Second Sphere

Always Soldier

The bomb blast was a shock. So was the death of the Wakandan king. To me what was more of a shock was seeing the news. Seeing Bucky's face.

Nat was next to me and she grabbed my wrist. I turned to her, "No. He wouldn't. Not without Hydra's control."

She takes both of my hands in her own. "Don't do this, if you do this you sacrifice everything these accords are tying to stand for."

I look at her tears in my eyes, "I have to find him. You know there are others who would kill him."

I take my phone and call Steve, there's no answer but I leave a message. "I'm going after him, I know you will too."

A few minutes later I get a text from Steve. 'Bucharest' Time for me to go then.

Steve and I stand in the small apartment together quietly looking around. He flips through a black notebook before handing it to me.

Sam comes in on our coms, "Heads up you two, German Special Forces, approaching from the south."

Steve hands me the notebook and I see Buckys scratchy handwriting, I know it's horrible but I slip the notebook in to a safe place when he's not looking.

"Understood." Steve says.

When we turn around Bucky is standing there. Steve starts, "Do you know me?"

"You're Steve. I read about you in a museum." Bucky starts.

My throat feels swollen, "What about me?" I try and hold back any tears that would dare to surface.

"Throne. You were the only good-" Bucky is cut off by Sam on coms.

"They've set the perimeter." Sam says.

"I know you're nervous and you have plenty of reason to be. But you're lying."  Steve steps forward cautiously.

"I wasn't in Vienna. I don't do that anymore." Bucky says quietly.

"They're entering the building." Sam says.

"Well, the people who think you did are coming here now. And they're not planning on taking you alive." Steve says.

Bucky gives a wry smile, "That's smart. Good strategy."

Sam comes in again on coms, "They're on the roof. I'm compromised."

"This doesn't have to end in a fight, Buck." Steve says while Bucky turns to the door.

He sighs, "It always ends in a fight."

"Five seconds." Sams voice is urgent on coms.

"You pulled me from the river. Why?" Steve almost sounds angry.

"I don't know." Is all Bucky says while taking off the glove covering his metal hand.

"Yes you do." Steve replies, not buying it.

"We can still disappear, just like we used to." My voice cracks a little and I curse myself for it.

"Not this time." Bucky looks sad as he says it.

"Three seconds." Sam comes in again.

A small grenade comes in through the window to Steve's left and I wrap myself in my wings to protect me from the flash. A second grenade is stifled by Steve's shield. I grab a nearby hoodie and wrap it around my hand breaking the glass to a window behind me. I fly out and start to deal with the men outside and leave these two to deal with those inside. My wings are too much of a hindrance to fight close quarters like this. I see a backpack thrown out a nearby window and onto an opposite rooftop. And let out a light laugh, he always is prepared.

I knock out as many people as possible out here making sure not to kill anyone. Before flying up again, a little bit below me Bucky crashes through a window and I dive after. Catching him by the back of his shirt before he falls. He would have narrowly missed the building. I set him down and he runs grabbing the backpack.

"Throne, you got me?" He asks in Russian.

"Always, Soldier." I respond.