Radioactive | Bucky Barnes

THOR: CHAPTER ONE

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Thank you for reading this fic! This story is my heart and soul, and it's kept me sane for the past couple of years. So, if you're reading this, thank you from the bottom of my heart. 

Write for yourself, and people will come. 

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Now officially a part of S.H.I.E.L.D., Rhiley had settled into a routine that helped her bury the hallucinations of her dead twin brother and the nightmares she continues to have of a past she can't escape from. 

She'll do everything she can to keep that day in the nuclear reactor a secret. The only secret she ever kept from Howard Stark. 

The one she'll take to her deathbed. 

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Rhiley stared down at the scar beneath her breast, the handprint still visible on her skin. Above it, a fresh tattoo of her name sprawled across the center. It was the only thing she could claim as hers because, right now, she was neither a Stark nor a Jones. All she had was the name...

Rhiley.

"It feels spontaneous." Phil comments. 

Rhiley tucked her shirt back down, chuckling softly. "Spontaneous is my middle name." She settled into the passenger side. "So, where are we going?"

"It's confidential." 

"Can't you tell your best friend?" 

Phil side-eyes Rhiley with his dark sunglasses. Never taking his eyes off the road for more than a few seconds. "Here we are." He says, pulling Rhiley's focus on the dozen pick-up trucks surrounding a crater. 

While Phil rolls to a stop, Rhiley steps out. She ignores the hoots and whistles sent her way and looks down to see what all this is about. She squints her eyes and for a moment, she's a little pissed off. 

"Sir-" Phil had dialed someone up, "we've found it." 

"It's a hammer." Rhiley states, walking up to him, "What's the deal with the hammer?" 

Phil hangs up the phone. "We're about to find out." 

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Hours later, S.H.I.E.L.D. had set up a temporary camp around the hammer. Rhiley supervised the operation, throwing a few questions Phil's way while watching the camp come to life under the desert sky. As the stars began to shine, she joined Phil by the perimeter.

"This is a lot for a hammer," she remarked, her eyes still on the object in question.

Phil nodded. "It's more than just a hammer. Other things are in play."

"Let me guess... Confidential?"

"Scientific."

Rhiley shot him a sidelong glance. "And we've tried to pick it up?"

"Yes."

"Can I try?"

Phil looked at her before glancing back at the hammer. "I don't see any harm."

Rhiley grinned. "Bet me a hundred I can lift it."

She strode up to the hammer, noticing how it was embedded deep in the earth. It had fallen from a great height, judging by the size of the crater. As she studied it, she realized it wasn't just any hammer—it was something else entirely.

"What are you doing?" Phil's voice cut through her thoughts.

"Give me a minute!" she called back, crouching down to study the object more closely. Most had tried to move it using brute strength, but she had something more at her disposal.

Taking a deep breath, Rhiley stood and stepped back. She closed her eyes and raised her hand, focusing all her energy on the hammer. Her gifts had worked on machines before; surely, they'd work on this. She wasn't expecting what happened next.

Something snapped inside her.

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"Rhiley?" The voices were muffled, distant. She could feel the panic rising, but she couldn't move. "We need help! Medical—now!"

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48 hours later, Rhiley woke up with a sharp headache. She rubbed her temples, glancing at Phil, who stood beside her in the medical tent.

"Did it move?" she rasped, her voice hoarse.

Phil stared at her with a mixture of concern and frustration. "Your heart stopped. For five minutes."

Rhiley winced. "Yeah, it did feel like I was being electrocuted... from the inside out." She rubbed her chest, then raised her eyebrows. "So...?"

"No," Phil said firmly.

"Guess I don't have a hundred bucks to pay you," she said with a weak smile, pushing herself up from the cot. "Any progress while I was out?"

"We couldn't get your heart back for five minutes." Phil sighed, clearly still shaken. "You need rest."

"I need to do my job," Rhiley insisted, standing up. She stretched, then turned to face him. "Next time, I'll use my hands."

Phil didn't let up. "You're not going near that thing. Whatever happened to you, it affected you differently because of your gift."

"Or it just doesn't like me."

"It's a hammer."

Rhiley shot him a skeptical look. "A hammer that stopped my heart for five minutes."

"That doesn't give it emotions."

"You have emotions, though." She grinned. "Did I scare you?"

Phil didn't answer, his gaze still fixed on the hammer. "We're done here. I've got your next assignment."

Rhiley followed him as he gestured toward the S.H.I.E.L.D. operation. "Guard the hammer?"

"No, we've got people for that. You're going undercover."

Rhiley paused. "Undercover? Spy on what?"

"There's a town nearby," Phil said, leading her toward a simple truck. "I need you to blend in, act like a UFO enthusiast. Ask questions, get information, and report back. We need to know where this hammer came from."

Rhiley gave him a look of disbelief. "UFO enthusiast? You're kidding, right?"

Phil raised an eyebrow. "No. We need someone who won't raise suspicion. A UFO fanatic is just the thing."

"Are you sure this isn't a joke?"

"You'd be surprised what people believe." He tossed her the keys. "You've got everything you need in the back."

Rhiley caught the keys but then froze. "Phil... I don't know how to drive."

He stared at her for a beat. "Right. Well, you'll figure it out."

Rhiley sighed, turning toward the truck. "I'm really starting to hate that word."