Heartless

Chapter 79

"Say what now?"

"I'll help you filter the information, learn to control it," Bucky said. "It's what I've been doing, but with my own memories."

I flipped my head down and slid the towel off. "Sure, okay."

"We can start whenever."

"Give me thirty minutes."

- - -

Bucky helped me channel my abilities for a few weeks until I was no longer accidentally seeing into other people's heads. He taught me how to sort out information and I learned how to use my abilities to know what's coming in the immediate future. I learned how to know when people are coming up behind me and when someone's about to walk through the door. I was able to go on missions and help the team again.

I helped Katherine figure out Theo and found out that he left HYDRA not long before Strucker was killed. He was trying to make an honest living and went to the local community college for criminology.

One night while everyone except me was asleep, FRIDAY alerted me that there was a solo mission. I suited up and snuck out. My plan was to be back before Steve, the earliest riser, woke up.

I was thankful for the fact it was winter, because the mission didn't go as planned and I had to wear a turtleneck. After putting makeup on the rest of the bruises and cuts, I headed out to the kitchen.

"Monica, why are you wearing a turtleneck?" Steve asked me. "You never wear turtlenecks."

"I'm cold," I shrugged.

Kate looked at me with skepticism. "Right. And I wouldn't complain about being cold if I was in the pits of Hell. Why are you wearing a turtleneck?"

"Fine, I hooked up with someone and we got frisky," I lied.

Kate slid off the countertop where she was sitting and walked over to me. I took a step back. She lunged towards me and pulled the collar down, revealing a hand-shaped bruise across my throat. She glared at me. "This isn't you hooking up with someone. Being choked terrifies you. What happened?"

"Well-"

Before I could answer, Sam burst through the door with a shopping cart filled with Girl Scout cookies. We all turned to him.

"They said I was cool!" He said, pulling the cart inside.

"So you bought," I eyed the cart, "two hundred boxes of cookies?"

"Yeah. So what? It was Stark's money."

"Well in that case, did you get Thanks-A-Lots?" He tossed me a pack as Nat and Bucky walked in.

"Thin mints!" Nat yelled, snatching a box.

"Fuck yeah!" Bucky said, taking a sleeve out of the box.

"Language, Bucky," Kate said in a mocking tone.

"Has that not died yet?" Steve sighed.

"Nope!" Kate laughed. "Never!"

"Hey, Mon, what's with the turtleneck?" Sam asked.

I sighed and pulled the collar down. "I went on a solo mission last night. The room was made of pure vibranium and it disabled my powers. The guy snuck on on me."

"Well, why didn't you push the panic button?" Tony asked.

"I didn't always have special abilities, Stark. I survived by combat." I let go of the collar and covered my throats again.

"But you're okay, right?" Bucky asked.

"I'm fine, Buck. I'm gonna go wash the makeup off," I said before heading to my room.