Three didn't have that much to pack, now that she thought of it. She didn't want to raid the kitchen for food, just in case the all-seeing AI would find her. And although Three adored the clothes that Bucky bought her, there were far too many, so she would have to leave them there. What she did take was the sneakers he gave her.
Three loved those shoes, and wore them whenever she could. Of course, because it had been worn this much, it turned from its once blinding white color to a off-whitish tan. But they were shoes none the less, and she wore them.
Three wore heavy clothes, long sleeves, Bucky's red hoodie and jeans. It was already fall, and would be turning winter soon. She needed warm clothes for the cold season that was coming and the frigid nights that were already here. Three wasn't completely immune to the cold, but if she had to go in public, she assumed a short sleeved shirt and shorts weren't up to the current societal standards. She'd stick out like a sore thumb.
Finally, Three brought Lion. She didn't know exactly why she brought the stuffed toy with her. At first she was going to leave it. Three didn't need it; it was just dead weight to her. But then her mind trailed back to Bucky, how he would sometimes play with her with Lion. She didn't — she couldn't leave him.
So, she put Lion in her front pocket that was sealed with a button. His small, petite, furry head poking out. Three couldn't help but give a silent giggle at the sight. It had been pretty cute.
Now, having everything she needed, she went to the window. Three made sure to disconnect the camera in her room, easily easing ice into the lens, frosting it over so no one could see anything. Also, she was able to find the sensors they used for her room. It was pretty distinguishable, they used it at the School as well. The issue was that she knew that after disabling it, FRIDAY would immediately tell Tony, who would get suspicious and come to her room. She had to act fast, getting out the window and flying several streets over before they could find her.
That was another issue; flying. What Bruce and the others didn't know was that she had been practicing flying in her room, long before she decided to leave. It hurt, and left her very tired, but she was able to fly for about ten or so minutes before her wing began to hurt and she couldn't physically force herself to do it anymore. This was an issue in itself because she knew that she would need to fly fast; which meant she'd be pushing herself farther than she ever had.
Once she had everything ready, Three took a deep, shaky breath. After this, she'd probably never see the Avengers again. She didn't know how to feel, really. She knew she'd have to leave, but... Three almost wished she had more time.
Three scowled, what was she doing!? They probably didn't want her here anyway, why would they care now! They were going to get in trouble if she didn't leave! She needed to do this. She meant nothing to them, Three told herself. Nothing. It was no different from the School. Nothing had changed.
Three's eyes darkened, she was leaving, and that's final. Three shot the sensors, and opened the window. She could hear the Irish voice of saying something was wrong but she had already unfurled her wings, flying out the window.
*
Bucky stared at the ceiling, thinking about the Ex-Director's words. Surely, Tony and the others wouldn't give Three up. Maybe if he could get Fury to give her another chance. If he got to know her then he'd realize that she was harmless! She meant no harm to anyone!
Bucky ran a hand down his face. He needed to talk to her. There had to be something that he could do to—
His door burst open revealing a disheveled Tony. His eyes were wide and face pale. His usual snarky expression gone and replaced with worry. If this didn't shock Bucky enough then his next few words really made his blood run colder than ice.
"Three's gone."
*
"Buck?" Bucky didn't respond to his friend's voice. He continued to stare at the computer, typing on the keyboard and clicking the mouse unrelentingly. "Bucky? It's been a week, Bucky," again, nothing. "When was the last time you slept?"
"... How long as she been gone?" Bucky asked after a moments hesitation.
"A week."
"A week ago." Steve gave a exasperated sigh. "I know that if I do, it's just more time taken away from finding her sooner."
"Bucky, look," Steve sighed, running a hand down his face. "I know you want to keep looking but—"
"But what?" Bucky snapped, now glaring at the screen. His typing became more furious, and clicking fierce. "I'm not going to stop looking until I find her."
"What if she doesn't want to be found?" Steve demanded, "She left for a reason. Why else would she break the cameras and sensors?" Bucky stayed silent. "And what are you going to do if you—"
"When I," Bucky corrected grudgingly.
"If," Steve glared, "You find her. Fury's already more than upset that we 'let her go'," Steve said, making air quotes with his fingers, as he saw on television. "If you find her again, she be in even more trouble than when she left! Fury's gonna take her, and you won't see her for another, what, forty years? Maybe never, depending on the sentence she could be given."
"They're not going to put an eight-year-old in prison, Steve," Bucky said with an twinge of annoyance at his friend's pessimism.
"No, but they could put her in confinement," Steve argued. "Or, send her back to those scientists who tested on her in the first place. I'm sure there's someone out there who'd love to get a closer look at her wings. I mean, did you see how quick Stark was to examine her!? Who's to say that someone else might be equally, if not more eager, to do so?" Steve sighed, dragging a hand through his straw-blonde hair. "What I'm trying to say, Bucky, is that she's probably much safer wherever she is now, than when she was with us. Especially with Fury on her ass."
"You're just going to give up?" Bucky demanded in a dangerous tone glaring at the computer on his lap, his metal fist clenching. "She's out there alone! What about those wolf mutants that were chasing her!? They're going to find her if we don't get to her first! You're right, Steve, Fury is after her. You know he's got his eye everywhere! If she shows up on any CCTV camera, he'll find her, take her and then that's it. Not to mention her wing is still hurt, so she couldn't have gotten far. She's most likely still in the city, if not, in the area. We can find her if you guys would stop complaining and actually look!"
Bucky glowered at his friend, his blue eyes full of fury, and Steve was a bit shocked. Bucky was a man of few words, so him snapping at Steve like he did was a rarity in itself. For him to be yelling at Steve because of Three was even more surprising. He knew Bucky cared the girl, but this much?
After he had gotten over the initial shock and let the man's words sink in, he felt... Hurt. "Bucky... You're not the only one who cares about her—" Steve tried to reason, but was cut off by Bucky's infuriated tone.
"Oh really? 'Cause it really seems like it! It's only been a fucking week, and you have already given up!"
"It has been a week and there's been no sign of her. If SHIELD, the media, or even those wolves hadn't found her, then she must not want to be found, Buck! You know SHIELD is like a flock of buzzards when it comes to this kind of stuff! They're going to tear her apart!"
"Which is why we need to get to her first!"
"And how do you plan on doing that?" Steve demanded, "How do you plan on finding her?!"
"I was in hiding for years, Steve," the Winter Soldier drawled, crossing his arms over his chest defiantly. "I'm sure I know a thing or two about it. She's has got to slip up at some point."
"Maybe you do," Steve nodded, agreeing with him. "But staying up for a week straight isn't going to help fine tune those skills." Bucky blinked at him slowly, trying to figure out what he was talking about, but then narrowed his eyes when he remembered how the argument started in the first place.
"Steve—"
"I don't want to hear it," Steve said, in a scolding tone. "Go take a nap. I'll take over."
"Do you even know how to use a laptop?" Steve flashed a glare at him for the question.
"Yes, in fact, I do," he lied, and made shooing motions with his hands. "Now go. If I need help, I'm sure Clint or Bruce'll help me. You go take a nap for a few hours. I don't want to see you out of bed until at least six."
Bucky gave the digital, holographic clock a glance, and then scowled at the time. 13:52. Four whole hours taken away from looking for Three. Despite the fact he knew Stark had everyone he could get his hands on looking for the girl — including himself — he wanted to feel... Useful. Which was why he was trying so hard to use the laptop he borrowed from Clint, and find anything he could on the girl. Now, Steve was forcing him to take a break, and no matter how much he would try to persuade him, Bucky knew from past experiences that Steve was always be unyielding in his order. Arguing with the man was virtually useless, and he had no other use than to accept his command and begrudgingly leave the room.
About a week after leaving the Tower, Three didn't know if she regretted it or not.
Flying long distances, although strained her wings, also helped build the muscles back up. Faster than it had when she was back at the Tower, that is. Her first flight way had almost been a complete wreck, with her barely being able to get out of the city. Fortunately, luck had been on her side — for once — and she found a cargo train heading out of the city. She was able to get a ride on it for a few hours. Letting herself rest, and rethink her plan before leaving again.
Three decided to go north. Where north? She wasn't quite sure. In fact, she didn't really know what even was north of the Avengers' Tower... But, she was determined to find out!
Flying north wasn't a difficult task, but getting there was. She didn't have any food to eat or water to drink, which meant her growling stomach had been loudly introducing itself for the past week. And if that wasn't enough, her wings began to irritate her as well, so she was able to fly maybe a half hour, instead of several hours like she first did. This meant she was walking the majority of the way.
Within hours, her feet started to ache and her legs felt sore, but she refused to stop. She didn't go through all this work to escape just to start complaining about how her feet hurt! So, silently suffering through it, she carried on, forcing herself to ignore the pain.
Being alone with her doubting thoughts for several days felt like hell. Three began to think that maybe staying with the Avengers had been a better alternative than being out here in the middle of nowhere, dehydrated and starving. That is, until she found a strange tree.
Before finding it, Three had smelt it first. It had a sweet aroma that made her mouth water. Not even thinking, she began to follow the scent of whatever food that was, and came upon a tree. The branches of the tree held plump, red fruits, simply hanging there. Three truly didn't know what they were — it was hard to tell in the dark, and she didn't know many fruits as it is — but they smelt good, so she snagged as many as she could reach off the tree. Sinking her teeth into it, she ate the entire fruit, only leaving the sugary, watery remains on her face, before eating another and another and another.
Three didn't know how many of the fruits she had eaten. All she knew was that her stomach was full for the first time in days. And the fruit's juice quenched her thirst. She giggled silently to herself, it was a two-in-one deal!
Three leaned against a tree, looking up at the starry night sky. She couldn't help but smile. She had done it. She actually did it! She laughed silently to herself, dropping a hand on the ground touching something squishy. Three made a face, raising her hand and sniffing it, quickly recognizing it as the fruit. Smiling, she licked her hand, then picked the fruit off the ground, eating that as well. As she was eating the fruit, she scanned the rest of the ground, finding more and more.
Three quickly ate those as well, her mouth twisting into a smile. These fruits were good too! A bit sour, but good! Three looked up, noticing that there had been more trees, like the one she saw! Which meant more fruit! No wonder the scent smelled so strong and so good, there were a lot of trees!
Three giggled, running over and picking the fruits from the trees and picking them off the ground. There had to be hundreds of trees, maybe even thousands! She could live in these trees forever and ever and ever and ever and—
Three gasped, she forgot to feed lion! Taking the stuffed animal out of its trusty pocket where it had been for the past several days, she grinned at it. She knew Lion wanted something to eat too.
"Of course!" Lion replied. "Those fruits look good!" Three giggled, nodding her head with a hiccup. "Why don't you eat them with me?" Lion suggested and Three gasped. That sounded like a great idea! She rubbed Lion's large mane, and he purred, licking the fruit juice off her face.
As Three began to indulge more and more on the fruits in the trees and on the ground, she began to notice how the forest around her was blurring. It began to melt all together, the colors the sounds, the trees... Everything. Three didn't even notice the sound of a dog barking and lights flailing around, then landing on her before she blacked out.
Three woke up to a pounding headache and a churning stomach. She groaned, moving to turn on her side, easily emptying her stomach all over the floor. She moved to wipe her face from the sickly fluids, but found them tied to a wooden stake.
Three gasped, pulling on the ropes, but stopped quickly, the sharp, jerky movements only making her head hurt even more. And once again, she dumped her stomach out on the ground.
What was wrong with her? Three wondered, her thoughts felt jumbled and... Messy. Why did she feel so... Sick? She had never felt this sick since she was in the School and they gave her those weird yellowish-green pills.
Three grimaced, blocking the thought out as she looked around. Where was she? The room looked like nothing she had ever seen before. It was vast, surrounded with barrels and baskets. A loud whine above where Three was made her look up — slowly, that is, she learned her lesson the first time. She found a large... She didn't quite know what it was, actually. It was glossy brown, with a weird snout... Thing. It had hair, almost, and a weird... Hairy... Thing swishing behind it. It looked at her, it's black eyes huge, and on the sides of its head, and it's mouth even bigger. It made the whining noise again, showing huge, yellowish teeth and red gums, along with a pink tongue.
Three stared at it, captivated by the sight. She didn't know what it was, but what she did know was that it was in a large cage.
There was a door on the front of the cage where the thing stuck it's head out, staring at her, almost longing to be released. She glared at the cage, wanting to get up and set the animal free, but in her current situation and physical state, she really did not feel like moving. Or was it that she couldn't? Either way, it was impossible to help it at the moment.
Three sighed, slowly leaning back, looking around the room again. She was able to feel the headache going away, but not too much though. Three heard other noises, some similar to the strange hairy animals, others much different. But then he heard one distinguishable noise that shone above the rest: an Eraser.
Three froze, but then panicked. She tried to do whatever she could to get out of the ropes that were coiled tightly around her wrists, and looking around for a door. She ignoring the wave of nausea that came with every movement, yet she found none.
Then, she heard a door creak open behind her, and tears blurred her eyes, her heart beating against her ribs. Three heard running and then something jumping at her. Three screamed, tears streaming down her face, and she cowered away from the Eraser, squeezing her eyes closed.
"'Ey! 'Ey! 'Ey! Why're ya screamin' like dat, ya gonna spook tha 'orses!" The voice was young, feminine, and sounded familiar to the Eraser she fought in the park a few months back. Three didn't stop screaming, and she heard several whines similar to the animal she saw, but this one louder.
"Quiet down, will ya!" The voice ordered, and she obeyed immediately, but her rapid breathing didn't stop and neither did her crying. The Eraser was still there, and she was going to die. "Oi! Willy! Git offa 'er!" The voice ordered, and then the Eraser was dragged away.
Three didn't dare look up. She was too scared, too certain she was going to die. "'Ey, don't be scared, I ain't gonna 'urt ya," the voice was lowered a few bars to a softer, kinder voice. "C'mon, kid, look at me, I won't touch ya, I swear."
After several scared seconds, Three finally peeked an eye out, finding a woman. She had hair so red and curly, Three was almost certain it looked like it was going to go up in flames. Her face was flecked with dots and her eyes a bright green, her face tanned. She smiling wide, showing pearly white teeth. Not fangs like an Eraser.
Speaking of, Three glanced down beside the woman where there was a big Eraser perched by her, sitting. It's tongue was hanging limply out of its mouth, showing long, sharp, pointy teeth. It's body was brown in most places, but black on the top of its back. It had pointy ears and long tail.
Three began to cry harder, cowering behind her knees once again. Her breathing growing rapid and distressed. "'Ey! Calm down! What's wrong wit'cha?" She couldn't breath now, her stomach churning once again and she lurched, tossing out her insides. The woman yelped, pulling back. She picked up a bucket and handed it to the girl. After several seconds, about 70 percent of the fluids actually landed in the bucket. The rest on the dirty ground, or on her clothes.
"... Ya all good now?" Three didn't answer, of course. "Ya need anythin'? Ya ate a 'ell offa lotta 'em bad apples, kid. I thought ya were never gonna wake up!" The woman gave a hearty laugh, "Mah name's Ferry. What's yours?"
Three didn't answer, she only stared at the Eraser, breathing shallowly, her entire body trembling. Even the feathers on her wings were bristled and shook in terror. "Mmm? Oh, tha's Willy! She would never 'urt a fly! Ya don't hav'ta worry 'bout 'er!" Three didn't respond, never taking her eyes off the Eraser. The woman, Ferry, sighed, "Willy, go on inside, will ya? Go," the woman shooed the Eraser away, and it got up. It's tail brushed past Three's cheek, and she flinched, scooting herself as far away as possible from the Eraser, before it bounded out the door.
"'Ere. Tha' better?" Three curled in on herself, not being able to move much because her hands were tied behind her back. Her wings did close in around her, blocking her view slightly from the strange woman. "'Ey! Don't be like tha'! I only wanna 'elp!" The woman whined. "Where ya from, kid?" No answer. How would Three even say she came from Avengers' Tower? Or the School? Or... Nowhere? She had no home now, she was by herself. Nobody wanted her, nobody needed her. She was deadweight; a broken, useless toy.
"'Ey? Kid? Ya didn't answer mah question," the woman said softly. "Where ya from, kid? Who... Who did this to ya?" This. Ferry probably meant her wings. What a long story that was.
Finally, Three wriggled her hands, then gave the woman an exasperated look. "Oh! Ya hands!" Three winced, her loudness was making her headache worse. The woman slid a knife out of her pocket and Three jumped, flailing around to get away from her. She was kicking her legs and moving her body until she finally got the knife out of the woman's hand.
"'Ey!" Ferry cried, "I need tha' to getcha outta 'em ropes!" She explained with a huff, rubbing her hands that Three kicked. "I'm not 'xactly a Girl Scout at rope tyin'. I promise not ta cut'cha." Once again, she picked up the knife, and again, Three flailed like a madman.
Ferry sighed, dropping the knife, "Fine. I'll take it out," she murmured, twisting behind her. She began to use her bitten-down fingernails to loosen the rope, and when that didn't work, she used her teeth.
After five minutes of uncomfortable struggling and closeness, Ferry finally got it loose enough to let the girl break free.
Three scrambled away from the woman, trying to keep her stomach in tact as she stumbled into the far, empty stall. Unbeknownst to her, it was unlocked and she fell through the wooden door, landing on her rear-end. Three scooted herself into the stall, ignoring the stench wafting from its neighbors. Ferry approached the stall slowly, but the girl moved away, wide-eyed.
"'Ey, kid! I told you I wouldn't 'urt ya," Ferry sighed. "Please, just tell me ya name." Three looked at the woman, still terrified, but slowly held up three fingers — her thumb, forefinger, and middle finger. "... Fingers? Ya... Ya name's Fingers?" Three shook her head, pointing at each finger one at a time and slowly. "... Three?" Three nodded and the woman gave a small chuckle, "Fingers! 'Ow could I've thought of tha'!" She laughed at herself, then smiled brightly at Three.
"'Ow bought ya follow me and I get'cha some medicine for tha' stomach of yours," Ferry's friendly smile was met by panic, and she sighed. "It's gonna get too cold in 'ere soon, kid. Please, come inside, I promise nothin'll 'appen to ya." Three frowned, looking at the ground, scooting into herself, "Also... If ya git 'ungry, I cook." Now, Three looked at her, and the woman beamed, "Ah... That's what'cha wanted — mah fruits." The woman grinned, "'Ow 'bout I git ya all the fruits ya want, if ya give me information 'bout who ya are an' 'ow ya got 'ere, deal?"
Three hesitated at first, but the sickness in her stomach made her want to puke again, so she gave a small nod. Ferry beamed, "Great! C'mon, kid, I'll walk ya to the 'ouse. Oh, an', don't'chu worry 'bout Willy if she scares ya tha' much, I'll put 'er outside." Ferry stretched a hand to the girl to help her up, and slowly, Three took it.
"You have nothing!?" Bucky demanded Tony, who was sitting at the counter, swishing around a cup of whiskey in his hand. Tony sighed at his yelling, honestly wanting to go deaf at this point so he didn't have to hear him whine. Again. "How could you have nothing? How hard is it to find a girl with wings on her back!?"
Tony, for once, but his tongue. He knew how restless Bucky was getting and now with it being two and a half weeks since the girl left with no evidence telling where she went, in what direction, or if someone had her by now. All of them had been worried and depressed since the girl's disappearance, but Bucky had been taking it the hardest. He wasn't eating, sleeping, or even exercising like he usually loved to do. Instead, he focused every waking minute he had to find to find Three. Had it not been for Steve who frequently forced him to choke down a sandwich or go lie down then the Avengers' feared he might stress himself to death. Or, as Tony liked to joke, turn his stringy, brown locks that always looked unkempt — and since the disappearance of Three, more than usual — starch white.
Bucky didn't enjoy that joke. In fact, Tony noticed how he looked barely restrained from tackling the man and socking his face in. Instead, Bucky left the room with Steve right behind him.
Tony sighed, this man — an assassin, murdering, psychopathic, weapon of mass destruction — cared more for a girl he found than himself. Tony remembered hearing stories about how Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes were the best of friends, and when the two met, Bucky had taken Steve under his wing. They grew up like brothers, ate like brothers, and when the time came around, fought together like brothers as well.
Now, seventy years and enough brainwashing to make someone turn into a drooling mess later, Bucky still, somehow, had that protective instinct. He saw Three and took her under his wing. He played with her, cared about her. Hell, Bucky loved Three! So, it's really no wonder why he was so worried and anxious to get her back as soon as possible.
Now, putting all that aside Bucky was still a assassin, murdering, psychopathic, weapon of mass destruction, and needed to chill out. "This stuff takes time, Frosty," Tony explained, annoyed at the man's outburst. "She's better at going off the grid than we thought. If she had a plan — which I'm pretty sure she has never seen a map before, so probably doesn't — then she'll probably be going north."
"Why would she be going north? It's almost winter," Bucky said, as if he were talking to a kindergartener. Tony's brown eyes narrowed, but he sighed.
"She has an immunity to cold — I think. And she can control ice, or snow, whatever. Since it's not usually that cold in the southern states, she'd have to go north, probably upstate New York," Tony explained. "Maybe she's living it out on a wine vineyard or an apple farm."
"Would you, for once, take this seriously!" Bucky snapped agitatedly.
"I am," Tony rolled his eyes. "Three didn't take any food with her, and there's been no reports of stealing from a five-foot eight-year-old yet. So, what if she did go to a farm? That's free food. Granted, that's hoping she doesn't get caught by shepherds or some other crazy dog. Or some weird farmer with a fetish for winged girls—"
"Tony..." Bucky growled, but Tony didn't stop.
"Either way, upstate New York would be a great way for her to get lost!" Tony declared, downing the rest of his drink and jumping off the barstool.
"Where are you going!?" Bucky demanded as Tony ran into his holographic interface wth Bucky on his heel.
"FRIDAY, show me all the farms in upstate New York," he ordered the AI. In seconds, there was a 3-D map of New York in front of him, and blue pins on all the areas where there was a farm, 158 results. "Now give me a farm that has any kind of digital surveillance that we can get into." The number went down to about fifty, which had been mostly company owned farms, which meant a lot of people. Three wouldn't go there, but he still had to check, or else Bucky would never let him hear the end of it.
Tony fished his phone out of his pocket, then tapped the searching hologram with it, downloading all the information regarding the sear have, including the farms. He then tossed it at Bucky, who easily caught it. "You wanna be a bit helpful and look into some of the other farms? This is gonna take a while."
Bucky gave him a half-hearted glare, but left, using the phone to go through the list of farms as well.
*
Yay, they're getting somewhere! Also, Three has a serious fear of dogs — I wonder why — and got hella drunk lol.I hope you guys like Ferry. I love her. Well, her accent that is. I had a vice principal had the exact same accent but I didn't quite know where, so I gave it to her!Also, if you didn't get my message, I've official been on Wattpad for two years(well, two years and twelve days, but whatever)! Thank you guys so much for sticking with me this far. To say a lot had happened would be an understatement. I truly hope that my writing will improve as I write more stories. I realize that over the span of two years, I wrote twenty-five fanfics .Is this a problem? Don't know why I write so much.. I feel like Hamilton, "Writing like I'm running out of time..." And the weird part is that I may have two or three on the way. So twenty-eight fanfics. Weird.Anywhoos, thank you guys so much for being with me for two whole years! I love you all, and I can't express how grateful I am to have followers like you! You guys are awesome, so go on ahead and give yourself a pat on the back for dat~!That's it for now, I'll see y'all next time, and remember...Don't melt~!~Happyritas OOO*