Bucky froze hearing the words leave Fern's mouth, "But, no, you can't." Images flashed through Bucky's mind, and they began to crumble. "I won't let that happen; I've seen enough to never let that happen." Bucky stepped back up to Fern taking her hands in his.
"Bucky, I don't know what the Thunderbird has shown you, but it isn't going to happen. Everyone has to leave; I can't lose my home and all of you. Safety of everyone and everything is all I care about." Fern pulled her hands away from Bucky's and slowly moved off of the bed.
"So, it's the bird, not you. Is it ever you?" Bucky stepped away from her turning to the door. "I thought that maybe, being back here and remembering how free I felt for that short amount of time, could come back. Happiness is something that a person like me isn't capable of." He walked to the door walking through it as it opened for him.
"Bucky, don't do this," Fern her voice cracked, she felt her legs begin to give out, and she rested back onto the bed. Ryker whined, pressing his head into her side. "It's for the best, and you know it. We can't all be happy." Fern felt tears cascade down her face as she turned to Ryker and cried into his fur.
"Fern," Steve's voice greeted her as he stepped into the room.
"Please don't, Steve. I don't need to hear it; I already have a damn good idea what you're going to say." Fern sighed, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. He was upset, and she was sure that Bucky told them what she had said.
"I've been told I'm pretty good at giving pep talks. I believe you need one," Steve walked over and sat in the chair Bucky was previously seated in. "You're doing what you believe is right, and that is never a bad thing. But what are you listening to, your head or your heart? Because no matter how much you'll never admit it, you know how he feels. You know how it feels to be alone, and then when you finally find something, it's taken away from you. Well, right now, you're taking it away from yourself. We all want to help you, but if you push us away, we can't do that." Steve sighed, resting a hand on her knee.
"No one can help me, Steve. From the day I walked out into that storm for the first time, I was bound to this place never to leave," Fern ran her hands through her hair, pulling at it lightly. "I have to protect all of you, and the only way to do that is for you all to leave. The Thunderbird believes that you're like Hydra, bad people who want to hurt us. So Thor being here has really pissed it off."
"Why can't we help you? This isn't something you have to do on your own."
"Because you can't understand the Thunderbird." Fern chuckled.
"Guys, we have a problem," Sam shouted, rushing into the room. "Bucky's out in the storm, and Thor's not far behind him." Fern's heart dropped as she ran from the infirmary and through the house, pushing past the Avengers as she went.
"Bucky!" Fern screamed, not seeing him or the God of Thunder. Her eyes searched the sky, watching the Thunderbird take flight; she caught sight of a bolt of lightning shoot up from the ground, knowing it was Thor. Fern yelped, watching the lightning bolt hit the Thunderbird. "We have to stop him."
"What can we do? This is now our problem as well," Steve walked up to her, his shield in hand.
"Try and stop Thor; tell him he has to stop. I'll find Bucky; I have a feeling I know where he's going," Fern grabbed her side as Thor shot another bolt of lightning into the sky, striking the Thunderbird. "I'll try to tell the Thunderbird that you're trying to help. But, I don't know if it will work, so watch yourselves."
Steve nodded, looking to his friends, "Alright, let's move, people." Natasha, Wanda, and Sam ran out of the house behind Steve in their search for Thor.
"You two," Fern looked to Tony and Bruce, "The Thunderbird is going to need help after this; I'll try my best to get it here. Be ready." She ran into the forest, leaving the pair to prepare for the worst.
Fern dodged falling trees, bolts of lightning, and other flying debris as she ran through the forest and up the mountain as she went. "Bucky!" She shouted, hoping he would hear her over the thunder. "Bucky, please, you're going to get yourself killed out here! Please don't do this!" Warm tears raced down her ice-cold cheeks. Fern hissed, falling to her knees as the Thunderbird was struck again.
"Bucky, please, I need you. Whatever the Thunderbird showed you, let's make it happen," Fern sobbed; her legs felt like they were on fire, and the pain in the rest of her body was growing. She gasped, feeling wet fur brush up against her; Fern weakly smiled, finding Ryker next to her. "Find him, find Bucky before it's too late, Ryker."
Fern's vision started the blur, and the feeling of being stabbed raged through her body. "I can't stop; I have to save the Thunderbird." She coughed, pushing herself to her feet as she pushed her way up the mountain further.
"Come on, you stupid bird, land." Fern snapped, glaring up at the sky, watching it fly around, trying to avoid Thor's lightning. "Land dammit! Stop killing us!" She screamed.
Another bolt shot into the sky, and Fern gasped, watching it strike the Thunderbird; she knew this was it. The Thunderbird quickly started spiraling down towards the earth; Fern felt her heart begin to beat slower, her breathing becoming sparse. "No, no." She cried, falling to her knees. "NO!"
Strength Fern had only felt once before welled inside her, and she got to her feet and began running down the mountain. Fern watched the Thunderbird fall through the trees, using her powers to grow the vegetation and help slow the Thunderbird's descent. Fern screamed with rage watching the Thunderbird hit the ground and Thor running up to it, ready to strike it; she pushed herself to run faster, jumping into the air and over the Thunderbird, slamming Thor into the ground.
"You," Fern slammed her fit into Thor's head. "Will. Not," Fern continued beating Thor, hitting him back into the ground when he tried to force her off of him.
"Hurt the Thunderbird." Thor flipped them, slamming Fern into the ground, and pushed himself away from her, summoning his hammer and turning to the Thunderbird. "Ever again!" Fern screamed, jumping onto Thor, slamming him into the ground once again.
Arms moved around Fern as she continued to slam her fists into Thor's head; she screamed, turning to attack the person who removed her from her target. "Fern, Doll, that's enough." Bucky's voice whispered in her ear, calming her.
"No," Fern spat, pushing Bucky away from her. "He deserves to feel what he did to us." She ran to the Thunderbird, falling to the ground next to it, feeling its golden feathers in her hands. She cried at the sight; a creature that was so majestic and powerful looked so defeated.