Marvelous Mutations

At that moment, inside the grocery store...

Luke stood silently, eyes fixed on the man sprawled out on the floor, Bucky Barnes, unconscious and motionless.

On the staircase, Sharon Carter remained frozen, Mjölnir still gripped tightly in her hand. Faint sparks of lightning crackled around her before fading away, and her expression was a mix of disbelief and alarm, like she'd just seen a ghost.

Near the entrance, the crimson glow that had enveloped Wanda's body dimmed and disappeared. She cautiously stepped forward and gave Bucky's side a few light kicks with her boot, testing for a reaction.

Nothing at all, no twitch, no groan. He was completely out.

"Yep. He's out cold," Wanda said, a little too casually.

Weird things happened often in this store. And both Wanda and Sharon had seen their fair share of bizarre situations, but this one? This was weirder than most.

A deadly assassin, a man built like a machine, had just knocked himself out with his own fist.

They honestly weren't expecting that.

Sharon eventually descended the stairs, still gripping Mjölnir cautiously like the assassin might spring up again. She joined Luke and Wanda by Bucky's side, all three of them now gathered in a silent, puzzled triangle.

"What… now?" Wanda asked, glancing at Luke.

Before he could answer, Sharon took the lead, her agent instincts kicking in. She pulled a cord from her utility belt and began tying Bucky's limbs with swift, practiced motions. Her hands moved so confidently that it was borderline unsettling. Luke actually took a step away from her, his imagination going wild.

"W-We're tying him up?" Wanda asked.

"He's an assassin," Sharon replied flatly. "Assassins don't get polite treatment."

There was no denying her logic.

Luke's eyes narrowed in thought.

He already had a solid guess why Bucky had come after him.

If things had unfolded the same way as in the movies, then Bucky was probably still under Hydra's control. That meant this wasn't personal, it was an order.

Which raised a new question: who gave that order?

He didn't need to think long. Ever since he started getting closer to Nick Fury, Hydra had likely taken notice. They were watching, planning in secret.

And now, it was clearly their time to take action.

'They want to take me out early. Eliminate the variable,' he thought grimly.

It all fit perfectly. S.H.I.E.L.D., shaken after the Battle of New York, had likely accelerated Project Insight. And Insight... was Hydra's trojan horse.

This wasn't just a hit.

It was a preemptive strike.

Luke's jaw tightened. 'So that's how it is, huh? I wasn't even coming after you yet, Pierce, but you still brought the fight to me.'

He smirked darkly to himself.

Big mistake.

"Boss?" Sharon broke his train of thought. "You want me to start the interrogation? I've got a few methods that usually loosen tongues."

Wanda perked up, her eyes sparkling. "Ooooh, interrogation? Torture, right? I wanna help!"

Luke raised an eyebrow. "…You okay, Wanda?"

She beamed. "Better than ever!"

Since breaking Killian's arm, Wanda had been showing… concerning enthusiasm for violence. It was like she'd tapped into a part of herself she'd kept buried since her days at the orphanage.

Sharon chuckled awkwardly, kneeling beside Bucky. "It's not just about hurting people, you know. Interrogation requires technique. Pressure points, nerves, psychological manipulation... it's a science."

Wanda's face lit up. "My method is simpler."

Sharon gave her a skeptical look. "Oh?"

Wanda proudly lifted a finger. "First, I break his arm. Then his fingers. If he still doesn't talk, I'll break his legs and toes. If that doesn't work…" She paused dramatically. "We'll just cut off the dangly bit between his legs."

She finished with a wicked grin.

"…Dear God," Sharon whispered.

Luke blinked. "Remind me never to make you angry."

Wanda looked genuinely pleased. "You got it!"

…

Eventually, Bucky began to stir.

He let out a low groan and opened his eyes, blinking against the overhead lights. His body tensed instantly, ready to fight, but then he realized he was expertly tied down.

He tried to break free, muscles bulging, but the ropes didn't budge.

Sharon smirked with pride. "Told you I was good at this."

Luke gave her a suspicious glance. "You were way too good at that, you sure you don't have any weird hobbies?"

Sharon expertly ignored the comment and stepped forward. "Alright, sleeping beauty. Time to talk. Who sent you?"

Bucky didn't respond. He didn't even blink.

"You sure you want to do this the hard way?" Sharon warned.

Silence.

Her expression darkened. She raised Mjölnir and summoned a low burst of electricity through the hammer. It surged into Bucky's arm, enough to make a grown man scream, probably even an elephant.

But Bucky didn't even flinch.

Sharon frowned. "He didn't even twitch."

She prepared to increase the voltage, lightning surging through her body, but Luke stepped in quickly. "Don't bother. Torture won't work."

He looked at Bucky thoughtfully. "His mind's locked down. Completely brainwashed. There's no reaching him like this."

Sharon lowered the hammer, frustrated.

But Luke suddenly smiled. He had an idea, something only a true Marvel fanatic would know.

"Wait... what if we use the trigger words?"

Sharon raised an eyebrow. "Trigger words?"

"You know… the ones that unlock his brainwashing."

Sharon blinked. "Like in that Sokovia report? That's real?"

Luke nodded. "I think I remember a few."

He turned to Sharon. "You speak Russian, right?"

"Enough to get by."

"Perfect. I'll say the words, you repeat them in Russian."

Sharon nodded cautiously.

Luke took a breath. "Longing."

"Желание."

"Rusted."

"Ржавый."

Bucky twitched.

Luke's eyes lit up. It's working.

"Seventeen."

"Семнадцать."

"Daybreak."

"Рассвет."

Bucky's breathing quickened, his eyes turning red with strain. His face twisted in pain, like something deep inside was breaking apart.

Sharon recognized the signs. "Wait, these are the triggers. You're unlocking him."

But then Luke frowned and scratched his head. "…That's all I remember."

"What?"

"That's it. I forgot the rest."

Sharon stared at him. "You remembered four?"

"Hey, that's four more than anyone else!"

Wanda sighed. "So it's like… we found a key, but the door's only halfway open?"

Luke shrugged. "Pretty much."

None of them noticed the Lucky Cat statue behind the counter… its eyes glowing faintly with light.

Even if they hadn't broken through all of Bucky's mental locks, the Lucky Cat had seen enough.

And it had its own way of digging deeper.

Luke crossed his arms. "Doesn't matter. I already know who sent him. So we should focus on revenge right now."

But just as they gave up hope on the interrogation, Bucky suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse and slow:

"…Let me go… I want to buy something."

The trio turned to stare at him.

"…What?" Sharon asked, baffled.

"A killer… wants to shop?" Wanda added, genuinely confused.

Only Luke turned slightly toward the Lucky Cat and gave it a subtle thumbs-up.

"Seriously, you're the best," he whispered and made a heart with his fingers.

He turned back toward the others with a grin. "Untie him. Let's see what he wants to buy."

"…Does he even have money?" Wanda muttered.

Luke shrugged. "Guess we're about to find out."

…