**Oh Hai! Heresa chappa four! I seriously need some sleep, holy hell**
**I should probably mention that neither Ambrose or Aspen Landing really exist, and if by chance some of you know what the control room of a nuclear plant looks like, I'm sorry if I got it horribly wrong...I've never been in one so...yea**
**Enjoy!**
Chapter Four: Time To Go
The secondary control room of the plant was never used on during the third shift hours ever since Stark's technology was implemented, allowing the entirety of the plant to run properly with little interference. So when the silent air began to crack and whine, sparking with mysterious bolts of electricity, it went entirely un-noticed; except for the single security camera mounted in the corner.
Within seconds, the cracks and whines evolved into a burst of electrical energy and a fading black mist that dissipated from around three individuals; all of them nearly falling to the ground as they struggled to gain their bearings.
"You did it…Connie, you did it, we're here!" JB exclaimed, staggering forward.
"Thank goodness" Connie replied in a near whisper, breathless.
"The plant is active in this time, we need to find a way out before they find us" Simon advised.
A low thud drew both the attention of both to Connie, who was laying in an unconscious heap on the floor where she once stood.
"Connie!" JB barked, falling to her side in an instant.
He took her shoulders, gently shaking her in an attempt to raise her from her slumber. Simon knelt on the opposite side, grabbing hold of JB's forearm to get him to cease his attempts long enough for him to check her pulse; practically holding his breath as he waited.
"Her pulse is extremely weak…" Simon breathed.
Simon released JB's arm, grabbing hold of her right wrist and turning it over, revealing a device that strongly resembled a watch, but the face that should have registered the time, was completely black, a red L.E.D softly pulsing around the outer edge.
"…and her power levels are completely depleted" he finished, his tone wavering with concern.
"What does that mean?" JB asked, slightly panicked.
"It means we need to get her stabilized, but we can't do that here, we need to-"
Simon was cut off as the dark room was suddenly filled with a flashing red emergency light, an obnoxiously loud alarm ringing through the building.
"Leave!" Simon barked, working his hands underneath Connie to scoop her into his arms.
JB got to his feet, his eyes scanning the darkened room as best they could, feeling a surge of adrenaline pulse through his veins when he spotted the window on the far side of the room.
"This way!" he urged, clearing the distance in mere seconds.
"That is reinforced glass JB, there's no way you're gonna be able to-"
Again Simon was cut off, this time by the loud echo of shattering glass as JB reared his fist back and bore down on the window with everything he could; effectively blowing out the entirety of it.
"Okay…maybe you can" Simon grumbled.
"Freeze!"
The warning came from the main door, as four security guards came bursting inside, tazer guns aimed, spreading out and cornering them against the wall. JB turned from the window and bolted toward them.
"JB don't!" Simon pleaded.
JB ignored him, charging the guards. The center guard fired first, the tazer probes embedding into the front of his chest. He came to a stop, visibly cringing as cracks of electricity echoed out within the room, but he held his ground, grinding his teeth while a couple thousand volts ran through his system. Smirking, JB raised his hand toward the wires, barely reaching them before two more guards fired.
The voltage this time was a little harder to ignore, and he fell to his knees, groaning against the strain to his body. He vaguely heard Simon shouting something, possibly his name, but it fell on deaf ears. Letting out an audible growl of irritation, he finally regained enough control of his arm to reach across, grabbing all six wires at once and yanking them off his body; glaring daggers at the guards.
They exchanged worried glances for a brief moment, unable to react when JB lunged forward, driving his elbow into the gut of the first guard that shot him, doubling him over and putting him on the floor. He shifted to the right, rearing back a left hook and nailing the second guard in the jaw, sending him backward into a support beam. A third guard came up from behind, wrapping his forearm across JB's neck with some intention to chokehold him.
JB thrust his right elbow back, hearing an audible crunch echo out from the man's ribs, quickly followed by a pained howl. He bent forward just enough to reach back, grabbing hold of the man's uniform and throwing him up over his shoulders and into the second guard; rendering them both unconscious.
He pivoted on his left, turning his attention to the last guard, narrowing his eyes dangerously. The guard flashed a stupid grin, tossing his gun to the ground and raising his hands innocently, stumbling backward until he hit the door, scrambling to get out of the room.
"He'll be back with friends" Simon warned.
"Yea and real guns, it's time to go" JB agreed, storming back toward the window.
Simon followed, still holding on to Connie as he peered over JB's shoulder, seeing the distance between them and the ground below.
"That's a three story drop, you do realize that?" Simon asked, sounding concerned.
His concern fell on deaf ears as JB positioned himself briefly before jumping down, landing with practiced ease and turning himself to face them.
"Of course you do" he grumbled to himself.
"Let her down, I got her" JB shouted.
Simon muttered a string of incoherent complaints as he teetered closer to the ledge of the broken window, adjusting his arms to put as much distance between Connie and the building before he released her; cringing the entire time. JB caught her, lowering her as she fell into his arms to keep her from getting whiplash; moving her to rest in the grass before he moved back underneath the window.
Distant shouts brought Simon's attention toward the door for a moment, swearing under his breath; the reinforcements were assembled a little too fast for his liking.
"What are you waiting for? Jump!" JB barked from below.
"What!?" Simon screeched, wide eyes falling down on JB.
"I'll catch you, come on!"
Simon let out a groan, looking back on the door one last time before he stepped up to the window, gripping the wall to keep from falling over prematurely.
"This kid is gonna be the death of me and he's not even mine" he muttered to himself.
He held his breath as if to muster the nerve before he jumped from the window sill, a brief regret of actions flashing before his eyes before he collided with JB, who managed to break enough of the fall as so he didn't break his legs; toppling to the ground in a heap and nearly dragging JB down with him.
"Oh, well that was graceful" Simon groaned, rolling to his side.
JB let out a low chuckle and went to Connie's side, scooping her up quickly. Before any of them could get another word in edgewise, the echoes of sporadic gunfire rattled out from the window above them, as bullets slammed into the ground nearby. Even carrying Connie, JB had no issues bolting off into the cover of the darkness, with Simon desperately scrambling after him.
He was sleeping soundly, or at least he was, his left arm trapping the pillow against his head, buried face down into it; his right arm draped protectively over another warm body. It was still dark out when he opened his eyes, slowly gaining consciousness as the repetitive beeping became clearer, and louder. Bucky laid there, expecting her to stir at any moment to silence the alarm; wondering why she bothered to set the thing in the first place.
It felt as if several minutes passed by, and there was still no activity from Kade, save for her restful breathing. Letting out a heavy groan, he pushed himself up on his left hand, shifting his body over her mid-section, his right hand stabbing in the dark for the dim illumination of her phone. It took much more restraint than usual to keep from just crushing the stupid thing, but he silenced it carefully, lowering his body down on hers, resting his head against her stomach and curling his arm up her side; cradling her like his own personal pillow.
"You're heavy" she grumbled sleepily.
"I wouldn't be heavy if someone wouldn't try to sleep through their alarm" he retorted, nuzzling his face against the cloth of her tank top, unintentionally drawing it up enough to expose skin.
"Careful, I could toss you across this room without so much as batting an eyelash…what do you think of that Mr. Barnes?" she mocked.
Bucky couldn't help the wicked grin that crossed his lips, raising his head to spot the exposure of her lower stomach; and the top hem of her black lace panties.
"Oh I've got other things on my mind…Mrs. Barnes" he purred, lowering his head and placing an open mouthed kiss against her left hip.
Her breath hitched and he felt the slightest arch of her back, enticing him further as his mouth led a trail down to the hemline of her underwear.
"Last night not enough for you?" she teased, her voice wavering slightly against his touch.
Bucky let out a low chuckle, abandoning her waist line and shifting the entirety of his body over hers as he crawled upward, meeting her lips with his own in a chaste kiss; pulling back just enough to gaze into her eyes.
"I have to make up for lost time" he remarked, not giving her the chance to argue before he stole another kiss...this time with a little more force.
Any retort she could have voiced was lost in her throat, and her body reacted naturally to his motions. His weight was steady against her, and his skin was still warm from sleep as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders; holding onto him. She deepened the kiss, urging him on; not like he needed the encouragement. His left arm snaked itself behind her shoulders, while the right moved down; cupping between her legs.
She gasped for air, feeling the heat of lust burn through her veins; it never dulled between them…that much she was thankful for. His lips found a new venture, tracing her jawline briefly before drifting down her neck, tracing his tongue over the junction of her shoulder; feeling her shiver beneath his touch.
The sound of low vibration suddenly rang out from the opposite side of the bed, and they both froze. It silenced itself for a moment before it did it again, and with that, Bucky buried his head into her pillow, letting out an aggravated groan. Kade, meanwhile, couldn't help the restrained fit of giggles that threatened to develop into full out laughter, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
"That one is yours my dear" she cooed.
"Yea, I know" he grumbled, forcing himself from her and rolling back to his side of the bed.
Fishing his phone from the nightstand, he brought it up, barely registering Steve's name on the caller ID before suddenly feeling a warm, wet tongue lap slowly over his left nipple. He nearly dropped the phone, sucking in air through gritted teeth as he glanced down at her, seeing that mischievous look in her eyes, her lip caught between her teeth. It was at that moment he contemplating throwing the device right out the window and ravishing the female responsible for his torture.
"Thank you Steve…for the epic cock block" he muttered, finally pressing the green button on the lower part of the screen and bringing it to his ear.
"This had better be important" he growled.
There was a moment of silence and the irritated look he bore quickly washed over with what Kade established as concern and disbelief.
"What?" he hissed, abruptly sitting up.
It was at this point that Kade felt worry build up in the pit of her stomach, making her nauseas.
"You're sure? Without a doubt?" he seethed, looking back at Kade.
Her mind reeled at the possibilities of where that conversation was going, and what it was regarding. He finally pulled his eyes away, sighing heavily.
"Yea, we're heading back" he stated flatly, lowering the phone to hang up.
A thought struck her like a truck, and she felt dizzy just contemplating it.
"Bucky?...please don't tell me the kids…" she trailed off, her throat suddenly feeling like sandpaper.
"The kids are fine, they're still with Clint…" Bucky breathed, sliding off the bed and grabbing a pair of cargo pants off the floor.
"…There was an incident at the nuclear plant in Virginia, a break in or a break out, they're still unsure"
"What, did they get codes!?" Kade asked, the edge of nausea slowly fading.
"No, they didn't take a thing" Bucky answered, yanking the pants up to his waist and making quick work of the button.
"I don't get it…what does this have to do with us?"
"Not us…you" Bucky replied.
Kade's confusion was easily seen on her face and couldn't even form words at the moment to question.
"They pulled a print from the scene…it matches your brother" He stated.
She surpassed nausea altogether, feeling as if her insides had just up and disappeared and judging by the sudden inability to breathe, it seemed her lungs followed suit. Her head swam with worry, and the recollection of her foresight came crashing down around her. She was right all along…just when things start looking up, someone comes along to tear it all down.
"I should get dressed" Kade remarked breathlessly.
Jet lag was an understatement, she was exhausted. The eight hour flight back to the states was nothing, it was eight hours of contemplation, worry, and downright anxiety that made it feel like she hadn't slept in days by the time they landed back at the base. She didn't say a word as they pulled into the guest parking of Aspen Landing, a mental health facility in southern Connecticut. It had been two years since his doctor as Greenbrier deemed him well enough to be transferred to a hospital that specialized in the rehabilitation of patients, preparing them for their release into society.
She detested the idea, and just thinking about him eventually walking free made her sick to her stomach, now more than ever being as she hadn't so much as thought about eating since Steve called. It was almost like Kade was running on auto pilot as they crossed the front courtyard, her eyes transfixed on the main doors to the building. It was Bucky who broke her out of her trance, gently grabbing her forearm, forcing her to stop and look at him.
"Are you sure you want to do this now?" he asked.
She was silent for a moment, finding word much harder than usual to come by.
"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't" she replied in a near whisper.
"You've barely said anything since we left Moscow, and you haven't eaten anything either"
"I'll be fine"
Bucky let out a heavy sigh, staring intensely at her.
"You haven't seen him in six years, and the very mention of him has you twisting in knots…you're far from fine" he argued.
"You're worried, it's understandable, but I'm worried for entirely different reasons. For instance, how the hell he got to Virginia and back without anyone noticing, what he wanted out of that plant that he wasn't able to get…he's planning something and that scares me. Simon is smart, manipulative and he knows how to work the system…that's what this is all about…the Landing is renowned for their patient recovery, so for him, this is just one step further to freedom.
His blood tests continue to come back negative for the X-gene, but even without it…he's dangerous. He's got everybody fooled, but I'm not buying it. The only reason I'm here, is to expose him for the liar he is…and I will not be satisfied until he's placed in a maximum security prison for the rest of his life"
With that, she turned on her heel and continued walking toward the door. Bucky exhaled slowly, watching her stride with a little more resolve than she had before; leave it to him to push just the right buttons.
"Nothin' like a little family drama to brighten the day" he mumbled to himself.
"Can I help you?" asked an overly perky blonde sitting at the reception desk.
"I'm here to see a patient" Kade replied, sounding less than pleased.
"A resident you mean?" she corrected.
Kade raised her eyebrow up questionably, obviously not seeing the need for a correction.
"Those staying here at Aspen Landing are referred to as residents, not patients. It helps them to adjust better back into society" she explained, her beaming smile never faltering.
"Patient, resident, whatever...I need to see him" Kade growled, wanting to strangle the receptionist with the fluffy red scarf she had around her neck.
"Okay, what's the name?" she asked, practically shrugging off Kade's unpleasant aura.
"Whitmore"
She went to town, typing into the computer fast enough to silently impress Kade.
"Alright, if you could please, just sign the check-in sheet, and I'll have him paged" the receptionist cooed, handing Kade a neon orange, plastic clipboard with a pen chained to the top of it.
Kade took it, somewhat hesitantly, and began scribbling down the requested information.
"I didn't think check-in sheets were still a thing" she stated, humored.
She had barely finished writing her name when her attention was pulled away by a male voice, calling her by name. Kade turned to watch two men approach the reception counter, both dressed in pressed business suits, combed over hair and the receiver wires plainly visible coming down from behind their ears.
"I was hoping I'd find you here, your superior said you might stop by" the man on the left remarked, brandishing a smile.
He looked only slightly older than his partner, and seemingly more friendly in his facial expressions; as his partner just stood there scowling.
"Who are you exactly?" Bucky asked sternly.
"Agent Ford, this is agent Williams, we're with the F.B.I" he answered, motioning his head in the direction of his partner.
"I'd like to see some I.D then" Kade requested, keeping an edge to her tone.
The men exchanged glances, fishing into the inside pocket of their jackets. The flicker in Kade's eyes went unnoticed by everyone, dipping into their thoughts as easily as opening a door. Thought reading was easy, and as long as she didn't dig too deep, they never noticed. It was when she went after every bit and detail that it put them on the floor. Sam called it a brain duster, but at least he was a good sport about it; given she used him as a test subject.
The agent's presented their badges, allowing both her and Bucky to inspect them momentarily, before relinquishing them back into their jackets. Their thoughts were clear, they were actual agents, and they were here for questioning.
"So why were you wanting to find me?" Kade asked, playing off like she didn't already know.
"I was hoping we could talk, if you have a few minutes" he replied, and Bucky did his best to ignore the demanding undertone in Ford's voice.
"Do I have a choice in the matter?" she asked sternly.
"Of course" Ford answered quickly.
Kade narrowed her eyes at him, clenching her fists gently when his mental thoughts radiated in her mind. He was prepared to make a spectacle of it if she didn't bend to his requests, he'd pull out all the stops and show his teeth like the king of the dog pen; if only he knew he was tangling with a wolf.
"Is that so?" she challenged, allowing the slightest hint of a smirk to form.
Ford's confidence dwindled slightly, and that cocky smile started to fade. Either he was quickly growing impatient with her defensive attitude, or he was catching on to the fact that she wasn't buying his bullshit. Bucky's hand took her elbow gently, breaking the intensive stare down between her and the agents, leaning close to her ear.
"Play nice" he advised softly, as so nobody would hear him but her.
She scoffed quietly, turning an amused glare in his direction.
"Coming from you…that's rich" she mocked.
He scowled at her, obviously unimpressed with her jab at his social nature; he seemed to only be tame when it came to their family. Kade sighed heavily, relaxing her gaze just enough to take the edge off the mood.
"Fine, let's talk" she snipped.
"I was hoping we could talk somewhere private, if it's all the same to you" Ford advised.
Before Kade could open her mouth to argue, and Bucky have a chance to silence her, the receptionist spoke up.
"We have private consultation rooms down the main hall and to the left if you'd like" she recommended, pointing to the hallway behind the front desk.
"That would be much appreciated, thank you" Ford replied, flashing the receptionist a heartfelt smile as he and his partner made their way toward the gestured destination.
Kade turned toward the receptionist with a less than pleased glare, wondering whose side the perky little blonde was on.
"Would you still like me to page-" The blonde started, still brandishing a cheeky grin.
"No, that's not necessary" Kade grumbled, cutting her off as she followed the agents.
"Let me know if I can be of any further assistance"
Kade made an attempt to turn back to the desk, opening her mouth to say something before Bucky came up behind her, practically pushing her forward to keep her from causing a scene.
"I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you don't like talking to feds" Ford remarked casually, taking a seat at one of the chairs pushed against the wall.
"Let's just get this over with, I don't even want to be here" Kade seethed, leaning against the outside arm of the couch opposite of Ford; Bucky standing against the wall near the door.
"How much do you know about the investigation?" Williams asked sternly.
Kade shifted a hostile gaze at Williams briefly, taking a deep steadying breath in attempt to keep her anger in check. It didn't matter if she was two steps away from the door, she still felt like they were trying to corner her. She folded her arms across her chest, concealing her clenched fists as best she could.
"Only that his prints were found at the scene" she sighed.
Ford glanced over at Williams, and Kade caught his underlying smile. She wanted to smack that grin off his face so hard it was making her sick to her stomach. Local and state police were a breeze to work with compared to federal agents, their time spent at the top of the criminal food chain made them cocky, if not the least bit arrogant. Given her hostility during this little encounter, she gambled the only reason they haven't tried to detain her is because of her Avenger status. He looked back at her, settling in his chair like he was ready to read her a story.
"Three days ago, around one in the morning, night security at the Ambrose nuclear plant in Virginia, spotted three unknown individuals in the secondary control room. Four guards were sent to apprehend the assailants, only one managed to escape and call for backup"
"What difference does it make?" Kade snipped.
"Because one of the assailants managed to take down three guards in under a minute after having a hundred and fifty thousand volts punched through his chest, shortly after punching through a reinforced plate glass window with his bare hands" Ford explained.
Kade felt her breath hesitate in her throat, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end; her and Bucky exchanging brief glances.
"So you can understand our concern" Williams remarked.
"They made their escape through the broken window, which is three stories above ground mind you, and disappeared. One of those three was identified by a fingerprint found at the scene, but the other two don't appear to be in the system and are still in the wind as of currently. On top of that, we still don't have a motive. So at this point, I was hoping you might be of use" Ford stated.
"Why me?" Kade asked.
"I need someone more familiar with his habits and behavior, and naturally you're the first choice with him being your broth-"
"Don't you dare!" Kade spat aggressively, startling Ford and Williams both; Bucky of course was just waiting for the agent to make that error.
"He may be blood, but he is not my family" she growled, her knuckles white.
Ford raised his hands up in an innocent gesture, trying to defuse the sudden wave of hostility in the room before things got out of hand.
"No need to get all worked up, I didn't mean anything by it…but it makes me wonder, if you hate him so much…then why are you here?" Ford asked.
It was a simple question, so why was she suddenly at a loss for a simple answer? She reeled back to the conversation she and Bucky had outside. It still didn't make sense. They needed the truth yes, but at what cost, her sanity? What was driving her so badly to seek the man she had been avoiding like the plague for the past six years? A constricting pain wrapped around her insides, making her both regret and praise the fact she still hadn't ate anything. Her knuckles went white, and a chill riveted up her spine; fear?
"We're here for the same reason as you, we want answers" Bucky answered, snapping her out of her haze.
"Well then, let's both benefit out of it" Ford remarked, flashing a smile at Bucky.
"What do you mean?" Bucky asked, glancing at Kade; she had her eyes glued to the floor.
"Prior to contrary belief, the F.B.I still has to follow protocol. While under normal circumstances, these types of patients have already been stripped of their rights, the Landing does everything they can to establish a makeshift form of them. It works the same way with juveniles, we can't legally question them without the primary caregiver present" Ford stated, leaning forward in his chair as he looked over at Kade.
Bucky's eyes followed, seeing the strain in her shoulders even from that distance, and her eyes still avoiding contact from all three of them. In the years he's known her, he's never seen her like this…except once.
"So what does Kade have to do with it?" Bucky asked, trying to keep the agent's attention off of her.
Ford seemed to have caught on, ignoring Bucky's presence entirely as he stared down Kade; the soldier of course not liking that one bit.
"She's listed as his primary caregiver" Williams stated.
Kade's head snapped in his direction, the haze of her fear dissipating in an instant.
"Since when!?" she spat.
"I wouldn't know, but likely when he was transferred to the Landing" he replied.
She swore under her breath, lulling her head back to stare at the ceiling; squinting against the fluorescents.
"You don't want to be here, you said so yourself, so I'm willing to make a deal with you, to help make this worth your time" Ford mentioned, getting to his feet.
Both Kade and Bucky turned their attention to him, urging him to continue.
"You let us do our thing…I'll get a confession out of him, and before you know it, he's in a max secure prison…permanently. Hell he won't even see the light of day if you don't want him to. What do ya say?" Ford offered.
Kade wasn't one to make deals with anyone she didn't know on a personal level, but Ford's offer was beyond tempting. She worried the inside of her lip for a moment, glancing over at Bucky, whose concerned gaze was of no help. Exhaling slowly, she unclenched her fists, noticing the deep nail marks on the inside of her palm; standing up straight and staring down Ford.
"You got yourself a deal"