Betrayal - A Bucky Barnes Fanfic

Chapter 1

"So you think there can be an abnormal amount of black vans? Do you know how many people own black vans? Sometimes I wonder if journalism is the right field for you. You need the right intuition for this job," Jason Ranner didn't even look at Ava while talking. He sat in his oversized chair at his oversized desk in his oversized office. Ava hated everything about him, but she cared too much about her internship at the New York Times to let this guy with his greasy short hair get to her.

"Listen, my friend Natasha told me about these incidents and she works for the police. If these strange vans are already doing the rounds at the police station, maybe the story is worth a look and some research," Ava stood in front of Ranner's desk, he hadn't asked her to sit down and she didn't plan to stay any longer in this office than necessary.

He finally looked up from his laptop into Ava's eyes, just for a moment before lowering his gaze again. "All right. I don't think you'll discover anything groundbreaking, except that a large number of Americans own black vans. But if you really want to, you can obviously use your free time to research this 'story' – as you call it. If, for some inexplicable reason, it turns out to be a good story, we'll see. Now please go and get me my copies already."

Ava turned around and smiled to herself. Ranner had used a lot of maybes, but this was still a huge opportunity for her. She'd started her internship at the New York Times a good three months ago – she was very lucky she'd gotten the internship in the first place, after all, they're pretty damn competitive. But it was an important step in her journalistic career and even if she could barely live on the meagre salary, she was glad to be paid for journalistic work at all. So far, Ava had worked at various local newsrooms, mostly unpaid, but the experience had been worth it to her.

Once in the copy room, she used the privacy to text her best friend Natasha and let her know that they would meet later at her flat. A time and a laughing smiley face were enough for Natasha to understand that there was something to celebrate.

After her shift, Natasha was already waiting on the stairs in the hallway outside Ava's flat.

"Hey Nat, have you been waiting long?", Ava beamed at her, happy to see her best friend. The two had known each other since they were kids and even though Natasha was four years older than Ava they became best friends instantly and had been inseparable ever since.

"Only for a few minutes."

Ava unlocked her door and stepped into the small flat closely followed by Natasha. It wasn't particularly large, the hallway opening onto the kitchenette with a small table and two chairs. Behind the table on the left, the room was separated by two large doors, which Ava never closed, because behind them was her living room and bedroom and so she could always keep an eye on everything, even if that sounded paranoid.

Natasha and Ava now made themselves comfortable on the small sofa in her living room. Ava told her about her career opportunity and Natasha was very happy for her.

"Maybe I could use some help from you too ...", Ava admitted after Natasha had told her about her day at the police station. She worked there as a detective and had already come a long way with her 28 years, even though her career was accompanied by constant sexism. Natasha was an incredibly strong and confident woman who immediately attracted everyone's attention when she walked into a room and Ava admired her for that.

"That depends ...", Natasha replied with caution.

"Since I don't own a car, I was wondering if you could possibly drive me to the Bronx ...", Ava put on her best puppy eyes and looked at Natasha.

"What the hell do you want in the Bronx?"

"Well, I'd just like to have a look around there. You mentioned there were men spotted there last night putting some boxes from warehouses into vans."

After a little persuasion – Ava was good at that – Natasha agreed and the two set off in Natasha's car. Ava was excited. Her first research for a major article began with an observation tour. Natasha stopped in the shade of a streetlight on a quiet street. There wasn't much to see here except a few abandoned gardens and warehouses. Moths were flying around in the streetlight a few metres from the car.

"Do you think this is the right place?" Ava asked, getting a little unsure of the situation considering the surroundings.

"The guy at work mentioned this street in connection with the vans. But that's all I could find out. There's no official investigation or anything yet. Don't you trust me?" Natasha asked almost a little offended.

The two friends waited a good half hour until something happened. At the warehouses across the street, a black van pulled up and two men got out and took a large box from the boot. They were hidden in the shadows, barely visible. Ava dug out her phone anyways and took a few poor shots with it. The two men unlocked the warehouse and a strip of light shone through the open door. Together they carried the box inside, but before the door slammed shut, one of the men turned around and stared directly in their direction. Natasha ducked immediately, but Ava continued to hold up her phone and snapped a quick photo before Natasha pulled her down to her.

"Are you crazy? He could have seen us!", Natasha hissed at her. She was in full cop mode now.

"I was able to take a picture. Look!" Full of pride, Ava showed Natasha her first clue, but Natasha just looked at her, aghast. The photo was blurry and the man was barely recognizable. Only his almost shoulder-length hair stood out.