The Grey Raven // Bucky X Oc (Discontinued For Now)

⠂Chapter 30⠐

"There's the main floor and second floor, and then two basements, not including the garage," Natasha tells me as we walk up a flight of stairs. "Oh, and a patio and a few balconies."

My eyebrows raise, but I'm not that surprised. It's Tony Stark after all. "What's in the basements?" I ask.

"The first level is mostly high-security things like weapons and suits and computers. The second level is a gym, training room, and pool."

"And the rest of the building?" I ask.

"This floor," she says as we step into the entryway, "has the conference/meeting room on a raised area, a living room with access to the patio, a kitchen, a library, a dining room, and then the elevator entrance and two bathrooms." She shows me each of the rooms she mentioned.

The conference room, as she said, has a small flight of stairs leading up to a glassed-in room with a long table, a small sitting area, and a projecting screen.

The living room is a wide open space with couches, chairs, and tables spread about. The access to the patio is also just a huge window that takes up almost that entire wall with a set of wide, glass doors.

The kitchen, dining room, and living room are all semi-connected to each other with a few half-walls between them.

The library sits partially underneath the conference room while the rest of it takes up nearly an entire quarter of the building.

After looking around Natasha leads me upstairs.

"Is this where everyone's rooms are?" I ask, noticing the doors are evenly spaced along both walls with skylights along the ceiling of the hallway.

"Yes... There are a lot of bedrooms in this building."

"Romanoff," someone calls.

We both turn and look at the stairs before going down them. "What do you need, Wilson?" Natasha says.

"I-" he pauses when he sees me. "Who's this?" he asks.

"Astrid Valla-Castro," I respond.

"Sam Wilson," he responds, offering his hand. I take it and give it a brief shake.

"Did you need something?" Natasha asks.

"I need her actually," Sam responds, pointing at me. "Dr. Robichaud wants her."

"We'll head over there then," Natasha says. She starts toward the entrance and I trail after her. "Are you coming as well?" Natasha asks a confused look on her face as Sam steps next to her.

"Yes. I am," he responds, giving her a smug look.

Natasha rolls her eyes and continues walking. A few minutes later we walk into Dr. Robichaud's lab. "Astrid. There you are," she says, hurrying over to me. "Thank you," she says to Natasha and Sam. They nod and step out.

"Why did you need me?" I ask, following her over to one of her screens.

"We've decided that you're ready for the serum."

My entire body goes still and I stare at her. "But I still have training I need to do," I say.

"You're as ready as you'll ever be at this point. The entire team agrees," she tells me.

"Lya... are you sure?" I ask, my eyebrows pulling together.

"Yes."

I stare at her for a few minutes, processing. "If you think I'm ready then I trust you," I say finally.

She nods. "I'll need some time to prepare everything and get the rest of the team here."

"What do I need to do before it happens?" I ask, my anxiety starting to rise very quickly.

"Don't have an anxiety attack, and relax," Dr. Robichaud replies, placing her hands on my shoulders briefly. "Seth!" she calls.

The younger scientist appears and walks over. "Yes?"

"Could you bring her to the prep room?" she asks.

Seth nods and motions for me to follow him. I force myself to walk and follow him into a side room I didn't know about. He helps me sit down in a very comfortable chair.

The lights in this room are dimmed slightly and there's a steady, yet quiet, white noise in the background. "Could I have a glass of water?" I ask, my throat having gone dry. Deep breaths Astrid.

A glass of water gets placed on the table in front of me and I slowly pick it up and take a sip. The cold liquid helps to settle my nerves and I take a few breaths.

The door opens and Dr. Robichaud comes in. "Can you change into these?" she asks, placing a small stack of folded clothes in front of me. She exits and I pick up the clothing, cringing at how shapeless it is.

Like something you'd wear to bed. Grudgingly I change into the pajama-like clothing, folding what I had been wearing and placing it on the table.

"We're ready for you," Dr. Robichaud says from the other side of the door.

All sense of nerves vanish completely as I exit the room. Dr. Robichaud leads me into a room I had only been in once.

Screens and control tables surround a small holding chamber, sized to fit a human. My measurements are taken, making sure everything is correct before they give me a shot of morphine. The pain reliever takes effect instantly, making me feel a bit numb.

The small group of scientists hurry to their stations as Dr. Robichaud gets me situated in the holding chamber.

"You got this," she murmurs, sounding like she's both saying it to me, and her team. I hold still, letting her strap me in. "Ready?" she asks, stepping back.

"Hell yeah," I respond, shifting slightly to get a bit more comfortable.

"This is gonna hurt. A lot," she reminds me.

"I'm ready," I tell her. She nods and presses a few things on the screen beside the chamber. The sides slowly close in over me and I close my eyes, taking controlled breaths.

A collection of "Ready" issues throughout the room. I block out what they're saying, instead focusing on the cold metal cocoon around me. There's a flash, but I keep my eyes shut even as I feel little pricks along my arms and legs.

A gentle hissing sound fills my ears as I feel the syringes push the liquid they're holding into me. I let out a gasp as fiery pain spreads through my body.

I cry out as I feel like I'm being pulled, stretched, flattened, and rolled out, all at once. The pain increases further and I hear yelling but don't register it as my voice.

My bones feel as if they're being snapped, then crushed, then jammed back together. My organs feel like they're about to burst, and my skin itches and burns all over.

Then, just like that, it's over.