A/N: Thank you so much BlueOwl and Emerald2211 for helping me edit this chapter!
"Are you seriously telling me that you purposely put people you weren't sure were Hydra here?" Tony wanted to yell at the pirate.
Last time Jarvis went down was when Stane tried killing him. That, combined with the fact he hasn't slept in over 36 hours (and despite what some people think, a two hour nap does count), and it's no wonder Tony is mildly freaking out. Sure this isn't his home in Malibu, but he personally made sure that this place was safe. And now to find out that him trying to be a little more of a team player in order to stay on the Avengers led to this?
"We needed to know who we can trust and who we can't," Fury continued like the fact that Tony and Captain America being mad at him was nothing.
Steve Rogers even swore! Any other day Tony would be pointing that out, but again, there were other things on his mind.
"And you used Bucky as bait?" Steve yelled right in Fury's face.
"We knew they wanted the Winter Soldier, and I had confidence that you would keep them from getting him."
For a second Tony thought Steve was going to punch Fury, but then Jarvis interrupted.
"Sir, I am still unable to locate Miss. Lani or Sergeant Barnes despite not reporting any issues with my sensors after rebooting."
"What?" Katniss asked, and even his less favorite ginger looked shocked.
Maybe. Her eyebrows were a fraction higher than usual so Tony is going with shocked until proven otherwise.
Steve took a step back like Fury punched him, and before anyone else could react, ran out of the room.
"Jarvis, was any of the sensors triggered?"
The ones in the front door should have still been operational, even if it would have been signal to no one since Jarvis was down. Tony did make sure there was enough memory for 2 hours so Jarvis should be able to...
"Only by non-shield members leaving. None that matched Miss. Lani or Sergeant Barnes."
Which means they didn't leave through the front door. Or the side doors. Or one of his Iron Man exits. That hopefully means that Hydra didn't succeed in getting them and that Lani just teleported them out of the tower.
"Is Miss. Lani someone you posted to watch Barnes?"
Fury looked pissed, but not like he's the only one.
"Something like that. Jarvis, reinstate the protocol last time Barnes went missing," Tony said while walking out, this time careful to not mention Lani.
The less Fury knew about the kiddo the better.
The lab was just how he left it... what, an hour ago? It was good that nothing looked out of place, since his main security for his personal lab was Jarvis nowadays. As much as he wanted to fix this loophole Shieldra found, helping Jarvis find Lani took priority.
And he guessed Barnes as well. He's not too bad once you ignore the whole 'parent killer' thing. Or at least mom killer. Tony could care less if Hydra sent Barnes to kill Howard, but his mom as well?
"Sir, I got a match," Jarvis announced much sooner than last time.
Seems that Lani didn't go too far this time, or cared to stay out of sight of cameras.
"Let's see it."
Tony really wished he had some coffee, but it was still empty from when he fixed Barnes' arm this morning. A short loop from a street camera showed Lani and Barnes walking into an alleyway and a white van driving out of it a few minutes later.
"Play that again, Jarvis," Tony asked since he must have been more tired than he thought and was seeing things.
They know that Barnes could turn with the right words, but the super spies fixed that issue. Not to mention that Lani was walking with Barnes. There was no way they would just meet up with a sketchy van like that. A van that Tony was willing to bet was connected to Hydra.
But nothing changed during the second watch. Nor the third.
"Jarvis, tell Steve to get his American ass down here and start looking for where that van is now," Tony said, trying his best to keep the feeling of being betrayed down.
But it was really starting to look like once again Tony misjudged someone's character.
It took a whole ass hour to get to New Jersey. I wracked my brain at what would be worth the drive, but it had been so long since I've seen any of the marvel movies. I only remember the basic plot point, not the places. It doesn't help as a kid the first time around I got New Jersey and New York confused all the time since they both started with New and were on the east coast.
It was almost boring, if not for the fact that the two guys in the back with Bucky and me were holding semi-automatics in their laps.
At least I was conscious this time. I can reload or apparate back at a moment's notice.
I really should start wearing a helmet or something though. I do not want a repeat of last time, but not like there was anything to use. Would have been really great if whoever stole our bike left the helmets as well as Bucky's journals.
"Are we there yet?"
"Kid, do you ever shut up?" Hydra henchman #3 snapped at me.
I opened my mouth to say a very cool comeback, but then I noticed the warning look Bucky gave me. Luckily no one else noticed, since the Winter Soldier wasn't supposed to care about anyone not part of his mission. Especially some kid.
At some point it felt like the van slowed down and the road got bumpy like we were going off road. Or just on a dirt road, which made it even more confusing.
...Unless Hydra has their own version of area 51 in New Jersey.
Just as I was getting bored enough to ask that insane question, the van pulled to a stop.
The henchman stood up, guns out and pointing at Bucky.
"Get out first Soldier. Then the kid follows."
Bucky responded without a hint of hesitation, and I might have rolled my eyes before following suit. At this point it was either be a nervous wreck at what Hydra's planning, or fake it till I make it.
Not that I'm going to stay long. Just find out where this super secret hydra base is then rescue Bucky.
I had to cover my eyes since the setting sun was right in it, which earned me a gun at my back to push me along. That was bringing back lovely memories. I guess Russian Hydra wasn't too different from American Hydra after all.
I looked around the place and spotted an old ass sign by the equally old metal fence. Camp Lehigh, US. Army Restrictive. It looked like any other abandoned military fort, which just made my stomach sink. Just why would Hydra bring us here? This wasn't looking like an active base that they were doing all their operations in the US from.
I looked to Bucky to see if he recognized this place, but he was just giving me a 'look' that was screaming the question of why I was still there.
Well, it was probably a good sign that no one was coming up to meet us. Bucky can easily deal with these two while I'm gone, and I doubt there were too many people chilling in this fort. There were no other cars besides the van from what I could see, and this place was out in the middle of nowhere. Unless there was a secret basement, which I bet there was, along with a garage to store everyone's cars.
...I guess hydra could have carpooled but I doubt it. Also, these goons would have called to let them know Bucky was coming and that brings me back to my original point of no one coming to meet us.
I walked with everyone just long enough to make sure no one was close enough to grab me, then thought about the living room that we had been staying in for the past week.
Between one blink and the next I was back in the Stark tower.
"Miss. Lani, I am glad to see you are back unharmed. Sir and the others were very distraught over your and Sergeant Barnes' disappearance during the attack," Jarvis announced before I could even take a step.
[Relationship up]
[JARVIS correspondent 2]
[JARVIS worries about your wellbeing, or at least thinks you have self-destructive tendencies]
"Uh... I am sorry for worrying everyone but do you mind letting them know I'm here? We need to talk about something important," I said instead of thinking of what Jarvis apparently now thinks of me.
I do not have time to feel guilty over making an AI worry about me and Bucky. Or that Jarvis thinks I have self destructive tendencies. Which I do not.
"Everyone besides Barton and Romanoff will be arriving shortly."
"Thanks," I said, wondering what Clint and Natasha were doing.
If we are to invade this Hydra base I think we need more than Steve, Tony, and Bruce. At least for getting files and spy stuff.
I ended up having just enough time to sit down and worry once again that I left Bucky by himself which was just asking for something bad to happen, when Steve almost ran through the door.
"Lani, are you okay? Where's Bucky?"
He was dressed in his Captain America uniform with his shield in his hand, looking around like he expected Hydra agents to drop down from the ceiling. Which, in his defense, had a good chance of happening.
"I'm fine, and Bucky is probably fine as well."
"Probably?"
Before I could explain, Tony walked in, still wearing his Iron Man suit minies the faceplate and was looking pissed.
[Relationship Change]
[Tony Stark Betrayal 1]
[Tony Stark is feeling jipped that you did not tell him your plans]
I cringed at that. It's not like I wanted to hide it from them but...
"We tricked some Hydra agents into taking us to some base in New Jersey called Camp Lehigh. Bucky wanted me to get you guys since even though the place looked empty it might be their main base. In America at the very least," I said, making sure to only look at Steve.
"Camp Lehigh? Are you sure?" Steve asked, looking... confused?
"That's what it said on the sign. Some old army base. Why? Have you been there or something?"
I figured Steve went to a few army bases during his USO time, but from the way Steve was looking...
"That's where I was made. I was trained there and given the serum."
I felt like time froze, and this time it was due to be pulling up the menu.
"Shit."
"What? What's wrong now?" I heard Tony sarcastically asked, but wasn't really paying attention because how could I forget.
In the Winter Soldier movie Natasha and Steve went to some military fort and found the computer with Dr. Zola's brain uploaded in it. Same fort that Steve trained at during the first movie.
I just left Bucky alone with Dr. Zola.
"Zola is still alive?" Steve asked, and I suddenly realized I said my last thought out loud.
"No, he's not. Already found files about him dying in the 70's," Tony told us, crossing his arms and still looking annoyed as he turned to me, "So why don't you tell us what is really going on?"
"That is what's really going on! He... I don't know, digitized his brain into a computer and has been leading Hydra like that. Zola probably created the winter soldier trigger words and I just left Bucky there!"
"Can you take us there?" Steve asked, looking like if I said no he was prepared to run all the way to New Jersey.
"I... don't know. Taking one person is fine, but two or more..."
I know I have more SP than when I left Hydra the first time, but what happened with Sandra wasn't something I wanted to repeat.
"I'll just fly there. And maybe let the rest of the team know, assuming that everyone is done keeping secrets."
"Stark," Steve warned, but it's not like he was wrong.
"Sorry," I said, though I wasn't sorry enough to just come out and tell them everything.
I did grab Steve's hand and apparated us back to the fort, right next to the sign. Steve stumbled a little, but quickly pulled me down as he pulled out his shield and looked around.
Just like when I left maybe ten minutes ago, there was no one in the court yard and looks like it has been that way for years. Not like before, Bucky and the two henchmen were gone, but not the van.
"Lani, wait here, or go back to the tower if you can."
"No way jose. I'm coming with."
I needed to make sure we weren't already too late. I know the smart thing to do would be to just reload the save, but what if it's not too late? What if Zola is just doing a villain monologue and Bucky needs our help now. I still don't know how my reloading works. It could just be me sending my memories to a parallel universe and all those alternate realities before I reset still exists. Or maybe not, but I still have no idea.
Something must have shown on my face how determined I was about this, since Steve ended up caving.
"Stick to left, and if anyone tries shooting you - leave. No questions."
"Got it. They should be underground in a secret bookcase thing," I said, wracking my brain for anything about this place.
"Oh! I think it's in a building that's newer or doesn't follow military protocol or something?" I added after a moment, watching as Steve quickly scanned the place.
"Army regulations forbid storing ammunition within five hundred yards of the barracks. That building is in the wrong place," Steve told me seconds before taking off in a dead sprint to said building.
By the time I caught up, Steve already used his shield to break the lock and force the door open. Inside it still looked abandoned, some old Shield base that had pictures of Peggy and Howard up on the wall. Steve took one look at the photos, but zeroed in on the bookcase that I was pretty sure was what I remember from the movie being the secret entrance.
"Stay back," Steve warned as he shoved the bookcase out of the way, revealing an elevator.
I frowned slightly since I couldn't remember if this was in the movie or not, but it looked like I was right about the secret room behind the bookcase. I was really hoping that maybe computer Zola wasn't here in this universe.
Steve gave me a look before walking in, and once I stepped in we went down.
"Where the fuck did the kid go?"
It was taking all his effort to not react at how the two freaked out when Lani left. It delayed their trip into whatever Hydra base this was. Bucky can't remember if he has ever been here before, but that doesn't mean much.
"Sent HQ a message saying the kid slipped out, but we still have the asset. We don't have time to look for her ourselves."
Bucky started following the two who pulled out their weapons and started taking him seriously. They seemed more like the tech people who would be in charge of his maintenance between missions then hydra field agents, but that would make sense as to why they were left behind to monitor the 'attack' on the tower. They don't know what he could do.
They walked into an old shield building, and Bucky paused for a half step as some of the pictures hanging up, but force himself to suppress whatever memory that was trying to break free. Not that he has ever been successful at that in the past, but there could be no distractions this time. The fact that Hydra is interested enough in Lani to go through the effort of capturing her, even now that they 'have' him, means that they can't just hide anymore.
This is the perfect chance for Bucky to get some hard information on hydra instead of using his messed up memories. Something that Steve could use to really get rid of Hydra.
"I'll turn him on, make sure the soldier is in a clear shot."
Bucky was moved to the center of the computer room that was only a little newer than the offices upstairs. This was 100% Hydra and must still have files that they don't have on their mainframe. This was what he was hoping to find, but does not explain why he was brought here.
"Barnes, James. Born 1917. My fist of Hydra. I was informed you went missing in March 2009, yet here you are."
He froze. It was like he was dropped in freezing cold water and reacting in any form could result in 'correction'. Those glasses have been in his nightmare before, but never like this.
"I tried warning them about your soft spot for weak blonds and little girls. The Russians tried to fix the latter, but apparently not well enough."
He came here to finally do something about Hydra, about his capture for the past 64 years, but now the only thing he could do was to keep his heart from trying to pound out of his chest.
"I thought Hydra working with the red room was pointless. Even the idea of trying to make a new race of humans via in vitro genetic mutation seemed useless in comparison to the super soldier. I did not think that such a side project for hydra would lead to your desertion. Perhaps we need to resume our meets back when I was in a weak human body."
He heard the sounds of metal striking metal from far away, too far for anyone else in the room to hear, and it only made him panic more. He wanted to be out before any hydra reinforcements arrived. Ideally, blow up the base before Lani could get the avengers to come, but now he is unable to make his body do anything.
"I do not agree with the direction that the new heads are taking Hydra, but you have shown that they are too lax. Things will be changing-"
"Bucky!"
The sound of the shield ricocheting off walls and hitting bodies didn't grab his attention as well as Steve's call did. For a second he was hit with the flash of him trying not to lean on Steve while staring down that scientist and red skull. Then he was back looking at a slightly older Steve in a very different outfit.
"Rogers, Steven. Born, 1918. Another man out of time. I see you are aware what your old Sargent has been up to during your absence."
"How are you even still alive?" Steve asked, picking his shield up from the now dead bodies and placing himself in between Bucky and the computer monitor.
"In 1972 I received a terminal diagnosis. Science could not save my body, my mind, however, that was worth saving on two hundred thousand feet of data banks. You are standing in my brain."
"Bucky, are you okay?" Steve whispered without taking his eye off the target.
He wanted to let the punk know he was fine, but moving his mouth to make the words seemed impossible.
"What did you do to Bucky?" Steve demanded to know when he took too long to respond.
"You're friend Bucky has been dead for a long time Captain. All that is left is the soldier who helped shaped the future you see now," than monster started before Steve punched the monitor.
It didn't last long since another monitor switched on.
"As I was saying...HYDRA was founded on the belief that humanity could not be trusted with its own freedom. What we did not realize, was that if you try to take that freedom, they resist. We needed Humanity to surrender its freedom willingly. That was-"
Suddenly the place exploded in sparkes, and after a long moment, all hum of electricity running through the place stopped.
"For a dead dude, he really loved to talk," Lani said, taking her hands off of one of the servers and giving him a weary smile.
A/N: Thank you everyone who followed/reviewed/favorited this story. As you probably know, this site freaked out when I updated the last chapter and a lot of you couldn't read it. If that happens again, you can always read this story on ao3 since I update on both sites around the same time. Also when that has happened with fics that I read, something going to their author page and clicking the story from there instead of the email link might work.
Hope everyone is having a good day/night and may next year be better than this one.