"Before we go, there's probably something you should know."
Jayden paused, her legs dangling from the side of the bed as she looked at Steve with pinched brows that bordered irritation. She's been stuck in bed for a week, and it was now, when Doctor Robito finally gave her the all-clear to go home, he thought it would be a good time to tell her something important.
With a huff, she fell back to the pillows. "What is it?"
Steve turned to Tony, who only halfheartedly shrugged. "You do the honours."
Taking a seat, he took her hand with a squeeze. She blinked; whatever it was, it was important, important.
"We were going to tell you after the party, but... well, Ultron happened, and we had to postpone," he began. "It's Terries."
She straightened up. "What about him?"
"He's been asking for you," he grimaced. "And he is as stubborn as a mule. He refuses to speak anything of importance unless-"
"He talks to me," Jayden finished with a sinking stomach.
Steve confirmed it with a nod. "He's very insistent, going as far as promising he'll disclose locations of the Superior's facilities if we comply."
"His demands are delusion," Tony scoffed. "He doesn't just want to speak to you, Smalls... he wants to do so alone, with no cameras or supervision of the sort."
"Do you have any idea what about?" Theo questioned, sitting upright by her legs.
"He wouldn't say," Steve said. "Just that it's between you and him."
Her free hand clasped the bedsheets, the soft cotton weaved between her fingers.
"Well, whatever it is, it's not gonna happen," Tony leaned against the far wall with his arms crossed. "He's not seeing you, tough."
"I have to agree," Steve asserted. "Even shackled, Terries is dangerous. He has a sort of air to him. It worries me what he has planned."
"It's just a charade," she shook her head, thoughts going wild. "He has nothing. He's just a puppet. He only does as his master commands."
"You think the Superior came into contact with him?" Tony caught on, cocking his head.
"Jayden, he's in maximum security," Steve refuted. "Everything he does is closely monitored, all day, every day. If the Superior came anywhere near him, we would know."
But not in dreams. It wasn't unfeasible; if he could talk to her through them, he could most certainly talk to others. Even as the physical body is confined in prison, the mind remains free.
"We don't know his methods," she said instead. The whole Dream Walking conversation was for another day, one she wasn't ready for yet. "We know nothing about him, not even what he looks like. He could be disguised as anyone: a guard, a janitor, a cook. It's not crazy to think he could've pulled some strings."
The thought curled in her stomach. If Ultron was right, he could be anyone.
Steve sighed, his thumb tapping the back of her hand for a long second. "He'll slip up."
YOU ARE READING
Unforeseen¹
FanfictionJYD2641 had enough. In her seven years, she's only ever known the cruel hands of her doctors, who were determined to make her the next Winter Soldier. All she'd ever known was death, pain, and fear. Instead of a parent's loving embrace, she had the...
