Path to Protection (BuckyBarnes x OC)

Chance Taken

    The evening was closing in shortly, the last vestiges of sunlight fading over the horizon. Some days passed slower than others, but ever since I heard about the Stark Expo opening up downtown, it was all I could think about. As I was sitting on the side of the pavement with an empty coffee cup in front of me for any voluntary contributions, the ruckus of the marketplace on my right brought all sorts of gossip about the Expo my way. I had no idea what the festival was about, but something about James' words intrigued me. He was talking about going to the future. I was curious and fed up with miserable New Yorkers; maybe, people in the future were nicer and more giving. Maybe, I should check the Expo out after all.

    A young couple strolled by, their hands linked together while they giggled in unison. As they walked past me, the young man looked my way and scoffed, "It's a shame how many good people end up that way."

    The young lady wore a beautiful dress which looked relatively new and was very elegant on her; far from the dirty rags covering my body. Her heels gave her a bit of extra height; I could see the pity in her eyes when she looked down at me, glancing at my cup barely filled with a buck. I stared back up at her, watching as she took a breath and bit her lip, hesitating before she walked my way, dropped 50 cents in the cup, smiled compassionately, and hopped right back to her man. It made me happy that there were still some people with clean hearts and good intentions in the world.

    An hour passed by, and I managed to gather two dollars, which, all in all, wasn't that bad. With people more concerned with their own work and providing for their families, I was happy if I even earned a dollar. That girl's contribution certainly helped. I was just about to leave my spot on a high note and head back to my comfortable cardboard box, but I stopped and was tempted to head in the other direction—to the Expo.

    I wavered over the decision, my legs and heart eagerly leading me to the fair, while my head screamed against it. Who knew what could happen to me there. Are street rats even allowed to visit a festival? How badly would I be treated otherwise?

    Then again, I'd heard so much about it throughout the day, and everybody was excited to go see the inventions Howard Stark had prepared; what harm could it do? I figured the Stark persona would want to boast to everyone about his inventions. A part of me also hoped that I would run into Steve and James, then maybe I could finally have a real friend, maybe even two.

    The Expo wasn't hard to find since it seemed that pretty much every citizen was heading its way, and the brilliant lights coming from the exhibits were a beacon leading me to my destination. The moment I stepped foot on the official ground of the Expo, a giant, metal globe entered my vision. There was a spiral staircase winding around it, so the visitors were able to see it up close, right before their eyes. My gaze was drawn to an enormous vehicular device that flashed above me as it travelled along a track, like a train. I noticed there were kids inside, screaming and laughing with unparalleled joy. I'd seen something similar to the invention before—it was called a roller coaster—I remembered seeing it once as I was passing through Coney Island in Brooklyn. Though the one in front of me was on a whole other level, the cars practically levitated and only connected to the rails with iron clamps that held it in the air.

    I was in the future.

    The Expo was also, inevitably, accompanied by military recruitment and medical checkup booths, both of which made my whole body shiver. Ever since my mother told me about how my father was a young soldier who supposedly died right after my conception, I wanted nothing to do with the military. Patriotism held a little appeal, but I would never want to take anyone's parents away like that. I figured I had nothing to worry about—I was a woman after all—because, unless it was a nursing job or a secretary, working women were seldom found in the Army.