Do You Trust Me? // Bucky Barnes

11

Three Hours Later

Down Town New York

Ava

The lack of communication during the drive had been excruciating. Ava's skin itched with discomfort as she sat behind Bucky and pulled against the headrest of his chair. The car was cramped and old and stank of stale air and he'd refused to move his chair forwards so that she could sit comfortably, so now she pulled herself between his face and Sam's and ignored the sound of Torres speaking to them over the radio.

No one was saying anything of importance. No one was giving her information or instruction. No one was asking her for advice. No. Instead they sat in silence, only speaking when they needed to instruct Torres on where to meet them or what security feed to hack. No one had said ten words to her since she'd willingly handed over her information on Joe - her contact in Toomes' operation - and how to get to him, and she was getting angry.

"Is anyone going to tell me what the plan is?"

Silence. Even the radio died out when she spoke, as if it were laughing at her for assuming anyone might want to give her enough information to at least keep her safe.

She turned her face to Sam when Bucky twisted away from her. "American Eagle? Anything?"

The crackle of an incoming message had Bucky turning the radio up and Sam glancing in the mirrors before signalling left and turning off the road and on to an abandoned little dirt track that would lead to the warehouse.

"You're three minutes out," Torres' voice shifted in and out of focus as he spoke over their closed comms line and Bucky reached slowly into the glove compartment, retrieving three ear pieces and passing one back to Ava in silence. She glanced at the small, black device in her hand before watching as the super soldier in front of her slipped his into his ear and rolled his eyes.

"Put it in, дорогой."

"Yes, sir," she muttered, pushing the device into her ear and grimacing with the screech of connection.

"Remember," Torres' voice continued - this time inside her ear - and Ava smiled with the familiarity of that fact. "Your aim is getting Toomes' location. Once you've got that you get out. All of you."

Ava smiled at the protective edge that seemed to cut into his words right at the end of the only piece of information she'd been given and Bucky watched in the rearview mirror as she nodded to herself.

"See if you can do that, and then we might consider sharing some information with you, дорогой," Bucky grumbled, watching as her smile slipped away and a wall of ice seemed to slam into place behind her eyes.

*

Bucky

Something about this felt wrong.

Bucky followed behind Sam as the air around them sat stagnant and quiet and he moved slowly, his eyes and ears peeled for signs of life or signs of threat. His heart was hammering in his chest as they rounded the final corner of the long corridor into a basement shrouded in darkness, Bucky felt his skin prickle and his stomach twist.

Something was definitely wrong.

"Guys." Ava's voice was distant and small as she moved through the space above them - the main workshop where she would meet her contact and hopefully gain the information they needed - and Bucky found himself pausing to listen when she spoke. "Something isn't right."

His gut twisted as he glanced over his shoulder and towards the stairwell.

"There's usually at least twenty people here," she continued, her voice hitching in strange ways as if she was holding back fear, "and right now it's empty."