VITALITY ↝ B. BARNES [1]

[12]

"So," Steve said, taking the seat on Bucky's other side at the table. "How did everything go today with the Valentes?"

"We think we found where the code is inside his brain." Elysia explained. "All of the scanning I've done on their machines, analyzing the patterns of his brain waves had led to a block. If I can crack the microchip, the code words should lose all of their effect. It'll take some time to prepare, get everything we need, but I can do it."

"It's a plan," Natasha said encouragingly. "Whether or not it works, we'll find out, and if it doesn't work, then we figure out another way, right?"

"Right," Elysia said uneasily, praying to everything holy that this plan would work, and that she, Carlos, Fernanda, and Tony wouldn't be back to square one if it didn't.

"Excuse me, Mr. Stark," F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s voice came over the intercom, pulling the team's focus away from the conversation at hand.

"What is it, F.R.I.D.A.Y.?" Tony asked, raising his voice enough to be heard by the computer system, all conversation lulling in anticipation of whatever she was about to say next.

"Sorry to bother you, boss, but a message has come through for you on our systems." F.R.I.D.A.Y. said apologetically.

"Who's it from, F.R.I.D.A.Y.?" he asked.

"A message has been left for you from HYDRA." F.R.I.D.A.Y. said grimly, causing any remaining hint of conversation to instantly cease as Elysia's blood turned to ice in her veins. "I'm going to play it now."

"This is a warning for the Avengers," a mechanical voice came through the overhead systems as F.R.I.D.A.Y. began to play the message, and Bucky instantly straightened up, every muscle in his body going deathly still. "You will pay for your capture of the Winter Soldier."

The air was sucked out of the room as everyone came to an instant standstill, the only audible sound that of Tony's paper plate hitting the granite countertop as he rose from his seat, beginning to pace the room. As for Elysia, her eyes moved back to Bucky, the bright smile he'd worn at the beginning of dinner having long vanished, the light shining through his eyes replaced by fear, having grown back to the dull blue they'd been the night he was first brought to the compound.

"Tony," Steve spoke up, the word echoing throughout the quiet room. "What happens next?"

"All we can do for now is be ready." Tony spoke quickly, continuing to pace the length of the dining room. "We don't know when HYDRA's going to come, or the force they'll use when they get here, so we have to be prepared for when they do."

"Agreed," Natasha spoke up.

"From this moment on, nobody leaves." he ordered. "We can't risk one of us getting caught alone, or not being together if they attack. We're at our most powerful in numbers. Sam, clear the place out of any nonessential personnel. Wanda, you work on putting up protection with that..." he trailed off, raising his hands to mimic the motions of her magic. "...whatever it is that you do. It'll be our first line of defense. Now, if you don't mind me, I'm going to call in some backup."

Tony left the room, reaching into his pocket for his phone and angrily tapping the screen, punching in a few numbers before hitting the button to dial the call. Wanda rose from the table after him, excusing herself as she headed for the exit to begin putting up the protective spells.

"It's me," Bucky said finally, rising from his spot at the table between Steve and Elysia. "It's me they want, and they won't stop until they succeed. If they get close to me, and throw my brain back in a blender, then I'll stop at nothing to complete my mission of killing the Avengers."

"Bucky," Steve warned.

"You know the right answer here, Steve." Bucky said. "You have to do it. Kill me. You have to take me out of the game before they have a chance to turn me back over to their side and have somebody else get hurt, or even worse."

"No," Steve and Elysia both spoke up at once, silencing the room once more.

"That's not an option." Elysia said adamantly. "I'm going to crack that code in your brain, and you are going to be just fine."

"How do you know that?" Bucky asked, his voice rising in frustration. "What happens if the chip's deactivated but the code is still there? What happens if I turn back into a monster?"

"Then we just have to have faith that deactivating the chip renders the code useless." she said. "And if it's still there, then we find another way. I'm not giving up until we find a way to save you, Barnes."

Elysia felt the rest of the eyes in the room trained on her, that of Steve, Bucky, Natasha, Vision, and Sam, and she left the room without another word, clenching her fists tightly to keep the electricity contained within her palms and willing herself to take deep breaths. She wandered out the front door, to get a taste of fresh air and clear her mind, and in the distance at the edge of the property she could see a red glow emitting from Wanda's magic. She sat on the front steps, pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her chin atop them, watching as the force field slowly began to spread over the entire compound, leaving one spot near the entrance open until Tony's backup would arrive later that evening.

As she sat, she began to feel hot, angry tears streaming down her face, as she pondered the events of an evening that had started out so light and carefree but had turned upside down in an instant. All the effort they'd spent pondering over the workings of Bucky's brain, only for him to insist they give him up, to take him out as a player as if he were nothing more to them, nothing more to her, than just a monster.

In the weeks since Bucky had arrived at the compound, she'd seen through the hardened exterior HYDRA had built up the Winter Soldier to be, and she knew he was more than just the monster the legends of the super soldier contained. She saw the heart of gold hidden underneath the metal exterior, the man who was looking for a light in seventy years of darkness and gore.

She saw him, and she wasn't letting him go.

Elysia hadn't noticed the hours that passed as she looked up at the sky, counting the stars and allowing herself to cool off from the evening. She hadn't noticed Wanda finish setting up the barriers, hadn't noticed the Quinjet flying through the open space in the force field until it touched down in the grass, and she watched as Tony and Steve walked outside through one of the side doors to greet the newcomer. She shakily rose to her feet as the door to the Quinjet opened, steeling herself for another introduction as Clint Barton exited the plane, a quiver of arrows already slung across his back and bow in hand, in case of any emergency while in flight.

"Thanks for coming on such short notice." Steve's voice cut through the night air, and Elysia closed the distance between herself and the group, coming face to face with yet another member of the Avengers.

"Eh, retirement was starting to get old anyways." Clint assured them, a hint of a smirk evident on his lips, and his eyes finally found Elysia's. "You must be Sparky," he said, extending a hand for her to shake.

"Elysia," she corrected, her eyes darting quickly to Tony's in a small scowl before turning back to the other man. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"Likewise," he said. "Though I wish it had been under better circumstances." he looked back over at Steve and Tony. "Any word from the others?"

"Thor and Banner are still M.I.A." Tony said grimly. "No word from Thor, and Banner hasn't been seen since the Hulk took off in Sokovia."

"Well," Clint said, looking back up at the night sky as if in an attempt to locate the missing team members. "Wherever they are, I'm sure they'd hate to be missing all this."