A/N: Thanks to CapriceAnn Hedican-Kocur for the Beta, and the brainstorming. And to Lady Pandora, and Black' Victor Cachat for additional brainstorming.
Footfalls echo in the memory, down the passage we did not take,
towards the door we never opened, into the rose garden.
― T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets
Namaste,
Sunny
Captain America
Echoes in the Memory
Chapter 36
Unknown Location
Justin came to suddenly, jerking upright in his seat. He moaned at the sensation of pain all over his body, and slowly opened his eyes. White filled his vision, and for a frightening moment, he thought he'd gone blind. Then sounds made themselves known. Birds, and other creatures flitting and scampering through the trees, and the trickle of a stream that could've been a trick of his battered mind.
Trees? What the ****? Where the hell am I?
He leaned to the left as far as the locked seat belt would allow, careful to avoid the broken glass, and looked up at the sky. It was still dark, though no stars could be seen. That meant he couldn't have been here long. His right hand found the seat belt released, and the band across his chest and lap was removed.
Touching his throbbing forehead, Justin felt sticky wetness, and when he looked at his hand, it was covered in blood. He opened the center console, and took out a box cutter he kept there, using it to cut away the airbag so he had room to check for other injuries. Reaching into the back seat, he grabbed his gym bag, fumbling the zipper as he opened it. He used the towel to wipe the blood first from his hands then from his forehead, face and hair.
He also needed to find his cell phone before he got out and started roaming around. Turning his head gave him a twinge in his neck and shoulders. In spite of the airbag, he probably had whiplash, a concussion, or both. He flicked on the interior light, and it glinted off the face of his phone on the passenger floor. Stretching and groaning, his hand clamped around it. The screen was cracked, though it still worked.
Justin tried to dial 911, but kept getting the "no service" message. Same when he accessed the GPS. "****! Gotta find out where I am."
The driver's door was jammed. He twisted around in his seat, using his feet to kick the door open. One hand on the wheel, and the other on the jamb, he levered himself out, stumbling on the sloped ground. Holding onto the tree that he narrowly missed hitting, Justin took a few deep breaths, slammed the door, and began the climb up to what he assumed was the road. A few inches to the left, and the side bags would've deployed too.
As he crested the hill, Justin's hopes dropped. This path could only be called a road by the loosest of interpretations. It was unpaved, and barely wide enough for two vehicles to pass each other.
When communing with nature, Justin preferred a cabin on a lake that was within easy driving distance of civilization, no more than thirty minutes. This was way beyond that. He would never have come here voluntarily.
Holding his phone up to check for a signal, Justin picked a direction, and started walking. Less than five minutes later, he saw headlights flitting through the trees coming toward him. Relieved, he turned on the phone light, and waved to get their attention. As the vehicle came around the curve, his sixth sense started tingling, alerting him to danger. He shut the phone off, shoved it in his pocket, and ran down the hillside in the dark, dodging trees, and bushes, and jumping over rocks, and dead trees.
Roughly fifty yards in, he leaned against a tree to catch his breath, facing downhill, away from the road. And now that he was still, and his breathing had slowed, he could hear the distinctive footsteps of at least three men moving through the trees and underbrush.
His eyes had quickly become accustomed to the dark, and he could see more of his surroundings. The stream he heard before was up ahead, maybe ten yards or so. If he could make it to the other side, he might be able to find a place to hide until they gave up, or daylight came.
Or maybe his best bet was circling around behind them, and back to their vehicle. If luck was with him, they would've left the keys inside, and he could get away. He would then seek protection from the local police, and worry about who they were when he wasn't running for his life. And he had no doubt that he was, because rescuers would be calling out, not stalking him with weapons.
The snap of a branch to his left alerted him to the fact that he'd been in one place too long, and they'd nearly caught up to him. As they passed on his left, Justin inched around the tree to his right until he was facing uphill again. He was about to take off when he heard them speaking in a language that sounded like Russian. But why would Russians be after him? Did it have something to do with what happened to Gramps? That Natasha might be involved flitted through his mind, but didn't stay. She would never purposely do anything to hurt a member of the family.
When the footsteps faded, Justin cautiously made the climb back to the road. Moving as quietly as possible, he crept up to the driver's door, and peeked in the window. To his dismay, there were no keys.
Standing in the middle of the road, he was working out his next strategy when he felt the presence of danger. And while he wasn't one to panic in unfamiliar places or situations, his fight-or-flight response was triggered, dumping a massive amount of adrenaline into his system. In this instance, primitive survival instincts took over and Justin reacted accordingly.
He ran like hell.
Justin had always been a fast runner, but the additional incentive of danger increased his body's ability to perform. Rounding a curve, he chanced a glance over his shoulder, spying a dark form following. Ducking his head, Justin increased his speed until he'd gained a hefty lead.
Deciding that Shakespeare was right when he said that discretion was the better part of valor, he veered into the trees on the right instead of taking on the hill again. Once he was away from whoever they were, he would head for civilization again, provided they had that here. Wherever here was.
Not five minutes later, he stopped to listen for his pursuers, hearing only the usual sounds of the forest. Or what he thought of as usual. He spent as little time as possible away from the city.
He wanted to check his phone for service again, but didn't for fear the light would give away his location. Creeping slowly through the trees, he kept an eye out for a place to hide, like a cave. Provided there wasn't a bear living in it, of course.
His hand shot out to grab onto any handhold, grabbing onto a small tree when the ground in front of him disappeared, and he nearly fell over a cliff. As cliffs went, it wasn't all that high, but he'd likely be injured, maybe even break a bone, if he fell. And if that happened, he'd either be caught, or die of shock or exposure before he was found.
As Justin took a step back, the ground beneath his feet crumbled, and he found himself sliding down the slight slope, rolling over and over, and sailing through the air. He turned as he fell, but not enough, landing hard on his left side. The big bone in his arm broke with a sickening crunch, and the sharp stab of incredible pain force a cry from his mouth.
He rolled over several times, coming to a stop on his stomach. Blood ran into his eyes from the reopening of the head wound, and down his chin from a broken nose. Turning onto his back, Justin gently probed the arm hanging at an odd angle, feeling bone, blood, and exposed muscle below the sleeve of his shirt.
With an effort, Justin got to his knees, then to his feet. He stood swaying through a dizzy spell in the small amount of moonlight that reached the clearing where he'd landed. Holding his left arm still with his right, he looked around trying to get his bearings, while he worked out a strategy for staying alive, and away from those men.
As he drew near to the opposite side of the clearing, he again felt his danger sense, only it wasn't just tingling this time. It was screaming. Panting, Justin turned in a circle in an attempt to locate the direction from which it was coming. Problem was he'd never been able to focus on the feeling well enough locate the source unless it was close by, usually within fifteen feet.
Then, heavy footfalls drew near, and when he turned to run, he was confronted by three men dressed all in black, their faces hidden, and each carrying an AR-15. How he knew what the weapon was called, he couldn't say.
Three red dots appeared in the center of his chest, and Justin knew he was beat. He wanted to know who they were, what they wanted, and why they were doing this. But most of all, he just wanted to go home. Briefly, he thought of begging for his life, but that wasn't his MO. He was a Barnes. He would meet his fate looking them in the eye, and without flinching. Hell, he might even smirk, just like Gramps.
More footsteps came from behind, crunching on the rocks, the sound symbolic of the crushing of that last tiny sliver of hope hidden inside his mind that told him this was all a bad dream. That he would soon wake up and find himself in his own bed, and that everything he'd experienced had been caused by the spetzofai he and Rey had for dinner.
Then, the man began to speak, and with each word, something inside Justin changed. The pain started to fade, and piece by piece, his mind slowly went blank.
~~O~~
The fourth man was unarmed, carrying only a faded red cloth-covered journal with a black star on the front. He flipped it open as he moved closer to the subject. Speaking in Russian, he walked around, pausing in between words. "Otzyv… potoki… gordyy… nevnyatnyy… pyat… nablyudeniye… dyes-yat… svyatynya… prizrak."
The subject stopped fidgeting, and stood still, staring straight ahead, blinking and breathing slowly.
"Soldat?"
Still holding onto the shattered arm, the subject breathed in, and out. "Ya gotov otvechat'."
3s & 8s Productions
Falls Church, Virginia
Joi looked into the camera, and smiled. "…we'll be right back after we pay a few bills."
"And… cut!" The director, a man who went by Paxton or Pax, no last name, pushed out of his chair, meeting Joi at the edge of the set. "That was perfect, Joi." To the room, he said, "Take lunch, everyone. Be back in two hours, and not one minute after."
She took off her chef's jacket on her way to the combination dressing room and office she shared with her co-stars, glad for this time alone. Her dreams lately had been filled with surreal, sometimes frightening images, often waking her long before her alarm. Those hours would be spent watching Steve sleep, if he was there, working on recipes for the café and the show, or playing funny animal videos until she could go back to sleep.
Last night had been rough. The images in the dream were like snapshots of her life, but not the life she remembered. They appeared to be bits and pieces of a previous life Joi had lived. Which was ludicrous. She didn't believe in past lives or reincarnation. To tell the truth, she wasn't sure what she believed, but it wasn't that.
She toed off her shoes, reached up under her top to unhook the front of her bra, and lay down on the sofa for a nap. Just as she dozed off, her phone rang. She checked the caller ID, seeing her grandfather's smiling face. Her thumb sent the call to voice mail, and turned the device completely off. The PA would make sure she was up in time to get back to the set. Right now, all she wanted was get a few minutes of uninterrupted sleep.
Rolling over to face the back, Joi hugged one of the sofa pillows, and like a light switch had been flipped, she was out.
An unknown amount of time later, Joi awoke to Amalie shaking her. "Joi? Wake up! Joi!"
Pushing herself upright, she scooted around until she was sitting with her feet on the floor. She yawned, and rubbed her eyes. "Yeah. Yeah. I'm up. Man, it feels like I was only asleep for a few minutes."
"That's 'cause it's only been a few minutes." Amalie handed her an iced soy latte that had have been laced with espresso for the jolt it gave her. "You need to wake up, hun. Now!"
"Ungh."
When Joi tried to lie down again, Amalie wouldn't let her. "No-no-no. You have to get up! Your family's been trying to get in touch with you. When you didn't answer your phone, they called Elyse who called me."
A little more awake now, Joi took another long sip of the coffee drink, and set it on the vanity to her left. "Why? What's going on?"
Amalie sat next to her, putting a shoe on one foot then the other. "Do up your bra, hun." The PA crossed to the desk, and came back with Joi's purse while she did as she was told.
"Amalie, what's going on?"
"Your grandfather said there's a family emergency, and they need you home ASAP. Everyone's meeting at his place." Shaking her head uncertainly, the PA came to a decision. "I heard your brother's gone missing."
"Chase? He's probably deep inside a computer communing with his own species, and ignoring the phone or people knocking on the door."
Taking Joi's hand, Amalie pulled her up, and dragged her into the hall, through the studio, and out to the parking lot. "Not him. The other one. I don't know the details. And my source isn't even sure that his source is accurate. All I know is you should have a s***load of missed calls."
"What about Pax?"
"I'll handle Pax. Go!"
Taking out her phone, Joi powered it up, and pulled out her car keys at the same time. As she got behind the wheel, she found that Amalie was right. It looked like everyone in her family except Justin had called her repeatedly in the last thirty minutes.
She placed the phone in the hands-free holder on her dash, stuck the Bluetooth in her left ear, and told it to dial Natasha. She'd be the most level headed of them all, and the one most likely to be able to give her a coherent explanation. Unfortunately, the call went to voice mail.
Once she got on the highway, she took a chance, and bumped her speed up to fifteen over the limit.
The Barnes Residence
Washington D.C.
Twenty-three minutes after leaving the studio, Joi screeched to a stop behind her mother's sedan.
The front door opened before she got there, her mother hugging her and talking so fast she couldn't make heads or tails of what she was saying. Once inside, she urged Carolyn to sit on the sofa next to Dad, grabbed Gramps, and dragged him to the kitchen away from everyone else, though no one but her parents seemed to notice she'd arrived. Mom had to have been watching out for her.
"Gramps, what the hell's going on?"
Bucky looked down at the floor, and back up, their eyes meeting. He huffed, and pushed a hand through his hair. "It's Justin. You know how he is when he's working. Loses track of time. Family trait, I guess."
"And?"
"No one's heard from him since he left his girlfriend's condo the night of Gracie's party. Not even Alex. And you know how OCD Justin is about keeping in touch with the club."
Joi leaned against the counter, letting her breath out in a long stream. "There's more." Their gazes met again. "What is it?"
"His SUV was found in Maryland near the Appalachian Trail this morning. Totaled. His wallet, cash, cards, everything were intact. There was blood all over the front seat, and air bag, and a towel." Bucky touched her arm, needing comfort as well as giving it. "They're testing the blood now, but the detectives are fairly certain it's Justin's."
"How can that be? He's supposed to be in Vancouver."
She let Bucky enfold her in his warm, familiar, and comforting embrace. "You know how the police are. They're asking lots of questions, and giving ambiguous answers. By the time they were done interviewing your parents, your mom was almost hysterical."
Chase came in, and Joi went to her brother, hugging him tight. He released her, and opened the refrigerator, silently asking if she wanted a drink. She nodded, and got a glass from the cabinet, holding out for him to pour.
"Justin's fingerprints and DNA are on file from when he applied for Tunnel Vision's liquor license. We should be hearing something soon."
Holding her glass of lemonade in one hand, Joi sat down at the counter. "What about that girl he's dating? Rey?"
Chase took a long swallow of his drink, the look on his face telling Joi he wished it were something stronger even though, like her, he couldn't get drunk. He peered into the glass for a moment. "The cops cleared her. Security cameras at her condo show Justin leaving. Rey went inside, and didn't come out again until the next morning. According to what Detective Juarez told us, the accident happened between two and three in the morning."
"So why did it take Alex three days to report him missing?"
"He figured same as us. That he was working. That he finally found the right place for the club."
Her brother sounded as skeptical as Joi felt. "But you don't think so."
Shaking his head, Chase came to sit next to her, letting Bucky continue. "Natasha's contacts are working on getting us more details, but what she found out so far was that Justin's never set foot in Vancouver. Hasn't been to Canada at all." He paused to let it sink in. "Ever."
~~O~~
"Then where's he been going? And how does he get the stuff he brings back? Most of it says Vancouver, BC on it. Can't get that in the US," Joi pointed out.
Bucky shook his head. Something like that would be easy for anyone who knew the right people. It would a simple task for those who had been hypnotizing him for God only knew how long. What if they were involved in his grandson's disappearance as retaliation for Bruce breaking him free of their machinations? If Justin or any other member of his family suffered because of what happened to him, Bucky truly wouldn't be able to live with himself. "Let's just wait for the police to call or come by. No sense in assuming the worst."
Chase and Joi wandered out to the living room to be with their parents. Serenity hadn't answered the text Bucky sent, and neither had Collin. If they didn't hear from them in another hour or so, he would go to their home to check on them just in case.
Natasha came in, wrapped her arms around his waist, and held on tight. "I've heard back from my contacts. Nothing. It's as if Justin disappeared off the face of the earth. Once he got on the highway, there's no trace of him until his SUV was found by the park ranger."
He released her, and stepped back. Too restless to stand still, he paced, but it didn't help much. What he really needed was to hit something.
"I also had someone checking on Collin and Serenity. Their car broke down in an area without cell service. They never got your text. My people are taking care of having the vehicle towed, and will see to it that they're brought here as soon as possible."
Bucky stopped pacing to lean on the counter, a small smile playing on his lips. "I could've gotten all that done, but not nearly as quickly. Thank you for that."
"We're family. It's all part of the service, James." She crossed her arms, feet shoulder width apart, as if preparing for battle. "You're thinking this has something to do with the people who had been hypnotizing you all these years."
"We have no idea why they were doing it, what their agenda is. Justin could've been a convenience for those monsters once their primary target, me, had been taken away."
The look in Natasha's eyes didn't bode well for whomever had taken his grandson once she caught up to them. And Bucky couldn't find one shred of sympathy to spare for their fate. In fact, whatever she had planned for them, he would gladly join her, as would the rest of the family.
"Tasha, what if these people plan on holding him for ransom in order to get me back?"
"I've been thinking about that. Once we know where Justin is, the Avengers will handle them, quietly, and discreetly. You can't exchange yourself for him. I won't let them have either of you."
To ease the urge to hit something, Bucky shoved his hands into his pants pockets. It didn't help. "If these are the same people who were messing with my mind, do you think they've been doing it to others?"
"Except for the Asset-in training? Possible, though I doubt it or we'd have heard."
Natasha's eyes got a faraway look in them, and suddenly, she rushed from the kitchen, and by the time Bucky reached the stairs, she'd gone into the bedroom and shut the door. He had one foot on the bottom step when he heard the door lock engage. It would be easy enough to break the door down, but it wouldn't get him anything aside from a bill to have the door and lock replaced.
For now, Bucky would sit with his family, and worry about his grandson. Whatever Natasha was up to would come out eventually. It always did.
~~O~~
With the door shut, and the lock engaged, Natasha sat in the armchair with her legs curled under. She activated the jamming device, and set it on the table next to her. Taking out her phone, she dialed Bruce, tapping her fingers on her knee impatiently.
"Banner." Bruce's tone was distracted, as if she'd called in the middle of one of his infamous brainstorms.
"I need your help again, Big Guy."
"Anything."
Stretching her legs out, she rested her feet on the chair's matching ottoman. "Justin's disappeared. His SUV was found totaled, with blood in the front seat. His wallet was intact, and his cell was missing."
There was a pause while Bruce digested the info. "I'm sorry to hear that. But you didn't call me just because Justin ran his car into a tree. What's really going on, Tasha?"
"That's what I was hoping you could help me figure out. I have a hunch it might be the same people who've been messing with James's head…"
"And they've taken Justin as punishment for James getting away. You could have a point. But that's not the only reason you called."
He knew her so well. "Let's assume for the moment that we're spot on with our assessment. They've been planning this for some time."
"How do you know?"
"Because Justin was seeing Heath professionally for almost a year. Traffic and security cams have him going into and out of Heath's office after hours, twice a week, and nearly always on the same day that James had an appointment. And that's not all. For months, he's told his employee, friends, and family he's been traveling to Vancouver, scouting places for a new night club. We found out this morning that he's never entered Canada in his life."
The squeak of an office chair told her Bruce had taken a seat in his office. "Then where has he been going?"
"No idea." Natasha's restlessness became too much. She got up to pace. "What I need you to do is get ahold of Justin's and James's medical records, and do an in-depth comparison. See if there're any physical attributes they share, aside from DNA. There has to be a reason they chose Justin, and not one of the other kids, or even Gracie."
"I'll get on it immediately, and call you when I have something worth sharing."
Returning to her contact list, Natasha dialed Hill, but the call was routed to Ryan Kripke, her relief. "What can I do you for, Agent Romanoff?"
"Background checks. Put Klein on it." She heard him calling Klein over, having correctly assumed that her request would be super-hush-hush. There was a moment of silence, then the sound of a computer powering up in a small room.
"Um, Agent Romanoff?"
"I'm here. The family of James Buchanan Barnes. I need the works. Friend, acquaintances, co-workers, pet groomers, and so forth. Medical history, work history, family history, as far back as possible, with special attention to any large cash transfers, money in offshore accounts, anyone living above their means, new and expensive acquisitions. You know the drill."
There was a pause, during which she heard the keyboard clicking at an incredible speed. "Yes, ma'am. I assume this is to be confidential, so I'll contact you when it's done."
"I want all the forensic evidence from the MPD. If they won't share…"
"Go in and get it. Understood."
Natasha ended the call, shoved the phone into her back pocket, and went downstairs to make dinner. Someone had to be the strong one, the rock that kept everyone grounded, the glue that kept the Barnes family from falling apart, and that was her job.
Appalachian Trail
One Week Later
Squad Leader Andi Rees crossed her arms, nodding as Commander Hill went over their instructions one more time, keeping her features neutral when what she really wanted to do was bash a few heads together. They'd been over this same material three times already. She and her people knew how to do an evidence search. Why couldn't they just bugger off and let them get to it?
Dr. Banner, standing next to Agent Romanoff, gave them all a nod. "We appreciate your help with this project. If you find anything you believe has significance, call me. I'll want to view it before we pack it up for forensics."
The four squads headed away from the base camp on the piss poor road they'd come in on. Her fanny had taken a beating on the hard bench seat in the back of the wagon. Going walk-about in these woods would do her good. Might even skip her work out tonight. It was worth it though, if it led them to whoever had taken Romanoff's bloke's grandson. Justin something.
Some of the men on her team resented that she'd been promoted over them, and spent more than a bit of time letting her know it. But she was made of sterner stuff than most, and didn't take s*** from no one. "Oy! You lot back there! Get your arses in gear. Don't wanna be fannyin' about in these woods all day and night. Spread out like the doc told ya."
The team did as she said, and they finally got down to business.
Two Hours Later
Dragging her knife through a pile of leaves covered in what looked like dried blood, Andi reached into her pocket with the other hand, pulling out a pair of gloves so she could gather the leaves into an evidence bag, her head jerking up, and around at a shout.
"Yo, Rees! Over here! Hurry!"
Rosado sounded gutted, which was odd. The man never panicked about anything. Not even during the invasion over New York. Her weapon came out, a Glock 1911, gripped tight in her right hand while her left clicked the radio. "Rees to Hill. Rosado's found something. He's on grid November-five-nine, on the other side of the stream. Meet us there, and bring the doc."
"Roger, Rees. On our way."
She clicked back over. "Rosado, what's your exact location?"
"At the caves. You won't believe what I found."
"Almost there."
Three of her teammates joined her. They splashed across the stream and around to the right, coming up short at the sight of Rosado crouching over a pile of bloody leaves. They slowed to a walk, stopping in a semi-circle on either side of Rosado. Using the point of his knife, he moved the leaves out of the way so Andi could see.
She inhaled sharply, and a moment later, more searchers, Romanoff, Hill and Banner joined them, all staring at the lower two-thirds of a human arm. Male, if Andi had to guess, and still wearing a watch in spite of the fact that an animal, or animals, had been snacking on it.
Without being told, Rosado turned the arm over, and what they saw forced a gasp from everyone but Romanoff. Andi could only think of one thing to say. "Bloody hell."
TBC
Otzyv = Recall
Potoki = Threads
Gordyy = Proud
Nevnyatnyy = Indistinct
Pyat = Five
Nablyudeniye = Watching
Dyes-yat = Ten
Postel' = Bed
Svyatynya = Shrine
Prizrak = Ghost
Soldat = Soldier
Ya gotov otvechat' = Ready to comply
I already had the idea to use code words as a trigger before CA: CW came out. I changed it up a bit to more closely resemble what transpired in the movie. Unlike the movie, these words mean nothing. As for the last two words/phrases, I got them from Google Translate, in case they're incorrect.
Spetzofai is a spicy Greek dish made with thick country sausages and peppers in a rich tomato sauce.