Reina only ran a few yards before she caught up with him.
"Bucky!" She called out.
He ignored her, keeping his pace as he kept walking.
"Bucky!" She yelled louder.
He stopped, keeping his back to her. She stopped a couple of feet from him, waiting.
"Bucky?" She asked.
"Stop calling me that"
His voice was harsh, the words cutting through Reina.
"Come back" Reina pleaded. "Steve, he-"
"Shut up!" Bucky screamed, making her flinch.
"You saved him" Reina clinched her fists. "Why?"
"I don't know" Bucky turned to look at her now, his glare fixed on her.
"Yes you do. You know who we are. Who I am" Reina steeled herself.
"No. I don't"
Reina breathed in, closing the gap between them. She glanced to his right arm, noting how he hugged it against his side to stabilize it.
"Bucky" She reached out to him.
The metal hand clamped down on her wrist, stopping her from reaching him. His grip was crushing, Reina wincing at the sharp pain.
"I'm not him!"
He yanked her forward, landing his knee into her gut. She hacked, the air leaving her lungs. He released her wrist, letting her fall to her knees. She coughed, trying to catch her breath. She watched him turn to walk away again, gathering herself as she caught his leg. She held on, fearing if she let go she'd lose him all over again.
Reina breathed in, knowing he wouldn't come back without a fight.
"I'm sorry" Reina locked her arms around his knee, driving herself up as she tripped him.
Bucky slammed onto his back, letting out a grunt. His boot connected with her shoulder, shoving her back as she released him. The two rolled off the ground, standing to face each other. Reina made the first move, lunging forward to grab him around the neck. She brought her knee up, driving it into his chest. She ducked her head down between her arms as he landed a punch to her shoulder. They grappled, Bucky sweeping her legs out from under her. He fell with her, landing on top of her as his metal hand squeezed around her neck.
Reina hacked, struggling to breathe as he bared down on her. She locked her forearms together, pressing down to her chest then bucked. She threw Bucky to the side, rolling away and stood. She coughed, trying to catch her breath. She looked up in time to see his arm swing at her, bringing her arm up to block her face. The force knocked her to her knees.
"Bucky-" Reina started.
"Stop calling me that!" He screamed the words, enraging him.
He brought his knee up, landing a hit to her face. Reina yelled as the pain rippled through her head, blood dripping from her nose. He kicked her side, watching her fall against the ground. He turned again, taking a step before he felt the tug on his pants. He looked back to her clutching the fabric.
"Let go"
"No" Reina mumbled.
Again the metal hand wrapped around her wrist. This time, a bone crunching snap sounded. Reina cried out. The last thing she saw was the same metal hand barreling towards her face.
Everything went black.
!
Everything hurt. Every bone, every nerve. Reina kept her eyes closed, not ready to face her reality yet.
She's lost him again. She had him right in front of her, and she let him go.
Slowly Reina willed her eyes open. Her eyes roamed the hospital room, everything white from the walls to the sheets. She groaned lowly, looking down to the IVs running to her arm then to other arm in the cast. She listened to the beeps of the machine, looking over to the curtain creating a wall to her right.
"Hello?" She asked. Her voice was hoarse.
The curtain pulled back, Reina smiling as she watched Sam peek in.
"Sam"
Sam looked to her, returning her smile.
"Hey. Finally awake huh?" Sam asked. He pulled the curtain all the way back, showing Steve in the other hospital bed.
"Steve" Reina breathed. "You look awful"
Steve scoffed, shifting in the bed. "You should look in a mirror…"
Reina gave a small laugh, figuring he was right about her looking just as bad.
"He pulled me from the river?" Steve asked, bringing her gaze back to him.
"Yea…I tried to stop him but" Reina gestured to herself. She shook her head. "There was…recognition in his eyes Steve…but whatever they did to him…"
"We'll find him, Rae"
Reina nodded, letting her head rest back on the pillow. She drifted back to sleep, thoughts of where he had gone running through her head.
!
Reina sat in her living room, looking out the window to the forest. Things had been mostly quiet for her. She'd get a visit from Steve or Sam here and there while they tried to track down Bucky. On rare instances Tony would come check on her. She'd help any way she could. She looked back down to the file on the table, the picture of Bucky in cyrofreeze sitting off to the side. She sighed, sitting up as she picked the file up again to read it for the thousandth time.
She looked up, touching her finger to the air as the hologram screen came on. She started running her scans, seeing if anything new would ping.
It had been almost a year since she had encountered him. Steve and Sam had spent that whole time tracking him down and they always came up empty handed. It was like he had just disappeared all over again.
She watched the scans running, silently thanking Tony for lending her this thing. It had made tracks much easier, even if they all came to dead ends.
She sat back on the couch again, switching her TV on. She turned it to the news, trying to keep up to date with the outside world.
Her hand dropped when she saw him.
"Bruce?" She asked aloud, standing.
She walked closer to the TV, watching as the Hulk smashed through the concrete. Reina covered her mouth. What was going on?
She saw Tony land, wearing the Hulkbuster. She looked down to the headline as it scrolled across the screen.
"Johannesburg?" She dropped her hand away from her mouth, quickly digging her phone from her pocket.
Before she could even hit a number, it rang. Reina instantly answered it.
"Hill?" She asked.
"Reina, glad I caught you" Hill's voice was calm.
"What the hell is happening? The news-" Reina started.
"I know…just…I'll send over the debrief file. I know you said you were done with field work but" Hill paused. "We need all the help we can get at this point"
The line went dead. Reina sneering slightly. She wanted to call Tony, but knew that would only distract him. Instead, she set the TV on silent then walked back to the hologram screen. The icon appeared over the scans, Reina tapping the air as it opened the file.
"Ultron?"
!
Reina paced the living room. She walked to the far wall, then back to the window. She always stopped for a moment, looking out like she expected someone. She turned, repeating this. It had been over an hour since the news reports from Johannesburg. The last the cameras catching was the team evacuating in a quinjet. She had called Tony and Steve multiple times, neither answered.
Reina nearly vaulted over the couch when her phone finally rang.
"Tony? Tony oh god are you alright?" She asked frantically.
"Saw the news?"
Reina gave a short laugh. "Yea, and read the file…"
Tony was unusually silent. "And…?"
Reina blinked, not knowing exactly what he was insinuating. "And I'm glad you're alright"
There was another pause. "I know this is short notice but…do you think we can crash at your place? Hill said it was best for us to lay low for a while and-"
"Tony?" Reina cut him off.
"Yea?"
"Get your asses over here" Reina smiled to herself. "You more than anyone should know you're always welcome here"
"We'll be there in 10"
Reina laughed gently, hanging up the phone. She stepped outside onto her porch, leaning against the rails as she watched the sky.
Not long after, the trees began to shake as the quinjet flew overhead. It landed, the ramp lowering onto the grass. They all looked horrible, Reina noted.
Reina looked to Clint helping Natasha down the ramp, Natasha staggering as she struggled to gain her footing. Thor was assisting Bruce, his clothes torn and feet bare. Steve was walking on his own, but Reina could see the distant and cold look in his eyes. Even Tony, who usually masked his emotions, looked drained.
Reina made her way down the wooden steps. "Clint, Thor; help those two inside and sit them down. I'll be in the check them over"
The two nodded at her, Reina hurrying down the path as she flung her arms around Tony. He rocked on his feet, catching her.
"I'm so glad you're alright…" Reina whispered to him, clutching his shoulder.
"You're not mad?" He lowered his voice, looking down at her.
"No, Tony…" Reina shook her head. "I…I know what you two were trying to accomplish"
"Tell that to Mr. America" Tony pulled from her, trudging towards the house.
Reina turned, watching how Steve's gaze followed Tony as he walked away.
"Steve?" Reina asked, bringing his gaze to her. "Come inside, please"