The Third Rule

~SEVEN~

Bucky POV

...

The woman is Kalee Batrei. HYDRA Sargent. Bucky thought she died with the rest of them. Obviously not.

Bucky's once barren walls are now covered with newspaper clippings, classified files, pictures from security cameras, and sheets of paper with Bucky's unruly handwriting scribbled all over it. Sure, the technique may be a little old-fashioned, but so is Bucky. For a 106-year-old man, Bucky thinks he managed quite well without owning his own. He stopped at the public library to do some research on HYDRA and even figured out how to use the printer.

He estimated a timeline, starting from the night at the boathouse. Most of that information was Bucky writing out everything he could remember that night. He was sent on a mission to save Kalee Bateri from Fury. For being a good guy, the man sure does use some questionable means of interrogation.

The mission was supposed to be fairly easy until HYDRA found out that Kalee broke. At the time she was one of the newest recruits, she spilled everything she knew about HYDRA. Bucky blew up the boathouse, two SHIELD agents died as well as Kalee. Or so Bucky thought.

Turns out, only two months after that night she was spotted in Slovenia and a few months after that in South Africa. After that, the next time she was seen was when Bucky saw her the other night. Bucky doesn't even know her motive.

The super soldier sits in his recliner staring at the evidence on the wall. None of it makes sense really, he deducted that Kalee wants him dead, but besides that, he can't figure out where she is or what happened in the alley. In fact, Bucky has visited that alley twice after his encounter and still can't figure out where she disappeared to.

The shops on either side are abandoned but they were both empty. Bucky has mastered finding secret doors and stairs, but absolutely nothing.

The man even thought of tracing the number. Regrettably, he made the splendid decision to throw his phone against the wall in anger.

"Damn it," He mutters to himself, slamming his hand against the arm of the recliner. There has to be something he is missing.

...

The air is slightly chilly on his skin but it feels nice. It's relaxing, especially because his apartment is small and muggy. Upon waking up, Bucky decided to go back to the alley again. There has to be something there, after all, normal people can't just disappear into thin air.

Actually, if Bucky's being honest he wouldn't be surprised if they could considering it is the 21 century. It's almost comical how different it is, women are CEOs of companies, people are (mostly) free and accepted to date whoever they want whether it be two boys or two girls. That stuff is all good, the thing Bucky doesn't like as much is technology.

Sure it has its perks, you could get food from hitting a button on your phone instead of having to walk four blocks, you could watch movies from your house, text or call people anywhere in the world, and so much more Bucky probably doesn't even comprehend. Nevertheless, he misses going out with Steve to take ladies dancing or roam around the city. Sometimes, if Bucky had off of work the best friends would even go out past the city and into the woods. Inside of the woods was a small stream that they rested by for hours. If it was hot, they even walked in it.

Now though, Bucky's positive that the stream and woods have been replaced by enormous buildings. He yearns for the quiet times when the city was still a city but just a little smaller. Just a little less busy. He misses being young, he misses his life before the war turned everything inside out, before it put his brain through the blender and he had to put it back together again.