The green light was still flashing, the red frame hadn't gone out yet, and the white mist spewing from the vents was like an old air conditioner on its highest setting. Ye Mo's finger was only half an inch away from that gap, but that half inch was harder than climbing to the sky—the robotic arm had already begun to swing back, its trajectory heading straight for his forehead.
"Now!" he roared, his voice cracking slightly, not from nervousness, but mainly because his Regeneration abilities had also repaired the inner walls of his throat, making his speech sound like he had a mouthful of hot water.
The force of Captain America's shoulder slam hadn't dissipated yet when Bucky's body swayed and his head tilted back. Emma Frost's psychic pulse arrived just in time, lasting only 0.5 seconds, but it was precisely timed to strike during the brief pause before the system rebooted.
Ye Mo stopped skating and instead slammed his left hand on the ice to propel himself forward. In an instant, the Steel Bone Transformation of his right fingertips was completed, and his Five Fingers, like iron hooks, plunged fiercely into the seam behind his neck.
"Open it!"
The metal emitted a piercing tearing sound, like someone trying to tighten a rusty water pipe with a wrench. Sparks flew from the wires, splattering onto Ye Mo's palm with a crack, instantly charring and smoking his right hand, the pain making his entire arm numb.
But he didn't let go.
Instead, he gritted his teeth and pried two more centimeters in, then pulled with all his might using his knuckles—
"Sizzle!"
The green light suddenly jumped and then went out. The red frame went black simultaneously, the white mist from the heat sink stopped abruptly, and the entire robotic arm's movements came to an abrupt halt.
Bucky's shoulders jolted violently, his pupils first shrinking to pinpoints, then suddenly dilating, his gaze darting around, as if he had been suddenly kicked out of a high-intensity live stream. He took off his headphones, and the world went silent.
He slowly lowered his head to look at his mechanical hand, his movements as stiff as an old-fashioned robot being turned on for the first time. The hand was still stained with blood, some of his own, and some of Ye Mo's.
"The signal's gone down." Emma Frost's voice was soft as she stood pressed against the wall, her forehead covered in sweat. "But he's not fully awake yet... it's a vacuum period."
No one moved.
Ye Mo knelt on one knee, his right hand curled up, wisps of smoke rising from it. His Regeneration ability circulated within his body, but he didn't dare to push it upwards—the previous wave had already drained the cooling tank to its limit, and using it again would cause him to cramp up on the spot.
Captain America was panting heavily, his left shoulder clearly not feeling well, but he still slowly straightened up, his shield hanging at his side, no longer in a defensive stance.
Only the shallow breathing of the three people remained in the power distribution room, along with the dripping sound of water slowly melting the ice on the ground due to body heat.
Bucky slowly raised his head, his gaze piercing through the dim light and landing on Captain America's face.
For a moment, Captain America's breath hitched.
It wasn't because the other party raised their hand to hit, nor because the robotic arm suddenly started—it was because those eyes were no longer in a programmed scanning mode, but instead exhibited an almost human-like reaction: confusion, hesitation, and even a bit... bewilderment.
" Bucky?" Captain America spoke, his voice so low it was almost inaudible.
Bucky didn't answer, but he tilted his head slightly, as if to confirm the source of the sound. The mechanical arm was still resting on the ice, and his fingers were still on the weapon button, but the tension that had been building up at any moment was gone.
Instead, there was an eerie stillness.
It's like a high-speed machine suddenly having its power cut off; the parts are still there, the heat hasn't dissipated, but the power is gone.
Ye Mo tried to stand up, but his right leg buckled, and he almost collapsed. He cursed and gripped a protruding piece of cement with his left hand to barely steady himself.
"Don't get too close," he said in a hoarse voice. "This guy's a ticking time bomb; nobody knows whether he'll recognize people or wreak havoc next."
Emma Frost closed her eyes briefly, scanning Bucky's brainwaves with her mental energy. "No remote signal, no encryption protocol activated... He's truly out of control, but his consciousness isn't back online."
"That's a half-machine, half-human type," Ye Mo said, catching his breath. "The most troublesome kind."
Captain America ignored them, took two steps forward slowly, as if afraid of startling some wild animal. He stopped less than two meters from Bucky, gently placed his shield on the ground, and let his hands hang at his sides.
"Did you hear me?" he asked again.
Bucky's eyes flickered, moving from Captain America's face to his shoulder, then slowly down to the cuff of the old leather jacket—where there was a tear that had been patched up long ago, the threads frayed.
His finger twitched.
It wasn't a precursor to an attack, nor a system malfunction, but rather an extremely subtle muscle reaction, like a switch deep in one's memory being gently touched.
Captain America's eyes welled up, but he didn't blink, staring intently at the other person's expression.
"Do you remember Brooklyn?" he said. "In the winter, we'd steal coal from the stove to keep warm, and you insisted that roasted sweet potatoes could cure a cold, so you ate hard lumps for three days straight."
Bucky's lips moved, but no sound came out.
But his shoulders slumped slightly.
It wasn't surrender, nor was it relaxation; it was more like... shedding a weight that didn't belong to her.
Ye Mo watched this scene, his right hand still steaming, wincing in pain, but inexplicably feeling a sense of relief. He knew this wasn't over yet, and he was far from "recovering," but at least he didn't have to fight anymore.
"Alright, alright, save the romance for later." He wiped his face, deliberately raising his voice, "One of my hands is useless now, and it'll take another ten minutes for Regeneration. If you two are planning a reunion of comrades here, remember to order takeout; I'm starving."
Emma Frost finally moved, walked over and squatted down beside him, tentatively touching the back of his charred hand with her fingertips. "High-voltage backlash?"
"Yeah, it feels like I touched a power outlet." Ye Mo grinned. "Luckily, it didn't pierce my heart, otherwise I'd have to apply for workers' compensation from the system."
Emma Frost didn't smile, but her eyes relaxed almost imperceptibly. She tore off a piece of fabric from the lining of her coat and simply wrapped it around Ye Mo's hand. "Don't move around, wait until it recovers."
"I know." Ye Mo nodded, but his gaze remained fixed on Bucky. "The problem is, who gave the order for this thing to break? And who can fix it?"
Emma Frost shook her head. "The signal source has been cut off; we can't track it."
"That means someone was controlling it from a distance," Ye Mo said in a low voice. "Now that the device is destroyed, the other party must know."
Captain America then turned and glanced at them. "They'll come again."
"Of course," Ye Mo sneered, "It's impossible for someone to only make one backup of something like this; they're probably already building a new one."
The three of them were silent for a moment.
Although the man in front of them had stopped, the crisis was far from over. The control device could be destroyed, but the forces behind it would not give up so easily.
Moreover, no one knows who will be transformed into the Winter Soldier next.
Emma Frost suddenly frowned. "Wait."
"How?"
"His brainwaves..." she stared at Bucky, "Are not completely blank. There's a frequency jumping around, like... remnants of a pre-programmed sequence."
"What do you mean?" Ye Mo immediately became alert.
"It's not remote control, nor is it autonomous," Emma Frost said in a low voice, "It's more like an automatic countdown."
Ye Mo and Captain America both looked at Bucky.
His eyes remained unfocused, but there was a slight twitching near his temples, as if something was activating inside.
"How long?" Ye Mo asked.
"I don't know," Emma Frost, closing her eyes to estimate, "But it won't be long. Maybe a few minutes, maybe... a few tens of seconds."
Ye Mo suddenly looked up. "Then it's not about waiting to recognize relatives, it's about waiting to restart!"
He struggled to stand up, but his Regeneration abilities were still cooling down, and his right leg ached terribly with every effort.
Captain America had picked up his shield again and stood directly in front of Bucky, his expression tense.
"This time it's not the procedure," he said softly, "It's him struggling."
Bucky's breathing became heavy, his mechanical arm trembled slightly, and his fingers slid back and forth on the weapon key, as if resisting some kind of internal command.
He slowly raised his head, his gaze meeting Captain America's eyes once more.
This time, there was no more confusion.
It is pain.
A memory buried for many years and forcibly suppressed is surging out, like groundwater breaking through frozen soil.
" Steve..." he managed to squeeze out two words, his voice hoarse and inhuman.
Captain America's pupils contracted.
Ignoring the pain, Ye Mo forced himself to take a step forward. "He's resisting! It's not restarting, it's saving himself!"
Emma Frost immediately activated the mental link, not daring to delve deeper, only monitoring the fluctuations from the outside. "Nerve current disorder, emotional peak soaring... He's desperately suppressing that program!"
Bucky's mechanical arm slammed into the ground, shattering the ice and sending cracks spreading to the corners of the walls. He began to tremble, cold sweat beading on his forehead, and his teeth grinding together.
"No... don't come any closer..." he forced out through gritted teeth, "I'll... kill you..."
Captain America didn't leave.
Instead, she stepped forward and placed her hand on his shoulder.
"You wouldn't," he said. "You never intended to kill me."
Bucky's body stiffened abruptly.
In that instant, all movement stopped.
The robotic arm drooped, the fingers released the weapon button, and the head slowly lowered.
Then, a tear fell onto the ice, leaving a small wet patch.