Embers

It was hot in Lagos. Hot, sticky, and dusty. Definitely not James Buchanan Barnes’ favorite combination. It was difficult not to be irritable when feeling sweaty and uncomfortable. And here he was wearing a jacket and gloves. He shifted in his seat, cheap vinyl creaking beneath his weight. Damn old car didn’t even have good AC.

James glanced to his right as the passenger side door opened, and his comrade slipped into the empty seat. Pietro wore aviator sunglasses and his usual smug smile, and was holding a newspaper filled with fried food in one hand.

“Plantains and sauce,” he volunteered before James could ask, lifting the paper. “Want some?”

Hot, greasy food on a hot, sticky day sounded like the worst idea James had ever heard, and he involuntarily wrinkled his nose at the offer.

“Suit yourself,” Pietro replied with a shrug, plucking a couple pieces and shoving them into his mouth without much grace.

Stifling a sigh of frustration, James took a few seconds to make a sweeping glance at their surroundings for anything suspicious. When nothing stood out, he turned back to the boy. “Well?”

“Well what?” Pietro replied, words muffled by a mouthful of half chewed plantains.

James resisted the sudden urge to grab him by the collar and slam him back into the headrest “You had a job, Pietro,” he ground out through clenched teeth, “and it wasn’t to get food.”

“Ah, that.” The blond lifted a finger into the air, as if just remembering. “Relax, Bucky. I scoped out the place like I was supposed to. No problem.”

“We’re waiting for your report, soldier,” Steve’s voice came through their com links, sounding much more patient than James felt. Maybe that was because out of all the Avengers, James had spent the most time training Pietro. While Bucky could appreciate the younger man’s playful nature at home, the Winter Soldier had zero tolerance for goofing off while on the job.

James glanced upward at the building across the street where he knew Captain America was waiting. Their team had received a tip that an attack was planned in the area, a mysterious black market arms dealer known as Crossbones was going to strike in Lagos, but the details were vague. The Avengers had an idea of where and when the attack would come, but didn’t know what the attack actually was.

“There’s some kind of medical research building down that way,” Pietro said, pointing toward a nearby road.

“South of here,” James supplemented into the coms, for his teammates who wouldn’t see the boy.

Pietro sucked some sauce off his index finger with a smack and continued. “The market is that way, to the west,” he said, leveling a dry look at the Winter Soldier. “And there’s a police station a block to the north. And my money’s on that being the target.”

That peaked James’ interest. “Why’s that?”

That cocky smile returned as Pietro replied. “I heard the police took out a group of rebels recently, and they’re storing some weapons in that station until the army picks them up.”

“I’m on that street now. There’s a cafe across from the station,” Natasha’s voice came over the coms. “What do you say we grab some coffee, Wanda?”

“I’ll be a couple minutes behind you, as planned,” Pietro’s sister replied in their ears.

The communications lapsed into silence as the women got into position, and James was left listening to the rustle of newspaper and the sound of Pietro’s chewing.

How annoying.

“Honestly, how are you always hungry?” James snapped before he could hold the words back.

Pietro shrugged and dug in for another slice of plantain. “Fast metabolism. Just who I am,” he replied. “Just like the Winter Soldier is always grumpy, I’m always hungry.”

“I’m not always grumpy,” James replied with a frown.

Pietro’s response was a roll of his blue eyes, and through their coms, they could hear Sam unsuccessfully trying to hold back a laugh.

Another huff of annoyance escaped the older man’s lips and he reached over to snatch a slice of plantain from the newspaper.

“You said you didn’t want any!” Pietro complained, as James took a bite of the food.

“Changed my mind,” he replied. “Tell me what else you learned out there.”

The boy hummed in thought, blue eyes moving to scan the sidewalk outside his window. “I don’t exactly blend in here, so I get less attention if I act a little lost, like a tourist,”

James nodded. “Smart. What else?”

“I expected to cover more ground. Planned on ducking into an alley and using my speed. But it was too crowded everywhere.”

“Keep that in mind when making future plans,” James coached. “How’d you get the info about the weapons in the police station?”

“There was a pretty girl at one of the street food stands. She had an ID on the lanyard around her neck from working at the station.” Pietro grinned. “So I got friendly, and got the info.”

He popped the last bite of plantain into his mouth and crumbled the newspaper between his hands. “Got her number too,” he added.

Now it was James’ turn to roll his eyes. “What happened to the nurse from Sakovia?”

“Long distance didn’t work.”

“And that barista in New York?”

Pietro huffed. “That was a one time thing, not a commitment.”

“Girls are in position,” Steve reported through their earpieces, so James and Pietro lapsed into silence as they listened. That was lucky, since James hadn’t been sure whether to let Pietro have his fun without criticism, or to espouse the benefits of monogamy. Bucky Barnes had certainly played the field during his younger days, but that felt like so very long ago. And now, he couldn’t imagine another woman at his side than the brilliant and beautiful Natasha Romanoff.

So he let the subject go and kept watching the street while his teammates talked. Steve and Natasha were doing a good job coaching Wanda during one of her first field missions, and James didn’t miss the grin that quirked at Pietro’s lips when Wanda confidently reminded the others of her powers.

The siblings were as close as always, whether it was helping each other during training or teasing each other across the dinner table. They had good hearts and a lot of heroic potential, James had insisted when campaigning to bring them into the Avengers fold. And though the kids were still learning to navigate their new roles in life, they were fitting in very well.

Their other new team member, the Vision… well, that one was a little weirder to work with. But what else could be expected from a hybrid between Ultron and Jarvis?

For today, though, Vision had stayed back at the Avengers compound, working on a project for Stark. And that suited James just fine. It gave him more time to work with Pietro. Which was-

A garbage truck rumbled by, distracting him from his thoughts. He stared after it, ice blue eyes noting how low the frame of the truck was to the pavement. The way it was carried as it rolled down the road felt… off.

“Falcon?” He prompted through the coms. “Can you check that truck out?”

Sam Wilson responded to the affirmative, and James waited in silence, the gears in his mind turning. He could feel Pietro’s eyes on him, questioning, but didn’t respond. Not until his suspicions were confirmed. Not until the rest of the team realized what was happening. Not until…

“Go now!” Captain America ordered. And then James was moving.

He threw his baseball cap aside, shucked off his gloves, pushed the door of the little car open and stripped off his jacket all in one continuous motion. His metal arm glimmered in the sunlight, and he ignored the cries of surprise and stares from the citizens of Lagos. Instead, he circled the car just as Pietro was exiting the passenger side. Before the boy could zip after the garbage truck, James grabbed his arm.

“Be smart,” he cautioned. “And be careful.”

Pietro gave a sharp nod and flashed a crooked smile. “Just try to keep up, old man.”

He streaked off toward the south, leaving an irked Winter Soldier to jog after him.

—

By the time Natasha arrived in front of the Institute for Infectious Diseases, things were already a mess. But, she had to hand it to Sam, Wanda, and Pietro for quickly jumping in and taking out two of their enemies immediately. She arrived via motorcycle just in time for Steve to alert the rest of the group that Crossbones had a biological weapon.

She wished he had been after the weapons in the police station. That would have made things much easier.

Natasha scanned the area as she approached. A group of Crossbones’ waiting thugs was a clear indication of what his exit route would be. She would just have to deal with them and be on the lookout for their boss to emerge from the building.

Not so bad.

Nat laid the motorcycle down into a slide, taking out one of the enemies before springing to her feet to engage two more. They went down easy enough, and the Black Widow set her eyes on a third target a few paces away. Without hesitation, she ran toward the brute before flipping into a handspring and launching herself at the man. The front of her shins hit his shoulders, her momentum propelling him backward. He crashed flat onto his back, head hitting the pavement with enough force to daze him despite his tactical helmet. With his neck between her knees, it was easy for Nat to place a quick punch to knock him out.

“Hmmm, careful Tasha,” a voice hummed through her coms. “I’m not used to seeing another man between your legs. I might get jealous.”

Natasha glanced over her shoulder to see the Winter Soldier coming up behind her. He held out a hand, and she accepted the help to her feet.

“If you want to practice that move with me later, I wouldn’t be opposed,” she replied, shooting the man a sly smile.

Her boyfriend opened his mouth to respond when Wanda’s voice interrupted through the coms. “Ugh, get a room!”

Pietro’s chimed in next. “Maybe you two can keep it in your pants for one minute and give me a hand here?”

Nat and James shared a glance of amusement and started off in the direction of the boy’s blurred form.

The fight went as predicted for a few minutes. Crossbones’ minions didn’t have super powers or fancy weapons - just strength and numbers. It was easy enough to take them down a few at a time, until their leader showed himself. And that was where things got tricky.

Nat didn’t know what the biological weapon Crossbones had stolen was, but she wasn’t exactly eager to find out. When he and two of his comrades disappeared into the crowds, alarms went off in the Black Widow’s head. The streets were clogged with innocent people. If that weapon was released, the results would be devastating.

She didn’t wait for Captain America to tell them the plan. She just took off after the nearest enemy. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Pietro and Sam dart off to the right, and James to her left.

They’d find it, Natasha told herself. They had to.

—-

Crossbones found Steve before James did. When he caught up with the arms dealer, he had his best friend pinned to a wall, and a blade had extended from one of the contraptions on his arms.

James reached for the black knife that always sat in his belt as he charged forward. If Crossbones wanted blades, he would get blades.

He lunged, driving the blade into the man’s deltoid. Not a deadly blow; they were supposed to bring him in alive, but enough for Crossbones to roar in pain and anger and release Captain America.

With the two old pals from Brooklyn against one thug, the rest was easy. Add Tasha’s confirmation in his earpiece that the payload was secure, and James was feeling pretty good as they looked down at the enemy, kneeling on the ground.

That was until Crossbones took off his mask and helmet, revealing his identity.

Brock Rumlow. Pawn for Hydra.

James’s eyes flew wide open as he took a step back. The fear of Hydra had plagued him for years. Fear that they would find him. Take him. Turn him back into what he once was…a mindless killer. A slave. He had thought he was free of them for good, but now that familiar, icy cold feeling was clawing at his lungs again, fear stealing his air and making his heart pound in his chest.

“We thought you died with Alexander Pierce,” Steve said, breaking into James’ thoughts.

“Well you dropped a building on my face,” their scarred adversary replied, snarky as ever. “But I think I look pretty good, all things considered.”

Steve grabbed the man by the shoulders, shaking him, demanding to know who his buyer was.

A cocky grin spread over Rumlow’s face. “Repeat customer,” he said. “Last time, he wanted a little red book.”

“What?!” James demanded, stepping forward again.

Rumlow’s eyes shifted toward the Winter Soldier as he laughed. “What did it say in that book again? Something about a freight train… no, freight car. What were the rest of the words?”

James’ fear surged into full blown panic, and he charged forward without thinking. He had to kill the man. He had to kill him NOW. But before he could get his hands on Rumlow, before Steve could raise his hand to stop him, Crossbones trigged a suicide bomb.

The explosion was contained in a bubble, Wanda coming up behind to save them. But the young girl made a bad decision, couldn’t fully control the blast, and that’s when all hell really broke loose.