Sharp Edges

Chapter Six

Across the US, in Avengers Tower, Steve Rogers paced back and forth in front of Natasha Romanov's desk, unable to stop biting at his usually perfectly manicured fingernails. He hadn't been released from the hospital in D.C. very long when he immediately started doing the leg work on finding his best friend. "Are you sure there isn't any trace of him? There has to be something, Nat."

Natasha was familiar with this process. It has been her job for years to track people down for one reason or another. She also had the unique advantage of knowing how Hydra worked. She knew what it took to hide from them. Her eyes stayed trained on her computer screen as she exhaled heavy breath, puffing out her cheeks. "He's been a ghost for years. If anyone knows how to disappear, it's him. I'm running facial recognition on every camera in the world I can get access too, it just won't be overnight."

Steve huffed loudly and plopped himself in one of Nat's chairs. "I know. I'm just... I want to find him. He saved me from that river. That tells me he's still in there. A part of him is still my Bucky."

The red-haired assassin sat back in her chair and stretched her legs out as she gazed at Steve. "You've gotta be onto something there. The Winter Soldier that I know definitely completes his missions," she replied with a knowing shrug. She had the scar to prove it. "He'd have to run from Hydra. He's been their secret weapon for decades. They will definitely want him back. If they know he walked away, it's more than just us looking for him."

"That's why we need to find him first. I don't want him to go back there," Steve stated, his chest hurting at the thought of it. "He's my brother in every way but blood..."

Nat hoped that could find him, the Bucky Barnes they'd heard so much about. She also knew well what it was like to break out of the spell Hydra casted and find a way to survive. "I get it. If it was Barton, I'd do the same thing," she said with an understanding nod. "We know he won't be under the same name, and he'll disguise the arm, which is kind of the most identifying feature a person can have." Her brows raised after a moment, though, as something struck her. "It took you a while to get a handle on the tech stuff, right?" she asked, though she knew all too well. "He might not know how to do any of that, unless Hydra taught him."

"Bucky was a handy person, smarter about things than me, but I imagine he would struggle too," Steve answered. "What's on your mind?"

She pondered for a moment longer before she nodded a bit to herself. "He has to have help," she observed, turning her head to glance back at the computer screen. "He pulled you out of the river... he fell hard too; he might be hurt. He needs to get out of dodge and fast. I could... pull flight records and check for any anomalies detected in the patterns."

"It's worth a shot," Steve shrugged. "Buck has always been scared of heights, but he hides it the best he can."

"Well, I don't think he took a boat out, but I could be wrong. I'll keep looking, Steve," she tried to assure him. "Can I ask... what are we gonna do if we find him?" she asked, dropping her head to the side as she looked at the handsome blue-eyed man. "Just walk up to him? I have a feeling the paranoia is pretty bad right about now."

"I... I would want to make some sort of contact... let him know that we're the good guys somehow." Steve sighed and picked at the cloth of the chair. "He has to be scared and looking over his shoulder constantly. I just want to help him."

"Do you think he remembers you? Fully?" she asked. She'd been there on the street when Steve had first recognized his long-lost best friend. At that time, the Soldier didn't know he'd been someone else. "He remembers enough to know he should save you. And if he remembers you... you're not exactly a hard guy to find." Captain America was everywhere.