Frostbite

Thirteen

I awoke with the back of my head pounding fiercely. I gritted my teeth and started to slowly sit up, remembering what had occurred before I blacked out. I gasped loudly and shot up straight.

"Rhodey-"

"-Is going to Columbia Medical tomorrow. They don't know if he'll be paralyzed or not. But he's... alive," Tony soothed in a hushed tone, reaching for my arm. His black eye was even worse looking than before. I was tempted to give him another to match.

Instead, I jerked away and shoved him against his seat. "You punched me in the head," I hissed as I delicately touched the sore spot. I glanced around finally, noting the absence of any of the other Avengers. We were in Tony's helicopter; it easily piloting itself. "Where the hell are we? Where is everyone else?"

"You mean the law breakers? Well, as you can imagine Ross had them arrested and now, they're in a floating maximum-security prison in the middle of the ocean. Where we just left, with him none the wiser. It would have been nice if you had woken up a little sooner so that I could have avoided that trip entirely," he huffed, sitting back in his seat.

I blinked at him in shock. A prison. In the middle of the ocean. I should've been there with them. Yet, here I was, safe, because of Tony.

"As I said, you hit me in the head. Ross will be pissed if he finds out what you did. Where I really am."

"Yeah well, I didn't plan on telling him. Did you?" he smirked. I shook my head in exasperated amusement. "I should have believed you guys about Barnes."

I peered out the window at the raging sea, barely visible through the dark clouds. "So, we're headed to Siberia then?" Part of me hoped Steve and Bucky hadn't reached the base yet. Then I'd know he was safe. Two against five wasn't a scenario I was particularly thrilled about.

"Not yet. I'm sure Ross is tracking the helicopter now, so we'll have to backtrack," he said in a mischievous tone. Realization dawned on me, and my eyes narrowed as I turned to face him again. I almost told him to leave me here. Let them sort out the other soldiers.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Wish I was, Lanie."

"If you drop me-" I threatened in my scariest voice.

"Would I ever?"

I just stared at him, my face unchanging. The corner of his lip twitched upward, and I crossed my arms against my chest.

"I swear I won't drop you!" he finally exclaimed, throwing his hands up in defeat. I nodded my approval, and he handed me his phone dutifully.

There were files on the man who had impersonated the doctor meant to evaluate Bucky. He was Sokovian. It was all about Sokovia this whole time. Bucky had just been a steppingstone into something larger.

"Man. Bucky just can't catch a break," I muttered, handing it back to him. I bit my lip before speaking again, unsure I should even say anything. "You know Steve and Sam wanted to tell you as soon as we knew what was going on. I was the one who didn't want you to break the accords trying to help."

I had no idea if that would ease any of the tension between the two of them, but I hoped it would. He seemed to process what I said, but a nod was all I got that told me he heard what I said.

"You ready?"

I nodded and waited as he leaned back, pressing a button on one of the arm rests. Tony's armor started clicking into place and the back of the chopper beginning to open up.

He outreached his armored hand, and I gulped involuntarily before taking it. We fell into the sky, the rain pelting my skin. Tony pulled me close, and I closed my eyes, not daring to look down. I shielded my skin from the rain so that I wouldn't be drenched by the time we reached Siberia. I could only hope we made it there in time.