Iron Before Steel

Strange Visitor: Iron Before Steel

Chapter 5 – A Little Help from Our Friends

June 9^th, 2009

Clark Kent’s/James Barnes’ Stolen Quinjet

Clark called Lana before heading back to Metropolis. He wanted to confirm that Xavier was both at the school and willing to meet with him the next day. He told Lana that he had a huge favor to ask but that it would be best explained in person. He also suggested that as many of the adults or staff members of the school as possible be present to hear what he was going to ask of them.

She agreed and, after stepping away for a short pause, returned to the phone to tell Clark that Xavier and his “First Class,” as he liked to call them, would be there and available whenever Clark arrived.

He was having a hard time keeping his excitement and expectations realistic. It had taken a significant amount of time for Wakanda to break the Winter Soldier’s programming. Still, the talents of several unimaginably powerful telepaths should be a far better way to treat him. Thanks to Kelex, they even had the trigger words to provide. That could only make things easier, he reasoned.

The trip home was quick and uneventful. Clark took his time, not bothering to get any sleep and staying on the farm only long enough to say hello to his mom and Kara (and Barkley, of course). Kara was already speaking English in short sentences now, and there was a pang of something at that realization. He wasn’t sure what.

Sadness? For missing so much already? I need to figure out how to spend more time with her.

It wouldn’t be easy. He was already being pulled in what felt like a thousand directions. But you made time for family somehow.

Again, the flight back was uneventful, with the quinjet operating well under cloak. No one should have detected or noticed anything as he set the aircraft down in a quiet corner of Prospect Park near his house. At 8 am, the park was getting a bit busier as dog walkers, runners, family gatherings, and the like were fighting for room in the largest green space in Brooklyn. He texted Pete to let them know he was there so they could leave the house as quickly as possible.

It wasn’t long before Pete’s uneven stride announced their approach, with a hooded Barnes skulking behind. Clark could see the slight rippling distortion of the air just next to Barnes, indicating Kelex was camouflaging herself. Clark always got a kick out of it when she did it – it reminded him of the effects from the movie Predator.

Taking a quick look around to ensure no one was near or within eyesight, he lowered the ramp at the back of the quinjet, the hydraulics letting Pete and Bucky know where to go. Just a minute later, he heard the clomping of two pairs of boots hurrying up the ramp, which he promptly closed.

Pete dropped himself into the co-pilot’s seat, looking over the controls and display screens with the look of a kid in a candy store.

“Daaaaamn, CK! Look at this fine piece of machinery. You been holding out on me, man! I should have been more stubborn about making you teach me how to fly this baby!” Pete’s grin was enormous as he looked over the smooth panels and blinking indicator lights.

“I texted Lana to let her know we were on the way. And I’m sure Kelex and I can carve out some time to teach you how to fly this sweet ride safely. But only if you promise to be extra careful with my girl here.” Clark supplied with a grin of his own.

A voice behind them rang out.

“You mean my sweet ride? You stole it from me, remember Kent?” Bucky managed a sly, lopsided grin as he peeked out from under the hood and ball cap he was wearing with a pair of dark shades. It would help him avoid any facial recognition tech Hydra might employ to find him.

Clark responded immediately.

“Wrong! It was Hydra’s sweet ride that they let you borrow to complete their missions. I’m sure they didn’t even pay for it. It’s probably a line item in SHIELD’s annual budget or the Department of Defense. So, really, we probably stole it from the taxpayers. Pete and I are fully paid up on our dues, so really… it’s ours anyway." Clark finished with a massive smile. He was pretty proud of the mental gymnastics he’d just accomplished to justify keeping the highly advanced aircraft.

It was undoubtedly better at his beck-and-call than anyone else.

Pete started laughing at that. “Yes! We paid for this beauty. Or at least for the steering wheel. Or a control stick, whatever. Stop your jawing, and let’s hit the road, CK!”

Clark looked over and smiled at the cue his friend had just lobbed his way.

“Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need… roads.” He reached across the aisle and grabbed the sunglasses that Pete had tucked into his shirt pocket before flipping them open and sliding them on with a smile.

Pete’s laughter lasted long enough to get them in the air and above Manhattan.

The flight to Westchester County didn’t take long, even at the slow pace they cruised through the skies. It was only about thirty miles from the middle of Manhattan to the school by road. It was shorter still as the crow flies.

“So, you gonna tell us what this plan of yours is? I’ve got my doubts, and it's better for everyone if I’m not around where I can hurt people.” Barnes' guilt was a palpable thing right now. Clark imagined that the faces of the Winter Soldier’s victims weren’t ever far from Bucky’s thoughts. Those bastards did a number on the man, stripping his identity and long-term memories from his mind but leaving the horrific acts he had committed on Hydra’s orders as clear as crystal. Clark was sure it was by design.

Clark looked over at Pete before he took a deep breath to answer.

“Our friend Lana is… special. She and her friends are all very special. They have capabilities and skills that normal people don’t possess anywhere else. I’m sure they can help. I’m not going to share their secrets; that’s for them to do if they choose to assist us, but the place I’m taking you now is probably the best chance to get Hydra out of your head forever.”

Clark glanced back at Bucky, sitting in one of the two passenger seats behind the pilot seats in the cockpit, and saw the flash of hope sweep across the man’s face. It vanished quickly, but it had been there.

Now, they just needed to convince Xavier and his students to help.

“Pete, text Lana to let her know we will arrive in about 10 minutes. I was shooting for half past eight this morning, but we are gonna be just a bit early. Oh, and ask her where she would like us to land while you’re at it.”

His friend bobbed his head and whipped out his cell phone to send the message. Barely a minute later, a buzz told him that her response had been received. Pete flipped the phone back open to read it and relay her response.

“She says we can set down on the basketball court if we think it’s big enough. She thinks we’re in a helicopter, haha! I can’t wait to see the look on her face when this thing decloaks in front of her. Klingons, incoming!” Pete continued to laugh at the thought of surprising their friend.

Several minutes of silence later, they all could see the expansive greenery of the school grounds. Trees, shrubs, and rolling fields surrounded the massive estate, with smaller buildings dotting the land around the mansion. Clark was curious what they were, as he hadn’t asked on his earlier trip to the school. The other times he and Pete had visited, it had been to the local town to meet Lana. They didn’t want to interfere with the students' schedules, as visitors were… discouraged, as a general rule.

A large rectangle of concrete (or some other artificial material) provided a perfect target for Clark to set down on. It was two basketball courts, side-by-side, that formed nearly a perfect square.

He switched off silent mode so the students and staff wouldn't be surprised when a vehicle hatch opened up on the courts without warning. They couldn’t risk decloaking while in the open – you never know where SHIELD’s satellites might look, and a quinjet had a unique and identifiable profile. They certainly didn’t want one to show up at a small private school in upstate New York.

Clark started powering down the quinjet, leaving the backup systems running to keep the cloak active. He hit the button to lower the ramp in the back and stood from the pilot’s seat. Bucky was already out of his seat and stood out of the way next to the interior wall of the quinjet. Pete had climbed out of his co-pilot's seat and started walking out of the cockpit toward the loading area that took up most of the space inside the craft. Clark followed him toward the lowered ramp.

Outside, they saw a group of people walking across the lawn toward the open ramp. Some seemed awed by the sight of the cloaked quinjet parked on the school’s recreation courts. Clark thought it must look quite strange, with only the craft's interior visible through the open back hatch and ramp.

Clark saw Xavier leading from his motorized chair while Lana kept pace beside him. He saw the familiar faces of Emma Frost, Scott Summers, Jean Grey, Logan, and Storm also arrayed around their leader. But he also saw several other figures alongside them. The most striking of the figures moving toward them was a blue-furred Beast wearing his white lab coat. Near the back of the group was a tall young man, his black hair cropped close in a styled flat top, who could only be Pyotr Rasputin – Colossus. A dark-skinned man, also quite large, walked next to the Russian. He may have been Latino or perhaps Spanish. Clark couldn’t tell and wasn’t sure who he was. Three blonde-haired men of varying heights and ages were also there, along with one with a jet-black ponytail and pencil-thin Asian appearance who looked as dangerous as any person he’d ever seen who could be Psylocke.

“Mr. Kent, welcome back. I see you’ve brought some friends with you-” Xavier’s introduction stopped as Kelex flew out of the quinjet behind Clark and took in the assembled mutants gathering around them.

“Oh my stars and garters, what have we here?" Henry McCoy asked no one in particular, looking intently at the hovering droid. The man Clark suspected was Forge was also looking at the little Virtual Intelligence with the same enthusiasm, having momentarily been distracted from examining the invisible plane before them.

“Greetings. I am Kelex, an artificial intelligence servitor. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Judging from the expressions of everyone around, this was not on anyone’s bingo card today.

“And I am most pleased to meet you as well. I hope to have the chance to speak with you more during your visit.” McCoy managed in response. Forge just muttered “Incredible” quietly from further back in the crowd. The Professor attempted to regain control of the interaction at that point.

“Yes, well. It’s certainly nice to see you again, Mr. Kent… and friends,” he added in a slightly embarrassed tone as if he had forgotten to address there were others along with Clark. Pete smiled and waved, as was his nature. Xavier continued, “Lana told us that you had a favor of some sort that you wished to discuss with us. Perhaps this meeting should be moved inside my office. It’s large enough for us all, and we’ve moved some extra seats into the room to accommodate everyone.” He glanced back at the visible interior of the quinjet and added, “Perhaps we can discuss that in more detail as well.” Clark happily nodded and extended a hand to indicate they would happily follow.

Several minutes later, the entire group was assembled inside the Professor’s spacious office. Spacious was being modest. Which would have been the only modest thing about the room. Almost every surface visible was carved from rich, dark mahogany wood and upholstered in expensive fabrics.

Well, that was what Clark thought, at least. It certainly looked expensive. But what did a farm boy from the Midwest know about it?

Tall shelves filled with books stood against the walls in random places, and a large dark wooden table was set in the middle of the largest space in the room. Clark took one of the seats opposite Charles at his desk while Lana took the second chair beside it. Pete wandered about a bit, looking at all the trophies, trinkets, and other knick-knacks Xavier or his ancestors had collected. While Pete wandered, Kelex floated about the room as she inspected books on the shelves and other scattered items. Bucky skulked in the back, near the door. Logan stood not far, watching the shadiest of their visitors.

Clark decided there was no use beating around the bush and decided to jump in feet first.

“Right. Thanks for having us all. We appreciate you taking the time to listen, at the very least. We have a big problem. Lana has told me a little about some of your abilities, and I think you, Professor Xavier, are maybe the only person to help us. My friend, back there,” Clark motioned behind him toward where Bucky stood against the wall, “He has a fantastic story. I think it would be near unbelievable, but for who he is. Buck, get over here, will you?”

Barnes hesitated for a moment before slowly approaching the desk at the front of the room. After several seconds, he stood between Clark and Lana in the space between the plush chairs where the pair sat. Clark motioned again, and he lowered the hood and removed the cap and sunglasses.

“Charles Xavier, I’d like to introduce my friend – James Buchanan Barnes, formerly a sergeant with the United States Army’s 107th division. Bucky, this is Mr. Charles Xavier, the man who should be able to give you back your life.”

Several of the X-Men stood up upon hearing the name. There weren’t a lot of household names of soldiers who lost their lives in the Second World War, but he was the only member of the Howling Commandos to lose his life besides Captain America. His childhood ties to Steve Rogers also lent some added weight to his legacy.

Xavier seemed to recognize the name but not the face before him.

“Sergeant Barnes died during the war, Mr. Kent. He’d be nearly a century old now. This man can’t be older than you. I’m not sure-”.

Clark interrupted him before he could go further.

“I get it. It sounds… well, beyond belief. But, regardless, it's still true. Mr. Barnes was lost behind enemy lines in 1945 and presumed dead. What no one at the time knew was that when Hydra incarcerated him for a time before that, they experimented on him, along with other Allied soldiers. They gave him a version of the serum that made Steve Rogers Captain America.”

Several gasps sounded around the room before Clark went on.

“That serum allowed him to survive the fall that history assumed ended in his death. Unfortunately, he fell into far worse hands than he deserved.” Clark looked up at Barnes, who remained silent, staring mutely at the ground to avoid making eye contact with anyone in the room.

“For the last six decades, Hydra has used Mr. Barnes to serve their interests across the globe as a mindless assassin. He’s been forced to kill anyone that they deem a threat to their plans.”

Hank McCoy cut in at that moment.

“Hydra was destroyed along with Johan Schmidt during the mission that cost Steve Rogers his life, Mr. Kent. That is a recorded historical fact.”

Clark turned to look at the Beast and opened his mouth to argue the point. Someone else spoke up first.

“That’s what they want the world to think. That’s the lie they sold. So they could hide in the shadows while they worked. They aren’t gone, just waiting for their moment.”

The look on Bucky’s face could only be described as haunted as he stared at the floor, still unwilling to lift his chin to look at the people in the room.

Clark picked up the thread. “Hydra kept the Sergeant in a sort of suspended animation for most of the past half-century, only thawing him out to remove whatever their latest threat might be. They tortured him, erased his memory, abused him, and left him a shell of the man that fell serving his country.”

“I understand the history, believe me, better than most. It sounds like fiction from the most outlandish tabloids. But I’m almost certain you can confirm what I’m saying if you understand my meaning…”

The room was silent as Xavier sent a quick look to Lana with a raised eyebrow. She shyly shrugged, a slight blush coloring her cheeks. The Professor then looked up at Barnes, who had a confused expression now as his gaze flitted between Clark and Xavier.

Clark turned to him and said, “Bucky, Xavier here has an incredible gift. If you allow it, he can look at your memories to confirm that you are exactly who we say you are.”

After several moments of shocked silence and a look of stupidity from Barnes, that finally got a reaction. “Do you have any idea how crazy that sounds? Are you nuts!? Even if that’s true, why in the hell would you want someone to peer into my head, Kent? You know just a few of the things I’ve done. Why would you want anyone else to witness that-”

Clark held up a hand to silence the ranting former soldier. “You don’t have to believe it, Bucky. Just let the man do his thing. Trust me.” The severe stare of disbelief and suspicion that Clark received didn’t lessen, but he finally got a grudging nod from Barnes. Clark turned his eyes to the man behind the desk, and with a nod and raised brows, he left the ball in Xavier’s court.

Behind them all, he heard the sound of something scraping on the table. Clark turned to look over his shoulder and saw Storm standing next to an open laptop. She had swiveled the screen about to show the picture on its display to Charles and everyone else in that direction. A picture of James Buchanan Barnes, likely his service ID picture, showed clearly on the screen.

After several moments of consideration, as he peered at Barnes, he beckoned the man forward to the edge of the desk.

“Mr. Barnes, so it seems, I do possess the ability to touch the minds of others. A consequence of my birth rather than an ability bestowed by science or technology. With your permission, I can see your thoughts and memories and perhaps get an idea if there is anything else I can do to help you.”

After another few moments of silence from Barnes, Xavier was given a brief nod of assent. With a quick word, he asked Clark to give up his chair to the standing soldier. Clark took a few steps away, standing behind Lana’s chair. He didn’t want to stray too far, as there was no telling what this mind probe might do to the buried commands of Hydra’s monster.

“If you would, Mr. Barnes, please look at me. Keep your mind relaxed. You need not focus on any particular memory - I should be able to sift through your subconscious of my own volition. If you feel discomfort or pain or wish to stop, speak the word. Let us begin."

____________________________________________

Fifteen minutes. That was all the time Xavier needed to see enough of the Winter Soldier. Both men were pale, and sweat dotted their brows at the end of that time, but the Professor wore an expression of determination as he led the group out of his office.

He barked orders out at his surprised pupils as they moved towards a lone building at the edge of the grounds, his wheelchair having no trouble moving across the immaculately manicured lawns. The building they approached was as well-kept and clean as the others on the property, though it seemed slightly smaller than the rest. A long single structure, only one story high, stretched before them. If Clark had been forced to guess, he would have said that it looked like a stable for horses or some other livestock once upon a time, but there was already a tiny stable that he had seen at the other end of the school during his earlier trip.

“This is the Refuge. Many children who come here do so because they have nowhere to go but also because their abilities can be dangerous beyond imagination. Dr. McCoy and Forge were instrumental in outfitting this building with several technologies that allow us to safely house our most dangerous students while they are still learning to control their abilities. It is not a prison. I must make that fact absolutely clear. We do not keep students or anyone in these rooms for punishments or reasons other than to keep themselves and their classmates safe. That being said, a room in the Sanctuary would serve Mr. Barnes well until my colleagues, Jean and Emma, and I can remove the damage that Hydra has done to his mind.”

They entered the building, which turned out to be nothing but an empty shell that covered a ramp that started just inside the entrance and continued downward throughout the entire structure, ending at a massive metal door. It was at least one floor underground.

The doors opened with a single push of a button on the control panel set into the arm of Xavier’s chair.

Once inside the large, thick metal doors, a large hallway continued in front of them, with two walled sections on either side of the hall. As they advanced down the hall, Clark realized they were passing individual cells or rooms separated by several feet. All the doors remained open at the moment, and inside each room was a well-appointed apartment.

In total, there were more than a dozen of these apartments on this large floor. It appeared that the X-Men took great pains for the safety of their students and faculty.

“Mr. Barnes, I realize that it may feel like incarceration for us to ask you to stay in one of the furnished apartments we keep in the Refuge, but more than fifty children are living-” whatever Charles had been about to say in his plea for Barnes to willingly submit himself to this house arrest when Barnes interrupted him.

“Can you fix me? My head, can you undo what they did?”

Xavier was silent momentarily but slowly nodded in affirmation of the question. “I believe so, Mr. Barnes. Jean, Emma, and I have three of the most powerful human minds ever to exist. With a little time and effort, I think we will be able to remove much of the damage and the underlying command programming that allows these men to control your actions. We can help you heal and give you back your own will. We can help you remember who you are, or rather were.”

Clark watched as Barnes considered Charles's words and decided if he could believe this stranger he had met less than an hour ago.

After about a minute of silence, he gave Xavier a sharp nod. “Works for me. I’ve slept in worse places than in one of these. I’d sleep in a dog kennel if that’s what it takes to get them out of my head.”

The professor smiled, “I’m happy to say it won’t come to that.”

“Well, if you're gonna put me up here, even in these ‘apartments,’ I gotta know that you’ve got someone on hand who can deal with me if things get outta control. When the Soldier takes over, I can’t do anything to stop him. You’ve seen some of the things I’ve done now, right? Who can stop me from hurting people if things go south?”

Charles smiled and waved a hand at several men standing near the back of the crowd. Three men made their way forward to stand just out of arm’s reach from where Bucky and the Professor were conversing.

“Mr. Barnes, I’d like to introduce you to three former students helping the next generation of gifted youth reach their full potential. All three should be capable of limiting or stopping you from causing damage should the need arise. Pyotr Rasputin, or Peter if you prefer, Logan, and James Proudstar.”

Barnes looked over the biggest of the three, the Russian and smirked, “YA ubival lyudey krupneye i sil'neye tebya, krutoy paren'.”

Pyotr responded instantly. “Ty nikogda ne vstrechala takogo muzhchinu, kak ya, korotyshka.” His words made Barnes scoff, but when the hulking figure’s skin suddenly transformed into gleaming steel, he stumbled backward into the side of Xavier’s desk. Bucky could only stare at the armored giant, now laughing down at him, with a look of complete shock.

“Holy shit, CK! Did that guy turn into a robot? Do they have Transformers here? Lana! How could you keep that from me!?” Clark started laughing at Pete’s yelled comment from across the room.

Barnes slowly looked at the other two men standing next to the massive metal Russian, but before he could make any comments, the tall, dark-skinned man, Proudstar, decided to interject.

“I don’t speak Russian, and I don’t turn metal, but I promise I can kick your white ass if you get mouthy with me asshole.”

Barnes didn’t argue the point, just nodded wide-eyed, absent-mindedly. He slowly turned to the third man, shorter than the others by a lot and even quite a bit shorter than Barnes. Clark noticed a look of confusion cross Bucky's brow, and then his stare got further away as his eyes narrowed.

“I know you.”

Logan stared right back without blinking. “Do ya, now? Could be. If you think your memory’s bad, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet, bub. Don’t think I’ll let that stop me from doin’ what I do best if you make me, though.” Wolverine put an exclamation point on his statement by popping the claws in the hand he was flexing ever so subtly in front of everyone.

After staring at the three of them, Barnes turned back to Xavier. “Yeah, they might work.”

____________________________________________

Xavier led most of his staff back to the mansion and his office after they all left the Refuge. He said he would set everything up for Barnes to move in immediately, and several others offered to help. Scott Summers seemed to be taking it all quite seriously. Clark thought he remembered that being the man’s default personality, but he couldn’t say for sure. Most of the X-Men appeared quite welcoming to Bucky and happy to help.

The Professor had also offered to help Barnes identify as many Hydra officials as they could during their work on putting his mind back together. Clark was happy to accept that offer and told him they could start coordinating what they might do to counter the dangerous group as soon as possible.

Lana had followed the three outsiders as they slowly walked back toward the basketball courts.

Clark stopped just before they reached the edge of the court and stood before his new friend and roommate/prisoner. Bucky looked at him with a slight smile, and what might have been hope was shining through his eyes.

“Well, I won’t worry about you tearing up my living room anymore. I liked that lamp.” Pete chimed in before anyone else could respond. “Yeah, and your best friend. Don’t forget about him getting his ass kicked, CK!”

Clark turned to Pete and shrugged. “Meh, I can always get a new friend. That lamp was one of a kind.” Pete yelped in outrage before throwing a punch at Clark’s shoulder. “Alien jerk!” Lana just laughed.

“Yeah, well, I still don’t have the faintest idea what is happening at this school, but they seem like good people. If they can clear out these cobwebs and get Hydra outta my noggin, then everything that’s happened since I ran into you – or you ran into me, I guess – was worth it. Talking to the chrome dome in the chair sounds better than any head shrinker if you ask me.”

Lana retorted. “Chrome dome? Good Lord, are you for real?” She turned to Clark and closed the distance between them for a tight hug. “Don’t be a stranger, okay? I promise we’ll take care of the old man here,” Bucky flashed a look of betrayal at that description, “and the Professor is the best person to look into this. Emma and Jean aren’t far behind either. Come back soon for another visit, yeah? I’ll keep an eye on your friend here, and so will Pete for a bit too.” She smiled at that last sentence and glanced over at the final member of their trio.

Clark turned his head to Pete and raised a brow. “You sick of me already? Moving out so soon?”

Pete just grinned. “Nah. Just thought now would be a good time to visit Lana for a bit. I’m only gonna stay for a few days til Buck here gets settled, and they get to work on him. I love the big city, CK, but I miss quiet nights and stars as much as you do. I’ll be back before you know it. Besides, you should get back to Metropolis and see your Ma and that cute little-” He didn’t finish the thought before Clark’s hand shot up and covered his mouth. He gave Pete a significant look before he spoke.

“Let’s keep some things to ourselves as long as possible, buddy. The trip home sounds like a good idea, though. I gotta head there anyway to ditch the plane, so I’ll hang around the farm until you need me to swing back by and pick you up.”

“I was hoping to speak with you about that, if possible, Mr. Kent.”

In all his blue glory, Hank McCoy approached from the direction of the still-invisible quinjet while Forge and a floating Kelex followed closely behind.

“Please, what can I help you with, Doctor?” “Hank, please, Mr. Kent. Forge and I would love to take a closer look at your amazing aircraft. It’s more advanced than any vehicle we have ever seen before. Forge here is something of a wizard with technology. One of his skills is the ability to see mechanical energy in motion. If you allow it, we would like to uncover as many of its secrets as possible and use them to expand our knowledge.”

Clark smiled. “Well, Hank, I suppose I don’t have a problem with that. I don’t need it much to get around, so I’d happily let you take a look. It’s technically not ours anyway. It’s been liberated from poor governmental oversight. Kelex has made a few modifications, so I’d like her to stay and oversee things if you don’t mind. And please, it’s just Clark.”

The two men smiled and shook hands at that. Kelex seemed pleased to explore the grounds with her new acquaintances, so he also bid her farewell for now.

He turned back to Barnes.

“Well, looks like things might finally be looking up for you, Geezer."

Barnes snorted and shook his head. “You’re a funny guy. I’m glad the robot is hanging around instead of you.”

“Take care, Buck. And listen to Lana. She was always the smartest one of us.”

“Prettiest one too.” Lana grinned at them, adding her two cents. “I don’t know why I ever kept you two around.”

“Please. Everyone knows I’m the pretty one, and Clark is the smart one, L. You were, and are, the bossy one!” One squawk of indignation later saw Lana chasing Pete across the lawn as he laughed and hobbled away from her.

“Get better, Barnes. Make sure they call me if you need anything.”

“Get your ass back out there, Kent. There’s a world to save. Next time I see you, I think I may have a favor to ask, though.”

Clark looked at Bucky, a question on his lips, but Barnes shook his head.

“Not now. I gotta get my head straight first. After that, we’ll talk. Beat it, Clark. I’ll see ya round.”

Clark stepped back and waved at his friend. He took in the grounds around him, everything beautiful and green, and watched his friends laugh and run. They looked happy for a moment. Sometimes, it was best to walk away and leave things be. He looked off into the west and then vanished into the distance with the sound of thunder.