The Third Rule

~FOUR~

Later in the chapter thier will be mentions of a HYDRA agent, I am mostly just using the name of said character but not any of thier history in the MCU, TV shows, or in the comics so please don't comment that something didn't happen or that I am wrong because I am sort of making stuff up as I go.

...

Bucky continues to visit Peter at the same time almost every day, usually, it's not too busy so they talk quite a bit. Well, mostly Peter rambles about school, movies, or life while the man eats his sandwich and listens. He doesn't mind too much, in all honesty, it's kind of nice that he doesn't have to talk that much. Bucky wouldn't be able to say much anyway.

The super soldier waves over his shoulder and exits the small sandwich shop. Bucky doesn't have another therapy session until tomorrow morning meaning he has nothing to do for the rest of the day. He figures he might rent a movie to try to catch up on pop-culture. He'd already watched most of the big ones like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Back to the Future with the Avengers before the world went to shit, again.

Besides that, he hasn't watched many movies. He doesn't think he'll ever comprehend how people can sit on the couch all day and watch movies and tv shows. They are entertaining, but he'd much rather read a book or go outside. Back in the 40s, if he wasn't working down at the docks and Steve wasn't sick, they would go to Coney Island, or out dancing with the dames, sometimes they'd even just roam around Brooklyn. Now, the only reason people walk around the city is to get to work or get home.

A roaring scream interrupts Bucky's thoughts and on impulse, he pushes through the crowd of people towards the sound. He can feel his heart pounding in his chest and his eyes flick around him looking for any clues. Sure, Bucky hasn't fought since the battle against Thanos, but he doesn't think he would ever forget how. It's second nature to him, more than that, it's like slipping into an old sweatshirt. It's like breathing.

Another screech pierces through the air, this time more boisterous. He's close. Bucky continues to run, pushing through the hordes of people. He looks down alleyway after alleyway and finally comes across two people.

"Stop it!" A girl squeals. Then she laughs. Laughs? Before charging into the alley with his fists drawn he peers around the corner again. Two girls, one is tall and has long blonde hair while the other is slightly shorter and has bright red hair that just brushes her shoulders. Both girls are laughing about something, the blonde girl has her arm slung on the other's shoulder and the girl with red hair runs her hand over the taller's hair.

Despite the scream he heard earlier, the girls seem to be better than ok.

C'mon Buck, screaming doesn't always mean something bad is about to happen. He scolds. His heart is still racing in his chest and he feels shaky. Nothing bad is happening. There is no fight here.

He closes his eyes and takes another unsteady breath. A sting explodes over Bucky's face preceding a resounding slap. Bucky's eyes dart open in shock. It takes a lot for Bucky to not instantly fight back. A large man stands in front of him, as far as appearances go, he looks much more robust than the soldier. "Why were you looking at those girls, huh?" His voice is deep, to anyone else it would be intimidating.

Bucky lets out a sigh and hits his head against the wall, "I wasn't," he grumbles.

"Then what are you doing standing here and looking down the alley?"

"I heard a scream. I thought someone was in trouble. I got here and saw them laughing. I-I just wanted to help."

The other guy doesn't say anything for a prolonged moment.

"What branch were you in?"

Bucky tilts his head to the side, "What do you mean?"

"Army, navy, marines? What was it?"

Bucky doesn't respond right away, "Army. Did you serve?"

"Yeah, air force. I guess with our training as soon as you hear a scream you assume the worst."

"I guess so," Bucky replies briefly making eye contact with the man.

"I'm sorry for... uh," The lad grins and motions to Bucky's face. He seems a little surprised that it isn't even red but doesn't say anything.

"Don't worry about it."

The guy in front of him sticks out his hand. Bucky glimpses over the man's shoulder and freezes.

"I gotta go," he murmurs and advances past the guy mixing back into the mob of people. His eyes investigate the amorphous blob of people before settling on the person he saw moments ago. She has black hair that is tied into a sleek ponytail. Though Bucky just caught the corner of her face, he was certain it was her. From the intense blue eyes and sharp jawline, thier is no way it could be someone else. In one hand she is holding a phone to her ear and the other a briefcase.

She turns the corner and Bucky follows a ways behind her. She stops walking abruptly and turns around, looking over her shoulder. The soldier ducks out of the way, moving behind a tall man. Perfect. Bucky swiftly reaches into the man's pocket and extracts a hat and sunglasses.

The woman starts to move again and Bucky promptly moves away from the man he stole from and adjusts the accessories onto his face.

Despite the unsettling feeling pooling in his stomach, he stays calm. This isn't the time to freak out.

It's not the time to wonder how she is still alive.

Bucky strains to hear what she is saying, but she is hardly talking above a whisper and with the raucous around him it is very hard to makeout. She turns left down an alleyway. He expertly dodges a few bodies and turns down the alley, staying close to the walls. Only, the alley is empty.

Bucky tentatively walks around before stepping away from the wall. It is barren besides the garbage bags outlining the walls. The enclosing buildings are about six or seven stories tall... where did she go?

He approaches the end of the alley but still doesn't see anything.

A loud ding echo between the buildings and Bucky starts, looking around wildly. After a moment, he recognizes it was just his phone and draws it from his pocket.

UNKNOWN NUMBER: Lovely to see you again Mr. Barnes. Next time you are going to need more than a hat and sunglasses to hide from us.

Bucky's heart skips a beat. With a loud grunt, he launches his phone against the wall and stares as it shatters into pieces while his chest heaves.

The woman is Kalee Batrei. HYDRA Sargent. Bucky thought she died with the rest of them. Obviously not.