The Smithsonian Museum was a beautiful and intimidating place. They'd have to be in and out of there, though. They could never tell when Hydra might be watching and they needed to find someplace secluded.
The only immediate problems they saw was when they stood in line to go through the metal detector.
Carrie took a map of the museum and pretended to be showing him spots to visit while she said, "That metal detector up there- I'll control it." She then raised her voice up and said brightly, "I can't wait to see the Air and Space Museum."
As they came up to the detector, Carrie eyed the machine nervously. She had never done such a thing before and wasn't exactly sure how to manipulate it. So, she simply thought to herself, "Don't go off. Don't go off." and it worked.
Finally, they entered the exhibit. The walls were painted with grand images of Captain America and his fellow soldiers.
"Here. Look at this," Carrie said to Bucky, but found him staring up at a soldier's memorial.
Bucky Barnes: 1917-1944
Holy fuck. !?
Why hadn't she realized it before? The face she had studied in school- changed over time, but still the same face. It was like he hadn't aged a day. She had no idea how that could be possible, but Hydra had all kinds of resources to preserve him. There he was, a living legend, and he couldn't even tell you his full name or about his childhood, or family. He had no home, no refuge. Everyone he ever knew from his old life was probably dead, except for Captain America.
She compared the images of his face: the handsome, strapping young man who seemed to radiate life vs. the scruffy, yet no less handsome man who seemed to Carrie like a little lost puppy. He was so strong, so powerful, yet with a mind so breakable. That was all going to change starting now, Carrie decided. She would help him, whatever it took. He deserved it more than anyone.
Why do nice guys always finish last?
Bucky just finished reading about himself when an unwanted feeling slipped into Carrie's mind.
She grabbed his arm affectionately as part of a disguise, knocking him out out of a sort of trace. Her perky smile didn't match the tone of her voice as she said, "Bucky, we have to go now."
It was funny how her power worked: out of the blue, she had the sense that someone was closing in on them. She picked up on the malicious intent from the minds of an unseen threat nearby.
They nonchalantly made their way to the parking lot, which was empty of people except for what looked like quite a few dads in their summer khaki shorts and polo shirts. Carrie turned the security cameras away from their direction as they headed towards their car. A few heads turned in their direction.
"If anyone asks, you're my daughter," Bucky whispered to her.
"Whoa. I'm way not young enough to be your daughter," she argued back. Wait. Actually, he was old enough to be her great grandfather.
Unfortunately, their debate was cut short by a few of the surrounding men approaching them. "You folks enjoying the museum today?" one big, hulking man asked.
"Oh yes! It's great to see such a colorful history on display," Carrie said in her people-friendly voice, though there was something off-putting about the telepathic signatures from the minds around them. She would find out what, too late.
"Good. Good," said the man, "Now the fun's over." Without hesitation, the men pulled out electric batons, one making contact with Carrie's skin, resulting in a pained cry to escape her lips. Bucky was quick, though. Almost instantly, he had stolen a baton and used it against the men, plowing through them quickly and throwing them in all different directions. Carrie got the baton off her, but was very shaken up and dazed. She had to lean on a car for support. Bucky was on his own.
He was very capable, though. Hyrda was sure regretting creating the world's greatest super-soldier now. He sent one man flying into a car, creating a dent in the hood. Several others felt the smack of the metal arm. That's gonna hurt in the morning. They obviously weren't aiming to kill, though. They'd invested a lot of money into keeping their toy soldier in tip-top shape- they didn't want it to go to waste.
She, however, was disposable. They hadn't spent any resources in creating her. They just picked her up one day and put her in a cage and milked all the power they could get out of her. There would always be more test tubes full of experiments to give people super human abilities. And there would always be people to volunteer to be those lab rats. A compliant super human was worth ten of a super human who resisted.
They had ways to get Bucky back under their control if they brought him back to Hydra bases. He was worth saving in their eyes. Carrie was not. An agent raised a gun and pointed it at Carrie.
Snap decision. Bucky threw himself in front of the gun.