2014, Apartment complex, Washington D.C
As Steve pulled up to his apartment complex, he noticed Bucky's bike there, indicating his friend was back from the Smithsonian. Steve parked his motorcycle and headed toward the entrance of the building. Climbing the staircase, he overheard quiet voices and, upon reaching the top, found Bucky engaged in conversation with Kate, their neighbour, who held a laundry basket.
Bucky offered, "If you want, you can use our machine. Might be cheaper than the one in the basement."
"Oh, yeah? What's it cost?" Kate asked, not yet noticing the blonde super soldier. Seeing Steve rounding the corner, Bucky continued, tilting his head toward him. "He'll buy you a cup of coffee."
"He will?" Kate queried; scepticism clear in her voice.
"Yeah... I will," Steve stated, looking confused. Now aware of him, Kate questioned, "Thank you, but um...I already have a load downstairs, and you don't want my scrubs in your machine. I just finished orientation in the infectious diseases ward, so."
Steve raised his arms a little, saying, "Ah, well, I'll keep my distance." Steve moved away, joining Bucky at the door with the key. Kate replied, "Well, hopefully not too far." The men thanked her, assuming she was heading downstairs to the basement. However, they heard her voice one last time. "Oh, and I think you left your stereo on."
Both men exchanged confused glances before turning their ears toward the door. Faint music played inside. They hadn't used the stereo, implying someone had broken into the apartment. Cautiously, they entered through a window. Bucky followed Steve as he skulked around the room, picking up their shields and leaning against the wall in case the intruder was still present. Peering round the corner, Steve's eyes met a familiar figure lying on the couch, causing him to relax and prompting Bucky to lower his shield.
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"I don't remember giving you a key," Steve said, glancing towards the floor while Bucky appeared behind him. Nick Fury winced a little as he sat up, drawing the attention of both men. "You think I'd need one?" Fury took the phone from the armrest, letting his arm hang down. "My wife," he started, leaning on his knees with his elbows, "She kicked me out."
Bucky raised a disbelieving eyebrow at the Director. "Your wife?" He quizzed, drawing out the statement as he tried to determine its authenticity. "One, you never said anything about having a wife in the first place. Two, who would marry you?" Though harsh, it was a sentiment shared by both soldiers. Bucky grunted slightly when he was elbowed in the gut by Steve. Rolling his eyes and clearing his throat, he moved around the corner to see Fury better.
Fury snorted, acknowledging the fair statement. "There's a lot of things you don't know about me," he cryptically informed the pair.
"We know, Nick," Steve spoke up, frustration evident in his voice at the lack of transparency from the man they had been working for since awakening from the iceberg a couple of years ago. "That's the problem," he stated, moving over to the lampshade and flicking the switch to bring light to the room.
Both men looked at Fury, their eyes widening as they saw the battered, bruised, and cut state of the man, realizing the extent of his injuries. When they had entered the room earlier, they had only recognized him by his silhouette. Nick raised his hand, signalling them to be quiet, and pulled the string switch on the lamp, casting the room back into darkness.
As the soldiers walked further into the room, Fury typed something into his phone, showing them a message: 'ears everywhere.' The men started looking around the room, their senses heightened. Fury continued speaking, "I'm sorry to have to do this," revealing another message on his phone: 'SHIELD compromised.' Bucky, playing along with the cover, asked, "Who else knows about your wife." The third message on the phone read, 'You two and me.' Fury then clarified, "Just - my friends."
"Is that what we are?" Bucky asked firmly.
"That's up to you," Nick replied before the men could respond, three shots rang out through the building, causing Fury to collapse in pain. Bucky and Steve quickly dragged him to the kitchen to avoid the shooter's aim. Bucky noticed Fury's laboured breathing and felt something in his hand as he retracted, revealing a small silver device – a flash drive. Steve looked around the corner, trying to identify the shooter. His strength fading, Fury urged them, "Don't...trust...anyone."
Firm knocks on the door preceded its forceful entrance. Kate, with her gun drawn, walked in, addressing them. "Captain Rogers, Lieutenant Barnes. I'm Agent 13 of SHIELD Special Service." Ignoring Steve's question, Kate informed them, "I'm assigned to protect you." Steve, maintaining a stern tone, queried, "On whose order?" Glancing at Fury's injuries, Kate hesitated before confirming, "His." Moving Bucky aside, she crouched to check on Fury, radioing for EMTs.
"Do you have a twenty on the shooter?" A voice came through the radio. Both soldiers turned toward the window, spotting a flash of metal in the light. Bucky responded, "Tell him we're in pursuit."
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Bucky and Steve ran through various walls to get to the roof as fast as they could. They came upon the window to the roof just as they saw the figure jump off the ledge above the floor. The men ran through the large window that connected the floor to the roof, and glass smashed everywhere, like when they flew out of the apartment. Without hesitation, Bucky drew back his shield and propelled it forward so it would hit the assailant's head - which should've knocked them out.
They were shocked still when the figure... a woman - turned around sharply and caught the shield like it was nothing, her arm covered in silver. Her arm was metal, and the men noticed a large red star painted on it. Her figure was about the regular size of a fully grown female. Her hair was dark, nearly brown, with a dirty tint. Her eyes were steeled, dark, and vicious from behind the mask - like there was an underline of long-time hatred built into them.
Her whole body was covered in black clothing, even around her mouth and nose, leaving behind her cold blue eyes - those eyes reminded the men of someone. Marni, but it couldn't be - she's dead, and those eyes were too emotionless to be hers anyway. There was no way she would agree to what this figure was doing right now. The woman's hair was darker than hers anyway. Marni loved her natural hair colour - she always said it made her personality brighter.
The woman's eyes narrowed at them before her metal arm drew back with the shield still in her grasp; without another moment, she threw it with so much force that when Bucky grabbed it as it landed against his stomach - he skidded backwards around 2-3 meters, even when he tried to resist the force.
The figure turned around and jumped off the roof, successfully getting away - knowing that once the man died from the bullets - she was able to take out her most prized targets, the American heroes.
The men saw her missing from her original spot and quickly went over to the side of the building - when they looked down, they couldn't see her at all. She had gotten away with her actions.
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2014, Hospital, Washington D.C
Natasha Romanoff, who had received the information, hurried to the hospital, and entered the viewing room of the surgical suite, finding Steve and Bucky standing with intense focus. "Is he going to make it?" she asked, her voice on the verge of breaking.
"We don't know," Bucky responded quietly, keeping his gaze fixed on the scene unfolding before them. Standing beside him, Natasha asked in a near-whisper, "Tell me about the shooter." The enhanced hearing of the super-soldiers allowed them to hear her despite the hushed tone.
"She's fast. Strong," Steve began, looking down at his hands before continuing. Agent Hill joined them, standing next to Natasha as she listened. "Had a metal arm." Natasha's eyes raised slightly, recalling a past encounter with the same individual.
"Ballistics?" She questioned, turning to the woman beside her.
Shaking her head slightly, Maria replied, "Three slugs, no rifling. Completely untraceable." Natasha, recognizing the make, added, "Soviet-made." Maria confirmed with a quiet 'yeah.'
Steve and Bucky followed Natasha out of the room to discuss the situation. "Why was Fury in your apartment?" She asked, seeking clarity on the urgency of the matter. "I don't know," Steve replied, opening his arms slightly. Rumlow interrupted their conversation, informing them, "Cap, Lieutenant, they want you back at SHIELD."
Agreeing to leave soon, they turned back to Natasha. "They want you now," Rumlow added, stopping them from turning away. "Okay," Bucky replied coldly. With Rumlow leaving, they faced Natasha again, and she remarked, "You're terrible liars." Turning and walking off, Bucky - still carrying the flash drive in his pocket, noticed a vending machine being restocked. The bubble gum compartment seemed ideal to conceal the drive, so he discreetly placed it inside. Walking away, he joined Steve and Rumlow at the end of the corridor, heading back to SHIELD and preparing to meet with Alexander Pierce.
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A/n
Another part is done. One step closer to Bucky and Steve finding out The Winter Soldier's true identity. Please feel free to vote, follow, and leave feedback in the comments as it helps me make the book better. I hope you have enjoyed this part and that you will read the next one when it is published. Don't forget to look after yourself.💕
Word Count:1595