Everybody's got a past.
But Anna Lewis doesn't remember a thing about hers.
One moment she was at home with her husband and baby, the next one she found herself in a dark motel room with a metal-limbed man who tells her she's a lethal assassin. Tha...
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S I X M O N T H S A F T E R
I stare at Bucky while I chew on my cereals. He's just waken up, just half an our later than me. I watch him as he lazily makes his way to the kitchen isle and sits by my side. As I expected, he picks one piece of my cereal instead of getting a bowl for himself. He usually had no rush for eating in the morning, but he does pick small bites from my plate. I don't mind it because I had put a handful of extra cereal to leave for him.
"What's wrong?" He asks me, realising I haven't stopped looking at him since he stepped out of the bedroom.
"I miss your long hair." I answer and I grab the mug full of black coffee that will help me start the day. What I've said is true. Bucky has recently cut his hair and, don't get me wrong, he looks good but I was so used to his messy half-buns...
He scoffs and takes more of my cereal. Suddenly, our peaceful morning is interrupted by my phone ringing. It's an unknown number, but thanks to an A.I. system that Banner installed in our devices, it recognises the caller ID.
"Nick Fury is calling me." I say alarmed. Nick Fury never called. Something must have happened. "Why is Nick Fury calling me?"
"I don't know, just answer." Bucky says calmly, clearly still too tired to care. I stare at him as I start to suspect he might have something to do with this "What?"
"What have you done?" I accuse him.
His eyes widen and he gestures his hands at my phone. "Nothing! Just answer the damn phone before he comes here personally!"
"It went to voicemail." I say when the ringing stops. Bucky rolls his eyes and I try to justify my behaviour. "If it's important, he'll call back."
But just as I say that, the screen of the mobile lights up again. My heart skips a beat at the thought of being the Agent calling again.
"And who's that?" Asks Bucky while rubbing his face with both of his hands.
"Just Sammy." I sigh in relief when I see it. It's just a text.
Am I still coming over for dinner?
I'm a bit confused by it. We are supposed to meet tonight, and this is just out of context. I write my reply.
Yes. Why wouldn't you?
"We're seeing him tonight, remember." I warn my husband of six months, who lets out a frustrated groan. I've met with Sam a few times in the time that's passed since we all came back. Bucky, on the other hand, has tried with all his strength and energy to avoid talking to him. In fact, I was the only one he talks to these days. Apart from our therapist.
"Ugh..." He sulks. "I don't want to."
"You've worked together. You should try to get along." I tell him. "Also he's my friend and I'm your wife."
"Yes, sir." He replies.
"That's right."
But then I get a response from Sam.
Because of this https://youtu.be/M7R8dLLKL6g
I tap on the link and watch the video where it redirects me. My expression quickly changes as I listen to the angry reporter explaining the latest new. Now I understand why Sam has asked me if our plans were cancelled.
"Bucky!" I yell. He looks at me with no clue of what is going on. "Call Nick Fury!"
• • •
Our night is officially ruined. We've met Nick Fury and Maria Hill in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Manhattan quarters to get a better insight of what has gone down. When we arrive, both agents are following the news on their monitors, the reporter still talking about the topic of the video Sam has sent me.
"Now you have it, folks! Stark's successor, Cadmia, Jessica Lewis-Stark, was responsible for the brutal murder of Mysterio! An interdimensional warrior who gave his life to protect our planet and who, with no doubt, will go down in history as the greatest hero of all time! She helped to defeat him so that Spider-Man would be seen as victorious."
I know Bucky looks at me when they show the video of Jessica killing the man, but I'm too focused on the screen to look back at him.
"But that's not all folks!" The angry reporter isn't finished. "The dangerous mutant has gone M.I.A. since her criminal act. She's currently being persecuted by authorities all around the nation. And now you might wanna sit down for the real blockbuster." He pauses for a second to build suspense. "Spider-Man's real name is Peter Parker!"
"What the hell is all of this about?" Bucky says after Fury stops the recording.
"Most of it isn't true." Maria Hill explains. "The girl did kill Mysterio, but the guy deserved it. He was no hero, it was all a lie." She's looking at me, but I'm having trouble making eye contact with anybody. I've never been so worried for anyone. "However, she did runaway after what happened. I'm guessing she freaked out because it was her first time killing someone, which is only natural."
"Is there a way we can find where she is?" I ask her, talking for the first time since I've gotten there.
"Of course." It isn't Hill who answers me, but Fury. He approaches me, showing pictures of Stark's upstate house. I can see highjacked computers, broken devices and even a dent in a wall. "She's left behind any device that could track her down, but she's forgotten about the human factor." Fury points at his eyepatch. "I've got eyes everywhere."
"Well..." Bucky mutters under his breath.
"She's been spotted in the state border, going south." Hill says. "In a few hours, agent Johnson will establish contact with her."
"Won't she know he's an agent?" I ask, confused about it all. "And why don't you go yourselves?"
"Last conversation we had with her didn't go too well." Fury sighs. "And we can't bring her back, people here are furious. They hate her."
"Yeah, and they're not happy about Spider-Man either." Hill added. "We're preparing a strategy for the boy."
"As for the Stark girl... Let's just track her and let things simmer down."
That's all they say to us. I'm still shocked at everything. My daughter has killed a man and she's on the loose. I really do not know what to do. I've heard about her on the news over the past six months, but I never considered contacting her because I thought it would be too late for me now to enter her life. But now... It's the only thing I want to do.
"Honey..." Bucky rubs each side of my arms with his gloved hands. I don't realise I was trembling until he holds me still.
"What can I-?" I ask, rather rhetorically. I know there's nothing I can do at this moment.
"Nothing, doll." He hugs me. "This is out of our hands."
"What if she tries to hurt herself?" Is the first thing that comes to my mind, but Hill reassures me again.
"She's got agent Johnson for that."
After that, we go back to our Brooklyn apartment. I don't sleep that night and neither does Bucky. I spend the dark hours watching the news, hoping to hear something from her. I get nothing. The only thing I can do is wait to get a word from Fury and hope that Jessica will be okay.
