Fine Line (Bucky Barnes x OC)

Suspicion

Tomorrow was the day. After months of building and testing, Thomas finally had a usable model of the bomb he had been requisitioned to build. He was certain that this was the one. There would be no issues with the wiring or detonator this time. He had used every free moment of his day to make sure he had the best building materials and that every piece was meticulously put together.

He had to admit, his motivation to make sure everything went according to plan wasn't because he cared about pleasing the men who hired him. In reality it was to save his own life. If he had one more set back or failure, the people he worked for wouldn't give him another chance. Their patience was already wearing thin with him. He owed them a debt and they expected him to pay up.

They had found Thomas while he was sitting in prison on federal murder charges. Under the request of a friend, he had assaulted a man that his friend believed was sleeping with his wife. Unfortunately for Thomas, that man died as a result of the assault. To make things worse, he just happened to be a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent and his co-workers were going after Thomas with everything they had. He was looking at a life sentence.

One mistake had cost him everything and he fully expected to spend the rest of his days behind bars. The prosecution refused to lessen his sentence even though it was clear that his intent wasn't to commit murder. But one day, a lawyer came to visit him and said that his charges were being dropped. Apparently there was some technicality with the search and seizure of the evidence against him. He was surprised to say the least, but relieved that he was free once again. Unknown to him, he wasn't actually a free man.

It wasn't until after he was released that a man with sandy blonde hair and dark brown eyes approached him, introducing himself as Luke. He explained that the only reason Thomas was released was because he had the skills Luke and his associate's required. He didn't know much about the men he was working for, only that they were powerful enough to make his charges disappear and acquire the materials necessary to build a dirty bomb.

Thomas was wary of helping them at first. He was escalating from involuntary manslaughter to domestic terrorism. Their plan was to target the United Nations general assembly meeting. Some of the world's top leaders would be in attendance and it was an opportunity that Luke and his associates needed to seize. He declined initially, wanting to forget the rough patch he had been through and get back to his life. Luke had laughed as if Thomas had just told a joke.

"You really think you have a choice in this? We got you released. We are the reason you're not going to rot in prison for the rest of your life. You're going to help us willingly or you'll find yourself back in prison with a guaranteed life sentence, and there won't be any help for you this time."

Thomas still remembered every word out of Luke's mouth. He didn't have a chance to object again. Luke passed him a burner phone and told him to answer when it rang, then left. The instructions he received over the phone had him heading to Virginia to assume his new life. He was provided with a fake wife, nice house, and a whole new backstory that he would be expected to maintain for the six months. Too bad he couldn't control himself and ended up with an attempted sexual assault on his pretty, young neighbor. Luke was furious when he found out what Thomas had done, but once again the charges against him were dismissed.

After that, he and Megan were relocated to the outskirts of the capital. Several abandoned factories were purchased by Luke and his associates in order for Thomas to complete his work. This was his last chance. There would be no more relocation, no more understanding, and definitely no more waiting. If his product failed this time, he would be killed.

Thomas finished placing the last pieces on the bombs and then closed up his workspace. He walked back to the office he had been using to go over his specs one last time and ensure that there wouldn't be any mishaps. He flipped on the light and rounded the desk when something on the floor caught his attention. A silver ring lay on the floor, the light above glinting off the shiny surface. Thomas bent down to pick it up, immediately recognizing the large diamonds encased by sapphires.