The Daughter of Tony Stark

A World Divided; Chapter 8

   "Buck, what are you talking about?" Steve started, but I stepped closer to Barnes's and interrupted him.

"You know me?" I questioned. I squatted down so I could see him properly, eye-to-eye. A few tears slid down his cheeks as his eye's ran over me. It felt a little uncomfortable; it was like he was seeing something that never should have existed.

"They told me to kill you," he whispered, and he bent his head down. I took his organic hand and held it between my own. Flickers of flashbacks shone as he spoke. Flashbacks of young children beating a younger me to the ground, and suddenly, the Winter Soldier stopped them. "After you failed to kill one of the head SHIELD agents, HYDRA never forgave you." His voice became a bit louder. Sam and Steve leaned forward, listening to what he was saying.

"Only nine years old, and they tried to erase your memories over and over again, but it never worked." Echoes of pain-filled screams crowded my head. "They let the Elementals train on you, but you never gave in. You slaughtered them to survive, and then they sent me in."

"You were supposed to kill me," I continued softly, and Barnes's nodded. "They never knew that you and I were friends."

"You called us injured buddies," he chuckled. "Two people in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"The wrong time," I muttered, and I stared at him in horror. "We have to hurry." I used my powers to lift the machine clamping Barnes's arm, and I turned to Steve and Sam. "We have to go right now!"

"Calm down, Poseidon," Sam said, holding his hands up. "What's wrong?"

"The man who activated the Winter Soldier, he wants to go to one of the bases Barnes and I were held at."

"What's at that base?" Steve questioned.

"The other Winter Soldiers," Barnes answered. "And-"

"And the other Elementals," I finished. "Kids like me, but worse. They never learned the word mercy and never learned to control their powers. More dangerous than Barnes and the Winter Soldiers combined." Steve and Sam turned to each other, unable to make a decision.

"This would be a lot easier if we could," Sam started.

"If we call Tony," Steve said quietly, glancing at me. I pretended to be interested in looking out the window.

"Oh, he won't believe us. Not even if his dear old daughter sent the message along." I rolled my eyes. I doubt daughter was the word to use in a relationship like that.

"Even if he did. Who knows if the Accords will let him help. We're on our own." Steve lowered his voice even more, and I had to strain to listen. "Sam, Isabel would be sent off to a lab to be tested on if we messed up. Tony told me himself." Well that's frickin great. "We'd need backup."

"I know a guy," I quipped in. "I think he just came back from vacation."

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"Can you move your seat up?" Barnes asked as we sat crammed inside a Volkswagen Beetle, watching Steve talk to Sharon as he grabbed his equipment.

"No," Sam stated in the passenger seat.

"The dude wrecked my car on that highway two years ago. Why should I move my seat up for him when he wrecked my car?"

I snorted and sent a little water tendril to lift Sam's seat forward. He pushed against it with all of his might for a bit before giving up. He looked at my with betrayal shining in his eyes.

"Well, I find that very rude, Poseidon," he scoffed.

"I find it weird that birds are tiny little things and you take up a third of the car, Bird Boy," I shot back, and Barnes let out a chuckle. I settled back in my seat, both amused and proud. "About time, right Barnes?"

"When you were little, you used to call me Bucky Bear," Barnes said, and Sam threw back his head and laughed.

"Oh, shush Wilson," I laughed before turning to Barnes. "You suggesting I call you something else?"

"Bucky works just fine."

"Look at that," Sam said softly, and I directed my eyes to see Cap kissing... Sharon?!? I guess I hadn't noticed that they were a thing. But how did we go from getting equipment to kissing?

"Well, that escalated quickly," I blurted, and I saw a few nods in the side of my eye. When Steve turned around, we all flashed him smiles. I threw a thumbs up in the air, and Steve shook his head slightly and rolled his eyes. When he got in the car and started to drive, I could sense him squirming as our eyes bored into him. The tension was incredible.

"Hey, Uncle Steve," I said, trying to switch the obvious topic swirling through our heads. "Do you know if my tiny friend is going to be there?"

"A good possibility," Steve answered, his eyes on the road. "Clint said he was going to pick him up on the way."

"Clint's coming?" I said happily, and then I frowned. "Wait, I thought he's retired."

"He decided to come back," Steve said. "Told me he got a new suit right before the Accords popped up and has been dying to use it. Plus, I may have promised him you'd cook at his place for a week."

"You used me to get a teammate?" I said, shocked, and I crossed my arms. "That's a new low, Cap."

"You can cook?" Bucky asked me, surprised.

"Yeah, why?"

"Last time I saw you cook, you burned your hand sticking a waffle in a toaster." Sam started laughing so hard that the car started to shake.

"When this is over," he said, gasping for air, "I want to hear every embarrassing story about Isabel. I might forgive you about my car."