SOLDIER ─ marvel

XXIX. The Pentagon

Chapter Twenty-Nine
Bucky

"Absolutely not," Khari says, giving Alex, Lena, and I a stern look. "I will not stay behind while you go fight Sam and Sharon."

"You're still injured." Alex stresses.

"James was shot, too." Khari points out.

"I have regenerative healing, you don't. And your wounds were far greater than mine."

"You could need my help while you're in the pentagon. I can't just stay here while my family risk their lives."

I step forward and place my hands on his shoulders, offering my brother in law a small smile. "You won't be just sitting here. You'll be watching over Zemo and maybe...maybe you can be our eyes. Lena, can you hack into the pentagon security system?"

She thinks about this for a moment, not sounding very sure of herself as she replies; "Maybe. I was taught how to hack, but I'm not sure I can hack into such a secure system. I can try though."

"See? You won't be doing nothing. You can tell us where the action is going on and make sure we don't miss anything."

Khari sighs, nodding his head once, glancing at his husband. "Alright. As soon as I'm fully healed, I expect to be at the forefront of your next mission. I refuse to be sidelined again."

I squeeze his shoulder, nodding back to him. "We promise."

"If Zemo tries anything, don't hesitate to call and one of us will—" Alex begins, his concern and fear rising in his voice.

"For Hanuman's sake," Khari says, cupping the side of Alex's face. "I will be fine. I am the general of the Jabari tribe, I am perfectly capable of looking after a man bound by thick metal cuffs."

Alex closes his eyes and sighs. "I know. I'm sorry, I know you're capable it's just that—"

"—that we love you," Soroya says approaching the three of us, hugging onto Khari's side. "We just worry about something happening to you."

Khari smiles bashfully. "I appreciate it. Just promise me you will all be careful. You aren't the only people worried about losing the ones they love."

We all nod to him, with Alex leaning in to kiss Khari and Lena squeezing him briefly before going over to the other side of the ship to open up the computer and being hacking. As she does that, I catch a glimpse of Walker, who has been staring at the four of us for who knows how long. He looks away when our eyes meet, but in that instant, I see jealousy seeping from his stare. Jealousy of what I'm not sure, but Lena seems to. When I look over to her, she's staring at Walker as well, concern going over her features.

She smiles at Walker as she passes him by, asking if he's ready to go, to which he nods. Everett shouts to us that we are a few minutes to entering Washington D.C., so all of us begin to ready ourselves. Lena is hard at work at trying to hack into the security systems, which if she can do it, will take her several minutes.

Alex finally pulls away from Khari, beginning to ready himself like everyone else. Khari takes this moment to come over to me and wrap me in an embrace, whispering to me; "It will take more than the radiated cells to bring Sam and Sharon back. You have to be the one to show them to move past this and forgive themselves, or else they'll be trapped by HYDRA like you have been for so long."

I squeeze onto him tightly, nodding to him as I pull back. Suddenly, Lena lets out a triumphant yell, turning back to the rest of us, a grin on her face.

"I did it! Thank god for Shuri's tech, because without it I probably wouldn't have been able to get in."

Indeed she has. On the screens attached to the wall there is the security footage from the cameras inside the pentagon, this makes Khari smile and nod excitedly.