Necessary Good, Unnecessary Evil | No rest For Wounded Souls [Bucky Barnes]

The Mask Has Dropped

"The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse."
-Edmund Burke

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Nova's POV

After what felt like a bunch of minutes into a free fall into what seemed like a vortex of gas, I see another portal opening under me, about six feet from the ground.
A scream gets stuck in my throat as I realize I'm going to hit the ground with my face.
"Gotcha," Bucky groans, his arm wrapped around my waist.
He puts me on my feet, and I keep my grip on his shoulders, waiting for my head to stop spinning.
"Not one of my best landings." I scoff, taking deep breaths.
It didn't last long, but it was enough to make me feel sick. "I've seen worse." Nat chuckles, glancing at Sam, who's dusting off his suit.
"Shut up, Romanoff." He huffs, walking off.

I finally look around, losing my attention to the sky, and for a second, it doesn't even seem real. I'm in Agapi.
We are on a high hill, and in the distance, I can see tall buildings and futuristic structures rising from the ground.
My stomach seems to clench into tight knots as I step forward, stopping to admire the space around me. "Welcome home, Nova." My mother says, standing next to me.

I turn my face to her, sighing. "It doesn't look very homey."
The grey sky feels heavy, almost like it's absorbing life from the city.
Her eyes stay glued on the buildings in front of us, a faint smile painted on her face. "It will, soon." She asserts.
I bring my eyes forward again, breathing deeply. "We will see," I mutter, turning around and walking back to the team.

"This place is way too exposed. We need to move." Tony states, glancing at my mother.
She nods, and a golden light embraces her, forming an armor around her body. "Follow me."
We start to move, and I remain in the back of the group. That way, it will be easier to see if someone tries to get us from behind.

Bucky turns to look for me, slowing down to meet my pace. "The place seems pretty quiet for a war zone." He points out.
"Too quiet." I hum, looking up, between the high branches.
Bucky nods, glancing behind our backs. "You know what that means."
"They're too busy watching." I muse, holding onto the grip of the gun on my hip.

A sudden noise makes my head jerk to the side, and I bring my arms up to my face in the nick of time. 
Something hits my arms, pulling my hair. "Shit!" My hand grabs my gun, shooting aimlessly.
"What the hell was that?" I shout in fear, looking around.
Natasha brings up her hand, covering her mouth. "What?" I ask again, my heart beating fast.
Her shoulder begins to shake. Is she laughing? "Oh, Nova. I'm so sorry, but that shit was too funny." She snickers.
I turn to look at Bucky, and he shrugs. "It was just an owl, doll."
"I already hate this place," I mumble, getting back to walking.

We keep walking for another half hour, finally getting to an encampment, where we are greeted by a man with dark curly hair. "I was worried we were never going to see you again." He utters, walking towards us with a grin.
I notice my mother smiling, waiting for him. "I promised you I'd come back, Theo. And this time, I brought help." She looks back at us.
"I see. Glad to see that Asgard decided to join us." He stretches his hand out for Thor to shake it.
"We have a long and successful relationship with Agapi, and I intend to keep it that way," Thor states, letting go of his hand.

Theo's eyes move on me, and a surprised expression forms on his face.
His gaze bounces between my mother and me until he smirks. "You must be Nova." He points out, and I nod.
"Theo Winkler." He introduces himself.
His grip is firm on my hand as he shakes it. "Your mother talked a lot about you." He discloses.
I glance at her quickly, scoffing. "Can't say the same thing."
I'm not sure what it is, but something is going on between them. 

"We should let them get settled and organize our next move." My mother speaks again, interrupting the awkward silence between us.
Theo nods, walking us into the main tent.
When we get to the entrance, armed guards start to search us, taking note of any weapons they find on us.
I notice one of them glancing at me for a bit too long before going to the other guard and whispering something to him.