CHASING GHOSTS | BUCKY BARNES

12

A/N: Trigger Warning, mild panic attack. I tried not to be too detailed, but I really want to make sure everyone knows before they read.

Also:

1) This chapter is dedicated to the lovely apex-aporia and their story, Clarity. It's got a wonderful protagonist in Vanessa Liang, and her powers are beautifully written. So this one's for you, Rainy, because I know how much you like backstories :)

2) Though Infinity War is out, this story was written and set before it, so whatever happens in IW won't be mentioned. So don't be a prick and post spoilers. #ThanosDemandsYourSilence
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"I've never met a strong person with an easy past."

NADINE

Police arrived at the scene after the group got away. They searched through anything that so far linked them to being there, but nothing had surfaced yet. However, judging by how most news articles were along the lines of "Businessman François Gauthier murdered at sham art gala", it's clear that the police were tipped off about what'd went on behind the scenes. François's reputation was in shambles, his businesses about to be run aground, and now that he was dead, he couldn't do anything about it.

The universe worked in mysterious ways.

The next day, Taj picked them up in the plane. With Kaia's connections at the airport, he managed to land on a secluded spot, and they snuck through airport security and onto the plane. It was all part of an act where one of them- Kaia, obviously -was an important figure on their way to their private jet. The minute the plane's in the air, the first thing Taj did was throw a pillow at Emilia. "Hey!" she snapped, giving him a fierce glare. "What the hell was that for?!"

"That's for not inviting me on this mission," he retorted, catching the pillow when she threw it back. "I always get left behind on the cool ones."

"There was no time to pick you up, did you want Kaia to die?!"

"Um, excuse me, but I would very much not like to die." Kaia said, her eyes focused on Bucky's knight. They were seated across from each other, a chessboard placed between them on a small table. She'd asked if he knew what it was (to his annoyance), and when he replied with a snippy "yes", she went on and on about how it helped stimulate the brain until he finally gave in. They were now stuck in a very intense game, which, come to think of it, was a bad idea. When she moved her rook, Kaia smirked at him, crossing her arms in too early triumph. "Your move, Soldat."

Nadine chuckled when Bucky glared at her. Kaia tended to be competitive, and he seemed to be the same, so this could probably end with one of them throwing the chessboard across the plane. She stood from her seat, giving Bucky a soft squeeze on the shoulder as she passed by to go the bathroom. When she looked in the mirror, she wasn't surprised at seeing how tired she looked. She hadn't slept at all, too busy searching through security cameras and files to see if she could figure out who took the sphere. Her suspicions were leaning towards the Triad, seeing as she'd been fighting three of their members when they overwhelmed her and she had to make a break for it, without the sphere. However, it could've been anyone at the end of the night. It really aggravated her to know that anyone could have it, and the possibilities of what they could do with it worried her. Sighing, she splashed some cold water on her face, not caring if her bangs got wet, in an attempt to wake herself up.

"How did you all meet?" Her hand stopped at the doorknob as she heard Bucky's question. "You're all so different, so I'm curious."

"Well, Dante and I were born into the same family..." Emilia responded, her tone sarcastic.