Secretive - Bucky Barnes

31 || Secrets and Lies

[James]
»Why are you looking at me like this? I didn't kill him. I mean, he's none of the ones I know of. I don't remember being dragged in again. Vermentro is not on my conscience.« I defend myself, crossing my arms in front of my chest. Thereby, it finally happens. A sipping noise, and cool air hitting my back where the seam held the sleeves. Damn this skinny man I got the uniform of.

No one pays special attention to it, anyways. The situation is too severe to be distracted.

Suddenly, Natasha gasps. »I knew it!«

»What?« I say confused, meeting Steve's eyes. He does not have a clue, neither.

Tony, to my pleasure, glances back on the screen while turning, so his back is facing us. »Have you ever heard the name Lilith Callan?«

Something itches in the back of my mind, like evoking the urge to first scratch due to a mosquito bite, but knowing you should not, because it will get worse; only that it is a memory I should not recall.

»I just heard her to be dangerous. Better keep distance and don't interfere.« Steve says, and with a glance sideways, I see him looking thoughtful on the water during shoving the glass from side to side, watching it floating up and down on the glass's walls.

When Banner raises his voice, his movements calm down, focussing on the one who is speaking. »Daughter of Michael Callan, German agent, disguised himself for decades as a mafia boss, pretty good numbers. Shuriken are her speciality, I think.«

Tony nods, and out of nowhere, Natasha appears next to him in front of the screen. Still, the three of us can see enough. »F.R.I.D.A.Y., show us everything about her. And Barnes?«

I raise an eyebrow, confused looking into his dark brown eyes.

»Don't faint or freak out. Neither would do too well with your wound.«

»Why would I-«

»Mister Stark, there are no entries about Lilith Callan.« the robotic voice interrupts me, and I stay silent in awaiting. Tony could have taught it some manners, F.R.I.D.A.Y. often interrupting people mid-sentence. »Should I search the internet for you?«

»Why- What do you mean, there are no entries?« His eyes fix the screen, his hands fall down next to his body, tensed, clenching fists. Then he grabs the back of a chair, as if it would do any better.

»Sir, you commanded me to delete all the files.«

»I did? When?«

»Yesterday, at thirteen thirty-four.«

The brunette man's eyes fix the ground, deep in thought. Steve, next to me, moves, and I look at him in alarm. The frown now is not from confusion anymore, I can tell. It is from hurt. »She used me.« he whispers, and although I have no clue what is going on, I feel a knot building in my throat. »She probably knew it all along. She just waited for the right moment.«

»What? Wait, who are we talking about?« I ask, adrenaline right back, but the unpleasant kind. Steve always triggers me when he himself is alarmed, like a domino.

»She is better than I thought.«

»Well, it's not so surprising anymore you listened to her blindly, Tony.« Romanoff adds, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Tony only winks at her. »How did she do it?«

»Guess you'll have to ask that herself. I have no idea.« Steve says, taking a long sip of water. The disappointment and regret in his voice almost is tearing my heart out.