Old Friends Chapter 10
By: Cadet Deming
I don't own the rights to Captain America or The Avengers, Marvel and Disney do, so please don't sue. Rated T for violence, language, drug references and adult situations. Thank you so much to the people who read and review.
Natasha rubbed her eyes. They were dried out from staring at her computer trying to find some clue that would lead her to her enemies. She had taken for granted how massive SHIELD was and how much work its other personnel performed to make her job as a spy so much easier. She was used to performing the exciting jobs: going undercover, having a fool-proof extraction plan designed by an expert, and the thrill of the fight.
The only exciting thing about her current self-imposed assignment was having Steve with her. Natasha was enjoying the feelings of tentatively dating again. She had been with Clint for so long she missed the rush of a new infatuation.
Steve asked, "So when this is over, where do we go from here?"
She perked up from scanning traffic photos, "What do you mean?"
"After we find Rumlow and hopefully even Bucky, what do you want to do?"
"Do you mean personally or professionally?"
Steve blushed. "Professionally, but personally too."
She thought about her options. "I am happier with a mission. I don't know, maybe join Fury in Europe. What do you want?"
"I'm also happier with a mission. Is it too early to say I'd be happier working with you?"
He stared at her intensely, no doubt trying to read her expression. She was trying to walk a balancing act between not jumping too quickly into a new relationship, but not being too standoffish with Steve.
Natasha said, "It's flattering, but I want to be careful about us not getting trapped together too fast."
"Well, if I have to be trapped with anyone, I'd want it to be you."
She had to admit his directness was refreshing, but past experience had taught her to be cautious.
She said, "Careful, you might jinx us. We haven't even gone on a real date yet."
"True. I'd like to take you somewhere romantic. In the 1940's it would be dinner and a show."
"Dinner and a movie can still be a romantic date, even now. What was dating like in the 1940's?"
Steve looked thoughtful. "People didn't drag things out the way they do now. They didn't live together or court for 7 years. They didn't have a baby first and then get married later. It was normal to get engaged after only knowing each other for a few months or even less, and people got married in their early 20's. If a woman was single at 25 she was considered an Old Maid. Divorce wasn't socially acceptable."
She wondered if Steve's retro-idealism might taint his view of her.
She asked, "Would you prefer things like that?"
Steve shrugged. "Women got married young because they were blocked from supporting themselves and birth control wasn't well-developed. If people were in an unhappy marriage they were trapped for decades. There was more hypocrisy and dishonesty about premarital sex. It's a tradeoff I suppose. Freedom to date who you want for a longer time vs. the security of an early permanent marriage."
"There's that pesky freedom vs. security again. How much dating with the goal of getting married at 22 did you do?"
"Not much. I was invisible to women before I took the Super-Soldier serum, even with Bucky dragging me on double dates. The girls ignored me and flocked to him. After the serum I was too busy with the War, and too cautious with the woman I did like."
He was so classically handsome and in peak physical shape, it seemed strange to imagine he had ever been inept at attracting women. In a way he was the best of both worlds: a man blessed with beauty but not with the arrogance that so often came from growing up good-looking.
She squeezed his hand. "You're definitely not invisible to me."
He kissed it. "I normally don't like to quit in the middle of anything, but we're getting nowhere with these pictures. To avoid the 'Thousand Yard Stare' do you want to break for an hour and…"
She smiled coquettishly, "And?'
He glanced to the open bedroom door and back at her. She nodded. He stood, and pulled her to her feet.
The Star-Spangled Banner rang loudly from his phone. He sighed and answered it. His expression changed to shock.
Steve said, "It's Sam. They found Bucky at a homeless shelter. I have to go now!"
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Steve parked his motorcycle by a curb. Natasha had ridden with him on the back of it. Normally he would have enjoyed having her hold on to him for a full ride, but he was filled with anxiety about Bucky.
The shelter was surrounded by Air Force military police led by a tall blonde woman, an ambulance and regular police. Sam rushed to greet him and introduced the woman as Captain Carol Danvers.
Steve asked, "What is the Air Force doing here?"
She said, "Simple, we gave you the resources to track him down, we get the glory of apprehending him."
Steve frowned, "My friend's fate isn't about someone else getting glory. I want a situation report."
Carol said, "We've been using facial recognition technology. Barnes had a public meltdown and someone took a picture of it, which triggered our alarms. The center called for him to be Baker Acted for psychiatric evaluation and a hospital sent an ambulance. He had a hidden cache of weapons and took a hostage. He's asking to speak to you and only you."
Steve tried to be stoic. It was hard to stay objective when it was his oldest friend involved.
He asked, "What is he armed with?"
Carol said, "An AK-47 in his left hand and a pistol in his right. We don't know what he has in his bag."
Steve stared at the crowd surrounding them behind barricades. It was filled with homeless people, families, and people who stopped to gawk.
He said, "I want all civilians evacuated."
"They're 100 feet away from the shelter."
"That's not good enough. I want them blocks away. You haven't seen what Bucky is capable of."
She nodded and barked out evacuation orders.
Natasha whispered in Steve's ear, "Do you want me to sneak in behind him? Give us the element of surprise?"
He thought about it. "No. I want him to feel he can trust me. I want to approach this like a soldier, not a spy."
Natasha frowned. He wondered if he'd offended her.
Steve said, "Nothing personal. Can you help clear out civilians?"
She agreed and blended into the crowd.
Sam came up to him, "I think Bucky has PTSD. Do you want me to help with that, talk him down?"
"Let's see how he reacts to me first. Captain Danvers, get me a megaphone."
She brought him one and he turned it on.
Steve said, "Bucky Barnes. It's me, Steve Rogers. Your friend Captain Steve Rogers. You wanted to see me. I'm here. I'm here for you."
He held his breath until the front door opened a few inches. The Air Force police all aimed their guns towards it.
Bucky called out, "I won't come out until the Army is gone. I just want it to be you and me. And my hostage insurance."
Carol muttered, "Dammit, we're Air Force, not Army."
Steve said, "Can you move them out too?"
"No. It's against protocol. It's too dangerous."
"It's too dangerous for them to stay."
Carol got in Steve's face. "We're not leaving. I can't leave you without cover."
Steve asked, "Do I look like I need cover?"
"I'm not getting into a Civil War with you over this."
They stared at each other for a few moments, neither side blinking.
Bucky screamed, "I'm only talking to Steve!"
Steve sighed.
He turned the megaphone on, "I'll compromise with you Bucky. I'm the only one approaching you. The Army-Air Force people are going to stay 100 feet away. Is that fine?"
Bucky said, "You come to me unarmed."
Steve said, "Only if you come out with the hostage. Can you do that?"
"Only at the same time as you."
Steve pulled his guns out of his holster. He handed them to Sam. He still had a knife, and debated if he should keep it concealed or not. Going on faith, he gave the knife away too. He kept the shield, because it technically wasn't a weapon.
Steve said, "I'm coming to you now, completely unarmed. No tricks."
He walked slowly to the front door. Bucky came into the light. He held a woman in front of him with a pistol jammed into her neck. She had brown hair and appeared to be in her 30's-40's and she looked absolutely terrified. She whimpered.
Steve said, "Bucky, please let the hostage go. She didn't do anything to you."
Bucky said, "No. As soon as I do that what's to stop everyone else from opening fire on me?"
The hostage sobbed.
Steve said, "I give you my word. I won't do anything to hurt you. I promise no harm will come to you."
"Your word? Your word? You always were a terrible liar Steve. You may be honorable but the rest of this world sure as hell isn't."
Steve tried to read him. The Bucky he had grown up with was confident and brash. After he had rescued him from Arnim Zola he had changed into something darker and haunted. Decades later when Bucky reappeared as the Winter Soldier he seemed like a machine, inhumanly cold. When he'd tried to remind him of who he really was he seemed like a child. The man in front of him was all of those things and none of those things. The look in Bucky's eyes was lost.
Steve asked, "What do you want from me? You called me here for a reason? What do you want me to do?"
"I want it to stop. I want it all to stop. I want to stop running and hiding and get away from HYDRA."
"HYDRA is gone. I took them down. You're safe."
Bucky screamed, "That's not true! They're never gone. They're everywhere! They get in your head and they pretend to be your friend and they pretend to be your father when all they really want is to control you until there's nothing human left!"
"They aren't here. I promise you. Put the guns down and let the woman go and I promise I'll get you the best lawyer money can buy. I'll be your character witness. I'll be with you to the end of the line."
Bucky hesitated. "I just want this all to end."
"It will. I promise."
Bucky shifted his machine gun forward.
Everything happened so quickly Steve barely registered what happened. He heard a gun fire behind him and a bullet whiz by. Bucky jerked back and fired his machine gun. The hostage screamed, almost in slow motion. Steve's instinct to protect took over and he leapt on top of her and Bucky, covering them with his shield.
Steve screamed, "Don't shoot! Hold your fire! Hold your fire!"
To Be Continued