December, 18th 2025
"So, nothing then." Sam drawled, ticking Bucky's nerves even more than they already were.
He rolled his eyes, "It's harder than it looks."
Shuri sighed. "Sam is right. It's been over three months and the lead is quiet."
"Relax, I'm heading out to Romania in a few days to do another search." Bucky reminded them.
"I thought you already went out there?" Sam asked, "Isn't this like your third time?"
"It will only be the second actually searching the facility." Bucky pinched the bridge of his nose, getting more annoyed that he couldn't find anything on who tried to get Kate out.
"They wouldn't just stop. They tried to get her for a reason. She's too valuable."
"They're waiting then. For Kate to get back on the map." Shuri said evenly.
"Or maybe Bucky just isn't doing his job." Sam mocked.
"Sam, if another word comes out of your mouth-"
"Because at this point you're just playing with her."
Bucky huffed, "you bet as much as I did. You're the one that gave her the idea to get into a fight."
"Are you serious?" Shuri scoffed, half laughing. "You can't fight her."
"Hey," Sam defended. "She says she's a soldier. She should be allowed to prove it right? As long as you don't hurt her too much."
Bucky frowned, "I don't plan on hurting her. It's more for her to move on. To help her."
"What part of 'hey let's beat the girl held prisoner for a couple decades' sounds like a good idea?"
Sam shot Shuri a look, "what do you mean? We're only supporting her decisions, imploring her to move on, learn, and grow."
"That's NOT how to do it." Shuri seethed, once again disturbed by how stupid the these two men were when they were together.
"Shuri," Bucky said calmly, drawing her near murderous gaze away from Sam. She looked at him evenly. "If Kate was trained as a soldier, her natural instinct is to fight. She'll either fight against us, or we allow her to fight under our protection. None of us know how to help her, but we have to trust her when she asks to fight."
"I'm not against it," Shuri reminded him, "but you forget that she served in Hydra for a few decades, and we have no idea how powerful or valuable she is."
"I don't see her as a threat," Bucky replied, "you did the same for me. Took me in and helped me."
"But you were a threat, you were wanted in almost every single country."
"And then I wasn't." Bucky said. "I had Steve-"
"And who does she have?" Shuri's eyebrows went up mockingly. "You?"
Bucky looked away and didn't speak for a minute. "She doesn't have anyone. Not that we know of." He looked at Sam, noticing the bitter expression on his face. "If we don't trust her, she has no reason to turn away from what she was in Hydra. We're all she has."
*****
"You ready?" Bucky asked, smiling, looking Kate over. She stood stiffly, her eyes lingering on him just a moment too long, but nothing out of the usual.
She nodded, glancing at Sam who stood behind Bucky. "Coming for bets?"
Sam laughed, glancing past her before shrugging. "Absolutely. Sorry but my money's on him."
YOU ARE READING
Eclipse - Book 1 (Born at Dusk)
Fanfiction"We're not who you think we are. We're helping you." "I don't care." She turned the gun from Shuri and pressed the barrel beneath her chin and fired. To her, he was a ghost; to him, she was a stranger. There were no more super soldiers. It was a we...
