T MINUS ONE MONTH
"Sergeant Barnes."
Bucky lifted his head and frowned. JARVIS rarely called on anyone unprompted, and the AI somehow sounded nervous.
"Sir wishes to see you in the lab."
Oh.
Oh god.
Bucky felt his stomach drop out.
Tony hadn't been seen or heard from for weeks. It had gotten to the point that the others were starting to get suspicious. Clint whispered a lot to Natasha. Bruce gave him a wide berth, and looked a little green in the neck. Even Thor, when he came through, seemed grave and sad.
There was a jam in the shoulder of the metal arm. Bucky hadn't said anything about it.
And now, Tony was calling him to the lab.
Oh god, oh god, oh god.
He already knew the floor would be red with his blood.
Steve stepped up, put a hand on his shoulder, and squeezed it. "Can I come, JARVIS?" he asked the ceiling.
There was a short pause, probably as the AI relayed the question to Tony.
Finally, he answered, "Yes."
Steve looked at Bucky. Bucky looked at Steve. It took every ounce of self-control in his body to keep the fear out of his face.
The door to the lab slid open for the first time in weeks.