A/N: Hey guys! I hope you're all doing well. The next chapter is out for you all to enjoy!
On a side note, who's excited for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings? I'm seeing it in two days, and I'm super excited to just go back to a movie theatre for the first time since covid. And for those of you who have seen it, who else LOVED Black Widow?!
Anyway, happy reading!
- Harper E. Pierce
BRIAR:
"The news is loving you guys. Nobody else is. There's been no official call for Banner's arrest, but it's in the air." We were back on the quinjet, heading somewhere safe. After all the damage that happened on the African Coast and Ultron trying to find us, there was no way we could go back to New York now. I texted Bucky to let him know I was okay, but with everything that happened, we couldn't go home. He seemed happy to know I was fine. But I actively avoided telling him about the memory.
It wasn't just me who had their mind fucked with. If I was, I would've gone to Nat. But she was pretty shaken from her own encounter with the witch. Steve, Thor and even Bruce were all manipulated by Wanda's magic. Worst of all, Bruce as the Hulk. That's what most of the damage was caused by and why we couldn't go home.
I was still sitting on the floor, with my arms hugging my knees and staring at the ground like hours ago. Except now I was completely silent, like the rest of us. But my head was louder than ever.
I went with them willingly kept echoing in my head. Why had I repressed that? I repressed so much of it that my mind changed aspects of the memory. What else had I blocked out of my memory? What other horrible things had I done in my past? Part of me didn't want to know, and that part was definitely the one blocking these memories out.
Zola tricked me. He tricked me into thinking he'd actually let Bucky live free. But no. They killed him in front of my eyes... but they didn't really kill him. Bucky was back home in New York. He had been alive all these years. Zola broke the deal, regardless of whatever he said about the man he killed outside the base. I knew now that man wasn't Bucky. The shooter was.
That was the worst part. They used him to trick me. They dangled him in front of my face so obviously, just to take him away seconds later. They used his old uniform and shot a prisoner. And they used him to do it. Like they were getting rid of Bucky Barnes for good and making him their puppet. And they were doing it just to spit in my face. HYDRA had me fooled this whole time.
By the time they released Bucky, it would've been too late. They would've wiped his brain already like they did mine and given him that metal arm. This was Zola's plan the whole time. How could I have been so stupid?
I did it all for nothing. I gave away real information on nuclear bombs. I contributed to the Cold War. I spied on my home for them. I killed for them. And I did it because I believed a lie. They say a hero will sacrifice their most loved one to save the world. And a villain would sacrifice the world to save their most loved one. I couldn't do either. I betrayed both. What did that make me? Purely evil, or just a stupid, naive little girl?
"How's the team?" I came out of my thought-spiral when I heard Maria ask over the phone.
"Everyone's..." Tony sighed, feeling unable to lie, "we took a hit. We'll shake it off,"
"Well for now I'd stay in stealth mode, and stay far away from here."
"So, run and hide?"
"Until we can find Ultron, I don't have a lot else to offer." Maria's tone was grim.
"Neither do we," Tony ended the call and let out a sigh, before walking over to Clint. He and Tony were the only ones who didn't encounter Wanda. The rest of us either sat in silence or paced around the jet, either feeling sorry for ourselves or sick to our stomachs. "Hey, you wanna switch out?"
"I'm good. If you wanna get some kip, now's a good time, cause we're still a few hours out," Clint responded. Where the hell were we going?
"A few hours from where?"
"A safe house." With that, Tony shrugged and started pacing around the room in silence. He wasn't even cracking jokes. He knew the severity of the situation. This wasn't the time.
I wanted to talk to somebody. Although Steve has his mind screwed with, he seemed to be the only one of us who made it out okay. But that wasn't an option right now. Steve barely wanted to talk to me on a good day, other than the odd snarky comment about lying to Bucky or something. He would want to hear it just as much as I would want to talk about it to him right now. There was nothing I could do. In frustration, I put my head back into my knees and wrapped my arms around them. But suddenly, I felt something in the pocket of my cargo pants. Something small and... box like?
A full pack of cigarettes. God, I wanted it right now. I wanted that whole pack. Cigs were the only things that would quiet my thoughts for a least a small period of time. There was no talking about it right now, no shoulder to cry on. Just me alone with my thoughts, and an inability to shut them up. I'd quit for six months now, and gotten rid of almost every cigarette pack I had. But I guess since I hadn't worn my suit in so long, there was still a pack in there. One wouldn't hurt, right?
Making sure I was out of sight from my teammates, I put one in my mouth and lit it. Sucking in that familiar smoke felt amazing. For a second, all memory of Wanda's vision was gone, and I could focus on how good sucking on the butt of that cigarette felt. I missed this.
Just as quickly as I lit up that cigarette, I finished it, and put it out of the wall of the jet. I wanted another one. Without thinking, I lit up another one and put it to my lips. Suddenly, every craving from the last six months was satisfied. If this was the only kind of good in my life right now, I'd take it.
"Hey, do you guys smell that?" Tony's inquired about the tone from across the jet told me he wasn't fucking around. Shit, shit, shit. I quickly put out the cigarette on the wall and shoved the pack and the used cigarettes in my pocket.
"Tony, if you let out a ripper, I swear to god-" Bruce threatened.
"Oh, no. I'd probably ask you guys if you smelled popcorn or something instead." Tony replied, "but I was talking about the ashtray smell that suddenly wafted over here." Steve's head suddenly whipped in my direction.
"I thought you quit!" The blonde accused.
"I did!" I shot back, "I just... it's been a long day, alright?!"
"Give me the cigarettes, Briar," Natasha stuck out her hand, "you quit six months ago, you haven't touched a cigarette until just now. We are not going through this again. Call it a mishap, and give me the cigarettes," her monotonous voice told me she wasn't in the mood to lecture me. Now wasn't the time or place. I huffed, and tossed her the pack and lighter, "thank you."
"I mean come on, Maddie. In the jet? Really-"
"Oh just shut the fuck up, Steve! You have no right to be telling me off anyway," I snapped. I heard a few of them let out a small 'woah.'
"No right? I've known you since you were ten years old! We've been friends since we were kids! Excuse me for trying to be a good one!" Steve retorted.
"Alright, let's just calm down here-"
"Oh, like you've been for the last six months?! The only times you even talk to me are to make snarky comments about my relationship with Bucky!" I cut Thor off and stood up to meet Steve's eyes.
"Because you're acting like you're in a relationship with him while he doesn't even know who you are, Madeline!" He spat. The other members of the team shared a stunned look on their faces. It was rare that Steve snapped like he was right now. "Face it, Maddie. You're not keeping secrets from him because you're trying to help him, you're not telling him because you're scared. You've kept this up for so long now that you don't want to know what's going to happen when he finds out."
"You don't know anything." My voice was laced with venom.
"I know Bucky well enough to know you're hurting him every single time you lie to him."
"For fuck's sakes, guys, stop!" Bruce shouted, the Hulk's voice shining through a little on his shout. I noticed the green travel up his neck through the main artery. That shut me up. The last thing I wanted to deal with on this tiny plane was Doctor Jekyll turning into Hyde. He took a deep breath in before continuing, "Listen, I've had a really long day. I've been shot at, punched, and had a building fall on me today. I'm trying to deal with the possibility of being arrested! I'm tired. I'm goddamn tired. So the last thing I wanna do is hear you two fighting the rest of this trip back to wherever the hell we're going!" I shot Steve a death glare, before turning back to my spot on the floor and sitting down, "thank you."
-
A few hours later, Clint parked the jet somewhere in the Midwest, in a place that looked far away from a town or city. A perfect safehouse. It wasn't Tennessee for sure, the heat wasn't dry enough for it to be. But it was certainly some kind of farm. It looked a lot like Liz's. Nat was leaning on the sharpshooter's shoulder as we walked up to the ranch house.
"What is this place?" Thor asked.
"A safe house?" Tony seemed just as confused as the rest of us. How did Clint know about a safe house SHIELD had that no one else did?
"Let's hope," Clint turned the knob on the handle, and let us all inside. It was quaint, there were a lot of photographs around. For a safe house, SHIELD really outdid themselves. It was the most inconspicuous thing I'd ever seen. But my eyebrows furrowed at the next thing Clint said. "Honey, I'm home."
"Honey?" I muttered under my breath. Suddenly, a woman, who was very pregnant came around the corner and immediately smiled at Clint.
"Hi. Company. Sorry, I didn't call ahead-"
"Hey," she shut him up with a quick kiss to his lips.
"This is an agent of some kind." Tony immediately explained the situation to Thor, who cocked a brow in disbelief. I wasn't buying that either.
"Gentlemen... and Briar, this is Laura." Clint introduced the woman with an arm around her waist. I then noticed the wedding ring on the woman's left hand. I didn't know Clint was married- and with a baby on the way.
"I know all your names," she smiled, but not in awe or admiration. She wasn't stunned by us, as most people were. She came off as friendly and welcoming more than anything. But the rest of us all shared a surprised look when we saw her- you could cut the tension with a knife in the room. But suddenly the focus was on the thumping coming from another room.
"Ooh, incoming," Clint mentioned as two kids, no more than seven and nine ran up and hugged him.
"Dad!" The little girl squealed as who obviously was her father picked her up. The boy ran to his side.
"Hi, sweetheart! Hey, buddy! How're you guys doing?"
"These are... smaller agents." I rolled my eyes at the comment.
"Did you bring Auntie Nat?" Wait, Nat knew all about this?
"Why don't you hug her and find out?" Natasha picked up the little girl as she rushed the redhead. I smiled internally- even after going through hell, she was great with kids.
"Sorry for barging in on you," Steve interrupted the introductions.
"Yeah, we would have called ahead, but we were busy having no idea that you existed," Tony remarked while shooting Clint a glare.
"Yeah, well Fury helped me set this up when I joined. He kept it off SHIELD's files, I'd like to keep it that way. I figured it's a good place to lay low," Clint explained. As the others shifted around uncomfortably, the family continued to settle in, and the kids began to get used to their surroundings. I noticed the little girl staring up at Thor, who didn't seem to know what to do with her. While he suddenly walked off, I knelt down in front of the girl.
"Hello," I offered her a smile, "I'm Briar. What's your name?"
"Lila," she replied shyly, whilst clutching a stuffed toy rabbit.
"And who's this?" I asked.
"Annie," suddenly, her smile began to grow, "I helped mommy make her a dress yesterday, do you like it?" She held up the stuffed animal to show me and allowed me to feel the soft fabric.
"I think Annie looks very pretty in her dress," she smiled.
"Lila? Could you pick up your toys from the kitchen please?" Laura called the little girl from the kitchen.
"I think you best go help your mom, alright?"
"Okay!" the girl skipped off towards the kitchen, letting me stand back up to my normal height, only then noticing I was the only one in the room. The last thing I wanted was to be alone right now with my thoughts, so I decided to head to the kitchen too. Laura was there, preparing food for what looked to be lunch.
"Hey... I figured you might need some help in here- you know, considering we just kinda walked in on you guys," I awkwardly offered help.
"Oh, don't worry about it," she stated, "I've got lunch covered. Besides, you might wanna change out of that suit before you handle any food." I looked down at my somewhat bloodied items. It could certainly use a wash, "I've got clothes you can borrow. They're in the spare room closet, and the bathroom's down the hall. Although I'm pretty sure Steve just hopped in there,"
"Thank you, Laura," I was truly appreciative of her hospitality, "but I insist on at least helping you with dinner."
"You know what, I think I'll take you up on that offer, Briar." With that, I headed upstairs to the spare room to go looking for some clothes while I waited for Steve to get out of the shower.
None of them were really my style, but I did find a plain white t-shirt and mom jeans with brown boots I could use outside. Really, I was looking to keep my mind off that memory. It was taking every ounce of my being not to just curl up in a ball and cry again. And frankly, with what happened on the jet, I was hoping Steve would take the longest shower ever so I didn't have to talk to him.
Slowly, I began stripping from my suit, feeling like I was peeling off a rotten onion layer considering it smelled of blood, sweat and tears. Once it was completely off, I threw on the bathrobe in the room, and sat on the bed, just waiting.
Maybe Wanda's vision was nothing more than a vision? But that wouldn't explain the gaps in my memory concerning that night. Or how specific the vision was. I hadn't talked to the others about what the witch did to them. Thor left and Steve and I were barely talking, so it looked like I was going to have to talk to Nat or Bruce about what they saw... unless Bruce didn't remember what happened. Then, the flashbacks started again.
Why did I fall for it? I should've known not to trust an enemy organization like that. Maybe I hoped they would let Bucky go, rather than believed they would. But that was no reason to join them. I couldn't blame everything I ever did on HYDRA now. People said I couldn't sit there and blame myself, otherwise, I'd just drown in self-hatred. But I was the only one to blame.
I didn't want to go home. I couldn't even look Bucky in the eye now. He'd be furious already that I'd lied to him, but after finding this out? He'd never speak to me again. There was no way I could tell him now. But there was no way I could keep it from him forever. My fate was sealed. It was bad enough that I was going to lose the love of my life, but worst of all, I was going to lose my best friend.
I curled up on the bed and hugged my knees, letting the tears fall again. There was no reconciliation for me. I betrayed my country, I sold out their secrets, killed for the enemy, lied to my best friend, and for the last four years, I had been pretending- no, repressing the fact that it was all me. I thought about jumping off the balcony of the tower. Once that thought crossed my mind, my sobbing only got louder. I couldn't think like that. Fight it, Maddie. Fight it. Remember your techniques- take a step back.
The bathroom door opening from across the hall caught my attention, meaning it would be best if I squeezed in there before someone else did. I gathered the clothes and a towel and headed to the bathroom, which thankfully was still open. Quickly, I jumped in the shower, finally getting the chance to rinse the blood, dirt and sweat from my hair and body. Although it wasn't a long shower, I certainly felt cleaner afterward, but no less disgusted with myself.
I put on the clothes and tied my hair up in a ponytail before heading downstairs. It was only noon, Laura wouldn't need my help yet. So I went outside to help Tony and Steve chop firewood.
"Wow, for once you don't look like you kill people for a living," Tony commented, as he swung the axe at the woodblock.
"Well, then I must be undercover. And that was the most pitiful swing of an axe I've ever seen," I replied, grabbing an axe in the grass nearby and a piece of wood from the giant pile next to Steve. He had only started his pile a bit ago, and the amount of wood in it already tripled Tony's. Steve's silence told me he was still upset about what happened in the jet. Frankly, his silence was a blessing. Hearing his voice would've upset me more.
"I'm a scientist, not a lumberjack," Tony shot back. I rolled my eyes, and swung the axe at a piece of wood, splitting it in half completely, "Thor didn't say where he was going for answers?"
"Sometimes my teammates don't tell me things. I was kind of hoping Thor would be the exception," Steve muttered through grit teeth, chopping at the wood piece in front of him.
"Yeah, give him time. We don't know what the Maximoff kid showed him," Tony suggested.
"'Earth's Mightiest Heroes.' Pulled us apart like cotton candy."
"Seems like you walked away all right," Tony's tone was accusatory as if Steve had something to hide.
"Let it go, Stark," I warned, not wanting to talk about the vision. Tony only shot me a glare.
"Is that a problem?" Steve challenged.
"I don't trust a guy without a dark side. Call me old-fashioned," Tony countered.
"Well let's just say you haven't seen it yet."
"You know Ultron is trying to tear us apart, right?" The billionaire made it obvious that what Ultron was doing was working. I swung my axe even harder at a new piece of wood and added it to my growing pile.
"Well, I guess you'd know. Whether you tell us is a bit of a question," Steve brought down the axe even harder than before. I was getting a little sick of Steve's petty attitude.
"Banner and I were doing research-"
"That would affect the team!"
"That would end the team." I felt my blood boil even more with the increase in Tony's volume. I tried my best to ignore it as much as I could, "Isn't that the mission? Isn't that the 'why' we fight, so we can end the fight, so we get to go home?!" Steve suddenly ripped a log in half with his bare hands. Show off. He stepped forward and faced Tony.
"Every time someone tries to win a war before it starts, innocent people die. Every time." Suddenly, Laura stepped outside. I figured it was to call me inside to help.
"I'm sorry. Mr. Stark, uh, Clint said you wouldn't mind, but, our tractor, it doesn't seem to want to start at all. I thought maybe you might-"
"Yeah, I'll give her a kick," Tony offered, leaving Steve and me to continue chopping the wood, "Don't take from my pile." He joked with the two of us, whose pile of wood was much larger than his. I rolled my eyes and continued the task at hand.
"You seemed pretty messed up after the-"
"Don't." I growled.
"Okay, what is it with you? I'm trying to help you, be a friend to you, and you just shut me down. And yet, you get mad at me for, as you put it, 'ignoring you' the last six months?" Steve wondered incredulously.
"You seriously think I want to talk to you after what happened on the jet? Are you an idiot, or just completely ignorant towards my feelings?!" I shot back, harshly swinging my axe through another piece of wood.
"You're still mad about that?" Steve shook his head. I tossed the axe to the side and took a step towards the blonde.
"No, I'm not mad. I mean, what is there to be mad about, right? My best friend basically called me a coward, because he thinks I'm too scared to tell the person I'm in love with who I really am! And honestly, he's right! He's fucking right! I am damn terrified to tell Bucky the truth! And you wanna know why?" Tears stung my eyes again, for probably the one-hundredth time today. I swallowed the lump in my throat before continuing, "because if I were him, I'd hate me too for the things I've done."
"He's done the same things as you, Maddie! Of all people, he would understand the most-"
"He would if I was forced to do it!" As fast as it came out, I regretted saying it. Well shit, now he knew. Steve's eyes immediately widened. I wanted to say something so bad to cover it up, or at least explain what I meant, but I just wanted to puke when I opened my mouth. I had to get out of there. Immediately, I turned and ran back inside the house, wiping the tears from my face.
"Maddie!" I barely heard Steve call after me as I went straight upstairs and to that empty spare room. I shut the door, and curled up in a ball on the bed, feeling my chest shake with fear. I said it to Steve. Why, of all people, did I tell Steve? Suddenly, the blonde burst through the door, causing me to jump, "for God's sake Madeline, you need to stop running away from your problems every time they scare you." Steve's voice was low, angry almost. He was pacing, a wild look was in those blue eyes. He sucked in a deep breath, "you said Bucky would understand if you were forced to do it. What did you mean?" I sat there frozen, unsure of what to say. My jaw trembled. I didn't want to say it aloud.
"You're never going to forgive me if I tell you-"
"You don't know that!" Steve shouted. His patience was wearing thin. He took another deep breath, before sitting down on the bed with me, "look, I'm sorry. I'm just... frustrated. I'm trying to help you, I really am. But without the whole story, I have no understanding of the situation, or how I can help you. Please, Maddie. I just need you to trust me," he pleaded. My green eyes met his blue ones.
Frankly, I didn't know if I could trust him. How did I know he wouldn't get up and walk away and say he never wanted to speak to me again after I told him everything that the Maximoff kid showed me? I had to take a gamble. There was no way of knowing. If Steve was truly a loyal friend, he'd stick around. But given our more recent history, I didn't know if he was. We hadn't talked like this since before Tennessee over six months ago.
"If you promise to sit down, shut up, and listen to everything I have to say until I'm done saying it, no judgemental comments or anything else, I'll tell you everything." I offered. Steve only nodded. I took a shaky breath in, and out. I pulled my knees even closer to my chest.
"You know how I told you about what happened that night at the military base. How they just took me mercilessly as their new assassin, with no explanation, no reasoning, just because they could?" He nodded, "that's not exactly how it happened..."
From there, I told him everything. From my recognition of Bucky's name and serial number to the deal, all the way to the night they manipulated me into thinking they shot him dead. And through it, he didn't say a word. Not a peep. No judgemental comments, no disgusted facial expressions, nothing. He remained true to his word, despite my confession of all the horrible things I'd done in the name of saving my friend. Once I was done, I took another deep breath.
"When did you find all this out?" He asked, trying to keep his tone as even as possible.
"The Maximoff kid showed me. She busted down the wall that kept these memories locked away."
"For all we know, it could be a trick. A manipulation, or-"
"It's not," I whispered, "I remember it like it was yesterday now that it's back. And now it's replaying like a record. It's real. I remember selling those secrets." I swallowed the dry lump in my throat before continuing, "do you hate me now?" Steve let out a sigh, seeming unsure of what to say. I knew what that meant.
"No," Steve replied, "but I hate what you did." He began, "I'm not going to lie to you. What you did was not only naive but despicable- you willingly sold out your country to an enemy organization." He stated. "But I can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing. From what it sounds like, there was no way out of that where both of you ended up okay. I can't fault you for choosing your best friend over your country,"
"I'm no hero, Steve. I know that. A hero would've chosen to save their country from all-out war, rather than incite it, no matter what it cost," I sighed, "I saw a chance at saving him and I took it, even if it meant I had to betray my home. I wanted him to have the life he always wanted, even if I wasn't in it."
"I don't know what I would've done if I was in that situation," Steve muttered.
"I don't think anyone knows until they're in that situation,"
"I'm sorry, Maddie."
"For what?"
"Doubting your loyalty to Buck," he stated, "clearly, he is where your loyalties lie. No matter where he goes, or what he does, you always want what's best for him."
"Doesn't mean that always gets put into practice though," I mumbled, "I screwed up. Big time. I don't know how I'm going to get back the relationship I have with him,"
"You have to tell him," Steve said, "and it has to be you. If your loyalties truly lie in his best interest, the second we get back from this mission, you're going to tell him."
"I know," I sighed, "and I know it's going to destroy what we have now."
"Maybe." Steve said, "but I know that if you really do care, you're going to do what's right for him. Even if it means you'll lose him." I choked out a small sob and fell into Steve's side.
"I don't wanna lose him," I cried into his shoulder.
"I know," Steve put his arm around me, "I don't want you to either." Steve pulled me closer into his chest, "but I promise, I'll be there for you every step of the way." I looked up at Steve, before pulling him into the biggest bear hug I had in years.
"Thank you, Stevie."
-
\A heavy weight rested on my shoulders since the conversation I had with Steve earlier that day. I knew what I had to do. And it would have to happen the moment I got home. But after talking to him, just a tiny bit felt better about it. Steve's reaction wasn't what I expected, but I was certainly grateful for his support. And I was glad we were able to talk again.
I helped Laura make a chicken casserole that night for the team. She was a great cook; more than anything, I just prepared the food that would go into the delicious dinner we had that night. And I made sure to help her make extra food for leftovers.
The tension from the mission earlier that day began to dissipate, and eventually, we were all able to at least have a few laughs before going back to business. Fury ended up showing up at the house to talk with Tony. Since then, they had been planning our next move on Ultron. After dinner, the plan was to discuss it. Nat and I were sitting at the table with the kids, keeping them entertained while we talked.
"Ultron took you folks out of play to buy himself time. My contacts all say he's building something. The amount of Vibranium he made off with, I don't think it's just one thing," Fury's idea started the conversation.
"What about Ultron himself?" Steve inquired.
"Ah. He's easy to track, he's everywhere. Guy's multiplying faster than a Catholic rabbit. Still doesn't help us get an angle on any of his plans though,"
"He still going after launch codes?" asked Tony.
"Yes, he is, but he's not making any headway."
"I cracked the Pentagon's firewall in high school on a dare." Tony boasted.
"Yeah, I'm sure Elon Musk over there can help us," I added.
"Because of that incident, I contacted our friends at the NEXUS," said Fury.
"NEXUS?" Steve's brow furrowed.
"It's the world internet hub in Oslo, every byte of data flows through there, fastest access on Earth," Bruce explained to a confused Steve. Frankly, I found it annoying how he was stubborn to learn more about today's world. There were things that confused me too, but even I knew what the NEXUS was.
"So what'd they say?" Clint questioned as he helped his wife clean up the dishes.
"He's fixated on the missiles, but the codes are constantly being changed." Fury stated.
"By whom?" Tony wondered.
"Parties unknown,"
"Do we have an ally?" I could tell Natasha was trying to analyze how best to handle the Ultron situation. Using our allies was smart, if we had any.
"Ultron's got an enemy, that's not the same thing. Still, I'd pay folding money to know who it is." Dammit. No allies.
"I might need to visit Oslo, find our 'unknown.'" Tony could definitely crack the system at the NEXUS to try and find out what Ultron's next move would be. The problem was, Ultron travelled through the internet- meaning the second we caught him, he'd noticed.
"Well, this is good times, boss, but I was kind of hoping when I saw you, you'd have more than that." Nat sighed, taking a sip of her coffee. Suddenly, my phone started ringing.
"Sorry guys. It's my niece. I'll shut it off-"
"No, it's okay. Answer it. You've had a hell of a day," said Clint. I nodded and stepped outside on the porch.
"Liz, I'm working. Can this wait?" I snapped.
"Yeah, I can tell. And so can the whole rest of the world. Why didn't you tell me before you released your files?" Her voice was angry.
"Wait, what are you talking about?" I was genuinely confused. What the hell was she so upset about?
"What do you mean, 'what am I talking about?!' I had to explain to the kids why their aunt was on TV today after the stuff about Somalia came out, and you weren't there!"
"Liz, the whole team was on the news. And the footage was shot outside the cargo ship I was on, there's no way the kids would've seen me-"
"I'm not talking about the mission, I'm talking about your files! You said you'd tell me when you planned to release them to the public so I could figure out how to tell the kids!"
"Yeah, I plan on telling you when they release them." I agreed, but my heart started to race. What did she mean about my files?
"Wait, you seriously don't know?"
"Know what, Liz?" I asked, my voice growing worried.
"You're gonna want to turn on the news, Briar." She sighed, sounding just as worried as I was. I dashed back into the living room as quickly as possible and put her on speaker.
"Woah, Maddie, what's going?" Nat asked, but I ignored her.
"Liz, what channel?" I asked as I turned on the TV.
"CNN is two-o-two," she stated. I flipped the TV to that channel, and immediately my eyes widened. I wish it was my reflection that I saw on the screen, but no. It was my picture- from my HYDRA file.
"After the horrific events that happened in Somalia today with the Avengers, yet another shocking discovery has been made. After a data breach today caused by an unknown source, a file was released containing documents belonging to the former terrorist organization, HYDRA," the news lady paused, "it was discovered that the team of heroes has been harbouring a female HYDRA terrorist from the 1940s. Similar to the currently missing Winter Soldier, she is another enhanced person that has been repeatedly cryogenically frozen to be used to commit crimes against humanity. She is around five-foot-six, with long red hair and green eyes. With the Avengers, she is known as the notorious Red Rogue, but her real name is Madeline Briar Baker. If this person is seen, please do not engage as this person is considered extremely dangerous."
She kept talking after that, but honestly, all I could hear was a ringing in my ears. I could only see her mouth moving. My picture, alongside the headline 'The Avengers hide Russian Terrorist' flashed across the screen. My heart dropped into my stomach. Everything was coming crashing down on me now. Everything felt foggy. All I could do was focus on the screen, even after Steve began shaking my shoulders and standing in front of me. He was shouting. Were they trying to get my attention?
That's it. I was so lost in the moment that I didn't realize the last sunset I'd see would come so soon. There was no more hiding behind a cover. No more hiding my actions, or my identity. No more pretending to be an Avenger or saviour. No more pretending to be a SHIELD agent or friend. Or lover. All of my covers were stripped, and I felt like I was completely bare in front of the entire world. But that wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was now, it was without a doubt that Bucky knew everything.