Lost + Found [Bucky Barnes] ✓

Chapter 45

"Tony," Steve says, his voice low. "Now is not the time."

Tony laughs, but it sounds more like a harsh bark, "I think now is the perfect time, Cap. Do you want me to rip off more than his arm this time? How about his head?"

"Stark," Natasha warns.

He frowns, "I'm sorry, Mommy and Daddy are talking right now. Why don't you go play with the other little kiddos."

"C'mon dude, we wouldn't be here if it wasn't important," Sam interrupts him, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Steve is still holding Artemis, her body limp over his shoulder, and I don't think she'll stay that way very much longer. Sam managed to steal some drugs from the hospital to keep her unconscious, but they're bound to wear off soon, and I don't think we'll want to be standing around bickering when she wakes up.

"Shut up," Tony snaps at Sam. "You're lucky I don't throw your ass back in prison."

Bucky keeps his mouth shut, but I can see the muscles in his jaw shifting as he grinds his teeth together. Tony Stark is wearing on his nerves, that much is obvious, and he clearly doesn't want to be here any more than Stark does.

"We need your help," Bucky tells him. His voice is even and low, each word enunciated clearly as he forces them past his lips.

Laughing, Tony takes a step forward until he's only a few feet in front of Bucky. I want to tug him backward, but Bucky remains glued to the spot where he stands. He takes a deep breath, straightening his shoulders, and stares back at the furious billionaire.

"That's funny," Tony spits out. "I thought I just heard you ask for my help. Tough luck, sunshine. The only help you'll get from me is landing your ass in a coffin."

Steve moves to shift Artemis from his shoulder to the ground, but Bucky lifts a hand to stop him. It's clear that the blonde super soldier wants to intervene before Stark does something stupid, but he's not letting Steve fight his battles for him.

"I don't expect you to forgive me," Bucky tells Tony, unwilling to meet his piercing gaze.

Tony snorts, "Well, that's good, coz it's never gonna happen."

"I'm sorry though," he continues. His grip tightens on my hand, "I...Howard was my friend, and I..."

Quickly reducing the distance between them, Tony shoves his finger into Bucky's chest and pushes him backward.

"You don't get to say his name," he seethes. "You don't even get to think about him, you got that? Say it again and I'll rip out your tongue."

I frown, unable to stay silent anymore, and fire back, "Hey, asshole. Leave him alone."

"Who are you?" Tony does a doubletake, glancing between me and the others. "Who is this?"

Bucky tries to tug me back, but I shrug out of his grip and take a step closer to Stark. The billionaire hesitates for a second as I enter his personal space, and I shove my finger into his chest and push him back another step.

"Do you want to find out who I am?" I warn him. "Because I'm having a hell of a month, Stark, and I'd be more than happy to show you what I can really do."

He studies me carefully before looking between Bucky and Steve, both of whom look worried by my sudden outburst. Even Natasha seems on edge, her fists tightly clenched, and Stark seems to get the message that he doesn't want to piss me off. He takes a step back, lifting his hands in mock surrender, and grins sardonically.

"By all means," he mocks. "Mi casa es su casa."

Whirling around, he turns on the spot and glares at Steve before exiting the room. Once he's gone, I can feel the tension in the room dissipate as everyone breathes out a sigh of relief. Bucky, however, is still standing straight as an arrow with his eyes trained on the hallway Stark disappeared down.

"Buck," Steve calls to him, snapping him out of his daze. "Let's worry about that later, okay?"

<><><><>

A few hours later, after we deposited Artemis in a containment unit that will supposedly withstand heat or an explosion, I'm sitting in a comfortable sitting room with several members of the Avengers. Vision is perched on a sofa adjacent to the large armchair I'm occupying, and Colonel James Rhodes is working on a laptop at the table across the room. Natasha, Steve, and Bucky are elsewhere in the compound, hopefully avoiding Stark, and Sam plops down on the sofa next to Vision.

"What's cracking, Rain Man?" Sam asks, grinning at the android. "Miss me?"

Vision turns to face him, "Would you prefer a lie or the truth?"

"Ouch," Sam mocks a wound to his chest. "That hurts."

I shake my head and chuckle to myself, muttering about how stupid Sam can be, until Tony Stark enters the room. Even with Steve, Bucky, and Natasha absent, the room still grows cold at his entrance as he stares a hole into the back of Sam's head.

Somehow aware of the fact, Sam takes a deep breath and announces loudly, "Missed you too, Tony."

"Shut up, Wilson," Stark snaps back, opening the refrigerator and grabbing a carton of apple juice.

He pours himself a glass, the amber liquid filling it to the top, before replacing the cap and shoving the container back into the fridge. The kitchen is state-of-the-art, far more advanced than anything I've lived with, and Tony leans against the counter as he studies me carefully. I look away, uncomfortable with his analysis, until he downs the rest of his apple juice and pushes himself upright.

"Chloe, isn't it?" He asks, causing my eyes to grow wide as I turn back to face him. "Let's get to know each other, shall we?"

I stare at him, "How do you--"

"Are you really going to ask how I know your name?" He says with a cocky smirk. "I'm Tony Stark, honey. I think I know how to work Google."

Exhaling, I nod, "Okay, then I guess you already know everything there is about me. End of conversation."

"Not quite," he says, glaring at Sam who is biting back a laugh, before perching on another of the couches. "That's your sister, right? The pretty little one sleeping off what I can only assume isn't a wicked hangover in one of my containment units?"

"What do you want, Stark?" I mutter, struggling to keep my temper in check around one of the most frustrating individuals I've ever encountered.

He shrugs, "I ran a scan on your sister. Turns out Restitution scrambled up her noggin' pretty damn bad. There's significant scarring in her brain tissue, and - from the video I saw of her blowing up the nursing home you used to work at - I know that she's been injected with Extremis."

"Extremis?" I ask, sitting up straighter. "What's that?"

Tony lifts an eyebrow, "It's advanced form of genetic manipulation meant to grant the human body the ability to heal and regenerate physical damages. It also grants certain exothermic abilities, meaning your sister packs quite the firepower in her little finger."

"I already know that," I tell him, thinking of Paul and everyone else at the nursing home.

Nodding, he continues, "Then maybe you know why they did this to her? Why Restitution picked her - picked you - as their targets?"

I bite my tongue, thinking about the fact that I can apparently kill - or heal - someone with the touch of my hand. It's something we didn't even share with Sam, considering how potent my abilities can be, meaning Stark probably doesn't know what I can do. Not really. Given the reaction Steve, Bucky, and Natasha gave him when we first arrived, he probably knows it's a big deal, but I don't think anyone would expect someone to have the ability to kill with a touch of their hands.

Forget Bucky. If the likes of Hydra or Restitution got their hands on me, I would be the greatest weapon the world has ever seen.

"Chloe?" Steve's voice interrupts my thoughts, both Stark and I turn to face him in the doorway. "Artemis is awake."

*****
AUTHOR'S NOTE

Did you notice Lost + Found's new cover? Thoughts?

Happy triple update!

Comment + vote, because there is a sliiiiiight chance for a FOURTH chapter today.

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