For the last six weeks it seemed that every time they got close they'd just missed him. Wasn't that just typical? After seventy-plus years of not seeing him, now they couldn't find him! There was something bittersweet about that; Bucky had always been better at the covert stuff than Steve. It had been his specialty, but whomever had done this to him probably hadn't known that at the time. That didn't know the person who had had his back for the whole of the war, the guy who he'd been partnered up with and come to think of as a brother. They had just taken him and turned him into this assassin. A toy that they could send out and do with what they wanted!
Steve took a breath, telling himself to focus on the mission. Getting that lead had been one in a million and the question now was getting in there before he became too unstable. Or hurt himself and try do to something, anything to get him to realize who he was. It was that which made it all hurt more. Bucky was in there. Well, yes physically, but mentally. His friend was in there somewhere, trapped inside this Frankensteinian... thing they'd created. And it was entirely possible that there would be a fight.
The question was, were they facing the Winter Soldier or would they be facing Bucky? From what he'd been told the memories were coming back. The hope was that there would be enough to bring him back, to get him to trust that they were here to help... Something. Anything.
Steve kept a look out while Natasha worked on the door. Following her in, he squared his shoulders, uniform on his person, just in case. "This ends tonight..." one way or another. The words were barely audible. Whatever they found inside he needed to be prepared.