Path to Protection (BuckyBarnes x OC)

Let's Fight

     The landing was hard, and my knees, unprepared for the impact, buckled upon landing. I still managed to withstand the force and not stumble to the ground. Steve dropped just a few feet away from me. He proceeded to hide in a hollow trunk and motioned me to join him. I squeezed in beside him; with him being the size of two average men it was no easy task. He held me pressed to his chest, holding a finger to his lips, indicating we should stay quiet.

     We listened to the action until the plane with Howard and Peggy turned its course, and the shooting dialled down.

     "How are we feeling, Agent Calaway?" Steve whispered.

     "Powerful, Captain Rogers," I responded and carefully climbed out of the trunk, scanning the territory for any unwanted enemies.

     Steve rubbed his eyebrows. "Alright, there are only two of us, which means all the attention will be on either you or me. We need to find a way to become invisible altogether."

     "We need to find the base first, no sense in making a strategy now when we don't know what we're up against."

     He nodded. "You must be more informed about the situation. Do you know of anything we'd need to be careful about?"

     I scoffed, "Other than making sure you avoid neon blue missiles? Not much. A lot of information was kept from our department, from me especially."

     "I'm guessing you also couldn't keep your nose out of Phillips' business, huh?" Steve chuckled.

     "I tried to, but then I found out about Barnes and... I couldn't hold back any longer. I was planning on going after the lost squad myself, but, luckily, your show arrived just in time. Having you around is much easier."

     I noticed Steve had perked up at my words. "You mean you knew about Bucky?" I nodded. "Why do you even care what happens to him? Have you two become acquainted at the base?"

     I felt utterly embarrassed about having to tell Steve what had been going on between us. The feeling was similar to the one I had when I had to tell James that I helped change his friend into a super-soldier and got him in the Army.

     "James and I stumbled upon each other in London. He recognised me from that morning in the alley, and, somehow, we formed a bond over that short time that left me still thinking about him to this day, even if I haven't seen him for nearly two months," I explained quickly. "I know our bond is far from the friendship you two have, but I can't help feeling like I owe him a rescue. He's a good man who doesn't deserve to die just yet."

     "A bond," Steve repeated my words. "Was it more than just friendship?"

     I felt my cheeks redden. "I don't know. Maybe. I just have to make sure he's alive. When we were at the base, I was told he was the only one who came back from the front. I believe he has the skills to come back alive a second time."

     "If I know anything about Bucky, it's that he'd never leave a dame hanging," Steve assured me, offering me his hand. "Come on. Let's go save our friend."

     We marched through the woods donned with dense fog, each step more nerve-wracking than its predecessor. We never knew what we'd encounter along the way, and every rustle of leaves had us prepared for the worst. The fog clouded severely impaired our ability to see any woodland creatures, enemy soldiers, or security measures implemented to keep trespassers away from the base we were headed towards.

     We were able to follow the general direction of the base just fine, even walking through the dark forest, but, when we stumbled upon a road, both of us let out a sigh of relief. We were going the right way, and we were close; the soft lights in the distance confirmed it. We stepped nearer to the road and out into the open. Brooding in front of us was a well-guarded facility with high walls, accompanied by barbed wire on top of each of them. There were about ten guards solely positioned for guarding the main entrance, not to mention the ones patrolling the walls. Although the facility was hidden behind the treeline, it had a lot of traffic. By the time Steve and I analysed our options, four trucks had passed us.