ALWAYS || Sequel to BUCKY ✔️

thirty four

chapter thirty four
a mission

"You signed the accords!"

"I know I did, but this is life and death. I've reached out to every single person I know in DC and no one is taking this seriously."

Everyone in the room had grown silent as an argument broke out between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark. Nobody dared get between them, or take sides. The last time that that happened, there was a civil war.

This was the first time since then that everyone was together. With the exception of T'challa, everyone sat around one of the very large conference tables in the main room.

"So after all this time you've decided that the Accords were a bad idea?"

"Yes, Steve. I made a bad call. We shouldn't have signed the accords. And I'll be the first to apologize for what happened in Germany."

The tension in the room immediately vanished as Tony took the first step towards a reconciliation. And Steve Rogers wasn't far belong. At Tony's words, the former captains anger disappeared. "I'm sorry too."

The two old friends shared a hug, and it was as if the entire room sighed.

"Fucking finally. I thought I would have to be thrown out of a building again." Ray interrupted the silence.

The room laughed, though Bruce grew confused, and the conversation continued to revolve around the mission that they would soon find themselves in.

Wanda had been able to successfully go into Thea's mind and dig through it until she was able to uncover a majority of HYDRA's plan. It had taken hours but finally, the team had something to work with.

"Okay..." Natasha ran her hand over her tired eyes. It was still hard for her to believe that that morning she woke in a bed on a ranch, and now she was with her old friends again. "So we're going to get to DC. and then what?"

"If what Wanda knows is correct, they'll be in the Capitol Building. There's levels below that aren't very well known to the public. I would occasionally visit before SHEILD was dismantled." Steve explained from his seat at the table.

"Okay. When?" Sam asked.

"We leave tonight. We want to slip into the building before the sun rises tomorrow morning. I know a way we can get to the level."

"How?"

"There's an emergency pathway that leads outside the city. It was built in the seventies. We can get in that way. And honestly, if HYDRA is attacking, they'll most likely go that way too. It's easy to slip in and out of."

"Okay, so we know the how and when. What about the who?"

At that, Steve sighed. "That's complicated."

"How so?"

"Thea will be on the list," Steve glanced at the quiet young woman who sat besides Ray. She hadn't uttered a single word in the meeting. "You will be needed in case you remember anything. Natasha, Sam, and myself will be in attendance. Stark and Rhodey as well. Ray, you'll be with us."

"What about me?" Bucky asked Steve.

"That's a toss up, Buck." The Captain said. "If we fail, you're a huge casualty. We cannot risk HYDRA getting you or Thea."

"If Ray's going, then I'll be going." Bucky narrowed his eyes. He had just gotten Ray back and there was no way in hell that he would let her slip away again.

"Yeah, that's what we figured."

"What about me? If my daughter is going I will be too." Bruce interrupted.

"You will be. You'll be our eyes and ears in the sky. I'm sorry Bruce, we can't risk another event like in Africa." Steve said sadly. He did not want to remind Bruce of the reason he went into hiding, but it was the truth.

"Okay."

"With Bruce in the sky, we will need two people guarding the emergency exit. No one in or out. Vision, that's where you'll be. Sam, you too. Tony and I will lead the rest of you into the building. Ray, you and Wanda will be with Thea the entire time. No exceptions."

"Yes sir." Ray mocked Steve by saluting him.

Steve rolled his eyes. "We will be waiting for HYDRA there. Hopefully the plan that Wanda saw is still the same. Now go and get some rest, we leave in a few hours. There'll be more briefing on the jet."

***

"You shouldn't go."

"Are you kidding me? Not this again."

"I'm serious Ray, what if something happens?"

"Bucky, I've spent the last year dismantling HYDRA. I'm a good fighter, better than you'd think. They need me and I'm going."

Bucky let out a loud sigh and fell back onto the bed with defeat. He knew there would be no point in persuading Ray into not going; though he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he hadn't tried.

He knew very well that Ray had spent a year working with Steve, Nat, and Sam. She had been on the run and she had picked up a few tricks along the way - not to mention the fact that she had the same super solider serum running through her veins. It still worried him greatly; he had never seen her fight.

Ray stood by the door. She had already dressed in similar gear to Bucky's. It was as if Tony spared no expense in making sure that they all looked similar, and good.

Various weapons were strapped into her pants, knives of all sorts. On her back was a gun holster, the same type that she had gotten good with while on the run. She was also very handy with a knife; which was something Sam had taught her.

"We need to do this Buck, a lot of people will die if we don't."

"I know. I know. I just wish I could keep you and this life separate."

Ray laughed then at his words. "You couldn't even if you wanted to. You seem to forget who my dad is."

"Since when did you start calling him dad? Have you forgiven him? I feel like I missed everything."

"Well after he killed me for my own good and then brought me back, I figured he deserved to be called dad again."

Bucky thought back on the video and chills ran down his spine. If he thought very hard, he could still hear the sounds of her screams. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you."

"It's okay. I needed to have that moment with my dad. Now we need to go, are you ready?"

"No. But I guess I have to be."