The Story Book

Cont... The instant they were in the air Sam felt alive. He lived to fly, lived for that rush of being able to defy gravity. Looking over he savored the fact he had a wingman today. He'd gotten so used to not having one but today it was a comfort. They moved as one banking and swerving in tandem. Avery had never flown missions with them but she had been the one to teach them how to do fancy yet vital tricks with the wings so she was his equal if not better at flying the wings than he. It didn't take but two seconds for the thrill to vanish with the explosions that welcomed them. They broke formation swerving and dodging missiles, attracting attention as they bore down towards the base. Swooping up they flew up the side of the cliffside by side just out of the sight of the weapons. When they hit the edge of the rock Avery disengaged her wings and somersaulted forward blasting one of the guns, tossed the guard into the rocky sea below, and took off again. "Just...

Cont... The water was freezing and the ocean spray mixed with sideways rain was going straight through their clothes and rubbing their skin raw. Sam almost screamed at the temperature but it stole his breath away. Once he had his balance the rock on which they were standing shifted and rose just enough so that they could see what it was. It was the jet they had flown in on now submerged in water. Avery reached down and opened the top hatch letting a little water come in as she jumped down. The others followed suit. Once they were in the hatch closed cutting off all chances of getting more water in the cabin.  "Hold on!" Max called out. They barely had time to grab anything before the whole jet jerked forward cutting through the water at an amazing speed. They foolishly thought they were out free for a moment before an explosion rocketed the jet. "What was that?" Max called. Avery looked to Sam and Bucky who both shook their heads, "The charges h...

Cont... The halls were winding and guard filled. The farther they went the colder it got. Sam would wager they were going deeper into the rock of the island. He had no idea where they were going but Avery operated by a set of rules three of which were: 1) Always have an exit. 2) Never leave the way you came in. 3) Don't get caught. He trusted her and that meant following her instincts in the freezing darkness. They finally came to a sealed grate and the sound of the ocean crashing destructively told Sam all he needed to know, they were going out by water. He helped Avery pry the grate away and the howling wind rushed in making it even colder if that was possible. "We jump down!" Avery said over the noise of the storm. Steve looked down at the irate foaming sea below, "Do we come out alive after that?" If it had been any other moment Sam would have laughed but they could faintly hear more guards coming. They didn't have the time. Avery smi...

Cont... Jogging down the halls Avery was trusting her senses of direction from the map she'd seen. Steve was doing his best to keep up but had taken a beating. In spite of that, he was doing well and hadn't said a thing about the probably broken rib he had his hand clamped around as they jogged. Avery found the control room and opened the door. The one security guard was out before he hit the floor. Closing the door behind them Steve collapsed into a chair and let out a small groan closing his eyes a moment. "You good?" Avery asked, yanking her hood down, retracting her goggles and pulling down the cloth mask that covers her nose and mouth. Steve grimaced and nodded, "Just get me out of here." Avery turned to the bank of counsels, "Then let's get to work." She made quick work of the firewalls and video cameras. She crashed their frequency jammer and contacted Sam and Bucky, "You're getting a schematics layout now. You...

Cont... A storm to top all storms rolled in tossing the jet around like a rag doll as they made their approach. The upside was the storm would cover their entrance the downside was Bucky was sure he was going to puke. Each creak and shudder of the jet made his anxiety skyrocket. Trying to control his heartbeat he rechecked his rifle and weapons for what felt like the hundredth time. Sam noticed but said nothing letting him regulate his anxiety. "We're almost there. Get ready to drop." Max called as they got closer. They all did final checks of gear before the back hatch opened. Avery had given in and had donned the other set of black wings. "Once we're out get set for our getaway," Avery called to Max. He gave thumbs up and Avery turned to Sam, "Ready?" "When you are." Sam nodded, pulling the hood up. "Alright then," Avery said the flight goggles materializing over her eyes. She jumped out of the jet and before Bu...

Cont... They were finished restocking when a knock came from the door. Sam and Bucky shared a look before Sam called, "Come in." Avery came in quietly, "Almost ready?" "Yeah, we'll be out of your hair soon," Sam said sliding a gun into his holster as Bucky finished stowing a set of knives in his boot, yanking his pant leg over them. Avery frowned, "You're going like this?" "Well the wings are kinda flashy plus they’re impounded per se by Ross so yeah, we're going like this." Sam nodded, pulling on his jacket, "Why?" Avery's frown deepened before she turned and walked out, "Come on." Bucky and Sam shared an I-have-no-clue-what's-going-on look before following her. Past labs and then past empty storage spaces till finally, they came to a door that Avery unlocked. The room was a mess of old stuff, forgotten designs. Avery flipped on the single sad light bulb and moved some of the du...

Cont... Max had offered to let them reload weapons so they were left alone in the armory. The instant Max left Sam dropped into a chair and dropped his head into his hands. Avery's comment had hit him hard and he was still reeling. "That was uncalled for. She's wrong." Bucky said trying to be supportive although knowing nothing of what was going on.  "No." Sam said, pulling his head up to rest on his hands, "She's not wrong. I did know, and it wouldn't have mattered." "What are you saying?" Bucky asked, thrown off with Sam agreeing with Avery.  "We weren't supposed to go up that night, me and Riley. In fact when we asked we were ordered not too. But it was a simple op, one we'd done hundreds of times before and people were getting hurt. No one else could go in but us. So I disobeyed orders and took my wings. I talked Riley into helping me break them out and go up. We took them up and before anyone could g...

Cont... It took a while to explain the situation to Avery and Max both of who were less than thrilled but begrudgingly willing to help. Something about this making them even. Avery took the hard drive and led them to her personal space plugging in the drive and taking five minutes to immobilize it before doing a backtrace and find out exactly what it could do and who could make it. It was a solid ten minutes of her speaking in terms that flew over both Sam and Bucky's heads. It boiled down to it being created for the US government to try and break the internet wall between China and the West. It had backfired massively. It broke through alright, it broke through everything. It had no "off switch" so it just kept going unless you could give it something to "chew on'' long enough to contain it. It was supposed to be locked in a US vault but somehow it had slipped out and fallen into the hands of the enemy. The matter of finding Steve was a little more...

Cont... They touched down in Greece and with Max leading made their way to a cliffside by noon. "Now where?" Bucky asked tugging on his glove not wanting to expose his new arm to the elements for wind and biting saltwater. "Down," Max said simply coming to the side and climbing down. Sam and Bucky shared a look before following. They climbed down till they reached a cave just above the waves of high tide. It was fairly dry as they can in. "Now what?" Bucky defended his gut not liking it one bit. "We're here," Max said moving some stones over in the corner. Sam looked around the cave as Max worked, "It's different than your normal cover." "Well, when the government decides to basically ban people of unique skill sets people have to get creative." Max huffed standing and came over to Sam. There was deep rumbling and the back of the cave began to shift. Max turned suddenly and jabbed his finger into Sam...

Cont... They got off without a hitch and Max had crashed into the couch once they were at a cruising altitude. Sam stared out the window into the dark the dim light of the interior lightning exaggerating his profile that was deep in thought. Bucky leaned forward to get his attention, "Who are we meeting?" There was a long time of silence before Sam looked away from the window and down at his hands, "I joined Pararescue straight out of high school. Jumping from one battlefield to another, Harlem for the Middle East. I got good, I got noticed, I got promoted, I also had the habit of not always following orders. It didn't take long for me to get submitted as a cadet for the new FALCON project they were creating. Over the next year and a half, they trained a handful of us to see which two would get the wings. We met Max first, he had co-created the project so he was the one that taught us how to use it. That was when I met Riley. We were paired as wingmen after ...

Cont... It took a lot of more than slightly illegal actions to get themselves to Brussels in two days. Now they were sitting in another stolen car in the red light district of Brussels sitting in an alley across from a very shady back door to what seemed to be a nightclub. It was more a place that would get you shot than see a celebrity in the line for that club. "Remind me why we're here?" Bucky asked, shifting in his seat to look over at Sam. He had been tight-lipped about where and who he was going to for help. Sam sighed looking at the clock in the car, "I had a life before you knew me, Barnes. My wings aren't exactly standard issue for the Pararescue." Sam looked back out of his car window.  "What is that supposed to mean?" Bucky asked, getting frustrated. Sam didn't respond but straightened as a door behind them opened and a younger man came out, closed the door, tossed his jacket over his shoulder, and started slowly walking ...

Cont... They found a cheap room and food before ditching the car. They were seated on the couch brainstorming. "Why Steve?" Bucky asked. "Why not Steve? The UN wants him alive so they can prosecute him publicly." Sam pointed out. Bucky frowned, shaking his head a little, "No, it wasn't Ross. He's only as powerful as the people allow him to be and the people want Captain America free. No, it wasn't the UN." "What are you thinking?" Sam asked. "They were looking for something, the way they tossed the apartment. They thought Steve took it. They waited till we were gone, they were watching, waiting. Whatever they're after they believe Steve had it. But what?" Bucky explained rubbing his hands together thinking. Sam thought too before jumping up, "Oh!" He darted over to his jacket that he still had from the other apartment and laid it out on the counter before taking his pocket knife and carefully cutt...

Cont... It was dark by the time Sam and Bucky got back, the argument still not resolved but the agreement to try and keep it to a minimum for Steve was. Coming to the apartment Sam unlocked the door and came in as quietly as possible with the creaky floorboards. Bucky followed him into the dark room, "Steve?" There was no response, silence, not even breathing. Without a second thought, he flipped the lights on and Sam gasped. The apartment was trashed. The countertop was crushed, there were broken dishes and shards of shattered lamp all over the floor. The couch and chairs were flipped and some were smashed. "Steve?!" Sam called. Ignoring the mess they both tore the apartment apart looking for Steve.  There were some dents in the walls that looked to be from his shield and there were bullet holes in the drywall. All signs pointed to he had been taken. The rooms had been tossed like someone was looking for something. There was nothing they could do. S...

I had this idea that is a bit different than what I've done so far. My mind kept coming back to Sam.  We see him jump straight to help Steve in WS.  He's a skilled fighter carrying the same burden Steve is. What's the story with that?   Aggravated. Inconvenienced. No, Annoyed. Definitely annoyed. Steve was highly annoyed with Sam and Bucky who hadn't been able to stop bickering with each other since the rest of "team cap" had left. Wanda had left, after a traditional stern, 'be responsible and I'll end him if he's bad' dad talk, for rendezvous with Vision at an undisclosed location for a much-needed vacation. Nat had left yesterday something about red, family, and the old life. And to not expect to be contacted or to be able to contact her until it was over. So Steve had called up Shuri and asked if it was alright to take Bucky on a small vacation of sorts. She had said yes as had the other powers to be and the man himself so now...

Cont... It had been six months since the fall of Shield and one since Sokovia. Bucky would never admit it but he was tired. Of fighting, of leading, of looking for someone who didn't want to be found. Sam was a true angel through it all allowing him to keep Avenging and taking the lead on looking. But they were really out of options. Bucky stared off the wharf as the lights of Coney Island reflected off the dark water. He had contemplated throwing himself in once when he'd come out of the ice. The new world had scared him, the past moving farther and farther away. He'd felt cold then, not just physically but emotionally as well, simply, empty. If he was honest, he felt the same way now, but Steve needed him he couldn't just throw himself into the abyss. So he sat and leaned back looking at both the stars and the lights on the ocean and wondering where his best friend was. "The last time I was here my friend got me sick on the Cyclone." The voice...

Cont... This was it. Bucky could feel it in his bones. As the metal all around him hummed he knew, Steve was here, somewhere, waiting. This was the last carrier, Hydra's last chance to stop him. He'd be here, Bucky knew. He found the main control panel and he found Steve, waiting as expected, to kill him. Only a catwalk separated them now. Bucky had donned the blue coat he'd last worn when they had seen each other. He doubted it would work but he had to try or more than just Helicarriers were going to die today. "People are gonna die Steve. That's never what you wanted." Bucky said watching his best friend's face devoid of the mask and of emotion. A flash of confusion, of hesitation.  "You don't remember, that's okay. But you have to let me make this right. I failed you. I'm not about to do it again." Bucky said coming closer. Confusion now, a look that screamed he was lost. "Will you let me fix this? Let me help you...

Cont... Bucky tried to rest, get ready for what was to come, he just couldn't. Steve. Loving, kind, fearless Steve. The kid that didn't know when to run from a fight or when to back down, the kid that hated bullies with everything in him was a killer.  The best could break Bucky knew that. His own ordeal with Hydra made him wish all the more it had never happened. Hydra had changed his best friend into a weapon. Changed the artist into a killer. The scary thing was that Bucky had almost killed him. He was supposed to protect Steve, no matter what instead he'd almost killed him. Bucky stared absentmindedly at the city from the rundown dam that had been converted into a bunker and allowed himself to fall back into another decade. "We looked for you after. My folks wanted to drive you home." Bucky said walking after his best friend. They were both dressed in their Sunday best for the funeral they had just attended. "Thank you but I needed to be...

Cont... His head was going to kill him. The peaceful silence he was so used to was shattered. The confusion in his mind was just too loud too much. He paused to try and silence the painful thoughts in his head. He had to keep moving, get back to base, back to safety where they could help him. He forced himself to keep going back to the base in the basement of a bank. His feet took him back on autopilot until he was in the safety of the base. The doctors could fix him here, help him like they always did. He closed his eyes and tried to relax as they fixed him up. It didn't help. Instead of finding the solace in silence, he was hit with waves of something he couldn't define, it just hurt. The man. That man from the bridge. He didn't understand but that man was the only thing that made sense. The shocked and pained look hurt to think about but it summoned some feeling deep in the Asset's chest. Then he was remembering and it hurt.   "I got you! Hol...

Cont... James felt slightly guilty dragging Sam into the mess but as they drove across town with Sitwell in the back he was forever grateful for the ex-Paratrooper.  "You'll never make it," Sitwell said for the hundredth time. James glared out the window silently willing the man to be silent. "He's got a point," Natasha said leaning forward, "We're cutting this a little close."  James sighed, just what he needed, Natasha agreeing with the infiltration's right hand. "We'll use him to get into the Helicarriers and bypass the biometric scanners."  "That's insane!" Sitwell sputtered. "Why don't you put a cork in it?" Sam snapped glaring darkly through the rearview mirror. "Okay but think, they probably already know I'm go-" Sitwell was cut off by the crash of glass and a force yanking him out of the broken back car window flinging him out into the oncoming traffic. Oh...

Cont... James wheezed as years of dust and rubble exited his lungs. He shifted Natasha in his arms as he jogged silently back to the hidden truck outside of the Fort. Zola. His skin was still crawling with the sound of the nut job's voice. He had to keep it together now, for Natasha. If he had a panic attack now they'd both end up dead. SHIELD was on their tail and STRIKE took no prisoners. He slid Natasha into the back seat, found an ice pack for her head, and finally flipped into the driver’s seat. He slid the shield off his arm. It was scratched and marred with the weight of a bunker collapsing on them. But it still held through, just like its original wielder. James closed his eyes and for the first time in years thought back without any distraction or alternative thought process, to Steve. The shield was like he could reach out to his friend and summon some of his strength. Until he couldn't. James let out a broken breath that was like a croak because of ...

Cont... If James knew punching Nat would wipe that infuriating smirk off her face he would but it wouldn't so he focused on the road. "Where did the greatest generation man learn how to steal a car?" Natasha ask propping up her feet. "Nazi Germany." James said, remembering how Dum Dum had taught them in the heat of the battle how to hotwire any sort of vehicle, "And get your feet off the dash, we’re borrowing." Natasha gave him a look that could only be described as a 'yes dad' look and took them down. "Can I ask you a question? And you don't have to answer but if you don't I feel like you are..." Natasha rambled. James rolled his eyes, "Spit it out." Natasha wore a goody-two-shoes grin, "Was that your first kiss since 1943?" James sighed which came out more like a groan.  "You don't have to! I'm just curious how much practice you've had." Natasha said, still grinning...

Cont... As it turned out answers were not to be James'. Fury had been serious when he'd said not to trust anyone and after being attacked by his own support team James had no trust left. He'd sadly dumped the Captain uniform since he was sure it was tracking. He'd almost dumped the shield but he couldn't bear to leave it. If he held it tightly and closed his eyes it was almost like his friend was there fighting with him. So he'd dumped it in water and prayed it would fry any tracking device and had hidden it before going back to the hospital. He'd been able to scrounge up money from his pockets for some civilian clothing so that he didn't look odd. Head down away from video cameras, it was only a matter of time until the whole government was man hunting him. He was good, just not that good. He came to a stop in front of the vending machine and his stomach dropped. The bubblegum was empty. Before the panic could set in a loud pop sounded...

Cont... Fury was dead. James still couldn't quite believe it as he watched the Black Widow say goodbye. He'd never seen Natasha like this. She'd been hit hard with this death in a way uncharacteristic of the assassin. Maria Hill came forward and quietly choked back tears. She and Fury had been close and this was not easy. "They need to take the body," Hill said softly, not wanting to disturb Natasha. James nodded stepping forward, "Natasha." She didn't respond; instead, she reached up and rested her hand on Fury's head before spinning on heel and strolling out her steel facade back up.  "Natasha!" James stepped out after her. "Why was Fury in your apartment?" Natasha snapped flipping around to face him. James shrugged, "I don't know." The spy regarded him a moment.  "Serg!" Rumlow called.  James turned to the head of the STRIKE team. "Headquarters wants us back ASAP." Ru...

Cont... It was late when James finally got back to his apartment. Sam and him had spent the day getting to know each other. The man was a stand-up guy and had a wicked sense of humor. James had told stories he hadn't told since his Commando days and they had both just about died laughing tears of happiness rolling down their faces. Sam had had some pretty good ones too. His wingman reminded James a lot of Steve. The day had been good though filled with moments of guilt and sadness it had been a good time.  James still hadn't slept and right now that was all that was on his mind. He'd dumped his gear and showered earlier that day and now his bed though still too soft sounded wonderful. The young nurse smiled as she came out of her apartment next to his holding her laundry, "Evening James." He nodded with a smile, "Evening Sharon." She bumped up her basket and turned to go. "Hey," James didn't know what made him stop her. All ...