Tangled Paths | Bucky Barnes

Chapter 22: Getaway Car

22
Getaway Car.

Bucharest, Romania June 23rd, 2016

Bucky approached a stand-alone outdoor street market in his usual attire, a Black ball cap to hold his hair back. T-shirt, red overshirt, black leather jacket, gloves, black jeans. He carried a reusable shopping bag with other fruits he'd already purchased further down. He approached a woman and asked her about the plums. He'd learned to speak Romanian fairly easily since it was similar to Russian. If anything he enjoyed it more. It was more elegant than Russian, It didn't sound as angry. In his opinion, it almost sounded like Italian if you pronounced the words right.

Bucky purchased a few plums and nestled them safely in the bag with the rest of his fruit. Satisfied that what he bought would tide him over for a few days he thanked the woman and gave her a small smile then left the market and started back toward his apartment. A man behind the counter of a newsstand across the road stared at him. Bucky stared back in confusion. The man looked down at the paper then back at Bucky and swallowed dryly. Bucky tilted his head to the side slightly then looked both ways to make sure there was no traffic and headed across the street toward him.

When Bucky began to approach the man at the stand widened his eyes and then ran off. Bucky furrowed his brows as he watched him run away thinking that the entire ordeal was odd. He grabbed the paper and picked it up. His eyes widened as he read the headline. 'Winter Soldier Cätut Pentru Bombardamentul Din Viena'

"What the hell?" He asked out loud quietly. He took the paper and looked around to see if anyone else was paying attention to him. Satisfied he wasn't being watched he tossed up the brown hood of his black jacket and headed back to his apartment. He only had a minute to catch his breath when he heard someone trying the door. Quickly he hid himself.

"Buck? You here?" He heard ring through his ears. It was Steve. He closed his eyes. He wasn't sure if Steve would believe him if he told him he didn't do it. He listened to Steve walk around the apartment and look at things.

Darla was on the 30th-floor balcony of an abandoned apartment two buildings over from the one Bucky was in watching through her binoculars to see if she could get any visual on the pair. She turned her view to Sam who was on the roof of the same building Bucky and Steve were in. Both Sam and Steve were now suited up and Darla was in the same outfit she was wearing. Sam gave Darla a small two-finger wave and Darla did the same as she went back to watching the ground and noticed a local police car circling the building slowly.

"Sam, Steve I think we've got company," Darla said to them through coms. Sam released Redwing and flew him down to get a closer look. Several vehicles were approaching.

"Yeah she's right, heads up Cap we've got German special forces approaching from the south," Sam said through coms. Darla took a deep shaky breath.
"Understood." Rang through her ears.

Steve stood in front of the fridge and looked through a book that he'd found on top of it. He'd realized it was Bucky's journal. He sensed he wasn't alone and paused his breathing for a moment and heard a floorboard creek behind him. He put the book down and turned around slowly to see Bucky standing across the room by his bed.

"Bucky... do you know who I am?" Steve asked, he wanted to rule out HYDRA involvement as quickly as he could.
"Yea I know who you are Steve. You've been my best friend since kindergarten... I didn't do it." Bucky said. Steve took a deep breath wanting to believe him.
"Tell me something you couldn't read in a history book or museum." He said to Bucky wanting to make absolutely sure he wasn't lying. Bucky looked him in the eye.

"They've set the perimeter, Steve you two need to get the hell out of there," Darla warned him. The room was so silent that Bucky could hear Darla's voice through his earpiece. His eyes widened.
"She's here?" Bucky asked Steve. "You dragged her into this?" He asked in frustration Steve took this as enough confirmation. The fear in his eyes was enough.
"I didn't drag her into anything, she chose to do this." Steve reasoned.