Buzzkill: The Reckoning

Chapter 16

Sleep enveloped Ruth in a blackout, for the first time in a while getting three hours of uninterrupted rest. Sure, she should have slept for eight hours, but Ruth wasn't ready for that, setting her alarm for three hours exactly.

The remaining hours that made up the journey went by smoothly, Ruth even sparking up conversation with Steve. She couldn't help but feel a heaviness in her chest at the thought of telling him that he was related to her. How could she do that to him? Tony said that Steve would love to know of a relative still living, but does he not understand the things she's done? Steve must have another obscure cousin somewhere besides Sweden.

"Are you nervous?" Ruth asked Bucky as they stood in the lounge. From living together for the time that they did, Ruth could tell when his anxieties kicked in.

Bucky glanced up at her. They were only an hour outside of landing, the two of them about to put on their undercover personas.

He nodded. "Honestly, I don't know why. I've done missions as simple as intel extraction a thousand times before." He sighed. "I think it's because it's Hydra. What if someone who worked on me sees me? Will they try to take me back?" Bucky's eyes seemed to plead to Ruth. "I can't go back," he muttered.

Ruth laid a hand on the back of Bucky's shoulder, her touch light, hesitating. "You won't be alone," a sincerity filled Ruth's voice. "Let's treat this as a mission like we would do together all of the time. Except, if I mess up, you won't have to kill me," Ruth said lightheartedly, trying to brighten the mood.

Bucky gave a small smile. "I haven't worn a tux in a long time."

"Yeah, what, like seventy five years?" Ruth teased. "You old man."

"Hey, settle down," Bucky laughed.

Ruth smiled, leaving the room to get changed.

Ruth had just about finished getting ready to head out, the dress chosen for her more extravagant than she'd expected. The long sleeves hid her scars, the back of the dress coming up to her shoulder line. The only skin revealed being the low neckline and hidden slit along her left leg that only showed when she walked.

By herself in the room, Ruth looked at the entry of the door to make sure no one was looking, then moved her upper body dramatically, swinging her arms to make sure she could actually move in this thing. If she had to chase down anyone, she better be able to move. And it's a good thing she had been trained to run in heels. A holster sat comfortably at the height of her right thigh, both a pistol and a knife making her feel much more comfortable.

"Need any help?" Natasha asked as she walked in the room.

Ruth looked to her nervously, still not sure if Natasha wanted to kill her. "Actually, could you get the zipper?" Ruth asked, knowing someone had to help.

"Sure," Natasha said, walking over.

Ruth held her breath, the last time they were so close to one another they were beating the crap out of each other.

Natasha glanced at Ruth's back before zipping the zipper, briefly catching a glimpse at the scarring around her shoulder blades. Her breath hitched as she noticed only a part of a large scar that seemed to travel down Ruth's shoulder blade and along her back. What did they do to her?

"There you go," Natasha said, walking back in front of Ruth, leaning against a metal table next to her. "Hey, Ruth. I need to ask you something," Natasha started.

Ruth smoothed out her dress, then looked up at Natasha, "Go ahead."

"That boy who worked with you a lot; your sidekick, basically," Natasha continued, "I heard that he was killed because he tried to give information to SHIELD."