Saving Bucky (Bucky Barnes x Reader)

Chapter 13 - Blown Covers

"Gabe?" the question leaves you in a bewildered whisper. But he ignores you completely, keeping his attention focused on Steve Rogers.

"Do you understand the situation you've now put me in, Captain?" he demands, his aged and wrinkled brow betraying his frustration. 

"Who are you?" Steve demands, reaching for the pistol he keeps stored at the small of his back.

"Keep it holstered, son," the director sighs, raising a tired and irritated hand to his forehead. "I mean you no harm. Tell me, why have you dallied here?"

The director receives no answer as the room falls quiet. Barnes watches silently from a corner of the room, bathed in shadow as Steve and Natasha move closer to one another as if readying for a fight. But they seem more confused than anything, and you share their perplexity as the director grumbles and perches aggravated hands on his hips.

 "You," he barks at Barnes, who shrinks further back into the dark. "I moved your colleague to an unlocked cell to expedite this process and he wound up dead," he says before turning back to Steve. "And I all but directed you to the terminals on floor 12, Captain. Everything you needed was right there, and you walked right by it."

Steve glances at Barnes, who shrugs.

"And when I learned all three of you were still in the building," the director continues. "I collected my remaining people and herded them together in one place to keep them out of your way. But instead of leaving, you invade my private office? What more must I do? Escort you to the doors myself?"

Your jaw drops in visible confusion as you start to grow angry. But you keep your exterior as calm as you can. You haven't actually been burned yet. And you need to stay as neutral as possible for as long as you can until you figure out what's going on.  Still, you can't help your shoulders from tensing. As you do, Steve seems to have the opposite reaction as he relaxes, cocking his head out of curiosity. It's clear the director has been helping them.

"I'm sorry sir, but we-"

"No excuses, Captain," the director says firmly, waving a hand and silencing Steve. "Take what you need and go. I have to tend to my injured people."

Go? He's just letting them go? you wonder to yourself, gaze flitting between Gabe and Steve, who nods grimly, not willing to ask too many questions. 

He takes a step towards you, and as he does your stomach lurches. You can't just give up the Hold's top secret information so easily. You hold up a single hand and Steve stops in place, his brow wrinkling in confusion.

"Y/n?" he says tentatively.

"No," you say weakly, taking a step back and entering the final two characters of your lockout code. All you need to do is press enter. 

"Y/n," Steve says your name again, giving you a confused look. "What are you doing?"

You turn to look at the director, flashing him a bewildered stare as you stand speechless and confused. Your neutral façade slowly draining away. Cover be damned, you need to know what the hell is going on.

"You must let them take the information they seek, child," the director answers in response to your panicked look. "There is more going on here than you know," he says gently, holding up both hands and taking a small step towards you.

"N-no! Wait, stay back!" you shout frantically, gaze flitting between the four other people in the room. Your chest heaves as your breathing grows rapid and staggered. It doesn't make sense. None of this makes sense. 

In your confusion, the headache swimming just beneath the surface begins to break through as you fight to keep your hand steady, your finger resting lightly on the 'enter' key. One simple twitch would erase the Hold's databases. Any and all information in the system would be gone. You'd be doing what you were trained to do - you'd be protecting the Hold, and the people in it.