The Price We Pay for Family - 10

 

Cont...

AJ wasn't sure how much time had passed, but it was a substantial amount before footsteps came clomping over and the door opened. It was Thing 1 again with a plastic grocery bag, "Put those on and eat." He dropped the bag in, closed the door, and walked away. AJ opened the bag and found two red Pelican jerseys, two sandwiches, and two water bottles.

 "What's going on?" Cass asked, looking at the stuff. 

"I think you're gonna get to go see the Superdome after all. Put that on over your clothes." AJ shoved the smaller of the two jerseys at Cass. 

"They're gonna disguise us as fans. There's a game today." Cass realized, pulling the jersey over his head. 

"Yeah, it'll be hard to keep eyes on everything. Eat quick." AJ shoved one of the sandwiches at Cass.

They both devoured the sandwiches, trying to fill their empty stomachs before splitting the first bottle and saving the other one. About the time they were done, footsteps came back. This time, Thing 1 and Thing 2 were at the door. 

"Get up." Thing 1 snapped, grabbing onto AJ's arm. Thing 2 grabbed Cass, and they began walking towards a different room. Well, the adults walked, AJ and Cass were half dragged. The other room had a van and a garage door, the former of which the boys were thrown into.

 "AJ, what's happening?" Cass whispered. 

"They're moving us, that's all. Watch your head." AJ warned, bonking his own on the hard roof of a heavy-duty cage. 

The cage was bolted down to the van's floor and looked industrial grade. There was barely enough room for AJ and Cass in it, and sitting up was awkward since you had to duck your head. The van started moving, and sunlight filled the van. It allowed AJ a better look at their cage, and what he saw made his blood freeze. The sun hit the cage's metal just right, and the black metal almost glowed gold and purple. Like Uncle Bucky's arm. Vibranium, the strongest metal on earth. Something even the Winter Soldier couldn't break out of. 

"AJ-" Cass was staring at the gleaming metal, also eyes wide. 

"I see it. I know. Don't think about it. It won't come to that." AJ soothed even though he wasn't sure about anything right now.

 "Quiet! Stop talking!" Thing 2 snapped from the driver's seat.

 It was just him and the boys in the van, but AJ and Cass shut up immediately. They didn't say anything until they parked. Thing 2 hadn't gone up or down drastically before parking, so AJ guessed they were parked on the street, probably next to the stadium. It was hours before the game, but crowds were already starting to appear. In an hour or so, they would be crazy. That seemed to be the plan because an hour later, Thing 2 got up and moved to the back seat before opening the top of the cage, "Get out." 

AJ did so and then helped Cass out too. 

"Stay with me, and no one gets hurt, got it?" Thing 2 shifted so they could see his gun. 

Cass pulled behind AJ, who nodded. Thing 2 pulled a Pelicans baseball cap on before putting a hand on Cass's shoulder, "Open the door." 

AJ couldn't just save no with Cass that close to Thing 2, so he pulled the door open, letting the sunlight in. 

"Get out." Thing 2 ordered. AJ hesitated but got out and stepped to the side so that Thing 2 and Cass could get out also. They did, and then Thing 2 had Cass close the door. 

"Alright, boys, let's go." Thing 2 placed his other hand on AJ's shoulder and guided them into the crazy crowd.

 To anyone looking, it looked like an uncle, maybe a father or a friend taking two kids out to the games making sure they didn't get lost. The hands on their shoulders could be read as loving or security against the crowd, but in all reality, it was a threatening gesture. They couldn't make a run for it without endangering the other. They were stuck. 

Thing 2 maneuvered them to a spot where the crowd was thick and then stopped. "Put your hand on your heart and look at it." Thing 2 ordered. Both boys hesitated but did as they were told. 

AJ never remembered feeling such fear as he did right then. There was a red dot on his hand, the kind that came from sniper rifles in the movies. He had a red jersey on so no one could notice the laser dot on his chest. AJ stared at it with pure terror. They had a gun pointed at him. He could die.

"AJ!" Cass whispered, staring down at his hand in horror. 

AJ wanted to say everything would be fine and that nothing was wrong, but nothing about this was fine, and everything was wrong, so he just slowly took Cass's hand and pulled it down from his chest. 

Thing 2 released their shoulders and vanished into the crowd, leaving them standing there. But they couldn't run, not if they wanted to live. The two of them stood perfectly still, clinging to each other without moving an inch staring at each other's heaving chests. 

"Maybe we could ask someone for help?" Cass offered after a moment, breathless from fear. 

"No, we don't want to drag anyone else into this." AJ looked around at all the happy people, the happy, oblivious people. 

"We could-" Cass was spiraling now, frantic. 

"Cass, deep breath." AJ ordered, looking at his panicking younger brother, "Calm down." He made a show of inhaling deep and exhaling deep. 

Cass copied him, swallowing down a sob and scrubbing away his tears, "Sorry."

 "That's okay. If they left us here, so someone will come get us. So we just have to stay put." AJ looked around at all the moving faces, looking for anyone official. Cass kept a tight hold of his hand but did the same. 

After they'd stayed there for about five minutes, Cass spoke again, "AJ," his tone made AJ look over at him, "Do you think they'll really shoot us?"

 AJ swallowed hard. He can't honestly tell his brother no; two black boys gunned down in a crowd of sports fans in New Orleans would make news everywhere, even more so after it came out that Captain America was their Uncle. Maybe that's what these people wanted, to paint Uncle Sam as a failure in his title.

 But before he could answer, a voice caught their attention, "AJ! Cass!" They both turned in time to see Uncle Bucky break through the crowd and pull them both into a tight hug, each of them in one of his arms. AJ had never been more relieved to see someone in his life. 

AJ tucked his head into his Uncle's neck and idly looked down and froze when he saw two red dots on the dark leather of his Uncle's jacket. "Uncle Bucky-" AJ gasps, staring at the dots, which didn't waver even when Cass pulled away, exposing his chest again. 

"I know," his Uncle cut him off with a tone that said he knew what AJ was seeing. AJ pulled back and looked at him. His Uncle looked back at him with a steady, serious look, "I know." 

AJ stared at those steel-blue eyes that had never told him a lie, never hid anything, and always treated him like an adult and wished for once that his Uncle would lie to him, just this once, and say everything would be okay because AJ knew with rapidly growing certainty, everything was as far from fine as it could get. 

Uncle Bucky looked them both over, "Are you okay?" 

"Yeah, we're fine. Is mom here?" Cass asked, now looking around for their mom, danger forgotten.

 "Near. You'll be with her soon." Uncle Bucky ran his hands up and down their backs like he was assuring himself they were both really okay. 

Cass was perfectly fine now that he thought they were safe. AJ was still stuck on the fact that their Uncle, the man he fully expected and secretly wanted to be their future stepdad, had two guns pointed at his back and didn't seem fazed. The rational part of his head told him that his Uncle was the calmest person, most trained too, for this situation, and he had it under control. Then he thought of that heavy-duty cage in the back of the van, and the rational side lost.

  I want the Winter Soldier. The woman had said, AJ recalled mind racing. Uncle Bucky was the Winter Soldier. Uncle Bucky in exchange for them.

 "Uncle Bucky!" AJ gasps again, realizing what his Uncle intended on doing. 

Uncle Bucky wrapped him in a tight hug, just him, not Cass, and whispered in his ear, "I know AJ. I know." 

"You can't!" AJ hissed, tears threatening to spill out.

 "Listen to me. I've never lied to you, and I'm not now. You and Cass are going to be fine. But you need to be strong for just a little while longer for your brother, okay? You'll be home soon." Uncle Bucky whispered calmly. 

AJ took a deep breath and beat back his fear, and memorized what his Uncle smelled like, gunpowder, sea salt, and sun, "Okay." 

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