"So, how did it go last night?" Bucky glanced up as Steve's voice rang from his doorway .
Bucky scowled at Steve, discreetly tucking a Glock into his waistband and shrugging his navy blue jacket on over it. He didn't fail to notice the small sigh that escaped Steve.
Bucky decided against telling him about the various knives stored in his pockets and shoes.
"Well? Shy, are we?" Steve seemed to be enjoying himself very much, his blue eyes twinkling with the laughter he somehow managed to stifle.
"Why did you do that?" Bucky questioned as he laced up his heavy brown boots. Even in a tee shirt, blue jeans, a heavy jacket, and huge boots, this was the closest he would go to 'street wear'. He was comfortable, but could conceal his weapons.
Steve visibly softened, tucking his hands into the pockets of his tan jacket. "Listen, Buck. I'm sorry, I was just having a little fun. It's just… you've been with us for almost 6 months now and haven't really talked to anyone besides the Avengers. I just wanted to help you make friends."
The corners of Bucky's mouth twitched up as he remembered the night before. "I think Amelia would've ended up my friend whether I liked it or not. It's okay, though, I guess. We talked for a while, but she didn't ask me about HYDRA. It was nice. Then we watched movies until she fell asleep."
"Sounds nice. I was thinking maybe after Tony shows them what he's working on, the four of us could go out to lunch and get to know each other a little better. You, Amelia, Zach, and I."
Bucky thought for a minute. A voice in the back of his head was screaming.
They'll find you. Amelia's a traitor, you thought she liked you? You thought you had a friend? She works for HYDRA. Zach too. They're here to kill everyone and take you back.
Steve could practically see the cogs turning in his head. His expression turned into one of sympathy.
"They're good, Buck. They're on our side."
Bucky took a deep breath, his eyes meeting Steves. It was an unspoken promise from Steve that Bucky accepted.
"Ok. I'd like that." He finally answered. Steve gave a small smile as he pat Bucky on the back, leading him into the living room where a sleepy Tony and Pepper sat waiting.
/
"So, what are we thinking? First impressions?"
Tony, Pepper, Bucky, and Steve all sat on the couch of the latter two's apartment. The clock read 6:30 AM.
Tony answered his own question before anyone else could. "I, for one, think they will be valuable assets." Bucky tensed at the term, his blue eyes narrowing. "Zach will take a while to get used to us, but he's brilliant. I've seen some of his work. He's most comfortable alone, no doubt, but I don't think he'll have the chance to fly solo if he's in the same building as Amelia. The girl is so damn open I doubt she's ever made eye contact with someone and not had a conversation with them."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Pepper spoke up, voice still clouded with sleep. They had all woken up just a few minutes ago and were trying to stay alert, but Bucky couldn't help himself from noticing how frequently Tony and Pepper were yawning. Him and Steve were fine, though - they had gotten used to it in the war.
HYDRA wasn't very mindful of his sleep schedule, either.
"It's a blessing and a curse I suppose. Zach should be fine, I don't think he'll even do anything without us asking him to. Amelia, however, we need to keep close tabs on her for her own safety." Steve decided, being the first to stand from the couch. Bucky rose as well, followed by Tony and Pepper, who were each grumbling in half-hearted protest.
"Well," Tony stretched with a final yawn before continuing, "Let's go wake the fresh meat up."
The four complied, piling into the elevator, each wondering how the two new recruits would take to being woken up so early.
Turns out they didn't have to worry.
/
"Now I ain't sayin she a gold digger."
Amelia danced around the kitchen, moving her body in rhythm with the beat of the song. She noticed how Zach watched her, his face a mixture of exhaustion and amusement.
"It's like six thirty, how do you have so much energy?" He practically screamed over the music that was blasting through the apartment floor. Amelia laughed, picking up the large bowl of cracked eggs and mixing it to the beat, continuing her dance.
"Are you complaining? I make a bomb ass omelette, it's worth being up early for!" Zach just gave a sarcastic eye roll at her response, a smile present on his face, before taking a seat at the breakfast bar.
Amelia didn't fail to notice how he was warming up to her. She was appreciative, especially considering how wary he was around the others.
"But she ain't messin with no broke-" The curls that had escapen her messy bun stopped bouncing along with her over-enthusiastic dancing when she was cut off upon realizing who had just exited the elevator and stood at the entrance of the kitchen. The music was so loud, both her and Zach hadn't heard them enter.
A very amused Tony, Pepper, Steve, and Bucky stood, speechless. A few seconds passed, 'Gold Digger' still blasting at full volume, and Amelia suddenly became very aware that she was wearing short cotton sleeping shorts and a tank top, her hair tied up with pieces falling out everywhere, and no makeup. Not to mention her loud singing and crazy dancing. Amelia could see why they were so amused.
She did a mental shrug, continuing to mix the eggs and sing, and resumed her dancing.
"Get down girl, go head get down. Cutie the bomb, met her at a beauty salon, with a baby Louis Vuitton, under her underarm." She was in the middle of using a spatula as a microphone and singing dramatically to Bucky and Steve when Amelia was interrupted.
"Alright JARVIS, turn it off." JARVIS complied with Tony's demands, and the music was killed. Amelia frowned, turning around and flipping an omelette.
"Wow, I didn't peg you as an old-school Kanye kind of chick." Tony chuckled, his eyebrows raised.
"It's a classic!" She defended, cheeks burning.
"Hey, be glad it wasn't old-school Avril Lavigne, cause I would have been jamming a lot harder than that. Now, who wants an omelette?" Amelia continued, a bright smile present on her face.
Ten minutes later, the six sat around the table, making light conversation as they tore into Amelia's breakfast.
"So...you do that every morning?" Amelia was surprised when Bucky addressed her, but grinned sheepishly nonetheless.
"Whenever I can. A good morning means a good day." She explained simply. He gave a small but genuine smile, his eyes scanning her face.
"Thank you for breakfast, by the way." He suddenly remembered, glancing down at his empty plate.
Amelia stifled a giggle when she realized he, as well as Steve, had wolfed their share of omelettes down. "My pleasure."
"So, Buck and I were hoping that after you two have had a chance to work with Tony, you would be up for going out for lunch somewhere. Our treat." Steve's hopeful eyes flicked between the newest team members. Amelia could feel her face light up.
"Of course! Zach?" His eyes darted between the three of them before coming to rest on Amelia.
"If you're going, then sure." Zach spoke uncertainly, toying with the buttons of his sleep shirt. Steve gave him a brotherly pat on the back as he stood, causing Zach to jump a bit. Bucky raised an eyebrow, his eyes bright with amusement, and the edges of his lips turned up in a small smile.
Amelia found that she quite liked it when he smiled.
As if he could feel her green eyes admiring his expression, Bucky's gaze snapped to the side to meet her own. The expression in his eyes was unreadable.
She held the eye contact for a few more seconds, letting her lips quirk upwards for a second, cocked her head to the side ever-so-slightly, and finally averted her gaze. Only after realizing that everyone at the table was watching their unspoken exchange, of course.
"You two should probably go get dressed, then meet me down in my workshop. JARVIS will help you there." Tony spoke slowly; Amelia could practically see the cogs turning in his head. She cleared her throat.
"Right. So, uh, see you for lunch!" Within seconds, she had retreated to her room. Zach followed soon after.
Amelia could hear Tony teasing Bucky from her room. "Wow, you've really got a way with words, haven't you, One Armed Wonder?" The billionaire's voice rang out. She rolled her eyes, but could feel a light blush spread across her cheeks.
Amelia ignored the outside conversation and chose instead to admire the gorgeous white vanity in her room, tapping her nails along the glossy finish as she unpacked her makeup. She laid each individual piece of makeup and each brush out on the large vanity before grouping them according to type, eventually color-coding each type. There was something therapeutic to Amelia about seeing all of her lipsticks color-coded and upright.
Once she was satisfied with her work, Amelia let whatever loose curls that hadn't escaped from her bun yet free. A few minutes was all she needed for her skillful fingers to weave a french braid that traveled down to her mid-back.
She dressed quickly, opting for a casual outfit. She doubted Zach and her would get into too much dirty work on their first day. Moments later, she surveyed her reflection in the vanity. Amelia wore an open, loose white blouse, a few buttons undone and sleeves rolled up to mid-forearms. The blouse was tucked into a pair of crisp black jeans. After slipping on a pair of black ankle booties and fastening a watch to her wrist, Amelia was satisfied with her appearance.
She chose a lighter look with her makeup today, but nonetheless took her time applying it. Amelia loved makeup - it was art to her. She had toyed around with the idea of being a makeup artist when she was younger, but eventually got caught up in the engineering field.
While applying her makeup (using pure muscle memory), Amelia's mind began to wander. She thought of how surreal it was that she was sitting in the Avengers tower at this very second. She thought of how excited she was to finally be exposed to the advanced tech that her, Tony, and Zach would be working on. She thought about the friends she had made.
One friend, in particular.
Steve was great. He was kind, smart, and funny - and Amelia knew they would be good friends. Bucky, however…
She couldn't describe the feelings she had. Amelia had only known him one day, but she couldn't seem to stop replaying the night before in her head. She was eagerly awaiting getting to know him better.
It wasn't a crush. Crushes were for children. Amelia preferred to call it… an 'involuntary infatuation'.
Okay. Maybe it's a crush.
Amelia frowned. She felt incredibly selfish. She knew he probably was not in the best mental state, after what had happened to him. Being in a relationship would probably screw him up in all kinds of ways. He didn't need her. She was bad for him, she would drive him psycho.
You can deal with psycho. You were psycho.
She rolled her eyes at her inner monologue. Her thoughts inevitably returned to Bucky.
His eyes, and their gorgeous shade of blue. His eyes told more than his face ever would. His hair, which although long, suited him. His stubble, which contributed to the dangerous look about him. She loved it.
Even his arm fascinated her. She caught herself wondering about the anatomy of it. Maybe, when they were closer, he would let her study it.
"Amelia? You almost ready?" Zach knocked on her door lightly, and Amelia was jolted out of her thoughts.
"Yeah, I'm just - one second!" She hastily applied a second coat of her favorite neutral pink lipstick and grabbed her phone. Within seconds, she entered the beautifully furnished living room to see Zach waiting on the couch.
Amelia took a few seconds to admire the open floor plan of the apartment, and found herself doubting she would ever get used to it. "You didn't have to wait, Z, you could've gone without me! I feel bad." She pouted slightly.
Zach offered a smile at the nickname and stood, having just finished cleaning his glasses. "Nah, it's okay. I didn't want to go down alone."
They entered the elevator together, before simultaneously realizing neither of them had any idea where they were going.
"Uh, JARVIS?" Amelia called out, after her laughter died down.
"No worries, I'll select the floor for you." The computerized voice assured.
The two shared a grin when a button labeled '4B' lit up and the elevator began to move. Within moments, it stopped with a ding, and the silver doors opened smoothly to reveal Tony's workshop.
The place was large, with rows upon rows of tools. Amelia noted with a frown that there seemed to be no organization system in place. She could've sworn her eye twitched a few times.
"Ah! So you've decided to grace me with your presence. Well, follow me, youngins." Tony led the two deeper into his workshop, weaving between the various tables and racks of trinkets and tools. They approached a door near the back.
Tony punched a long combination of numbers, letters, and symbols into a keypad that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. The piece of technology then scanned his fingerprint, then pricked his thumb and tested his blood. Amelia raised an eyebrow.
"That's some heavy security." She commented, amused. Tony cast a sideways glance at her as several locks in the door whirred and clicked.
"It should give you two a hint at just how much I really don't want HYDRA to get this back."
Finally, the door slid open, and the three entered the room.
It was quite bright, and smelled of disinfectant. The room was an average size, but nowhere near as big as Tony's main workshop. There were still an impressive number of tools, but in this room they were neatly organized across one long table. What Amelia assumed to be a holographic board was present, hovering next to a giant mass with a tarp over it.
She couldn't help but grin. "Is this the part where you dramatically rip the tarp off-"
That's exactly what he did.
Amelia's lips parted in amazement. The piece of machinery underneath was… impressive, to say the least. It was big, maybe half the size of a school bus. It seemed to be made up of three parts; a tall rectangular segment, which she guessed to be about 7 feet tall, a shorter but far longer middle segment, and another tall rectangular segment. The middle segment was almost completely bare upon first look, but when observed closer, Amelia noticed a nearly blacked-out window like panel. The outer segments, however, were completely covered in levers and buttons.
"This is… wow. So, what do we know?" Surprisingly, Zach was the first to speak. Tony and Amelia were stunned, and turned around to look at him. He seemed to be 'in the zone', so to speak. His sleeves were rolled up and his glasses were perched at the top of his nose. She could tell by the expression on his face that there were a million things running through his head.
Tony nodded after a few seconds. "Basically? Nothing. I don't know what it was used for, and I've figured out how to take it apart, but wanted first at least to know it's purpose. By taking it apart, I would've risked accidentally breaking it, or making it so that it can't fulfill it's purpose. A purpose that I would really like to know about." He sounded mildly pissed off.
"The buttons?" Amelia questioned, surveying each inch of the machine for what might be a power button.
"Searched the entire machine, pressed each button, nothing." The man answered, crossing his arms before continuing. "This machine was important to HYDRA. It was guarded heavily. We need to find out what it is and how to use it against them before they launch their next attack. I have a feeling that they were using this machine to make some sort of weapon… see the window panel? I think when the machine's on, the window was used to see what was going on inside. Maybe to see the development of the weapon, or it's effect on something."
Amelia and Zach nodded carefully, the former chewing on the inside of her cheek. It was certainly complicated.
"We won't be able to figure out any more about it until we can get inside it and explore its anatomy. Breaking it is definitely a possibility, but it's a risk we're going to have to take. Otherwise, it could be years before we figure out how to turn it on. If it even still turns on." Amelia shared her thoughts, a manicured finger cautiously pressing a few buttons.
The other two silently agreed.
Two hours passed. The three engineers had spent their time toying with whatever ideas passed through their heads of what the machine might be used for, and testing out the various tools Tony had.
Amelia gingerly selected a metal contraption with a screen.
"This one?" She addressed Tony, the billionaire sparing her a quick glance.
"Oh, that just detects properties and types of metals. Pretty useless." Amelia's eyebrows furrowed.
She took the tool to the machine, carefully scanning it from top to bottom and recording the results. She found the holographic board to be a convenient way of taking notes.
"Wait…" She spoke under her breath, staring hard at the scanner and repeating the test. "Hey, check this out."
The two men were by her side almost instantly. "You found something?" Zach said eagerly.
"Look. The rest of the machine is made of pure tungsten. But on both end segments, a small area is made of tungsten carbide. It's weaker, only by a little bit, but why change the material for one small square, and on each side?" Her brain was running a mile a minute. "I think this machine is either to test or to produce a weapon. This side, with the more levers, is where you put something in. Maybe a formula of something. Then, the middle segment, the window is to watch it being produced or watch it being tested on something. Then, the end, is where it comes out. The tungsten carbide sections is where it enters, and eventually exits." She explained.
"That would make sense. But what was it producing? Or what was it testing?" Zach thought out loud. He seemed to be in his own little world, Amelia noted with a small smile.
"Stupid nazis, what is it for?" Tony looked about ready to pull his hair out.
Nazis. HYDRA was made of Nazis. Nazis were German.
Amelia gasped. "I read this book once. On German engineering and its advancements in war or whatever. Page... oh what was it… page 638?" She narrowed her eyes, trying to recall what the page said exactly.
"How…?" Zach's face scrunched up in confusion.
"Eidetic memory. Or photographic, whatever you want to call it." Tony remembered seeing the detail on her file a few weeks ago. Amelia nodded.
"Most German machines built after the 1940s, if they're made traditionally, feature a startup system requiring a series of triggers. This could be anything from levers pulled simultaneously and paired with an influx of a powerful energy source, or simply a few buttons pressed in the correct order. The triggering system is usually unusual - this was to ensure that enemies couldn't harness their own machines against them." She recalled. "The energy source has to be localized in the machine. There's nowhere for an outside source to penetrate."
Tony's face lit up. "So, pressing just one button wouldn't work…"
"It has to be multiple. In the correct order." Zach finished for him, still observing the machine.
"But what could it be? We can't just press every single button in a random order, that'd take forever." Amelia wondered, going back to chewing on the inside of her cheek and sighing.
Amelia and Tony were lost in thought when a loud whirring noise filled the room. Tony's eyes just about popped out of his head when The buttons on the machine lit up. Zach smiled proudly.
"What? What did you..? What?" The billionaire was speechless.
"Well, this button on segment one says 'eins', this one on segment two says 'zwei', and this one here on segment three says 'drei'. I don't know much German, but I figured that 'one, two, three' might have worked."
Amelia beamed, holding back a squeal and squeezing Zach in a hug. "You did it!"
He snapped out of his work zone for a moment, smiling sheepishly and running a hand through his wild curly hair. However, when the machine made a loud click, he was back in the zone.
"Check this out." Tony waved them over. The window-like panel had lost it's dark shadowing to reveal the inside of the middle segment. It was almost like looking into a microwave, Amelia noted amusedly.
The inside of segment 2 was brightly lit. It featured what looked like a conveyer belt going across, connecting the three segments. Silver tools hung from the roof of the machine, undoubtedly used on whatever passed across the conveyer belt.
"The opening in segment three is completely hollow. In segment one, it's not - there's something in there. I think you might have caught them in the middle of an experiment." Amelia observed. "That means if we can get the machine to start whatever it's for, we'll get an end product!"
"Ms. Pallis and Mr. Rhoades, I have a message from Steve. He says 'Bucky and I are ready whenever you two are. We'll be waiting in the lobby.'" JARVIS snapped them out of their trance. Amelia checked her watch, and almost gasped when it was already noon.
"Wow, time flies when you're having fun!" She commented with a grin.
"We've figured out enough for today, thanks for the help. Same time tomorrow, though!" Tony guided the three out of the room. Amelia was upset to be removed from the mystery, but was ecstatic to be going out for lunch with her three newest friends.
/
Bucky wasn't usually an impatient man. For whatever reason, though, today he couldn't seem to wait for Amelia and Zach to arrive in the lobby.
He couldn't pinpoint his feelings for Amelia. What he did know, though, is that he hadn't felt this way in 70 years.
He knew he shouldn't be this… invested… in her. Bucky had just met the girl. He hardly knew her, and certainly didn't know her intentions.
That didn't mean he couldn't admire how she talked to him, though. She seemed fearless. Honest, also. Genuine. He liked it.
He had spent quite some time studying her face in the hours he had spent with her. Memorizing it. How her eyes were greener when she was excited or happy, but more of a neutral hazel when she was calm. How the loose curls in her hair bounced slightly with each step of hers. How she was constantly biting her pink bottom lip, or the inside of her cheek. Her high cheekbones, which contributed to her contagious smile. Her hands, too. They were small, but skilled.
He was brought back to reality by a pat on the shoulder from Steve. He looked up to see Amelia and Zach heading towards them, Zach trailing behind her like a puppy. He didn't like it.
"Hey!" She greeted them brightly, her eyes meeting Bucky's. Zach offered a weak smile.
"Hey you two. Let's head to the restaurant, then you two can tell us all about your day with Tony. I'm sure it was buckets of fun." Steve said with a sarcastic smile, leading the group out of the Stark tower and down the street.
They walked in a comfortable silence. The sidewalks were busy, but not packed. Bucky found himself subconsciously scanning the streets and buildings for any signs of danger, one hand in his jacket pocket and the other hanging close to the glock tucked into his waistband.
Cars were honking. Desperate looking men and women were hailing cabs. Sharply dressed businessmen were shouting into their cell phones, pushing through the crowds with their briefcases. Bucky tensed whenever a civilian got too close to him, or any of the three others walking with him. Thankfully, the dangerous vibe he gave out mixed with the strong demeanor of Steve was enough to keep most away.
He cast a glance to his side to see Amelia walking next to him, smiling to herself as she admired the pedestrians. She seemed to realize she was being watched, and looked up at Bucky.
"It's amazing, isn't it? Each of these people have their own lives, their own families. Pets. Jobs. Hopes and dreams." She seemed to think out loud. Bucky's lips twitched up in a smile.
"Yeah, it is." Was his simple response.
The group fell back into silence. With each turn they made, the crowds got thinner.
Within minutes, they arrived at the restaurant. It was small, seemingly locally owned.
"It's a soups, salads, and sandwiches type of place. Something for everyone, I hope." Steve announced, leading them into the building. They all slipped into a booth, Bucky seated next to Steve and across from Amelia.
The restaurant was decorated with a 'farm fresh' theme. The place wasn't dead, but certainly wasn't busy. A few people held quiet conversations at booths around them, the closest group maybe ten feet away.
An overly cheery teenage girl greeted them. "Hi, my name is Zoe and I'll be your hostess for today! What can I get you all to drink?" Bucky almost winced at the squeakiness of her voice.
They all ordered their refreshments, and Zoe returned with their drinks minutes later, this time bringing menus for the group to look over.
"Ok, so get this." Amelia began her story, trying (and slightly failing) to contain her excitement.
"So we get there, and-" She paused, looking around the restaurant. "Lean in, just in case."
The group complied, each leaning in closer. They must have looked amusing, with their heads together.
"So we get there and Tony's got this secret room," She spoke in a whisper, "Well, he takes us in there, and shows us this huge machine. I've never seen anything like it before! We spent hours trying to figure out how to turn it on, eventually Zach does it. So we figure out that it's either to produce or test weapons. Maybe even both. Something small, maybe a bomb of some sort? Anyways, I don't want to get too technical. We think there's something left in there from a test that they never finished it. We're going to try to get it out tomorrow."
"Wow, that's amazing. We'll have some of their own weaponry to use against them." Steve thought out loud. The four of them leaned back, no longer having to whisper.
Amelia nodded, her grin ever-present on her face. "Yep. You could say I'm pretty excited. Before today, the most complicated thing I had ever worked on was one of my own inventions, which is no fun. There's no mystery."
Bucky smiled inwardly at how passionate she was when she spoke.
Zoe returned. "Are you all ready to order?"
"Yes ma'am, I'll take the…" Amelia scanned the menu for a second. "Summer salad, extra tomato and no avocado please!"
Zach and Steve ordered while Bucky read the menu, his blue eyes narrowing at some of the choices. Who would order a salad of just kale?
He ordered whatever sounded halfway decent. Some type of sub sandwich.
In all honesty, he was more focused on the certain someone sat across from him than his lunch.
A/N: You guys! The support has been crazy. Love you all, special thanks to the reviewers, glad you're enjoying :) Oh, and if anyone cares, I always imagined Amelia as AnnaSophia Robb. Soooo Amelia and Bucky may or may not be crushing :) But really, I have such plans for this story. The angst, y'all. The angst. Be ready ;)