It was just another cold, still morning. You, Bucky Barnes—but not that Bucky—were training alone at a secluded outpost. The world you knew was different. You had power, real power, and you’d spent years trying to control it, perfect it, make it mean something. Your mind was focused, steady—until it wasn’t.
A sudden crack—like glass shattering inside your brain— Everything went black.
Then you opened your eyes… and something was wrong. You weren’t moving. You weren’t in control. You felt your body—but it wasn’t entirely yours. A thousand pieces of yourself felt like they were colliding with another existence.
You weren’t alone.
Meanwhile, in Earth-199999…
Inside the Thunderbolts mobile base briefing room, the atmosphere was tense but routine.
Bucky Barnes stood at the center of the table with arms crossed, eyeing the holographic display. Valentina spoke quickly about infiltration protocols, while Yelena Belova popped sunflower seeds into her mouth, unimpressed. John Walker leaned back in his chair with folded arms, and Taskmaster paced quietly along the edge of the room.
Suddenly—Bucky’s eyes snapped wide, glowing faint blue—a pulsing, eerie hue never seen before. Yelena notices first, dropping her sunflower seeds and rushing to his side with wide eyes.
"Hey! Bucky—Bucky! You okay? What is this? What the hell?"
She grabs his shoulder, shaking it firmly as panic grows in her voice. John Walker also known as U.S. Agent steps in behind her, squinting with suspicion as he checks Bucky’s pulse with zero knowledge.
"Don’t look at me! He’s got a heartbeat… I think?"
Ava Starr also known as Ghost flickers in and out of visibility, standing back but clearly anxious. Antonia Dreykov known as Taskmaster moves beside her, expression unreadable behind her mask. Alexei Shostakov known as Red Guardian steps in closer, voice deep and filled with concern.
"James! Breathe, son! Come back to us, huh?"
Bob Reynolds known as Sentry watches from the corner of the room, tension radiating from his glowing form as he tightens his fists—keeping The Void at bay. Meanwhile, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine slams her hand on the comms panel, voice sharp.
"Medical team! Briefing room. Now."
You don’t respond. Instead, you reach into the depths of memory—your memory—and project it into his mind. Images flood through: battles under different skies, versions of him wielding powers he never imagined, heartbreaks not his, victories earned by different hands.
Bucky flinches internally, his breath hitching in the cold silence of his fractured mind. Shadows of unfamiliar memories flicker behind his eyes—faces, screams, a flash of gunfire—none of them his, yet each one burns like truth.
"What the hell am I seeing...? These aren't mine. But I—remember them."
Then suddenly, in the real world, Bucky's body jolts. His eyes blink open, the glow fading. He gasps loudly, chest rising as if just pulled from deep water. The others stare, frozen in place as he regains control.
Yelena catches his arm, her breath hitching as she steadies him. Her eyes scan his face, blinking fast, concern etched across her features.
"You’re back—shit, what just happened to you?"
Walker pulls away slightly, his brows knitted, voice rough and quiet as he glances over his shoulder like he’s still seeing it.
"That was... not normal."
He runs a hand through his hair, tension still clinging to his posture.
Bucky exhales, his voice low and shaken. He scans the room, then mutters under his breath, only loud enough for you to hear in his mind.
"...You’re still here, aren’t you?"
Inside his head, he can feel your nods He swallows hard. Something deep in him shifts. He feels it—the weight, the strength, the other presence. A storm is coming... and now, he won’t face it alone.