Unloved - (Fem Reader X Bucky Barnes)

Chapter 14 - Trapped

I slowly open my eyes to see I am handcuffed and strapped with chains to a standing metal bed frame. I look up to see Maya, "I always knew you were a bitch." I mutter.

I look over to see Dad was only zip-tied to the frame, he wakes up and looks at Maya. "Ah...Okay."

"It's just like old times, huh?"

"Oh, yeah. With zip ties. It's a ball." Dad nods and looks at me. "Why the hell is my daughter in chains."

"She's a super soldier.....It wasn't my idea."

"Okay. So you took Killian's card." Dad nods

"I took his money."

"And here you are 13 years later, in a dungeon." Dad nods

"No."

"Yeah." Dad says.

"No, you're in a dungeon. I'm free to go." She nods

"Yeah?"

"Why the hell can't I teleport?" I shake my head as my vision blurs.

"I have no idea...maybe it's a side affect form the sedative I gave you." She shrugs and looks at dad as he frowns. "A lot has happened, Tony. But I'm close. Extremis is practically stabilised." She walks towards us.

"I'm telling you it isn't." Dad shouts. He instantly lowers his voice. "I'm on the street. People are going bang. They're painting the walls. Maya, you're kidding yourself."

"Then help me fix it." She shows him a "You Know Who I Am" note I assumed he left her.

"Did I do that?" Dad asks.

"Yes."

"I remember the night, not the morning. Is this what you've been chasing around?" Dad tilts his head.

"You don't remember?" She asks in shock.

"I can't help you. You used to have a moral psychology. You used to have ideals. You wanted to help people. Now look at you. I get to wake up every morning with someone who still has their soul. Get me out of here. Come on. Or at least my daughter. She doesn't deserve this." Dad says.

I look over as the Killian guy walks in, "You know what my old man used to say to me? One of his favourite of many sayings... The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese."

"You're not still pissed off about the Switzerland thing, are you?" Dad asks.

"How can I be pissed at you, Tony? I'm here to thank you. You gave me the greatest gift that anybody's ever given me. Desperation. If you think back to Switzerland, you said you'd meet me on the rooftop, right? Well, for the first 20 minutes, I actually thought you'd show up. And the next hour... I considered taking that one-step shortcut to the lobby. If you know what I mean."

"Honestly, I'm still trying to figure out what happened to the first mouse." Dad nods.

"But as I looked out over that city, nobody knew I was there, nobody could see me, no one was even looking. I had a thought that would guide me for years to come. Anonymity, Tony. Thanks to you, it's been my mantra ever since. Right? You simply rule from behind the scenes. Because the second you give evil a face, a bin Laden, a Gaddafi, a Mandarin, you hand the people a target."

"You're something else." I chuckle.

"You have met him, I assume?"

"Yes. Sir Laurence Oblivier." Dad nods.

"I know he's a little over the top sometimes. It's not entirely my fault. He has a tenden... He's a stage actor. They say his Lear was the toast of Croydon, wherever that is. Anyway, the point is, ever since that big dude with the hammer fell out of the sky, subtlety has kind of had its day."

"What's next for you in your world?" Dad asks.

"Well, I wanted to repay you the selfsame gift that you so graciously imparted to me." Killian rolls three balls forwards and they stop, projecting an image of Pepper. She was going through Extremis.

"Pepper!" I gasp.

"Desperation. Now, this is live. I'm not sure if you can tell, but at this moment the body is trying to decide whether to accept Extremis or just give up. And if it gives up, I have to say, the detonation is quite spectacular. But until that point, it's really just a lot of pain." He then walks over to me and slides his hand up to my face, "I wanted her your daughter too...but then I learned of her abilities." He smirks at me.

"Get away from her!" Dad snaps.

He backs off, "We haven't even talked salary yet. What kind of perk package are you thinking of?"

"Let them go." Maya was holding a syringe to her neck.

"Hold on, hold on. Maya..."

"I said, let them go." She says louder.

"What are you doing?"

"1200 CCs. A dose half of this size, I'm dead." She nods.

Killian turns to us for a moment, "It's times like this my temper is tested somewhat. Maya, give me the injector."

"If I die, Killian, what happens to your soldiers? What happens to your product?"

"We're not doing this, okay?" He sighs.

"What happens to you? What happens if you go too hot?" He looks back at Dad and I and shoots Maya.

"The good news is, a high-level position has just been vacated. And you..." He points at me. "I'm sure we'll have a spot for you."

"You are a maniac." Dad whispers.

"No, I'm a visionary. But I do own a maniac. And he takes the stage tonight." He leaves.

"Got a plan now?"