Buzzkill [Winter Soldier]

Chapter 40

Arriving at the airport meant passing through some winding roads and back streets. James kept to the speed limit so they wouldn't attract attention, and made his way steadily up the long driveway to the airport. Ruth looked around at the secluded setting where she could see multiple pole buildings scattered around the manicured acreage surrounded by pine trees. Looking down the runways in the middle of the open field, Ruth thought they were large enough for three or four planes to go at a time. There were only two small charter planes that she saw parked outside the hangars. Ruth wondered if there were even any people there at the airport who would be able to help them at this time of the morning.

    James parked the motorcycle in front of the first, and largest, building next to two other parked SUV's. Both Ruth and James wore gloves on their hands to prevent fingerprints, leaving minimal evidence on the bike. After James took off his helmet,  he inspected the inside thoroughly, making sure none of his hair was transferred, then set it down on the bike. Ruth attached her helmet to her bag, straightened out her jacket, and followed James inside the hangar.

Stepping through the entry door, Ruth was immediately in awe of the building and everything in it. The interior was sleek. The concrete floors looked as if they had been polished daily, the two charter planes at the far end looked pristine. The one man that stuck out from the couple of mechanics walking around wore an expensive tailored suit as if it were casual. The man saw Ruth and James walk in right away and waved to James happily, a perfect smile on his face.

    "Well, if it isn't the Winter Soldier!" The business man shouted as he walked across the hangar to greet James. "How are you?"

    Ruth immediately smelled the man's expensive cologne. She quickly examined him, making mental notes: Tall, over six foot, greying hair, wealthy, clearly takes routine care of himself, doesn't smoke.

    James stood tall, "Doing just fine, Captain. I need a plane."   

    "Sure thing," the Captain replied. Ruth was surprised by the quick answer. "Where to?"

    "Bulgaria," James replied.

    "Yeah yeah, that should be fine. Anything else?"

    "We hot-wired a motorcycle from an Italian Bistro in DC. If someone could get it back to the owners, it would save me some trouble."

    "Yeah yeah, it's all good," His voice was enthusiastic. The Captain looked at Ruth and glanced up and down, then back at James. "And the Winter Soldier has a companion? I thought you usually worked alone."

    "Different circumstances this time," James replied.

    The Captain extended out his hand to shake Ruth's, "I'm not sure if I recognize you, I do know most people within the intelligence community."

    If Ruth met someone that didn't know her real name, she wasn't going to use it. "You probably wouldn't recognize me by my appearances, Captain. I'm Buzzkill."

    The Captain's smile nervously faded a bit, he paused before speaking up. "Ah... the assassin from Europe. You have a different accent than I would expect."

    "I was raised by an American, picked up the accent."

    "Right right. That is a funny name, isn't it? Buzzkill? The people who made that up for you must've had a big ego to get that pissed off about you stealing their thunder. Funny funny..." The Captain's voice trailed off as he thought about saying too much.

    Ruth still didn't know what to think about him, her expression was unamused.

    The Captain clapped his hands together, "Well, let's get you that plane, shall we?" He pivoted on his heel and walked towards the first plane on the other end of the hangar.

    James glanced down at Ruth as they walked, getting a read on what she thought of the guy. Ruth just studied all around her, then the plane as they got closer.

    Once they reached the plane, the Captain turned around and smiled wide, "Here we are! A thing of beauty, isn't it? This will get you over to Bulgaria in one trip. I can have the boys get this ready for you in forty-five minutes, does that sound alright?"

    "Sounds great," James answered.

    "Good good. Feel free to take a look inside, set your things down, whatever," The Captain continued, then began to walk away. "Pleasure to meet you, Buzzkill. Look forward to seeing you again, that is, if you're not trying to kill me at that time," The Captain laughed and walked out of the building.

    Ruth found everything to be odd. The guy wasn't crazy, and his laugh wasn't eerie or haunting like Dr. Mage's. He seemed normal, but oddly ok with the prospect of being killed by one of the many assassins he must work with.

    James and Ruth walked up the stairs and into the plane. It was very luxurious inside, with four leather seats on either side of the passenger's cabin with tables in between them, a service bar behind the cockpit, and a bedroom and bathroom in the rear. James went into the cockpit and inspected everything.

    He looked over at Ruth, "You can set your bag down if you want, the mechanics won't come in here. And there are cabinets with locks on them if you need it."

    "No, I'm good," Ruth replied. From now on she was going to keep her helmet containing the USB in her sight as much as possible.

    Forty-five minutes later, they were clear for take off. Even though Ruth had never flown a plane, the on-ground training she received in Sweden could possibly help if James needed it. The autopilot flew them most of the way, and James landed the plane at the Captain's shared remote airport in Bulgaria. From there, they took a car and were quickly out of the airport within twenty minutes.

    The eight hour ride to Bucharest, Romania didn't seem long. Ruth was pretty sure she must have nodded off quite a few times while James was driving.

After dropping off the beat up four-door at a carpark in the city, Ruth and James walked along the streets of Bucharest until they spotted one of the three apartments James had in mind for them. The first one they came across was a pale, tall, and sturdy building only blocks from downtown. Though they were in the city, Ruth felt safe; she was on the side of the ocean she was comfortable with.

They got the apartment within a couple hours of being there after showing some ID and money. After they were given the key, they traveled up the building's east stairwell all the way to the top floor.

    "All these stairs are going to get old very quickly," Ruth commented after the eighth set of stairs.

    When they entered the apartment, the smell of must and old wood immediately hit Ruth's nose. There was no furniture in the studio apartment besides the dated appliances and the battered two-person cloth couch that sat against the kitchen island. Multiple windows were along each wall with no blinds to cover them. Making her way to the kitchen, Ruth examined the walls and ceilings, seeing small rips in the wallpaper on each wall. The kitchen was quaint, but had everything they needed if they wanted to cook anything. Some of the cabinets were squeaky and some of the tiles on the wall behind the sink were chipped, but Ruth didn't mind. It was safe. Even if she wasn't going to stay here much longer, James would. And it would be a place where he could live and hopefully regain his memories.

It hurt Ruth to think about leaving, and being alone, but it was best for James. He needed to, no, he wanted to be by himself. He wanted to be by himself and figure out who he was as a person and he certainly didn't need her hanging around him and burdening him with her own nightmares...Right?