He woke up, lying on his back, with Steve's arm draped around his waist. For a moment he imagined himself back in Tema, ready to face the day but the sun peeking through at such an odd angle reminded him of where they were. Memories crowded back all at once. Losing his arm, the crazy journey, Steve's issues, and how everything he did last night drove all that away.
He shifted his position, causing Steve to stir and open his eyes.
"Morning," he said.
"Good morning," Buck replied. He took a deep breath, inhaling the aroma. "We need to get out of bed," he said.
"Why?" Steve murmured, moving closer.
"I'd be more than happy to stay here, but things are happening, remember?"
Steve turned over on his back and wiped his eyes. "Oh yeah, that."
Bucky took advantage of the moment to slide out from under the covers and sit on the side of the bed. He decided not to repeat his standing offer to Steve. He always gave him the same answer, and last night would have been the perfect opportunity but Steve carried on business as usual. Bucky would have closed eyes and focused on something else, but he would have gone through with it, but the good thing was they didn't need to.
Steve threw back the bedding causing the scent to travel. "We need to find out what that stuff is," He said. "Last night …" he said as he sat up.
"Amazing," Bucky said. He needed to say something, and while he liked the activity, he didn't like talking about.
"Almost made this crazy experience worth it."
Bucky didn't answer but stood up and put his clothes on. He turned to face Steve to see that him still at his place by the side of the bed, staring at him.
"That's not at all creepy," Bucky said.
"That's not what I'm doing! I mean, I am a little, but you're getting good at the one-armed thing," he said.
"Takes some getting used to, but with time, it becomes second nature," Bucky replied.
"You always managed to pick yourself up and keep going," Steve said. "I always admired that about you."
"Glad to KNOW you love me for my mind," Bucky said. Steve laughed.
"And you're funny," Steve said.
"You need to get away from out of bed or you'll drown in a sea of sappiness. I think I'll create a list of how wonderful I think Steve Rogers is."
"If you like," Steve replied.
Bucky shook his head and made his way into the kitchen. He wasted a few minutes to figure out how the Wakandan powered appliances worked, but after much trial and error, he brewed some coffee and together they made a breakfast of bacon and eggs.
Arba arrived after they finished, ready to take the drone of their hands. She inspected it, running a scanner around the damaged pieces. "Vision is back at the palace. They reactivated him but he is now in isolation which he accepted. We're grateful to him for destroying this thing," she said. "From what I saw, he seems, more animated than before. More... sentient if that is possible."
"We noticed," Steve asked. "I'm not sure what caused that, but it concerns me."
"One of our operatives inserted himself with the people we suspect to be the infiltrators. It's dangerous, but we might well get the proof we need by the end of the day. They appear to be heading toward the waterfall, and we have guards in the area, waiting for them. Since the drone is no longer a threat, you can return home. The Palace will send a hovercraft for you, which will take you to Thaya, a town much like this one. You will stay remain there for tonight and if all goes well, tomorrow you could be back at the Palace. You will leave here at noon."
"That's good news!" Steve said.
"We are waiting on Colonel Rhodes. He is undecided whether to make at least a display of carrying out his orders, or to return home…" she began.
"He can't go home!" Steve interrupted. "Please, tell him to wait for us. Trust us. This is important."
She said nothing for a long moment, but she regarded them for a long moment, her eyes full of suspicion.
"Trust us," Steve repeated.
She nodded, giving the impression she didn't agree but opted to not give her opinion. "I'll pass your message along, and I will take this off your hands," she said, gathering the pieces of the broken drone she left them alone.
They packed away the rest of their belongings and at noon; they heard a gentle whirring sound. Outside they found Arba and coming toward them a small hovercraft helmed by the unnamed young man they talked to earlier.
"You ever ride on one of these things?" Bucky asked.
"Once, in one a lot like this, but bigger," Steve said, then sighed. Something about the memory made him sad.
The small craft pulled through the trees, holding its position above the ground for a few feet, then landed.
"Captain Rogers, I am Chikumbutso. I am here to take you to Thaya. I spoke to you earlier," the young man said.
"Yes you did," Steve confirmed. "Thank you for your help."
Bucky stared at the young man for a moment. A vague impression of something not being quite right passed over him. He turned to Arba, "Thank you," he said She stood back from the group for a moment, studying the craft and its young pilot. She nodded, and together they all loaded their belongings. As soon as they were inside, their pilot touched a sensor and they sped away. They built the craft for speed but there was enough room inside to sit. Bucky did his best to make himself comfortable in what passed for a seat along the stern. Steve opted to remain standing.
"How long will it take us to get there?" Steve asked.
"About an hour," Chikumbutso replied.
The circulating air kept them from them overheating under the hot sun. The notion of something being off remained but the feeling was little more than some ill-defined reflex, something left over from the old days. He reached in his pack for a bottle of water, grateful for the constant breeze when he became aware of the sweat dripping down on their driver's face. Illness, maybe, but another possibility crossed his mind and he realized the source of his misgivings. Reaching back into his pack, he fiddled around for a moment and pulled out the silver communication device. Steve noticed his actions, a question in his eyes as he placed it in his pocket hoping it would send the signal he intended. They no longer needed it, but it got his attention. The craft turned toward the distant mountains. The final tell. Bucky nodded toward the driver, then shook his head. Even though the two of them had not worked together like this before, Steve understood. He worked his way through the small cabin until he stood right behind the driver, and once they arrived in an open space, he wrapped his arms around him, holding the young man in a tight squeeze and pulled him backward. Bucky jumped up and took over steering the craft.
The young man, surprised, started to turn and but Steve's actions stopped him, causing him to struggle in vain against the hard bear hug. "So who are you, and what do you want?" Steve asked. The man stayed silent.
"Steve will try not to hurt you, but I can persuade you to talk," Bucky said. More sensor tapping and the craft stopped. He turned to face them. "I don't want to, but…"
The young man spat, missing him by a few inches.
"So it's like that is it?" Bucky asked.
Steve tightened his grip. "I could do this all day," he said. The young man gave up his physical resistance but still said nothing.
"Buck, take him for a minute," Steve said. Bucky wrapped his arm around the man's neck as Steve let go.
"I might have one arm, but I can still to snap your neck with it," Bucky said. Steve went through his pack and came out with a cord meant for the tent. He tied up the man's feet and with Bucky's help, did the same to his arms, tying them behind his back. "The cord is Vibranium," Steve said as he put the final knot in place. "And I tied the knots." He rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a large ugly knife and a small handgun.
"That's not standard Wakandan equipment," Steve continued. "He came ready to do some kind of business." After he ceased to be a threat, Steve laid him down on the floor of the craft. "What tipped you off?" He directed his question to Bucky
"He didn't address me first. I don't care, but T'Challa insisted on the protocol and the Wakandans do as he says. I'm to be treated as a member of the family. The only ones who talk to you first are members of our team. He was covered in sweat when we're in a constant breeze, and instead of turning away from the mountains, but he turned toward them. Small things, but they trained me to pay attention to small things."
"I do not speak to him," the young man said. Bucky didn't take his eyes off of him for a long time. A vague memory surfaced, something he kept in that part of his mind he didn't visit often.
"His name isn't Chikumbutso. He's trying hard to sound like a Wakandan, but something is coming through in the accent. I'd say he's British. His mother was Doctor Marina Ward, a scientist. When my memories returned, she came to visit me every night, along with her family. He came too. He's grown, he was just a kid at the time. "
Their captive shot Bucky a look of pure astonishment, and so did Steve. Even though he pushed them down, the memories were never far away.
"One of the Asset's targets," Bucky said. He said nothing else but turned away from them to stare at the distant blue mountains.