Two hefty guards throw Bucky (who is still feigning unconsciousness) into a cell occupied by three brutes! Bucky is still wearing his "street clothes" (jacket and jeans), and the three other prisoners look on at the new arrival with interest. Bucky rolls with the toss, and gets up quickly, rushing towards the cell bars.

"Let me outta here, you clowns!" Bucky exclaims, getting their attention. "I’m an American citizen! You can’t do this to me!"

"Hahaha!" one of the guards laughs mockingly, looking back over his shoulders to see Bucky, who is glaring at them and holding onto the bars. "Do not deceive yourself into thinking that matters here," he says, turning to face Bucky. "Mexican or American, you bleed the same color of blood. And you will be bleeding if you step out of line."

"Well, at least I know where I stand," Bucky thinks to himself, as he watches the guards walk down the hall, shouting threats to some of the other inmates. "Already, this is an illegal operation. They can’t just hold an American citizen without contacting American authorities…and they’ve made it clear that they don’t intend to do that. And, the offense I would be charged with is pretty minor. Still, I need to get some more information, and—as much as I hate to admit that Fury was right about anything—this is the easiest way to do it."

"Hey...you!" one of the brutes in the cell with Bucky calls out. Annoyed that Bucky is ignoring him, he walks over, pushing Bucky in the back. "We always like to tell our new arrivals who’s in charge!"

"You don’t have to bother," Bucky replies coyly, turning to face his fellow inmate. "I know who’s in charge here! Nice of you to let everyone else know, though."

"Are you trying to say something, boy?" a second inmate demands, as he walks up beside the first inmate. Bucky notices that the third inmate has walked around behind him, and that he is now surrounded by three inmates.

"I might be," Bucky replies coolly, not flinching an inch, but keeping his eyes trained on the inmates, anticipating their moves. "What about it?!"

"This!" one of the thug exclaims, leaping at Bucky, holding a knife in his hands. He swings at Bucky with the knife, but the excellent young warrior easily side-steps the obviously telegraphed movement, as if his opponent was standing still. Bucky grabs the thug by the back of his shirt as he passes, and uses his own momentum to throw the thug across the room, where he lands face-first against the stone wall!

"I don’t know where you got the knife, pal," Bucky challenges the first thug, who is even now drifting into unconsciousness. "But, it didn’t do you any good now…did it?!"

The other two thugs rush Bucky at once, but he leaps into the air above them, kicking each of them in the face, bringing them to their knees. He then slams his fist across one of the thug’s faces, knocking him out. This leaves the remaining thug to look on in wonder at the fighting skills he has just observed.

"I don’t believe it!" the thug says in his native Spanish.

"Believe this!" Bucky replies, also in Spanish, as he grabs the thug by the shirt, slamming him against the cell bars and holding him suspended. "I’m in charge here…ME! No one questions what I say…or they suffer the consequences! I’ve killed before! Don’t think I’ll hesitate a minute about killing again! How do you think I got here in the first place?!" He throws the thug to the ground, where he lands ignominiously, and looks up at Bucky, concerned about what will happen next. "If any of you attack me again, that’s it!"

"All right," the defeated thug agrees, scooting over to where the other two thugs are lying.

"I think I got my point across," Bucky thinks to himself, while he looks around the cell, familiarizing himself with it. "The way it looks, these thugs are really working for the prison guards, trying to get ‘trouble-makers’ in line quickly. Well, I think I cooled their heels a little." Bucky turns away from the thugs, walking into the back of the cell, where he sees an old man, eating a piece of bread. "I’d like to talk to you, old timer." Bucky says, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"What about?" the old man asks, still eating his bread, and not looking Bucky’s way.

"This place," Bucky replies. "There’s a few things I want to know about."

"How to escape?" the old man asks, continuing to eat his bread.

"Yeah, for one," Bucky replies, smiling.

"I don’t do miracles," the old man replies simply, taking a brief break from his eating. When that is said, he returns to eating his bread.

"I don’t believe in miracles, pal," Bucky replies sharply, continuing his aggressive act. "I only believe in action! And, I know I can get out of this hoosegow! It’s just a matter of planning!"

"There has never been an escape from here," the old man comments (this time in English), matter-of-factly. He licks his fingers to make sure that no crumb from the bread is left on his hands.

"There’s a first time for everything," Bucky replies. "You speak English."

"When you live to be as old as I am, you learn a lot of things," the old man replies. "And, you speak Spanish."

"Yeah," Bucky replies, as if tossing that comment aside as irrelevant. "Look, I know I can get us out of here. I just need to know a few details about this place to do it. You can fill me in."

"At one time I believed as you do, that I could escape from this prison," the old man says, looking over at Bucky through tired old eyes. "But I don’t look for the key anymore in my stocking at Christmas…not that we have any Christmas here anyway."

"I’d imagine not," Bucky agrees, looking at the old man with interest. "But, that’s all the more reason to leave. Don’t you want to get out?"

"You sound more like a revolutionary than a murderer," the old man points out. "This place is run with an iron hand. Anyone who steps out of line is soon missing, never to be seen again. In fact…"

Before the old man can finish his sentence, they hear keys rattling at the cell door. The thug who attacked Bucky with the knife is dragged out of the cell, while three other guards hold their guns on Bucky and the other prisoners. "I don’t know where he got this knife, but he knows the rules," one of the guards says in Spanish.

"Yes," a second guard agrees. "He will pay dearly for it."

"More likely," Bucky thinks to himself, "he’s going to get punished for botching the job, and for blowing his ‘cover’. I’m sure I won’t be seeing him again."

"It is as I have said," the old man continues, watching the guards leave, walking down the hall. "If anyone tries to start trouble or bucks authority in any way, they are soon taken off. They do not return, my friend."

"Where do they go?" Bucky asks.

"They are tortured, of course," the old man replies. "Sometimes, when it is very quiet and calm at night, you can hear their screams of agony below. The dungeon is on the floor beneath this one."

"There’s another floor?" Bucky asks, obviously interested in that information. "Where does it lead?"

"Nowhere," the old man replies, a hint of anger and frustration in his voice. "It is beneath ground. There is no escape from here."

"But, it would obviously have access to the warden’s office from there," Bucky points out.

"Yes, that is true," the old man concedes. "The torturer and the warden are good friends. They work out in detail the way their victims will be tortured…although the new torturer they received a few months ago handles most of it."

"Oh?" Bucky asks, obviously intrigued by this comment.

"Yes," the old man adds. "In fact, there have been more disappearances since this fiend took charge of…punishment."

"Tell me about him," Bucky asks, looking at the old man. "What do you know about him? Have you ever seen him? Met him?"

"No," the old man replies dryly. "I have not. After all, am I not still alive? No. Anyone who meets him does not survive the experience. But, I have heard stories. He is a strange man."

"That probably goes with the line of work," Bucky comments facetiously.

"No," the old man objects. "You do not understand…!" Then, he looks around, noticing that others are looking at him, and perhaps he is speaking too loud. He knows all too well what happens to those who know too much. He lowers his voice, and notices that the other prisoners in the neighboring cells look away. "One can never be too sure," the old man informs Bucky. "They have spies everywhere. I do not want to be turned in."

"Spies?" Bucky feigns surprise. "In a prison? What would be the point?"

"I’m sure I do not need to tell you that the prison is not run in a manner that conforms to the law…not of Mexico or international law. The prisons in Mexico have always been harsh, true, but not to this extent. And, they ignore international law completely."

"That’s why I’m here," Bucky responds simply.

"Yes, and you are not the first either." The old man seems completely unsurprised by what he has just heard.

"What do you mean?" Bucky asks. If it bothers him that the old man has seen through his act, he does not let on.

"There was another American here not long ago," the old man explains. "He was brought in here. I do not know the charge. Shortly after he came in, he was one of the ones who were…taken away, much like the one who attacked you a moment ago—although for different reasons, I am certain. He did not return, nor will he ever return.

"Why do the people in the village stand for this?" Bucky asks.

"We are merely prisoners," the old man replies. "Why should they care about us? Besides, if they try to get outside help, they may end up in here as well. And, they would not last long if brought in here for that reason." Bucky nods in understanding, content that this man has more fire left in him than he normally lets on.

"The torturer," Bucky replies. He can at least confirm what he and Nick already suspected—that the first agent didn’t make it. "Getting back to that; what about him? You said he was a fiend, worse than the others. What about that? What makes one torturer worse than others?"

"I know that many get a kind of sick satisfaction from their work," the old man concedes, nodding. The, he puts up his finger, as he continues. "But, this one, he is different. He enjoys it more than anyone else. He considers his work to be artistic."

"Artistic?" Bucky exclaims.

"Yes, he is a painter," the old man continues. "He paints the faces of those being tortured to death. I know this because I have been in the office of the commandant, and he hangs the pictures on his wall as if they are works of art. The pictures are gruesome…horrible, the work of a depraved mind! And, they say that he is not human, that he has great strength in his hands, that he kills people by crushing their necks while painting them."

Bucky’s face looks as if a light just went off in his mind. "Where is he from?" Bucky asks.

"I do not know," the old man replies. "I have only heard stories. But, he is not Mexican. He is a foreigner. His hand, they say, is made of steel. His ruthless nature might even match that of the commandant…the most evil man I have ever met!"

"That motif…it sounds like the Black Talon!" Bucky comments, trying to keep his voice down. He looks over at the old man, whose eyes grow larger at the very mention of that name.

"That is his name!" the old man replies, a look of fear and concern showing in his eyes. "But, how do you know it? I have rarely heard it mentioned. I have not forgotten the name, nor the things I have heard associated with it. How do you know the name of this man? His atrocities?"

"He did some of the same things in America," Bucky explains. "I have heard that he died recently, in a battle with Captain America. Apparently, he didn’t really die that time. I can’t say I’m surprised by that. He has been eluding death since the 40’s!"

Meanwhile, in the dungeon below, the arch-fiend that the two are speaking of is working away at his newest artistic painting, a sinister smile on his wicked, evil face. "This shall be my masterpiece!" he remarks, while stroking his brush against the canvas. "The look of terror! The horror in his eyes! Yes! It pleases me greatly!"

"AIEEE!" comes the voice of the bearded victim. He is lying on the rack, and one of the Black Talon’s assistants is pulling down the lever at his command, as the torture continues. "I can’t take this!!"

"You should be pleased," the Black Talon comments, turning away from his painting for a moment. "You will add more to the artistic community in death than you ever have in your life." He then nods at the assistant, and the torture continues.

"You will not have to take it much longer, dolt," the Black Talon remarks, bringing his brush across the canvas once again, smiling wider with every stroke of the brush. "My painting nears completion! A few more strokes and it will be finished!" He then nods at the large assistant, who pulls back with all of his might on the lever. The Black Talon is able to capture the look of horror on the face of his victim, and he smiles with satisfaction at his work.

"It is finished," he remarks to himself, with great satisfaction. "It is fitting that this ‘artist’ was able to provide a suitable model for my painting. His arrogant tone changed quickly when the process began. No matter. This fool called me ‘evil’, ‘mad’. Does he not understand that I am beyond such petty labels? That the work I do is much too important?"

"I shall share this with Hector," he says, taking the painting off the stand. "He will be most pleased. Like myself, he has an appreciation for art…an appreciation that so many others seem to lack. And, he understands, as I do, that there are no sacrifices too great for artistic works." He looks at his work once more. "Such work should hang in the greatest galleries of the world, as my work once did. It shall again. I shall see to it."

The next morning, the prisoners are taken out of their cells, with chains around their ankles. They are led to a road, where one of the head guards instructs them to work. "You will pave this road," the guard commands. "But, first, it must be cleared. You will use your axes, picks, and tools to clear the path for the road. Get started now."

One of the prisoners falls to his knees in the scorching heat, as the sun beats down on them with relentless fury. "I cannot take…the heat," the man says, gasping for air.

One of the guards walks over to the man, kneeling on the ground, and slams the butt of his rifle against the man’s head, sending him back to the ground. "You will do as you’re told!" the guard commands.

"I…can’t…the heat…my heart!" the man replies weakly, not even able to rise to his feet.

"What do you want done with this fool?" the guard asks the head guard, who looks on coldly at the display.

"We do not have time for such delays," the head guard responds. While this is going on, Bucky is leaning over, using a small metal device on his lock that holds the bar around his ankles. "Kill him."

The guard smiles, preparing to fire his rifle, but is shocked by the sound of a loud "YAHOO!" that comes from Bucky, who is even now leaping free of his chains, vaulting through the air, tackling the guard! The head guard reacts quickly. Holding the whip on prisoners who get out of line, he rushes over to help out the stunned guard, as do the other guards in his command. Before they arrive, however, Bucky slams his elbow into the guard he tackled, hitting him on the back of the neck, and putting him out instantly.

"Ah, company!" Bucky remarks. "How lovely." With that, he sees the head guard swinging the whip at him. He easily grabs the whip out of the air, holding onto the tip of it for a second. He glares over at the head guard, pulling the whip forward with a sudden thrust that sends the guard flying through the air, and landing on his back near the base of a large oak tree.

The head guard manages to raise his head enough to point at Bucky. "Kill him!" he commands. "Do not let him get away!"

"Get away?!" Bucky responds, avoiding the bullets that are now being fired in his direction. He leaps through the air, landing on his hands right in front of two of the guards. He tilts his back slightly, kicking them both in the chins, putting them out instantly! "I wouldn’t even dream of it! I’m having too much fun as it is!" With one fluid motion, he flips himself back onto his feet, as two more guards rush towards him, brandishing their guns. He leap-frogs over them, grabbing them by the tops of their heads. While he is still in the air, he slams their heads together, watching them fall to the ground, unconscious!

"You must stop him!" the head guard continues, while still trying to re-capture the breath that Bucky knocked out of him. "We cannot let him free the others!"

"Actually, that’s not my plan at all!" Bucky thinks, slamming his elbow into the cheek of the other guard, sending him to the ground. "I don’t know who is here for what reason, and the authorities will be better suited to straightening that out than I would." Three more guards rush towards Bucky, as he ducks under them, delivering punishing blows to two of the guards at once, extending his arms outward, slamming his fists into their mid-sections! When they are still doubled over, Bucky raises quickly, slamming his fists into their chins, sending them flying back!

"I hope you have had your fun," the third guard comments, rushing at Bucky with a sword. "Because, it is over now!"

"No," Bucky retorts. "I intend to have some more fun before it’s over!" Bucky leaps over the sword thrust, as it cuts through the air where he was less than a second earlier. "You, on the other hand, won’t be around for that!" Bucky side-steps another thrust, landing a karate chop on the guard’s neck, putting him out!

Bucky rushes into the neighboring woods, disappearing behind shrubbery and trees.

"Go after him!" the head guard commands, pointing a sword in the direction in which Bucky disappeared. "Capture him if you can! The commandant may wish to see him! If not, his dead corpse will be sufficient! I must now go and tell the commandant about this development. Do not fail me! You know the cost of failure!"

With that, the remaining ten guards rush off in the same direction Bucky took while making good his escape. As they rush by with a definite purpose—saving their own lives from the commandant’s rage—they do not see Bucky sitting on one of the branches of the trees they pass by. Bucky watches with great interest as the head guard rushes to greet the commandant. "Good," he thinks to himself, smiling. "You’re about to lead me just where I want to go."

 To be continued!

I hope everyone is enjoying this series. Feel free to write in with questions or comments. My address is jx2melton@aol.com. I plan to print all letters, regardless of how long the letters page may get. J For now, though, I have two letters to print for this month. So, without further ado…

 I can tell you that Bucky #1 contained a pretty enjoyable story. I really liked the conversation between Bucky and Fury, as it was highly amusing to hear them "insult" each other (you had Fury exactly in character). The ring Bucky was given by SHIELD wasn’t exactly the most original idea, but I didn’t mind (actually, I wish they had incorporated this on "The Flash" TV show.

The barroom brawl sequence was amusing and well-written, although Bucky must have an awfully thick skull to receive a direct hit from a billy club and avoid falling unconscious. All in all, you have a good story going here, Jeff.

Chris Roberts

Fury’s line about Faustus amused me. I like how you’ve taken this character and used him as a good villain in the Marvel Universe like that. He can’t keep up with Cap in a fight, but he does have his good points as a character.

 Hmm, even though they’re doubles, you draw quite a contrast between Bucky and Jack Monroe. Jack just has a different personality and lacks the super-human confidence that Bucky has.

I like the fact that you mentioned Rick and his comic book collection. I’d like to see how you’d handle Rick and Bucky, who are very similar in personality in a lot of ways. I’d also like to see Jack and Rick play off each other in your stories.

 The fight scene in the Mexican bar nicely showed everyone Bucky’s amazing fighting skills. You ought to have Bucky and Ironfist team up in a story.

  Rick Powell

 Whew! There’s no shortage of questions and comments in your letter. I’m glad you’re enjoying the series so far. Faustus is an interesting villain. I like the psychological conflicts that he puts the heroes through, and I’m not averse to using him in the future.