Rogers was lying in the big hole smashed out by his body, with a trace of astonishment in his eyes.
He didn't expect that Bucky would attack him, and he did so mercilessly, trying to kill him.
If the passive effect of the vibranium shield hadn't played a role, it wouldn't have blocked the shot of energy that contained the exuberant heat.
Maybe he would be blown apart and die on the spot.
After realizing that the person in front of him wasn't his familiar friend, Captain America finally came to his senses.
He rolled over and stood up, looking straight at the other person.
"Bucky, you've forgotten who you are and what you've said before."
Rogers gripped the shield in his hand, and his gaze turned resolute.
"If the person you once were saw you now, as a tool in someone else's hands, I believe he would feel angry and would agree with what I'm going to do next."
"I'm taking you back, away from here, and back to Brooklyn! Get rid of this miserable existence!"
Captain America raised his shield, withstood several powerful energy shots, and took several strides to reach the Winter Soldier's position.
A punch swung out!
The air exploded!
Exhibiting incredible force!
"Is that all?"
The expressionless, cold man raised his left hand and caught Rogers's heavy punch, revealing a hint of contempt in his eyes.
Like the other party, he was also a 'battleship-class', transformed by Wöden's Blood.
No matter in terms of strength, speed, and energy attack, both of them were similar.
It can be said that they were evenly matched.
"Although I don't know who you are, I remember that headquarters gave the order--"
Bucky, who had already been brainwashed several times, coldly said, "If I see a guy who uses a shield as a weapon and dresses like a clown."
"I should ... kill him."
As Bucky's words fell, the arm clutching Rogers's fist was pulled back, and his knee was thrown upward.
Clean, quick, and decisive.
Bang!
It was like the muffled sound of someone hitting a sandbag.
The heavy force pounded into Captain America's abdomen, nearly bringing him to his knees and incapacitating him.
With a strong will, Rogers struggled to overcome the excruciating pain in his head and threw out his shield before Bucky could launch his next attack.
The Winter Soldier seemed to have a lot more experience in combat than Captain America, so he extended his arm and firmly took it.
"You don't look like a veteran."
Bucky said so.
"Your body is getting rusty and slow. No belief in winning, no determination to kill your enemy."
A fist smashed into Rogers' face, the bones of his nose breaking sounded, and the hard bones abruptly shattered. A string of blood rolled down.
With only a few rounds of hits, Captain America, who had rarely suffered a defeat, fell into a disadvantage.
"Ah..., this is domestic violence."
Luke looked down and saw the two men fighting.
Compared with Rogers's passive parry, Bucky was much more active.
It was like a storm of punches and kicks, occasionally interspersed with a few shots of energy blasts.
The flat ground was full of ditches and potholes.
Two 'battleship-class', like humanoid machines, constantly collided in the most primitive way.
"If the situation continues, it looks like Steve is going to lose."
Luke could see that Captain America was always thinking of his old feelings and always left room for them.
The brainwashed Winter Soldier had no psychological burden, and every punch and kick was aimed at the vitals.
Boom boom! Boom boom boom!
Several spherical lightning bolts, like tracking missiles, traced a dexterous path and circled around Rogers, who was dodging and then instantly exploded.
Terrifying waves of air tumbled up, like tons of explosives ignited all together, releasing rampant energy.
Luke was slightly surprised to see that the Winter Soldier was obviously better than Captain America in terms of control.
Hydra must have given Bucky special training, while Rogers, on the other hand, had very few opportunities to fight after the war.
It wasn't surprising that one was better than the other, resulting in a one-sided battle.
"I'm Steve Rogers, I live in Brooklyn, and I have a friend named Bucky ..."
In the smoke that spread out, labored words and violent panting could be heard.
Almost half of the tattered long trench coat was destroyed, and his whole body was covered with charred marks. Captain America, who looked awful, slowly walked out.
"Leave Hydra, leave this place, Bucky."
Rogers stared deep into his eyes, seeing that physical persuasion won't work. He could only hope for an appeal from the heart.
After all, if you couldn't fight, you could only try to persuade, which was also the basic actions of many protagonists.
"Steve Rogers, Captain America ..."
Bucky looked a little dazed as if remembering something and subconsciously repeated the words.
"That's right! We used to live in Brooklyn, you earned pocket money as a paperboy, and I shined shoes ..."
Seeing that something seemed to be working, Rogers wanted to strike while the iron was hot.
As he walked forward, he approached Bucky; While slowing down his voice, he softly said, "Your father served in the 107th Infantry Regiment, and you joined it later on! Remember?"
The Winter Soldier couldn't help but lower his head, and his eyes looked even more confused.
As if he was struggling, trying to remember.
"Bucky, did you forget all those warm, funny, and meaningful things!?"
Captain America continued to talk about their past, hoping to shake the other's memory and awaken the other party's inner self.
"I remember --"
When Rogers was about to walk in front of him, Bucky suddenly raised his head, and a cold light burst out of his eyes.
"You're the enemy!"
The moment he made a sound, his palm reached out like lightning and quickly strangled Captain America's neck.
Caught off guard, the latter was struck.
"I am considering whether to kill you now or to take you back to the organization."
The cold-voiced Winter Soldier crushed the last illusion Captain America had with his own actions.
Attempting to awaken a brainwashed person with memories wasn't that simple.
"... Bucky!"
Rogers squeezed the name out of his throat; his eyes carried a plea and ... a hint of pity.
The annoying look in his eyes made the Winter Soldier tighten his grip and strangle him even harder.
There seemed to be a hint of abnormal fluctuation in his cold emotions.
'Why did he look at me with pity?'
This question came up in his mind.
'Forget it. Let's settle it right now.'
Bucky was a little distracted as if some kind of memento-mori scared him, which was emerging.
To keep himself calm and undisturbed by external things, he even went so far as to give up his intention of bringing Captain America back to Hydra.
'Kill him!'
On the other side, the rational brain urged Bucky to take action.
He tightened his palm even harder, like cast iron, so he could wring the other's neck.
"I advise you to let him go, Sergeant Barnes."
The dark red cloak was blown by the wind and rolled like a wave.
The tall and straight body slowly descended, landing on the ground.
"Who are you?"
With a wary look in his eyes, Bucky held Rogers, who was in a death grip, in front of him.
As a veteran who set foot on the battlefield, he was an ace killer with an incredible amount of experience. His keen instincts told him that this uninvited guest was dangerous.
"I ... am another friend of yours."
Luke smiled slightly as he turned toward Rogers and said, "Hold on, it might hurt a little."
The latter's red face was full of confusion, and Bucky didn't understand the other's meaning.
They just saw Luke take a step, and then the Winter Soldier, who was holding a hostage, felt a sharp pain. His chest felt as if a heavy hammer hit it, and his bones were about to crack.
Then, he heard the booming explosion that shook his eardrums, and a fierce gust of wind hit his face, painfully blowing him back.
Finally, he saw the upright figure standing in Bucky's original position.
As for Rogers?
Luke took him away from the Winter Soldier, but his collar bone was slightly misaligned, and he felt a painful crick in his neck.
"Hiss! Your plan to rescue a hostage is too crude!"
Captain America said, craning his neck.
"Leaving without authorization, I haven't penalized you yet, Colonel Rogers."
Luke's face was stern, displaying the authority of a General.
"I will go back and write a report and seriously reflect on it."
Rogers obediently admitted his mistake, which was indeed his fault.
"Forget it. I'll take care of Bucky for you."
Luke shook his head. He just said it casually. He didn't really want to blame Captain America.
This was his best friend, so it was understandable.
The most that could be done was to remind Rogers's girlfriend to pay more attention to Bucky and be careful of being cheated on.
"He doesn't remember his past at all."
Captain America cracked his neck back and spoke in a downcast voice.
Considering that he almost died at the hand of the Winter Soldier just now, the lucky feeling of surviving reminded him that the man standing in front of him had become a loyal tool of Hydra, not an old friend who grew up with him in Brooklyn.
"I can remind him of who he really is."
Luke said lightly.
Then, under Rogers's surprised gaze, he walked towards Bucky, whose sternum was cracked and couldn't move.
"What's your name?"
Superman asked in a commanding manner.
Boom!
A ball of lightning was ready to strike in the Winter Soldier's eyes.
Luke's mouth tilted. He stretched out his hand on the other person's face and held their head.
He slammed it to the ground with a straight face.
Bang!
The solid ground was smashed into a deep crater, and Bucky, who wanted to release his energy blast, fell to a dizzy state.
"What's your name?"
The Winter Soldier, who had been strictly trained never to divulge any information, still intended to answer Luke's questions with actions.
He endured the sharp pain in his sternum, and his foggy mind grabbed Luke's right arm with both hands and twisted it backward!
The latter's upright figure was as steady as a mountain, without the slightest hint of wavering.
Bucky's resistance was like a child facing a towering tree.
No matter how he kicked, there was no response.
Bang!
A second time!
A hard whack to the ground!
"What's your name?"
Luke continued to ask.
Bucky gritted his teeth and refused to say anything.
He was the most powerful fighter in Hydra and the most loyal member. How could he easily give in to others?
Bang! Bang!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bang ----
Luke was like a rigid machine, asking questions over and over again and smacking him down over and over again.
An unspecified number of smacks later, the Winter Soldier, who felt that his bones were going to break, weakly said, "Barnes! My name is James Buchanan Barnes!"
"Good, you finally remembered who you are."
Luke dropped Bucky, who was almost at his last breath. He turned to a dumbfounded Rogers and said, "Steve, look, he remembers."