Buzzkill: The Reckoning

Chapter 49

The motorcycle engine purred beneath Ruth as she sat behind Bucky, holding onto his waist while they drove through long stretches of road lined with trees along with the rest of the team. Ruth flipped the visor of her helmet up, letting the wind blow across her face. Barely any traffic passed by, the rustle of the trees surrounding them a simple melody.

Ruth couldn't help but think of the last time she rode with Bucky all those years ago. It was hard to imagine how much everything had changed. The way she felt about him was so much more than she could've ever thought possible back then. Now, as her arms were wrapped comfortably around him, she still looked to the sky, the beauty of the nature around her. But the colors were brighter, the air crisper, her heart so much more full. Overwhelming safety washed over her, as if everything inside her were more secure, as if her heart had finally found where it belonged.

She squeezed her arms around him reassuringly, as if to remind him that she was there, that she would always be there. He took his right hand off the handlebar for a moment, laying it on Ruth's, gently stroking the back of her hand, taking it in his to kiss her knuckles before putting her hand back down on his waist.

A long, windy stretch of paved road lead to the Captain's New York airport, it's horizon surrounded by maple trees, the sounds of the leaves rustling echoing in the wind. Bucky and Ruth lead the way, guiding everyone to the expansive hangar, only half the size larger than the one in Washington DC.

As Ruth stepped off the bike, she looked to the hangar, to the scenery around her, to Bucky standing beside her as if she went back to when she had lived this all before.

"Ready?" Bucky asked, looking to her with a gentle expression.

Ruth nodded, looking to the others to urge them to follow, and walked with confident strides to the building.

Stopped with his hand on the door handle, Bucky turned to the rest of the team, speaking in hushed tones. "Ruth and I will lead, keep a little distance and follow behind us. Keep quiet, and if someone comes up to you, just scare them off."

Sam looked to everyone around him with an unsure expression, making sure everyone else heard the same thing he did.

Bucky swung the door open wide, following Ruth inside as they entered the sleek concrete flooring that stretched across the entire hangar. It was similar, Ruth observed, to the airport in DC. Three story high doors across from where they entered were opened wide to the runways outside. Light flooded in through the space, making the building look even more expansive.

A mid-twenties well-dressed assistant came running up, a little too fast, to meet Ruth and Bucky. His expression showed a hint of exasperation, as if a job assisting a man who dealt with assassins was stressful. He stood tall with a clipboard tucked in his left arm. Before he could even utter a word, Bucky spoke up,

"We want to see the Captain."

"Right away, sir," The assistant replied, giving a slight nod before running back in the direction he came from to the Captain's office.

In the few short moments that it took for the assistant to return, Bucky turned back to the team behind him, looking at their expressions to try and read their thoughts. It was a mixed bag.

"The Winter Soldier! Buzzkill! Wow wow, it sure is great to see you two again," The Captain greeted, arms outstretched wide, walking towards them with a huge smile on his face. The assistant trailed behind. "And still working together?" He gave a heartfelt sigh, dropping his arms beside him, his fingertips brushing against his expensive suit. "You know, I hoped you would stick around, Buzzkill. I knew I liked you the first time I saw you."