Shadows of the past

A Ghost Story

2014, Hospital, Washington D.C

Bucky and Steve strolled the hospital halls, the one they were at earlier that day. The soldiers had just outrun attacks from SHIELD, one in the elevator. Around 20 men were set up to take them down, ending with those men gravely injured. On the other hand, the men had to make a large drop out of the elevator through the glass roof of the main entrance of the building. They both had a couple of bruises on their bodies, but nothing that wouldn't go away in an hour or two.

Bucky had a feeling Pierce was the one to coordinate the whole charade, or at least the leader or all of it. When they headed to the garage to retrieve their motorbikes, they had just enough time to fit through the gap in the doors before the doors closed on them. Thanking their pasts selves for the bikes as a car would not have made it.

On top of all that, one of the 'smaller' gliders  - a Quinjet - that Fury had shown them beforehand was up and running, firing shots at them. Both super soldiers had fun ripping it apart as they threw their shields toward the engine of the jet. It only took a couple of hits before it went down. Having left the motorbikes behind, they navigated the city streets on foot, heading back to the hospital to retrieve a crucial item that seemed to be the target of the orchestrated attacks.

Dressed inconspicuously in dark jogging bottoms and hoodies to conceal their identities, they moved swiftly through the hospital corridors. They couldn't afford to be recognised, fully aware that SHIELD was likely monitoring cameras citywide to locate them. Despite their limitations, they needed time to strategize and uncover the motives behind the attacks.

Their steps came to an abrupt halt when they reached the vending machine where they had concealed a flash drive earlier. Panic set in as they discovered all the gum and the hidden drive were gone. The fear of what might have transpired gripped them. A small pop caught Steve's attention as he stared into the glass, seeing a familiar redhead blowing bubbles with the gum they had used to hide the flash drive.

"You," Bucky muttered, grabbing one of her arms and pushing her into the room opposite them.

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Bucky's frustration boiled over as he held Natasha against the wall, demanding answers. "Where is it?" He growled, his anger palpable. Natasha's earlier confidence waned, and she responded tersely, "Safe."

Steve joined the confrontation, adding intensity to the questioning. "Do better!" He urged, his steely gaze fixed on Natasha, who remained tight-lipped.

Natasha's expression, now a mix of stoicism and turmoil, retaliated with her interrogation. "Where did you get it?" She inquired, sensing that Fury might have entrusted them with the mysterious information. She felt a pang of disappointment for not being the one chosen, considering herself among SHIELD's top agents.

"Why would we tell you?" Steve retorted, maintaining a poker face while suspecting that Natasha could uncover the truth anyway. Her narrowed eyes confirmed his suspicions. "Fury gave it to you!" She concluded, seeking to understand why they were the chosen recipients.

Bucky took the lead, demanding, "What's on it?" He assumed, that Natasha, having stolen information from the boat, might have some insight into the drive's contents. Unaware of her actions during the pirate confrontation, Bucky and Steve were left in the dark until now.

"I don't know," Natasha replied honestly, confessing that she hadn't examined the file. Her mission was to acquire and upload information for Fury's scrutiny.

Growing increasingly frustrated with perceived deceit, Bucky gritted his teeth. "Stop lying," he snapped. Natasha, seemingly relinquishing her defensive stance, retorted, "I only act like I know everything, Barnes," acknowledging her façade of confidence.

Steve, ensuring their privacy, delved into another revelation. "I bet you knew Fury hired the pirates," He accused, pointing out her role as an agent well-informed about Nick's activities. Natasha was caught off guard and admitted, "Well, it makes sense. The ship was dirty, Fury needed a way in, so do-" Her explanation was abruptly halted as Bucky tightened his grip, interrupting her mid-sentence by pushing her further against the wall.

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"We're not going to ask again," Bucky declared, his patience wearing thin. The air hung heavy with tension until Natasha broke the silence, her tone deadly serious. "I know who killed Fury," she disclosed, causing a subtle shift in the expressions of the two men.

Memories of the woman on the roof wielding Bucky's shield effortlessly with her metal arm flashed in their minds. Bucky, loosening his grip on Natasha, took a step back, allowing her some breathing room. There was a haunted look in Natasha's eyes as if she were revisiting a dark chapter from her past.

"Most of the intelligence community doesn't believe she exists; the ones who do call her 'The Winter Soldier,'" Natasha explained, her recollections vivid, the image of the metal-armed assassin etched in her memory. "She's credited with over two dozen assassinations in the last fifty years," she added. Steve raised an eyebrow, sceptical. "So, she's a ghost story."

Natasha directed her gaze solely at Steve, recounting a chilling encounter. "Five years ago, I was escorting a nuclear engineer out of Iran. Somebody shot out my tyres near Odessa. We lost control and went straight over a cliff. I pulled us out," she narrated, still focused on Steve, emphasizing her sincerity.

Bucky maintained some distance and listened as Natasha continued, "But the Winter Soldier was there. I was covering my engineer, so she shot him straight through me." Natasha lifted her top to reveal a healed bullet wound on the side of her stomach. "Soviet slug, no rifling," she remarked wryly, adding, "Bye-bye bikinis."

Steve kept a steady gaze and responded with a hint of humour, "Yeah, I bet you look terrible in them now." Bucky shook his head, turning to Natasha, "How do we find this girl? Did you ever look?"

Breaking eye contact with Steve, Natasha shook her head. "Going after her is a dead end," she asserted, retrieving something from her pocket. Holding up the flash drive for them to see, she echoed Steve's description, "Like you said, Steve. A ghost story."

Bucky seized the flash drive from her hands, determined. "Then let's find out what the ghost wants," he declared, hoping their pursuit wouldn't unearth personal truths that could fracture him and Steve. Deep down, however, he knew that it may not be that way.

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2014, Country Road, New Jersey

Steve took the driver's seat, with Natasha in the passenger seat and Bucky occupying the back alone. Bucky reclined to get comfortable, mirroring Natasha's relaxed posture. Her feet rested on the dashboard, displaying a nonchalant attitude.

Fresh from narrowly avoiding another encounter with a SHIELD strike team, the trio sought refuge in the nearest mall. Using an available computer, Natasha attempted to uncover the contents of the flash drive Fury had entrusted to the super soldiers. However, all she managed to discern was the location from which the information originated — a place laden with memories for both Bucky and Steve: 'Wheaton, New Jersey.' The signal on the flash drive pointed to a significant chapter from their past.

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A/n

I hope you like the story so far and will continue to read it. We are one step closer to the boys finding out who The Winter Soldier is. Please feel free to vote, follow, and leave feedback in the comments as it would be much appreciated.💕

Word count:1239