Red, White & Blue | Bucky x Reader

Chapter Six

Back on board the quinjet, I take a seat on the bench directly behind the cockpit as Steve and Tony stand nearby, watching our prisoner, who is cuffed and tied to his seat, at the far end of the jet.

"Is he saying anything?" I hear Fury ask through the communicators.

"Not a word," Natasha replies.

"Just get him here," Fury orders. "We're low on time."

"I don't like it," Steve whispers, eyeing Loki before turning to us.

"What, Rock of Ages giving up so easily?" Stark quips back.

No longer wearing his Iron Man suit, I can finally take in his appearance. He looks so much like his father, with his espresso-coloured eyes and coal black hair, and I feel a pit in my stomach grow as I think about my old friend.

"I don't remember it being that easy," Steve states. "This guy packs a wallop."

"It's never this easy," I confirm.

"Still, you two are pretty spry, for a couple of older people," Stark remarks. "What's your thing, Pilates?"

"What?" Steve questions.

"It's like calisthenics," Stark explains. "You might have missed a couple of things, you know, doing time as a Capsicle."

Steve gives Stark an annoyed look, and I glance over at Loki to discover that he's watching me, his eyes narrowing in curiosity. I steel my features, refusing to react, but something inside me screams in warning.

"Fury didn't tell me he was calling you in," Steve informs Stark.

"Yeah, there's a lot of things Fury doesn't tell you," Stark states.

A clap of thunder booms across the sky as a lightning bolt whizzes past us, the quinjet shaking violently in its wake.

"Where's this coming from?" Natasha mutters to herself.

Thunder continues to rumble overhead, and Loki stares intently through the window above like he's looking for something.

Steve notices. "What's the matter? Scared of a little lightning?"

"I'm not overly fond of what follows," Loki responds, eyes still glued to the night sky.

Another streak of lightening lights up the sky, and the quinjet rocks as something lands on the roof with a thud. I stand from my seat as Stark and Steve pull on their gear, preparing for a fight, and Stark presses the button to open the hatch.

"What are you doing?" Steve calls to Stark as he approaches the ramp in his Iron Man suit.

Before Stark can reply, a man with long, blond hair and wearing silver armour, complete with a red cape, lands on the lowered ramp and strolls inside. Stark raises his hand to attack, but the man knocks him back with a huge hammer before grabbing Loki by the neck and flying them out.

"Now there's that guy," Stark mutters as he gets up off the floor.

"Another Asgardian?" Natasha shouts from the front as she and the pilot try to regain control of the jet.

"Think the guy's a friendly?" Steve asks.

"Doesn't matter," Stark states as he approaches the open ramp. "If he frees Loki or kills him, the Tesseract's lost."

"Stark, we need a plan of attack!" Steve reasons, pulling on his helmet and grabbing his shield.

"I have a plan," Stark says, throwing one last look over his shoulder at us. "Attack."

He leaps from the jet, flying off in pursuit. Steve grabs a pair of parachutes, tossing me one as we prepare to follow.

"I'd sit this one out, guys," Natasha calls out.

"I don't see how we can," Steve tells her.

"These guys come from legend," Natasha explains. "They're basically gods."

"There's only one God, ma'am," Steve tells her. "And I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that."

Steve jumps from the jet and I approach the ramp, peering into the dark nothingness. My fear of heights crawls up my spine, but I force it down, leaping forward and plummeting into the night.

I land on the hill next to Loki, my parachute drifting along the ground as I unbuckle the straps and toss the pack aside. In the forest below, Steve stands between Stark and the newcomer, trying to convince them to stop fighting.

"Ah," Loki smiles, his eyes raking over me as he takes a seat on a nearby rock, "I wondered if you would follow."

"Don't get comfortable," I state, staring him down. "You're getting back on the jet the second Romanoff lands."

Loki's smile widens. "Do you always follow the soldier around? A being as powerful as you?"

My eyes narrow as I try to decipher his game. "Whatever do you mean?"

"You have immense abilities," Loki continues. "I saw them in Germany, and I can sense them now, lingering beneath your skin... But there's something else... What are you running from?"

Before I can say or do anything, Loki lunges forward and grabs my wrist. All at once, memories come flooding back to me. Flash. Zola and his experiments. Flash. Bucky falling from the train. Flash. My powers exploding from me, destroying the train car in the process. Flash. Mission after mission with SHIELD, my powers swirling around me as I slowly lose control. Panicked, I reach out with my free hand, launching a ball of energy at Loki and sending him soaring into the dirt.

"It seems I've touched a nerve," Loki laughs, slowly getting to his feet. "Your anger fuels you... You mourn your lost love, and seek justice for what was taken from you... I can help you with that. Join me, and I can help you reach your full potential. Your anger will be your greatest weapon."

I look down at my arms to see the blue energy coiling around them, and I take a breath to compose myself, my powers dispelling. If Loki wants to play mind games, fine. I'll play along.

"What are you running from?" I ask him.

Loki's smile fades. "I'm not running from anything."

I chuckle. "Everyone who strives for power is secretly running from something they can't control, and trust me, I've met countless men like you, men who think they're gods and search for power because they think it will somehow help... But it never ends well for them."

"I am a god," Loki scowls.

"Sure," I mock. "But that doesn't exempt you from fear. So, I'll ask again, what are you running from, Loki?"

He doesn't get a chance to answer. In the forest below, massive shockwave rakes through the trees, destroying everything in its path.

"Looks like you're spared, for now," I state, grabbing Loki's arm and hauling him down the slope toward the three men standing in the centre of the destruction.