~Lost And Found~ Bucky Barnes

RACE AGAINST TIME

Clint grinned as he turned the car down the busy Manhattan street. "I’m sure they’re gonna need us to find Bucky" he said confidently, his fingers tapping on the steering wheel.
"I am 100% certain. We are very essential for the group" Thor said as they shared a quick fist bump as Clint parked the car outside the Avengers Tower.

Tony and Banner were already by the jet, carefully holding the capsule inside. Inside the transparent capsule, Emma’s unconscious form was still.
"Is that Emma in there?" Thor asked, squinting his eyes as he tried to get a better look.

"Sure is. Bucky would lose his mind if he saw her like this......just lying there" Clint muttered with a slight frown. The two of them hopped out of the car, grabbing their weapons from the trunk.
They approached Tony and Bruce, who were covered in sweat from lifting the heavy capsule. "How’s it going?" Clint asked, patting Bruce on the shoulder.

"Could be better" Bruce replied, wiping his forehead and adjusting his glasses. "We need to get her to Wakanda quickly. Shuri’s set up a facility where we can monitor her properly."
"Fury’s losing his patience" Clint added, smirking. "We keep leaving him in the dark."
Tony nodded. "Good. Let’s keep it that way. We’re doing this off the books."
"Ah, humans and their obsession with secrecy" Thor said thoughtfully, shaking his head. "Like children hiding sweets"
"Enough philosophizing, Shakespeare" Tony grumbled. "Just get in. The sooner we leave, the better."

Thor and Clint exchanged a glance before walking up into the jet and finding their seats. As the engines roared to life, Tony settled into the pilot’s chair, his gaze lingering on the capsule.
"Hold tight, everyone" he murmured, his voice laced with determination.

Meanwhile, Steve and Natasha moved cautiously through the dimly lit corridors of the abandoned Hydra building. Natasha glanced around a corner, her movements smooth and stealthy. "Anything?" she whispered, her voice barely audible over the soft hum of distant generators. "Nothing useful" Steve muttered back, his brows furrowed as he examined the files in his hand. "But look at this" He handed Natasha a document detailing experimental procedures and device schematics. Her eyes narrowed as she read through the details.
"This could tie back to Emma" she murmured, flipping through page after page. "But there’s no direct link. Just a lot of mentions of ‘the subject’ and some encrypted data we can’t access."

Steve’s grip tightened on his shield. "We’re missing something… a piece of the puzzle" They continued searching for another hour, searching through old files and scanning each room, but Bucky was nowhere to be found.
"Damn it" Steve muttered under his breath, slamming the last drawer shut. He turned to Natasha, frustration plastered into his face. "If Hydra’s got him, we’re running out of time."

Natasha placed a hand on his arm, her expression calm and composed. "We’ll find him, Steve. We always do" The words were meant to reassure, but Steve’s jaw was still clenched tightly. "Let’s go. I need to regroup and figure out our next move" Natasha nodded silently, following him out of the base...but Steve didn't know that she had stolen some files and burnt the evidence or trace left behind.

Steve walked to the door of his apartment, every muscle tense. The door had been left open, just slightly......but enough to raise suspicion. Natasha silently pulled out her gun, her eyes sharp and alert.
Steve stepped inside first, his shield ready. The lights were off, and as they walked further into the apartment, soft clinking noises coming from the kitchen.
Steve motioned for Natasha to stay back and moved towards the sound. He froze as he reached the doorway, his shoulders relaxing ever so slightly.
Bucky sat at the kitchen table, a half-empty bottle of whiskey in front of him. He looked up slowly.
"Well, hey there, Stevie" Bucky slurred, raising his glass in a mock salute. "Fancy seeing you here"

Natasha relaxed slightly, putting her gun away, stepping up beside Steve. "We’ve been looking for you" she said.
"Yeah, well, I wasn’t exactly in a rush to be found"  Bucky’s gaze drifted over to the bottle as he poured another shot. He looked worn out....like a man who had been running for far too long.

Steve stepped forward, his voice quiet but firm. "Why didn’t you come directly to me? We could’ve worked through this" Bucky’s laugh seemed sarcastic. "Worked through it? Steve, I’ve been trying to ‘work through it’ for decades."

Natasha exchanged a glance with Steve, and he nodded slightly before stepping closer. "Emma…she’s in a critical situation” he stated  "I thought... It was a minor injury....But I..."  Bucky said in fear and shock
"It’s more than that" Steve interrupted softly. "What Hydra did to her… they put something inside her head, Buck. It’s hurting her, and we’re running out of time to fix it"
The silence that followed was thick, Bucky’s face was filled with guilt and disbelief. He stared down at the table, his hands trembling slightly as he processed the information. The weight of guilt and regret pressing down on him. "Where is she?" "Wakanda" Natasha said quietly. "Tony’s with her. He’s making sure she’s okay"

There was a long silence as Bucky processed that, his expression conflicted. Then he pushed his glass away and stood, stumbling slightly but managing to steady himself.
"I need to see her" he said, his voice firm.
Steve placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder, squeezing gently. "We’ll get you there. But first, you need to get yourself together"
Natasha nodded in agreement. "Sober up, Barnes. We don’t need you passing out halfway to Wakanda."

Bucky’s gaze hardened with determination. "I won’t. Just… let’s go"
Steve glanced at Natasha, who shrugged slightly. "Guess we’re going to Wakanda" she muttered.
"We're flying the jet then" Steve said a small smile
Natasha raised an eyebrow. "I’m not flying that. You’re both terrible passengers" Bucky’s lips formed into a tired smile. "I’ll try not to complain"
"Good luck with that" Steve murmured, grabbing his jacket. "Because we’ve got a lot to talk about."