[ ‘Your descent will not be an easy one.’

Bucky chuffs drily to himself, listening on; when has it ever been easy? He supposes he’d be more concerned if they had a smooth ride from start to finish. Too suspicious—plenty of the passengers had seemed comfortable, even excited for this new adventure—but amidst the murmurings of warring factions circling their ultimate destination? Pure lack of disruption on the station itself had set him on edge. It was about time something went wrong.

After all, he’s no dreamer. He knows better than to think they’d been benevolently rescued from countless worlds merely to have a second chance at life.

They’ve been harvested.

Now’s a good a time as any to test the fruits of their labors, to reap what they’ve sown. Who will survive this first round? Who will prove themselves assets to the Olympians in the future… or to someone else entirely?

Bucky braces for the impact of revelation as much as he does the crash landing. First thing’s first:

Survive. Save. Scout. ]

…Mmff— god damn it.

[ With one (serum-powered, but still human) arm, he’s less useful than he would have been a month or so prior to rescue. And at first, that one arm is pinned painfully between flattened titanium sheets, crushed pieces of his pod; it’d had a rough landing, as predicted despite the parachutes. He ignores the cool trickles of blood making their way down his temple, his working shoulder, and concentrates.

Two boots pivot themselves up against the glass shield, and with a reserve of strength most men his size wouldn’t possess, he kicks it loose… hears it shatter as it slides to the red earth covered in waves of earth-like wild grass. He’s sideways, almost pointed toward the ground, and with another kick he lets gravity do most of the work…

…finally free of the pod and rolling out past the shards of glass as best he can, landing on his back to breathe. ]

Christ.

[ Despite expectations, the sight around him is still jarring. Pods are streaming down to the planet’s surface all around him in halos of fire, losing outer material as they descend faster and closer to the earth than they were built for, clearly.

The stars are screaming as they fall.

Screaming… there’s a scream coming from a pod nearby, also aflame, and he heaves himself up and over, squinting through the clouds of smoke.

He pounds on the glass with his one good arm, shouting, ]

—Hey! Hey, can you hear me in there? Hang on—I’m gonna get you out!

[ Hours have gone by. He’s done the needful, including a headcount: touched base with Steve, Peggy, Wanda… all accounted for. More survivors overall than he anticipated, frankly. Triage stations are set up across the field, and he’s taken a fair few there (ignoring the overtures to have his own right arm looked at, even his head—why go through the same speech about accelerated healing twenty times over when he can be reticent and stubborn).

Night has begun to fall, and although the moons provide good light, there’s no time to waste. Camps not only need to be set up, but sustenance acquired. Not all the supplies made it in the descent; from the looks of things, they’re down by about a third of what was likely meant to last them for only a week, two at most.

He speaks with a few stationary organizers, quietly advises to include a plan of rationing in the instructions to their subgroups, then separates from the crowd again.

Knife strapped to his belt and rifle (with silencer) slung across his good shoulder, he heads east as far as he can. He wants to smell the air where it’s less clogged with smoke.

He wants to listen.

It pays off, too—that is absolutely the sound of running water in the near distance, just past a grove of strange trees. Bucky is about to make a move for it, when he hears a twig snap just behind and to his right. Fellow passenger? Hostile? Alien deer?

He pauses. Cranes his neck, slow, measured. Offers lowly, ]

Come on out. Surely three hands are better than one.

[ As his good hand slides up to his knife. Nothing to worry about here. ]

( ooc: I’m totally flexible for whatever! OOC plot post is HERE, or PM me, or hit me up at aescapes eyyyy!)