Bucky had followed the news after Sokovia, keeping an ear out for any hint that he'd been recognized. The news never mentioned anything connected to the winter soldier, but there had been reports of a new hero at the scene.
At first there were only whispers in Russian local papers, mentions of an angel. Then grainy cellphone footage was released on a European news site. A woman silhouetted in a golden glow, her hair a halo of light -obscuring her face. She carried a child in her arms.
The Angel of Sokovia.
Rumors flew around that she had healed impossible injuries, some even suggesting she could raise the dead. The image spread across the continent and to the rest of the world. Everyone wanted to know more, and that's when a woman had come forward with her story:
"She is my angel. Our building fell, I had the baby but my little girl... I couldn't find her" the woman had broken down on tv screen, clutching her children tightly. "She went into that… (lapsed into Russian) broken place. And there was a man, he went in after her. Then she came out with my Anya." She smiled through tears at the sweet girl in her lap. "They, the angel and that man kept going back and bringing out more people. She healed people on the boats, and that man was always close."
The screen changed to a news anchor seated at a desk, an image in the corner showing a still shot from the original video.
"She's being called the Angel of Sokovia, and has been credited with saving the lives of more than two dozen people as well as the recovery of 17 bodies, with the help of her partner. Neither the angel or her guardian has been identified. As the world questions the role of the Avengers in this tragedy, the Angel of Sokovia is truly a light in these dark times."
Her guardian… If he hadn't been watching, no one would have caught her before she fell. Had he not been there, she may have fallen asleep on that airship and never woken again. His fingers curled reflexively as he remembered how her skin had become ashy grey, her trembling hands, limp in his arms. The desperation as a medical team tried to keep her heart beating.
He shook the image from his mind, a hand pressed to his eyes. The memory played in his dreams regularly, adding to the mirage of other horrors that haunted his sleep.
Flipping the phone over and over in his palm, Bucky stared into the night. He almost dropped it when it buzzed in his hand.
Shay: Hey, haven't heard from you in a while,
hope you're alright. Heading out for a mission in the
morning. Stay safe James.