A/N: Well I failed on my plan to finish this before the end of October, especially since Cboylan hoped I would get it out for their birthday. Better late then never right?

Tony wanted nothing more than to sleep for a week. Who knew that rounding up Hydra members would be so exhausting? Not that many of them put up a fight; a few had cyanide pills that they took instead which was not something he wanted to see. Which meant Tony didn't get much sleep last night and coffee can only get you so far.

But here he was, in another 'meeting' with the avengers. It was more of a 'make sure everyone is on the same page because Fury is going to be asking questions' type of meeting than anything, but this time the re-brainwashed assassin was in the room. Which was enough to make Tony a little on edge. Dude just stared at the live feed Tony had of the medical bay seemingly ignoring everything they were talking about.

Seemingly.

"We don't have long before Fury will want to know why we decided to strike the bank. The fact he hasn't yet means that he'll back up our decision, most likely claiming it was Shield or even his own personal order, but he will want to know what's going on and claiming that Steve just needed to get rid of all things Hydra isn't going to work," Natasha said, aiming that last bit at Tony who was the one who gave that wonderful suggestion before they headed back home.

He still thinks it would have worked. There were at least three b-list Captain America movies with the same exact plotline after all.

"We are still believing that Director Fury isn't Hydra, so maybe telling him only about James Barnes will be enough?" Bruce suggested with a shrug.

"And tell him what? That Cap ran into his friend during the alien invasion and tracked him back to DC?" Tony asked because he was the master of BSing stories and that sounded... believable.

"That would make Fury question why we didn't bring him up before. Now if we tell him Barnes was the one who tipped us off about Hydra, to begin with, and was worried about being recaptured so left..."

"That just is what really happened, but without Lani," Steve concluded for Natasha.

And wasn't that just the icing on this cake. Lani was just a kid. A weird kid, but still a kid who obviously had to grow up too fast already. Maybe telling Fury the full story will help, but that's a risk that apparently no one was willing to place on a child.

Nice to know they can agree on this one thing.

"Is that okay, Bucky?"

Tony completely forgot about the robo-assassin. Apparently Natasha wasn't joking when she mentioned one of his names was 'Ghost'. He reacted a little to Steve, as in what remained of his arm recalibrated, and boy did Tony wish he had a chance to get a screwdriver to pop off one of the plates and get a good look at the wiring before it got wrecked. Still, most of his attention was on the monitor which showed that Lani was still under, and would be so for a while since she had to be put on anesthesia.

Therefore what followed Cap's question was just silence.

"Doesn't sound like there are any protests, motion passed," Tony joked, but no one seemed to find it funny.

"This isn't one of your business meetings, Stark. This is serious."

"Hey, I can be serious and crack jokes. It's called multitasking, you might want to try it someday. Assuming your time in the ice didn't turn your brain to mush like I'm suspecting it did." Right after Tony said that he regretted it.

So much for trying to get along with everyone. Or trying to get along with Steve Rogers.

However, before Cap was able to respond, and from his face, Tony knew it was not going to be a friendly jab, Barnes stood up. It was completely silent, not even the chair squeaked, and the only reason Tony even noticed was because Natasha was sitting in his line of sight and her head snapped toward Barnes.

And then the alarms started going off.

Not any tower alarms, but the ones that were connected to the heart monitor in the med bay. Where the kid was.

Tony grabbed the tablet the same time Barnes started walking away, which was a problem, but there were other problems.

"Jarvis, where's the kid?" Tony asked when he didn't see Lani in the bed.

"What?" Steve called out, but he was able to stop robo-cop from leaving only by placing a hand on his shoulder.

Though maybe they should be running. As improbable as it was, Tony couldn't help but wonder if she had gotten kidnapped again. Under his watch no less.

"Lani removed her IV and the ECG sensors and is now hiding on the other side of the bed," Jarvis responded, though that did very little to remove their concerns.

"She's moving around?" Bruce asked, sounding shocked as he came to look at the tablet along with Clint and Natasha.

Which was how they all witnessed Lani vaulting over the bed and stabbing one of the nurses in the knee before darting out the door. Tony barely had time to react to that before the door to their conference room slid open and he looked up to catch the back of Captain America rushing out the door. Barnes already gone.

It was only a second before Tony got up and followed. Luckily, Tony placed a few conference rooms on the same floor as the medical bay since they get sorted in the same 'necessary evil' part of his brain anyways. It just made sense to him while planning the building. Also, if he had to go to the med bay for Iron Man reasons and needed to attend a meeting for a Tony Stark reason it was one less excuse (though injury was probably the only excuse Pepper would take).

Thus the two super soldiers weren't even that far ahead.

"Jarvis, where is Lani heading?" Tony asked as he noticed that Bruce followed him out.

"Straight down the main hallway. You should be able to intercept if you take the left corridor right after room 754-B." Jarvis announced, and Tony watched as Cap shoulder checked a wall in his effort to stop in time to turn down said corridor.

"Great. I'll just add that to the damages list."

No one laughed, but Tony was willing to put that on the fact that they were caught up with the kiddo.

She looked a little better than last time Tony saw her, but that could easily be because she was conscious and no longer bleeding out. There was clear confusion on her face as she looked them over, but not the drugged out look that someone in her situation should have. It was more like waking up after an unexpected nap and not knowing what time it was.

"You're in my tower, ten levels down from where you stayed last night. Sorry we didn't have anyone with you when you woke up, Brucie here thought you would still be working through the anesthesia for another few hours," Tony piped in, not moving to get closer like Bruce did.

Well, and Barnes, but he was doing a great impression of a mamma bear so Tony didn't want to push his luck.

"Wait, anesthesia?"

Tony watched as Bruce and Rogers calmed the kid down. It didn't take her long to realize that they got her out, and Tony tried not to think about why the idea of heroes rescuing her was such a foreign idea. Probably the same reason the kid removed a bullet in the heat of battle, which was... something. Lani would make a pretty good avenger if she was ten years older.

"Not that we think you need much guarding with how you dealt with your nurses," Tony piped in with his trademark grin.

He was expecting Lani to look sheepish or laugh, but instead she looked confused for a brief second before...

"My nurses? ...oh shit, I just stabbed an innocent guy didn't I?"

And that explains the look Cap was now giving Tony. Not like she wouldn't have figured it out anyways. It was just an accident. Tony will make sure they are paid enough and everything will be fine.

"It was an accident, Lani, you were scared," Steve ended up saying before Tony could, giving him another glare.

Turns out his father was right that Captain America would be disappointed in him. Who would have thought?

"That doesn't make it okay! I... I should apologize or something."

Now the kid just looked tired, which was about the only thing that made sense. Everyone was tired. Besides the robo-cop, but that was a whole another issue they needed to deal with. Hopefully an issue that will be solved once Tony goes through the data Jarvis downloaded.

There has to be something about the brainwashing they did.

Just as Bruce convinced Lani to wait a little bit before apologizing to accidental stab victims, Barnes picked her up with his one arm. Like Tony needed a reminder on how freakishly strong the guy was.

"Really? You know I can walk."

From Lani's reaction, Tony was willing to bet that this was a repeated event. Most kids get picked up by their parents for one reason or another, though Tony couldn't remember if Howard ever did. Funny how even an amnesiac assassin is acting like a better dad than his did.

Bruce seemed to think that Lani being carried was for the best and led them back to the medical rooms even though it was technically still Tony's building. Capcicle had a weird expression on his face looking at his old friend and the kid, but was otherwise quiet.

"Since everything is dealt with now, I'm going to be in my lab. Let Jarvis know if anyone needs me or if the robo-hobo wants me to built him a new arm," Tony announced to the group once Lani was back in her bed with Bruce looking her over this time.

"Robo-hobo?" Lani repeated with a huge grin. "Holy shit that is amazing! Why have I never thought of that? I mean, you're not really a robot, maybe a cyborg if we want to get scifi on your prosthetic, but still! It rhymes!"

Tony already knew Lani was a pretty cute kid, but that was adorable. Also, only time anyone has commented on his amazing naming skills.

"You're free to use the nickname as well kido," Tony said with a wink before making his leave.

Maybe he should go back to the meeting where they left Natasha and Clint, but who knows how long it will be before Fury wants to talk to them all and he can't just have Jarvis go through the Hydra files. Well, he could, but that was something Tony would much rather do than get lectured.

Besides, Bruce was on full doctor mode and Steve didn't look like he was eager to go back to their meeting. Tony should be fine to disappear for a few minutes. Or hours.

Somehow, I was feeling hyped up and tired at the same time. Probably due to the fact I was still injured, and also still running on adrenaline from when I woke up. Not that was going to last much longer, but it shouldn't be too bad if I fall asleep again.

Bucky wasn't acting like the winter soldier that I remembered and I was holding on to that hope like it was my life line. I still had no idea how safe it was for us to remain here, but not much I can do about that. Just have to trust that the Avengers can keep us safe and that is... a crazy thing to think about. They have been a team for, what, two days? One if you only count the battle for New York and not their attempts before that.

"Looks like you have a minor concussion, but the bruising around your neck and arms healed up already and there is no signs of infection from your wound," Dr. Banner explained as he gave me a check up.

Bucky was still in soldier mode standing on the other side of the bed, and Steve was the only one sitting in a chair. I wonder if they have been able to talk at all when I was passed out. Might account for the reason why Bucky seemes... slightly more normal.

"Do you know how your advanced healing works, Lani?" Bruce suddenly asked, forcing me to pay attention once more.

Advanced healing. That's not even one of my powers but just a side effect of my gamer ability. I would have thought that was part of the whole incognito thing, but I guess not. Or maybe it was too obvious to hide the whole thing.

"It's only when I sleep. Or unconscious I guess," I ended up telling him with a shrug.

Only that caused my shoulder to flare up again and I forced myself not to yelp in pain. Not that it seemed to do much good since Bruce and Bucky instantly noticed.

"Are you in pain? You shouldn't be ready for another dose but if you have a higher metabolism like..." Bruce trailed off, looking at Bucky, then Steve.

Huh, just realized, barring me, everyone in this room has some form of the super surem. Could it be that Bruce thinks that I have a weaker version of it? That could be dangerous if other people make that conclusion, since I don't, but not sure if telling them I have something else is much better.

"If that's the case when you sleep as well, that could account for the drug already being out of your system. And why you were able to wake up so soon."

"That makes sense," I commented since at least in dungeons and dragons, constitution is used for poison and alcohol checks.

If that 'stat' is involved in my healing-when-sleeping thing then it makes sense it would heal anything foreign in my body. Good news is that means if I ever get poisoned I just need to take a cat nap. Bad news is that if I take any medication, it will be out of my system when I wake up. Which is probably why I'm in so much pain right now. Great.

"I'll start with a lesser dose to be on the safe side, but tell me if you still feel any pain afterwards."

I nodded in agreement, watching as Bruce grabbed a syringe and filled it up before putting into the IV bag that I was back on.

"Lani, if you are feeling up to it, can you tell us what happened?" Steve asked cautiously, and from the way Bruce froze I guess there might have been an argument about whether to ask me about this.

I was more confused why they didn't ask Bucky, but taking a look at the man I was reminded why that didn't happen. Bucky was acting like a robot. I doubt they were able to get much of anything out of him.

With a sigh, I pulled my knees up to my chest and thought about how I wanted to drop this bomb.

"We've had close calls before," I started off, looking up at Bucky who gave no physical reaction to what I was talking about.

Ideally, Bucky should be the one talking about all this. It's his story, and I just kinda blundered my way into it. But this isn't something that can wait until Bucky's in the right mind set.

"There's this electric chair thing they use to, you know, wipe his memories. Probably something to do with the hippocampus and other parts of the limbic system... but there's also these words. Trigger words that they have that makes Bucky completely compliant to whoever says all of them. Like some real fucked up classical conditioning. But I don't think everyone at Hydra knows them? Like, before it was always the same guy and he's dead now so..."

I made the mistake of looking up at Steve. He looked completely mortified and I really should have been a bit more tactful. I doubt Steve has even come to terms that Bucky has been tortured for 70 odd years, let alone has all the psychological issues that come with that.

"Is he still..." Steve said before I could continue my really shitty explanation, "compliant to them?"

What? Compliant to them? What is Steve...

"Oh wait, you mean Hydra? No, I mean, not right now. We... last time Bucky made me promise to use the words on him as a last case scenario and they were trying to get him in the chair so... good news I don't think it should take as long for him to remember things?"

At least that's what I'm hoping. Never got around to watching Civil War and even if I did, recent events have proved I can't rely on the movies for a reasonable timeline. I am really just betting on the fact they wouldn't waste time putting Bucky in the chair if the trigger words worked just as well.

"You know the words?" Steve asked and he mostly sounded worried, but I honestly wouldn't blame him if he was angry at me for having a hand in making Bucky like this.

All I did was save my own skin. Bucky might have been able to break out of it, he was already disobeying, but then I just added another layer on top of everything. If I didn't mess up my gamer power I could have tried other things. I could have gotten us both out with having to resort to that.

Shoulda woulda coulda. Nothing I can do about it now.

"Yes, I heard it a few times," I said before realizing I should have claimed to have gotten that information from another source. "Fuck, the book."

"The what?"

"There's a book that has all the words and probably other stuff about the Winter Soldier. It's like, this big, red with a star on it," I told them while trying to remember where that book could be.

Thanks to tumblr, I knew what it looked like, and that the guy who was pretending to be Bucky in the explosion ended up taking it from some guy with a V in his name. Vaily or something Russian. I don't know. There was way too many white guys in the marvel movies to remember villains who appeared in only one movie.

"Do you know where this book is, Lani?"

At least Steve wasn't looking like he was going to cry anymore.

"Some Russian guy? Name starts with a V and... middle aged?" I said with a shrug, which didn't hurt so at least Bruce was right about the pain medication being out of my system.

"Vasily Karpov," Bucky said, causing everyone to look at him.

"Yeah, that's it. Vasily," I said, making a face.

"Do you know where we can find him, Bucky?"

Bucky finally took his eyes off me to look at Steve with the most deadpan expression ever.

"He's dead."

Oh cool, Bucky's speaking in English again. That's good. Took months back when we first escaped, and I have no idea how long it was from when he was last wiped.

"Dead? Wait, was that the guy I..." Bucky gave a nod even though I couldn't finish my question.

"Right. Okay, that makes sense. He knew the words, so makes sense he would have the book too."

I don't want to say I'm happy that guy died, and probaly would have been useful if the avengers could interagate him, but fuck that guy. I'm glad I stabbed him in the brain. Vasily is a stubid name too.

"Would the book be back at that Hydra bank then?"

"Whoa, bank? I knew banks were evil, but Hydra controls the banks?"

"What? No, they were just operating under a bank. That's where we found you two, in DC."

"But what if it's their day job being bankers? And then evil scientist at night?" I wondered out loud, and almost missed the look of disbelief on Steve's face and amused smile on Bruce's.

Jokes on both of them, because I'm being serious.

"It might be better to see if Tony is able to find out where this book could be. Even if they have it hidden, there should be some files allude to it," Bruce ended up saying after a beat.

"Might be at his house?" I offered.

I think that's where it was in the movie, but again that was/will be in 6 years and with Hydra on the run. Could be it was moved there once Hydra was discovered.

Would have been nice if I had the ability to go on my old world's Google and just look this up.

"That's a good idea, Lani," Steve said with a bright smile that I reflectively returned.

[Relationship level up]

[Steve Rogers friendship 4]

[Steve will do anything to keep you safe. Anything]

Why does Steve's relationship levels just go from 0-100? Seriously. I don't even know what the max relationship level is (or if there is one) and already I've passed uncomfortable levels of dedication at level three.

What the fuck does 'anything' mean?!

"I'll tell Stark and look into it... unless you want me to stay?" Steve said after a moment, probably getting weirded out by me staring at him.

Pretty sure I kept my face calm during my internal rant at least.

"I'm fine, you can go if you want to," I told him before realizing he might have wanted to stay with Bucky.

Maybe. I can't really tell, and if that was the case, then Steve should have just said so.

"Alright, I'll let everyone know how you're doing and be back later."

And with that Steve made the most awkward exit in history. It was like his time as a show pony selling war bonds was for nothing.

A/N: Oh man, I am so excited for the next chapter. There is going to be some drama, the kind of which a few of you have already wondered about. I'm sure you can guess what, but I'm not going to spoil it :3c

Thank you everyone who has followed and favorited this story. This now has over 1,000 alerts on this site alone? That is so crazy to think about. And I've gotten so many nice review! Thank you so much Rc Jackson, the guest that called themselves 'ThatOneGuest', olliensam, alicia7788, VanillaxMuse, TomRiddlesTwin, treesofsliverleaves, aviendha91, The guest who wanted me to update (you are not alone buddy), 431101134, 125b, Lulumo, CrystalAris (times 7!), kambee02, Guest on chapter 3 who wondered why Lani doesn't just abuse the runscript and become the next hawkeye, Sboyle92, GoddessArtemis22, Al Rascala, PrincessMagic, Ms Cosmos, Chobbit Android 29, Inu-Angel z, Infinity Soul, the guest named Fan (thank you!), Piennn, KEZZ 1, BlackDove WhiteDove, bored411, Eslynn, Miss A. winchester, Roxycall18, Drunken Hamster, Kingkaiju31, Death Fury, Omega-66, The Jabberwock of OZ, seraphina987, and I.D's Fantasy (You are almost always my first reviewer). It's going to be sad if there comes a point where I can't list everyone who left a review, though that would have to be like, 50 reviews for one chapter. Which I think I would die if that happened.

Sorry not too much happened in this chapter, but there was a lot of build-up that needed to happen. It might be another month before the next update, but my finals are on December 13 so after that, I will be free to write for a few weeks. Now I need to get some food and work on my e&m takehome.

Until next time, hope you all had a fantastic day/night!