Possibility of Tomorrow - 16

Cont...

 Walking all night through what equated to enemy territory to get to an Embassy that would probably arrest them on sight was not Bucky's definition of a nice birthday dinner. At least it wasn't raining. Darling and Ziena had hit it off and were talking quietly together as they walked, looking more like regular teenagers than the little adults they always were. 

The bodyguards were a slight problem though, they stuck out like a sour thumb the way they moved and looked. They were willing to do what the others told them to do to get through the blockade. They had walked right past group after group of sketchy-looking people and made it to the safe side of town at 2 in the morning.

 "There it is." Ziena nodded to a modest building with an iron gate around it.

 "You'll need these." Nat handed one of the bodyguards the phones from the terrorists. 

"Thank you." The unaccented bodyguard nodded.

 "You're welcome. Every little bit helps." Steve nodded. 

"Yeah, but maybe don't leave without a full bodyguard detail next time." Sam suggested, "Teenage rebellion's a killer." 

Ziena laughed a little, "Okay. If there is anything I can do for you in repayment for what you have done, just ask." 

"In the future, I might take you up on that." Darling nodded. 

"You need to go now before people get suspicious." Nat looked at her watch.

 "Thank you all again." The bodyguards turned to go, but Ziena darted back and slammed into Wanda, hugging her.

 "You're really cool," Ziena whispered. 

 Wanda smiled slowly and wrapped her arms around the girl, "Thank you." Wanda looked both ways before lifting Ziena up in the air and floating her back over to her bodyguards. Ziena was grinning like a kid at Christmas.

 "Go." Bucky smiled softly but was firm. They hurried across the street and were accepted into the Embassy. 

"That was not how tonight was supposed to go," Sam said, turning to the others. 

"So, Tony." Nat looked over at Steve. 

Steve sighed, "Tony." 

"Before we do that, what did you find, Wanda?" Darling asked as they began to walk aimlessly in the other direction. 

"They were trying to take Ziena to frame Iran," Wanda explained.

 "That makes sense. I mean, just like that, Israel and Jordan would have a reason to declare war on Iran, and by the time everything came out, the damage would be done." Nat theorized.

 "What I don't get is why they would want to start a nuclear war. War is good for that kind of business, nuclear war, not so much." Darling leaned into Bucky, who put his arm around her. 

"Why's that?" Steve frowned. 

"Because we'd all be dead, doofus. Can't sell anything if you don't have a buyer." Sam rolled his eyes. 

"Then why do they want that?" Wanda asked, linking arms with Nat. 

"All I can think of is that the war is the end goal, but that doesn't explain why they're still setting up bases." Darling waved her hand as she talked.

 "Unless that's exactly the plan." Nat offered. 

Darling tilted her head, "If that's the case, we may be dealing with a whole other group. One who just took on the Ten Rings name but isn't affiliated with their cause in any way."

 "So we're looking at it all wrong. The cause isn't terror; it's nuclear war?" Sam clarified.

 "I mean, maybe?" Darling shrugged. 

"Their home base is in Moscow." Wanda spoke up, "If that helps."

 "It does. Let's hold off on telling Tony. If this is a whole other group, then I don't want to get his anxiety up over nothing." Darling decided, "I'll go to Moscow, see what's what. If there is a concern, I'll tell him."

 "Sounds like a plan." Steve nodded. 

"You know what else sounds like a plan? The 24-hour frozen yogurt place." Bucky nodded to the neon sign across the street. 

Steve laughed, "Seeing as your birthday dinner went down the drain, that's the least we can do."

 They went a bit overboard. But it was good. 

"That is a monstrosity." Sam gaped at Bucky's bowl, which was heaping with chocolate chips, Oreo cookie pieces, and chocolate syrup. 

"Says the man who only got plain." Bucky playfully scowled back, "My birthday, my way." 

"The only way you aren't ending up with diabetes is because of your metabolism." Sam shook his head. 

"Well, it has to come in handy some way." Bucky shrugged, shoveling the sweet treat in.

 "Looks good." Darling came over. 

"Thank you. See? Someone does appreciate my taste." Bucky teased. 

"Who said I was talking to you?" Darling grinned. 

"Oh, okay, I see how it is." Bucky shook his head as Sam laughed. 

"That looks like a food coma." Wanda laughed, coming over. 

"Eh, he'll be fine." Steve shrugged, eating his equally big portion.

 "If you mean us rolling him home, yeah, just peachy." Nat chuckled, joining them.

 "Naw. I say we just make him walk home. That'll take care of it, right?" Darling waved her spoon carelessly. 

Bucky gaped, "Hey!" 

Everyone laughed as they started to walk. And walked and kept walking, back across the city.

 "So I didn't think that part through." Darling sighed, collapsing into a chair when they were back. 

"The fact we almost froze to death because of the cold and eating frozen treats or the fact that if you walk one was across the city, you have to walk back?" Sam deadpanned. 

"Hey, the ice cream thing was not my idea!" Darling pointed out.

 "Oh, right, it was Barnes. You both are trying to kill us." Sam groaned.

 "Not actively." Bucky shook his head.

 "Oh, quit whining, Wilson; you're fine." Nat rolled her eyes.

 Sam groaned incoherently and face planted into his bed. Darling pulled out her phone and began finding flight details. The others went to sleep as she scrolled through her phone. She finally put it away as the sun came up.

 "Did you get a flight?" Bucky whispered, making her jump. 

"Yeah. I thought you were asleep." Darling whispered back, warping a blanket tighter around her.

 "I was. The sunrise is pretty." Bucky hummed, looking out the window from his spot on the floor. 

Darling shifted so she could see too, "Yeah, it is."

 "When's your flight?"

 Darling checked the time, six in the morning, "In five hours." 

Bucky hummed again, watching the sunlight up the world, "Stay safe?" 

Darling smiled as the warm light filled the room, "Always."

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