A/N: Sorry this is such a short chapter again! I meant to put this chapter and the previous together but that would have been a lot of information to digest all at once! Enjoy!

Musical Inspiration:

-Faceless by RED

-Fading by Decyfer Down

-What's Happening to Me? by Two Steps from Hell

-Impossible by Manafest


Chapter 12

Shackled

Lacey sat up with a start, finding herself in the Camry with the windows cracked, sitting in the middle of a Wal-Mart parking lot.

She rubbed her blurry eyes, then blindly tried to start the car. She scowled when the engine choked uselessly as she turned the key in the ignition. Lacey glanced grudgingly at the empty gas meter.

"Dammit," she grunted and popped her door open.

She got out and shivered in the chilly Seattle morning air, gripping her jacket tighter around herself. She then secretively shoved the assault rifle into the duffel bag that still sat in the back seat of the car. She hoisted the bag over her shoulder and walked away, looking for the closest gas station.

Lacey strolled up to a gas station and warily watched people fill up their cars. She felt a trickle of sweat run down her neck. She hated asking for money. On the drive from Salem, Bucky always was the one who asked people for money when the Camry ran out of gas. And people usually forked the money over because of his tall, dark form and cold stare.

She felt a lonely pang course through her, but she shook the feeling off.

Lacey shakily came up to a man and made up a quick story, "Excuse me, sir. I'm trying to get to my sister's house in California and I lost my purse-"

"Go screw yourself," the man growled, turning his back to her.

Lacey sucked at lying.

She walked away and sat down on the bench in front of the gas station's bathrooms and stared ahead. She didn't have any idea what she needed to do next. If she didn't have gas, she wasn't going anywhere.

"Lacey Turner?" a voice came from next to her.

Lacey almost fell over her own feet as she leaped up and scrambled for the duffel bag.

"Whoa, hold on!" Lacey froze and locked eyes with a kind-faced, middle-aged man wearing a black suit.

"Who the hell are you?" hissed Lacey, recoiling.

"I'm a friend," he answered, both palms facing out in defense.

"I don't have friends," Lacey spat through gnashed teeth.

"Something tells me that's a lie. You have a friend. And now he's in grave danger," the man told her, looking at her seriously.

"What do you mean?" Lacey remained tense and a safe distance away from him.

"Ma'am, are you friends with Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes?" the man asked.

Lacey's heart clenched and she stated slowly, "I'd prefer not to discuss this in public. Is there a more private place we can speak?"

"Certainly," the man responded, ushering her away and to a large black suburban parked in the gas station parking lot.

The man popped open the back door and held it for Lacey as she climbed inside. Lacey slid in on the leather seat, inspecting her surroundings. There was only one other man in the driver's seat, wearing a similar black suit like the man who'd approached her outside.

As the man closed the door behind him, Lacey quickly asked, "What do you know about Bucky?"

"Quiet a bit, actually. But I would like to first explain to you who I am. I'm Agent Randall and I'm a part of a top-secret agency called S.H.I.E.L.D. We protect you and the rest of the country from major threats. And the super soldier known as Sergeant Bucky Barnes has come to view on our radar as a potential threat. With his enhanced performance abilities and advanced cybernetic arm, he's been drawing many unsavory, power-hungry beings," Randall explained.

"Is someone getting close?" panic began rising in the pit of Lacey's stomach.

"Yes, actually. Too close for our comfort. One of our field agents made us aware that you two had come to the United States. We recognized this as our time to act. We tailed you and kept a close perimeter at the house you two were residing. Intelligence says you're staying at Jack Jefferson's house...and he's your biological father?"

Lacey shrugged, "Supposedly."

"You don't trust him?"

"He hasn't given me a reason to trust him," Lacey snapped, the subject annoying her.

"Good, then what I'm about to tell you will be easier to digest. Jack Jefferson's inexplicable delusions of grandeur have made him go to great lengths to gain the means to obtain power. The extent of what he's done is unknown, but we do know he harbors a fixation with Bucky Barnes. Intelligence says he claims Barnes as his trump card. He hasn't made a move yet as far as we know, but now they're in the same house alone together. Jefferson can say anything he wants to Barnes, and after you left, he'll most likely believe him."

Lacey's eyes grew wide as she took in the news. After a moment, she almost physically grabbed the driver and shouted, "What are we waiting for, let's go get him!"

"I agree, every second counts. But while we drive I must ask you for any information you can give me on this situation. Do you feel comfortable explaining your journey with Barnes from start to finish?"

"Absolutely, as long as you just get me to that house," Lacey responded, buckling her seat belt.

"Charles, take us to the house at the end of Schmidt Road," Randall called to the chauffeur.


"I'm sorry? Alexander Pierce? The man who abducted Lacey?" Bucky's mouth threatened to hang open, stunned.

"They told me to tell you that Alexander Pierce was the kidnapper and to use this name instead to hide any real information. That's how vindictive they are," Pierce replied, running a hand through his greying hair.

"And who are 'they?'" Bucky asked.

"Scum, the people who we don't want to become. I'm a part of an operation.. or rather, a revolution to shape the future so that the world will be safe. And I need a person like you by my side to fight for that cause! I let you use the simulator to increase your strength in hopes that you'd choose to help me," Pierce told him.

Bucky looked at him with a beaten expression and whispered, "Why would Lacey do something like this? I thought..."

"That she was your friend? No, son. No one could understand you. You're different, that's why we need each other. I understand you," Pierce responded.

Bucky glanced down at his clicking left arm. He made a fist, then looked up determinedly, "What must I do?"

Pierce smiled faintly and patted Bucky on the back, "I knew you'd see it my way. First, we are going to go down to the simulator and let you practice more. You will be strong."

Bucky stood up, room spinning as he stumbled after Pierce, a vacant look panned across his face.