The cab's engine rumbled steadily as the city passed by in a blur of headlights and shadow. Rhiley sat in the back seat, arms folded across her chest, her gaze fixed out the window but not really seeing anything. Her mind was elsewhere—half on the words Tony had thrown at her.
Her phone buzzed in her jacket pocket.
Steve Rogers.
She sighed and answered. "Hey."
"Hey," Steve said. His voice was calm, but there was a thread of concern running through it. "You good?"
Rhiley hesitated. "Yeah. Why?"
"I don't know," he said, a little slower now. "You just went quiet. Thought I'd check in."
She chewed the inside of her cheek, watching traffic bleed past. "Just needed to get out for a bit. Clear my head."
"You sound tense."
She huffed a dry laugh. "That obvious?"
"Only a little." Steve's voice softened. "Did something happen?"
She didn't answer right away. Her jaw clenched as she leaned her head against the window, cold glass against her temple.
"I'm just dealing with Tony," she said finally.
A beat.
"Ah," Steve replied knowingly. "Want to talk about it?"
"Not yet," she murmured. "I'm on my way to find him now."
Steve paused. "Is he okay?"
"Physically? Yeah. Mentally?" She shook her head, even though he couldn't see. "Not so much."
"You need backup?"
Rhiley managed a small, tired smile. "I think I've got it. But thanks."
"Just say the word," he said. "I'll be there."
"I know."
She ended the call and let the phone fall into her lap.
Outside, the cab slowed at it's location.
She took a breath, squared her shoulders, and readied herself.
Time to go in.
-
-
-
Rhiley slipped into the place like she belonged there— the murmur of conversation masking her quiet steps. She didn't sit. Instead, she lingered in the shadows near the back, her sharp eyes already locked on him.
Tony Stark. At the bar. Next to Rhodes.
She'd followed him without thinking, instincts guiding her like they had in the field too many times to count. Now she just observed, arms folded, half-concealed behind a worn wooden beam. They hadn't noticed her.
On the TV above the bar, Joan Rivers was mid-monologue, tearing into the Iron Patriot branding like a well-polished blade.
"It tested well with focus groups, alright?" Rhodes muttered, nudging Tony.
"I am Iron Patriot," Tony mimicked with a dramatic flourish, voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Listen, War Machine was a little too aggressive, alright? This sends a better message."
Rhiley raised an eyebrow, unimpressed with the rebranding. Same war, new PR.
Tony leaned in closer, voice low and sharp. "So what's really going on? With the Mandarin. Seriously. Can we talk about this guy?"
YOU ARE READING
Radioactive | Bucky Barnes
Fanfiction"I want to go back to the time you first told me your name." Rhiley, the twin sister of Howard Stark, finds herself wrapped up with the one and only James Barnes. The next time she sees him is on her new assignment with the 107th Infantry Regiment...
