"Amazing, this little code of yours. Is it something the two of you came up with yourselves?" Thor asked as he replaced the gem on his ring.
"No, its something we learned when we were in the Army. I know my memory was enhanced along with everything else, but I'm surprised I remembered it," Bucky said. The exchange relieved a great deal of fear. Steve was ok at the moment.
"You and Steven must teach me. I might need to use it again, sometime. I am a fast learner."
"Of course you are," Bucky said. Thor was handsome, strong and congenial so it wouldn't be surprising to know that along with his other assets, he was a sponge when it came to new disciplines. The sounds of approaching footsteps took their full attention.
"Our friends have found us, as I knew they would, " Thor said. He and Bucky both took cover behind a nearby building but The Speaker did not, opting to stand defiantly in front of the small cathedral. Bucky didn't know what else to call it.
The group did not join them but stopped at the top of the hill. A collective gasp went through their number at the sight of the structure.
"This place is off limits!" A voice yelled down."What have you done? You have been meddling in things forbidden."
"Now we know why they are forbidden. I've found it. I've found the VAULT!" The Speaker called back up to them. She was overjoyed. Everything she had wanted was coming true.
"How did you do this? And what was that sudden storm we heard?" one called back to her.
The Speaker said nothing. Bucky peered from around the corner of their hiding place. One of the robed figures at the top of the hill sent down a flash but The Speaker deftly deflected it. A gasp went up from the group.
"We don't want to cause a Civil War here," Bucky said. "This won't help." Thor pursed his lips, considering Bucky's suggestion. It looked as if he would be perfectly fine with the idea of a Civil War but eventually nodded in agreement. They stepped out from behind the building.
Bucky pulled back his hood. "This was my doing. We asked her to bring me here. I have reason to believe my friends are trapped inside…"
"What was that storm?" Someone asked. Everyone in the group raised their hands. The Speaker jumped in front of him. "And what do you mean bywe ? Who else is with you?"
"That would be ME!" Thor followed Bucky in stepping into their view and removing his hood. He smiled at them. Bucky wondered if there was some kind of Asgardian enchantment about his face because the group immediately put down their hands.
"And who are you?" the same voice called out.
"I am Thor of Asgard, God of Thunder," he said. A look of puzzlement went over their faces. Bucky might have laughed had the situation been different. They had no idea who he was, and Thor didn't like it.
"He is out of the old stories, something you would know if you paid attention!" The Speaker said, coming to his rescue. There was some commotion from up top that the group below could not see. The collective above them parted and The Leader, without his cloak appeared at the front of them. He stared down at the three of them, and up at the structure, his mouth agape.
Hoping to diffuse the situation, Bucky walked halfway up the hill, pulling the cloak off as he went. "I believe this is yours, and my apologies. My friends, we believe they're in there."
The Leader took the cloak and wrapped it about himself. "Who is your friend."
"He is Thor of Asgard," Bucky said.
This time there was a hint of recognition. "Is he indeed?" The Leader didn't expect an answer and walked past Bucky, down the hill to face Thor.
"What brings you here?" He asked. He was behaving in a most respectful manner, mollifying Thor's ego.
"My other friends are trapped inside there. I wish to free them and return them to their homes. If you will allow me to do that, and not stand in our way, we shall leave here and bother you no longer. Be advised, my magic is stronger than anything you can produce here. You saw the storm."
"Yes, we did. Well, even if we wanted to, we couldn't stop you. Come!" He called out to his entourage. "The restrictions are lifted. We will help them. Why did you not tell us you were friends with Thor?" The Leader asked Bucky. Behind him, Thor leaned on his weapon with a slight smirk on this face. Bucky was at loss for words when he noted Thor's ring. It was blinking.
"A signal!" he said. The Leader turned around as Bucky pushed past him. Thor held up his hand so Bucky could see the repeating pattern. "It's just one word. "NOW'.
"So you do speak the truth! The others are inside and you have been communicating with them! What do you propose to do?" The Leader asked.
"They would take care of the barriers within, and we would break down what is out here. I will start small, don't worry." Thor said.
"You won't be able to get through by brute strength alone. There are obviously spells and enchantments on this side as well." The Speaker said. "If they can destroy the source from within...there might be a chance."
"Can you help us?" Bucky asked.
"We will do our best. Come!" The Leader waved the rest of the group down the hill. After reaching the others they formed a circle around the building. The Leader raised his arms and sent a direct beam of gold light toward it, the others following his lead. Thor raised his weapon and released a single bolt of lightning. A corner of an eave broke off. The group on that side of the building jumped out of the way as it fell to the ground. They all stared at it for a moment and then it did what Bucky knew it would do. It started to reform.
"Oh no, you don't!" Thor said. He shot another bolt toward the broken piece, doing it again and again until it was a pile of rubble. The Speaker was first to examine it, picking up a small piece.
"What is this?" She asked.
"Someone, at some point in ages past, discovered this material could absorb the technology of the times and magic. They fused them together to create illusions and reform it to take whatever form they wished. You have it, here, all around you but you didn't know it and apparently, this building is full of it." Thor said. "That is my educated guess and my educated guess is worth a great deal."
"This is the treasure!" She said, her eyes glowing.
"It might be considered a treasure to some," he said. "to me, it is the result of children playing with things beyond them but that is not the fault of anyone here. Again!" he commanded the group. The Speaker took her place in the ring and again they let out a collection of golden beams and Thor's weapon reduced another broken piece to rubble.
Bucky had nothing to do but stand back and watch as the others did their work. After about ten minutes a small portion of the roof was gone. The group stood back to survey their handiwork.
"This is slow going," Thor said. "But I don't wish the building to come down on their heads. I wish I had some way to see…"
"Is there any way you can open a portal?" Bucky asked of no one in particular. "Like you did when you pulled me out? At least we can see…"
The Leader and The Speaker exchanged a glance. "We only did it once and that took great concentration on her part and after many attempts but now it seems our only option," the Leader said.
"Very well," the Speaker said. She nodded to the rest of the group and they stood in a circle. She closed her eyes, standing still for a few moments giving the impression she was at prayer. She opened her eyes and without warning shot out a gold beam but this one was different. A large circle tore through the air, cutting through space revealing a bright golden room. It wasn't the one Bucky remembered. He took a moment to realize a battle was going on. Wanda was shooting out her energy while the rest seemed to concentrate on pulling something apart. Bruce had become the Hulk, ramming his body the walls, again and again. He saw Steve bending over something with T'Challa. Bucky walked up to the opening but was immediately knocked back by an invisible force field. At that moment Peter Parker looked over and got Steve's attention. Steve saw him and walked to the opening, reaching through but Bucky shook his head, stopping him. It was frustrating to have him so close.
He nodded to Thor and once again he lifted his hammer, the flash came down and once again the Ritika threw out their golden threads. The building shook. Steve's attention was turned back to the others and the battle inside grew fiercer. Anger rose inside Bucky. There was nothing he could do except stand there as a spectator while the other battled around him. He had only his arm. His arm! Without a second's hesitation, he pressed on an indentation on his palm and allowed the shock to penetrate the invisible barrier. Something happened, something short-circuited. A web of glowing circuits became visible for a brief moment, then a hole appeared in the center. He shocked it again. More disruption to the circuits. He managed to thrust his metal arm inside, enlarging the opening.
"Here! Come through!" He shouted. The group stared at each other for a moment and as if by consensus immediately pushed Peter through the opening. He looked astonished at his surroundings. Bucky could feel energy building around his arm. It was trying to repair itself, sending back shocks of its own. It went down his hand, up to his shoulder. Right now it was mild but he knew the longer he stood here the more painful it would become.
"Hurry!" he shouted. The adults didn't want to follow but first came Wanda, then T'Challa, then Steve. The Hulk stared at them for a moment, let out a loud yell and followed them, breaking down part of the wall, forcing everyone to stand back. He stared at the group and ran into the distance trees, keeping himself within sight. The Ritika all pulled back in terror. Bucky fell back, his arm tingling. The wall began to repair itself.
"What is that?" The Leader asked.
"That's our friend, Doctor Banner. He'll calm down in a minute. Just leave him alone," Thor said. "I'm the only one who can handle him...don't worry. I'll take care of him." With that he followed Hulk into the woods, standing just out of his reach. Bucky couldn't hear his voice but his tone was gentle and in a few moments, Hulk gradually turned back into Doctor Banner. This caused murmurs to arise from the Ritika.
"What magic is this?" The Leader asked.
The portal closed and the Speaker collapsed drawing their attention away from Bruce. Bucky turned to Steve who took advantage of the distracted group to pull him close in a tight embrace. Bucky didn't push him away. It crossed his mind that this action would look like lovers reuniting instead of old friends but he didn't care.
The attention of all was directed away again, this time toward the top of the hill. A noise, like an oncoming train, filled the air around them.
"What now?" Bucky asked as he pulled away from Steve. Everyone in the group went into a defensive stance, Thor and Bruce running back to join the group, the Ritika and Wanda with their hands up prepared to do whatever was necessary. Another portal opened and to the astonishment of everyone there, out stepped the robed figure of Doctor Stephen Strange.