Radioactive | Bucky Barnes

IRON MAN: CHAPTER FOUR

The trainees would have to live at the base for the next three months. Eat, sleep, and breathe training to be considered a part of the organization. The upside - Rhiley didn't have a place to call her own anyway. The downside was that they had to sleep on bunks, four to a room.

Rhiley had gotten the top bunk because she had been the first to arrive after ditching the rest of the day. Her eyes lingered on the ceiling a foot away from her. She listened to her heartbeat and felt her hands rise and fall as she laid them on top of her stomach.

She had changed clothes, she was muddy after all. Rhiley also was sore everywhere. There was also a feeling of doom that lingered over her in the pit of her throat. She swallowed but it stayed.

The door opens and Olivia peeks her head up, "There you are." She smiled, "We were worried." She anchored herself up. "First days can be rough, I'm honestly surprised I didn't trip at all during the course." When Rhiley doesn't speak, she continues, "Looks like we're gonna be roommates for the next few months." She frowned before pulling it up into a smile once more, "We're allowed to fail every once in and while, Rhiley. That's life. You just gotta pick yourself up afterward. That's how you win."

When Rhiley doesn't respond a third time, Olivia jumps down but doesn't leave without a few more words spoken, "I got Charlie to join us for dinner. You should come and eat with us. Only if you feel up to it. We'll be in the cafeteria." and as the door shuts once again, Rhiley places a hand over her eyes and lets out a long sigh.

She cursed under her breath.

-

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-

It was Friday and Phil and Rhiley were seated in the same booth; it hadn't been the first time he had taken her to this diner. "So, she snitched on me." Rhiley takes a sip of her second cup of coffee.

"It's not called snitching."

"She told you about me bailing." Rhiley looked at the Agent over the rip of her mug, "That's the definition of snitching."

"It's her job, Rhiley." Phil corrected, "I understand that this is gonna be a difficult transition."

"You understand?" Rhiley sets her mug down, "You understand being in a coma for 70 years and waking up in a world where you have nobody, you understand how that feels like?" She tightened her grip on the handle of her mug, "I'm pathetic."

"You're learning."

"I was a baby once," Rhiley retorted, "I'm not supposed to be a baby learning how to walk for the first time again. I've learned all these things before, I was an Agent before. I was a high-ranking Agent actually and now I'm starting over, like a pathetic person."

"You're putting too much pressure on yourself."

"I don't even understand why I'm here." She shakes her head, "I should have died that day but I didn't and now it's like this karma. I wasn't exactly a bad person, you know? Sure I wasn't a good person either. I did things I regret but I didn't do anything that would curse me this badly."

"You haven't told me much about your life beforehand." Phil comments, "Sure, by the blood test we now know you're a Stark but maybe talking about it-"

"I've already explained everything I knew about Steve, Phil."

Phil squints his eyes, "I'm talking about you."

Rhiley looked down at her half-eaten waffle, her stomach growling for more but her throat closed. "I was a badass."

"I bet you still are." Phil corrects. "I'm assuming you were close with your brother?"

Rhiley stayed silent, looking down at her coffee, debating on a third refill. However, being able to hear her heart pound loudly in her head made her think she had enough. "Yes." She finally admits, "We were close." She snorted, "He was my only friend until-" she stopped herself, "I wasn't the best at making friends."