She's Afraid and Forgotten - Winter Soldier

The Meeting Chapter 18

" Tomorrow Fury's coming by to grab the kid. I think around three. They're taking her to the base and she'll be evaluated. For now, we don't have anything going on. No upcoming missions or things we need to prepare for. I say we all go on vacation for a while. Go to Hawaii or someplace nice. " Tony says with a yawn. " I'm off to go bug Pepper, later team. " 

" Wait, we can't let them take Dorothea. " Bucky says before Tony can leave. 

" Why not, Barnes? " Tony says with a hint of annoyance in his tone. 

" Because they're going to hurt her. I've been through that evaluation. It's terrible, especially for a child at her age. She's already been through enough trauma for such a young kid, I don't think it's a good idea to put her through anything else like that. It'll hurt her more. " Bucky explains.

" Barnes, they're professionals. She'll be fine. " 

" No, she won't. You didn't go through the questioning I did. They don't care about her comfort or her mental stability. They'll drain whatever's left of her. " 

Tony sighs. " Why do you care about this girl so much? She'll be fine. They'll find a good home for her and make sure she's alright. " 

" Why don't you? " Bucky asks, standing up. " She's a child! You and I both know they don't care about what happens to her as long as they get what they want. She'll end up with nightmares and more issues than she has now if you let them take her. " 

Tony thinks. " You're really worried about this kid, aren't you? " 

" Yes. " Bucky says, his heart pounding quicker than normal. " Can we keep her until we find out who was taking care of her? Maybe they'll be able to help her. I don't think it's a good idea to hand her over to them. " 

Tony lets out an annoyed sigh after a minute. " Fine. I'll see what I can do. I'll come up with something. " He looks around at the table filled with people. " None of this conversation leaves this room. If Fury found out we're purposely keeping this kid here for reasons other than what I come up with, he'll kill us all. Okay? Lips shut. " He warns. 

Everyone nods in agreement. 

Bucky slowly calms down a bit. He nods a thank you to Tony who turns away and walks out of the room. 

Quickly, the group disbands and heads their separate ways. 

" Banner! " Bucky yells, jogging to catch up to the surprisingly quick man. " Have you found anything new? Any information that can help us? "

Bruce shakes his head. " Not yet. I'm still looking. I've given her multiple DNA tests but nothing's shown up. I ordered some special gear to help me hack into HYDRA's database. It'll be here in around a week or so. I'm hoping to find something that'll help us figure out who Dorothea's father is or how to contact him if we can. There's a good chance he's dead. That building is completely demolished. If he'd been in there...he's more than likely deceased. " Bruce scans his badge into one of the computers near Dorothea's room. 

" What do we do if he's dead? Tell her? " Bucky asks, feeling a little bad for the girl. Whoever her father is, he seems to have a major impact on her life. If he's dead, it'll kill her. 

" I don't know. We'll have to wait and see what happens. We'll figure out what to do when we find out. " Bruce sighs. " I've got to get somethings from storage. " 

Bucky looks at the room Dorothea's in while Bruce walks away. He steps closer, peaking around for the girl. He spots Dorothea in the same spot she was when he'd left her that morning, in the corner of the room. She still hugging her legs, staring at the ground, not moving. 

It's sad to see this child so sad. It's sad to see any child sad. It's harder when you have a good idea what the kid went through, the torture and pain. 

No child should have to go through that. 

Bucky sighs. They weren't any closer to finding out anything about this girl. She wouldn't talk to anyone. Occasionally she'll say a word, but never a large sentence. At least to anyone other than him. Hopefully they'd find a way to help her. Hopefully they'd find Dorothea's father. Before S.H.I.E.L.D. takes her away.