A Heart Break In Time

Activate Instant Kill!

We all stood in the entrance and watched Kai's body fly closer and closer to us. I kept looking for Bucky to emerge from the same area, anywhere.

He didn't.

Kai landed in front of us and smiled when he saw me. "I've been looking all over for you, Talia!" He ran towards me, arms open to grab me.

I reached my hand out to stop him. "Kai, where's Bucky?"

Kai's face dropped as he froze where he stood. "They have him. They left with him, I couldn't stop them."

And that was it. The last strand of reality holding me together snapped and I lost it.

Flashback

"Ow! Shit." I grumbled. I sat on the ground where I fell, rubbing at my ankle that was just beaten with a staff.

"Enough with your dramatics, you're improving greatly." Okoye rolled her eyes at me, holding a hand out to help me up.

I took her hand as she pulled me up and scoffed. "If I'm improving so much, why do I always leave this room covered in bruises and none of you ever have a single mark?" They all laughed. "Exactly." I stood, rolling my sore ankle to stretch it, and got back into my fighting stance. "Okay, I'm ready. Let's go again."

But before anything could happen, an exasperated Shuri ran into the room. "Talia, it is time. Chop chop!" She clapped.

I spun around quickly. "Bucky? Really?" I ran towards her and we didn't stop until we got there.

"We started the process, he should be awake in a moment or two. He may be disoriented, so just stay calm, nothing too much or too fast, okay?" She explained and I nodded like crazy.

"Yes, I got it. Totally calm." Shuri chuckled, we all knew I was anything but. It had been weeks, weeks of talking to a frozen Bucky instead of the real thing.

I watched as the cryo freeze opened and Bucky's right hand began to twitch. I didn't think. I just immediately ran and wrapped my arms around him.

Slowly, his body responded. "Talia?" He whispered, his voice raspy. He sounded almost like he just woke up. I guess he sort of did. I wondered if that's how he felt. His right arm wrapped around me, it felt weird not feeling the left around me too.

"Yeah, it's me. I'm so glad you're awake, oh my god." I cried, continued holding onto him.

"I believe I specifically said to not make sudden moves, Talia." Shuri lectured, pointing her finger at me.

I stepped away from Bucky, grinning. "Sorry Princess."

*

Arms surrounded me, I could feel them trying to pick me up. I was on the ground? I don't remember falling. Bucky's gone. They have him.

I was crying. I felt empty, this wasn't supposed to happen.

I looked up. They were talking to me but I didn't hear anything.

Bucky's gone.

They have him.

How did this happen? I saw Wanda, tears in her eyes. She was talking to me. It's Wanda. I need to hear her.

"Talia, Talia. Hey, we're gonna save him. Okay? We'll get him. He's not gone. He's not." She kept repeating herself to me, I guessed with an attempt to comfort me. I wouldn't stop crying. My body was reacting on its own.

"Where is he?" I cried out. "Where did they go?"

T'Challa spoke from behind me. "We can access his information through his prosthetic. But we cannot do that from here."

"Talia," Sam spoke from next to him. Sam's awake? When? I missed it. How long has passed. "Talia, we can either try to go after them, or we can go to compound and regroup. We can track him."

"Sam, what if-"

"Don't. Talia, don't. He's fine. They wouldn't kill him. If they were going to do that, they wouldn't have taken him." He reasoned, and he was right. So if they took him... that could only mean one thing.

"They want to get the Winter Soldier back." I stated. It wasn't a question.

Sam answered it anyway. "Yeah... I think so. Talia. Do you want to follow them? Or do you want to regroup? We'll follow your lead."

I blinked, trying to focus my thoughts. I saw Angel at the entrance, staring inside. Maria.

"We'll go home." My voice cracked. My cleared my throat and repeated. "We'll go home. T'Challa. You're sure you can track him?"

"Yes. Absolutely certain."

I nodded. "Okay. Then we'll go home. And tomorrow, we'll have Bucky back."