Redemption ||Bucky Barnes||

9. Outcast

"Focus, Finley!" Agent Barton's voice rings in my ears.

I'm crouched behind a bunch of crates, my senses high on alert. Since Agent Romanoff and Bucky had their turns with me, it was time for Agent Barton. Let me tell you, he and I aren't exactly happy about being in each other's company, what with how he had attacked me a while ago. He even made that clear from the time I walked into the room. The only reason he and I are in the same room together is because Agent Hill signed him up for training duty. I still don't think he's too happy with her for that. I'm not a big fan of her for it either, but what she says goes.

Agent Barton is mainly training me for stealth, which apparently is a good portion of being a good agent. If you're good at keeping quiet, the enemy will never see you coming. If you're a klutz, being an agent isn't the job for you.

Agent Barton's objective for me: try and sneak up on him. I immediately knew it wasn't fair when he proposed the idea, as I'm sure he was trained to have a sixth sense with people sneaking around to try and get an advantage over him.

This is my practice run with what knowledge I've got. I peek my head up from my hiding spot to see his back is turned to me. I slowly move to my right, still in my crouch, an unloaded weapon in my hands. My heart is galloping in my chest, tricking me into thinking I'm in a real life or death situation. I keep my breathing quiet and carefully take my steps as I dart from one stack of crates to the next.

My back is pressed against the wall, the gun tucked close to my body.

"It's one thing to sneak up on an opponent, it's another to catch them off guard and finish them off," Agent Barton tells me. His voice echoes more, telling me he's moving farther away from me. I scowl. "If they suspect someone's watching, they'll go looking. You've got to outsmart them."

I crawl to my left, peeking around. I'm puzzled, as I don't see Agent Barton anywhere.

I scuttle backwards until I can stand behind the crate stack. I feel something poking me from behind, right in the middle of my back. My grip on the gun tightens.

"Gotcha," Agent Barton snickers.

I snarl low in my throat. "You're just having so much fun with this, aren't you?" I spin around to see Agent Barton lower the arrow he has nocked. I'm seriously wondering if he'll kill me right now. He's got the perfect chance. We're alone, he's armed. I can fight him off, but not for very long.

"I've got to try to have fun," he states. "It's hard to when I'm near you."

I roll my eyes.

"Let's try something different. Close your eyes."

"No way."

"I'm not going to kill you, Finley."

"I don't trust you on that."

"I'd be risking my life if I tried to kill you." He smiles thinly. "There are cameras everywhere in this Helicarrier, and if your sister caught word, she'd come after me." He chuckles dryly. I'm not really appreciating this conversation right now. "Now, close your eyes."

I sigh heavily but obey. I wince when Agent Barton grabs my arm. He gently guides me, though I swear he lets me bump into crates on purpose. If I ever get to train in combat with him, I'll kick his ass for that.

I bump into him, which tells me he's stopped. I open my eyes to find myself in the center of the crate-filled room, with Agent Barton nowhere to be found.