The village was empty. No familiar sound of chatter along the road, no one in the fields, no boats on the water and the laughter of the children noticeably absent. Steve didn't like it. "Where are they?" he asked as they approached their home. An unfamiliar blue bag sat on the stone patio by the fire circle.
"Someone warned them, so they left," Bucky said, slipping off his burden. "This contingency plan's been in place for a long time. They even held drills."
"More plausible deniability," Steve said. He opened the bag and found it contained a tent, sleeping bags, and gear necessary for camping. Since Wakandans made them with Vibranium, he could collapse them down to smaller sizes. Bucky disappeared into the house and returned after a few minutes, carrying another bag.
"They packed food," he said. "And we have water. All ready to go."
The final preparations took several more minutes, Steve taking the tents and gear, Bucky the food and water. After suiting up again they headed to the edge of the village where the shiny new boat floated alone and untied by the new pier. For some reason this brought up a sharp memory of the war, reminding Steve of long days of tramping through the European countryside for weeks on end.
The fish and wildlife joined in the silence. Steve didn't spook easily, but now he looked over his shoulder, on guard, waiting for something to spring up against them. Their packs came off again and into the boat. Steve helped Bucky get in, steading the boat as he took his place in the front and picked up the oar.
"You remember how to do this?" Bucky asked.
"Been a while, but don't worry," Steve said. He dipped the oar into the water, steering the boat away from the pier. "Which way do I go?"
"South, keep close to the west bank. We're heading to the village of Qettia."
Old memories took a few moments to kick in but soon Steve steered the boat in a straight line. They sped along the lake, his strength an asset for moving through the placid lake water, leaving a good-sized wake behind them. The sound of the oar hitting the water shattered through the still air.
"You doing ok?" He called back.
"I'm fine. We're moving faster than I calculated, but that's good. Less time wasted. We should give this thing a name."
"White Wolf's Chariot?" Steve suggested. At first, he thought his words might have caused offense but Bucky rewarded his small joke with a laugh.
Soon they came to the outlying of another village, much like their own but once again greeted with silence. "I guess word travels fast," Steve said as he guided the boat toward the land. He stepped out, splashing in a few inches of water. "Now what do we do?"
As if summoning a spirit, a young man appeared from behind a tree. Steve recognized him. "Themba!" He worked at the Palace complex. Together they helped an unprotesting Bucky out of the boat.
"White Wolf, Captain Rogers," He said. "This is my home village. They sent me to tell you are not to go to the caves, but rather to the Waterfalls of Sene."
"Why the change?" Bucky asked.
"The caves would require a great deal of… climbing," he said. He didn't so much as glance at Bucky's missing arm.
"I see," Bucky said, giving no impression Themba's words caused any offense." But the Waterfalls…"
"Are sacred, few receive permission to travel there, but His Highness said you might find what you are looking for, and he gave me this to give to you," He held up a small device resembling a silver pen. With a click, a holographic map appeared in the air. "This will show you the way and…" he said giving it two clicks. A shot of the Palace replaced the map." This update you on what is going on out here as much as we can. Three clicks will send a message but please keep the use to a minimum. Do you understand?"
Bucky nodded and took the device. " Thank you, Themba, and thank everyone for me."
"We cannot do enough for the man who saved the life of the King, and Wakanda. You must be on your way. I will hide your boat." The two men exchanged a glance and once again Steve retrieved the backpacks and left Themba to do his part. Once ready, Bucky clicked on the device. Together they studied the map.
"We head west toward that ridge," he said pointing toward the distance. "We can run, but its uneven terrain and don't want to risk a sprain or a break, even if we do heal in a few hours, it would still slow us down. You ready to take a walk?"
Steve nodded, and they headed off together. He let Bucky lead the way because he wanted to keep his eyes on him. The events of the past few hours caused the unexplainable thing to grow stronger and stronger inside him and it wouldn't go away, but Bucky's presence stopped the flashes. He now walked ahead without stumbling now able to compensate for his missing arm. He had an amazing ability to bounce back from any calamity, one of many reasons Steve admired him.
Their trail had enough tree cover to hide them from prying eyes in the sky in case that drone was looking for them. They followed a faint trace resembling a path, so they didn't have to force their way through the brush and soon they reached the ridge. Stopping for a breather, Bucky clicked on the device. The thing operated in real time. A new version of the map glowed in the air above them.
"Automatic updates," Bucky said. " Deleting as it goes and it won't show us the next set of directions until we've arrived at the first set of coordinates."
"So if we lose it, they can't backtrack and bother the villagers. Not bad, but how will we get back…"
"Rely on our memories, but more than likely, we'll go home a different way when we get the all clear."
"I'm impressed. So where next?"
"We go east, follow the ridge for several miles, then cross over. Our first destination is the pool of Laxibuta. We might not arrive until dark." He took a minute to survey their surroundings. "Reminds me of the war, tramping through the woods, bivouacking in the wild, big change for two guys from Brooklyn. For a while, I hated the country, now I can't imagine myself anyplace else."
"Me too," Steve said. "At least this time, we don't have people shooting at us at least, not until that drone finds us."
"If we do this right, it won't."
The forest became thicker and more humid. Steve shed his shirt, prompting Bucky to insist he look around inside the packs for some insect repellent and apply the smelly concoction to himself. Bucky kept his shirt on and after about an hour, Steve understood why. The hungry bugs flew fast and furious through the air. The zeroed in on them but none came close. The stuff worked. He found another shirt, a tank top which he pulled on. This time Bucky agreed to change, not protesting as Steve helped him slip one shirt off and the lighter one on and rubbed the repellent on his shoulder and arm, smiling at him while he did so.
"Things will only get worse," Bucky said. "But nothing a couple of super soldiers like us can't handle."
Right, when the day reached the point where the heat became unbearable, the sound of water broke through. A stream appeared, running parallel to the rough trail. Bucky shed his backpack, having mastered the art of slipping the thing off his shoulders by himself in one easy moment, sat down in the shade by the water. He took a long drink by kneeling down, cupping the water in his hand then he splashed some on his face. Steve followed suit, the water felt refreshing and in a moment of levity, splashed some on Bucky.
"Where's the wildlife?" he asked, allowing the breeze to dry his face, welcoming the cooling effect.
"All around here. They're hiding. They avoid people, so they won't bother us, but watch out for snakes. We should eat something while we're here," Bucky replied. He dug around in his pack bringing out a bag of dried meat and fruit. He picked out some for himself and passed the rest to Steve. They settled back against the trees, careful to stay under cover.
"I suppose we should check in on what's going on back in the world," Bucky suggested. He pulled out the device and clicked twice. An image of Rhodey showed up.
"I have no idea he is," Rhodey said to an unseen presence on the other side of the screen. "He didn't come to the plane when I arrived. We spoke once, via the comlink."
Another image, of Wanda, inside a room. Clint, beside her. "Vision didn't tell me where he was going," she said. Her native accent crept back into her voice. "It all happened so fast. You should have waited. I don't know where they are," She said, speaking to the screen. Then Sam. "They're gone. No, they didn't tell me a thing."
"That's not much, but I guess they need to keep their transmissions as brief in case someone is tracing it, like that drone. I think we should use that option as little as possible. Whoever they're talking to, they ignored Clint. That's a good thing. Vision hasn't come back," Steve said. "He's out here, somewhere. I hope he's not hurt."
"That's the last thing we need, a damaged Vision wandering around," Bucky said. He shut the image down and placed the device in a pocket on his pack. He sat back against the tree and rubbed his face with his hand and then ran it through his hair. The simple gestures caused a ripple effect of emotion inside Steve. The urgency of their journey pressed hard on him.
"We need to be on our way," he said, standing up.
Once more into the jungle. The sun fell behind them until they reached a place where a large standing stone stood in the middle of a crossroads. One path in good condition, the other overgrown with thick grass and shrubbery. They followed the bad path upward; the trail steep, but they didn't stop or falter. More silence except for insects and the occasional breeze shaking the limbs of the trees. Animals might have been close by but even Steve's quick eyes never saw them.
They walked on with little interruption until they came to another stream running parallel to their path and just as evening set in; they found the large pool a few yards from the trail, surrounded by tall willow-like plants.
"Those things glow in the dark," Bucky said as he let his pack slid to the ground.
The oversized tent almost put itself together. When he finished Steve realized it was comprised of several detachable compartments and he could break them down into smaller tents if the need arose.
After Steve completed the setup, the fabric glowed. "Don't tell me. Infused with Vibranium," he said as he placed the packs in a 'room' inside the tent.
"Ok, I won't, but it is. It's weatherproof and there's not a wild animal or person that can get inside it," Bucky said. "We'll be comfortable."
Steve zipped the sleeping bags together, forming one and once again, the fabric glowed. "I love this place!" he called out.
Bucky laughed and kneeled down by the pool where he splashed himself. No chance of swimming in the shallow pool but it was possible to wash away the sweat and heat of the day.
Later that evening, they settled down in the sleeping bag. Steve closed his eyes. Visions of thick undergrowth of the forest replaced the flashing images. Bucky groaned as he tried to turn himself over. Steve reached over to help him, causing Bucky to fall against him. The sensation of his warm skin against his own was a pleasant reward for having to endure this day. Bucky tried to adjust himself but gave up, nestling himself inside the crook of Steve's arm.
"What did T'Challa mean, we might find what we're looking for there?" Steve asked.
"Could be anything," Bucky replied. "Half the time when I ask him a question, he answers with a question, but it'll make sense once we get there. Thank you," he said.
"For what?" Steve asked, caressing his back.
"For coming with me," he replied. His breathing went deep as he drifted to sleep.
"No choice," Steve said to the sleeping Bucky. "I'm never letting you go again." He positioned himself to pull him closer so he could feel the rhythm of his heart against his own.