'm in Europe right now but I wonder if I can see you tomorrow or the day after.  I don't want to say anything more on an unsecured line but it's important.  It has to do with Lacey and Tommy.  Thanks, I'll call you when I get to New York."

Two days later Bucky called and met with FBI agent Dan Jones at a coffee kiosk in Greenwich Village.  Bucky asked if he wanted one and after paying for the two coffees walked to a bench away from people.  Jones sat next to him, looking at Bucky intently.

"What's on your mind?" Jones asked Bucky.

"Do you know where Lacey and Tommy are staying now?" queried Bucky.  "I know they aren't with the Bartons anymore."

"I might but I wouldn't tell you," replied Jones.  "You really shit the bed on that relationship."

"You heard," said Bucky tersely.  "I still love her and Tommy, and I care about keeping them safe.  Someone gave me a warning about them.  You ever hear of the Power Broker?"

Jones looked at him in surprise.  "What interest does the Power Broker have in them?" he asked.

"The Power Broker was behind the serum that made the Flag Smashers into super soldiers," said Bucky.  "The man who made the serum for him was killed, and the remainder of the serum was destroyed.  I was warned the Power Broker might be looking for a new source of super soldier blood to make more serum.  He wouldn't come after me because I can defend myself against a room full of people.  Tommy is strong but not strong enough.  If they put a gun to Lacey's head ...."

Jones let out a big breath.  "Jesus, Bucky," he said.  "What do you want me to do?"

"Can you put a detail on them?" asked Bucky.  "Surveillance ... something, anything."

"Okay, I'll come up with something," said Jones.  He hesitated then continued.  "They're doing good, Bucky.  Tommy's in school.  Lacey is working on her fourth book.  For what it's worth I think she still loves you.  She hasn't been dating."

Bucky stood up and drained his coffee, dropping the paper cup in the garbage can next to the bench.  "Thanks, Dan," he replied, smiling grimly.  "I appreciate it.  You have my number.  Let me know if anyone comes after them."

Jones nodded and watched as Bucky walked away.  The revelation that the Power Broker may be interested in Lacey and the boy troubled him.  He pulled his cell phone out and made his own call to ask for a meeting.  He was sure Nick Fury would want to know this development.

Bucky stayed home in Brooklyn for several days researching the location of more people on his list that he had to make amends to.  When he received a shipment from Wakanda, via their embassy in New York, he booked a flight to New Orleans.  There he rented a car and drove to Delacroix.  After asking where he could find Sam Wilson he was directed to a gathering of people on a dock.  He picked Sam out of a group of men gathered near a wrapped engine loaded on the back of a truck.  Putting the case from Wakanda down he picked the engine up and lifted it off the truck, putting it down on the dock.  He looked back at Sam and the other men, smirking at the faces they made.

"It wasn't that heavy," he said, then he picked up the Wakandan case and put it on the truck.  "You needed a new wing suit and I figured the Wakandans could build you a good one so I called in a favour.

At that moment a hose on the boat blew and Sam jumped on the boat to tighten the fastener on the hose.  Bucky could see Sam didn't know much about boats and jumped on beside him, taking the wrench and explaining he had to turn the fastener up to tighten it.  Then he checked out the boat, thinking it reminded him of when he worked on the Brooklyn docks. 

"Can I help?" he offered.  Sam nodded and Bucky noticed a woman watching them, who he assumed was Sam's sister.  He waved at her.  "I'm Bucky."

"Sarah," she replied smiling then turned away, a little flustered.

Sam looked from Bucky to his sister and back again.  "What about Lacey?" he asked.

Bucky made a face.  "I kind of messed things up with her," he replied.  "Your sister seems nice."

"No!" said Sam.  "Don't even think of it."

Bucky gave a cheeky grin then followed Sam to another part of the boat.  For the next few hours he helped with the repairs.  They talked about the Flag Smashers and Bucky told him about Zemo's thoughts on the matter.  As it got close to sunset they stopped to have a beer.  After draining his last one Bucky told Sam he had a flight to take the next day and was going to get a hotel for the night.  Sam, being the man he was asked him to crash at his place as long as Bucky didn't flirt with his sister.  Bucky laughed again, knowing he had made Sam uncomfortable with his mild flirting.  He slept on the couch without any nightmares until he woke up to the sounds of Sarah's boys, A.J. and Cass, play fighting with the shield.  For a time he watched them, a soft smile on his face.

"Good morning," he said to the boys who desperately tried to get the shield back in its cover before running off.

For several moments he lay on the couch before deciding he should get up.  Learning that Sam was already at the dock, Bucky made his way there, finding him working on the engine.   Seeing he needed two sets of hand Bucky helped him with a part, which made Sam stand back and look at him with new eyes.

"Where did you learn about boats?" Sam asked.

"Brooklyn," replied Bucky.  "I worked the docks there after I graduated from high school.  Couldn't afford college until I made some money.  It was still the Depression in 1935."

Sam suggested they work on the water pump so they pulled it apart then began rebuilding it.  Sarah came, looking critically at what they had done and ordered them away from the dock.  She had her no nonsense voice going so both men obeyed and returned to the house where Bucky tried to teach Sam how to throw the shield.  They had a heart to heart talk while they threw it around and Bucky apologized to Sam for getting in his face about giving up the shield.  He explained how the shield was the closest thing he had to a family.  When Sam retired the shield, it made Bucky feel like he had nothing left and was truly alone.  The counsellor in Sam stopped and listened intently as Bucky told him the decision made him question everything about Steve, Sam, and even himself.  It was a humbling experience that Bucky trusted him enough to tell him these things, calmly but with feeling.  Sam asked him about the nightmares and Bucky admitted he still had them.  In his mind they were proof that he was still there, in those situations.  It was also proof, in his mind, that the Winter Soldier was still in him.  He coloured for a moment then opened up even more.

"That's why I left Lacey," he said emotionally.  "We were right in the middle of amazing sex and I had a vision of the Winter Soldier tying her up and doing terrible things to her.  I pulled out, took the condom off and left her in her bed.  I hid out on the farm until Steve found me in the morning and I asked him if we could leave.  I was afraid of hurting her physically, Sam.  Instead I broke her heart and I don't think she'll ever forgive me for that.  Tommy spit on me.  That's how much I hurt him by it."

Bucky turned away, coughed and wiped his eyes trying not to break down.  Sam watched for a moment then put his hand on Bucky's shoulder in commiseration. 

"I'm sorry," he said.  "That had to be tough for you to do."

"Well, it's done," shrugged Bucky.  "If you have any advice on that or my other issues I'd appreciate it."

"This making amends, is it part of your conditional pardon?" asked Sam.  Bucky nodded.  "Well making amends is more than just saying sorry.  It might make you feel better but it does nothing for the families of your ... sorry, the Soldier's victims."

"It wasn't just that," replied Bucky.  "I know that there isn't anyone from HYDRA who will make amends to them.  Part of me still feels responsible so I accepted the task.  I've already identified and helped arrest several people who benefitted from HYDRA's and the Soldier's actions."

"Yeah, and that was good but that was just stopping the bad guys from getting away with it.  Some people, especially the surviving family need to know what went down, how their loved one died.  Only you can tell them."

"There's a lot of those," said Bucky, somewhat despondently.

"Okay, all it takes is one to start the healing," replied Sam.  "That will be the hardest one.  The next one won't be quite so hard.  You'll give them closure and perhaps in the process you can forgive yourself along the way.  For what it's worth, I don't think it was fair to put this all on you.  You were their victim as well and no one has made amends to you, have they?"

Bucky considered his words then looked at Sam appraisingly. "You're not bad at this counsellor stuff," he stated.  "I'll never get an apology for what I went through but I can deal with it.  Maybe not well, or quickly, but I will."

Sam smiled and nodded.  They both stepped towards each other, sharing a pound hug, and Bucky asked Sam to call him when he had a lead on Karli Morgenthau.  Bucky turned away to walk to his rental car, then turned back to Sam.

"What about Lacey?" he asked loudly.  "How do I fix that?"

"A lot of grovelling," suggested Sam.  "I haven't had a girlfriend in over 5 years so you're going to have to figure that one out on your own.  She is the mother of your son so she's worth it."

"Yeah, she is," Bucky agreed. 

A few hours later he was back in Brooklyn.  On the way to his flat he passed a bookstore and on impulse went inside where he noticed they had a display of women authors.  They had Lacey's second book and her third.  He smiled softly when he saw the title of the third, His Blue Eyes.  It was published during the Blip, when no one knew the decimated would return someday.  Set in a 2018 that didn't experience the Blip, it told of a chance encounter between a woman writer and a man who had to go into hiding.  The ripples from their encounter affected the lives of their friends and colleagues.   It also explored the long distance relationship they had until an act of heroism changed their lives forever.  The dedication page was emotional for Bucky.

For B.  There will be never be another like you.  You gave me the greatest gift.

L.C.C.  December, 2021

As he paid for it the clerk looked at him strangely, noticing his blue eyes, then recognizing him when he saw the artificial hand. 

"You're Bucky Barnes," he said.  "I've read this book.  You don't strike me as the type of guy who would read something like this."

Bucky looked at him calmly.  "I know the author," he replied.  "I have her other books, including her first one, written under a different name."

"It's a good book," said the clerk.  "Most people think it's a typical romance novel but there's a lot more in it, about longing for someone who is out of reach.  There's a sense of loneliness to it, of being held hostage by fate and circumstance, things they had no control over.  I also liked all the ripples their initial meeting created, changing the lives of people close to them.  I've heard rumours of a possible movie."

Bucky smiled kindly at him.  "I'm sure she'll be thrilled with that," he stated, then picked up the book and nodded at the clerk before leaving. 

It took him two days to read it and when he finished he knew it was about them, even though she changed all of the circumstances, and the character's names and back stories.  The book store clerk was right about it being more than a romance novel.  Lacey captured the sense of longing felt by both characters, even though they attempted to carry on with their lives.  The side stories described the effect their encounter had on their circle of friends exploring the inter-connectivity between people.  The biggest difference, of course, was the main male character in the book stayed dead after his act of heroism whereas Bucky came back.  He was surprised to find the second part of the book explored how the main female character Lauren ended up with a different man but the more he thought about it the more sense it made.  His own initial advice to Lacey had been to find a good man and take a chance on love with him.  If he never came back from the Blip he wished she would have found someone, a good man, to live her life with.

While he waited to hear from Sam he set about tackling his list of names in the little notebook.  It was hard, especially to the families of those he had killed.  Some threatened to kill him, some to sue him, but he left their homes knowing he had given them an answer.  One woman's response surprised him with its unexpected emotion.  His victim's daughter had let out a visible breath when he told her what he had done to her father then looked at her hands before talking.

"My dad wasn't the best man," she said calmly as she sat in a chair across from him, looking at him intently.  "He had issues, and he raised his hand to my mom and me more than once.  We suspected he was involved in something shady so when his body was found we weren't surprised.  Surprisingly, he had a life insurance policy and the money helped both me and my mother to start over.  I was able to go to college.  She was able to enjoy a comfortable life until she died of cancer."  She turned to Bucky.  "I know what you're doing because I've been in therapy for this love – hate relationship I still have with my dad.  I hope you find the closure you're looking for but I won't forgive you because there's nothing to forgive.  Instead I thank you for killing him and freeing us from a lifetime of abuse.  I truly believe he would have killed one or both of us if he had lived."

Several days after meeting with that woman he heard from Sam that the likely target of the Flag Smashers was the GRC council, meeting in New York later that evening.  Bucky promised to meet him at the location and hurried back to his flat to change.  When he arrived at the site of the meeting he was allowed in through the security perimeter.  Apparently he was already known as an Avenger.  A person did challenge him, then removed a nano mask, revealing Sharon Carter's face.  She offered her help and together they went closer to the building where the GRC council was being evacuated.  Sam told them to keep people in the building as he realized the Flag Smashers wanted them outside and exposed.  As Bucky walked, a woman with a security ID gave him a phone, saying it was Karli.  He looked at the screen and was puzzled that the call came on a phone app, not through the cell phone itself.

It was Karli on the other end and she tried to convince him to join her.  He tried to convince her that she was going about things the wrong way by pointing out that all this death she was causing wouldn't make the nightmares go away because she would remember everyone she killed.  Once more he asked her not to do this but she laughed lightly and told him not to get involved.  When he pointed out he already was she laughed again and thanked him for his time.  She hung up making Bucky realize she had been delaying him from intervening.  He ran to the parking garage and took a motor bike, hoping he could catch up to the transports the council members were obviously on.  It took several blocks but he saw the vehicles stopped at a barrier and several Flag Smashers gathering between them.  Pressing on the accelerator he aimed the motor bike at the barrier, then applied the front brakes causing the back wheel to come up.  He flew over the barrier, flying into the chest of the biggest man the Flag Smashers had, knocking them both away from the others.  While he fought him he noticed the others set fire to one of the vehicles and quickly disabled the man he was fighting with.  Running to the vehicle he pulled on the handle, trying to force open the door.  Noticing an extra lock on the door Bucky hit it with all of his might several times, eventually breaking it.  Then he pulled on the door handle again and it finally gave way.  He helped the people out, telling them to go.  The last man stopped and thanked Bucky for saving them, a sentiment that caught him by surprise.

Turning he saw several Flag Smashers beating a man who was on the ground and realized it was John Walker.  Running towards them he saw one about to hit him with a parking meter and launched himself into the man.  Another Flag Smasher came at him and he recognized Karli's hair.  Grabbing a piece of chain that was within reach he hit her with it but she shook it off and kicked him, sending him over a barrier and down several stories to the ground.  As he looked up he saw another one jumping towards him holding a steel beam as a weapon.  Raising his vibranium arm it took the brunt of the hit then he grabbed the steel beam and tore it from the other guy's hands.  He hit him several times until the man didn't get up again.  A sound from above made him look up and he saw the other vehicle teetering at the edge of the structure, slowly breaking through the beams that were supporting it.  Knowing he couldn't stop it he watched helplessly until it suddenly began to inch backwards and he realized that someone, hopefully Walker, was trying to keep it from falling.  When Walker suddenly fell, with two Flag Smashers hanging on to him, the vehicle began breaking through the structure again.  Only this time, it was stopped as Sam and his new suit had the strength to keep it from falling.  Pulling Walker out the way Bucky watched in awe as Sam was able to push it back up to safety at the top of the structure.  He could hear people cheering above as Sam hovered over the scene and knew they had accepted him as Captain America.

A sound from behind him made him turn in time to intercept a metal bar thrown to kill him by Karli.  She attacked Bucky but was hit by the shield as Sam descended into the space.  Suddenly smoke bombs were shot into their midst and they lost sight of her.  Sam looked around then turned to the other two yelling to follow him while he ran into the smoke.  As they ran through a tunnel Sam's display showed that the three Flag Smashers had split up.  Bucky and Walker took the path of two of them while Sam continued following the one.  Their path quickly petered out and Bucky led Walker through the maze of construction then back out into the open. 

"Shit," swore Walker.  "What now, Bucky?"

Bucky took the phone out that the security person gave him.  "I have an idea," he said.  "They have an app.  Maybe I can lure them here."

Quickly he opened the app and smiled when it showed him everyone else who had the app.  He entered a message then they both stood back and waited to see who showed up.  Within minutes three figures came out from the construction site, stopping when they saw the other two men.  Walker quoted Abraham Lincoln with a smile, impressed at Bucky's improvisation.  Bucky held the phone up to the three Flag Smashers, commenting on the app as sirens and flashing lights heralded the arrival of the police.   They were surrounded by a heavily armed tactical squad and the three Flag Smashers were taken into custody.

Together Walker and Bucky walked towards where several ambulances had been parked.  As they walked in between they saw Sam fly in carrying the lifeless body of Karli Morgenthau.  The media were throwing questions at Sam but he just ignored them, instead facing the people on the GRC council who were still there.  Bucky watched as Sam challenged every one of their decisions which he believed had set off the time bomb of the Flag Smashers movement.  Then he laid it all on the line, telling them they had no right to make decisions for billions of people without having them represented.  It was inspiring stuff.  After when Sam approached him Bucky pretended he had been texting the entire time which made Sam laugh.  In Bucky's mind, the shield was now in good hands and he left with Carter to get her some medical attention feeling pretty good about what they had prevented.

Back in his neighbourhood later Bucky found himself outside where Yori Nakajima lived.  For some time he stared at the building entrance from the sidewalk then he went up the steps and up to the floor where Yori lived.  Slowly he walked to the old man's door and knocked.  Yori was surprised to see him as it wasn't Wednesday, their usual day to spend together but still invited him in, asking what Bucky wanted.

Sombrely Bucky told him it was about the murder of Yori's son, RJ.  He told him the Winter Soldier had been responsible for it and that he, Bucky, had been the Winter Soldier.  His voice was shaking as he said it and the old man looked at him with hurt confusion on his face then asked why.  All Bucky could offer was that he didn't have a choice and the old man's face suddenly displayed all the grief he had held inside for so long.  He looked away from Bucky then stood up and walked to the shrine he had dedicated to his son, saying nothing.  With sadness Bucky stood up and went to the door, looking at the broken man he had just hurt all over again.  There was nothing further he could do for Yori; no condolences, no support, nothing he could ever say would help the sweet old man who had been his friend. 

That night Bucky broke into Dr. Raynor's office and left her a gift bag with a note thanking her for all of her help.  Inside the bag was his notebook with every name inside crossed off.  Then he went home and opened the new notebook he bought and wrote in two names that he still had to atone to.  Lacey Chapman and Tommy Chapman.  He didn't put their names in the first book because they weren't victims of the Winter Soldier.  Their pain was all on him, James Buchanan Barnes, and even if it took years he would find a way to make up for what he did to them.  Maybe, just maybe they could forgive him.  The following day he walked past the sushi bar and saw Yori sitting at the counter while Leah poured his sake.  She looked at Bucky through the window but said nothing and he wondered if Yori told her about the confession.  Subtly he nodded his head and took a breath before continuing on his way.  He stopped in front of his building then turned and looked around the neighbourhood.  It had been somewhat familiar to him when he first got the flat but it wasn't home anymore.  He could see that now.  Home was where he would be welcomed and he knew it was somewhere else.

*****************

If you wish to read Lacey's book His Blue Eyes, it is fully published on Wattpad, under my user name SJSmith56.  I hope you find it entertaining as Lacey used all the people she had come in contact with while she was pregnant and raising Tommy on her own as inspiration for many of the characters in the book she wrote after Bucky was turned to dust in the Blip.  It has attracted some other readership already.

Chapter 19>>

Series Masterlist

Please support the author by reblogging.

[lamentingwclf]

                            On the Winter Soldier

The longstanding belief that Bucky is the weakest of the candidates produced by the Winter Soldier Program is in fact valid. But it stands to question: Why.

His serum was experimentation.

Bucky was a test subject for Arnim Zola to recreated Abraham Erskine's Super Soldier Serum; and likely not the only one. The fact that his was successful at all was likely a sheer accident, and it was only dumb luck it activated at a time to ultimately save his life when he fell from the train. While all the serums created subsequently by Howard Stark, Bruce Banner, and Wilfred Nagel are similar, each strain is different, and imperfect in their own ways. It was Howard's that was used to create the others.

The serum enhances existing abilities.

Bucky's individual strengths and skills were already preexisting and enhanced by this experimentation, and it his Shuri's own hypothesis that there are still latent abilities that are currently dormant from his exposure to the tesseract. So it stands to reason the other's preexisting skills and abilities were also simply enhanced.

But ultimately, Bucky still exists

Bucky is the only candidate of the program that is not there because of his own volition. The others were an elite death squad recruited once Howard's serum was in their possession. Human nature is a strange and beautiful force to reckon with. Steve's ability to break through the brain washing, and later confirmed by Bucky himself for his ability to remember every kill he made, lays the foundation for the argument he was still a very real, present, victim in his mind. It took years to finally break him, and years to perfect their control over him; but it does not mean Bucky ever really stopped fighting. The weakness of The Winter Soldier is self dampening behavior masked as a muzzle for control.

[spottedly]

Avengers Superpower Ideas

these are just random ideas that came to me after finally watching TFATWS and Moon Knight and refreshing on older MCU stuff (but pls don't come for me if some of these don't match any story lines or seem consistent with how some Avengers got their powers, i'm just spitballing here because these ideas sounded cool in my head)

< - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - >

|| Subzero Super Soldier ||

-so for this one, i thought it would be interesting to reimagine Hydra's Winter Soldier Program (i called it subzero super soldier because subzero temperatures are colder, but you probably already knew that, just wanted to point it out)

-what if they found a child just wondering around on the streets lost and alone and decided to use them as their first test subject (you can come up with a reason for why the child was by themselves, but i personally had some sort of dark, twisted childhood in mind)

-now the most well known method used on Bucky Barnes was 10 trigger words, but what if they couldn't find any that worked on the child after injecting the serum (since this would be their first trial experiment) and decided to go for a more generic mind control technique

-i was reminded of the Disney show Lab Rats when i got the idea that they'd try surgically implanting microchips all over the child's body to be able to physically control them with special devices they made to "activate" the super soldier mode and the microchips would also be able to administer electric shocks that brainwashed them before and after each mission Hydra sent them on

-and because their first super soldier was so young and innocent looking, they could slip past everyone's defenses and blend in a lot easier, so they were essentially Hydra's star pupil

-now over the years, Hydra found ways to "upgrade" the microchips to make the super soldier fully functional to their needs

-so installing camera systems into their eyes so they could watch live feed of the child on missions and also allowing them to use their eyes as literal cameras to see really far and take pictures and videos and even project them and see in night and heat vision

-giving them an advanced auditory system in their ears so they could be hyper aware of their surroundings and never caught off guard

-even enhancing their sense of smell so they'd be able to track down targets

-and programming the mircrochips connected to their brain to enhance their abilities so photographic memory, increased intelligence, and stuff like that

-now when Hydra's death squad was given Howard Stark's serum and they saw what it did to them, they were curious what it would do to the child since they had more control over them than they did the other super soldiers

-it essentially made their abilities max out, so the generic enhanced super strength and speed and reflexes (kind of like what shimmer did to Jinx for those of you that have seen Arcane)

-let's skip ahead a little bit and say they were able to escape which allowed them to age a little bit without the cryogenetic sleep chambers and fast forward to TFATWS when they encountered the new serum that had finally been perfected by Hydra scientist Wilfred Nagel

-for the sake of plot, let's just say he had a hidden vial of the serum with him and stabbed them with it

-the most super soldier serum seems to do is enhance physical strength, but since they already had all of that, i had the idea to have the serum give them other kinds of enhancements

-instantaneous regeneration, hyper speed, complete tolerance to pain (so they can't feel any kind of physical pain), and i thought it'd be cool to add the cherry on top of the generic glowing eyes and nails sharpened into claws to give a semi-mutant look

< - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - >

|| Kindred Spirits ||

-this was heavily inspired by Moon Knight (for those of you that have seen it and know how his powers work)

-the concept for this power is essentially being temporarily gifted supernatural abilities by powerful gods, so i got the idea to do that for constellations

-so the person can call upon any constellation and be given powers related to that (scorpious, pavo, aries, cetus, aquarius, ophiuchus, volans, cancer, taurus, delphinus, capricorn, cygnus, aquila, tucana, sagittarius, leo, pisces, libra, lupus, pegasus, leo, serpens, vulpecula, gemini, apus, draco, virgo, orion, lacerta, lynx, lepus, corvus)

-if they wanted to, they could also call upon constellations that aren't related to animals or people (sagitta, eridanus, circinus)

-and they're able to use multiple constellations at a time, combining abilities

-they have complete creative control over how it looks (friendly or demonic) and the size and how they administer the power

-Eris from Sinbad is a good example to look at

< - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - >

|| Rumination ||

-i came up with this after thinking about the infinity stones and Wanda Maximoff's powers

-so we know that the infinity stones were created by the Big Bang and spread across the universe

-i thought it would be interesting for one of the stones to be intercepted by someone (i guess technically a space being on a foreign planet)

-i wanted that stone to be the soul stone

-some sort of tragedy could've happened to this person that attracted the soul stone to them since a sacrifice is required to obtain it

-something like their entire planet getting annihilated or just something that left them so ridden with depression and grief that they were not only able to wield the soul stone, but completely absorb it and have it become a part of them since whatever caused them agony basically ruled over their life and didn't allow them to heal and move on

-so they now have all the power of the soul stone

-your generic immense super strength/telekinesis

-they can manipulate their own essence to allow themselves to live longer but can also manipulate the essence of others and end their lives abruptly and even bring back a dead soul at the cost of giving up a portion of their own essence

-a pocket dimension where souls can be banished

-they can conjure up the essence of dead souls and use them as an undead army

-they can possess living souls and even transform them to their liking (like turn them into mutants i guess)

-they're able to connect their essence to another person's and telepathically communicate with them and even switch povs with them

-they can transmigrate souls between other living things (other people, animals, etc)

-they can access memories of an essence and conjure up nightmares and demons significant to their worst traumas (but also do the opposite and provide soothing angels and dreams)

< - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - >

that was really all i had, but i think the concepts are really cool and could be expanded upon by people who are way more knowledgeable than i am in the deep lore of the MCU, but thank you for coming to my TED talk ._.

[little-blog-of-horrors]

"To make a better Soldier, we must look at why the original model failed. Memory. It is a powerful driving force! Life experience that makes someone who they are, at their core, memory is what makes someone human. So how do we combat this? A completely clean slate. No memories, no life experience. All that is known is the order. The fight, and the duty programed from the moment their life begins! This revelation, is why I will succeed where the good doctor Wilfred Nagel, failed."

-Doctor Johan Voss. Hydra lead geneticist. Creator of Project Prodigy.

[redstarbonky]

a breakdown of zemo reacting to dr. nagel, or, >:3 face versus :| face

!!!this post is packed with spoilers!!!

we all know by now that zemo tends to wear his villainous >:3 face while interacting with sam and bucky. it's the face of a dude who's not very stressed out! but this expression goes away during the encounter with dr. nagel. in fact, the whole gadfly personality melts away like it was never there.

so here's a BUNCH OF WORDS ABOUT IT while MAXING OUT THE NUMBER OF PICTURES I'M ALLOWED TO HAVE PER POST

tagging @h-zemo because...*vague zemo gestures*

in the dockyard scene, zemo is the first to poke around enough to discover the secret door to nagel's lab. he's a man on a mission...and notably, sharon and the lads have elected not to give him a weapon

in this image he is looking at nagel, who is unaware of his presence. this is the face he wore through most of CA:CW, when he was mostly thinking about how superpeople destroyed his entire country and got his family killed, and how that is all the fault of captain america (sort of), the serum's first and most dramatic success

zemo doesn't even want superpeople to exist. you can imagine what he would think of the continued existence of the serum itself, let alone a person who knows how to make it

not coincidentally, he has this expression the entire time they're dealing with nagel. this is the face of desire to murder

sam has taken nagel gently hostage (sam is good ok?) and 'introduced' him: "this is baron zemo. i know you've heard of him, too, right?" zemo just looks like this and doesn't say anything...

nagel avoided looking right at bucky after initially seeing him (probably thinking that that's the winter soldier, likely known to the world after CA:CW as a dangerous person, an assassin, a terrorist). but he does stop to make eye contact with zemo before sam pushes him along.

in what capacity has nagel heard of zemo? the aftermath of the events of CA:CW? has zemo tried to kill nagel before? i don't want to read too much into the glance here, it can be read as straightforward simmering anger at the intrusion. but nagel looked pretty intently at zemo for the half-second he was allowed to. contrast to sam, whom he barked at immediately, and bucky, who made him freeze on the spot

i don't believe nagel is anything more than a plot point, especially because he's dead by the end of the scene. but would i be surprised if zemo had looked for nagel before? not at all

as sam leads nagel out of the work area, zemo follows...(bonus handsome sam profile in blur-o-vision, you're welcome)

and when bucky subtly threatens nagel with a shot that should have deafened all of them but hey it's television, sam flinches, but zemo just looks dispassionately

like this pic doesn't need to be a gif. he doesn't flinch, he doesn't move his eyes, he's just looking

then he wanders around and looks for a...let's call it 'security system.' because as mentioned before, sharon & co. chose not to give him a weapon. he finds it under the lab table. i believe this gun is what nagel was likely going for when telling sam to gtfo of his lab and starting to leave his work area. zemo was part of a kill squad. he probably knows common hiding places for weapons

zemo casually walks back out, looks at nagel, and seems conveniently positioned to fire the chekhov's gun in his left hand

(btw i don't believe for a second that there's no serum in the lab. i think nagel is just lying, badly, and banking on the three of them having no idea what the finished serum looks like. THEY ARE LITERALLY SURROUNDED BY BLUE VIALS FFS anyway getting off-topic 😶)

then sharon bursts in to tell them they need to hurry up, and zemo takes advantage of the distraction to shoot nagel dead

he has pretty much the same expression when sam and sharon pin him (sam even yells "NO!" for the illicit chemist because he's a grade-A good guy, while bucky wanders around short-circuiting. seriously watch that part again it's hilarious. he's "???😐????" while everyone else is ">:OOO")

we don't clearly see zemo's face again until after he's escaped the burning lab, blown up several dudes, and taken off his thanos cosplay/stunt double face hider/bank robber mask

with a serum creator and a serum lab totally obliterated, the >:3 expression returns, and he's back to his normal, quietly ridiculous, vintage car otaku self.

it's not even just that zemo is pissed off throughout the scene - he's tense. when his >:3 face comes back, it's because he's not stressed anymore!

big ups to daniel brühl for this piece of interesting acting, i'm sorry it COMPLETELY went over my head until i rewatched the episode

[jodetesuciaperra]

One connection i made between Black Widow and Falcon and The Winter Soldier is how USA and Russia treated their respective super soldiers: Isaiah Bradley and Alexei Shostakov.

Isaiah was put in prison for 30 years from 1950 to 1980 and would have been more, until a nurse help him by faking his death.

Alexei was put in prison, but we don't know when or why exactly, the line Alexei gives was "He [Dreykov] puts me in prison for the rest of my life." until Natasha and Yelena save him.

The main diference would be that with Isaiah, scientists experimented with him, in his words "trying to figure out why the serum worked" while with Alexei, he was left alone as he said "Soviet Union's first and only super soldier.", this can be because of the Winter Soldier program, which was a failure, the new subjects became aggresive and mentally unstable, the only successful one was Barnes, this would have deemed the search for a sucessful supersoldier serum something very difficult and not worthy.

Then comes Dr Nagel, his words "I was brought into Hydra's Winter Soldier Program to pick up their work after the five failed test subjects in Siberia, when hydra fell, i was recruited by the CIA, they had blood samples from an american test subject with semi-stable traces of serum in his system. after much labor. i was able to isolate the necessary compounds in his blood [...] I did what not other scientist was able to do"

So i think the reason why they didn't experiment with Alexeis was because too much cost and little reward, the scientists of the US Government and Hydra experimented with Isaiah for 30 years, even with that, Nagel needed much more time to finally replicate and perfect the serum, so i can see why abandon the project and focus in others programs, like the Black Widow program (or Red Room).

This started as a fun, maybe reaching connection between Black Widow and Falcon and The Winter Soldier, but later turned into this, which...i love the MCU and i always look for a reason to talk about it.

[theamityelf]

I know it’s silly to be talking about last week’s episode of Falcon and the Winter Soldier right now, but this scientist who’s clearly pretending to be played by Jesse Eisenberg really said “I was a god,” because he managed to recreate a chemical a German scientist already made from scratch a hundred years prior...using a blood sample that already contained the chemical. Like, dude, you copied an old serum with help, in a universe where Thor exists. Be humble.

[emptymidnight]

One of my favourite Bucky scenes in TFATWS. Plus I think Nagel was great so I’m squeezing him in ♥️

[collectionofsinglefathers]

Zemo shooting Nagel when he does kind of confirmed the suspicion I had when first watching it from the beginning of the episode, when they were in the garage, which is that Zemo is most definitely using this as an opportunity to not only destroy what may be left of the serum, but to wipe out anyone who could help create more. Including Karli and the Flag Smashers. Including Bucky. And, with the way that Sam ends up mentioning him to Bucky while Zemo is most definitely in earshot, maybe even Isaiah. I’m hoping he’ll be left alone, but I am worried, especially after the events of the fourth episode, that he’s now going to be on Zemo’s list of people to take out in order to eradicate Super Soldiers.

[rexrowdesigns]

Dr.Nagel who had like a few minutes on screen and was killed

[reijamira]

Yes, this! I can’t find any gifs at the moment or that specific scene but Bucky was pretty rough with intimidating Nagel with his gun too. It seemed strange for Bucky. He also was very agitated. I wonder how much Bucky remembered of what Nagel did to him. I don’t think Nagel only worked with samples from Isaiah. After all Bucky, too, was a super soldier with a perfectly fine working serum.

Something that people seem to forget or ignore

‘Nagel: I was brought into HYDRA's Winter Soldier program to pick up their work after the five failed test subjects in Siberia. When HYDRA fell, I was recruited by the CIA. They had blood samples from an American test subject with semi-stable traces of serum in his system. After much labor, I was able to isolate the necessary compounds in his blood. I was a god. I did what no other scientist since Erskine was able to do. But mine was going to be different. No clunky machines or jacked up bodies. Mine was going to be subtle, optimized, perfect.’

( Here is the whole conversation)

Now the focus is put on Isaiah here and after, which makes sense. Nagel dehumanised Isaiah, which is obviously horrible and we need to keep in mind and remember. But Nagel in the first sentence admits something else too. He was working on the winter soldier program. The winter soldier program was Bucky. And the scientists who worked on the program were people who tortured and abused Bucky to keep him as the winter soldier.

So in short. Nagel admitted to being an accomplice to this:

[buckybarnesj]

this better not awaken anything in me...

[denimbex1986]

“...You’re just as much a part of this as anybody else” - Sebastian always being so thoughtful, considerate and inclusive :-) <3