The machine is here. Lovely. Guess who won't be sleeping well tonight knowing that it's in the same building?
That's right! Me!
After the supper and the worry over Winter killing Peter, I wander back down to the abandoned floor.
It's dust covered and should be rather disturbing, my footprints have left tracks in the dust, showing everywhere that I have wondered before and after Winter and Steve came to find me.
One trail, obvious with the heels I am wearing currently trek to the kitchen, from the elevator and then to the socializing area then to where I am now, the bar.
Oddly enough the floor seems rather familiar, weather it looks like another floor or why it seems like I should know it I am not sure.
The dance floor separating the lounging area and the bar. The kitchen is closed off from this area by hidden doors.
Guess this is the party floor, only used every so often. Even though Tony seems to be the partying type.
Stretching my legs, I stand and move across the floor with a random spin in the middle of it. Up on my toes, one leg far out behind me. Arms spread wide, chin up and eyes shut. Just like a ballet dancer, just like training.
Smiling my shoes come off, now only in bare feet I dance. Melodic and fluent. Legs stretched out, arms close then spread widely. Legs stiff but relaxing with every twirl, step or jump. Feet pointed while in the air, and raised onto the toes while not.
The dance moves me towards the couches, the backs of my knees tip into the arm rest. I let myself fall, face up with my feet dangling over the rest.
My eyes shut, head flopped over to the side. I don't hear the elevator door open, or James shuffle to the bar.
I only notice him when the glasses on the shelf clink together, and the booze starts pouring into the half closed cylinder.
Sitting up and moving my feet I look at him, "if you can't get drunk what's the point?"
A gun is pointed in my direction, and slowly brought down. "You should know better than to scare me."
"I don't care. But what's the point?"
"Can't sleep. May as well drink."
"Bring me a double."
Without a respond he grabs a second glass, picks up the title plus a second one and makes his way over.
"You do the pouring, I like the heavy hand."
"Shut up."
He laughs and I fill my own glass. Swirling it around before taking a sip. It's a chestnut like taste, but with a bit of a tinge to it. I can't feel any alcohol getting to me. It's probably weak.
Picking up the bottle I check the back. "Only 20%?"
"Yah. Why?"
"Weak."
We sit in silence for quite awhile, before he asked if I remember the last time we were on this floor. "No. Fill in my memory?"
"We were having a party celebrating you being back with us, HYDRA infiltrated through the caterers."
"That's why I was wearing heels."
"What?"
"Oh, a memory surfaced awhile ago, I was on a plane with Anatoly and the third Soldier. I think his name was like, Alex or something like that. They were father and son, I kicked one while wearing heels. It's all I can remember of him."
James shakes his head at me and downs the last contents for his glass, setting it down and nodding his nose to it, asking me to pour him a glass. I...comply.
Liquid splatters as glass shatters against the floor. It's dull and meaningless to me.
"готовы соблюдать" ready to comply
"Silv?"
"какова моя миссия?" What is my mission?
"There's no mission. FRIDAY GET STEVE!"
"Steve."
Feet move, dripping blood from wounds made by splintered glass and whiskey burning the bleeding skin.
The door of the stairwell flys open, dents where metal palms hit, glassy eyes, look upwards ears listen for footnotes following but ignore hem when they come. Must be my partner.
Blood print trail up the stairs, a metal arms claps around another's arm. Not a partner. An opposing force.
Metal knuckles glance off a metal bicep, throwing sparks. A voice is heard, the speaker is not seen.
"Mr. Barnes do you acquire assistants?"
"YES!"
Barnes. James. Bucky. Winter. Soldier. Trainer. Killer.
"BUCKY?!" A voice over head. The mission.
Steps are skipped, Winter is chasing me, good luck. You trained me, you should know I can't be caught or killed. But good try, and that's al it is, an effort.
Blood clots are forming and ripping apart, blonde hair is seen from a set of stairs below where he is.
Use the surprise of a female rushing at him as an opening to attack. Tackling him at the waist and pulling metal fists into his face before being pulled off by Winter does damage.
A little girl is in the doorway a few feet from us. "Mom?"
No. No. NO.
You have his eyes.
Aly.
Should someone be sitting beside me?
No.
Killer a voice not of my own rings through my head
I am the killer it's speaking about.
"Silv?"
The mission leaves my head. I know I wasn't actually sent to kill Steve. It was my own mind that came with the idea.
"Silver?"
"Buck, what happened?"
"I don't know. She dropped a bottle and said that she was-"
"-ready to comply. Asked for mission. He yelled for a Steve. He is my mission." No, calm down, no one is to die by my hands. Not today, not tomorrow. Not ever again.
They stare at me. "Was. Is? Fuck it. I need sleep."
Moving to stand I am held strong. "James let go of me. I'm going to bed."
"Aly get out of here."
The girl. My Aly child. She's still watching.
"Aly go back to bed. It's late."
"Dad it's not even ten."
"Go to bed." There's an edge to the soldier's voice.
The girl spins on her heel and leaves, leaving the three adults alone.
"Jess?"
"Hmm?"
"What was that about?"
"I don't know."
With that my feet start to move, taking me to where they want. Maybe subconsciously I'm controlling them but I can't tell.
Face planting into my bed and getting a nose full of dust I laugh at myself. How the hell can I ask for a mission without my words? I'm messed up. I should have died a long time ago. I should have died within HYDRA long before I killed my own father, before I killed anyone or anything.
Was my mother's death unstoppable or could it have been prevented if only I wasn't a sick, mutant like, horribly strange child?
Rolling over onto my side and pulling my knees close to my chest I feel as if I should cry, but I won't. Only the weak cry, and the weak get killed in this world of horror. My eyes shut. I am plunged into a world of darkness and waken to a world of panic and confusion.
FRIDAY wakes me up an hour before my preferred wake up call. She woke me at five hundred hours. "Fury and the rest of the AVENGERS are waiting for you in conference room B."
"Fine. But why?"
"They require your assistance."
"With?"
"Finding your daughter."
I'm out of my room and into the stair well within seconds, and bursting into the conference room within a minute.
Stark points to me and looks at the others including Fury. "Told you that would get her here."
"Where's my daughter?"
"In her room asleep. Where else would she be?"
Without thinking I lunge only to be yanked back by Steve and Thor.
"FRIDAY SAID THAT YOU ALL NEEDED MY HELP FINDING HER!! ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT FRIDAY LIED?"
"Only under orders to Ms. Rice. Take a seat, there is a lot to discuss."
A knock is heard from behind me and a man who I recognize flimsily from my time sedated and drowsy in the sick bay stands there. "Phil."
Steve let's go of me and looks at Fury, "he's alive, and you didn't tell us?"
"It was not deemed necessary until his team was chosen to bring in the machine. Ms. Rice how do you know Agent Coulson?"
"Uh, I am unsure. I know his name and face. Perhaps HYDRA was or is interested in him?" While I was in he sick bay he told me not to alert anyone of his presence or visit. Still have to keep that up.
"Good to know, we will keep watch over any HYDRA activity and chatter we hear pertaining to him as well as the rest of you." Fury knows I'm lying, but Phil smiles at me.
It is only now that I realize no one else has spoke. "Are you all okay?"
"You're not dead son of Coul!" Thor stands and looks at his brother "you did not kill him brother! This is a happy day!"
Loki is sitting rather stiffly, looking at the table, "it is a good day brother."
Questions are being thrown at Phil, Fury is doing nothing to contain the madness.
Phil is still standing on the doorway, smiling at the chaos, bemused by the havoc and disorganization in the rather organized team. Absentmindedly I stand and move to his side. "I'm assuming good you're supposed to be dead?"
He gives a light laugh before nodding "Loki killed me when he invaded New York, Medics got to me and I've been working with a different team since. Always lots of fun checking in on people who think I'm dead."
With a nod I survey the room, Loki still sitting stiffly, Thor laughing at his brothers worry, Clint andNatalia are trying to calm everyone who is yelling down, James is looking confused as always, Sam the same, Wanda is yelling at Fury about her brother, while Vision is soothing her, Steve is yelling at Fury trying to get an explanation as to why they were not told of Phils recovery,Bruce is turning green at the gills, and Tony has his head in his hands. "This is quite the bunch of people. Wouldn't you say?"
"You know, they're not always this organized."
Phil glances at me and we both give off a light chuckle, we continue to watch the havoc until Peter pops in through the window. Them everyone stops talking.
"Peter, how many times have I told you, use the door."
"Sorry Mr. Stark."
"Now that we have order in the court, we have business to attend too. I asked the boy to sit in the meeting, even though he will not be joining the mission."
Fury gestures for everyone to sit down, Phil and Peter included.
Images of a man, with bleached hair and bright blue eyes and what could be bullet wounds appear on the television behind Fury, Wanda gasps hand to her mouth and Clint looks down.
"We all assumed that this was the end for Mr. Pietro, unfortunately HYDRA didn't."
Tears are steaming down Wanda's face and Vision is obviously unsure as to how he should soothe the girl.
The image changes and is now a blurred photograph of the same man, but with dark brown hair and no wounds.
"Where is he being kept?"
"Rice, questions can be asked when I'm finished."
"For the girls sake I would like to know now."
"Phil, would you mind explaining how you managed to liberate the machine as well as the boy?"
Phil stands and turns off the screen, "we found Pietro, but unfortunately we were unaware of his presence at the base. We were looking for the machine." He pauses and shoots an apologetic look to Wanda before continuing. "When we found the machine we found Pietro in the same room, the machine was being prepared, but had not been used."
Wanda lets out a sob and Vision is unsure as to what he should be doing.
Natalia reaches over and places a hand on the girls arm, slowly she manages to get calmed down.
"Where is he?" The question comes out as a whisper but Phil looks at Fury for a sign that he can tell her where her twin is.
Fury nods and Phil looks to Wanda.
"As a precautionary he is placed in the maximum security sick bay."
Wanda is gone within seconds of the news of her brother being in that same building as her. Clint is close on her heels.
I like comments, I also enjoy responding to them. Leave comments wherever you want too.