Lost + Found [Bucky Barnes] ✓

Chapter 37

"What?"

Bucky's voice sounds strained, and his grip on my hand tightens.

"Stark?" I ask. "As in Tony Stark?"

Sam nods, "Yeah."

I don't know much about the man except what I've seen on TV. Billionaire, genius, playboy, philanthropist - we all know the schtick. What I don't know, however, is why Bucky seems less-than-thrilled about involving Stark.

Steve runs a hand through his hair, "He was taken by Restitution a few years back. There was a mix-up in the Middle East, someone hacked JARVIS' system, and an innocent got caught in the crossfire. There was an international uproar, and they demanded his arrest."

"I remember hearing about that on TV," I respond. "Something about a Syrian refugee who was killed?"

Steve nods, "Special forces raided the Tower, and they took Tony and Thor. Turns out, the general in charge of the operation was working with Restitution all along - they had Pepper and Jane as collateral, so Tony and Thor couldn't break out."

"And where were you during all of this?" I ask, motioning between him and Sam.

Sam lifts his hands, "Hey, leave me out of this. I barely knew these jokers back then."

"That was when DC happened," Bucky explains quietly.

I suck in a deep breath. Of course. How could I forget? Two major international events involving the Avengers happening at the same time. Stark's face was plastered all over the news, and the World Security Council even called for his death. They were furious. A cluster of deaths in the Middle East had popped up - all of them innocents - and international outrage was at an all-time high. Meanwhile, Bucky's attack on DC and the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D hit a little closer to home for me.

The events on the bridge are still vivid in my mind. Mara, my best friend, ran toward the action instead of away like a normal human being, and she ended up landing a job at the Washington Post because of her reporting on the attack. That was when I ran into Natasha, almost literally, and helped tend to the bullet Bucky put in her shoulder.

I can still remember the look on his face when he saw me, saw us, and held up his weapon. He could've killed us. He should've killed us, but for some reason he hesitated.

That man looks exactly the same as the one sitting next to me right now, holding my hand as if it is his lifeline - tethering him to reality, but they couldn't be more different. Even if Bucky isn't sure of who he is now, I know who he is not.

"I'm assuming Stark escaped," I tell Steve. "Right?"

The blonde super soldier nods, "I don't know all the details, but Restitution put some kind of kill switch in Pepper and Jane, a deadly virus that would be released if Thor or Tony tried anything, but Barton and Banner helped create a vaccine and get them out. It nearly killed Anna too, in the end, but Thor brought her back from Asgard and Tony was able to save her."

"And they didn't destroy Restitution then?" I ask.

Steve shrugs, "He tried. Restitution was in shambles when they left - they blew up half the facility - but Tony never thought they'd rebuild. He even worked with Anna to find their location in Istanbul, but when he got there it was cleaned out. He thought they were gone."

"He thought wrong," Bucky growls, the edge in his voice sending a chill down my spine.

I sigh, "So, what now? We contact Stark? Get his help?"

"It's not that easy," Steve replies warily, watching Bucky closely.

I glance between the two of them, "Why? If he knows about Restitution, then we need his help to find Artemis."

"Chloe..." Bucky begins to say, still staring at the table.

Wrinkling my forehead in confusion, I tug at his hand to get him to look at me. When he does, his blue eyes are clouded with hurt, anger, and guilt. Whatever he has to do with Stark, it's eating at him. His jaw is clenched, the muscles beneath his face tight, as he exhales slowly.

"What?" I ask him softly. "What is it?"

Neither Steve or Bucky answers, and they both fall back into silence. I need to know what's going on, what happened between Bucky and Stark, if I want to find my sister. Impatience growing, I turn to Sam and lift an eyebrow. He frowns, displeased that the burden of telling this part of the story has fallen to him.

"Your boyfriend killed Stark's parents," Sam explains, his voice taking on an uncharacteristically soft tone. "And Stark may or may not have tried to kill him. He tore off his arm."

*****
AUTHOR'S NOTE

Good morning, Handrailers!

(In case you weren't aware, my fans/readers are known as Handrailers since Jandra autocorrects to handrail.)

x