Leaving and Returning
Iris’ POV
Iris felt a strange pain in her chest after she left the Stark Tower. She brushed it off as withdrawal but in the back of her mind she knew this was something different.
Iris sped into the seedier part of town. People she passed gave her looks but they were gone from her line of sight before she even noticed. Captain’s motorbike was much faster than her old one.
After taking a few turns, Iris made it to an apartment complex similar to the one she was at the previous night in the sense that it was dilapidated and disgusting.
After swinging off the side, Iris propped the motorcycle up on its stand and pulled out the keys. She was pretty sure it would get stolen as she didn’t have a bike lock. Even if she did, there was a pretty large chance it wouldn’t be there when she returned. You couldn’t have anything nice in this part of time. At least the bike isn’t mine.
She walked towards the decrepit building. It was so ancient and barely holding together someone might have thought it to be abandoned.
Iris felt a shiver run through her. Although it was the middle of June, Iris felt the cool breeze chilling her down to her aching bones.
Once she reached the grey, two floor building, Iris was met with a metal gate blocking the entrance. Next to the gate was an old intercom with a list of faded names and apartment numbers. Most of the older names were no longer visible, either washed out by sun or rain.
Next to the intercom sat a yellowing, plastic button and a keypad with the numbers worn off. She typed in 163 and then pressed the yellow button.
After a few seconds a loud buzz emerged from the rusty speaker in the wall.
“Alex, its me, let me up.” Iris shivered again. She knew the microphone in Alex’s apartment was broken so he couldn’t respond but after a second sharp buzz the door creaked open an inch. Iris pushed it open the rest of the way before entering.
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Bucky’s POV
Bucky hadn’t been asleep more than five minutes when the nightmares hit. He flew awake after feeling a bone saw tearing through the remains of his left arm. He touched the bare scar tissue around the area where the metal contacted skin with his flesh hand. The still sensitive flesh caused him shiver.
He looked at the clock, he had only been in bed for seven minutes.
Bucky sighed, knowing he was most likely not going to be sleeping again any time soon. He grabbed his discarded shirt from the nightstand next to his bed. He brought it to his face and could still smell Iris’ sweet shampoo scent from her hair faintly.
Bucky sighed again before pulling it back on, he loved the sweet scent which mixed in with his aftershave. He remembered holding the poor girl in his arms, she was sick but it wasn’t her fault.
Although it was most likely nothing had changed in the past few minutes, Bucky decided to check in on Iris.
Bucky slipped out of bed before pulling on a pair of relatively clean combat boots. Stark had always made sure they had new, fitted clothes and shoes but this pair was his particular favorite. They hadn’t been cleaned since his last mission where it was particularly muddy. A thin coat of dried mud coated the soles and splattered up the sides.
Bucky picked up a card which he had stolen off Stark’s desk a few days ago. It allowed access to every room in the building, with the exception with some laboratories and other more secure places in the building which had specific cards. FRIDAY changed the coding on the security cards once a week so he knew it wasn’t going to work forever.
Bucky stepped out the door to his room. He knew Iris was a few floors up so he waited for the elevator. Nothing came.
“Any day now, FRIDAY.” Bucky muttered, a little frustrated.
There was no reply.
“FRIDAY, stop with the bullshit. I know Stark programed some sort of resentment to me but this is ridiculous.”
The AI didn’t respond.
“FRIDAY!” Bucky raised his voice slightly but not loud enough to wake up anyone else on the floor. To an outsider it might have been a strange sight to see a super soldier yelling at an elevator.
“Fine, I’ll use the stairs. Low blow Stark, low blow.” Bucky huffed and made his way angrily to the stairs which lay on the other side of the building. He knew the other set lead down the garage but this one was closer to where he thought Iris’ room was.
He pushed open the wooden door to enter the stairwell. It was a little dim but the yellow light shed enough that he could see the stairs.
Bucky started walking up the stairs, his long legs taking two at a time. He almost missed the top floor, almost mistaking the extra stairs that lead to the roof for one more floor.
He pushed through an identical door to the one he had entered through to reach a long hallway trough which he walked.
Bucky realized the other staircase would have probably been faster because he was on the opposite side to Iris’ room. Damn my navigation skills.
After walking through a hallway of a few undistinguishable doors, Bucky turned a corner.
He instantly knew something was wrong when he was Iris’ door wide open. He quickened his pace hoping she’d still be inside but he knew better. Of course she wouldn’t stay.
He stepped into the open room and saw no one. Bucky’s heart dropped, he didn’t understand why. What is it with this girl? Why do I care if she left? It was her choice.
Bucky turned around in the dimly lit room to exit the door and see if he could find her. He now noticed the mess of wires sticking out from besides the door. Of course. Bucky felt a slight smile curling on his lips. He was impressed.
Being at the tower, Steve had made Stark teach him a few electronics lessons so he could fix up his own arm after missions. Bucky didn’t know what he hated more, Stark or the lessons. Probably Stark because at least the lessons were useful.
He looked into the tangled cables and he noticed a red one which he knew controlled FRIDAY throughout much of the tower’s top floors. It had been cut. An AI that can be disabled by a pair of scissors? Great.
Bucky stuck his metal hand into the wires knowing it was isolated to protect him from electric shock. He twisted the ends of the red wire together with one hand until a faint ping was heard. He pulled his had from the box.
“Mr. Barnes.” FRIDAY announced. “The patient has escaped.”
“No really, I haven’t noticed.” Bucky was exasperated. “Now where is she.”
“I’ll scan the building.” Bucky heard a faint hum coming from the walls. “She is in the garage.”
“Shit.” Bucky knew she was going to try to steal a getaway vehicle. He assumed she knew how to hotwire a car. He sprinted out the door and into the hall.
He pushed open the door to the staircase that lead to the garage.
“Why didn’t I just take this staircase in the first place.” Bucky breathed to himself. He was slightly breathless by the time he had gone from the top to the bottom of Stark Tower but he recovered within seconds.
He pushed open the metal door to hear the clear sound of a motorcycle being started up. There was only one motorcycle in that garage and it was none others than Captain America’s. Steve’s going to kill me.
He ran into the garage as the bike sped out into the long road leading from the compound. Bucky followed onto the street.
Bucky watched as Iris raced down the road into a busy intersection, her medium-length hair flowing behind her.
Just as she reached the point where the roads met, Iris looked back. Although it was a far distance away, Bucky could tell they were looking into each others eyes. He felt his heart skip a beat one more time before she turned into the busy street.