A Game Of Hide and Seek - A Bucky Barnes Short story

Chapter 11

Bucky and the team refused steadfastly to give up hope. They had gone into countless bases, some ones they had already been in, and not one held Cassidy. Right now some of the team was monitoring, with Bucky, information. The others were resting.

"Boss," Friday addressed Tony, "A video was sent to you just now."

"What type of video?" Tony crossed his arms, "Better not be another SNL sketch from that FBI guy."

"The video's content concerns Miss Sawyer, Boss." Friday replied.

"Play it!" Bucky sprinted over anxiously.

The video pulled up in front of them and everyone felt dread pooling into their veins. Bucky felt his heart breaking again as he gripped the back of a chair.

Right in front of them was Edward Yakken standing beside a slumped over Cassidy who was strapped to a chair.

"As this video comes to you Stark," Yakken began, "I hope you see that your Avenger here is hanging on by a string. If you can solve the riddle I give you, maybe you stand a chance in winning the game."

Bucky was barely listening, all of his focus was on the love his life tied to a chair looking more dead than alive. Cassidy looked horrible, but a tiny part of him sighed in relief because it meant she was alive. He took in the bruises and sunken cheeks, with her hands visibly trembling as she seemed semi-conscious. A drop of blood trickling down her temple.

"Can you trace this?" Natasha frantically asked Tony.

"Working on it," Tony frantically typed at a computer while Friday assisted.

"People love the flavor I convey," Yakken began, "But I am physically a sight to see. I am rumored to be hauntingly beautiful and I contain history in my DNA. Hitler loved me and the Allies hated me. I suffered pain and uprisings in my past as well as glorified material. What am I?" Yakken grinned evilly, "Come to play, Avengers."

Yakken grabbed Cassidy's hair to force her to look at the camera and Bucky felt his blood boiling with rage. The video ended and the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"Did you see what she looked like?" Natasha looked incredulously around at everyone.

"She looked almost...dead," Clint spoke as he sat down on a chair, rubbing his hand over his face.

It was true. Bucky felt himself physically hurt when he saw her. She was pale and thin, with bruises covering her as well as blood. Her eyes scared him the most. Her eyes mirrored the same pain and fear he had had as the Winter Soldier. He never wanted her to have that.

"We have to find her," Bucky looked at Steve, his eyes giving away the emotions he could not let out in front of everyone.

"The video was transferred along several different routers and signals," Tony rubbed his forehead, "It's a jumbled mess."

"That's why he gave us a riddle," Wanda interjected, "He knows that we want to get to her quickly and he wants us to come."

"To draw us in," Natasha spoke, "He wants something. The question is what?"

"We have to solve the riddle," Steve crossed his arms, "What Yakken wants, we can figure out when we get there."

"It's the Black Forest," Bucky whispered.

"You figured it out that fast Rambo?" Tony looked unconvinced.

"He said, 'Hitler loved me, the Allies hated me'," Bucky looked up, "Hydra had a secret base they used well after the war in there."

"Is it that simple of an answer?" Natasha asked.

"Mr. Barnes appears correct," Vision stated, "Black Forest is a flavor in dessert, it is a beautiful place, there were rumors of it being haunted, there are ruins of past civilizations, uprisings happened in the area in the medieval age, it was mined for ore, and apparently contains a secret Nazi base underground."

"One would think that you are a computer," Rhodey clapped his hands, "Now how about we get a game plan?"

"Suit up," Steve ordered.

Everyone scurried out of the room, but Steve caught Bucky's arm before he left.

"We will get her Buck," Steve assured him.

"What do you think they did to her?" Bucky's shoulders sagged, "What if-"

"Stop," Steve sternly told him, "All we need is to get her back and taken care of. You keep thinking of what they did to her and you won't help either her or you."

"Steve," Bucky slightly whimpered, "I love her so much."

"I know," Steve sighed, "But you know the promise we made as a trio..."

"I'm with you till the end of the line," Bucky slightly smiled but it dropped quickly.

"Yep, and our lines are not even close to the end."