When Skies are Gray

A New Hero.

We woke up the next morning in each other's arms. I've never felt so safe.
"Good morning" I hear his raspy voice whisper.
"Good morning Bucky." I respond unable to hold back a smile.
"We should probably get back to the tower soon. Before people start to worry." He says but still doesn't move.
I nod and turn over to face him.
After a few more peaceful moments of laying with each other, Bucky stands up and starts to pack the bags up to get ready to sail back to shore.
"When we get back I'll show you how to fight like you wanted. We will just take it easy." He says knowing that I'm excited.
My face lights up and a grin grows on my face.
"Sounds like a good plan to me." I respond with a laugh.
Bucky finishes packing and we both change out of the pajamas. Finally, we set sail for the shore. I will always treasure this memory.
Once we made it back to the tower Steve and Nat are pacing back and forth frantically.
"What's wrong guys?" Bucky asked.
"We found a hydra base that has been producing an extreme amount of energy surges. We have to go check it out." Steve responds. Even he knows how dangerous it is for anyone to fall into the hands of hydra.
"I'll call Peter and Bruce and we will go figure out what they're up to." Nat says anxiously.
I've never seen the avengers this frightened.
"Bucky, you don't have to go. You have a lot to lose if you get taken again." Steve says reminding him of what's inside his mind.
"I know. I need to help you guys though I know hydra the best out of all of us. Besides, I know someone who's pretty good at bringing me back to reality." Bucky responds with a glance to me.
"Me? What if it doesn't work?" I ask, he can tell it's stressful for me seeing everyone leave.
"Let's go into my bedroom. I have something to tell you." Bucky says grabbing my hand and leading me to his room and shutting the door.
"Y/n, I didn't want to bring this up, but I can't be stag-net forever in fear that HE will be released again." He says looking down at the ground, "so, I want to tell you a foolproof way of getting me back." He adds looking at me and grabbing my shoulders.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"When hydra... brainwashed me.... they had to figure out a way to keep themselves safe. So they made a word. A single word that basically shuts me down. I pass out." He says going to the desk and grabbing a pen and paper. "I never know how long I'm out for, but I always come back."
He writes on the paper the word. Sputnik.
"What does sput..." I'm cut off by him covering my mouth.
"You can't say it. Even if I'm me you can't ever say it. I don't know what it means or why they chose that. All I know is that it works." He says moving his hand from my mouth and cupping my face in his hands. "If I'm ever not me and I'm hurting you or Steve or anyone. Say it."
I don't like the idea of this. I know it's a safety measure but it's still strange that a single word can turn him off. I nod my head so he knows I understand.
"I'm serious y/n. If I'm ever even close to hurting you again you have to use it. If only you knew before last time..." he says looking away from me.
"I'll use it if I have to Bucky." I say and he gives me a reassuring smile.
"Bucky! It's time to go!" Steve shouts from down the hall and meets us in the bedroom.
Bucky rips up the paper so no one else knows about it.
"Y/n when we leave you can lock down the facility. We know the codes to get in. Don't leave the tower." Steve says to me and I nod.
"Promise you won't leave?" Bucky asks almost whispering to me.
"I promise." I say smiling up at him.
Then, within a minute or two, everyone is ready walking out the door.
I see Peter wave at me before walking into the jet, and then the last face I see is Bucky, giving me that reassuring smile that he mastered. I smile back then close the doors.
"JARVIS please lock down the tower." I say and the steel plates staff to cover all the windows and doors.
I'm safe.
A few hours go by and I'm trying to distract myself. TV. Reading. Working out.
Nothing can keep me distracted from wanting to know if everyone's ok. If Bucky is ok.
"Miss y/n there seems to be someone trying to break in at the west door. Would you like to see the footage." Jarvis announces.
"Yes show me on the TV in my bedroom" I say frantically trying to figure out the situation.
The TV turns on and I see the two men who had taken me so long ago. They're back for me.
I don't know what to do. As I'm watching the screen I see a bright light and a a explosion on the side of the building they're trying to get into.
"Miss y/n it seems like they made their way inside. Would you like me to notify Mr. Rogers?" Jarvis asks.
"Yes. Turn on my dads suit and make them cause distractions. Set one up in sentry mode in front of my door." I say and I hear the suits start up under the floor beneath me.
Gunshots and explosions. It's so loud. I can hear the suit turning back and forth in front of my door. My last means of defense.
Within a second my door is blasted off the hinges and the two men are standing in my room.
"Come with us." He says. There's nothing I can do so I comply. Steve is coming back they will find me like always. Bucky will find me.
I followed him to a car which we rode in for almost an hour. Then when he opened the door we were at a airport. This is not good.
"Where are you taking me?" I ask hesitantly.
"You remember my acquaintanceship with your father? Well, we didn't end on good terms. I know he's dead now. Pity. But I thought I could at least have fun with his daughter." He responds.
"So, when you took me last time it had nothing to do with Spider-Man or the avengers? You just wanted to torture me?" I ask trying not to sound scared.
"Pretty much. But then when we had the soldier torture you, we saw how physically and mentally strong you are. So, we decided we could use for an experiment we have. We tried it on one girl. She died." He says which makes me anxious.
I stay silent the rest of the time. Finally, we made it to an hold building with a lot of guards standing post.
We walk down a flight of stairs and I see a blonde kid in a glass cage. He looks up at me with fear and sadness in his eyes. The man throws me into the same cage and leaves us.
"Who are you?" He says with a strong accent.
"I'm y/n. Who are you?" I ask.
"Pietro." He says and puts his head down. He must know I'm not a threat.
"What's going on here?" I ask trying to figure out where we are.
"Hydra." The word sends shivers down my spine. "My sister and I volunteered to be test subjects. But once we realized their true intentions we tried to flea. They caught us and forced us to do the experiments anyway. She didn't make it. I wish I didn't either." He finished and I can see his eyes fill with tears.
"I'm really sorry." I say looking at him as he sits on the only bed in the cage.
"I'm guessing you're the replacement they chose to retry her part of the experiment." He says wiping his face.
"What did they do to her? What did they do to you?" I can't help but want to pry further to get more information.
"There's this stone. They call it the mind stone. They used it somehow and gave me abilities. Nothing that could help us now though. I'm only super fast. I can run faster than anything on this planet. According to the scientist." He says and pauses before beginning to tell me about his sister. "They tried something different with her. They used the stone to activate a pool of water and threw her into it. When her head popped up she seemed fine, but then it turned bright red and dragged her to the bottom. The scientist says that's what he wanted to happen, and if she would've held her breath a moment longer she would've survived." He finishes the story and I begin to shiver. They're going to do that to me.
"You must listen y/n. If they do that to you, hold you breath. Even if you feel you can't any longer. Try to hold it. If you survive you can fight back and maybe we can escape this hell." Pietro says looking at me with wide eyes. He needs me to survive so he can escape.
I nod. There's no windows or clocks on the floor we're on so there's no sense of time. All I know is my eyes are heavy. Pietro seems wide awake.
I slowly let sleep take over and feel my head fall to one side.
An hour or two goes by and I actually get some sleep. I'm woken up by someone forcibly picking me up and tying my hands together.
This is it. It's time.
Pietro is being held down but is staring into my eyes. I nod at him to let him know I remember to hold my breath.
I'm stood on top of a gigantic pool. It looks normal. I see a scientist on the other side behind a glass barrier. He's probably trying to keep himself alive. As I'm looking over the edge someone pushes me from behind causing me to fall into the cold water.
It's just like Pietro said. It's normal, at first. Then I see the color of the water change. Bright red.
I prepare myself and take a deep breath before I'm pulled down to the bottom.
My body is laying flat again the bottom of the pool and I can't help but open my eyes, even if it burns.
All I see is red.
Hold your breath. Don't give up.
I can do this.
I'm not sure how long I was down there. Maybe 2 minutes.
When my head surfaces I take a breath realizing that I survived.
With my hands still tied I struggle to get to the edge where two men pull me out of the water. They look at me and their face begins to change. From stern to fear.
"Her eyes are glowing red!" One shouts to the scientist.
"Look at her hands!" The other shouts.
I look down and see a red aura coming out of my fingertips. What did they do to me? I want my hands free.
Then, all of a sudden, they were free. The rope untied itself.
I look up at the two men who have taken a few steps away from me.
Get away.
The two men are thrown against the wall at the other end of the room.
Am I doing this?
I look up at the scientist.
"What did you do to me!" I shout and he just backs away from the glass.
Get down here.
His body is throw threw the glass and he lands, with force, on the ground next to me.
"Tell me!" I shout and he looks up with blood coming out of his nose.
"The stone. It worked. You can move things with your mind now. I'm a genius." He says before passing out.
Pietro! I have to save Pietro.
I turn to run the way we came to get back to the glass cage. I see him sitting there shaking his knee until he sees me and stands up. Shock in his eyes.
"It worked." I say and then look at the door, willing it to open, and it does without hesitation.
Pietro steps out, "we're free! Let's get out of here!" He shouts and grabs me quickly, then takes off running.
Before I know it were outside of the building without anyone on our tail. He said he was fast but I don't even think I had time to blink.
"You survived. We're free." He says almost as if he doesn't believe it. He looks down at my hands and sees them glowing. "We will stick together. Help each other." He adds putting my hands in his. I nod.
"I need a phone I can get us back to a safe place. With people who can help." I say and he nods. By the time I blink a burst of wind hits me and a phone is being placed in my hands. I look at him and smile.
"Crap. I don't know anyone's phone number. Wait maybe... JARVIS! If you can hear me tell them where we are!" I shout into the sky hoping that my dad was smart enough to give his satellite a brain.
Within seconds, the phone rings and I answer.
"Hello?"
"Y/n! Thank God. We're coming to get you. JARVIS heard you and the satellite in space saw you hold a phone. He tracked the number. Your dad was a genius." I hear Nat say over the phone. I smile and look at Pietro.
"Nat, we're still close to the facility we need to get further away to stay safe. Tell Jarvis to keep tracking us." I say and Pietro picks me up again and runs to a nearby city.
As we wait in a small abandoned building I can tell how sad Pietro was.
"I'm sorry I survived and your sister didn't." I say regretfully.
"It's not your fault. My sister was strong. The strongest person I knew. She'd be happy knowing I got out and you made it." He responds with a smile.
"What was her name?" I ask.
He looks at me, "Wanda." He says.
"That's a beautiful name. I'm glad I could help set you free." I said as I hear a jet land outside.
I open the door and see the doors opening. Peter and Steve step out first and I smile at them. They look worried. Then I remembered my eyes are red now, they must be freaking out. Then Bucky steps out and sees me, I can tell he's confused but doesn't care. He takes off running to me and I run to him. I jump into his arms and start to cry.
"I'm alright. I'm not hurt I promise." I say placing my hand on his hair.
He doesn't loosen his grip.
"I know. I'm happy you're okay." He says.
He puts me down and places his hand on my cheek.
"Why are you eyes red?" He asked after taking a closer look.
"I'll explain later." I say trying to soak in the moment.
Pietro slowly stepped out of the building and as an instinct, Peter shot webs to trap the unfamiliar person.
I wave my hand and with a glow of red, Peter's web is thrown out of the way of Pietro. Steve and Peter's jaw drops. Bucky looks down at me.
"What did they do to you?" He asks but I figure that's a story for everyone to hear at once. Before I could respond, I hear gunshots. I wave my hand and will the bullets to hit the ground by our feet and not touch me or my friends.
"Get in the jet!" I shout turn to Pietro and the others.
They all listen and turn to run. I wonder if... okay yup I have a forcefield. A red circular aura blocks all the bullets from my friends getting into the jet.
Once Nat realizes we're all in she takes off. Leaving the hydra agents in the dust.
Once everyone is seated they keep taking glances at Pietro.
"Everyone this is Pietro. He was experimented on by hydra and he's fast. Like really fast. He can show you once we get home. Right?" I say turning to Pietro. He nods. I give Pietro everyone's name and they all greet him kindly.
"Y/n why don't you tell us what happened now?" Steve says referring to my eyes.
"They experimented on me like Pietro, but in a different way. He's super fast and I can control things with my mind." I say and look at Pietro trying to make sure he's okay.
"Yeah and she almost drowned trying to survive it." Pietro adds which makes Steve and Bucky turn on protective mode.
"Guys it's fine. I was only under for maybe a minute." I say trying to remember the even.
"Y/n... you were gone from the cell for 3 hours." Pietro says. Even he's in shock that I survived.
I can't help but look at him with a face of questioning.
"When they took you I tried to stop them. Like with Wanda I knew it was impossible to last that long underwater. How did you do it?" Pietro asked.
"I just remembered what you told me, I kept holding my breath. It must've been whatever the scientist did to me. That must've helped me survive." I say and Bucky comes to sit next to me and puts his arm around me. My clothes are still damp so is my hair. I didn't notice before but I'm cold.
"Whatever he did I'm sure we can reverse it." Bucky says and I lay my head on his shoulder.
What if I don't want to reverse it?
When we make our way closer to the tower I remember the men that took me.
"Oh! Those men were the same guys that took me a few months ago. They told me they had no intention of finding Peter or the avengers. All the wanted was me. To get back at my dad." I say and turn to Bucky.
"I figured it was the same people. I wonder why they let you get experimented on." He says.
"It's probably because they thought she wouldn't survive. Now look at her. Stronger than everyone in this jet." Pietro says playfully hitting my leg. He's right. I feel stronger than I was. They wanted me dead but I survived.
"When we get back we will have JARVIS run some tests. Then we will see what you're able to do." Steve says and I notice we're getting close to the tower.
After everyone unloads the ship Bucky leads me to my room.
"Before anything you need to shower and warm up. I'll wait in the bedroom you go to the bathroom. I'll be right here when you're done." He says. I nod. I love when he takes care of me.
When I step in the bathroom I look into the mirror for the first time. My eyes were red. I never paid attention to them before.
Even though I look the same physically, other than my eyes, I feel stronger and healthier.
I waved my hand in the direction of the shower and it turned on, without me even touching it. I really can control things. How weird.
After I shower and step into my room with just a towel. Bucky turns and his eyes widen.
I don't think he's ever seen me without clothes. I blush and put my head down.
"I just need clothes." I say and rush over to my dresser.
"You're beautiful, y/n." He says just looking at me in awe. I turn to him and smile. "How did I get so lucky?" He adds.
"Shut up." I say with a chuckle and go back to the bathroom, closing the door with my mind.
Once I'm dressed I step out and he's still looking at me like a piece of art.
"You've seen me in this outfit a million times." I say making fun of him.
"Yeah but you look beautiful every time." He says standing up and taking my hand.
It's time for the tests.
We made our way to the lab where Bruce, Steve, Nat and Peter waited.
"Where's Pietro?" I ask with concern. He's my responsibility now and I'm going to look after him.
"I showed him to a guest room where he can rest. I told Jarvis to send him here once he wakes up." Steve tells me.
I nod and sit in the chair getting nervous for what's to come.
"What are you going to do?" I ask Bruce as he fiddles with some stuff on a table.
"Blood test. Some screenings, maybe some..."
"Nothing you can't handle. Right, Bruce?" Bucky said seeing me get stressed.
"Oh of course." Bruce says.
As Bruce prepares to stick me with a needle I can't help but tense up. The only thing that makes me feel better is feeling Bucky's hand on my shoulder. I smile.
The needle wasn't bad.
After a few more tests, Bruce collects everything and takes it to another room.
"I'll let you guys know what I find." He says before leaving.
"That wasn't too bad." I say reassuring myself.
I turn and see Bucky, his hand still in my shoulder, smile at me. I know he hates seeing me in a chair getting pricked with needles.
"So, y/n, you up to show us what you can do? We can head down to the shooting range." Steve says and I nod.
We walk down there my hand in Bucky's, with Peter Nat and Steve behind us.
"Ok. Just take it easy no need to sho..."
BOOM.
The loud explosion cuts him off. I had throw one of the gun stands across the range into the concrete wall. Cussing it to make a loud crash.
"Okay. She knows what she's doing." Peter says in shock.
We all laugh and I show them a few more things.
"Wait a second. I wonder if this will work." I say as I face my palms to the ground. Slowly my feet leave the concrete and I'm flying.
I'm flying.
"Oh my God! Get down you're gone fall!" Bucky says which distracts me. I flail a little but Peter's spidey senses gives him the reflex to jump under me and catch me.
"Thanks spider monkey." I say jumping out of his arms.
He shakes his head and hits my shoulder.
"Well I see you guys got a taste of y/n!" I hear from a voice with an accent.
"Hey Pietro! I'm glad you're awake now. Do you feel better?" I ask and he nods his head with a smile. I hope he feels safe here.
"So.. Pietro. You're fast?" Steve says and within a split second, Steve is wearing a hat that was in the living room across the tower.
"Eh yeah I'm pretty fast." Pietro says with a chuckle.
"That's so cool!" Peter shouts and runs to Pietro probably asking him a bunch of unnecessary questions.
"Guys. The tests are done for y/n's samples." Bruce says at the door.
"And?" Bucky says stepping closer.
"Everything's... normal." Bruce says.
Everyone signs with relief.
"I told you I was fine." I say turning to Bucky with a smile.
We spend the rest of the day in each other's company. As I practice my new ability and Pietro keeps Peter distracted.
Every now and then I look at Bucky and he still looks worried. I hope I can convince him that I don't have go reverse what was done to me.