Chapter Twelve
Soroya
So Julian's family wasn't being held captive. He wasn't being held prisoner in HYDRA like I was, he was recruited along with his sister. He joined willingly. He lied to me.
I had Shuri print out the files on Julian and his sister for me to read. I asked if I could read them alone. Everyone agreed to that, knowing now how hard this is for me. No one knew more than Bucky, who I asked to stay with me as I read through the files.
He and I have been sitting on our bed for the past hour, looking through each paper thoroughly.
Julian worked along side Emma Becker for his whole HYDRA career. She specifically asked for him and his sister to work with her. According to a note she wrote, she thought Julian and Analiese Remington were geniuses in the field of science.
There isn't a lot of information on the projects and experiments they worked on, but it says after a failed project, Analiese disappeared. On October 16th, 1999 she gave in her resignation and no one saw her after that. Becker was angry about losing her according to these reports. Julian stayed in HYDRA however, and almost a year after his sister left he was assigned to look after me.
I drop the file I'm holding in my hands, collapsing back onto the bed. Bucky glances over at me, and upon seeing the look on my face, he lays down next to me. He silently trails his metal fingers up and down my arm, waiting for me to talk.
"He told me that his family was being held captive like mine," I whisper, feeling tears prickle my eyes, feeling my throat threaten to close. "He said I wasn't alone, that I could trust him. He...he was my only family for years. And all he ever did was lie to me."
Bucky brings his metal hand up to my face and traces his fingers along my jaw. I can see the pain in his eyes as he says; "He wanted you to trust him and he probably thought that was the easiest way to do that. But whatever his motivations were in the beginning, he...he died trying to save your life."
I grab onto his hand, kissing his metal palm. "I know that look. Don't do it. Don't blame yourself for Julian's death."
He shakes his head, looking away from me, hiding his face. "I just keep hearing your screams, the horror in your eyes when I did it, the-the hatred. I liked it better when I didn't remember our time spent together. But I remember all of it..."
I bring my hand up and cup his cheek, forcing his eyes to look back at me. "We're both blameless in this. Julian's death wasn't yours or my fault."
He glances recoils his head from my hands, looking down at his own hands in disgust. "These hands killed him. My hands crushed the life out of him."
I grab onto both of his hands, holding them to my chest. "No matter what I say, I know it won't make a difference. But one day, I hope you will stop blaming yourself. You don't deserve to to carry the weight of HYDRA's crimes in your heart forever."
A small smile crosses his lips as he squeezes my hands. "I really love you."
I lean up and kiss him gently, feeling him let go of my hands and wrap his arms around my waist, holding me tightly. The stress and tension in his body seems to release as he grips my waist tighter, a sigh leaving his mouth as he melts into the kiss. I feel my toes begin to curl just as he begins to pull away from me. I wish I could stay in bed with him all day. I would love nothing more than to continue doing this, but we both really need to get more research done.
An idea suddenly pops into my head as we break away from the kiss. I find myself pulling away from him and sitting up, brushing my bangs away from my eyes.
"You know, HYDRA is most likely the reason Analiese can shift," I tell him. "I asked her if she worked for HYDRA and she said no, which is true because she resigned. She wasn't apart of the project I was in...so maybe there was another experiment that caused her powers."
Bucky looks into my eyes for a long moment, before nodding his head. "You want to go back to Becker's lab, don't you?"
I nod. "Maybe there's something there we missed. And there isn't a lot on the experiments both of them were apart of. Maybe the experiment that caused her powers isn't on record. I think we should go. I mean we've searched through every file on them and on shapeshifters and we can't find anything."
Bucky sighs, tucking a piece of my hair behind my ear. "Alright. Lets go get Alex, he'll want to come too."
-
Alex
"I wish I could go with you," Khari says, guilt etched in his voice. "But M'Baku needs me and—"
I grip his hands tightly in mine, shaking my head. "You're the general of the Jabari, you don't have to explain. I can't hog you. Other people need you, too."
Khari nods his head, releasing a sigh. "You let me know if you need any help, anything at all and I'll be there. Just...please, please promise me you'll be careful."
It is hard for me to leave him, too. But the pain I feel is nothing compared to his. I can see the concern and dread in his eyes, in his face. I know that the pain he is going through now must be unlike anything else. I mean, I just came back from the dead, and now we would be separated. Even if it was for a day at most.
I lean forward and press my forehead against his. "I promise you. We're just going to a dead woman's mad science lab, I think we'll be fine. I'll let you know if a test tube gets a bit too testy. Ha, testy. Get it? Because it's a test tube?"
Khari chuckles, shaking his head. "You're ridiculous."
"But you love me."
Khari leans in and kisses me. I can feel how tensed up his body is, especially as he grips onto my hands tightly, almost like he's afraid to let go. "I do. Take care of Soroya and James."
I lean forward and kiss his cheek, hearing him let out a sigh as I pull away, begrudgingly letting go of his hands and backing up towards the ship. "I still don't know how I feel about this new found friendship of yours with Bucky. First you were holding hands and now you call him James. Next thing I know you're going to be buying curtains and signing a lease on an apartment."
Khari rolls his eyes, looking over towards where the others stand closer to the palace. T'Challa and Shuri can't leave Wakanda, not after just coming back from the dead. They've been busy the past few days helping us and I'm sure it hasn't made the council happy. Them leaving would not be smiled upon. Okoye was going to come with us, but she was requested to attend the same meeting Khari has to today. Nakia offered to come with, but we all know she and T'Challa need some time together. This whole ordeal with Thanos has really messed a lot of things up. No wonder Khari is so tense. I can hardly blame him.
Despite their other duties, they all promised they'd keep up the search for Analiese Remington and try to find any more information on her. I am grateful they are doing this for Soroya. I hate the thought of some crazy woman going after my sister. But I guess this is just her reality now; crazy people constantly trying to kill her.
I walk up the stairs of the ship, winking at Khari before I walk towards the passenger seat. Bucky is in the pilot's seat and Soroya is next to him, looking back at me with a teasing look in her eyes.
"You two are so cute."
I cross my arms, scoffing at my sister. "I know we're cute. You wish you two were as cute as us."
She rolls her eyes, looking over to her ancient other half. "You ready?"
Bucky nods. "To go back to Becker's lab? Absolutely." He says, before pulling us up into the air and away from Wakanda. I look through the window and see the worried expression still on Khari's face as we fly away. The look in his eyes is still burned in my mind even after we've left the border.