[i] “Now.  Give me one reason, why I shouldn’t pull the trigger, and spill your brains all over the HYDRA base...”  
[/i]

Karpov gasped and choked, his words coming out hard and fast thanks to the gun pressed to his chin. He'd fucked up big time ... but he held onto the narrow thread of hope that he could squirm his way out of yet another pinch.
[b]"I have a reason"[/b] he hissed, Red Skull was terrifying, any human man would be scared in this situaiton, and Karpov was, but he kept his cool as best he could. 
[b]"The Winter Soldier is Department-X's greatest weapon, he has never failed me and he will return. Have faith Herr Skull"[/b] it was difficult to sound confident with a gun pressed against you, but Karpov mustered all the courage he could. The Winter Soldier had been broken and brainwashed beyond the point of no return, this little scuffle wouldn't undo decades of his work. No ... he'd done a better job than that. 
[b]"And when he does return, it is [i]me[/i] he will answer to and no one else. If you want to use him, you'll need me alive."[/b] he sneered. As bad as the situation was, as long as the Winter Soldier was alive and out there, he was a valuable weapon and only Karpov knew his codewords. Red Skull was stuck with him unless he could find an effective alternative, at least, thats what Karpov hoped. 

[b]"I misjudged the situation, I didn't think the Black Widow would be there, were it not for her interfering, we'd have Captain America's head, just as you wished."[/b] Karpov insisted. 
[b]"Leave the Soldier to me, I won't rest until he's under my command once again. I won't fail you."[/b]



The Winter Soldier was ... [i]lost[/i] for the first time in ... well, his memory was fuzzy, he couldn't quite say. But this kind of lost was good. He was supposed to get to an extraction point but he'd avoided the first, second and third extraction points. He set about mining information ... finding out what he could about ... [i]Bucky?[/i].

He found without orders and without a clear head ... it was hard to focus, hard to plan his strategy. He realised he needed help ... Which was why he stopped at extraction point 4, killed 3 Hydra agents and abducted the forth. Hotwiring a car and throwing the unconscious agent into the boot. Once he found a relatively remote location, he yanked the agent, who was pissing himself in fear and the questions began. 

[b]"Who am I?"[/b] he asked.
[b]"Y-You're the Winter Soldier sir"[/b] the goon replied, confused as all fuck by this erratic behaviour from Russias deadliest assassin. 
[b]"My other name. What is my other name?"[/b]
[b]"I don't know, I don't know"[/b]
Bucky was about to start breaking fingers but something in the back of his mind nagged at him and told him not to ... After a moments pause, he did it anyway and the agent howled in pain. 
[b]"I swear I don't know anything. You're Karpov's man, he knows everything. Please let me go."[/b]
[b]"No Karpov."[/b] the Winter Soldier insisted,that man had codes ... words that made things hurt... He didn't answer questions, he didn't allow the Winter Soldier to talk but now he was unmasked and he could speak,he could ask questions and for once he felt like he [i]had[/i] to ... There was something he had to fight against ... or fight for? He couldn't tell, but it was something greater than Karpov's plans, it was worth this risk.
[b]"Who is she? ... The woman with the shield?"[/b]
[b]"C-Captain Rogers?"[/b]
[b]"Tell me what you know."[/b] he couldn't be certain ... but this could be a start. She'd recognised him, she knew his other name ... she knew things about him he knew were buried deep but he couldn't claw through his thoughts hard enough to find it. But she was his target. She was his mission. Karpov woudln't want her dead for no reason, so shewas one of the bad guys but suddenly he found himself wanting to know more ... before he killed her at least. 

[b]"Stephanie Rogers, they call her Captain America. She works for SHIELD, leads the Avengers, they gave her a serum, a little like the one Zola used on you. She's been fighting The Skull for years."[/b] the goon blabbed ... the name stung ... his head lanced with searing hot pain, he winced but- ... The memory was locked away, buried beneath brainwashing and electric shocks. It hurt to even try pull that thread a little harder, unravel the secret memory. 
[b]"I knew her?"[/b]
The goon didn't know what to say ... he knew Karpov and the Skull wouldn't like this one bit.
[b]"Earlier this week on a mission, you fought her ... you were going to finish the job, you still can. Please. Let me go."[/b]

The Winter Soldier stripped the goon of his weapons and radios and pointed in the direction of the nearest town ... still several hours walk away. He got into the car and drove, leaving the HYDRA lackey in the dust to wander back to civilisation ...