Nagato was a strange individual.

Honestly, Andrew sometimes even doubted whether he was human. He could use peculiar abilities, summon creatures with extreme strength, and even kill an entire army without lifting a finger.

After spending these three days in this remote place in Washington, Andrew grew even more confused at Nagato's behavior. He ate little, only enough to provide his body with the required nutrition. He didn't talk too much either, only during the discussion of the plan would he get into details.

"So, we are beginning our plan tomorrow?" Andrew asked, leaning back against the mattress. Such comfort wasn't something he expected to feel until the end of his lifetime.

Nagato nodded, not even shifting his focus from the starry sky.

"You know, this entire plan doesn't seem to be extremely bad, but I must warn you..." Andrew cocked his head backward, causing his black hair to spread out. "That winter soldier is quite dangerous."

"There is a way to control him. I found it in the laboratory." Nagato answered.

"As always, you have a solution." Andrew chuckled, though his thoughts were getting more and more chaotic with each answer. Sometimes, he just couldn't understand Nagato. He had access to every scrap of information and always seemed to know how to proceed with the plan. Was it also a part of his absurd powers?

"You know as much as I do, if not more. I just understood in which town was the leader of Hydra hiding and you recounted the rest of the information." Nagato said, slowly standing up.

"Well, you gather a lot of erudition when people assume you are going to die eventually." Andrew smiled, though his body shook at the thought of his past. He then stood up as well. "I feel some pity for that soldier though. He has suffered through much more than I did, yet he can't even control his actions."

Andrew saw no change in Nagato's expression as he brushed his hair backward. "And I guess you don't really care." Andrew whispered. Seldom Andrew thought of Nagato as a robot, for he didn't show any emotions, even when doing monstrous deeds.

"Get ready. We are departing soon."

-

Nick Fury stepped out of his car, glancing over the mountains of debris dispersed throughout the horizon. It was already the third time he had come into this part of the town during this week. Why?

Well, he had his reasons.

Nick armed himself with multiple weapons and departed into slums. Almost all the streets were empty, though a few beggars could be seen here and there. Nick didn't seem to have any specific location in his mind as he just wandered with no clear delineation.

Unknown to Nick, however, a figure was spying on him from above. It moved briskly, leaving no traces as it jumped from one building to another.

'It's already the third time.' The Winter Soldier noted, looking below at Nick's figure. Iniatilly, he was ordered to wait for a few more weeks before attacking Fury, but things have changed. After the higher-ups noticed Fury's irregular movement, they thought that there was perhaps another Shield base they didn't know about.

Turns out, Fury was just uselessly spending his time. Nothing as trivial as this didn't matter anymore though, since Bucky had to deal with him completely today. It was too great of a chance to miss.

Bucky took out his rifle and aimed at Nick's rear, releasing multiple shots immediately. There was no way to possibly dodge these bullets from such a range, yet Nick did just that.

He dived to the side and, taking Bucky's moment of confusion, disappeared into another intersection. Bucky tried to shoot him in the back, but he was too late.

Fortunately, Bucky reacted promptly as he jumped off the rooftop and landed on the mountain of debris. He followed Nick rapidly, hearing loud steps plummeting against the ground.

However, every time Bucky would even get near to Nick, he somehow dodged all the attacks. It almost seemed like he had eyes on his back. Moreover, Nick's speed wasn't something he expected from an old man.

As Bucky ran, he noticed they were going deeper into the slums. The ground didn't even have any pavement here - running against the wet soil was a tad slippery.

Eventually, they reached another crossing and Nick chose the wrong path. It was a dead end. Bucky aimed his gun at the man, but no bullets escaped from its tip.

Not thinking too much, Bucky threw away the weapon and rushed towards the man with a knife in his hands. Surprisingly, Nick didn't even seem to focus his attention on Bucky as he concentrated on something beyond him.

"!!" Bucky felt a sharp pain going through both of his legs, forcing him to plunge against the soil face-forth. Before even turning around, he felt two more sharp objects penetrating through his forearms.

"Damn it. It has been a long time since I run so much." Nick's face suddenly shifted and took the appearance of another. Andrew rested against the nearest wall, taking the headphone out of his ear.

"You have done well." Nagato appeared from behind Bucky, who was struggling to unsuccessfully take out the rods out of his limbs. Even his metallic hand had been pierced through the middle, somehow.

"Honestly, I was doubtful about the plan, but Hydra truly fell for it." Andrew chuckled slightly. Truth to be told, it was he, who proposed such an idea, since he had heard a lot of rumors about Nick Fury going around the prison. It was also somewhere around the same time when the Winter Soldier was released for another mission, so he just assumed they were going after Nick. Though, it was Nagato who refined the entire plan and got into little details.

"There is no use in resisting." Nagato ignored Andrew's further words, his eyes focusing on the soldier beneath. "Just give up."

"I feel bitter for you, but it's nothing personal man." Andrew added, turning away from the unfolding scene. "Still, it's better to be controlled by this person than by Hydra. Believe me."

"Longing. Rusted. Seventeen." Nagato said the incantation. Slowly. Delicately. Bucky's forehead painted with veins as he applied more pressure against the rods in his limbs. He opened his mouth wide, trying to shout loudly enough as to not hear these agonizing words. "Daybreak. Furnace. Nine. Bening. Homecoming. One. Freight car."

In the end, it was just futile struggle. It was his destiny to be ruled by others... it was his destiny to be a tool. Bucky stopped resisting, his mouth closing again.

"Soldier?" Nagato asked from above, delighted by the successful process.

He really struck gold when he found that notebook in the laboratory.

"Ready to comply."

"Bring us to Hydra's leader."