The Ambassador's Daughter

Chapter 31

After an hour or so of hacking his way through the jungle as quietly as possible, Bucky finally found the warehouse the man on the phone had described. Bucky pulled a pair of field binoculars out of a pocket on his vest and laid down on his stomach. He crawled towards the edge of the hill he was on and surveyed his target. The building was obviously disused, several windows were broken and there was no movement. He looked through his binoculars trying to find an entrance. As he scanned the façade, Bucky noticed a small square of light towards the rear of the building. "Of course," Bucky muttered. The window was too high for him to see anything inside the building, but he could tell that he wasn't going to get in the back easily. It was either going to take a lot of work, or he was going to have to go through the front. Bucky cursed. Neither was particularly appealing. He unclipped a walkie-talkie from his belt. "Guys, I see a light at the back of the building. I'm going to try and find a mid-way entrance, in case the light's a lure."

"Roger that," Steve's voice crackled over the walkie-talkie. "Be careful, Buck."

"I'm leaving my talkie here. It's a decent vantage point."

"Don't leave your talkie!" Steve cried, "Keep it with you, just in case."

"No, I'm leaving it here and then you guys can use it when you come in to cover me."

"What will your signal be?" T'Challa's voice came on.

"I don't know." Bucky admitted, "But you won't miss it." He could almost see Steve and T'Challa exchanging confused/concerned glances. He dropped his walkie-talkie and returned his binoculars to his pocket and began to climb his way down.

Several minutes later he'd reached the warehouse and was skirting along the edge of it trying to find a discreet, ground level entrance. He eventually found a broken window, a little closet to the front of the building than he'd have liked, but it was a way in. Slinging his riffle over his shoulder, Bucky hoisted himself up to peer into the building. The corridor was only lit by the sun, so it was dim. A prickle of warning raised the hair on the back of Bucky's neck. Dropping back to the ground, Bucky took a few deep breaths to settle himself and help him focus. "Nothing for it." He whispered, reaching up and gripping the window frame again. He hauled himself up and slipped through the window, landing silently on the balls of his feet. He quickly pulled his rifle out and crept down the hall towards the back of the building.

He finally found the entrance to the back. It had obviously been a shipping bay. Two or three large metal doors were the backdrop. The room was huge and open, lined with a metal catwalk alone the three sides unoccupied by doors. Three long rows of industrial lights hung from the ceiling, the middle row lit the room. In the center Louise lay in a huddled heap, her eyes closed. Bucky threw caution to the wind and dropped his rifle to his side. He ran quickly to her side and dropped to his knees. She had been bound tightly at the ankles and knees. Her hands were bound at the wrist and a loop of rope tied her hands her knees. Another rope and been tied around her torso, pinning her arms to her sides. A white scarf had been tied around her mouth as a gag. Bucky ground his teeth at the sight of her. Her face was covered in scratches and blood, her hair was matted with blood and a semi-congealed trickle of it glistened on the side of her face. Her left wrist was swollen and bruised, it lay at an awkward angle to her right wrist.

Bucky dropped his gun and gently took her in his arms, pulling the gag away. Anger and pain wrestled for the dominant emotion in his eyes. He ran his fingers over the wound in her hair, his fingers came away sticky with blood. Louise flinched away from him, groaning. She squeezed her eyes closed tighter for a moment, then they fluttered open. "Bucky?" She asked. Her voice was soft and filled with pain, but her face lit up at the sight of him.