Black Star: HYDRA War

丅𝔀𝓔︎𝓷𝐓︎ⓨ︎-Ŧ๏υя︎

YOU quietly hum along to "Out Of The Woods" as you try — and fail — to still your shaking leg. You made sure to tell Steve and Bucky the truth before leaving, so at least they'll know Bucky's name should be cleared — though whether Ross will actually follow through is up for debate. So far there's been no response from him.

    You lay back on the bench, tossing your mask up into the air and catching it again. Across the aisle, Steve and Bucky are talking quietly. Tony is in the driver's seat, though there's no real reason for him to be there, because the Quinjet is on autopilot as he frantically types something on his phone. At some point, Steve stands up and goes over to him. Bucky stays seated, so you decide to join him.

    "Hey," you say brightly.

    "Hey," he replies, looking only a little wary.

    "So, you don't know anything about pop culture from the last 70 years, right?"

    "No...?" He frowns, confused. "Why are you asking?"

    "Because I taught Steve all about pop culture, and now it's your turn."

    "You don't have to–"

    "I know, but I want to. Here."

    You extend one of your earbuds to Bucky, who slowly takes it, as if worried it might be dangerous. You motion to your own earbud, which is in your right ear. He tries to put the other one in his right ear before you stop him and move his hand next to his left ear. Once he's finally put it in, you show him your Spotify, which is open to 1989.

    "We'll start with one of my favorite things: Taylor Swift. She's a singer. This is her most recent album. It came out last year, and it's her first fully pop album. Before that, she did mainly country, with a few pop songs."

    You go into Pinterest to show him a picture of Taylor, then go back into Spotify to walk him through her previous albums.

    "We'll start with Taylor Swift, since that's her debut."

    You press play, and "Tim McGraw" immediately fills your ear. He initially seems a little off-put by a country song being sung by a teenage girl, but at least he's willing to go with it. When you reach "Cold As You", you explain the importance of the Track 5s. Just as the song ends, Steve rejoins you.

    "What are you up to?"

    "I'm introducing Bucky to modern pop culture."

    "You're starting with Taylor Swift, aren't you?"

    You grin. "Obviously."

    Snow has been falling more and more steadily outside, so by the time you've finished "Should've Said No", it's so heavy you can barely see out the windows.

    "I'm gonna take a wild guess and say we're here?"

    "Not yet," Tony replies.

    There's a gentle thump as the Quinjet lands.

    "Now we are."

    You roll your eyes. You pause the music and take out your earbud. Bucky gives the other one back to you, and you set your phone on the seat next to you, the earbuds cord coiling on top of it like a little white snake.

★★★★★★

When you first stepped into the freezing snow, the only building for miles around was a tiny bunker. You had a hard time imagining there was enough space in there for one cryo tube, let alone the eight Winter Soldiers Bucky has been describing. Turns out, that's because the bunker wasn't designed to hold any cryo tubes, just an elevator. It carried you deep underground, into the long, circular corridor you're now in. You haven't seen any other people yet, but it seems like that's about to change.