9.
When Steve left the room that day, he felt quite disturbed but all the information she had given him in the last few days. It was a lot to take in and he started hoping the team would be back soon to give him something to distract him.
Just as he started hoping, in walked in a very grave Tony Stark, followed by a very serious Bruce, Clint, Natasha and Thor.
"What happened?"
"Hydra." Was their only reply.
Hydra. He should have known. They always seemed to be involved.
When they had sat down, they started to tell him their story.
"Apparently, Hydra is undergoing a new target. They want to eliminate a threat." Tony explained very plainly.
"Can't imagine who that would be."
Bruce nodded.
"They've been watching us for months, if not years. Examining our characters, finding our weaknesses, drawing out our worst fears."
"But why?"
"I guess we've foiled too many of their plans, stuck our noses in their business, starting from you in the 1940's."
That seemed about right. Eliminate a threat.
"That's the Hydra motto." Said Clint. They all looked very afraid. Even Tony, who was trying as always to be as carefree as possible. But even Steve could tell something was bothering him.
"How did they make the robots?"
"We don't know."
"When is the next attack?"
"We don't know that either. Apparently it might be some time before they make another attempt. They weren't expecting a new member to join and they want to take time to examine her too."
"But they already did, they sent the Loki bot!"
"It was initially meant for Thor."
Everything fell silent once more. Great. So they were facing a common yet unknown enemy who's intentions they knew nothing about.
"Well, the good news is that on our way back we managed to find the surveillance cameras and take them out." Said Barton, trying to lighten the mood a bit.
"Yeah, that's true..." They all said, nodding. Other than that, though, the mission had been a disaster. They weren't able to find out anything more from their source.
Since that was all cleared out, Steve decided to tell them about Anne and about his suspicions of this James.
"It sure did sound a lot like Bucky from what she told me."
All of a sudden, he saw Clint and Natasha flinch and exchange looks.
"What?"
They didn't answer. Just then, suspicion filled his mind. SHIELD had been watching Anne for months before they decided on recruiting her.
"It was him, wasn't it?"
He stood up.
"Steve..."
"No... No, I understand! Secrets protect people! That's always what it's about isn't it? SHIELD? Deceit." He went straight up to Nat and grabbed her by the collar of her suit.
"How long have you known?"
"St-eve..."
He was suffocating her.
"How... Long...?"
"About seven months..."
He let her go. She was gasping for air. Steve, obviously angry, was about to leave the room when he turned around again and looked the two agents in the eyes.
"Soldiers fight together and tell each other everything so that they stay safe, but friends tell each other everything because they care enough to know when it's the right thing to do."
"Steve..." Nat tried to stop him, but he had already left the room.
He went straight to the training room and started punching the punching bag and then just let himself go, nearly disintegrating it.
It WAS Bucky, and Natasha had known all that time. She knew how important it was for him to find his friend, she knew.
Bucky had been his best friend since infancy, and had never left his side. And now, he had disappeared again.
At least now he might be able to get the whole truth from Anne. At least now she might tell him if he had become himself again.