Lacuna [1] {Completed}

Chapter Fifteen

"Toska (n.) an ache of the soul; a sick pining; a spiritual anguish."

A week past and they didn't speak. Her and Bucky didn't share any words during meals, training, or when they passed one another in the hall.

"You need to keep working on his arm," Steve urged her one day during training.

She wouldn't be the first one to approach him. "If he wants his arm fixed, he knows where to find me." That was all she said before she walked out of training for the day. Steve didn't brought it up again.

Everyone else acted as if nothing had happened, but there was always tension in the air. Erin felt it and wanted to punch it apart like a brick wall.

"This is getting ridiculous," Wanda whispered to Erin after catching her look at Bucky for the 10th time that night during a team meeting.

Steve was going through possible people D.K. could be. He and Erin had strung together a list of doctors and scientists known to be associated with HYDRA during World War II.

Erin looked over at Wanda and whispered, "I'm not the one who lashed out like an 8 year old."

"Not talking isn't going to do anyone any good or bring us closer to figuring out who D.K. is." Wanda persisted.

"If he wants his arm fixed he can ask me." She replied stubbornly.

"Now who's acting like an 8 year old?"

"I don't know what you expect me to do," Erin said frustrated. She didn't need another person nagging at her to fix something she didn't break.

"I want you to think about what's best for the team. What happens if we go on a mission and Bucky's arm acts up? It could put us all in danger. Whatever this D.K. person wants with Bucky, it isn't going to be pretty."

"It's not like I have a magical way to fix his arm."

"Can't you just manipulate the wiring? You can still control electricity right?"

"It's not that simple." Erin whispered back, "Whoever put it together had a very specific way they wired his frames. Vibranium may be versatile, but once its bonded a certain way it's not so easily redone. I've made progress on how to replicate it with my father's research and my electric energy helps, but it's not like there's a recipe for it lying around anywhere."

"It would be nice if you could ask the scientist himself." Wanda said.

It suddenly occurred to Erin, "That's it." She whispered.

"What is?" Wanda asked.

"That's it!" Erin said louder, standing up from her seat. "Wanda you're a genius!" Steve stopped talked as everyone in the room looked over at her, even Bucky turned to her in surprise.

"Thank you?" Wanda said confused.

"You have something you want to add Erin?" Steve asked her from the front of the room.

"'I will finish what was started' that's what the note to T'Challa said right?"

"Yes?" Sam questioned.

"Then that means whoever this is, had a hand in constructing Bucky's arm, but his work was cut short."

"What makes you think that?" Steve asked, leaning against the table curiously.

"Whoever this person is also thinks of Bucky as a weapon, just like HYDRA. Bucky's arm contains several layers to it, vibranium isn't just the outer defense it's weaved throughout every aspect of it. There's a specific pattern. I think that D.K. had something to do with making that pattern but was never able to finish. The arm itself is made almost entirely of wires that are supposed to act as nerves. There is a bone line structure and then on top of that are all the wires that act as nerves. The first layer of vibranium acts as a cast to protect the wires like muscle. The second acts as the muscle itself. The outer layer acts as skin and muscle both moving and contorting to whatever form Bucky needs in the moment."