Path to Protection (BuckyBarnes x OC)

Time for Action

     Umbria—a region I'll probably hate for the rest of my life.

     Not even hours later after we arrived at the base hidden beneath the tree line, most of the soldiers were sorted into groups and sent out to Azzano with barely any time for consultation about their mission, one of them being James. I saw him for only a minute, quickly reminding him of our agreement and wishing him good luck. He pressed a sloppy kiss against my cheek and left. I counted the days since I last saw him, hoping he was still alive. That was almost three months ago, and, even though we were closing into November, we still didn't receive any news of their progress.

     It was a nice morning, or as good as a morning can be during a world war, until Peggy and I were tasked with writing condolence letters to the families of all the soldiers who went MIA in a battle that took place a few nights ago. Phillips was forced to gather and send at least two hundred men to go up against Schmidt, but less than fifty returned. I didn't have time to check the names of the ones who returned, but, as I was writing the letters, I stumbled on a name I almost choked upon seeing.

     Sergeant James Barnes, missing in action. I couldn't oppose the Colonel; he wouldn't listen to me anyway. I had a hunch James was alive. Not one soldier reported of bodies left on the battlefield; they were all saying how Schmidt managed to ambush the battalion and capture most of their comrades. Although, no one understood why. Why not just kill them?

     After seeing James' name, I had to take a break. I hurried to my tent and sat down. As much as I wanted silence, artillery and cannon missiles could be heard in the distance at all times, startling me every time a shot was fired. Peggy kept telling me to consider myself lucky I wasn't in the line of fire, but that made me feel guilty, instead. There were men out there laying down their lives, and I was just supposed to say I was glad I wasn't one of them? That was what everyone else was doing, but I couldn't handle the pressure of being tucked safely behind the line of fire when I knew I had the power to do something, to act. It was tearing me up inside.

     Meanwhile, Steve was having the time of his life back at home, or so I heard. His performances were consistently sold out, and, with every show, bond sales rose by 10%. Labels were publishing comic books in his honour; even having a few movies made. The famous "Captain America" was known as "America's new hope" almost everywhere across the country, yet only a handful of people, besides me, knew what he was made for. Luckily, he and his chorus girls were scheduled for a show for our soldiers in Umbria after they heard about our circumstances and the terribly failed mission Phillips underwent. Why luckily? Well, I was happy that Peggy could finally see her dearest again, but I was also being given a chance to finally execute my plan.

     "Knock, knock," Howard's face appeared at the slit of the entrance, effectively startling me and snapping me back to reality. "Peggy sent me to investigate your well-being. Should I tell her to come to check for herself, or are you willing to share your burdens with me?"

     I scoffed, wiping a tear off my cheek. "It's fine, Howard. Come inside."

     He made sure to close the entrance tightly to keep the heavy rain outside before stepping closer with his hands buried in his pockets. "I saw Phillips had you and Carter write up those condolence letters. I know it's not the easiest job, or what would I know? I just repair tanks."

     Another chuckle escaped my lips as I tried desperately to hold back the salty tears. "I saw James' name on that list. 'Missing in action' it says, just like for everyone else. Not one soldier said that anyone was killed, and yet, no one's planning a rescue mission or strike on their base."

     "This business is not pretty. We barely have any men to spare; I don't think Phillips is going to ignore that, and you're smart enough to know it, as well," he argued as he kneeled in front of me and cupped my cheek, attempting to brush aside all the hair that stuck to my face. "Whether Barnes lives or not, Phillips will concentrate on working out a way to bring Schmidt to justice."