Mavuika picked up Bucky again, opened a portal, nodded to the Ancient One, and walked in.
In the Villa living room, less than half an hour had passed.
When Mavuika's portal opened again, Bucky woke up.
Not fully awake, but in a half-dreaming, half-waking state.
His eyes were half-open, his gaze dazed and confused, like someone who had just woken up from a long nightmare, unable to distinguish between dream and reality.
His lips trembled slightly, making some meaningless sounds.
Mavuika placed Bucky on the sofa.
Maria immediately brought a blanket and water, while Howard squatted in front of Bucky, softly calling his name.
"Sergeant Barnes? Bucky Barnes? Can you hear me?"
Bucky's eyes slowly focused, his gaze landing on Howard's face.
That gaze was initially strange and vigilant, then gradually became confused, thoughtful, and finally...
"Ho... Howard?"
Bucky's voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible, as if he hadn't spoken in decades.
"Howard Stark?"
A flash of joy appeared in Howard's eyes.
He held Bucky's right hand—that human hand, warm and real.
"It's me, Bucky. It's me."
Bucky's gaze moved around the living room, from Howard to Maria, to Tony, and finally to Mavuika.
His expression went from dazed to confused, to gradually clear, and then to a complex emotion mixed with pain, shock, and disbelief.
"I..." Bucky tried to sit up, but his body was weak and powerless.
Mavuika gently supported him.
"Where am I? What happened? I... I remember falling, from the train... and then..."
His voice stopped abruptly, his eyes widened suddenly, as if he had seen something terrible.
His body began to tremble violently, his breathing became rapid, and cold sweat instantly soaked his clothes.
"Those missions... those people... I killed... I killed so many people..."
Bucky's voice was broken, filled with self-loathing and pain.
"No... that wasn't what I wanted to do... but I did it... I..."
Howard held his hand tightly: "That's not your fault, Bucky. You were controlled, brainwashed. That wasn't the real you."
Bucky looked up at Howard, his eyes filled with pain and struggle.
When asked about his experiences over these years, Bucky didn't know much.
"I only know I was captured by HYDRA..." Bucky said, his voice low.
"At first it was Dr. Zola... He saved me. My left arm was almost completely destroyed when I fell. He installed this metal arm for me."
He looked at his empty left shoulder, his expression complex: "Then it was... endless brainwashing, cold, darkness, electric shocks, drugs, and those constantly repeated commands."
"They erased my memory, erased my identity, and turned me into... a weapon, a killing machine that only obeyed HYDRA."
Bucky closed his eyes, as if avoiding those bloody memories: "Most of the time I was frozen, and only woken up when I needed to carry out a mission."
"Mission completed, memory wiped, frozen again... Over and over. I don't know how many years have passed, don't know how many missions I've carried out, and even... many times I didn't know what I was doing, or why."
He opened his eyes, filled with pain and confusion: "Until tonight, until I saw you, Howard... I almost..."
Bucky looked at Mavuika, his eyes filled with gratitude and awe: "Then he appeared and stopped me, otherwise, I would have..."
Howard felt great pity for Bucky's experience after hearing it.
He couldn't imagine how a person could survive in that environment, how they could endure that double devastation of body and mind.
But at the same time, Howard was also shocked.
"HYDRA..." He repeated the word, his voice heavy.
"I thought HYDRA had vanished into thin air with the passing of Red Skull, but it hasn't?"
His gaze became sharp: "And it has been hiding, continuing to this day, infiltrating, lurking, developing... So many years, they have had enough time to infiltrate every institution, including S.H.I.E.L.D."
The Skrull crisis hadn't been figured out yet, and now there was a new threat.
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