Broken But Strong (Bucky Barnes fanfic)

15. Let the game begin

Alice went straight to her bedroom and to the closet where Tony's given box was. She checked all of her weapons - gun mechanisms, if everything is right with knives and grenades. Girl was so concentrated at her work, that didn't even heard Marco returning.
"What's that?" man asked standing right behind her.
Alice spun around, kicking his feet out from under him and stradling his waist with knife pressed at his throat.
"Don't do that," girl relaxed getting off of him and dropping the knife.
"Sorry," Marco sat up and ran his hand through his dark brown hair, "what's that stuff?"
"Mine," girl evasively answered and checked the time - it was 1pm already. She hadn't noticed how time had passed. It was olny six hours left till the final battle.
"Stark, right?" man kept asking.
He badly wanted to know what Alice had been hiding from them.
"What is it, Marco? What do you want?" Alice sighed turning to him.
"I just want to know what's in there. You've never told that to us. No, you hardly tell anything," man stated, resting his hands on his hips.
"I choose what to tell and what not. It's my life, my decisions," girl calmly answered putting weapons back in the box.
"We're team. We're supposed to tell things to each other in case to successfully work together," Marco was fuming in anger now.
He wasn't afraid to raise his voice, to tell everything he thought. That attracted Caro's attention and she went to Alice's bedroom.
"Since when I have to tell you everything? Since when you own me?" girl finally snapped.
"Do you see what your secrets have done? I'm not surprised if that's why you stopped working with the Winter Soldier," Marco spat out.
"Don't you dare," girl squinted her eyes.
"Or what? Your little friend will rip off my head?" man stepped closer.
That was the last straw. Alice tackled him to the ground and hit him square in the jaw. Marco quickly recovered from the shock and flipped them over and sqyeezed her throat with one hand and was about to hit when Caro pulled him off of her.
"What the fuck? Are you three-year-olds or adults?" she yelled at them.
Alice glared at Marco gasping for breath while man wiped some blood away from the corner of his mouth.
"Get your shit together. Just because we're stressed it doesn't mean we have to kill each other. That's probably what Leoni's want so we have to stay focused. Calm down and get ready for the lunch," Caro said that in one breath and left Alice's bedroom.
Girl stood up and went to her en-suit, slamming the door behind her. Marco sighed and went to his bedroom. He knew how sensitive was Bucky's topic for Alice and he knew very well that she chose jot to tell everything to everyone because girl never wanted to bother anyone, to be a burden. He was stressed and let his anger out at Alice - something he never wanted to do. But now it had happened. Marco went to his en-suit and splashed some cold water to his face and dried it in a towel. For a while he stared at the forming bruise on his jaw and went up to the kitchen.
Alice went past him with a tray of food in her hands and to her bedroom.
"You fucked up," Caro handed him his plate.
"I know," Marco sighed and sat at the table opposite Alice.
Of course girl was mad. But not because Marco exploded because of her secrets. It was the mention of Bucky. She never let anyone to say anything bad about him. She always defended him however she could.
Alice knew that Marco is right - they have to be honest to each other in case of success, but she just didn't want to tell everything. Girl had become used to keeping everything to herself.
Alice went through the blueprints and other plans once more while eating and checked the communication system. Once the Avengers would arrive they will need just to connect - one of Tony's new technologies.
There was a light knock on the door and girl looked up.
"Yeah."
The door opened and Marco went in with a pained look on his face. She just glanced at him and looked back the tablet.
"I'm sorry for what I said and did. I overreacted because of stress," man nervously rubbed the back of his neck.
"I shouldn't have attacked you. I sorry," Alice sighed avoiding eye contact.
"I deserved that," Marco went over at her and sat next to her on her bed.
Girl turned to him and wrapped her arms tightly around man's torso resting head on his shoulder.
"Everything is going to be fine," man tightly hugged her as well.
"It has to," Alice said.
She had a bad feeling that something will go wrong. No matter how hard she tried to do ignore that, but to no avail. This time it was stronger than ever and she hoped that it won't come true.
"So, are you up for a game or gonna take a rest?" Marco broke the silence.
"I'm gonna rest a bit," Alice yawned and put the tablet on the nightstand.
"Okay. When should I wake you up?" man released girl and stood up.
"Around five?" she raised one eyebrow.
"Okay," Marco smiled and went away.
Alice pulled a blanket over herself and laid down.
~~~
Alice had crouched in the shadows under the window, listening to their conversation.
"The Avengers have arrived," someone barged in the room out of breath.
"Good. Get me the Winter Soldier no matter what it takes, but alive. Understood?" the boss said in his walkie talkie.
"Yes, sir," he got the response.
Her heart skipped a beat. Bucky was here? She crept out of the shadows to run to the place where the Avengers had to arrive. Her combat boots didn't make any sound as she stalked towards one of the guards and squeezed his carotid and dragged his unconscious body in the bushes. Alice took his walkie talkie, handcuffed him to the fence and covered his mouth with duct tape. She got over the fence and quietly landed on her feet.
"North gates secure," Marco's voice pierced in her ear through her earpiece.
"Roger that. But we have a problem. Bucky is here?" she quietly said, walking in the shadows.
"Yeah, what's wrong?" Steve answered.
"Where is he?" her heart started to beat faster.
"I'm on the east side," Bucky answered.
"Bucky, listen to me. Stay where you are. Find somewhere to hide and stay low. I'm on my way," Alice turned around and ran on the opposite direction.
"What? No," he answered.
"What's going on?" Steve asked.
"It's a trap. I eavesdropped a conversation. HYDRA wants him," she whispered and knocked unconscious another guard.
"I'll be fine," Bucky retored.
"Do as Alice said. It's an order," Steve growled.
"Fine," Bucky sighed.
"This party sucks," Tony huffed.
"They already know you're here so fun is gonna be up anytime soon," Alice chuckled.
With that bullets started to whizz in the air.
"Yay," Tony exclaimed and flew over her head, shooting at the guards.
"I'm in position," Clint said.
"West gates secure," Natasha whispered.
"Roger that," Steve answered and she heard a metal colliding with something or someone.
Alice kept running, on her way shooting at guards.
"Привести базуки," deep man's voice said through the walkie talkie she took from the guard. (Bring the bazookas.)
"Guys, they have bazookas," Alice warned.
"Oh, hell no," Sam whined.
Lightning striked and it started to rain. That was the sign that Thor had joined the party. He usually wasn't using earpiece so everyone were in kind of obscurity not knowing where he is and how is he doing. Girl had reached the east side and reloaded her gun.
"Buck, where are you?" she whispered.
"In the bushes," he replied.
"There are bushes everywhere, you smartass," Alice rolled her eyes and slowly went along the bushes with her gun raised.
Then a hand covered Alice's mouth and someone pulled her in the bushes. Instinctively she elbowed the attacker in the solar plexus and grabbed his other arm that was around her waist. As soon as she felt the smooth and cold metal, she relaxed.
"That hurts," Bucky uttered, releasing her.
"You scared me," Alice smacked his metal arm and winced in pain.
"Remind me to not sneak up on you again," brunet smiled.
"Right, lets go," she climbed over the fence.
"Out?" man frowned, but got over the fence as well.
Alice ran motioning for him to follow. And he did with lips stretched in a smile. Bucky had missed her so much. His heart was beating faster and in his stomach was this weird feeling again. Then she suddenly ducked and threw a man over her shoulder and with a strong blow, knocked him out. They kept running through the vines, battle sounds getting fainter with every step. The whole time they didn't say a word. Alice stopped only in front of a shed up in the hill and not so far from the house. Bucky kicked the door open, but it was empty. She lead him up a ladder and opened the small window.
"Why I'm here?" brunet spoke up.
"A second sniper wouldn't hurt. Barton is on the other side and he can't keep safe this one too," girl was panting and wiped sweat from her forehead.
"Okay," he nodded and put his rifle on the small table in front of the window.
"Look, I'm sorry and I know we have a lot to talk about-"
"Yeah, we do."
"Just stay safe, okay? And take this. I took it from one guard. Notify us if something important happens. They might speak Russian too," Alice looked up at him in the shadows, handing him the device.
"Of course," their fingers brushed and they both lingered in the touch.
"I have to go back," girl pulled back her hand and spun around.
"Ali, wait," he grabbed her hand and pulled back flush in his broad, muscular chest.
Alice reached on her tiptoes and in the midway their lips connected in a sweet yet passionate kiss. Her arms went around his neck and fingers slid in his soft, long hair. Man wrapped his metal arm around her waist and cupped her face with his blood and flesh hand.
"Guys, you don't have time for a quickie," Tony said, flying past, making both of them part.
"What is that 'quickie' thing you speak of, Man of Iron?" Thor boomed and Alice was surprised that he had agreed to use earpiece.
"I hate you Tony," girl hissed, stepping away from Bucky.
"Can I be the godfather?" billionaire asked.
"C'mon, guys. Focus on the mission," Steve retorted.
"Just asking," Tony snickered.
"I don't want this to be our only kiss," brunet whispered.
"Then lets do our job, so it wouldn't," Alice flashed a smile and ran down the ladder.
"I'm in position," Bucky said.
Girl smirked running back to the house through the vines. It was still raining and the grass was wet and muddy. Her combat suit was starting to get soaked wet and cold, and she tried to stop her teeth from clattering. The only thing she focused on was this mission.