๐˜Ÿ๐˜Ÿ๐˜Ÿ๐˜๐˜๐˜. ๐˜Œ๐˜ด๐˜ค๐˜ข๐˜ฑ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ž๐˜ข๐˜ด ๐˜•๐˜ฆ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜Œ๐˜ข๐˜ด๐˜บ

Chapter 33: Escaping Was Never Easy

"She's strong but she's exhausted." โ€”R.H Sin

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LOCATION: BERLIN, GERMANY

JUNE 23, 2016

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AURORA patiently waited for Bucky to wake up, his metal arm clamped in a huge industrial vice while being half-awake as she felt drowsy. Still wearing Sam's jacket draped around her shoulders to prevent having hypothermia, using her powers to generate some sort of heating cushion to the abandoned warehouse. Gripping onto the necklace as she thought about what Tony said, did her mother find out what she did? Shame washed over like a hurricane, imagining how disappointed she must be. A warm glow appeared for the jewel as if Athena was right beside her, smiling with glistening tears.

Steve was near the entrance, peering through a small gap as a chopper flew overhead. After deciding to destroy Aurora's phone as it was likely being tracked, they purchased an old flip phone from a local shop. Sam glanced over at the male super-soldier as Bucky slowly started to gain consciousness. He called Rogers over to check it out, standing beside each other and observing him lift his head forward with a groggy expression. Trying to feel his left arm until realizing it was on the industrial vice, the flickering light caught his attention at the girl leaning against the wall. Calling out to his old pal, recognizing the figure with just a glance.

"Which Bucky am I talking to?" Steve questioned calmly, his stance was clear that he was still unsure whether to trust him or not. His voice caused the teenager to wake up, stretching tiredly as she stepped forward to Sam and gave the jacket back. It was the most ideal place to rest but it did the job of gaining some awareness now until she eats something again.

"Your mom's name was Sarah... You used to wear newspapers in your shoes." Bucky answered faintly, a small smile threatening to show as Aurora quirked her eyebrows in curiosity. Sam turned to Steve with an unamused glare, even sharing one with the girl who had a surprised one.

"Can't read that in a museum," Steve noted with a firm nod, confirming his statement. Wilson and Hunter for once were on the same page with the profound information, but for different reasons.

"Just like that, we're suppose to be cool?" Sam remarked, arms crossed above his chest as she glanced at him.

"Do you always have trust issues?" Aurora inquired about his sudden apprehensive attitude, thinking that he was just grumpy from what happened.

"Only around those who try to kill me." He retorted with a sneer wanting to show. She took the statement a bit offensive, in a way that he just doesn't know Bucky like Steve or she does.

"Then how are you cool with me? I did try to kill you multiple times." The young Stark insisted, recalling the first and second time she was with HYDRAโ€” not that he'll forget anyway.

"That's different," Sam justified himself, Steve giving a short sigh at the constant bickering between them. However, once Bucky heard what he said, anxiety rose at the sudden revelation of what happened.

"What did I do...? Oh, God, I knew this would happen. Everything HYDRA put inside me is still there. All he had to do was say the goddamn words." Barnes grunted in frustration, gaining the attention of the others as the girl shot a glare at Wilson.

"Who was he?" Rogers intervened while holding onto a serious expression, he needed to find answers and it was now before everything else became dangerous. Aurora briefly met the man before she was under control, curious about why he sought out Bucky specifically as if he was going to gain something in return.

"I don't know...." He muttered faintly, however, this time Aurora doubted his answer. It was a mere coincidence that he knew who Bucky wasโ€” hell, even he knew about her! And no one would know unless it was HYDRA or the world government.

"People are dead. The bombing, the setup. The doctor did all that just to get ten minutes with you. I need you to do better than 'I don't know.' You too Aurora," Steve pointed at them, she couldn't say anything since for once she knew nothing. This was the first time she didn't know anything about the enemy, unsure how to react to the profound emotion.

"She doesn't know... what he wanted to know was about Siberia. Where Iโ€” we were kept. He wanted to know exactly where." Bucky interrupted but Aurora glanced in his direction at the mention of their old home.

"Why would he need to know that?" The blonde super-soldier questioned, Sam just quietly listened intently to what he had to say.

"Because I'm not the only Winter Soldier," He revealed, the young Stark was stunned for a moment. She always thought it was only him from the records she once glanced at years ago unless they were retracted from the database.

"What do you mean? There's more?" Sam voiced in confusion, meanwhile, Aurora had to know everything.

"Five new super-soldiers were made before they discovered the last remaining essence of the Space Stone," Bucky admitted with a brief stare at the girl, remembering that day when the superiors first brought her to test her strength with him. She failed initially but they knew that together they could accomplish something greater.

"Who were they?" Steve looked at him, his biceps were at his chest as he patiently waited for his old friend to continue.

"Their most elite death squad. More kills than anyone in HYDRA history." Barnes explained, faintly recalling the time after he was sent out to assassinate Aurora's grandparents. Feeling her observe him yet he didn't dare to look at the girl since it pained him from taking them away from her.

"They all turn out like you?" Wilson uttered a snarky comment, causing the teenager to roll her eyes and made sure he saw it too. She took that personally as Aurora herself was one and not by choice that she wanted to.

"Worse," The Winter Soldier declared firmly, setting an unnerving feeling in the warehouse.

"The doctor, could he control them?" Steve nodded for his attention, everyone turned to him instantaneously.

"Enough," Bucky insisted, Aurora inhaled a short breath at the thought of him almost controlling them. There was a deactivation code created for her in case she became too powerful, limiting her powers for a whole day.

"Said he wanted to see an empire fall," Rogers repeated the phrase he heard from the man.

"With these guys, he could do it. They speak thirty languages, can hide in plain sight, infiltrate, assassinate, destabilize. They can take a whole country down in one night. You'd never see them coming," He stated as the others shared similar expressions on what to plan next.

"Are you sure you never heard of them, kid? You are one of them," Sam pulled Aurora aside as she shook her head in disagreement.

"This is actually my first time hearing it, Sam. I wasn't even born when that happened," The young Stark confessed seriously, the man sighed as he knew she wasn't lying by the vague look on her face.

"Right, I forget you were still a kid." He muttered as Steve came closer to have a private conversation. Meanwhile, Aurora went to Bucky as she examined his injuries, using her conserved energy to place it inside his body for the upcoming battle. It was inevitable that they would get away without at least someone to stop them.

"I hate lying to them... when will we finally tell them?" Aurora whispered so Sam or Steve wouldn't listen, her guardian knew what she was referring to. The story he said was partially the truth, his eyes wandered to hers as he reached over to cup her chin delicately. She softly smiled into the touch, distraught at the internal conflict she's been pushing away for so long.

"As long as we can," Bucky says, she nodded hesitatingly when the two men returned as if they concluded whatever they needed to say.

"Soโ€” what's the plan?" The teenager abruptly faced them, her face into its normal appearance to avoid some questions. Sam was already heading out to their 'borrowed' getaway car although Aurora would just say taken since it was on some street and left some cash for the owner.

"We're going to need a team, Rory, do you think we can borrow the phone?" Steve announced solemnly, outstretching his hand to retrieve the device as she obeyed the command.

"Who are you calling?" She questioned, the man already inputting some numbers before dialing hoping for the person to pick up.

"A friend," He answered curtly, letting her know to start going to the car for their next location. She went to the industrial vice to slowly release Bucky's metal arm as she had to use her strength to do so. Once that was done, the girl helped him to the vehicle where Sam was sitting on the passenger seat with a displeased expression.

"Any idea where we are going?" Aurora opened the side door on the left, letting Barnes go in first before herself as she looked at Sam.

"Just as much as you do," Wilson stated seriously, they sat there in silence for some time. It was silently awkward between the two men as there was obvious tension, silently looking out at the distance. Eventually, Steve did enter and started to move towards the small streets and then the highway to avoid being found right away. Handing the phone to Sam and started having another conversation, both Bucky and Aurora just leaned back to relax a bit.

"Never had a family road trip before," The girl was the first to strike up the discussion after Sam finished talking. Everyone for some reason stayed quiet as she never really had anything normal, or did any family activities with her.

"We're not," Falcon muttered in his usual stern voice, slowly inclining back in the seat for comfort.

"You know at this point, you're just being annoying on purpose. Alright... let me know when we get there or pass by for some snacks." Aurora remarked, resting her head against the soft seat as she stifled a yawn.

"We will," Steve promised, looking through the front mirror to see her already sleeping as a tiny grin appeared on his lips. The rest of the ride was peaceful, to say the least, Bucky pulled her into his shoulder for some support. There were a few occasions when they did have time to rest, the group stopped by for some food before continuing.

It was until nightfall arrived and they had to find a nearby motel, coming across one as they are still rooms available. Two separate rooms, everyone agreed to bunk for the night as Aurora was going to stay with Bucky. They split up and Steve told them that they'll leave after eight to avoid further delay, heading to get some rest. It wasn't until she couldn't sleep and instead quietly left the room to stroll around the small town for a while. Everywhere she went was eerily quiet which was alright since the girl doesn't get scared often, liking that no one was around in case someone did find her.

It was different from New York, seeing the stunning starry night compared to the carbon in the atmosphere there. Thinking that no one noticed her gone, she took the liberty of using the flip phone in searching for a plane to go to Siberia before the doctor did. The nearest was Leipzig-Halle airport which was about three hours away, saving the coordinates and saw the last phone logs on the device. Understanding it wasn't her business to know why, she just put it away and took some time returning to the room. Once she did come back, Bucky was still where he was as she got herself comfortable before falling back to sleep. Unaware that her guardian was aware of her disappearance.

When the next day finally arrived, she got herself ready with what she had and arrived at the car seeing Sam holding some drinks. He gave her one as she silently thanked him, savoring the sweet taste of the hot chocolate, and sighed happily. The others came shortly after and continued with the journey, this time with the radio on for some soft music. Steve had a callback from the same unknown number as they'll meet at some overpass in an hour. Aurora feebly listened to what the men were talking about since she just droned out the voices and glanced at the other cars. Finally getting there, another car was in front as Steve parked the vehicle and got out first.

"Carter? That's who he said was his friend?" The girl questioned Sam as to why he never explicitly said they knew each other.

"She's the only one we can trust right now," He replied simply, deciding to just look ahead and them. The female blonde went to her trunk and revealed their gear, seeing her familiar stash of weapons and the mirror. Steve took them and put them away in his own car, heading back as Bucky started to adjust himself.

"Can you move your seat up?" Barnes requested Wilson, however, his response was a simple no. Aurora rolled her eyes as she moved closer to the side for him to have some room. Once again they looked forward and tried to guess what they were saying until the pair suddenly leaned in and kissed for a few moments.

"That was unexpected," Hunter spoke on what everyone had on their minds, seeing how Steve looked over and simultaneously gave some large teasing grins. Rogers got back in and tried to avoid the incoming questions, noticing how they for once had similar ideas. His cheeks flushed at the stares he received but continued ignoring them as it was just a kind gesture.

"So... when did that happen?" Sam says first, trying to figure out if he must have missed something. It's not like it was a few days ago before the bombing, nor did he remember anything months prior.

"A few years ago, we were neighbors," He confirmed briefly, the trio said nothing after that but it did confirm something for Aurora. He was always a lonely man so it would only make sense that he longed for some sort of company, just maybe with someone else...?

On the way to the airport, some alerts were coming from the station of the convicted vigilantes that had been missing and to contact the local authorities. Other than that, they got there as the group went through a vacant parking garage, going to one of the higher levels for a better view of their surroundings. Steve parked the old car near a grey van, which Aurora assumed was their ally and slowly got out. The first person she recognized was Clint Barton, heading towards Rogers for a handshake with Wanda not far behind. Both females went forward for a short embrace, glad to receive some help.

"Hey man, you're doing me a favor. Besides, I owe a debt," Barton responded sincerely, his eyes observing further down Sam and then Bucky who stayed by the car awkwardly.

"Thanks for having my back," Steve expressed his gratitude, the archer turned to the teenager with a grin as the last time he saw her she was shorter than him. Still is but now getting closer to him by a few inches, and she continued to resemble Tony.

"Long time no see, Sleeping Beauty." Clint greeted with a teasing smile, pulling the kid in for a short hug. They both had a rather interesting friendship, both master combatants, and shared a sarcastic tone that would often lead to some arguments.

"Been a while, how're the kids?" Aurora asked kindly, apparently ever since her last visit... his kids took a liking to her. He would joke around that she was always so serious, however, it might be that she missed out on a lot of things as a kid.

"Good so far, they've been asking if you'll visit soon," Barton says casually, ruffing her hair gently as she only chuckled before swatting his hand away.

"How about our other recruit?" Steve came forward to him, Clint started to head towards the van as the girl piqued interest in the matter.

"He's rarin' to go. Had to put a little coffee in him, but... he should be good," The archer stated as the door was open wide, startling the man who seemed to be sleeping. Aurora glanced over to Bucky as he just stood there quietly, deciding on being by his side for the time being.

"What timezone is this?" The man squinted his eyes at the gleaming sunlight as if it's been days since he last saw something so bright.

"Come on. Come on," Clint pushed him out, going to sit inside the van as the unknown man seemed to know who Steve was.

"Captain America," He greeted with an amazed look, shaking his hand firmly as he seemed to realize who they were.

"Mr. Lang," Steve addressed him, seeing that he still held onto the hand until Scott noticed and stopped.

"It's an honor. I'm shaking your hand too long. Wow! This is awesome! Captain America," The recruit looked around and saw Wanda and saluted her and the others, he was like a kid that just got the best gift on his birthday. Scott then blurted out nervously, "I know you, too. You're great! Jeez. Ah, look, I wanna say, I know you know a lot of super people, so... thanks for thinking of me."

"What's up, Tic Tac?" Sam called out by the nickname he gave the day he met him. The young Stark was even unsure what was happening, when did Sam ever have time to socialize or make friends? Obviously, she was joking yet pondered about it the more she wanted to know.

"Uh, good to see you. Look, what happened last time when I...." Lang fumbled with his words briefly, stretching his hand for a short handshake.

"It was a great audition, but it'll . . . it'll never happen again." He affirmed yet kept the conversation short, the teenager knitted her eyebrows together at what he meant by that.

"What exactly happened?" The young Stark wondered, looking between the two to connect some clues. One is how did he know another superhero and what made Sam seem displeased with the incident?

"They tell you what we're up against?" Steve proclaimed, curious if Clint might have informed him about the current situation.

"Something about some... psycho-assassins?" Scott answered honestly from what he can recall, his smile never seemed to fade but the two ex-HYDRA agents now were slightly annoyed by the comment.

"That was offensive," Aurora whispered to Bucky who gave a short nod, scoffing under her breath as the girl crossed her arms. She noticed how the man was staring at her with a puzzled manner, seemingly now realizing that he knows her identity. Hopefully, it won't be necessary to kill him.

"We're outside the law on this one. So, if you come with us, you're a wanted man," Rogers disclosed as his lips curved into a straight line.

"Yeah, well, what else is new?" Lang uttered, almost as if this wasn't the first time he did something illegally. The others felt that it was time to make their escape, sending a quick gesture to remind themselves of the potential risks.

"We should get moving," Bucky spoke for the first time since they arrived, Steve glanced over his shoulder to agree with his friend. Aurora was already getting the items out of the trunk, handing them to her friends.

"We got a chopper lined up," Clint told them, looking at Wanda for anything else before starting to head out. Suddenly there was a voice that echoed through the PA, speaking in his native language as the assassins understood every word.

"They're evacuating the airport," The Winter Soldier translated the announcement, Scott looked around to observe how tense they became.

"Stark," Sam answered, nearly sneering at the name but keeping it low profile from the teenager.

"Stark?" The recruit questioned as he knew absolutely nothing of everything, Aurora was almost groaning that her father managed to find them quickly, guess there was only one person who knew about their whereabouts. Sharon Carter. Now it made sense why she never liked her... and it wasn't often she hated someone without reason!

"What now, Steve?" She requested, handing him the shield as he took a moment to think. Tossing the duffel bag to Clint who capture it with ease, seeing his extra arrows and new bow the girl helped make.

"Suit up."

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