different » marvel ¹

nineteen

BUCKY'S POINT OF VIEW

   After Raven shared what she'd remembered a few days ago—which I admit surprised me a bit—it didn't make me exactly feel good about not telling her what I remembered. Maybe instead of hoarding the important memories to myself it would be better to share, especially since they had to do with her.

   "I couldn't help but notice something, Sir." One of the doctors spoke up. "The way The Soldier's behavior changes around the agent Raven Nix. We may have to do something about that if we want to keep him on task at all times."

   My eyes don't flicker to face the older man, but I listen keenly and act as if I don't understand what they're saying. The man turned to the doctor, his brows raised, but not in surprise. "He knows he has a job to do." He walks over to me. "He won't let another soldier distract him, and even if he does, we have . . . methods for dealing with such things."

   Confusion swarms in my brain when the man says 'methods', but a hatred towards these people is more prominent. I could never exactly remember who these people were, I just knew that they were who I answered to. They were the leaders and once they gave me orders, I had to follow them. I didn't know why I hated them, but the unsettled feeling in my gut only further provoked my idea that these weren't the good guys.

   Hell, I wasn't even completely sure on what was good or bad anymore, everything was just fading into a haze of actions that I was either rewarded for, or yelled at for seemingly no reason.

"Do you want me to put anything else in here? Just in case?" Raven's voice broke me out of my thoughts. I turned to see her zipping up the two backpacks we'd previously placed underneath the floorboards in case we needed to leave in a hurry or in case of emergency. "After the whole bombing in Vienna . . . they think it was us. We need to be prepared to go early."

   I cleared my throat before speaking, "No, as long as we've got the essentials it's fine." She nods in response and places the two newly stocked bags back in their spots in the floor. Making sure they fit by patting them down, she grabs the few wood planks, carefully snapping the wood pieces together and then brushes her hands off on her pants, letting out a sigh afterwards.

• • •

Natasha walks over to Steve who was sitting at the counter in the kitchen, eating lunch while scrolling through a news feed. Hearing her footsteps, he turns to meet her. "We've gotta get to them before they do. If the FBI or someone gets to then before we do, they're goners."

Nat raises an eyebrow at his choice of words. "Them, huh? It takes her being accused as an accessory to a bombing for you to believe that she's been alive this whole time?"

Steve rolls his eyes, setting his elbow on the counter. "I was wrong. Alright, I should've known that you were right to begin with. It's just—"

Nat sits down next to him, sending a comforting smile to him. "It's just that you blamed yourself. Steve, you made a call that day—you did the right thing. You saved millions of lives, and Raven would understand. She will understand. In the meantime, maybe you should go and suit up. I don't think it would be pretty if T'Challa got to Barnes and Raven before you did." Natasha gives a knowing grin, beginning to walk away as she calls back to him, "We have a location. You can thank Sharon Carter for that, by the way."

   "You're not gonna come with me?"

   "You know I can't do that, Steve. I'm not saying I'm going to arrest you here, but there's people that will and I need you to be sure with what you're about to do." Steve trails behind Natasha as she walks around the building. "The only reason I'm giving this to you is because I know how much they mean to you and I know that if anyone can get them back . . . especially Raven, it's you."