Avengers - Lost Souls 2.0 - ABANDONED

Wanda gently wrapped her arm around her brother's shoulders. "As did I." She murmured softly. "And she'll come back. You should give her a little faith, frate. (Brother)." She squeezed him tightly. "Trust that she'll be back in your arms. I know she will. I seen the way you two connect. She is happy with you. Happier."

Pietro could only nod and wrapped his arms around Wanda tightly, nuzzling her shoulder and cried. He hadn't cried about J.J. leaving...just been angry and upset, and had been anything but his normal happy self. It was hard not to notice. Now this letter...he wanted her back even more. "Should ve...find out vhat...Steve's plan is? I am sure he...is brainstorming a hundred of zem by now."

"Let's." Wanda said encouragingly and lead Pietro away from the garden.

~*~

"Steve?" Kerica had knocked but gotten no answer, but she just knew he was in here. Peeking her head in, she saw him typing furiously in a white box of an e-mail structure she didn't recognize, and once he sent it he was bouncing his leg in impatience, "Have you looked for an instant message feature?"

"Probably not secure enough." Steve responded quickly as he watched the screen. "Gier made the email address specifically so that they can't be tracked and no instant messaging system, even Tony's, is secure enough for them." He glanced over at the door. "Was I late for a date?" He looked a little guilty.

"No, we didn't make plans for a date today," Kerica soothed quickly, walking further into the room and she placed her hand gently on his shoulder, "Pietro and Wanda went to Tony thinking you would've asked him to look up any Hydra activity by now. Tony checked his systems and saw you were still here, so he called me and asked me to check on you. Wanda filled me in quickly on what was going on and Tony's on the hunt."

"I got to find out what Gier knows and what he doesn't know so I can plan accurately. Not only that, he has his Resistance Team already on the go. I can't just barge in with my own plans. Bucky would kill me if I managed to kill off his friends." Steve frowned deeply. "And Hydra would thank me for it. J.J's another concern. Two weeks ago she was on the brink of whether or not she wanted to do another massacre. For all I know, it's her plan anyway."

Kerica nodded slowly, "We'll get them back. I'm certain this will be a much bigger, louder base than the last one. I'm really grateful Tony made me that suit stealthy, though I'm sure I'm still going to be really squishy on a field of that magnitude. I can stay in the background with Slate and Clint if you'd like?"

"No. I think I'll need you with me on the front along with Natasha and the rest of the group." Steve said slowly. "You and Natasha need to be able to sneak. You both can probably go up against the Winter Solider, and live to tell the tale. I just need to get close enough to get him to wake up...if possible. Tell him that J.J's scared and wants him to come out or something. Speak of the devil." An email dinged and he opened it.

Had I known snail mail was going to be so slow, I would’ve figured out your email and sent it to you. I’m sorry that it took forever. We’re visiting Germany for a bit, and we’re at Sunflower’s base. Meaning his home. So far, I’m getting reports that James is in Cyro over in Slovakia, near Romania. I’m certain the Wonder Twins that once was apart of Hydra knows the area quite well.

I should let you know how we function. Sunflower is explosives, I’m the sniper slash assassin, Wave is medic slash spy and Rose is our chef slash sunny street. I know, but Hydra needs some people around to keep their spirits up and Rose is a good person to do th40d-

TYPE FAST MUST TELL BW SAID HELLO WILL SEE ON BATTLE---

Currently Arctic is trying to strangle Sunflower, so I’ll take over the writing. Hello, I’m Wave. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Now that we got the pleasantries out of the way, you know how we work. As you know about our functions, I must say we’ve only worked as a team in twos, rather than all four of us. The one time that we /did/ work as a team that was together, we were on a mission alongside the Winter Solider. Hydra didn’t enjoy the fact that we tried to treat him more human than machine, but that’s alright. I never cared much for what they think. (Though once upon a time I did). Since we work in twos I should tell you who is compatible with who0-

Let me do that! I'm Rosebud, bonjour! Wave is just shaking his head at me, but he's trying to make sure Arctic doesn't kill Sunflower anyway. I work best with Wave, because he and I are so close that we work in tandem. We know what the other's thinking before we even do ourselves half the time. Sun and Arc work great because Sun is the distraction while Arc sneaks in. I don't like working with Arc though because he's so /serious/ and just like his name, even though I know he's actually a softie. Wave prefers tactics, though doesn't much care for Sun's or Soldier's. He's a bit of a loner on the field but that's fine <3 I know what he's /really/ like! Oh, here's Arctic back! Il n'ose pousser moi plus. Wave sera fou. Au Revoir!

My group is insane. Sorry about all of that, it was something I should’ve expected.

Sunflower and I do work well together. As he’s flashy and I’m shadowy as the Companion would say it.

I wish that she would take the computer away from me, but she’s shaking her head. She itches to speak to someone other than you.

I fear that she thinks you blame her for James’ being caught.

The idea that we had, was that it was going to be a night mission. The guards would be lax over there because they think that you would be headed to the big base down in Chile. Don’t ask me what’s going on down there, I’ve been out of the loop and it’s starting to look suspicious.

I will attempt to get the Companion to write to you. Meanwhile, head over to Slovakia. We will meet you there.

One of us will in any case and we will plan further with you. We want James back as much as you do.

The Companion possibly even more so.

To you,
The Resistance Team.

P.S: We need our own fucking symbol.

(He doesn't dare shove me over. Wave will be mad. Goodbye!)

Kerica giggled deeply at the antics where it was appropriate, and by the end she was simply smiling fondly, "They sound like the type of people Bucky would attract. He isn't always the Soldier, I'm sure he spoke to them while he was normal. I wonder if we'll meet all of them or just a the double team like they said? That's something to ponder on the way there. You should talk to Tony, tell him what's going on. I can call Natasha and Clint. Do you want to contact Sam?"

"I think so. I think we should bring everyone in, see what we can hash out, and then we can decide on who goes and who stays behind. Chances are, everyone's coming." Steve said as he stood up to stretch his legs. "Once we figure it out, I'll write back to let them know whose coming."

~*~

"Oh /Sunflower/, I see the quinjet! It just might have your second favorite person on it!" Beauregard batted his pale lashes at Alex.

"Oh, where, where?!" Alex jumped off the fallen tree stump he'd been perched on and dropped the gadget he'd been tweaking that Beau just hoped didn't blow up in his face, "Black Widow! I get to meet her, yes!" he clapped his big hands together excitedly. He was twice the size of Beau's lanky form. In fact, he was the biggest one of all the Resistance Team. Then Arctic and Soldier were fairly similar, followed by Wave who was just slightly smaller, built more like a swimmer than a fighter, and Beau was joked to be a ballerina at 5ft 8 with very effeminate features. Long limbs and musician fingers, not to mention the long strawberry blond hair.

Beau patted his arm and held onto his hat as the wind created by the turbines caused the trees to move and shake, though the quinjet was otherwise silent, "About time they got here!"

Once the quinjet landed, the Avengers walked out. All of them. Steve was first out the quintet and headed over towards Rose and Sunflower with a purposeful walk. “Steve Rogers.” He introduced, shaking their hands firmly. “It’s nice to meet you. Sorry to drag you out of hiding.”

"Those are interesting names." Natasha smiled politely and took the pens from the bindings. She took the yellow notebook and flawlessly wrote her name down on the paper as well as the other. "I hope to meet them some way. Hopefully not when we're in a fight."

Alex gazed at her beautiful handwriting for a split moment before beaming brightly and put them back in the pocket they came from, "Thank you! I am German, I have a German lady, so they have German names. Mari was named after our fighting team, actually," he puffed up proudly.

"Fascinating," Clint hummed and looked at Steve with an arched brow. He hadn't given away anything about how these guys would act, and he could've sworn the one he stood in front of was a woman, but while his voice was like a songbird, high and melodic, it had enough tone to it so he could tell he was a guy.

"We plan on this being our last mission working under Hydra. We either go back with you lot, we go into hiding, or we get taken back in chains," Rose said seriously to the Captain, "Il est tout ou rien." It is all or nothing.

"That was not German. That was French," Sam blinked at the strawberry-blond, "I know because Cap likes to say things in French just to bug me because I have to look it up when I get home and he has time to prepare for the beating next time we meet up."

"Vous regardez les choses mal," You look things up wrong. Steve teased Sam before turning to Rose. "You're welcome among us. We're..." He took a deep breath in and out. "You did you a lot for us, it's only fair we give back."

"So, what the plan, anyway?" Kerica asked, tugging on her hood.

Rose noticed the black cord peeking from her suit as she only had it zipped to her collarbone. Why would anyone wear jewelry out here? That was a hazard. Well, as long as she didn't let it come unzipped, he didn't much care, "Wave and Arctic are playing their parts inside, playing the distraction for us. Sunflower here already set up several explosives throughout during his morning walk."

"While there are /other/ explosive 'experts' around," Alex used air quotes, "I put them in very good places. Building won't come down on us, but there will be lots of half-walls for cover."

"Where's J.J?" Slate spoke up, stepping forward.

"Companion is staked out somewhere nearby, ready to jump in as soon as the first explosion goes off," Beau explained.

"She is safe?" Pietro piped up finally, zipping closer and was impressed when Rose didn't step back, his hair blowing off his shoulder when the light breeze hit him.

"Yes, she is safe. I take it you are done pretending you are dead?" Beau smirked at him and watched him just nod.

"So then, all we got to know is when our cue is. I know Steve's all in for doing things the American way and just running in there shield at the ready, but we should have a bit of a game plan on when to do that. First explosive as well or are we going to go in there before all of the go off?" Tony asked as he adjusted his sun glasses.

Sun smiled mischievously and Vision was unsure if he liked that expression. "Let us show you. I hope you are prepared for a wild ride."

~*~

Wild ride it was. They did an infiltration from all corners and sides into the massive compound. It wasn't nearly as large as the one Arctic mentioned that was in the Chile, but it had three stories and was very wide, yet had been hidden by the creeping vines on all the outside walls and trees clumped around it. Even if it was so big, it was a maze inside with winding halls and loops and even a few dead ends. The explosions were well-placed so not to topple it all to the ground and opening up some connected walls to make attack so much easier.

The Winter Soldier had come storming out the moment the chaos erupted and the first person that crossed him was Tony, before he disappeared again in smoke after some blows were traded. Next was Vision, and the cyborg managed to draw blood before an explosion went off between them and he was once again gone.

Vision tapped his earpiece, "I feel as though he is not all that interested in fighting us. It seems more like a game, or like he's toying with us. He didn't seem serious just now," he spit out some blood welling in his mouth where he'd bit his cheek during a punch.

"Good, that might mean that I have a chance to get through to him." Steve answered as he pulled his shield back. Now this was just a freaking wild ride. He didn't see the Companion anywhere, but he was certain that someone, mostly Arctic was letting her know abut Bucky's status. He needed to get to him before J.J did. He worried that she was going to do something real reckless, and that he'd lose Bucky all over again.

He could tell that everyone was tensed, uncertain of how to deal with a Solider playing a game. Whatever game this could be. Steve couldn't blame them, he wasn't certain how this was going to play out either. He was just thankful that it wasn't a game of who can kill the captain. /That/ didn't end so well for either of them last time.

"Jesus!" Clint's voice suddenly came on the other end and he was wheezing, "Bastard just threw me against the wall like he was offended that I /dare/ stand in his way but he didn't go after me, just glared at me to stay down. I'm on the third floor with Slate. He's working his way down, guys, if Vision and Tony caught him first. With the way we fanned out...crap, Nat, he'll probably cross you next!"

"We should focus on taking out some Hydra, guys! The places he's appearing are heavily guarded by them, I think he might be showing off. That could be his game," Kerica called next, "I'm still on the first floor, I'll see if I can make my way up. Nat, try and talk to him and see if he's acting like the brute from before or if he really has a mind under there."

"The way you give orders like Cap is pretty eerie, Pixie," Slate commented.

"Negative. He's just going to toss you around. Go up and see what you can find when you get up there, but don't engage unless he fights you first." Steve replied. "If he's attacking places that are heavily guarded by the Hydra Agents, then let's focus on those rooms. If anyone can get through to Bucky, it's probably going to be me and the Companion. I still haven't seen her around, but I think she's at least three steps ahead of you Pix."

"I have him in my sights," Nat responded. "Good thing that you're only talking to Pix."

On the second floor, staring right at Nat, was the Soldier and he even had the flat face mask on, though not the goggles. The hallways had been blown open so he started doing a circle around her, trying to avoid. Hydra were scattered, fighting more imminent threats, though he grumbled at the screaming in his ear. Demanding him here, demanding him there. He would go where he deemed necessary. These damn cowards deserved to die if they couldn't defend themselves for a few minutes for him to get to each destination and there were just too many locations anyway.

This one, though. Something pricked in the Soldier's memory. This one knew code. He shifted his rifle and watched her jerk, ready to dodge, but he simply Signed to her, "<Black Widow. Know you. Spy. Bugged.>" The last one he swept his hair behind his ear and turned his head so she could see the earpiece. Then he spoke in a gravely tone, "Don't fight me." The earpiece blew up as voices shouted at him.

Why was he talking? Who was he talking to? Shut up and fight. Get your ass here. Your mission is to fight them all. Don't get caught. Kill them. Kill Captain America.

Mission: Kill Captain America.

Confirm.

Refuse.

Denied.

It was a long-echoed order and his mind overrode his wishes to toss it out. Eyes became hallow and set before he went to turn and walk down the hallway. He was quickly stopped with a swift kick to his back when he ignored her shouting and he whipped back around, throwing his own kick and hitting her in the chest.

Natasha groaned as she got up from the wall, and attempted to fight again, once more being tossed aside without much of a thought or a care. She was pretty certain that the next time, he was going to figure out a way to keep her down. She pressed the com to her ear, “Well a tango turned more into a single player line dance.” She told them. “/Definitely/ not interested in fighting. He knows how to sign, since he's bugged. Just try to keep out of his way.”

"Wish I knew that five minutes ago when he kicked my ass," Clint grumbled.

"He uses that with the Companion sometimes if she is in too deep." Arctic commented softly. "Not that she understands a lick of it, but Russian's no good since she's taught it's bad."

"Damn it." Natasha groaned. "Russian is amazing as the vodka drink I want right about now."

"We can have plenty of vodka tonight when we get home, Nat," Keri soothed. "I got to the second floor...but damn this place is easy to get lost in."

"Cap said don't engage," Slate repeated.

"Geezus, I know, I won't if I can help it," Kerica grumbled, rolling her eyes as she moved through the corridors. Last thing she wanted was Steve to be angry with her for disobeying a direct order, but he said it was okay to observe and unless he threw the first punch she wouldn't do anything.

"Pixie's channeling Cap. This can go one of two ways. Explode in the face, or explode the building." Tony snarked through the comms.

"Don't jinx us." Steve groaned.

Kerica gasped when she all but ran face-first into Bucky’s chest when she peeked around a corner to do a check. He jumped back, raising his gun, and she got into a defensive stance. He tried to move, but she got in his way.

Assessment: Current target annoying.

Target name: Pixie.

How did he know that? Sure she had printed metallic wings on her back, but it could’ve easily been ‘fairy’ or some other mythical crap.

Flashes. Pictures. He fought her before? Knew her patterns.

Mission: Kill Captain America.

Unable to accomplish due to annoying Pixie woman. Not Acceptable. He tried to move around her one again, but the same thing happened. What was she doing? She wasn’t fighting him. He had things to /do/ damn it.

Finally fed up, he growled as he marched towards her and he threw a kick at her. He may know her patterns, but aparently not well enough because she dodged and her strikes were quick. She even made his ear bleed when she caught him by the jaw and tugged the bug free, crushing it.

Well, at least he didn’t have to listen to the annoying buzzing anymore. That also left him deaf to what was happening. He swung his arm, catching her off guard.

Dizzy with the force of the spin, Kerica cried out at the feeling of the blooming fire in her jaw as she felt skin break and an instant bruise appear. He'd punched her with his metal fist. She spun back around and kicked him square in the chest, but he only made one step back. He grabbed her leg and she suddenly saw the ceiling as she was flipped upward in a complete circle and she landed on her back. There was a 'crack' in her ears, an instant migraine, dizziness...and she blinked stupidly in shock, heaving out a whimpering breath. She was hurting everywhere now.

Stay down! His mind screamed. Why wasn’t he walking away? He should be leaving her here on her back. Assessment: Injured. Badly. Blood pooled on the stone below her head. Went too far. He’ll be angry.

Query: He?

Answer: Rogers. Captain America.

Query: Why should he care? His mission was to kill him, anyway. Why did it matter if he hurt those close to him? In fact, that would bring him running, and he’d be attacking recklessly, leaving him open. That would be adequate. Approved.

A step towards her.

OVERRIDE

He froze.

New Objective: Protect. Do not injure further.

Query: Why the fuck not?

Error. Unable to answer.

What bothered Kerica at the moment was he kept stopping instead of continuing to attack her while she was down. She /knew/ the Soldier was merciless. Rolling onto her side and then onto her knees, she heard a growl and just then her left arm was grabbed roughly and she was jerked up to her feet and then pinned her arm behind her back, "Ah! Bucky, stop!" she cried, panic coursing through her with a flash. She didn’t need her left arm broken so she went stalk still.

Bucky. He knew that name. Captain America called him that. "I've been called that before. Why do you know that name?" he hissed in her ear, bending her down by the neck to get her to submit. He wasn’t hurting her. This was within acceptable perpetrators. "Tell-" he cut himself off as he spotted something shine red in the artificial lights that still worked around the base. This caught his interest because...he let her arm go and grabbed her shoulder, spinning her around again. His metal hand shot out and he grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up, to which she screamed and his mind flared warning signals, that this wasn’t acceptable, but he was still not hurting her. Was her neck her weakness? Her arm had been, too, by the way she caved when he would squeeze just right.

"Why do you have the same necklace as me?" he demanded, and with his flesh hand dug the dragon claw with the blue gem out from his suit collar and let it dangle between them. "They kept trying to take this. It was the one order I kept disobeying and I even fought them, but when they stopped I stopped. When they asked why, I didn't have an answer. Tell me!"

Kerica had unbidden tears in her eyes that started spilling down her cheeks and she felt her body shake. She processed what was going on and deduced that he wasn't squeezing her neck at all, just...holding her, letting her own weight choke her. Gasping for air, she grabbed his metal wrist firmly and she heaved her legs up to wrap around his torso. He stepped forward and she felt her back thunk against a nearby wall, her already sore head smacking against it, to which fresher, bigger tears streaked her dusty cheeks, "I gave it to you..." she rasped, "It was a promise. To love Steve together..." she squeaked when he did squeeze and stepped closer, their chests flush together. Any other situation and this would be very sexual. Right now, just terrifying.

"Steve Rogers?" he asked, "Captain America? My mission? This necklace is a promise to love him? To love you, maybe?" he growled, ocean blue boring into jade green, "I can't remember this. I don't remember you. That name, though, he called me that before. You know Bucky, too, but I'm /not/ him."

"No..." Kerica gasped again, "No, but...you're James...Just the other side of the coin..." she sniffed a bit, "James...the light...the light in the darkness is yours."

Tucking the necklace back in his suit, he fingered hers and did the same, zipping her own suit up to keep it from slipping out again, and he stepped back, letting her drop onto her ass, "Go. Go quickly, and find the Captain. Let him care for you. Everyone needs to leave." At the call of his name, and the sound of another explosion that caused the rubble to shift and dust over them, he remembered his team. "Sunflower, Rose...where are they?"

"They're...they're on the upper levels, trying to fight with the rest of us. Wave and Arctic are here, too, so is Companion," Kerica stumbled onto her feet, hand on the wall for support, "They might need help. They came out of hiding because of you."

"Me...I'm being controlled again," he cursed in Russian, then found his rifle nearby and heaved it up, "Get out of here." When she complied, he made his way towards the stairs. Weaving through the chaos, Hydra getting out of his way thinking he was still on their side, he moved around, trying to find his team. He saw Slate fighting on the lower level with Natalia at his back, a blue and silver streak zipping around on the balcony on the other side, taking out Hydra where they popped from the doors around and then he finally disappeared.

A purposeful stride through a door as well, he was headed in the direction where he had heard the explosion. Once he got there, there was a huge hole where the side of the base /had/ been, the hills and trees clearly visible now. It covered the first and second stories several meters across, and to his surprise...it wasn't Sunflower he found there. It was a witch girl cowering behind a wall and using a red shield from her magic to block the mini rockets being shot at her. Jumping down, barely grunting at the fall, he watched the man toss his rocket launcher since he was out of ammo and whipped out his shotgun, firing while he walked closer, reloaded, and continued. He didn't care about either of them, but he would get answers out of somebody.

Wanda decided enough was enough and as much as she didn’t want to kill nor hurt anyone, her life was on the line as well as her ability to keep up the shield. She couldn’t do anything, not even try to change the bullet’s direction. All she could do was block them and disintegrate them as much as she could as well as trying to find the will power to keep the shield up, because that man was a powerhouse full of nothing but bullets and guns. Fuck. She wanted to /try/ and move. She wanted to /try/ to attack. But she also knew that running was probably her best bet. This man she couldn't deal with and no one was remotely close to her to help.

The Hydra agent was within a few meters when he saw the Soldier jump down from the second floor where the hole was, "About time you got here! Take care of her!" he demanded, only to shriek when a metal hand latched onto his shotgun.

James watched the man pale as he bent it in half and then threw it away. he grabbed onto the man's head and /slammed/ him against his knee, satisfied at the crunch and he crumbled to the ground. He turned to Wanda who had let down her shield but was still holding balls of red energy in her palms, "Location. Reconnaissance Team. Now."

"I think the Companion is somewhere on this level with Wave and Rose. Arctic and Sunflower are a level up." Wanda answered, watching James sadly. "We haven't seen her through the battle, so I don't know /where/ exactly she is."

Companion. Little woman. He remembered her. Spent the winter with her. "Did the Pixie woman find the Captain? Hurt her...didn't mean to."

"Yes. No one's upset with you at it." Wanda assured gently. "We're mostly worried about you."

Touching. What was with touching. James is still for a moment before he slowly pats J.J's back, "Companion. Safe. Acceptable." He tugged her off of him, "Mission...Find Recon team...was on second floor, did not see Sunflower or Arctic. The mission was to kill the Captain, but Pixie created an override. Happened before, but still jarring. I was able to realize I was being controlled."

Jayden beamed brightly as she grabbed his hand. "This way. Bye Wanda!" She waved at the Scarlet witch as she dragged the Solider with her down the corridor, towards where the Captain was and where Wave and Rose were located at.

Wanda could only stare in complete shock for a moment before she realized she should make a report. "The Solider is back to Bucky somewhat." She said, her voice still dazed. "The Companion's out on the playing field though."

She could've sworn she heard a Russian swear.

"Correction. Soldier is James. Not Bucky...they're different. James is like serious Bucky." Kerica's voice was on the other end and she had a slight giggle to her voice which sounded like she wasn't all there. A few shots rang through the comm mid-talk as well, "Dammit, Cap'n, watch your left. Oh fine, don't listen to me, I'm only at your six."

“I am so worried about that head of yours it’s not funny.” Stark replied just as the shots rang out. “Alright, since we got the Bucky Bear back, even if he did turn into the Darth Vadar, we should get out now! Pix, Cap, you okay?”

"Bucky Bear is a cute pet name, still haven't quite found the one yet, though," Kerica drawled, then snapped, "Only bleeding from a crack in my skull, Tony. Totally fine."

"The sarcasm is thick with this one," Clint's frown was evident on his voice.

"We need to get out and we need to get out now. Tony call for the Qunjet and we'll start heading out. J.J's with the Solider and regardless of what happens now-" Steve broke off with a another few shots and he gasped. "Bucky!"

"Not Bucky. Stop calling me that." James scowled and he knocked his elbow into one of the Hydra's faces while he shot a few others, Jayden hacking and slashing around him, "I don't have ears. Did you call for evacuation?" He ducked when Steve threw his shield, the 'whoom' of the vibranium ringing in his brain before the shield bounced and returned to Steve.

"Yeah I did." Steve replied, kind of shocked to see J.J tackle a man that was /huge/ and stabbed him through the throat. He barely blocked a shot and tossed his shield. "Tony's doing it right now and we're going to have move out. Sunflower's going to blow this thing up to high heaven once we're all out."

"Highly Acceptable. Approved." James fired off his rifle but when he turned around his stomach dropped. "Watch your left!" He screamed at Steve but there was no time. He bolted, using his super soldier speed to run full-bore into Steve and knock him out of the way of a point-blank shotgun that would have hit his back, but instead bloomed across James' chest. He saw blood fly, the ceiling coming into view above him as he fell back. He was aware of the booming yells and screams, although they were muffled, and strong tree-trunk arms caught him while he saw the Hydra Agent with the shotgun get a bullet to the side of the head. Pixie had good aim even though she had a concussion.

“Bucky hey.” Steve quickly got to the ground. “I don’t know how long that extraction is taking, but make it faster.” Steve snapped into his com. “Come on….” He trailed off when he felt blood /splatter/ across his cheek. He froze and he looked up to see that J.J had got in front of him. She was covered in it…her hands…she turned around to see and he felt like he was staring, not into a girl’s eyes.

He was staring at a wolf. She didn’t even say anything, she turned back around and just began to /tear/ people. Her knife was no longer used for quick kills. She brutalized them. She ripped them apart and if they had a gun, and were going to shoot. Somehow some way they would drop the ground /screaming/ as they held their heads before falling sideways, bloody noses and lips.

“Everyone do not engage. I repeat /get the fuck out/.” Steve snapped. “Don’t cross the Companion. I’m not sure she recognizes anyone right now.”

Another Russian word followed by. “Get out.” Arctic’s voice was cold. “I’m coming your direction. I’ll help with Barnes.”

"Steve..." James choked and he patted at his neck. Was it damaged? Please, no...

"Here...I'll check," Kerica crawled herself over, wobbly but she managed to sit beside Steve who was cradling the Soldier on his lap and she tugged off his mask.  The blood was spilling out the corners of his mouth. She then fumbled with his suit collar and dug out the necklace, shining bright as ever, "It's not damaged, James. It's okay."

"Pix..." his eyes were fluttering closed but he fought to keep them open. The relief that the necklace was alright had him slumping harder against Steve. Mission: Kill Captain America - overridden. Mission: Protect - accomplished. Query: New mission? Did he have one? His eyes flicked up to Steve, though his vision was getting blurry.

"Come on, Buck." Steve murmured softly. "Everything's going to be okay." He hoped that his words would work. Though it didn't last long before there was a /flurry/ of conversation that flowed through the coms.

It started with 'Companion, no! Friendly! Not monster!' in Rose's high voice, followed by a choked cry and a thump and then Wave's voice.

"Rose is down. I repeat. Rose is down. I need someone whose fast and is able to get to the quinjet at super speed /now/." Wave snapped sharply into the comm before there was a loud cry at the other end of the com and..."She ran off. Tell me the quinjet's landed. Tell me that it's here, Stark."

"It's outside and ready." Tony replied.

"Quicksilver get to Rose's position. Arctic how far away are you from me? I'm going to be picking up Kerica and heading out." Steve snapped as he carefully picked his girlfriend up and cradling her to his chest. "Everyone, get out. Sunflower, last person leaves, you blow this damn thing."

"Aye Aye, Captain," Sunflower boomed on the comms.

"Got Rose!" Quick piped next, "Going to quinjet. See yu zere."

Arctic jumped from the level and landed smoothly without much sound. "Go." He said and Steve didn't need to be told twice. He held Kerica hard and fast as he ran off, trusting that Arctic would grab Bucky and get the fuck out of dodge.

When everyone got to the quinjet, a little bruised and torn for wear, Steve /never/ been so happy to see a base explode...and was proud to see it done with /color/.

()

They ended up back at base, Slate and Pietro both upset because Jayden was lost again. Everyone went through the medical ward for quick assessment and a majority were let go, Rose, Kerica, and James the only ones unconscious on infirmary beds. Teresa forced Steve to leave, as he had a mission debriefing to do with Fury, but allowing Wave to stay.

In the debriefing, practically everyone was there and Clint watched Steve fidget and scowl. He had no one to lean against. "What's that pile of books you got, there, Fury?" he decided to break the ice, "Required reading?"

“If you want to call it that.” Fury replied as he passed out the notebooks to the group. “I couldn’t help but to notice the disaster was just on the same level as England. Not to mention, I noticed you lot don’t even have an idea of what your up against. The Winter Solider is one thing. The Companion is another story.”

“All we know about her is that she was apart of the games.” Natasha said slowly as she took the notebook that was slid to her. “We weren’t told about the thing in England.”

“I was told.” Steve answered, scowling at the notebook that was in front of him. “He told me once that she was more likely to slip when she was around him.”

"Why would she hang with a guy whose a trigger for her?" Clint furrowed his brows, "What the hell?" He opened the pages and one passage in he slammed it shut and shoved it away like it was on fire.

"Probably because of what you just read." Fury commented dryly. "These notebooks belonged to Robert Jones. Former FBI investigator. While on mission duty, he was ordered to go undercover for the fights as a spectator. His goal was to blend in, figure out the leaders of the ring, and then break them up."

"Jones. Jayden prefers to call herself Jones," Slate said. He'd read two whole pages before turning the page to read the next two, face set.

"How are you /still reading/?" Clint's jaw ticks.

"It's about my sister." Like that was the only thing he needed to say.

Entry 1

I didn’t really think about what I was signing up for. When I heard that it was underground cage fighting, I was thinking it was going to be a drug ring bust, or illegal betting. Perhaps even murder. I was naive to think that they’d put me on something like that.

The “Cage” that they used to fight is quite honestly cylinder cage. It’s tall to fit the ceiling, and there’s only a hanging spotlight that swung hazardously down on the players. Sometimes, if the game got too boring, they would break the spotlight and it would come crashing down. Sometimes it would land on the fighter, and other times they would be forced to fight on glass.

I wouldn’t even call it a fight. There’s no style, I couldn’t even call it a street fight. No, they would grab whatever weapons the patron would give them or what was demanded most of all and they would use it with brute force. Some them adapted a style to their weapons. There was one that had a base ball bat. Apparently this animal was taken away from a baseball game. I suppose they thought it was funny to give them one /shred/ of humanity. Something that they enjoyed doing if it was a sport, and watch them use it for violent means.

The people in there, I learned, we can’t call them people. No, they’re called “animals”. Some of them were called “dogs’ and others called “Cats”. It depended mostly on the style of fighting.

The first fight I saw, well…I watched someone’s throat get torn into pieces, blood spraying the walls and the spectators in back of them. The next fight…I was watching a grown ass man against a little girl who was probably no older than fifteen years old. She was dressed provocatively. Wearing a tube white shirt, fingerless white gloves, and a short skirt that showed /everything/ when she did her moves. I could hear a couple who frequented the area talking behind me.

The girl’s name was called Bloody Mary and she was….brutal in every way I could think of.

I can’t even describe what she idd. Just that one moment her opponent was attacking her, the next he was gutted like a fish. it was the first time ever I came close to such brutality. And her ending scream…it was also the first time I think I pissed my pants.

Steve brought the notebook close to him and flipped a couple of pages. His eyes landed on the entry and he started reading it.

Entry 2

Mary came up to me. She sat down next to me, her white hair pulled back in a low ponytail, her face gaunt with starvation. I noticed that the clothes they had her wear was way too fucking small. I wrote in a previous entry that animals don’t talk. They’re not allowed to. I don’t even know why Mary was even next to me, the punishment she could have could be severe.

Then again, even Animals needed to trade off new owners every now in again, I supposed that’s what she was doing with me. Trying to entice me to buy her, or something like that. She stared at the ring, part in fascination, but she was also looking frightened, bored. “What are you doing here?” Her voice was a little raspy, not healthy.

“I’m watching the fight.” I hope she’d get the hint and she’d leave me the hell alone. But at the same time, this was an undercover operation. I needed to somehow someway blend in and this culture they had going on down here was hard to get my head wrapped around din.

“Not enjoying.” She replied, almost childishly.

I tried to plaster a smile on my face. “What makes you think that?”

“You would’ve bet on me already.”

Shit. Fuck. Betting. Right that was a thing.

I’ve only been watching these fights for a week now.

She smiled, like she just /knew/ and I felt my palms sweat. I was fucking this entire mission up. I couldn’t believe this. “It’s alright. Preference.”

Okay so it was optional.

“Talk to him.” Mary pointed out a man with dark long hair, tied in a ponytail and smoking a cigar. “Good insider. Stock.”

Talking to him didn’t make my life any better, but I learned a few rules.

Animals were animals there’s no if and buts about it.
The more savage the better.
The owners got to decide what to do with them. Beastality is a /thing/.

I never been more horrified in my life and I thought I heard /everything/.

It made his stomach twist and plummet. This was just as bad as reading the Winter Solider files. This wasn't torture to the extreme to make the perfect weapon. This was fucking /entertainment/ pure and simple. No /wonder/ J.J didn't know what to do with herself half of the time.

Pietro was fiddling with the pages of his, watching the others reactions before he finally looked down to read it. It took him much longer, reading English not processing the same way even though he'd been in the Americas for a long time now.

Entry 3

YEAR LATER

Mary came up to me, covered in blood and pleased. The battle that she won was gruesome at best. I still see an intestine still hanging from the spotlight. Her hands were still filled with guts and blood and other things. She wiped her hands down her dress, making it more bloody than ever before. She sat down next to me and we watched the next fight.

She was a good source of intel. She told me how to act, what moods to be in for certain people. She guided me through the fights without too much of a care. Every owner knew my name, and knew that I would one day decide to buy her when she was on the market.

“I’m supposed to breed.”

I think I vomited in my mouth. She’s only sixteen now, maybe seventeen. I still had yet to get a proper age from her. I don’t think she’d even remember if I did ask.

“What?”

“Bleeding. Supposed to breed. Can’t.” Mary replied, strangely getting to the point. Apparently she was going up for sale because she couldn’t have pups. God even that word makes me ill. “Bad owner.” She shrugged like it was nothing.

“You’re on the market then?” I tried to keep my interest neutral, but if I was going to save at least /one/ person from this hell hole, it was going to be the person that showed me more humanity than /any/ of them here.

Most of them were going to wind up in loony bins anyway.

“Yeah.” Mary replied, her face grim. Sometimes I think she can read my mind. Sometimes I just think that she’s just that good at interpreting emotions. A lot better than some of the other folks. “They’re going to make fights interesting. Many new blood. We got to make it look good.”

She got up and left before I could question her further.

He shifted hard in his seat. Breeding. Sixteen was the age of consent in many places, and back in the day it wasn't uncommon. Jayden was much older now. Early twenties, yet she was still in the mindset of 'mating' and such. It wasn't that she couldn't. It was more she wouldn't. She'd rip apart prospective breeding choices. He had wanted to get close to her. Now she was gone and there was no telling if they could find her.

Natasha had to admit that everything she was reading from the book Clint had shoved away, only made her realize that both the girl and the Winter Solider were twice as dangerous. J.J would follow the Solider, and in turn the Solider somehow, someway was a trigger for her to go insane.

Entry 4

I just watched someone get burned alive by someone who summoned /fire/ from their hands. I listened to their dying screams and I could smell the burning flesh even as I write this. I think I was one of the few people that raced to the restroom to vomit, only I didn’t cheer afterwards.

I don’t know what they did to make these fights interesting, I don’t know what fucked up experiment they’re doing, but jesus fuck.

The kid was only twelve years old.

She had heard from others that J.J was a mind reader. What she didn't realize was that it went through /everyone/. She pursed her lips together, she was kind of thankful J.J didn't have the fire power.

Slate was knee-deep when he crossed one about hiding with Jayden in Germany. Jones was on the run, and things didn't look good.

Entry 5

It’s been a year and a half. I’m hiding with Mary in Germany. I found out too much and got myself in too deep. I got in the middle of Hydra. Which was fantastic on one level and bad on another. Still, it was best that we took undercover seriously. I made my inner circle of friends and enemies, especially when I bought Mary.

But they didn’t like the fact that I would allow Mary to speak to me. Like we were comrades rather than owners and animals. They couldn’t deny though that maybe it was part of the reason why she showed off more, why more blood and guts stained the ground and she went on for more rounds that she was supposed to. I think that letting her do that showed too much loyalty…they got scared of her and of me.

I knew that people didn’t like the fact either that I didn’t attempt to breed her with any of the other animals. I would get offers all the time, and I would turn them down. I would criticize the way they fought, how many times the dogs got at them, and how on earth they managed to stay alive. One of them threatened me and I reminded them that the last time someone went into Mary’s kennel (don’t worry I gave her a room. You should’ve seen her face.) without permission got their balls eaten off.

I heard that story. Mary was pretty proud of that achievement.

Mary also calls me Robbie.

I haven’t been called that since my grandfather passed away.

She’s just a little kid I noticed too, in the mindset. She’s helping me untangle the wires from the T.V set since it hasn’t bene working properly. She really likes technology…and I started to notice that she wore a gold locket around her neck. Funny that I never noticed it until now.

By the way, she really does read minds.

Robbie. She called him by a nickname. They were /scared/ of his sister, of how powerful she was. Scared of the influence Jones had. She ripped some guy's balls off with her /teeth/ for trying to have sex with her. While he mentally 'owed' since he was a guy, he also rooted for her. The more he read, the more he wished he had gone instead. Perhaps he and J.J. wouldn't be the strangers they were now.

Steve had to admit, Robbie sounded like a good man. Someone who had a lot of daring hope and saw the things that were impossible to be feasible. He could see a lot of himself in Robbie, and he could see J.J as being someone like Bucky. Hopeless, unable to be integrated into society, and yet someone had the faith to do it.

Entry 6

I decided to be reckless and stupid. I decided to disobey gut instinct and took her outside. I had planned on New York since that was home, but, New York had just been attacked by aliens. I’m thankful that I did this /after/ the fight. From what I’m hearing in the newspapers and the T.V stations, it had been a fucking battle and then some. I'm kind of thankful we're in Germany. So far it's been a hell of a week.

Some team called the Avengers ended the fight, but there were many casualties and deaths. I shielded those away from Mary, since I didn’t know what her reaction was going to be. The world is very strange to her. She has never been outside before, so the moment we reached the park she looked at me and asked if she could take off her shoes. I agreed, but told her to be careful since there were stickers that could hurt her feet.

She took off her shoes, held them loosely in her fingers and walked on the grass. I watched her eyes light up in curiosity and wonder and my heart…shattered into pieces. The German language was lost on the both of us, but she liked the way it sounded. She said it reminded her of the growls of the animals and to my sickening displeasure, I wondered why I felt so evasive to a native.

She learns a lot by leaps and bounds. I know that my extraction away from the job only hurt us, but they had to admit that having an animal on board was probably a good defense of evidence. I had demanded to be her watcher and caretaker and they agreed. It wouldn’t be a good idea to have her go to someone else when the connection was to me primarily.

We went out for Pizza. I missed New York and I told her a little about my home town. I mentioned that it got attacked and she was worried and concerned. She asked if we were going to have to go and fight and I told her no. I told her that there’s no point in fighting a fight that will only get us killed. She disagreed, but…a fight was what she used to live for. I’m hoping here, in Germany and in France she will find another thing.

I called my wife the other day. I told her that I found a little girl in need of a home. I confessed that she was an adult, but with a childlike mind. I told her that she would like her, and that she’d be a nice addition to the home. My wife said that she’d think about it…but asked if I already thought of a name for her.

I think I might’ve.

He was…shocked. They were on television and she could’ve seen them. Yet, Robbie chose to hide her away from the events that were going on in New York. He couldn’t blame him. It was probably a smart move, but…still.

He felt…awful for her, though. Robbie was going to bring her into his family. It was obvious that he had asked J.J about it, which was why she took the last name with all the happiness that she could. He noticed that there was a last page and he flipped it to the back.

His heart swelled a little as he closed the book. Perhaps, perhaps Bucky needed to read his last entry. Maybe it’d bring him a little faith, just like it gave Steve the same amount.

She was just a girl lost in a world that was very strange to her after all.

“It doesn’t change anything.” Steve broke the silence, causing Fury to look at him. “J.J is one of us. She’s Bucky’s Companion. It’s clear to me that she needs him. And he needs her.”

"I agree," Slate closed his book, "May I keep these? I'll return them, there's just a lot of material and I want to read them."

Clint looked sick, "I don't understand how. Fury, is the debriefing dismissed? Do you want reports from everyone?"

"Correct," Fury siad and watched as everyone stood up and left the room. Steve and Clint getting out first, one with a purpose and the other because he couldn't handle it anymore and Steve couldn't blame him in the slightest. He wouldn't doubt Clint would be calling Laura and asking to talk to his kids.

~*~

Teresa hummed to herself as she looked over at Bucky’s vitals and taking notes. His super-healing from the serum was a bit on the slower side than Steve’s, but she was pretty certain that the next time she came in here to change the dressing, it would just be a big huge bruise with a cut in the middle of it. She blinked when she heard a groan and she pushed her hair away from her face as she looked over at the bed. “Well, I should’ve known that you’d wake up sooner than later. How are you doing big guy?”

"Like I got hit by a semi-truck." The reply was like he was gargling marbles, and he groaned again, swinging his arm up to cover his eyes. He stared at his metal arm for a minute as his eyes adjusted to the light before he removed it and then looked at her, his face hard-set, "The mission...was a success? Rogers. Captain. Mission was to protect after override. Started with Pixie woman. Status? Both?"

“It was a success.” Teresa smiled at him. “I’m glad that the mission overrode itself. I hate it when I have to reprogram my brain. Not that I have your same issues. I just need coffee.” She looked at the charts in her hand. “Steve is currently in a debriefing with Fury…and Kerica is sleeping it off. She got hit /pretty/ damn hard, so keeping her sedated and making sure to keep an eye on her vitals is critical right now.” She placed her charts down. “But right now I’m in your room, making you the prime focus.”

"I didn't mean to hurt her," James' throat tightened, "She was in my way. Not as physically fortified as other targets. Flipped easily, but landed hard. Uncertain how that's possible. Defies logic." He shook his head, "Who are you? My injury...shotgun. Pretty bad. Glad I didn't die."

"I'm Dr. Teresa Rivera." Teresa smiled a little. "Sorry, I should've introduced myself first. It was a pretty bad shot, but your serum is healing it a lot better than I could." She assured gently. "And I know you didn't mean to hurt her. It's just like how J.J didn't mean to hurt Rose." She heard a soft knock behind her and she turned around. "Already out of your briefing Steve?"

"Yeah. Not much to talk about. Hey Buck. How are you feeling?" Steve asked as he wandered into the room, carrying a notebook underneath his arm. Unlike Teresa, he had the gall to sit down on the side of Buck's bed.

Blinking slowly at Steve as the bed dipped low, he felt his body shift with it. "I feel as I should. Bad. Hurts to breathe, skin stretches and pinches when my chest expands too far. Should be fit in twenty-four hours or less. Bruising will fade in forty-eight. Point-blank range did hideous damage. Would've killed you." He scowled at Steve, satisfied when he flinched at his hard look, "You don't watch your left flank. Blind spot. Came right at you."

"You're speaking like J.J. Now I know where she got that mannerism from." Steve rolled his eyes, but he watched Bucky for a moment. "I don't need a report, Buck. I was there. There's no mission or anything for you to worry either. Even if there was, you just got back. Give yourself a break."

Breaks are not efficient on missions. Yet his expression visibly shifted and he closed his eyes, head falling back on the pillow. There was no mission. Mission success. Everything was quiet for a long minute and then he shifted, whimpering, "Ow." His voice was different. Not nearly as deep. Slow eyes opened and he squinted at Steve, then at Teresa, before he gasped and sat bolt-upright. "I shouldn'ta done that," he wheezed as he gripped his chest and fell back again, "Oh god, ow."

"You alright?" Steve asked, his eyes betraying his worry. "Why did you get up that fast for, you jerk?" Teresa had looked a little shocked and surprised at the sudden bolt, she had been ready to do something, whatever that something was, but was relieved when she found it wasn't needed.

"M-Memories. I know what I did. Shit. It all hit me in a rush. Oh, fuck, Steve...Steve, I'm so sorry," Buck's eyes were wide as he started at his friend, mouth gaping open and he looked panicked, "I'm so sorry, I hurt Kerica." He found Teresa again, "She'll be okay?"

"Bucky...you were trying so hard to be nonlethal to us all when you were trying to get towards me." Steve assured, reaching out and gripping his friend's best hand. "I mean...fuck...you could've done a whole lot worse than a small head injury. I'm not gonna hate you, Buck. We knew the Solider was going to be around. If anything...I'm sorry I couldn't bring J.J home."

"Oh no..." Buck squeezed Steve's hand back and his eyes shut tight, "Traded one for the other...damn it, and it's all because I went down on the field. I heard her...saw her...but the blood in my throat made it hard to talk. Rose...when J.J. comes out of it she's going to be so upset with herself. I hope Wave doesn't hate her. That the second time he's seen her savage side..."

"Well..." Steve gently placed the book on Bucky's lap. "Fury certainly wasn't happy we let her go. Tried to remind us of what J.J was like...is like." He corrected himself, and he could hear Teresa leave quietly, undoubtedly giving them a little privacy. "But you know...the detective who found her first certainly had the right idea."

"What...are these? Journals? J.J. mentioned journals one time," Buck sat up a lot more slowly this time, using the hand he held to heave upwards and he leaned heavily against Steve who didn't mind at all, even leaning back. Buck slipped the pages open and his breath hitched. He read through them...all of them, then reached what seemed to be a letter.

Entry 7 - Letter

To whom this may concern,

My tracks were covered the best that they could, but something must have slipped by the cracks. I must have let my guard down somewhere, I must have made a rookie mistake. I don’t know what else it could be. I know that this safe house that I’m in has been compromised and I know that the handlers do not believe me at all when I say I need an extraction from the job.

My gut tells me that Hydra has something to do with this. My gut also tells me that Angelica is in danger of being sent back to the Cage or worse…

So this is something I am about to do. You will probably see a young girl no older than sixteen years old stand before my dead body. She may be screaming or laughing or crying. She may be threatening you with violence with a kitchen knife. She may be wild-eyed and ready to attack you using any means she can use.

She is actually eighteen years old, possibly nineteen. Her name is Angelica Jones. She may respond to Mary as it’s been her name longer, but…she has appeared to like the name Angelica, as I told her it reminded me of the second fight I seen her in…and it reminds me of second-chances. Of mercy.

She’s going to fight you, scream at you. But I urge you to look through my journals and realize that this woman has a fighting chance. Yes, she did so many fights and took many lives, but you would do the exact same thing, you cannot deny it. Yes, she’s childlike and she’ll speak simply to you. But her mind is vast and knowledgeable. She is older than she appears and she understands what you’re doing.

She understands my death and I hate to say it, she may try to tally it to her ledger. Do not let her. Do not let her put this on a ledger. Remind her, let her know that she is loved. Tell her that I loved her like a father would love a child. Tell her that I am proud of her. That I am always proud of her. Let her know that even though she felt alone in her world, I’m there.

I watched her fights. I watched her win. I watched everyone’s torment and what they had to do to survive in that hell you decided to make me watch.

But out of all of the animals there. She was the one I chose to save.

So save her, do not let my death be in vain or so help me God I will haunt you and make you life miserable, that is if she doesn’t get to it first. I pity you if she does.

I truly do.

Robert Jones.

His face tickled and he wiped his cheeks, finding it was tears that caused it. "I'm not the only one who believes she can be saved." He found comfort in that, "She did tell me her name was Angelica when I first met her, then we gathered intel on her real name and so I started calling her J.J. I think she mainly like J.J. because Jayden went with her last name, Jones, and it was versatile. She liked being a boy while we were in hiding. I saw her hair had turned white again."

"She's been under a lot of stress." Steve said, but happy that he managed to bring him some comfort. "I can't blame her. Losing you and her..." He shook his head. "I'm glad your home."

Buck closed the journal and set it on his bedside table before he held Steve close, not caring too much for his injuries. Steve was warm and safe. Smelled of the fight, of fire and brimstone and leather from the suit he hasn't had time to change out of. He pulled away, and ruffled his hair, earning a funny face, but the hair was already mussed from the helmet so it wasn't like it was that big of a deal, "Go. Take a shower, change, and sit with your girlfriend. She'll be happy to see you when she wakes up, I'm sure. I'll have Teresa keep me company instead. Where are we? Stark Tower?"

"No, we're at the base." Steve smiled as he stood up. "I'll go then." He paused a little and gently gripped Bucky's shoulder. "Just like we found you, we're gonna find J.J and let her know she's okay to be home too."

Buck could only nod and watch Steve go. He deeply hoped they could get her back. He was hungry, he realized. Had he eaten since he was caught? That part he didn't remember. He automatically blocked out torture. They gave him water, at least. He wasn't dehydrated. Pressing the button to call Teresa back, he asked as soon as she walked in, "Hey, are my injuries bad enough to stay here? I...don't know when I last ate." He watched her face contort and was scared of it. Doctors didn't like being told their patients hadn't been eating.

"No. You don't have to stay down here." Teresa promised. "Just no sparring and nothing that'll make that wound harder to heal." She gripped her clipboard tightly. "No /wonder/ your healing isn't as fast as Steve's. I was /wondering/ about that. Those..." She started swearing under her breath in Spanish before taking a breath. "Sorry...sorry...lost my temper...go ahead and...go."

"Spanish. I don't know any Spanish, but I recognize the tone and the rolling of the 'r'," Buck blinked at her. He slowly moved up from the bed. He was barefoot and bare chested except for the hospital gown. At least he still had his suit pants on. He dislodged some of the monitoring things attached to him and moved closer to her, "Have you taken a break? /Do/ you go on breaks?" He spotted his combat boots close by his bed and after looking in the cabinet he found hospital socks and tugged them on, then his boots. There was no indication of where his vest and shirt went, not that he could wear bloodied clothes anyway.

Teresa blinked. "Well, Natasha would tell you I never appear outside of the hospital area. I normally take my breaks in my office....but not one recently."

He made her follow him out of the room and he found the doctor's office where he looked in the closet and found spare scrubs. Blue. At least it wasn't an ugly mint green like some hospitals. Tugging a shirt out that looked like it /might/ fit him he pulled it over his head and turned to face her, "I knew were the eating places were in the Stark Tower, but Steve said this is the base. I don't know where anything is. Would you show me? You said Kerica would be alright, and Wave is with Rose if he needs help. Steve will be back soon, on top of it all."

"I can show you." Teresa smiled as she quickly stopped by her office to put her clipboard and papers away. Once she did that, she gestured to him to follow. "I'm used to my patients being apart of the base." She admitted sheepishly. "I should've thought that you wouldn't have any idea of where anything was. Sorry."

"That's alright," Bucky tugged at the shirt but it had a small v to it instead of a crew neck so he wouldn't feel choked. It rubbed at the wrappings, but he could ignore that. It was the biggest one he saw in there but it was still snug. Motioning her to lead the way, his stomach twisted in on itself before gurgling loud enough for even /her/ natural human ears to detect. She did have cute ears, too. Wait, what was he thinking? He had just been locked in the Soldier mind and while he'd been non-lethal, he had to apologize to a couple of Steve's team members.

Taking loops and turns once they left his room, he tried to file it away to memory. Plenty of people stared at him, with faces a mixture of disgust, horror, curiosity, and a few others thrown in there. By the time they reached the cafeteria, Bucky had to sit down he was feeling so light-headed. "Whatever you think is best, I'll take it and a lot of it," he told her, then flashed her a smile to dispel her worried expression, "I trust the doctor's suggestions will be excellent."

Teresa was about to tell him off. To tell him that if his injury was acting up, he should've said something, but stopped herself. What could she possibly say to the super solider? He didn't look whit was a sheet, he just looked absolutely tired and that was more or less probably from the lack of energy that he was getting. Her lectures never worked on Steve unless it was about exercise and diet. Even /then/, sometimes he was a pain in her ass anyway. She could only offer a skeptical look as she went in line. She would worry about him and then grab food for herself. Two trips wouldn't be awful. She came back and she still gave him a worried look. "I told them to Captain America size the food." She told him as she pushed the tray towards him. "I'm seriously considering asking them to /double/ that. I'll be back." She came back a moment later with her own tray and sat down.

"Oh damn, this looks /fantastic/!" Buck was practically drooling. He grabbed the gigantic burgee with two thick patties and an assortment of vegetables. Crunching into it, it was gone in about six bites before he snatched up the meat lovers pizza. Once that was gone, he guzzled half the large cup of water. Gasping, he wiped his face with a napkin, picking up the ham, egg and cheese sandwich next, finally breathing and looked at her sheepishly, "I hope I didn't make you loose your appetite... I didn't think about how I must look like an animal."

"You were /starved/." Teresa pointed out, not at all looking disgusted, just more or less angry. "You didn't get a chance to get your calorie intake. I'm inclined to actually make you up there and get seconds if all of that didn't make you full and wouldn't give you a stomach ache." She hated people sometimes. Hydra even more. "But you never have to apologize to me." She assured her voice softening. "I'm a Doctor. I have absolutely no room to judge."

"It's not uncommon for me to be starved when I have disobeyed orders...among other things that I won't say. You no doubt saw the scars when you removed my gear," he shrugged, all too used to it, "I'll let this settle, see how I feel, and then go up for seconds if I need it. I'm not nearly as light-headed now," Buck assured with a smile, taking a bite of his sandwich and chewing a lot more casually. He still took big chunks, but it didn't disappear so quickly.

Teresa nodded, though it didn't really quell her anger. She simmered it down though. No point in getting upset about things that she couldn't change. "I heard that you had a Companion with you?" She was hestiant about asking this question. "But the only people who came here at the base were the original Avengers and your resistant team."

Buck's expression fell, "Yeah...yeah that's right. J.J. She's also Slate's sister and Pietro's romantic interest, though she wasn't completely aware of that. I'm sure he was forward with her, but some things that were more complicated human feelings flew over her head. She fought beside me for the winter, and we've only been separated...now this is the second time. She was so happy to find me...then I got taken down protecting Steve. It broke her mind and she went on a rampage."

Teresa gently reached over the table and gently took his hand and rubbed his palm before letting it go. "I had wondered why the blue blurr was looking more down cast than usual. This is probably the second time she slipped from his fingers as well." She gave Bucky a gentle smile. "Tell me something about her, or you...something that'd make you happy."

He thought for a moment while he ate, before a smile crept back on his face, albeit small, "She always hated it when I bought plums. She thought they were gross and couldn't understand why I ate them. Yet, I felt the same about her and pickles. They smell gross and taste just as bad. I hate it when I'd order burgers and they'd have the pickle slices on top."

"Why plums?" Teresa couldn't help but to be intrigued. "I'm kind of surprised you don't like pickles, but then again, it's just cucumber and vinegar."

"She couldn't really describe why, just the flavor was off and the texture was weird," Buck rolled his eyes, "Plums are my favorite thing to eat."

Teresa laughed, grinning a little. "I don't like bananas." She offered. "I also don't like strawberries."

"Plums help improve memory," Bucky leaned forward chin on his hand, eyeing her in amusement, "Bananas...they're good in shakes. Strawberry banana shakes are good. I don't much care for either of them on their own, though. Strawberry jam is the worst. All those seeds?"

"Raspberry Jam's my favorite." Teresa laughed, shaking her head. "I don't mind the seeds, it's the texture of the jam that gets me. It's too...I don't know...solid for me I guess. I like mine easy to spread and strawberry always seems to be so hard."

"Grape. Grape jelly is so good. I toast my bread if I'm able so it doesn't matter," Bucky laughed suddenly, "If you wanted to distract me from my dark thoughts you did a good job of it. I didn't even realize," he shook his head, a bit startled. His pile of food on his platter was gone, hers only half-so. Drinking the rest of his water, he figured he better not overdue it after all and wouldn't go for seconds. His stomach still gurgled, but it was manageable. Maybe Steve would have some suggestions for a full-course meal that would leave him absolutely stuffed.

"Food is always a good way to distract anyone from those types of thoughts." Teresa smiled kindly. "Just like talking about boys with Natasha is a way to get her off your back about working too hard and doing over time for the past week."

"I believe it," Buck smiled, "Seems like that's this team's theme. Reckless, don't take 'no' for an answer and don't know /how/ to say no. How is no one dead yet? Besides Quicksilver. He died then came back to life."

"Probably because every one of you is too stubborn to kill?" Teresa offered as she finished of her food and took a drink of her orange juice. "That's just my speculation."

"Sounds accurate," Buck agreed. He looked up just in time to see Nat making her way towards them, shock evident on her usually stoic face, "Hello, Natalia. We were just talking about you."

"All good things." Natasha said as she folded her arms. "I'm surprised that the serum managed to get you up and out of the infirmary as fast as it did."

"Acting doctor. He's not out of my care yet." Teresa pointed out. "Technically he's still tied to his bed."

"I just really needed something to eat and Teresa here was kind enough to take a break with me so we could do that," Buck smiled at the redhead, "The injury still hurts and it's still pretty bad, but this should speed up recovery."

"And I thought Steve was the only one in our team that eats his problems away." Natasha teased.
"We need the calories, thank you," Buck stuck his nose up, sniffing and looking offended, "Teresa and I bonded over food, anyway. She now knows I like plums and I know she likes raspberry jam."

"Did she tell you that her ultimate weakness is Raspberry jam doughnuts?" Natasha questioned with a teasing smile on her face. "It's a good idea to know, just in case you upset her. Bouquet of flowers isn't going to do her much."

"Whoa wait a minute." Teresa looked at Natasha in shock. "He's my patient."

"Not forever he's not." Natasha quipped back. "Besides, he could be doing this in case he gets himself shot again."

Bucky only winked at Natasha, "Thank you for the information. It's always nice to have someone on the inside. Hey, could you steal one of Steve's unlimited supply of white under shirts? I can't wear this stupid blue scrub shirt forever."

"I don't need to steal. He'd just give it to you for free and call it even." Natasha rolled her eyes. "You look good in that though. It really gives off the doctor patient role play you got going on here."
"Oh my god, Natasha!" Teresa's cheeks reddened and her eyes wide. "Stop talking!"

"Natalia!" Buck did gape at her at that one, but then laughed, "You're the best. I know I could just ask him, but I could ask him for anything and he'd give it to me anyway. I don't want to take advantage of that."

"And using me to steal is. You're a good man Barnes." Natasha gently clapped him on the shoulder before walking off towards the line to get herself some food.

~*~

Back in the infirmary, Beauregard slowly opened his eyes. His room was dark, and he felt the dip in the bed. Turning his heavy gaze towards the source. A tender smile crossed his face and he moved his hand to brush away the black hair hanging over closed blue lagoon eyes. Felice was so handsome no mater how he looked at him. His eyes widened when he jerked up at the touch and he quickly shushed him, long fingers caressing his cheek, "It's okay, go back to sleep. I didn't mean to wake you, mon amour."

"This is the second time." Felice gently grabbed his hand. "You scared me. I thought you were dead. She hurt you badly this time didn't she?" He should've hurt her. He did shoot at her, but he missed, only wanting to scare her off. She ran away, which was good, but...jesus maybe he should've done more.

Beau closed his eyes. Felice may be able to manipulate emotions, but he could also project them without meaning to when he was this upset. He could feel the stab wound in his side. He had managed to twist his body to avoid a blow to his kidney, but it still no doubt did plenty of internal damage with the way the Bowie knife she owned - a matched one to Bucky's - had a jagged bottom half. It ripped skin on the way out. That hurt a lot. "Amour, Felice, stop. Breathe. Look at me." He demanded as he could feel the whirlwind of anger and hurt and panic getting worse with each moment of silence, "I'm alive. It wasn't her fault and you know that. I was still in Hydra uniform even though I took the jacket off." He tugged at his shirt, coaxing him to join him on the bed. He wanted to be held as much as he knew Felice wanted to hold him close.

"I'm glad you are alive." Felice slid into his bed, careful with the wires and the monitors and held him close. He breathed in his lover's scent and tried to calm himself down. "I can't say I'm happy she ran away. If you died, I would've killed her. No remorse."

"Like a rabid animal, I would be sad, but I would understand," Beau whispered, rubbing his hands up and down Felice's back, shifting the blankets so he could entangle their legs as well. Nuzzling his shoulder, he took a breath in and out, sending soothing feelings towards him, "Take your mind off of it. Tell me, what happened with the others?"

"I don't know." Felice said honestly. "All I know is that we're at the base, Solider was shot and that's what set Jayden off to begin with. I also know that Kerica's suffering from a concussion and that Steve's with her now. But it's all I know."

"Okay. Makes sense. All I know was the gunshot in my earpiece almost deafened me. Must've been point-blank range," he nodded and stretched his neck up, kissing him gently, rubbing his back in small circles now, willing him to relax as the other hand toyed with shaggy hair. "Je t'aime. Dors maintenant, tout va bien." I love you. Sleep now, all is well. he whispered against his lips.

()

"Ah, Steve, just the guy I wanted to see," Fury looked up and smirked at him. Steve was just coming in with his report for what happened at the base when he went to rescue Barnes. The rest had already either sent them in e-mail or their own paperwork. "How'd you like to do a street chase?"

"Do a...what?" Steve blinked a little in surprise at Fury as he handed the reports to him. "Street chase?"

"There's a couple gangs in little ol' New York. Kyle Castle, he's the head of one of them, Metal Spiders, pretty harmless, really. Just does street races and /occasionally/ steals cars, but its not that big a deal. /However/," he leaned forward, lacing his hands together, "My Intel tells me he is associated with two other gangs. One of them being Fireside. They're big. Not member-wise I mean they only got less than twenty people, but /influence/-big. Interwoven connection. We could use Fireside on our side, but they are nay impossible to contact unless we go through someone they know. Kyle is our man. No one here except you would be able to catch him, though. At least, catch him /and/ bring him in. You can be quite persuasive if you wanna be, Cap."

"Why are we getting gangs involved?" Steve may be still apart of S.H.I.E.L.D but he wasn't about to get his hands dirty like he did a long time ago. He knew Fury was paranoid. Sometimes reasonably. Sometimes not so much. "What kind of intel could they possibly have?"

"Fireside has /elementals/. Similar to Wanda. They are also more like an anti-gang. Almost vigilante but not quite. They keep the streets safe undercover and know how to cover their tracks. I'm not asking you to do anything evil or immoral, Rogers, so calm down. I just want you to catch this guy for me and I can do the rest once you bring him in. I have the when and where of this race he's setting up, so get ready for a bike ride," Fury smacked the table and stood up.

Steve looked a little apprehensive, but once Fury left the room, he had to admit a bike race sounds a bit like fun. He hadn't done something like /that/ before. Maybe next time he could grab Kerica and Bucky and have them watch, or even have one of them join in. It'd be fun. But not for this mission.