Sorry for the long delay in getting this chapter up. I've been traveling with my family, so things have been hectic!
"How many do we have left?" Lucy asked as Bucky handed the I.C.E.R. back to her.
"I've got almost a full set of rounds in mine, but after that we've only got one more full set." He said, pulling the small container of tranquilizer bullets from his pocket as proof.
Lucy clicked open the latch on the gun in her hand to see how many rounds were left. 4 bullets gleamed back at her. Half a set. "Guess we better make our shots count." She said grimly before glancing over at the two security guards slumped against the exterior wall of the building, both down to their boxers and white tanks.
"I probably should've gotten more from Coulson when we set out." Bucky said, shoving the cartridge back into the pocket of the security guard's uniform he was now wearing. "I guess I just underestimated how much we would use them."
She shrugged and started walking. "We'll figure something out. We managed without them a long time, we can do it again."
Bucky followed in stride alongside her as they headed for the access door. He wanted to reply by telling her that they also killed a lot of innocent people back then, but quickly decided against it. Out of the corner of her eye Lucy could see Bucky tugging at the fabric of his uniform, and she bit her lip to stifle a laugh.
"What are you smiling at?" He asked with a hint of irritation.
Lucy kept her eyes focused on the keypad in front of her as she punched in the code. "Shirt a bit tight there?" She asked teasingly. "Maybe you should've picked someone your own size."
Unamused by her enjoyment of his discomfort he quipped back, "Oh, and you're one to talk. You had to roll your pants up three times!" He pointed down at her calves, where the fabric was bunched up in a big ball of haphazard folds. He couldn't help but chuckle at her appearance. The pants were several sizes too big, and the shirt hung off her slender frame like a sack. She had tried to tuck it in as best she could, but all it did was accentuate the ill fit of the cargo pants.
"Shut up." She said defensively, rolling her eyes. Hearing the click affirming the door was unlocked, she pulled it open and stepped inside. "At least I don't look like an awkward 6th grader who unexpectedly hit puberty overnight." She added, motioning to the high-watered cuffs of his pants. Bucky scrunched his mouth into a thin line, announcing they were now even.
They paused a moment to let their eyes adjust to the comparatively dim interior. Fluorescent lights buzzed above, down the length of the gray hallway with various passages and rooms branching off the sides.
"This way." Lucy stated, already heading down the corridor, her steps full of purpose.
Bucky observed in silence as he followed in step behind her. She was reiterating to him for the third time the plan she had laid out the night before, but he wasn't listening. Her auburn hair gleamed from the tight ponytail where it had been pulled back with precision. A few stray hairs, however, had escaped and were now hanging loosely over her cheekbone. He wondered how long it would take her to notice.
As if hearing his internal musings, Lucy's hand quickly lifted to her face and tucked the strand behind her ear. The simple action made him smile, and he couldn't help but shake his head. The person in front of him was so different than the one he had first met on the Bus just a few months earlier. This one walked with her shoulders set back, her spine ramrod straight. Many things were the same, unchanged, like the passion in her eyes, and the fear of nothing at all. Yet there were some things she didn't quite seem to see in the same light.
"Are you even listening?" Lucy's words interrupted his thoughts and he quickly snapped back to the present. "It's important we're both on the same page here."
"I got it, I got it." He reassured, but his tone didn't seem to put her any more at ease.
Lucy sighed, "You have to be focused; I need to know your head in in this."
Bucky slowed his steps to a halt, and grabbed a hold of her forearm until she finally stopped and turned to face him. "Lou, what's going on, what's up with you?" He asked.
"Nothing, what do you mean? Everything is fine, now can we go?" She replied impatiently. She turned to continue her trek through the hall, but Bucky once again stopped her.
"You know me better than to think I'm going to believe that." He quipped back, an eyebrow raised. Lucy squirmed a moment uncomfortably before finally resorting to averting her gaze. "We've done this a million times, hell it's been ingrained into our heads hundreds of times. Why are you so worked up about this mission? What's got you so on edge?"
Lucy wished she could ignore his questions, but knew she wasn't going to be able to avoid the conversation this time. "Now's not the time, Buck." She said quietly, checking the area for movement. A single guard rounded the corner and Lucy quickly and calmly turned on her heel, and motioned for Bucky to follow. "Come on, in here.
Inside the room a wall of T.V.'s showed passengers waiting at their gates, others standing impatiently at lines in the food court, and men in reflective vests loading luggage into the belly of a plane.
At the sound of the door opening and closing, a middle aged woman asked lazily without turning around, "What do you need Lars? Forget these?" She held up a set of keys that jangled against each other.
"Oh." She commented when she realized that neither of the two individuals who had just entered the room were Lars. "Can I help you?"
Lucy strolled over to the empty desk next to the woman and sat down as though it was the same thing she had done every day.
"We're switching shifts early." Bucky said with a smile. "I guess you get an early lunch today."
The woman looked a bit shocked, yet didn't move from her seat. Next to her, Lucy swung her feet up on the desk, making herself thoroughly at home. "I—I didn't hear anything about this, are you sure?" She stammered.
Bucky held his friendly demeanor and confirmed, "It was last minute; they probably just forgot to tell you."
She looked conflicted, unsure if she could trust what they were saying. "Well I'm not supposed to clock out until 12—"
"Relax, we've got this." Lucy interjected.
The woman looked contemplative a moment before she squinted slightly and looked the both of them up and down. "Hang on, those uniforms don't fit right, and I haven't seen either of you around before. Something's not right here." She muttered quietly more to herself than the other two in the room. Reaching for the radio on her hip she kept her eyes on them both. "I should call Lars."
"There's really no need." Bucky assured, but the woman ignored his words.
"Lars, can you come to the surveillance room, I—" Her words echoed from Bucky's radio and the woman's eyes widened in realization. Her eyes flashed towards the alert button in her peripherals, and Bucky could tell what she was thinking.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." He said calmly, pulling his I.C.E.R. into view. She registered the weapon, indicated by the increased speed of her breathing. Knowing the result her actions would produce, the woman dove for the button, hitting it just moments before Lucy's I.C.E.R. bullet dropped her to the floor unconscious.
Lucy sighed, "Well, I guess this is no use anymore." The flash drive in her hand held a program to set all the cameras on a repeating loop. She tossed it to Bucky, who snapped it easily with the metal grip of his hand and tossed it on the cement floor. Without wasting time she set to moving the now unconscious woman out of the way so she could take a seat at the desk she had occupied earlier. Quickly she typed in a series of modifiers until the video feed she was looking for appeared. Their desired HYDRA target sat nonchalantly at his gate's waiting area, casually perusing a newspaper.
"You never answered my question." Bucky stated as he pulled the woman to the edge of the room and leaned her against the wall of lockers.
Lucy knew he was referring to their conversation in the hallway, and her uneasiness returned. "I don't know, Bucky." She said curtly. They both heard the door open and two men bustled in.
"Hey, what are you—"
With synchronized precision, Bucky and Lucy both let off a round each, causing both of the men to slump to the ground. "It's just, he's gotten away once already. I don't want him to slip away again." Lucy added.
Bucky shrugged, accepting her answer, "Okay, and I get that, but why is this guy in particular so important to you? We've had people put up a fight in the past but it never made you like this."
"Like what?" Lucy asked with a labored sigh.
He bit his tongue, forcing himself to stay calm. She knew exactly what he meant, and she knew exactly what she was doing. "Obsessive and paranoid about every little thing." He said as he moved the two men alongside the woman. "The past two days all we've done is fight with each other, and you've paid more attention to 'Mr. Black Hair' than you have me, or even yourself for that matter. You're changing Lou, and I'm sorry, but I don't know if I'm okay with it."
"I'm not doing this with you right now." Lucy said, standing from her chair.
"And why is that?" Bucky said, stepping between her and the door. His arms were crossed, his eyes daring her to say the words.
Lucy defiantly held his stare for several seconds before answering, "Because we have a mission." Bucky simply shook his head, and Lucy pushed past him, waiting for him in the hallway.
"These have been here a while, let's try them." Lucy said, brushing a thin film of dust from the luggage tags on a pair of purple and gray suitcases. They were the first words either of them had spoken since the surveillance room, and the tension in the warehouse room full of abandoned luggage seemed to dissipate, if only slightly.
"Oh good, Florida tourist. Jackpot." Bucky said as he held up an obnoxious tropical print shirt against his chest.
"I like it, you're finally dressing your age." Lucy joked.
Bucky watched as she dug through her matching suitcase of equally exuberant tropical wear that had at one point clearly belonged to a 70 something year old woman, trying to find something that would work. "Ouch, really? Because I thought it brought out my eyes quite nicely." Bucky quipped back, feigning hurt feelings.
"Well I suppose there's that too." She replied, her mouth unconsciously turning upward at the corners. Bucky saw just the smallest flash of a smile before she quickly reset it back into a grim line. She was still annoyed with him for nagging on her and she wanted him to get the right message.
Once they had both traded their ill-fitting guard uniforms for their gaudy floral prints, and had transferred their weapons from one outfit to the other, they both took a deep breath and headed for the main terminal, one man in their sights.
"Here, take these." Bucky held out his hand, showing the last of the I.C.E.R. bullets.
Lucy glanced down to see what he was handing her. "Wait, but what if you need them?"
Bucky shook his head. "I'm fine. You've only got two left, you're going to need them." Reluctantly Lucy accepted them and loaded six of them into her gun, forcing Bucky to keep the last two.
"Are you ready?" Bucky asked when she was finally finished messing around with things.
"Are you?" She asked in response.
"Let's catch ourselves a HYDRA informant shall we?" He said with a smirk.
Lucy smoothed her hair back one last time. "See you on the other side."
The pair wordlessly split ways, Bucky heading towards the B3 gate where the HYDRA agent was waiting, and Lucy towards the circular customer service desk in the middle of the terminal.
"I wondered when we'd be meeting again." The black haired HYDRA agent said nonchalantly as he calmly flipped the page of his newspaper. "I do have to commend you for such quick turnaround though, pretty impressive no?"
Bucky's countenance was just as calm as he sat on the opposing row of chairs, their backs practically touching. Only a handful of others were around them and none seemed to take notice of the conversation. An airport worker quickly brushed past him, heading for the service desk a few hundred feet down the corridor. His face exuded dread and impatience, and Bucky knew Lucy was already making quick progress with her diversion tactics.
"I know a good research analyst. Makes things pretty easy." Bucky responded, nodding politely to a mother and son who took a seat across from him.
The black haired man smiled. "I'm sure it does. It's always nice to have a beautiful woman by your side to do the busy work." He articulated each of his words in a way that instantly got on Bucky's nerves. "I should warn you though, Mr. Barnes, I hear redheads can be a bit feisty. Tell me, how is the Little Fox doing these days?"
Bucky's felt his heart race for a split second at the mention of his name and Lucy's. He didn't like that this man, whom they had pinpointed as a low level informant, knew his name. Even more so he didn't like that he knew Lucy's. It made him uneasy, and he wished the feeling would go away. "You seem to hear a lot of things. Not many people know we exist." He said coolly.
The black haired man chuckled as though Bucky's words had been some sort of joke. It set Bucky's teeth on edge. "It's actually kind of amusing, the way you two run around causing trouble and making messes all the while thinking no one is taking notice."
Several other passengers migrated to the waiting area, as one of the attendants called out fifteen minutes until boarding. "Well then, HYDRA must be even more incompetent than I thought. We haven't run into much resistance so far. In fact I'd dare say it's been easy." Bucky answered back, still succeeding at keeping his prior uneasiness from showing.
"Precisely, Mr. Barnes." The HYDRA man answered in a tone that sickened Bucky. "Have you ever wondered perhaps it was a bit too easy, all of it?"
Bucky quickly understand what the man was implying and clenched his jaw. His first instinct was that the man was bluffing, HYDRA never would have just sat back and watched for so long if they'd had a track on him and Lucy the entire time they'd been away from S.H.I.E.L.D. Yet on the other hand this man already knew their identities, there was no telling how deep his information ran.
Without thinking, Bucky rose from his chair and trained his I.C.E.R. on the black haired man, who only looked back at him with his typical smugness. "Sorry, I guess I didn't have time to contemplate it with all the thinking I've done about this moment. About how great it will feel to finally wipe that pompous smirk off your face." Bucky spat angrily, his finger hovering over the trigger.
Seemingly unaffected by Bucky's threats, the man lowered his newspaper with a sigh before folding it and setting it aside. "You know, it's a shame really. You spent so much time carefully planning everything out. Yet there's one thing you failed to see." The black haired man motioned around the room where Bucky looked to see a dozen gun barrels aimed in his direction. Two thirds of the passengers were now surrounding him, their expressions grim. Bucky closed his eyes slowly, realizing they'd walked right into a trap. "You see, unlike you, we don't mind using real guns. In fact we rather prefer them." The HYDRA agent added with a taunting laugh.
"All security personnel please report to the main terminal." Lucy heard the words echoing from the intercom above the desk. With the assistant at the help station no longer paying attention to her complaints, Lucy gave up her ruse and glanced down the terminal fairway to where Bucky was still surrounded. It was only a matter of time before HYDRA would have her corralled too. Scanning her surroundings she opted for the motorized transport vehicle that had been left unattended in the chaos. The airport staff frantically bustled about, all trying to ascertain what was happening. Pushing past the workers and passengers all scurrying away in attempts to evacuate the area, Lucy picked up speed towards Bucky and the group.
Twenty yards from them Lucy laid on the horn. Its shrill blaring echoed off the glass paned walls creating a cacophony of noise. Knowing instantly Lucy would have been the only one mad enough to do something so bold, Bucky smiled. Her auditory assault caught the HYDRA agents off guard, giving Bucky just the split second of distraction he needed.
In a smooth flick of his arm he fired at one of the agents near him, then two more, all three falling unconscious to the floor. Lucy had already leapt from her seat on the transport vehicle, and was now firing one shot after another, dodging the enemy bullets simultaneously. Bucky turned back around to grab a hold of the black haired man, but he was already skittering away, ducking under the line of fire.
Bucky cursed under his breath and started following after him, still having to fend off the other three pursuing him. Lucy noticed the black haired man's escape attempts at the same time as well and clenched her teeth in anger. She pulled the trigger of her I.C.E.R. and heard a click, announcing it was empty. Forcefully she chucked it aside and braced herself for the HYDRA agent charging at her.
Using the move Bucky had taught her, she quickly had his arms pinned and the gun fell from his grasp into her own. In a swift continuation of motion, and without taking a second to let her mind take note of the actions her hands were doing, she sighted the end of the barrel of the black haired man and pulled hard on the trigger.
Almost instantaneously, the man doubled over to his side, clutching his stomach. The shot didn't drop him however, and he stumbled on further, his speed encumbered by his injuries. Before Lucy had a chance to see Bucky overtake him her attention was brought back to her immediate concern. Three more HYDRA agents were coming after her now and she wondered where they were all coming from.
Bucky's mind registered what she was doing just a split second before the blast of the bullet firing reached his ears. Lucy had just fired a gun, a real gun, at an unarmed man. Ever since they had both gotten their memories back they'd both agreed guns would be a last resort. Yet just now she had done so without even a moment's hesitation. It chilled him to think about it. However, he didn't get much chance to dwell on it, as soon he was fighting off attackers of his own.
Airport security and frightened passengers watched in stunned silence as Bucky landed a final blow on the last remaining agent pursuing him. Finally he had a moment to take a breath. Whipping his head around to see how Lucy was faring, he saw that she too was on her last attacker. Yet something seemed off. Rather than being entangled in a heavy handed fist fight, she simply had one hand wrapped around the man's neck, the other around his forearm. He wasn't fighting back, and the look that was played across Lucy's face reminded him of only one thing.
"What are you doing!" He shouted forcefully. His booming voice startled Lucy and she spun her head quickly. "What are you doing?" Bucky reiterated, his eyes wild.
Lucy looked back to her hands, and the gurgling man held by them. With a look of stunned horror as though just realizing for the first time what she had done, she released her grip on him and let him slump to the floor.
"I— I—" She stammered breathlessly, searching for an explanation. Too dazed to process what she was supposed to do next, Bucky crouched beside her and helped lift her from the floor. He guided her away from the scene, heading in the direction the black haired man had scampered off to. Turning back a moment, he nodded to the chief of the security team, who then tentatively ushered his men towards the motionless HYDRA members.
"I— I—killed him Bucky." She muttered shakily in near disbelief.
"We can discuss it later." He said, trying to keep her, as well as himself, calm. "We still need to get our guy."
Bucky's words reached her ears, but they didn't seem to have any effect. "And I, I shot him." She said, her voice almost a whisper. Her hands were starting to shake and she felt like she was going throw up. Every kill from her HYDRA days was pushing at her brain, each one wanting to be seen, to be heard, to be felt.
"Lou!" Bucky said emphatically, shaking her shoulders. Her big hazel eyes stared back up at him. "You have to keep it together, I need you right now!" She nodded, signifying she understood, but the fear in her eyes remained. "He's probably headed to a pick up site. If he came this way, what's the quickest exit out of the airport he'd have?"
She wrinkled her eyebrows at him, her brain not giving her any answers. "You've studied this airport inside and out, you know it better than anyone. You can do this!" He said urgently, trying not to sound too impatient.
Forcefully stifling her emotions as best she could, Lucy squeezed her eyes shut and tried to see the airport layout in her mind. "This hallway bypasses the main concourse then hits the mechanical sector. There's an outside door at the end that leads to the delivery docks. He's probably headed there." She said finally, her breathing beginning to slow back to normal.
Bucky nodded in relief. "We better get a move on then." Picking up the pace as they went, the pair rushed down the corridor. The tone of their surroundings changed when they reached the mechanical section, fewer lights, and exposed pipes running in every possible direction.
"We have to check around." Lucy stated unhappily. "With his injuries it's very possible he only made it this far, and we can't risk missing him."
Bucky sighed, knowing she was right. "I'll take this side, you take that one." He muttered.
After several minutes of searching with no luck, a slight pounding noise caught her ear. Quickly she rounded a mass of pipes to see the black haired man sprawled across the grate floor, prying desperately at one of the loose plates with one hand, the other clutching his side.
"The door is that way." She said, her arms crossed. The man squirmed around to see her standing above him and let out a defeated sigh.
"You may have thought you won this time, but don't worry. You'll be back with HYDRA soon." He said, still retaining his same smug arrogance.
"Oh is that so?" She asked sarcastically.
He nodded. "Yes. And it will be by your own choice." The man grunted and winced at the pain emanating from his abdomen. Blood was still flowing from the wound in copious amounts and they both knew he didn't have much time left.
"Please, enlighten me." Lucy said with a smirk.
He let out a chuckle, which quickly turned into a choked cough. Once he had recomposed himself he spoke. "We know all about you, Fox. We know you escaped back in Maine, and we know you've been with S.H.I.E.L.D. ever since. HYDRA knows all about your buddy Barnes as well of course. The people I work for weren't too happy to have him slip out of their hands, but neither were they when you got away." Lucy's smile started to fade and her eyes grew steadily fiercer, yet she remained standing firm in her place.
"The funny part though, is that they don't really care too much about getting their Winter Soldier back, no they've accepted their losses on that one. Besides, soon they'll be able to make entire armies of super soldiers that can do everything he can, just better. But you," he said with sly smile, "You're a different story altogether now aren't you? They never quite could get it to work the same as it did for you."
Lucy's blood seemed to stop pumping altogether. She knew he was referring to her unique abilities, and the feeling of the man's life passing into hers just minutes earlier flashed through her mind.
"You're a killer Lucy." He said, and she felt her face growing hot. "And a good one. You think that's something you can just run from? That you can just turn that off? You've already felt yourself slipping back into it haven't you. It's where you belong, it's your element."
"You're a monster." She spat at him, disgusted by his words.
The man brushed off her words and replied simply, "So are you, Little Fox." He was leaning against the wall of pipes, his energy fading fast. With the last ounces of energy he had left he provided Lucy with his trademark twisted smile that made her stomach churn. She wanted to kick him straight across the face, but he had already faded.
"Damn, were we too late?" Bucky commented, seeing their target's lifeless form over Lucy's shoulder. "I wanted to take him out myself. Lucy turned at the sound of his voice and brushed away a tear she hadn't realized had formed.
"Woah, are you alright?" He asked upon seeing her sullen face. "Did he—did he say something to you?"
Lucy shook her head and replied plainly, "No." Bucky didn't believe her but decided not to press further.
"I guess we better get him out of here." He added with a sigh.
"Bucky you're bleeding!" Lucy said suddenly with concern. Reaching up to his right shoulder she pressed her finders to a gash left by one of the HYDRA agent's bullets. "Why didn't you say anything?" She asked hurriedly, assessing the damage.
"Its fine, I'll be okay. It just nicked me. I guess I just didn't notice with everything going on." He said, pushing her away. He didn't want to admit that the real reason he hadn't said anything was because he knew she would have been demanding he let her heal him, as she was now.
"Here, let me fix it up." She stated, pulling at the fabric to get to skin.
Bucky pulled away from her grasp indignantly. "You're not doing that." He insisted. "I told you, I don't like it when you do. I heal just as fast as you do, I'll be fine."
Lucy looked disappointed but she bit her lip and took a step back. "Almost as fast." She muttered softly to herself.