#snowdropera

The first positive event to come to the Commandos after the war was the engagement of Nurse Lottie Liffiet and Robbie (L/N). But The wedding was also the event that brought the biggest question alight.

“Amazing Grace, War Angel, Missing?”

Howard stared at the newspaper headline as he was driven to the New York apartment that his ex fiance had been seen last. Many thought she had moved back to the Midwest, was helping out her father, adjusting to life post war that had taken two close friends. Yet when reporters caught wind that the nurse wasn’t even present at the wedding of her fellow friend and own brother. There had been now sign of her in months. Peggy, was the last to even see her, the two had tea at the New York apartment before Peggy was due to leave for London. That was six long months ago and Howard was now taking things into his own hand. He had given her space after finding the ring in the box. It had hurt seeing it there without a warning or note but he was sure it was just a side affect from the loss of so many people close to her, that ‘she felt responsible for’ as she had mentioned once in a letter. So he focused all his time and effort into trying to find Steve to at least retrieve the body from the plane.

“We’re here sir.”

“Thank you.” Howard got out of the car taking in a deep breath as he looked up at the apartment he had not been to in months.

He climbed the familiar stairs, turning the key in his hand. There was a moment of hesitance as he unlocked the door before committing to actually opening the door. The apartment was silent. Empty glasses on the table. Dust covered everything. She hadn’t been here in weeks. Howard walked through the apartment, nothing was missing. It really was just like she vanished. Howard sat at the table that was scattered with pages of notes. Half of which were written in German. Howard’s attention was drawn to a knocked over mug and then to a leather bound journal. The first thing is eyes land on was a photograph wedged between the open pages like a bookmark. It was Roger’s friend, the Sergeant that had the accident on the train, with his arms around the nurse in what appeared to be a dance next to an evening fire. It made sense now why she returned the ring. Howard flipped the photo seeing the scribbled handwriting of Dugan. He didn’t pay it attention instead focusing his hand on the script across the pages.

Howie I am sorry that I couldn’t didn’t have the courage to tell you that my feelings had changed. I knew before the war was over that I wouldn’t be able to marry you. Perhaps we just weren’t meant to be? Even though he is gone it doesn’t feel right ignoring the feelings that were growing for James and it wouldn’t be fair to you to pretend that my feelings had changed…

Howard’s eyes took in the confession that he had long awaited for. It hurt to hear but it was nice to have the reason he never got. The ink changed color as her writing switched topics.

I need to tell you what happened when I was with Hydra and you need to tell the others what I did there as well because it may cause problems in the future. Steve Rogers may not be the only super soldier anymore and I am to blame. They forced me to recreate the serum.

Howard leaned forward reading about how one nurse who just so happened to work with Dr. Erskine while he developed the serum had to recreate it. And from what he was reading, that same nurse used herself as a test subject for all synthesized serums even the ones that weren’t correct. She may be the world’s second super soldier. The color of the text changed again this time a graphite pencil messily rambled across the page. Stark lifted the journal from the table as he took in the deep theory and logic that was used in her rambled writing about cryogenics. How she thought like how bodies were store in coolers to stop from decomposing during winter when they couldn’t be buried that there could be a possibility that someone could be frozen and later thawed out and live a natural life. A coffee stain seemed to ruin most of the remaining words but he could make out a few.

Hydra.

Barnes.

Alive.

Rogers.

Frozen.

Then there was nothing else. Stark flipped pages checking for any other writing in the journal but that was it. He gathered all the information laid out on the table to further examine back at the lab but if she thought that Rogers could survive the crash he would keep looking for him.

【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】

It had been just over six months since willingly returning to Hydra. An agent. Her new handler, Wolfgang Sokolov. He spoke German and Russian mostly but his English wasn’t bad but you could hear the Russian accent clearly. Most the time when he orders her around it is always in Russian but quickly repeated in German. He was the one to reunite her with the fallen soldier.

Sokolov stood in front of her, beard brushing against the collar of his tactical jacket, the key to her cuffs in between gloved fingers, hard sea green eyes peering down at her. She would be assisting with a check up today he told her when bringing her from her cell of a room. She had been right about one thing in the notes she left for Howard. Cryogenics were possible. Hydra was waking up one of their subjects today and she would be administering the post thaw check up so the subject can begin conditioning.

She was warned not to do anything stupid before the cuffs were removed and she was escorted into the room. Sokolov joined another soldier guarding the door but nothing else in the world truly would prepare her for the sight of a dazed, Bucky Barnes in front of her on the examination table with a titanium metal arm.

“James.” His name passed her lips and she rushed to his side. Instantly she was checking his vitals hands trembling as she worked. She swore she heard him breathe out her name but she was distracted checking to make sure he was okay. The last thing she allowed herself to fully inspect was the crude connection of the arm to his body. Her finger was just about to touch the skin of his shoulder when a cold metal hand grasped her wrist. The bruising grip kept her from touching the connection of metal and skin so instead eyes locked.

“I’m here James.” Her voice cracked as she thought about the fact that she couldn’t save him from what was going to happen but they would be there together for it.

By the late 50s there would no longer be the soldier boy she knew. Hydra would have their newest asset, the Winter Soldier. They could control a man but the nurse at his side. She wasn’t easy to control and they couldn’t put her through the same process because they needed her to create more of the serum. They needed her and to keep her in line they used him. And if she ran out of use she would be put on ice. Hard to cause trouble when one is in a frozen state.

To Hydra there was no Sergeant James ‘Bucky’ Barnes, on the Winter Soldier.