Radioactive | Bucky Barnes

IRON MAN: CHAPTER FOURTEEN

"So, you thought starting over meant working for your nephew?"

Rhiley raised an eyebrow, glancing up at Agent Coulson as he stepped into her room. "Are you here to interrogate me?"

Coulson frowned, his hands clasped in front of him. "I came to check on you."

"How are the recruits?" Rhiley asked, her gaze drifting toward the ceiling.

"They're good," Coulson replied, an awkward silence hanging in the air. "How about you?"

"Peachy," she muttered.

"Rhiley."

"Why are you here, Coulson?" Rhiley snapped, her irritation palpable. "S.H.I.E.L.D. is in the past, and I thought I was in the past with them."

"We've always had an eye on you—"

"Until I got abducted?" Rhiley interrupted, her brow raised. Coulson nodded reluctantly, but she wasn't finished. "Why?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. still believes it's best for everyone involved if you're kept under surveillance."

Rhiley chuckled bitterly. "So, it's just a fancy way of saying S.H.I.E.L.D. stalks me."

"We need your help, Rhiley."

Rhiley crossed her arms, clearly irked. "I was useless to S.H.I.E.L.D. before. Why do you need me now? Don't you have skilled agents to use?"

"You have access that we can't get."

Rhiley narrowed her eyes. "And I suppose Tony Stark is involved in this?"

Coulson hesitated. "He's been dodging my calls."

"Of course he is," Rhiley laughed darkly. "The man doesn't like authority or government agencies, and he certainly doesn't like listening to anyone."

"But he trusted you enough to hire you after meeting you just once."

Rhiley stared at Coulson, the weight of his words sinking in. "So, you have been stalking me, haven't you?" She shook her head, looking away. "I don't want anything to do with S.H.I.E.L.D. So whatever you need from me about Tony, you can screw off."

Coulson pulled a card from his jacket, placing it gently next to the whiskey bottle on the table. "Well, if you change your mind." He didn't wait for a response before turning to leave.

Rhiley stared at the card, crumpled it up, and tossed it onto the table next to Tony's note. She was done—tired of being chewed up and spit out, over and over again.

-

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-

Rhiley had no idea why S.H.I.E.L.D. was suddenly so interested in Tony Stark. It was after his conference—the one where he announced Stark Industries was quitting the weapons business—that things had started to change. The next thing she knew, eviction notices were piling up in her mailbox. She ignored them, hoping they'd somehow disappear. She applied for jobs but nothing felt right.

And then there was the whole "Damsel in distress" label she'd earned for being the woman Tony Stark had saved. At least they hadn't released any pictures.

The day came when the eviction notice was posted on her door, and she could no longer pretend it wasn't happening. There was nothing left to salvage anyway, so she grabbed what little she had and left, tearing up the notice as she walked out.

She had left her cat with the little old lady next door. It seemed they had more of a bond then Rhiley ever had with the fury creature. 

She didn't know what was worse—wandering the streets with just a single bag, still recovering from her captivity, or waking up after a seventy-year coma. It could honestly go either way. Rhiley was just tired of life constantly stacking the odds against her.