Chapter Two
“You mean to tell me that you coincidentally found yourself in the middle of a dangerous situation involving your ex and a superhero?” Nat asked me nearly four hours later as we sat in a secret facility. “And said ex is the guy that shot me?” I couldn’t tell if she was concerned or impressed or both. It was difficult to tell sometimes. “You make it sound like I go looking for trouble, Red.” I grumbled, though there was a playful undertone to my words. Nat and I had met when she was still a freelance operative in New York years ago. I had hidden her when she was badly wounded in a firefight and helped her recover. It had been the start of a wonderful friendship, as I was one of the russian woman’s few friends that wasn’t involved with S.H.I.E.L.D. or other agencies. At least, I hadn’t been before today. As we sat in what seemed to be one of the least comfortable break rooms in existence with its steel tables bolted to the floor, and uncomfortable metal chairs to match. There were two rows of plain white cabinets, one above a white countertop and one built into the side of it. A small black microwave sat on the pasty surface, accompanied only by a black coffee pot, and a stainless steel farm sink. The concrete floors were a dull grey, and had it not been for the electronic lock and keypad beside the heavy steel door I would have sworn that I had become color blind. In one of the chairs across from me sat Steve, who still appeared to be quite shaken by the information that his close friend had been turned into one of the best assassins known, or more accurately unknown, to mankind. Beside him sat an african american man with short hair. He had introduced himself as Sam Wilson. “You told me that you didn’t want to out yourself. Fury and Maria will have questions.” Steve said finally, ever the protective leader. “I know I did, and I meant it. My powers aren’t something that would be useful except in a dire situation. However, I’d rather be breathing than hidden. Besides, if I can help, I should. Especially now that Bucky is involved. He didn’t immediately kill me, so I think that it’s safe to assume that whatever damage there is within his mind, it isn’t erasing who he is personality wise, only altering his morals and memories and making him more susceptible to a certain type of influence. Think of it like sleepwalking. He sees, hears, and processes what goes on around him, but he cannot wake up and control his actions.” I said and looked down at my hands, trying to organize my thoughts. It wasn’t uncommon for someone to become confused when I tried to explain complex functions, and the human mind was as complicated as they come. If a combination of an emotional connection and a physical focal point such as Steve’s presence had triggered something in Bucky’s mind then there was still hope for him and it was likely that he would make a full recovery. Without knowing exactly how he had been brainwashed, or what form of cognitive reprogramming had been used, I couldn’t determine much else. The sound of the female agent, Maria Hill, entering the room pulled me from my thoughts. Steve had left the room while I was mulling things over and Natasha was fully immersed in conversation with Steve’s avianistic friend, discussing his use of the flight suit and his military history. “Will you two give us a minute?” I asked them as Maria approached the table. My body tensed as I mentally prepared myself for her questions and determinations. As Nat and Sam filed out of the room, Maria took a seat and placed a thin folder on the table in front of me. “What are you?” She asked. I shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine, dear. I’ve lived longer than humanly possible and I didn’t spend any time as a popsicle like the Captain.” I answered honestly. “Is that why there is a portrait of you dating back to the sixteenth century?” She asked without missing a beat as she opened up the file and pointed to the photo of the poorly done rendering. I nodded and leaned back in my chair, forcing myself to seem relaxed. “I’m old. I just look young.” I said nonchalantly. She nodded and pursed her lips. “And this? These scorch marks were on the floor of the bar that you work at. Exactly where you claimed to have knocked out one of the best operatives in play.” She said, gesturing at yet another image, this one of the burns in the floor where I had used my flames to distract the Winter Soldier. “I have the ability to control and manipulate fire. I believe the term is ‘pyromancy’, yes?” I responded. “Did you know that Hydra would send someone after you?” I shook my head. “Not for sure. I wasn’t sure if anyone had noticed me. I figured remaining in public was safer than returning to my apartment though, just in case.” I murmured, suddenly feeling rather drained from the events. “You could have put all of those people in serious danger. Had he opened fire on you-” I cut her off. “You don’t live as long as I have without learning how to read people. If I thought for even a fraction of a second that Bucky would have opened fire on the bar patrons I would have incinerated him instantly and we would be having a very different conversation, Agent Hill. It was my life on the line, and I made a call that protected everyone involved, including Bucky.” I affirmed, my tone making it clear that I did not approve of her questioning me on the matter. She ignored my tone, asking another question. “Why spare someone sent to kill you? If you are too close to this situation emotionally then perhaps you shouldn’t remain involved.” I shook my head. “It’s not that… Bucky and I cared for one another, yes, but that was seventy years ago. I spared him for a few reasons. I don’t kill unless necessary. If I can find another solution I will. Not only that, but Bucky is as much a victim in this as I am, if not more so. He has no say in what happens to him or what he does. Nobody deserves to die because they’re being manipulated by a madman.” I declared. Maria nodded. “Very well. You’ll assist Natasha and the Captain on this mission of theirs. Consider this the beginning of your recruitment process into S.H.I.E.L.D.. You will answer to Natasha and myself, and if you step out of line you will be dealt with. I cannot afford to have another wild card in the midst of this mess.” She said and stood. I stood and shook her hand before going to find Nat. Natasha was in a training room equipped with gym mats and a boxing ring, as well as weights and various benches. “So I take it that your talk with Agent Hill went well enough.” She stated as she stretched. “If I didn’t know better I’d think you were jealous, red.” I teased lovingly. Natasha was one of my dearest friends, though I knew better than to think for a moment that the former spy would consider me anything more than that. Her line of work had been enough to ensure that she didn’t seriously date anyone. Like me, the hyper-logical red head struggled with emotions and would often forget to address the emotional needs of herself and those around her. It made relationships difficult, especially since she served the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. first and foremost. A smile tugged at her lips. “Shut up and get over here, it’s been a while since we sparred.” She said. I groaned inwardly and prepared to have my ass thoroughly kicked. After a merciless training session with Nat and an hour of being shoved into a skin tight yet flexible graphene and leather suit similar to one of hers, I was given various weapons and loaded into a quinjet with the rest of the team. Steve was focused now and ensured that everyone knew their role. I was to help Nat and Sam any way I could, and would answer to them during this mission since none of them were familiar enough with me to know how well I would handle an all out combat situation. Had circumstances been different I might have been insulted, but as it was I just wanted to help them all get out alive. Less than an hour later I walked through the halls of S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, carefully evacuating anyone that didn’t decide to shoot at me. Whenever someone did decide to shoot at me I would use my flames to burn their hand and force them to drop their weapon, or throw a well balanced blade at them. Anyone too persistent to stop after I stabbed or burned them was rendered unconscious with a quick and precise series of blows to their head or torso. I was careful to only kill when absolutely necessary. I could hear over my comms unit that Sam was grounded , and that Steve was battling Bucky. “You’ve known me your whole life.” I heard Steve say as I went room to room. “Your name is James Bucannon Barnes.” “SHUT UP!” Bucky shouted as the screech and crashing sound of the helicarrier collapsing rang out over the earpiece, followed by static as Cap lost his comms unit. “Captain?” I called, concerned for Steve’s wellbeing. If he was unable to break through to Bucky then they would both probably die. “I think he fell into the lake.” Maria said, immediately ordering a loyal ground unit to begin sweeping the area. Before I could respond, a man in Strike Team gear grabbed me as I entered a room and stabbed me twice in the lower left abdomen. I closed my eyes against the pain, and summoned my flames, incinerating him where he stood before leaning against the wall and sliding down it, clutching my wound and applying pressure in hope of stopping the bleeding. “I’m down. One of Rumlow’s team. I think he pierced something important.” I said, taking deep breaths. “Stay where you are. I’m coming your way.” I heard Nat say. She must have gotten a comms unit from Fury. “I’m on floor thirty six. Be careful. If there’s one strike team member there’s bound to be more.” I warned through gritted teeth. As though the mention of them had made them appear out of thin air, three more mercenaries filed in through the doorway. I shot the first one in the neck from my position on the floor, but the assault rifle jammed before I could fire again. I swore as the second man through the door and his companion both aimed their weapons at me. “Is this the one?” The taller one asked, he had been the last one through the door. “Yeah, the boss wants her alive.” The shorter of the two confirmed as a sense of dread filled my stomach. It was becoming more and more difficult to focus as the sticky red liquid coated my hand. The one I had shot let out a raspy final breath as he died there on the floor. “Let’s get her out of here before her friends show up.” The tall one said and picked me up, the pain making me more alert and pulling me from the haze that had begun to overcome me. I drew a knife from a sheath on my forearm and stabbed the tall man in the throat, and incinerated the other, falling in a heap on the floor as the former dropped me to clutch his gushing wound. I scrambled to my feet with a whimper of pain as I heard rapid footsteps approaching. Natasha called my name and I relaxed slightly, stumbling into her arms before losing consciousness. When I woke up, I was in the hospital across the room from Steve. Maria was seated in the corner of the room and Nat sat in one of the hideous chairs by my bed. “Welcome back to the land of the living.” She said, sounding a bit relieved. “You did good work. They want you to stay on with the team.” She added. “You want me to join the Avengers?” I asked groggily. Maria nodded. “We’ll discuss the details in a few days, after you’ve healed fully. Your wounds are almost closed, much to the doctors’ bewilderment.” Agent Hill said. “How are Steve and Sam?” I asked, not caring much about the doctors or their concerns. “They’re both going to be fine in a few days. A week or two in Cap’s case. Barnes got away.” Nat said gently. I nodded and sat up, ignoring the twinge of pain I felt. “What did you tell the doctors about me?” I asked. “That you’re a super soldier. They accepted that pretty easily, given the situation.” She told me. Maria left the room and I visibly relaxed. “So I’m gonna be an Avenger, huh?” I asked in disbelief. “Yeah so hurry and get better so I can start training you properly.” She joked. I laughed. Maybe this wouldn’t be as awful as I had thought.