[Black shield and white tank] A line of sea and sky

Chapter 4

Rumlow returned to the ward in confusion.He buried his face in his hands and rubbed it vigorously a few times.

Steve is smart, so he knows that only Rumlow can find out the whereabouts of those two people.He was the only one who could make those two undefended.Bartok and Rawlins were the top mercenaries, obviously sending a few teams to exterminate them, it would be more straightforward to send Rumlow alone.

But that's ridiculous, is it really possible?It is impossible for Rumlow to kill the two of them.

Yes, half an hour ago, when Rumlow just heard this instruction, he thought so too.He could even commit suicide, but he couldn't kill those two players.So he thinks Steve is naive, or at least paranoid and delusional.He grinned, proving that he was indeed touched by the humorous command.

Steve also looked at each other and smiled, as if he was really telling a joke.It's a joke, but that doesn't mean the joke isn't true.

And now, Captain Hydra has the ability to make jokes come true.

So Steve brings the Winter Soldier in with the chain still around his neck and the ugly apron still on him.His steps were staggering, obviously the potion would only make his thinking confused, but it would not make him completely unconscious.

The moment he saw the Winter Soldier again, Rumlow's eyes were flushed, but the cold muzzle of the gun forced him to calm down. He could only stand up abruptly, but he didn't dare to take a half step closer.

The Winter Soldier's eyes were always bleary, but he still recognized Rumlow just as before, and recognized that he was his only savior.So he instinctively walked forward again, but when the chain tightened, his neck was quickly pulled back by the chain.

He tried a few times, staggered a few times, grabbed the iron ring around his neck with his right hand and pulled it desperately, but nothing helped, until he realized that no matter how hard he tried, he could not change the status quo, so he slowed down and gave up slowly. struggle.Then he raised his remaining arm helplessly towards Rumlow, and it was as if a knife was stirring in the latter's chest in an instant.

Steve clapped his hands again, and then a military dog ​​was brought in.It lowered its head and sniffed the blood on the ground. After smelling the blood, it barked fiercely at the Winter Soldier a few times, but it was also restrained by another soldier with an iron chain, so it could only stay within the allowed range. Wander anxiously.

Steve stood up and walked to the dog, leaned over and patted the dog's head.The military dog ​​whimpered obediently, and obediently lay down on the ground.

Rumlow's back felt chilly for a moment, his brows frowned, and his nerves tensed up vigilantly.

"They're all Hydra's cattle," Steve said, turning his face, patted the dog's head, and pouted in the direction of the Winter Soldier, "Don't you think so?"

Rumlow said nothing, his brows were twisted into a knot.His inner alarm hummed, making his legs tremble a little.Because he knew it was a way of dealing with prisoners, even Rumlow himself had done it.But at this moment, he only felt that the crime was serious, and that pain and fear brought him to the verge of collapse for the first time.

When he tortured the prisoner in this way, he could clearly see the despair on the prisoner's face.When he feeds these beasts enough potions, they will plow till they or the other die.Behind the prisoner can be a wolfhound, a goat, or a horse, depending on the stubbornness and physical fitness of the prisoner.

But it is undeniable that despite the horrific methods, it provided effective help for his interrogation, and as a disciple of the imitation master, he once loved the humiliation and pain that this kind of torture brought to the captives.

He believed that he also had the same expression on his face at this moment, and he was thankful that the Winter Soldier's rationality was almost crushed by reality and the medicine, so that he didn't have to bear the huge psychological pressure at the moment.

"...Don't do that, Commander." Rumlow's voice was trembling, he turned his head stiffly, and looked at Steve—"He is your comrade in arms, your partner, everything you used to be...you don't Do it, don't do it!"

"He is," Steve nodded approvingly, stood up from the dog, stopped between Rumlow and the Winter Soldier, and looked up and down at the prisoner in the apron—"Or, he used to be."

Steve picked up the corner of the apron with his fingers and rubbed it, and the Winter Soldier came back and grabbed him with his hands.Steve, on the other hand, was prepared, and took a few steps back quickly, allowing the Winter Soldier's fingertips to just reach his uniform without hurting him with force.

The blood on the fingers made several sharp marks on the uniform.

He turned around and pointed to the bloodstained Hydra logo on his chest, and said to Rumlow—"Look, this is him now."

—You have transformed him.

"Smashed everything in his past, reorganized his thoughts and personality. He can no longer find the complete Bucky Barnes in his blood," Steve wiped the blood scab on his chest, finger pulp Holding the sticky little bit of filth and rubbing slightly—"How can you let me treat a monster created by you with the emotions I used to have?"

— a Hydra dog.

The nerves in Rumlow's whole body were beating accordingly, and shock was no longer enough to describe his current emotions.He didn't dare to leave Steve's eyes for a moment, as if he would make the other party do incredible things if he moved away.He could no longer understand Steve with ordinary people's thinking. Strictly speaking, what stood in front of him was just a devil with the same name and surname as Steve Rogers.

"...Don't do this," Rumlow pleaded again tremblingly, his voice was choked, maybe he would never think that one day he would speak to his old enemy in this tone, but even if he was asked to kneel now, he would not Will not hesitate—"...I promise you whatever you say, don't do this...I beg you, I beg you...the team..."

Listening to Crossbones begging for mercy, Steve still looked at him coldly.In the deterrence of fear, the poor man was completely seen by the sharp eyes.Steve saw through his weakness and humbleness, as well as his compromise and surrender, so his eyes fell on Rumlow's feet, and then he got the response he wanted.

Yes, Rumlow did kneel.No one touched his body, and the two cold barrels remained motionless.But the invisible pressure crushed his toughness, making his knees go limp, and he knelt down in front of the Hydra captain with a plop.

Steve took a few steps forward and put his palm on Rumlow's head.He still didn't speak, but silence didn't mean he didn't give orders.

Rumlow lowered his head, blood came out from his gums, the salty and bitter taste rolled in his mouth, and he pinched the viscera in his chest along his throat.

He could hear the sound of the Winter Soldier pulling the chain, the barking of the military dogs because of the restlessness of the prisoner, and the constant mechanical noise of the exhaust fan, but the only thing he didn't have was the thunderous tinnitus that he desperately needed at this moment. .

No tinnitus, he was terribly lucid.For the first time, he hated being awake so much, because then he had to remember everything that happened today.

I firmly remember kissing Captain Hydra's boots in front of the Winter Soldier.

The smell of shoe polish and mud mixed into his nostrils, and his low-lying posture made his brain congest.His eyes were blurred, and his dry and chapped lips were stuck to the boots that felt terrible to the touch.

Then, Steve's hand covered Rumlow's cheek, his fingers brushed over the cheekbones and rested on the stubbled chin.

"Now I'll ask you again, what are you and the Winter Soldier?" Steve's eyes were blue with hints of green and red.The beautiful color is like Loch Ness, with sparkling blue waves, hiding beasts sleeping at the bottom of the lake, deceiving tourists who stop and watch.

"...the cattle of Hydra," Rumlow replied, his voice weak and weak.Following the strength of Steve's palm, he slowly raised his head, staring at the peaceful lake.The monster bowed its neck and poked its head out of the lake, meeting the eyes of the humans by the lake—"...we are your livestock."

"No, I think you're my soldier," Steve's hand slowly moved down, over his neck, and pressed firmly on Rumlow's shoulder again, giving him a little impractical but pathetic Ridiculous hope - "So please try to be a warrior so that I have no reason to treat you like cattle."

——"The Winter Soldier will not be violated by animals, and you don't have to... be there to witness it."

After speaking, Steve patted Rumlow on the cheek and left the man's side.He winked, and the Winter Soldier and the Hound were chained away again.The iron chains rubbed against each other, and it was hard to tell which one was holding the Winter Soldier and which one was holding the dog.

When all the noises subsided again, Steve also pulled off his coat and put it on again, straightened his meticulous blond hair, opened the door and left without hesitation.

But Rumlow was still kneeling on the ground, leaving only his incomplete and broken soul in the empty office.

No, no, according to Captain Hydra, he is not yet a human being, so he is not even sure whether the current self is qualified to have a soul.

Is Steve happy?No, not happy.Torturing Rumlow is not the purpose of the mission, but just one of the means to achieve it.He didn't want to torture anyone, or didn't bother to torture anyone, but he was so far away from his happy destination that he had to.

He did not return to the scene of the banquet, and the ceremony was declared over for him.He arranges himself meticulously not for the rabble outside the court, but for meeting that person who is different from any existence.

He boarded the elevator, walked around into the corridor, walked to the deepest part of the corridor, and then used his fingerprints to open the protective doors that were blocked layer by layer.He poured himself a glass of whiskey and sat down on the sofa.

"Hey, Steve." Tony turned his head, also holding a glass of whiskey.

"Hey, Tony." Steve raised his glass, "I'll drink with you today, too."

Steve turned the couch to the right angle so he was facing Tony.Tony was leaning against his desk, holding a wine glass in one hand and resting on the table with the other.His beard is still so delicate, the fermented wine slides down the throat, causing the Adam's apple to roll slightly.

"I don't know if it's appropriate to say this to you... but I can't hide my words from you. I think I will always say it, even if it makes you uncomfortable." Tony turned his head and looked at Steve smiled.

"Let's talk about it, I'm listening," Steve also raised the corner of his mouth.It wasn't the smirk at Rumlow just now, it was Captain Hydra's smile.And now the smile belongs to Steve Rogers, only Steve Rogers when facing Iron Man or Tony Dak, "Anyway, you are used to making me angry."

Tony pursed his lips, thought for a while, and said, "This war has caused great harm to you and me. I'm not just talking about camps, or the buildings that were destroyed... You know, although I feel bad about it, problems that can be solved with money are not problems."

Steve couldn't help but nodded.

"What I'm talking about...is about our emotions," Tony turned his gaze back to the front, and his tone sank, "We have done so many things together, no matter it seems right or wrong to outsiders, but We know in our hearts that there is no substitute for that. Its value is not in its own right and wrong, but in the deep friendship it creates among the participants, and this war ... it hurts us."

Not many people can point a gun at their teammates who have fought side by side with them, and not many people are willing to bear the collapse and fragmentation of this friendship.The entanglement and guilt of being forced to fight against each other due to external forces caused their hearts to be tortured more severely than their bodies.

"I'm hurt, I admit it, and I'm sure you are too."

Tony's voice had a slight smokiness to it, and Steve knew how it went from cynical to mature.Iron Man's high spirits were worn away with the outbreak of wars. When the civil war ended, Steve could only read helplessness and depression from it.

"I know you have to, Bucky is your friend, the only connection you have with everything back then and now, and I've been trying to understand your thoughts these days, and I think I understand a little bit, though I've never been able to fully empathize." Tony said very sincerely.

Steve's response was also sincere, "You don't need to, Tony, it's not your fault."

"It's my fault," Tony said, ignoring Steve's response, taking another sip as he stared at the half-full whiskey in his glass. "I didn't put myself in everyone's shoes, that's my limitation. Things got out of hand... out of control again. I'm sorry Steve, I'm very, very sorry."

Steve swallowed, not looking at Iron Man.The orange-yellow wine in the glass is crystal clear, and the light shines through the glass, casting a bright spot on the floor reflecting the metallic color.

"But even so I want to say...Steve, look forward. This is my self-deception after every mistake, but sometimes it's okay to deceive yourself, isn't it? Bucky is not the same Bucky anymore , you are not who you were back then, and neither am I... Neither am I. "

The light spots shake, and the light is divided into different colors.It's like the rainbow hanging in the sky after the rain, except that the particles floating in the air are not dyed orange, and the colorful rainbows at the moment are ambiguous and sentimental when they are mixed with wine.

"You must learn to let go of some things. The world will not wait for your footsteps. If you want to catch up with it, you have to unload the burden on your body. Whether it is guilt or sadness, what has happened cannot be changed. What you have to do is not to make up for the original wounds - those wounds were not caused by you alone, and you cannot make up for them."

Steve's throat was hot.He does not like to drink, although he is not drunk.But maybe Tony was right. Alcohol always sharpened the physical senses before intoxicating them.Sensitivity makes people feel real, and the purpose of life is to make beautiful things real.

"So I want to tell you that now that the war has happened and the damage has been done, let it be a thing of the past. And the emotions you brought with you from World War II will also be in the past. It's drugs, it's corrupting you, it's refusing to let you accept what society is, it's refusing to let you move forward."

"This is our biggest difference. I live in the present, and you live in the past."

Steve was silent.

Tony fell silent too.

"We didn't have to make a fuss like this, I know, I'm sorry." After a moment, Steve broke the silence.But he still didn't dare to look in Tony's direction, the glass in his hand had been warmed—"You're right, I should...should have listened to you long ago."

Steve swallowed, paused again, smiled wryly, and said, "But I've changed, Tony...I've changed, I'm trying to control the situation, and now I...do have The ability to control the situation. If you can't do it, then I will help you do it, just like before... What do you think?"

After speaking, he anxiously waited for a response.

His every word seemed trembling, because he was never the all-powerful soldier in front of Tony.Tony's scrutinizing eyes can always beat him back to his original form, making him always Steve Rogers who couldn't even pass the medical examination form.

But also the purest Steve Rogers, the truest Steve Rogers.

It's a pity that he didn't wait for Tony's response. Iron Man, who was leaning on the table, emptied the wine in the glass suddenly, pinched his brows anxiously, and said impatiently in the direction of the door—"...Damn it, forget it Stop recording it, make it look like I'm actually going to send this to him... stop it, let's just—"

The hologram was gone, and the table was empty.The only one holding the whiskey is Steve himself, and the remote control indicator light in his hand is blinking to remind the audience that the video has finished playing.

It took a long time for the electronic speaker to turn off the remote before Steve turned it off.He closed his eyes tiredly and leaned back in his chair, the wine in his glass had been completely drained.

"I'll get you back, Tony," Steve said to the empty room, swearing to Tony's place—"I'll definitely get you back."

Although there is no response yet, Steve will hear one someday.Even if he pokes a hole out of the world, he must find what he lost.

TBC