Cobra

3

I wake up and look at the ceiling for a minute. I sit up and stretch a little as I get out of bed. I look at my phone: 8 A.M. I sigh and stretch more, get dressed, and put away my dirty clothes. I set my bags on the bed and take the phone with me as I go looking for a vending machine. I see one across from a room and go to it. I look at the small number of options and decide to get a pack of miniature cookies. Just as I am about to put money into the machine, I hear a voice behind me.

"You know, there is a kitchen just around the corner."

I am slightly startled but notice him in the reflection, "No, I didn't know that."

I turn around and face him, "Hungry?"

He nods and walks ahead of me and I follow suit.

"Lucky it's free or I'd say you still owe me one." He jokes as we get in line.

"I wasn't sure if you recognized me or not. I didn't want to say anything." I say with a small smile. He looks at me and gives me a small empathetic look.

"Don't give me that look."

"What look?"

"Your, 'I'm sorry I couldn't help' look. You had no idea if I was alive... No one did."

He nods and orders food and I order after him, we sit at a table a little away from the food station.

"So where have you been?"

"London," I say sighing

"That's dangerous, highly populated, and heavily loaded with cameras."

"Exactly why I chose it, they won't expect me to be somewhere so public. And well, as far as I know, they think I'm dead. and I hope it stays that way." I say solemnly.

"Well since you weren't since you weren't flagged when you entered the country, I'd say you should be okay." He tries to reassure me.

I nod at him and get a text from Happy that they are coming up and I let him know that I am eating with Bucky. 10 minutes later, Bucky and I are finishing our meal, Happy and Peter come and I say goodbye to Bucky, leaving with the 2.

---

--

After arriving at my new apartment, Peter left to go home, Happy stayed to help me settle more, giving me the rundown on what to expect in the meeting the next day. I thank him and ask who will be there, to which he says, "Everyone that is still around." We finish our conversation and he leaves.

I finally put together the last few things and lay on my bed sighing, relaxing more than I had in a couple of years. This bed is definitely an upgrade from my old bed. I look around and finally take it all in. Am I safe? She trusted them, so I will. Happy is really nice, almost fatherly, and Peter seems like a smart, nice kid. Bucky really has changed. Seems much happier and something is telling me he has control now. Free finally. He deserves it. But when I think about it, traveling here felt too easy, not being flagged, being accepted so fast... I sit up and look out the window, bringing my knees up to my chest, did they just let me go? Do they know that I'm alive?

The screams brought me back, the pain, and my arm is broken. I look down and there is a knife in my abdomen. I look forward and the moment we connect eyes, he slams his cane into my head. The anger on his face, as if all I did was annoy him by stabbing him. There was no way, no one could survive that. But he did, and he made sure I didn't. Or so he thought.