You're My Mission

Steve poked his head around the corner and into the alleyway where Bucky and I were waiting, hiding from pedestrians and security cameras.

“She says she can get us in,” he beamed, gesturing for us to follow him. Together we bolted for the door and joined Steve inside, only rounding one corner before we bumped into Maria Hill, Fury’s righthand woman.

“It’s good to see you again, Jennifer,” she addressed me with a smile, which I returned, before she looked over my shoulder at Bucky who awkwardly lingered behind me. “And it’s good to see that you were successful, even if I am no longer with SHIELD.” Maria turned and guided us towards an elevator.

“Why Stark Industries?” I asked as she swiped her security card to call the elevator.

“Stark needs me,” she said with a knowing grin and I wondered if she was on her own undercover assignment.

The elevator ride to near the top of the Stark building was quiet, and would have been fine if it hadn’t been for Bucky’s hard expression. I could tell he felt out of place, and was probably quite wary about where we were going, but it was good to see that he was able to at least somewhat trust us.

After a soft ding, the doors opened to reveal a workshop littered with components from Iron Man suits and other inventions that I didn’t even want to begin guessing what their functions were. Off to the side of the red and gold disarray was Tony Stark, hunched over a metal object with a sparking tool as he worked.

“Stark, I’ve got some visitors,” Maria called out and Tony groaned.

“There’s a protocol for visitors! The hell do you-” he cut off when he looked up and saw his colleague Steve, then squinted his eyes at Bucky and I. “I’m guessing this is urgent and has to do with Steve blowing up the SHIELD HQ?” He clearly wasn’t impressed, but Steve shrugged it off.

“Savour this moment while you can, Stark. I need your help,” Steve said and Tony’s face lit up.

“Well, since you asked so nicely,” he snickered, setting aside his project and standing. “What can I do for you?” Tony wiped his dirty hands on his jeans as he approached our group.

“This is my friend Bucky. He has a robotic arm and we need you to take a look at it, fix anything that might be broken,” Steve explained. Tony’s eyes enlarged with intrigue, but I sensed Bucky becoming rigid from the unwanted attention.

“I’d love to take a look. Come take a seat,” Tony offered while gesturing towards a comfortable chair that looked like it belonged in a dental practice, aside from all of the computers and gadgets wired up around it. Steve and I shifted forwards but Bucky refused to move. I realised and stopped, catching his panicked gaze.

“I don’t want to be wiped again,” he said, quiet but strict, addressing only me as he scrunched his face from the conflict. He was an adorable lost puppy, yet he was a fully grown man and a trained assassin.

“We’re not going to do that, Bucky, I promise,” I coaxed. He gulped and looked to Steve.

“Stark doesn’t have the technology to do that. He’s not that smart,” Steve tried for a different angle and I smirked.

“Hey!” Tony exclaimed, his disgruntled expression proving that he was holding back further protest.

“We’re not leaving you. We’ll be by your side the whole time,” I continued when Bucky still hadn’t moved and that spurred him enough to approach the seat. Once there, he removed his jacket, shirt and left glove, exposing his robotic arm to Tony who gawked at it for a few moments in complete awe.

After some basic poking and prodding, Tony opened the arm up and began extensively checking for damage. Bucky clenched his fists and kept a strong stare on Tony the whole time, but it never unsettled the genius, probably because he was so lost in the electronic world to even notice.

“So! There are a few points that look as though they’ve sustained some damage. I’d say that some is from being exposed to water, some from physical force, and others just general wear and tear. I believe I can repair it all now, I have the right tools,” Tony announced and Bucky looked to me. I gave a nod to show that I trusted Tony and Bucky then checked with Steve too, who gave the same response.

“Okay,” Bucky agreed. Tony reached over and grabbed a tool, reaching deep into Bucky’s bicep before he switched in on. Blue sparks flew from the hole in his arm and a groan of pain came from Bucky as he tensed his upper body.

“What? That can’t hurt, can it? I mean…” Tony stammered, not wanting to offend the man who was twice the size of him.

“The latest upgrade was sensors for pressure and heat, to aid me when I’m in a fight. I don’t know how to switch them off,” Bucky replied. There was a moment of silence as everyone tried to think of a solution, then Maria pulled Steve away to the other side of the room to talk in private. Tony reached behind himself and spun back around with an iPod, propping the headphones over Bucky’s ears before he could protest.

“Just focus on the beat and try to ignore me,” he ordered before blasting AC/DC so damn loud even I could hear the song perfectly.

Tony continued his work but after a minute Bucky was growling and clenching the armrests tightly. Unable to watch him suffer like this, I leaned forwards and pried Bucky’s fingers from the chair, letting him hold me instead. I knew from experience that having a hand to hold was better than facing something alone, and it seemed to have an effect on Bucky as he quietened down and squeezed his eyes closed.

“What is he to you?” Tony asked as he switched tools.

“He is-” I stopped to correct myself. “He was my mission. I had to get him out of Hydra, and now I have.”

“Please, I can sense the tension between you too, and I’d cut it with this laser if I could,” Tony countered with a snort to show his disbelief in me. “What is he really to you? Do you care about him?”

“Of course I care about him, I just…” I trailed off and lowered my voice. “It’s just blurring the lines between caring about my mission and caring about him as a person, especially considering his condition. I wasn’t trained on how to decipher a situation like this.”

“I think someone caring about him is what he needs right now. No offence, but he seems kinda messed up, like he’s gone through a lot of crap,” Tony remarked.

“Messed up is not what I need in my life,” I said with a sigh, feeling even more conflicted. “Besides, he has Steve now.”

“He’s not holding Steve’s hand right now,” Tony countered. I fell into silence while staring at Bucky’s hand gripping mine.