Buzzkill: The Reckoning

Chapter 6

Steve furrowed his brows. "What do you mean, 'if she wants to be here'?"

Sam lowered his voice, "I think you know what I mean."

Steve glanced back at Ruth as she kept in step beside Bucky, keeping her arms crossed across her chest. He trusted Bucky. He had to. He's known him for too long to think he would bring someone that would harm anyone at SHIELD. Steve heard Sam's concerns, and in the back of his mind felt those doubts himself. If Ruth was here purposefully for a reason that would harm Bucky, he would take care of it.

They all walked through the back entrance of the main building, leading to the separate living space. Ruth couldn't help but look around her in awe of the place. The sleek, concrete walls surrounded that her made her feel like she had taken a step forward in time. It was a complete shift to where she's stayed the past few years. She felt wildly out of place, a discomfort holding her and sending a chill down her spine.

"Everything will be fine," Bucky reassured her as they approached the stairs that lead up to the living space.

Steve and Sam walked up first. Ruth could hear the people upstairs greeting them as they came in. Bucky followed, Ruth closely behind him. Others greet Bucky as Ruth's eyes adjusted to the bright lighting in the room.

"How did the rescue mission go?" Ruth could hear a male voice say. The lie made her skin crawl.

Her eyes scanned the room, a shudder dropping through her chest as her eye immediately caught Natasha standing in the room just beyond her to the left.

Time slowed. Natasha locked her gaze with Ruth's, reached across her belt, grabbed a small electric charge and threw it straight at Ruth, striking her target while taking out her pistol and keeping it aimed straight at Ruth's head.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Commotion immediately erupted within the room.

The electric charge stuck right onto Ruth's shoulder, the electricity flowing through Ruth's body, herself unaffected as she watched the shocks pulse and dissipate through her hands. I still have the immunity to electricity, apparently.

"Nice to see you too, Natasha," Ruth said, waiting for the shocks to stop flowing across her arms before taking the charge off and setting it down on the clean cut glass side table beside her.

"Why didn't that work on you?" Natasha questioned, her voice dangerous, keeping her pistol aimed straight at Ruth. She turned to Steve, "What is she doing here?"

"Put the gun down and we'll talk about it," Bucky urged, his voice low, positioning himself to quickly stand in front of Ruth, his arm held out to cover her.

Natasha lowered her weapon, still keeping it in her hands. Ruth looked to everyone else in the room, their stances on edge and expressions terribly unsure.

"I brought her here to help us," Bucky continued, still keeping his position to guard Ruth.

"We don't need anymore help from Hydra," Natasha said plainly.

"A Hydra agent?" Rhodes chimed in from the edge of the room. "Yeah, that we definitely don't need."

"No, I'm not—"

"She's not with them anymore," Bucky finished Ruth's sentence, standing a step more in front of her.

"How do you know that?" Rhodes questioned.

"Because I'm the one who got her out," Bucky shot back.

Everyone went silent, Tony walked closer from the kitchen at the right side of the room. Wanda and Vision kept their distance at a seating area at the far end.