When I woke up, I didn't understand what I dreamt about. It wasn't a memory, but it felt like I was actually in the room with Steve and Bucky. I was able to sense what Bucky was feeling and even his thoughts as if they were my own. The more I thought about the dream, the more I started to wonder if it was a new ability that I was getting. The problem is, I didn't even understand what kind of power that would be. Was it a vision? Is it a type of upgrade to my empathic power? I had no idea.
After I brushed my teeth and hair, I went downstairs to the kitchen to make some coffee. Steve was already downstairs eating a bowl of cereal while Natasha was eating a bagel.
"Morning," I said as I grabbed the kettle to heat up some water.
"Morning," Natasha greeted. "I was about to come up to your room."
"I thought I should come down here for a change."
Natasha smiled, approvingly. "Do you want half of my bagel?"
"Sure. Who want's coffee?"
Steve raised his hand. I looked at Natasha, who nodded. I grabbed the coffee tin, along with the coffee press. Steve began, "So, Bucky told me that you two had a sushi date after all."
I turned to him, pausing what I was doing. "Really? Did he tell you that this morning?"
"He came into my room quarter till eleven."
Last night... I thought as I remembered my weird dream. "What did you two talk about?"
"He heard us talking when we were training. I don't think he can accept the fact that you actually don't hate him."
I ran my fingers through my hair as I thought about the dream from last night. It wasn't a dream. I actually saw what was happening with Bucky and Steve while I was asleep. I questioned in my mind, What kind of power is that?
"Sounds like Barnes has a crush on you," Natasha nudged me out of my train of thought.
I cleared my throat and started scooping the coffee grounds in the coffee press. "We should really tell Tony it's better to buy coffee beans instead of grounds. It taste better when it's freshly grounded."
Feeling Natasha's eyes on me made me a little uncomfortable, but I tried my best to ignore her. From the corner of my eye, I saw her smirk. "And from the way you're blushing, someone has a crush on Barnes too."
I glared at Natasha. "It's not like that."
"Then, what is it like?"
I shrugged, "I don't know."
"It's okay if you do," Steve said. "There's no rule that an Avenger can't date another Avenger."
I raised my eyebrow at him, "Since when was I a part of the team?"
"Would you want to be?"
I pursed my lips as I thought about it. "I don't know. I never really thought about it before. Plus, working with Tony seems stressful."
"He's not so bad," Steve informed. "Trust me, he's just a pain in the beginning, but he's a good man. I didn't get along with him either, but he will lay his life down for the greater good."
I took a bite of the bagel. "We'll see what happens." Once the kettle was ready, I poured the hot water into the coffee press. "So, is Bucky an avenger too?"
"Why? You don't want to be one if he isn't?" Natasha teased. I rolled my eyes at her playfully. "Barnes is considered part of the team. The government granted Barnes a pardon as long as he remains under Steve's care. Even with that agreement, the government is still trying to find a reason to put him away. We send him out on a few missions so that it could help his case, but he needs to mostly remain on a low profile. If he were to disappear, the government will hunt him down and place him under arrest."
"So, would that be the same for me?"
"Yours won't be so difficult compared to Bucky's, but yes, you might have to go through the same thing. You might have to be watched by us until the government trusts you, but the process will still be the same," Steve answered.
"My hands aren't clean either, but they haven't arrested me yet," Natasha told me. "Don't worry, if you decide to join our team, we will make sure that you get pardoned."
"Same thing if you choose to leave after this is all over," Steve added.
I decided to change the subject. "So, has anyone got information on Petrov's location?"
"Nothing so far," Natasha divulged. "Seems like he disappeared."
"Or waiting," I suggested. I finished making the coffee poured cups for Natasha, Steve, and me. "He had a weird obsession with me when I was captured. He lived off torturing me, loved to watch the Winter Soldier hurt me. Even when I followed their commands, he would just randomly hurt me and order me to thank him for it. Karpov noticed what Petrov was doing and gave orders to stop hurting me without reason."
I noticed Steve slightly turn his head to the side, which made me look too. Bucky walked into the kitchen, immediately noticing me. He nodded at everyone and went to the refrigerator. I grabbed another mug to pour coffee into it. When he closed the refrigerator door, I slid the coffee down to him. He looked down at the counter to see the coffee right in front of him. I felt him stare at me.
"Black coffee, just how you like it," I shrugged, taking a sip of my own coffee without meeting his gaze. "But anyway, Petrov isn't stupid. He knows the odds are going to be against him if he tries attacking the tower."
Steve thought it through. "He's not attacking the tower because he knows that he'll lose if you're here."
"And he won't go out of hiding until I leave," I affirmed.
Natasha tilted her head to the side. "Are you thinking of using yourself as bait?"
I shrugged, "What if that's the only option?"
"It's not," Bucky blurted unexpectedly, making me look at him. He stared at me with a stern expression. "You're not using yourself as bait."
"I agree. I don't like that," Steve announced. "That's too risky."
"What about the files that you got on Hydra?" I asked. "Were you able to open all the locked files?"
"Not all of them," Natasha leaned against the counter with her arms folded. "There's some that are still really secured. There's also some more files that Fury managed to grab while he went undercover after D.C."
"Was there anything about Petrov?"
"Not that I know of," Natasha answered. "It's possible that it might be one of the encrypted ones."
I tapped my fingers against my mug, considering something. "I might know someone who can probably open whatever files are left."
Steve straightened, "Who?"
"He's a friend from high school, Jonah Masters. He's a genius hacker and a builder like Stark, except for the ego thing. He's actually very down to earth. He lived in Jersey last I spoke to him."
"Just because he is good with computers doesn't mean he has the ability to decrypt the files from Hydra," Bucky declared as he walked to the sink to rinse his apple. "And seriously, Jersey?" He rasped, making me raise my eyebrow at him.
I noticed Steve had an amused look on his face at what Bucky said, but also was reflecting on something too. "Yes, Jersey, my home state. You got a problem with that, New Yorker?" I challenged him.
Bucky smirked smugly, "Not at all, it's a cute little state." I rolled my eyes with his sarcastic attitude.
"Never understood you New Yorkers hating Jersey so much," I grumbled. "I know Jonah will be able to unlock them. It's worth a shot."
"We'll look into him and see if he still lives in Jersey. If he does, Nat and I can go talk to him," Steve said.
"Um," I cleared my throat. "I don't think the two of you going is a good idea. I think I need to tag along with you."
"Why?"
"How do I put this without sounding mean...Jonah can be a bit...eccentric sometimes. Trust me, it'll be better if I go with you."
"That's what Petrov is waiting for," Bucky reminded me. "If you leave this tower and they find out, they're going to go after you."
"I could wear a disguise."
"Not good enough," Bucky shook his head. "You need to stay in the tower."
I folded my arms, shrugging. "Then, we don't have Jonah."
"Iliana, I'm sure there's a way to convince Jonah to have him help us," Steve insisted.
"Just hear me out on this," I persuaded. "We send out false information I left the tower. Maybe Tony can create something that can show I'm heading out of the country. While all of that information is getting out, Petrov will probably have people listening. By the time he realizes it's false, we'd be back in the tower anyway. Jersey is literally across the Hudson."
Steve and Natasha exchanged looks before she replied, "We're going to have to make it believable."
"We will," I assured them.
Natasha shrugged at Steve, seeing there wasn't much of an option. I could tell Steve wasn't liking the idea and from the way Bucky looked, he wasn't happy about it either. Steve pinched the bridge of his nose. "Alright, let's make this happen."
Steve and Natasha left to arrange the plan. I was going to walk away, but Bucky grabbed my hand to stop me from leaving. I tensed at his unexpected hold on me. Bucky noticed and immediately let go of me.
"This isn't a good idea. Petrov isn't an idiot. He will catch on."
"We'll be back before he could figure it out. Besides, Petrov is waiting for me to make a stupid mistake like running away from the Avengers."
"Or leaving the tower. He might have eyes surrounding the tower right now, Iliana."
"Which he knows I could easily avoid. Hydra taught us how to be invisible, remember? Even to be invisible from Hydra itself. How do you think I was able to hide away for so long?"
Bucky knew I had a point, but it was clear in his face that he hated the idea. "I don't like this, Iliana. You shouldn't leave. I know Steve will watch you, but it's not enough."
I looked down. Our hands were barely touching, but I could feel the heat radiating from his hand. I had a sudden urge to reach out and feel his hand, but didn't.
"I'll be fine," I promised. "I'll be back before you notice."
Bucky gazed down at me. My eyes broke contact from his, but stared instead at his lips, but I moved back to his eyes. "What if something happens to you?" He asked softly.
"Nothing will happen to me," I whispered, looking at my feet. "I promise."
"That's a dangerous promise to make. It can easily be broken."
I smirked, "Well, I'm not one to break promises. I'll be careful. Don't worry so much."
"Not as easy as you think."
The sound of footsteps made Bucky take a step back. Steve came over to us. "Iliana, we set something up. To be safe, we're going to set up a fake phone call recording of you leaving."
"Alright." I followed Steve, but not before giving a small glance over to Bucky.
He was leaning against the counter with his hands grasping the ends of it. His jaw was clenched and watched me walk away. Steve and I made a fake phone conversation about how I was was planning on leaving the country and that I was going to lose contact with the Avengers. They even added a background noise to a flight number being called so it was a bit more believable.
"How long until we leave?" I asked.
Natasha looked at the time. "We'll leave in an hour. Go get dressed."
Once I was in my bedroom, I changed into black leggings, a white loose shirt, and a black leather jacket with a hood. I slipped on black knee high boots and slid my knives into each boot and grabbed my gun. I had a feeling Petrov would fall for the trick, but I wasn't going anywhere unprepared.
As I walked out of my room, I heard another door close. Bucky had changed out of his black sweats and hoodie to a dark gray cargo jacket with an army green shirt, and dark denim jeans. He was readjusting his gloves as he walked to the elevator, but when he saw me, he stopped.
"Where are you going?" I asked as I pressed the button.
"Jersey," he replied when we stepped into the elevator.
I raised an eyebrow at him and leaned against the elevator wall. "I didn't think you were coming along."
"I got nothing better to do," Bucky replied simply.
"You have nothing better to do or you're going to keep an eye on me?" I questioned. I watched Bucky's jaw clench, giving me the answer without him having to say it. "You don't have to come with us."
"I know."
"But you're still going to," I sighed at him. He didn't say anything back, making me roll my eyes. The silence between us made me feel a bit uneasy because it felt like the elevator was taking longer than it should've been.
"You do that a lot."
"Do what?"
"Bite your lip."
"No, I don't."
Bucky turned towards me. When Bucky stood in front of me, I had to tip my head back a because of how tall he was compared to me. I was probably the shortest out of all the Avengers. His presence was intimidating and intoxicating. Bucky gently reached out towards my face. Using his index finger and thumb, he gently pulled my bottom lip from my teeth. I didn't even notice I bit my lip until Bucky did that. His thumb rested on my bottom lip as the other fingers glided under my chin.
"Do too," Bucky uttered as he gazed at me. His eyes trailed down to my lips.
"Alright, I do," I breathed. "It's a bad habit."
"Says who?"
"Well, you, given that you're pointing it out."
"I never said it was a bad habit," Bucky stated. "To be honest, I think it's cute."
"Then, why are you mentioning it?"
Bucky focused my lips again. Hesitantly, he ran his thumb over my bottom lip slowly and softly. Feeling how gentle he was made my heart beat faster. I wasn't used to this kind of touch from him and I was loving every minute of it. We were leaning towards each other, but just hovering our lips over each others as if we were waiting on who would make the move. I stared into his beautiful blue gray eyes. I felt like I could get lost in them. I loved how I was able to see his emotions so clearly even when he tried to hide it.
Nervously, I reached up and moved a section of his hair away from his face. His eyes diverted when he saw my hand move and watched it with caution. My palm felt his stubble prickle my skin as I glided my hand back to his hair. He closed his eyes when he felt my touch with his jaw tightening. Clearly, he wasn't used to a gentle touch anymore. All those years of what he went through, it made sense for him to react this way. He tilted his head towards my touch as if he wasn't sure if it was real or not. My soft breath warmed the tip of his thumb as we moved closer to each other. Suddenly, I sucked in a breath and my eyes involuntarily closed.
"Sergeant Barnes," a voice said. "You will be the new fist of Hydra."
An unfamiliar Hydra Soviet soldier came forward with a smug look. <Didn't you hear the news? The Captain is dead. He's not coming for you. No one is coming for you. Hydra is all you have now.>
Bucky was strapped to the memory suppressing machine. He took deep heavy breaths, jaw clenched tightly as the machine turned on. The eyes that were filled with fear turned cold and empty. Bucky was gone. It was only the Winter Soldier.
Bucky replied, <Ready to comply.>
I gasped and opened my eyes, looking at Bucky. Whatever that vision was terrified me. I was able to feel how he was as the Winter Soldier. I felt his emptiness, his anger, the confusion that he went through every single day. The hidden fear of what would happen to him if he disobeyed an order. I wasn't able to understand what was happening to me. I never had any kind of visions before when I felt someone's emotions.
How was I able to do it now?
What is happening to me?
I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to process what just happened. I started to feel Bucky become sad and concerned. He was concerned because he believed I was having a flashback from when I was being tortured. Guilt and shame washed over him as his eyes glistened. I watched his jaw clenched as he realized that I would never stop fearing him even though I said I don't want to. He believed I will still be afraid no matter what he does to make me feel comfortable.
"Bucky, that's not what I-" I began to object.
The elevator came to a stop, making Bucky come to his senses. He moved away and cleared his throat. The doors opened and Natasha and Steve were there. They were talking to each other, but when they looked at us, they must've felt the awkward tension that was in the elevator. They looked at Bucky and me. I looked to the side, biting my lip while Bucky was looking at Natasha and Steve with his serious face, not giving anything away.
"Everything okay?" Steve asked awkwardly.
"Yeah, fine," Bucky replied simply.
Natasha studied me while I scratched at my head and then ran my fingers through my hair. Natasha cleared her throat and stepped inside the elevator with Steve following. Natasha pressed the last button on the elevator. The tension was still thick which made the elevator ride a bit awkward. The silence made the elevator ride seem ridiculously longer than it needed to be.
Damn elevators.
When the doors finally opened, we all stepped out eagerly. I scanned the room, noticing the variety of cars and motorcycles parked. The room had more of an appearance of a cave aside from the light fixtures on the ceiling and cement ground.
"Are we underground?" I asked.
"Yes," Natasha answered me. "This garage level actually leads us to a secure location if we don't want to show that we left. We figured this would be useful for this trip."
"Tony Stark really thought this through." I peered over at Bucky, who was walking with Steve. "Natasha, I need to tell you something."
"If it's about the sexual tension that was clearly there while you were in the elevator with Barnes, you don't have to tell me. I could cut it with a paperclip."
"No," I shook my head. "It was something else. Bucky touched me and I saw something..."
"What did you see?"
"I don't know exactly what I saw, but I heard a voice that sounded like Arnim Zola. He said Bucky was the new fist of Hydra. After that, I saw a Hydra Soviet solider was provoking Bucky about Steve being dead. Then, the vision changed to Bucky on the memory wiping machine. Natasha, I think it was a memory."
"That you had of Bucky?"
"No," I shook my head. My throat felt drier than the Arizona desert from how much anxiety I was feeling. "I think it was Bucky's memory."
Natasha's eyebrows furrowed. "I didn't know you could do that."
"Neither did I until it happened." I made sure Bucky and Steve were out of hearing range before I continued to explain. "I even felt how he was feeling as the Winter Soldier. Every little piece of Bucky didn't exist anywhere in him. I don't know what it was, but I don't think that was part of my empath power. It was something else. Maybe, something new."
"We'll figure it out when we get back. You can tell me more about it later. Maybe, we can even have Bruce sit with us to come up with possibilities of what it could be. Try not to worry about it for now, okay?"
"You're right."
Natasha went over to an armory that was nearby to grab some gear she thought would be useful just in case. I followed her and looked through the weapons, but I couldn't help but overhear Bucky and Steve's conversation.
"What made you want to come?" Steve asked Bucky.
"Figured you could use back up," he replied. I glanced over at them as they spoke.
"You sure that's the reason?" Steve said, looking over towards Natasha and me. Bucky looked too, seeing that I was staring. I quickly turned around, pretending to be fascinated with the closest weapon I could find.
Bucky sighed in frustration. "Is there any other reason?" He exasperated as I heard the car door open and close.
Natasha looked at me, "Ready?"
I set down the weapon I was pretending to look busy with. "Yeah, let's go."
As we made our way over to the car, Steve came over to me. "What's going on with Bucky and you?"
"Nothing. We're cool with each other." Steve gave me a look, not buying what I was saying. "It's nothing, Steve." I walked away and noticed Natasha sat in the left passenger seat side. Rolling my eyes, I walked over to the other side to sit behind Bucky.
Steve got into the driver's seat and started to drive out of the garage. I looked out the window. We entered a tunnel and continued to go down it for a few miles until I noticed that the car started going upwards. Steve stopped at the large metal gate. He grabbed a controller from the glove compartment and pressed it. The doors opened that led to a small room which Steve drove into it. I realized that it was a car elevator. When the doors opened, I frowned to see that we were in another parking garage.
"What?" I looked around.
"We're five miles away from the tower. This leads to a private parking garage Tony owns. When we go this way, it'll look like we're just civilians that parked here." Steve explained.
"Do you know where to go?" I asked.
"We found his current address," Natasha answered.
"Does he still live in Trenton?"
"Cranbury," Natasha answered.
"Well, that just made our one hour trip into two." I mumbled.
"Iliana, we looked into him before we left. He seems very clean. Are you sure he will be able to gain access to the encrypted files?" Natasha queried.
"Trust me," I said to Natasha. "Jonah will be able to figure it out. He's never let me down before."
"I hope you're right."
I understood why they had doubts about my friend. If special trained techs couldn't decrypt Hydra's databases, why would Jonah be more qualified for the task? From what I recalled, Natasha might have publicly released Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s databases, but many of those files were secured. Only those with patience, talent, and experience would be able to open the files. Even though they had doubts, I knew Jonah wouldn't let me down. Besides, it wasn't like we had much to lose. If Jonah can't crack the files, then we would need to find another way. If he was able to, then we would be one step closer to figuring out how to take down Petrov once and for all. There might even be a chance to eliminate Hydra, no more heads taking its place ever again. That seemed like a chance worth taking in my eyes.