Torn {Bucky Barnes FanFic}

Chapter 13

My heart plummeted and Tony's face paled. We looked at each other and I could tell we shared a mutual feeling of dread. Immediately, we rushed out of the training facility and up to the conference room. The rest of the team was there, seated around the large table. A tall man with graying black hair stood in front of the table, the room deadly silent. When we entered and closed the doors behind us, he turned and looked at us. I couldn't help  but notice that his mustache made him bear an uncanny resemblance to Tom Selleck.

"Mr. Stark, it's a pleasure to finally meet you," he said and stuck out his hand. "Andrew Reid."

I folded my arms as Tony shook it and Reid turned to me.

"I can't say I recognize you," he squinted at me and moved his hand over to me. "You're another team member?"

"Cara Stark," I said, but didn't shake his hand. I walked around him and dropped into the empty chair between Bucky and Steve.

Reid sighed and turned back to Tony. "Sister?"

Tony nodded.

"How...pleasant."

"Thank you," I called loudly.

Bucky snickered and covered his mouth with his hand. Steve gave both of us a disapproving look and Bucky's face fell. Tony glared at me as he sat across from Steve and I folded my arms angrily. I don't like the President's cabinet. The president himself is a lovely man, really, so is his entire family. But the cabinet, especially the secretaries of defense and homeland security, are massive pains in SHIELD's ass. They wanted to control everything we did, but we denied them that.

"I've come here today to discuss some...pressing issues."

"Discuss away, secretary," Tony sighed.

Reid picked up the remote for one of the screens and pressed a button. A video showing news coverage from over a week ago popped up. A tall woman with brown hair was speaking rapidly in German in front of what I recognized as Hotel Schön. My German isn't as good as it used to be, but I got the gist of her broadcast. She was telling the camera about an attack that occurred in the hotel earlier that day. 'Suspected terrorism,' she called it. He stopped the video and tossed the remote back onto the table.

"There have been dozens more of those reports all over Germany since that one. Am I correct in saying that this attack was carried out by your people?" He asked.

"I would hardly call it an attack, sir," Steve said respectfully. "Two of our members went into the hotel in order to retrieve another. Things escalated when a third party turned up and threatened the operation. Our agents did what they needed to do to protect everyone else in the restaurant and themselves. From what I understand, there was no collateral damage."

"None physically. But this has stirred up a media frenzy. And may I ask, who were those two agents?"

"Cara and buc- James," Steve responded. "They're very good at what they do, sir."

"I'm sure they are," he smiled patronizingly at us. "Well, let's cut to the chase. This little operation had been running with too little government supervision for too long. It's getting more and more difficult for us to cover for all of you, especially when we don't know who half of your agents are. Some call you superheroes," he paused, "others prefer vigilantes."