Wraith [MARVEL x Invincible Crossover]

Chapter Seven

When Steve heard about Bucky's whereabouts, he knew that it wouldn't be in a five-star hotel with room service. Bucky, or rather, the Winter Soldier was smart enough to keep himself under the radar, it was one of the reasons why he was considered a ghost story by most intelligence agencies, and why he and Sam never found him for the past two years. But when Steve saw the apartment Bucky was living in, he was disappointed, it clearly shows that it was something that someone on the run has been living in, though there were a couple of things that was a bit out of place, there were books, numerous sketches on pieces of paper on the table, two sets of pillows, blankets, plates, and of everything.

Bucky wasn't alone, Steve concluded. The question is, who was with him? The sound of Sam in their communications device pulled Steve from his train of thoughts when he skimmed through the notebook he found on the refrigerator, he stopped on a certain page that had a flier that came from the Smithsonian's Captain America gallery, and beside it was a torn out sketch from the newspaper.

"Understood," Steve replied to Sam. Just as he replied, Steve felt someone enter the room, turning, he saw Bucky standing there, and just as he thought, he wasn't alone. But Steve didn't expect it to be a teenage girl. He estimated the girl's age to be around her early teenage years, probably fourteen or fifteen, she was of Asian descent, lean. And based on how she clung to Bucky, she trusted him.

"You know me?" Steve asked.

"You're Steve," said Bucky. "I ready about you in a museum."

"They've set the perimeter," Sam spoke through the comms. Steve noticed how the girl's head tilted upon receiving the message. Did she hear that? Steve thought.

"I know you're nervous, and you have plenty of reason to be, but you're lying," said Steve.

"I wasn't in Vienna – I'm not doing that anymore... I was here with her," Bucky glanced at the girl and then spoke in Japanese. The girl nodded and then reached for her earplugs inside her shirt and put it on. Steve watched her, completely confused as to why she needed to wear those, did she have some kind of disorder?

"Well, the people who think you did are coming here now, and they're not planning on taking you alive."

"That's smart. Good strategy," Bucky removed his glove, revealing his metal hand. He turned to the girl and then nodded in the direction of the roof.

"This doesn't have to end in a fight, Buck."

"It always does."

Steve's eyes turned to the girl, and it made her tense a little. "If you do this, you're dragging her in this."

Bucky frowned; his jaw clenched. "I know..."

Fifteen seconds. They could already feel the Task Force walking up the stairs, their boots weren't the best for surprise attacks.

"You pulled me from the river, why?" Steve pressed on.

"I don't know."

"Yes, you do."

Breach, breach!

~*~

Something blasted through the window. Bucky immediately grabbed Rebecca and hid her from the blast and covered her ears. With the earplugs, she could hear the sound of the flash grenade but it did no effect on her. Another came near them and Bucky quickly kicked it at Captain America's way, and the Avenger covered it with his shield before it exploded. Another flash grenade came through the window, and this time, Bucky used the mattress to cover them.

Rebecca heard the banging on the floor and threw the table in its direction to stop them. She turned to Captain America and saw his stunned face. She could already figure out what he was thinking: another super soldier?