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“One, two, three…” a chorus of children's voices rang out in English and with a loud crash, the large dead tree fell over. A job that might have taken days was over in a few hours. The timber would frame a home for a newly married couple, the stems and branches made into baskets and carved into tools and toys. Eventually, a new tree would grow here in its place.Bucky and Steve stool back to observe their handiwork. Helping take down that tree pushed their combined contribution to the limit. It was hot and sweaty work but it felt good to have the job done.A young girl walked over to them, carrying a stone jug, and a tray covered with small woven bags of various colors. She gave Bucky the jug and a offered him a small red bag. He didn’t take it, opting to drink his fill of water instead, then passing the jug so Steve could take a drink. She appeared puzzled for a moment. Someone called her name, diverting her attention. Bucky reached down and took two blue bags off her tray instead. Her attention came back to Bucky. Her puzzlement grew more pronounced until she glanced over to Steve who handed back the jug. Comprehension finally sunk in. She walked away, going around to the group, offering everyone who helped with the project water and her small gifts.“It’s a good luck talisman,” Bucky explained to Steve. “From the couple’s families. A thank you, it’s full of herbs, spices, expensive, hard to find stuff. Good for cooking, or you can throw some on your fire and make your house smell nice and if you hang a red one by the door, it can be a signal you’re ready to find a spouse. The blue one means… you’re good with the way things are.”“A nice custom,” Steve said, taking one of the small bags and giving it a sniff. “But if they think you should put yourself on the market means someone somewhere must be interested. Maybe we should say something. Not that I care, but people might start asking questions.”“Let them talk. I can do what I want here and don't have to explain myself,” Bucky said. He wiped the sweat from his forehead. “I try not to be a jackass about it, but it’s no one else's business.”“It’s up to you, but if someone asks me, I'm not going to lie,” Steve said. It was still a point of contention between them. Sam and Natasha knew, but he was their mutual friend and would keep quiet; she was far away in New York, looking after Clint.“Of course you won't. That’s you. I don’t want them thinking things about us that aren’t true and I don’t want to explain why they aren’t true because, to be honest, it doesn’t make a lot of sense. I don’t really understand it myself so I don’t want people asking me questions I can’t answer. Is that so wrong?”“It’s not that difficult…” Steve said. Bucky turned away, watching as the villagers processed the wood from the tree, carefully cutting off the branches and bits of old vines that had grown up around it.“Our work here is done,” Bucky said. He didn’t want to talk about their personal matters so he shut down the conversation. He took the blue bag back from Steve. “I’m going to cool off in the lake. You can stay… if you like. I mean, we’re not joined at the hip or anything.”He walked off toward his home. It was a hot day and the conversation made him flustered but as he neared the lake, it dissipated. Other things took over his mind. It had been several months since their three teammates returned to the States. The last they heard progress on the treaties was going well, but they hadn’t heard about Ms. Pott’s or Clint’s reactions to what had happened. Steve was worried because every message they sent out to their friends came back unanswered. Bruce buried himself in his work, upset about something he wouldn’t talk about and seemed unconcerned about the lack of communication.The water, warmed by the mid-morning sun soothed his tired muscles. His vibranium arm, coated with a special protective alloy, allowed it to shed water. He stayed in for a long time, coming out to dry himself off, go back to the hut, dress in fresh clothes and start lunch. Steve hadn’t returned. Maybe one of the village families had asked them to eat with them, and Steve being Steve, wouldn’t refuse. They had been joined at the hip since he showed up and being apart for a few hours wasn’t the end of the world.He started to hang the spice bags just inside the door but stopped to consider the implications. The small action might send a signal. He was doing his best to convince himself he wasn’t embarrassed about what he was, or his relationship with Steve, but he still hadn’t come to terms with how different he was from the rest of the world. Even though he was comfortable with himself, he didn’t want people to think of him of as a freak and then there was that one unspoken fear-that what they had wouldn't be enough for Steve and he would leave. He pushed those thoughts away. He took the gifts to the kitchen, deciding he would use them for cooking.He ate lunch outside. He wouldn’t wait for Steve, there were plenty of things he could do on his own. He ticked off a list in his head, his eyes going out over the lake as he considered how almost perfect his life was. If it wasn’t for that one thing...Something cut short his moment of contemplation. Footsteps coming from the wrong direction to be Steve. It could be Sam. He often dropped by unannounced, but he was with Thula, off working in some remote part of the kingdom but that didn’t sound like him. As the footsteps grew closer recognition started to sink in. The stride was familiar, but out of place here. He never came here, allowing Bucky his privacy. Turning around he saw him, standing on the small hill above his pavilion, wearing casual clothes. T’Challa, King of Wakanda had come to pay him a visit. Two members of his bodyguard stood back at a respectful distance. Bucky stood up to greet him.The King always spoke first. “Greetings, White Wolf. I apologize for this intrusion,” he said. “I have what might be disturbing news.”“There was no need for you to come yourself,” Buck began but T’Challa held up his hand. At that moment Steve walked out of the forest along the path that led down from the village. He stopped short when he saw the King.“Captain Rogers,” T’Challa said, acknowledging him.“Your Highness,” Steve said politely. “On a walkabout?”“This isn’t a social visit. Something’s wrong, Steve,” Bucky said. “Very very wrong.”“I have a message from Mr. Peter Parker. It seems Agent Romanoff, Colonel Rhodes, and Mr. Stark have all fallen into a coma. It’s been over two weeks. That’s the longest that anyone has been in that state. As they are your close friends, I thought you should know right away. Mr. Parker is a rather excitable young man, with an overactive imagination. Perhaps a word from you might ease his mind.”A silence passed between them.“Does Bruce know?” Steve asked.“Yes, and Sam Wilson. I sent him word as soon as I heard. Any way we can help, with our resources, our doctors, just say the word and they are at your disposal. Once again, forgive me for disturbing you.”“Thank you for telling us,” Steve said.The King turned and walked away with his entourage. They watched them until they disappeared over the top of the hill.“Damn,” Steve said. “Damn.” He wasn't one given to pacing but now he was, down the lake and back up again. “Two weeks. No wonder we haven't heard from them. If Peter hadn't reached out to us, we'd never have known.”“Why them? Why is it taking them so long to wake up?” Bucky asked, catching up with him. Steve shook his head, his mind far away. “Do you remember anything from when you were asleep?”“Vaguely,” Steve replied. He stopped for a moment to stare out over the lake. “It was like one long dream. You were in it, everybody was in it but I don’t remember the details. I heard voices… was I different after I woke up?”“Yes. You remember a lot more things that you shouldn’t remember but I thought that had to do with this blending thing you guys started. Are you going to New York?”“I don't like Peter going through this alone.” He went to the fire circle and sat down. “We’ll have to talk to Sam and Bruce and decide what to do. And what’s with this ‘you’ business? If I go, you’re coming with me. You can leave now, remember?”“Leave Wakanda?” Bucky asked, taking a seat beside him. Their home, the lake, the forest were suddenly more beautiful than they ever had been and all the generous people of the village had become his family. Going back to New York meant going back to the compound. He had pushed that part of him far away but the memories were still there just below the surface, waiting for the right moment to return.“You left twice, remember. Your missions?” Steve persisted.“Missions are different.”“How? How are they different?”“Because… I knew I’d come back here, home at the end. If we leave…”“We’ll come back. I promise, this is our home, but sometimes we have to leave to take care of business. You were part of the team, you accepted that a long time ago. And Tony, Rhodey and Natasha, they’re our friends and while Peter’s just a kid, he’s a powerful kid. He might do something…”“Stupid?” Bucky supplied knowing Steve would be too nice to say it. “I remember what you were doing when you were his age. A lot of stupid stuff, some before the serum and some after.…”“Which is why I don’t think we should leave him on his own. I remember what it was like.”“But can we actually DO anything except stand around and stare at them while they’re sleeping and hold Peter’s hand? I mean, the thing has to run its course.”“It won’t hurt to give the kid a little moral support. This will hit him hard, he really looks up to Tony. And I seem to remember you saying something about wanting to visit Brooklyn again? How about we go check on him and if there’s nothing we can do, we'll just have a little vacation, and then come home? It’s the least we can do. Let’s go talk to Bruce, see if we can communicate with Sam and have a word to your very supportive and long-suffering neighbors about helping you out for a few days.”Steve made a good argument and there was nothing Bucky could say to counter it. To ask him to ignore this would be selfish and the kid could probably use a friendly face. He had been resting here a long time, and maybe it was time to take a trip and face those other demons that he had tried so hard to forget.“As long as we come back home,” he said. “And by home, I mean here.”“We will. I promise, “he said, giving Bucky a loud smack on the cheek, as a way of sealing the deal, not caring about Bucky’s discomfort or who might see them.
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Bucky sat beside Steve in the co-pilot's seat doing his best to stay calm. He couldn’t remember the last time he had taken a trip simply for the sake of taking a trip. Missions were different. Missions had a focus, an end game and while this expedition might be needed, it could hardly be called a mission. Steve joked about making it a working vacation. Going back through his long life, he couldn’t honestly remember ever having gone on one before. Did going on leave when they were in the Army count?Sam responded to their message, but he was with Thula and her team, in the far reaches of the distant mountains. He offered to come back, but they decided what he was doing was important and there was no real emergency. Steve and Bucky could deal with Peter. Bruce said he didn’t want to leave the research at this delicate stage and whatever Steve decided was ok with him. Something else seemed to bother him, but he didn’t want to talk about it so they didn’t push it. Bucky thought it odd that he didn’t seem to express any more concern for Natasha, but maybe that was just his way of dealing with things.They traveled in silence for about a half an hour. Bucky got up and wandered around the jet, walking by the firearms and Steve’s Shield still hanging up the weapons locker. It resurrected memories of all his missions with the team, along with the last one, the one where he took Steve’s place.“I hope we don’t need them,” Steve said. He flipped the switches that put the plane on autopilot and came back to join him. They didn’t worry about him leaving the controls because the plane’s back-up systems had back-up systems. He reached his arms around Bucky’s waist, gently turning him around, and kissed him.Bucky responded but pulled back so he could look him in the eyes. "Really?" Steve laughed. “I might as well take advantage of us being alone in broad daylight and several thousand feet in the air with no one around to ask questions and nothing to distract you.” He kissed him again, harder, pushing him gently against the wall of the plane. Bucky lost his balance and felt himself falling backward, into one of the seats, Steve falling with him. They broke apart laughing. After disentangling themselves, Steve took a seat beside him. “That was fun,” he said. “I was thinking the honeymoon was over.”“I know, it's all me acting weird, about us,” Bucky said, taking took a deep breath. The opposite side of the plane became a lot more interesting. “I know I’m the same person I was before I found out I’m not like everybody else…”“And I shouldn’t push it. Let you take your time.” Somewhere a monitor beeped and the plane shook a little. “I better go see what that’s about. Maybe we can do our own version of the mile high club on the way home.” What the hell was the mile high club? What it was about was bad weather. Steve took control, flying above it and keeping out of its way until they landed at the Avengers Compound during the early evening hours. As they exited the plane, Ms. Potts was waiting by the runway. Steve went forward to greet her, but Bucky held back, staying close to the plane thinking he might need to run back inside for shelter. Intrusive memories of the last time he was here surfaced.“I’m glad you’ve come. Mr. Stark told me everything, even warned me that this might happen. He insisted on staying here through it all, but he told me it should only last for about two days,” she said. "I was about to contact you, but Peter jumped the gun. It’s been nearly three weeks.”Steve said nothing for a moment, standing still with his arms crossed. “What did you think...about what he told you?” he asked.“I admit I didn’t believe him at first, but as time went on, it became clear this was not the Tony Stark I knew, and Agent... Natasha and Colonel Rhodes backed up his story. I can’t tell you exactly when the turning point was, but some serious soul-searching, and after everything that’s happened, I decided he was telling the truth… how about you?” She directed her question to Bucky who had been standing quietly in the background. Her acknowledgement surprised him.“I'm not proud of how I reacted. I was angry. Yelled at him, broke things, but like you, there was a moment, when everything came together and I believed him,” Bucky said. He wasn’t used to interacting with her. She was one of the background characters in his life, darting in and out when she needed to relay important messages to Mr. Stark. To Tony. “Yes,” she said staring past him into nothingness. She shook her head, bringing herself back to the present. "You will want to see him.” She led them upstairs through the compound to a room fitted up like a hospital room. It was familiar. Monitors, beeping sounds, IV’s and Tony, on the bed, but instead of appearing to be sleeping peacefully he was jerking about, his eyes closed tightly as if in pain.“You didn’t act like that,” Bucky said.“The doctors we have here can’t find a cause. He’s not even in a proper coma, just a deep sleep. They can’t wake him up.”“All I know is what I've been told, that he is blending with the new reality. When he wakes up, he might be a new Tony, like what happened with Clint.” Steve said. “It's a lot to take in, but please trust me, this thing we created is a lot better than what we left behind.”Ms. Potts stared long and hard at him. “That's what he told me. I could be angry if I let myself think about it, but the damage you caused to the Consortiums speaks for itself. We tried for so long to bring them down, and you took care of them in one mission. I must thank you, Captain Rogers. That convinced me that you had no ill will toward us.”“What about Peter?” Steve asked.“He was here most of the day, and as it was getting late, I had to send him home. He said something about seeing Doctor Strange.”“According to Natasha, he's been out of contact.”“I know, and that bothers me. Peter will be back tomorrow. I can hardly keep him away. Mr. Stark... Tony... was a mentor to him. You are welcome to spend the night here, Your old quarters are ready. Bucky, I understand if this might be difficult for you, being back considering what happened when you were here last.”Steve turned to give Bucky a quizzical look.“The bomb,” Ms. Potts said, her voice gentle. “It tore apart the conference room. Bucky was the only one hurt, and fortunately or unfortunately, all the damage it did was to his prosthesis. As soon as he was stable, he disappeared. We got word a few days later from T’Challa that he was safe in Wakanda. We've redone everything, but I can take you by the back way…”“No, that’s okay. I’d like to...see it if you don’t mind.” Bucky said. He didn’t want to, but it was best to face this and get it out of the way. He couldn’t avoid it forever.“If you’re sure,” Ms. Potts led them through the familiar hallways, past the offices until the came to the conference room. “I’ll leave you here,” she said, making her withdrawal.Bucky walked in and sat down, stretching his arms out on the table so he could feel the smooth wood beneath his hands. He ran his fingers of his real hand along the edges, “No one knows how they got past the security measures, but they must have had a spy on the inside. That day, we had just finished and I was the only one still sitting here, everyone else had gotten up. Good thing too, or they would have been killed. I don’t know if they wanted to finish me then, or just get me back. The noise, the wall caving in, the windows breaking, my arm getting ripped off in the blast, the pain...I remember it all. It was the second time it had happened, the first time almost took out T’Challa. I realized that just my being here, my very existence had almost gotten everyone, including Steve, killed and I had to get away. I was angry at him, but I still cared. I couldn’t let him get caught in a crossfire meant for me.”Steve sat down beside him, giving the room a good look around. Without a word, he reached out and laid his hand across the back of Bucky’s metal one.“You going to be okay?” He asked.“Yeah, I guess so. Are you? I mean, this probably strange to you, coming back to this place…”“It looks the same as I remember it, some differences. The decorations on the wall are different, and the coffeemaker was over there. That window is a little bigger. This is where we finally decided to...do what we did. I had a lot of self-doubts when we first came here, worrying if it would even work, what the fallout would be, but not anymore. This was the right thing to do.”“I’m glad you came,” Bucky said. He didn’t look at Steve. All he could see was the room exploding and falling into ruin but the feel of Steve’s hand made it a lot less traumatic than it could have been.They left, making their way through the halls to the wing of the building that served as their temporary quarters before and after missions. It was strange because the place was once so full of life was empty; the team scattered around the globe. Their footsteps echoed through the empty halls, reminding Bucky of what he had left behind for Wakanda and what Steve left behind by crossing over. He didn’t want to move back here permanently, but he missed what they had before it all went wrong.“So my room or yours?” Steve asked, with a smile.“How about mine tonight, your’s tomorrow,” Bucky said. After they were settled they both stayed lost in their own thoughts for a long time, saying nothing before Bucky reached for Steve, in need of comfort. Steve instinctively seemed to know what he needed, wrapping his arm around him and pulling him close.“The hours I used to look up at that ceiling and think about Steve, about how to fix him, how to get him back, sometimes I thought it was impossible…”“Even when you were mad at him, you worried about him,” Steve said. “You never gave up.”“Neither did you,” Bucky replied, moving closer to him. It had been a long day and they soon fell asleep.
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Tony was the same the next day, no change. Steve and Bucky waited for Peter but when he proved to be a no-show Ms. Potts made some discrete inquiries. Not at school, not at home, not with his friends. They decided to visit the Sanctum themselves but they left with low expectations. No one else found answers there and the chances of Peter succeeded where the others failed were minuscule. Ms. Potts loaned them a car, but they opted to park it and walk the last few blocks. It had been a while since they had been home.“I’ve been back here twice,” Bucky said as they tried to remember the location of old landmarks. “When I was… the other guy. They prepped me for it, told me about the changes but I didn’t pay too much attention to anything when I got here. They worked on hard on making sure I stayed focused and I did.” His face took on a pensive expression. He was sad about something. Steve wondered if it was about the changes in the city or the missions they had sent him on.“Then there’s me, waking up and running right into Times Square. Real culture shock,” Steve said to change the subject. “Tony… or maybe it was Nick Fury…trying to chase me down. Funny how I can see both there. It’s still a blur. Did you ever go back to the old neighborhood?”“I thought about it, but no, I haven't. I looked at some pictures. It’s changed too much,” Bucky said.“I’ve not either,” Steve said. “But I looked up some of our neighbors. The ones still alive are great-grandparents. It got depressing. I had to… move on.” The two walked in silence for a few blocks, lost in their own thoughts, Steve conscience of the fact there was no one else in the world he could share this with who would understand.“Wonder why Peter didn’t show up this morning?” Bucky asked breaking the silence.“Have no idea. I hope he’s here,” Steve said, glad he had changed the subject. “He and Strange went into space together, so it makes sense he’d come here.”“Wonder what that was like?” Buck mused half to himself. “I never got around to reading Tony’s report.”“Don’t feel bad. I didn’t either. We had other things on our minds,” Steve said. Catching Bucky’s eye and winked at him. He couldn’t swear to it, but he thought Bucky blushed. Steve wanted to put an arm around his shoulder but decided not to. Bucky was still working out a comfort level with public displays of affection, even the ones that looked completely platonic.They arrived at the imposing building. “So do we knock?” Steve wondered. Bucky shrugged his shoulders. Steve raised his hand in the air but the door opened before he touched anything. He pushed it in few inches.“Doctor Strange? It’s Steve Rogers.” He called out announcing himself. “I’m here about…”“Peter Parker,” a familiar voice called out. “Come in.”The door opened the rest of the way, and he walked in, taking a moment to experience the awe of the interior of the room. It looked like a museum. No Doctor Strange, but Wong was there, his hand outstretched. Steve took it, his grip stronger than he expected.“Captain Rogers!” he said, a smile on his face. “It’s good to see you again, and to learn how well things worked out for you,” he said. “Please come in,” he said, motioning to Bucky who had waited outside on the landing. Bucky hesitated a moment then followed Steve. He instinctively jumped into a defense mode when the door shut and locked behind them. “Please don’t let that alarm you,” Wong said calmly. Bucky didn’t relax until Steve’s nod sent the message they were not in danger.“Where have you been? Natasha and Tony…” Steve asked.“Tried to get in touch with me but I was not in, for them. For you, I am. Your melding was not as traumatic. Stark should have stayed in Wakanda, and Natasha, her situation is not something I’m not at liberty to discuss. You and… I’m sorry, but what should I call you? You have so many names and titles,” Wong directed his question toward his companion.“Bucky,” he replied.“Bucky. Good, short, easy to remember. The Sanctum has granted you permission to enter, this welcome did not from me. There are things I can’t tell you. Do you accept that?”“I doubt we could understand it anyway,” Steve said.“How refreshing to deal with someone who accepts limitations. Mr. Stark, he’s a brave man and means well but difficult to work with but we won’t go into that now. I think the others are fighting the meld.”“Fighting it?”“I believe there is much about themselves they do not wish to give up and hard truths about themselves they are unwilling to accept. It seems it was easier for you because you had… stronger motivations.” His eyes flitted over to Bucky for a quick moment before returning to Steve making him wonder how much he knew. “ Or I could be wrong. I must tell you I have not seen Stephen since I came here.”“But Tony said…”“I don’t understand it either. Something else is going on here, something no one has shared with me.”A faint memory pinged in Steve’s brain about other forces at work but it was too distant to bring back.“But that is something to worry about later,” Wong continued. “Our main concern is Peter Parker. He came here, this morning, but he has disappeared.” He said the words as if people disappearing around him was a common occurrence.“Disappeared!” Steve exclaimed.“He came asking questions. I was debating with myself how much I should tell him when a portal opened, the origin unknown to me. A voice I did not recognize called out his name and before I could stop him, he stepped in, because he was curious, one of his best and worst qualities, and then it closed behind This happened minutes before you showed up. I do not believe it to be a coincidence.”“Can you find him?”“I cannot go after him. I must remain here. My duty…”“I understand. Is there any way we can follow him?”“The place, I barely got a glimpse, was unfamiliar. It was not of this earth, not of a realm or dimension with which I am familiar.”“Not of this earth ?” Bucky asked, breaking his silence. “Steve, what has Peter gotten himself into? And what are we getting ourselves into?” As if in answer to his question, the room filled with color. Tiny bits of light sparkled around them. A portal opened, revealing Peter.“Captain Rogers,” he said. His voice was steady.“Are you all right? What happened?” Steve asked.“I’m fine. I’m good. Look, I know this will sound weird, but there are people over here who need our help. They’re good guys. I’m almost positive they’re good guys, of course, you can’t really tell, but I’m pretty sure they are because my senses are calm and they need us to help them and they tried to explain, but it’s a little beyond me but they need you to come over here-”“Are you the real Peter and not some illusion?” Steve asked but mentally checking off that this person was just as chatty as the young man he knew.Peter sighed and looked off into the distance. “I met you, a version of me anyway, met you at the Leipzig Airport in Germany. I stole your shield, Ant-Man got it back for you and you dropped a bridge on me. I told you I was from Queens and I told your friend his metal arm was cool. He won’t know about that… oh… he should come too. They want him…and why you were beating up on Mr. Stark? What did he do to you? Why were you so mad at him?”“That wasn’t you! That was…” Steve said.“I know who he was.” Peter sounded older. Steve took in the ramifications of Peter’s answer. Wherever he was, he had come in contact with his other self.“Steve, I don’t like this,” Bucky whispered.“I don’t either, but Peter is over there and this seems the only way to get him back. What do you think?” Steve directed his question toward Wong.The Sorcerer stared hard at the portal and the sight of Peter. “I cannot advise you Captain Rogers but I sense no deception. I know nothing about this, where it is coming from. There are many mysteries in the cosmos, things that even we cannot explain. This is one of them. I cannot tell you what to do, but it seems there are forces guiding our actions are beyond my understanding. Perhaps we should see this through. The only option is to wait here until Stephen returns and watch your friends as they go through their struggle. Perhaps this might shorten their suffering.”“I don’t know,” Steve said. This could all be an elaborate trick but even if it was, someone needed to look for Peter.“If I go, you don’t have to come with me,” he said to Bucky.“They’ll want both of you,” Peter said. “The ride is scary at first, it’s like a light tunnel. It’s a little different from Thor’s Bifrost thing but it’s quick…”“Tony would never forgive me if I didn’t at least try. He shouldn’t be alone over there. I’ve already been through that light tunnel once, I know what to expect.”“We still don’t know that‘s him,” Bucky said, lowering his voice. “I don’t want to think about it, but they could have done something with him and are using this to lure us over there.”“Why?” Steve asked. Bucky just shook his head.“Guys, they can’t hold this open much longer. If you’re coming, do it now, and if you don’t…”Steve decided. He couldn’t take the chance of Peter being lost somewhere in the Universe. “I’m going. I have to. You understand?”Bucky nodded and stepped up beside him. Steve took his hand and for once, Bucky didn’t pull away.“You ready?” he asked. Bucky nodded again and together they stepped into the unknown side by side.
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The trip through the tunnel of light was different this time. No circles, no memories merging back and forth, just a long straight shot. Steve didn’t know where he got the idea but he knew this was about distance, not time, not reality.They came to a full stop. He felt Bucky snatching his hand away. They landed in a large room, with a high ceiling, the walls a curious color of golden brown. The color of leaves in autumn. There was no obvious source of light, but somewhere something was glowing, casting light but making no shadows, causing it to be light and dark at the same time. Something was familiar about it, something Steve couldn’t place. Peter was alone.“Captain, you made it! Are you feeling ok? I mean it’s a little weird at first but I wouldn’t mind doing it again, now I that I know you can live through it! So Bucky, you ok?” He asked. Steve thought Peter would start bouncing around with excitement.Bucky was on his knees, staring at the floor. This was his first experience of traveling through time and space. Steve on one side, Peter the other, helped him up. Peter held onto the metal arm for longer than necessary, staring at it. Looking up, he saw Bucky’s intense stare so he let go.“I’m sorry. I’ve not seen your new one up close before. It’s awesome!”“Thanks,” Bucky said, his face softening. “So where are we and why are we here?” He didn’t wait for an answer but walked around the room, feeling the walls, staring up at the high ceiling. “There’s some kind of environmental controls. Here’s a vent.” He knelt down to examine it and put his ear up against it. “There don’t seem to be any doors.”“This is just a holding area. You, we... we're all kind of dangerous. They asked me to come first because I’m young and they thought a young person would be less threatening…” Peter said, getting ahead of himself, as usual.“How did you know about...where I first met Peter Parker?” Steve asked.“They showed me. It was like a window into another world. It was cool. They said that was the only way to convince you that I was real because you would remember it. Or they hoped you would remember it because you went into that coma, like Mr. Stark which is why I went to see Doctor Strange but he wasn’t there…”“Peter, slow down.”“Sorry. So why were you fighting Mr. Stark? And Bucky looked really rough...why…”“I don’t want to talk about that right now,” Steve said, making his voice sound as authoritarian as he could without snapping, his tone distracting Bucky from his reconnaissance. The thought of looking into his other life set him on edge. He’d done his best to bury it and he didn’t like the idea that someone could bring it up again.Steve's tone subdued Peter for a moment. “I guess all that’s gone now, huh? Mr. Stark told me about it, or as much as he could before he went to sleep. Awesome story! I couldn’t believe it but…” Steve held up a hand, something that Peter apparently accepted as a signal for him to focus “Anyway, I went looking for Doctor Strange and I could swear I heard his voice and followed it...and I met these guys. They hoped that would convince you it was safe to come here. I guess it worked. They asked you two to come because you’re the next step, both of you.”“Process? What process?”“Ok, I’m going to show you something, but please don’t freak out. It looks worse than what it is.”With his words, a dark corner of the room became lighter to expose Bruce, Wanda, and T’Challa standing absolutely still.“They’re in a kind of suspended animation,” Parker said as they walked over to them. “They didn’t know how they would react so they need you, Cap, to talk to Doctor Banner and Agent Maximoff so they won’t, you know, do their thing, you know, calm them down. And if you,” he said, directing his attention to Bucky, “if you could do the same with T’Challa, he would listen to you, that would be great. Then they’ll, the guys who brought us here will tell you everything you need to know!’“It sounds like they, whoever they are, have been planning this for a while if they know this much about us,” Bucky said.“Well, they have, and they haven’t. Just the basics, but they’re not bad people. Honest, they’re not!”As if by magic Bruce Banner blinked and looked around. “Steve,” he said with the voice of someone who had just woke up. “I heard someone call my name. Bucky, Parker, what are you doing here? What is this place? Where...did we reality jump again? They didn’t send us back did they?” The uncertainty in Banner’s eyes was familiar.“No, nothing like that. We’ve been taken on a trip, apparently by friendly aliens. We don’t know why but right now, you need to stay calm. Is that clear?” Steve spoke the word slowly and deliberately as if speaking to a child.“Friendly aliens? Who the hell do they think they are, snatching us like that...” he said as he paced around the room. The clenched fist was a bad sign.“I don’t know, Bruce, what I know is they brought me here first specifically to talk to you, so I could let you know so far, nothing’s happened. You’ve got to stay calm...”Banner unclenched his fist and took a deep breath. He looked around the room and then at his companions. “Spent two years on a different planet, Thanos, merging realities and now this? When’s it going to end?” No one moved. Steve was half afraid Parker’s mouth would start up again but for once the young man kept silent. After several long minutes of obvious internal struggle, Bruce finally spoke. “I’ll be ok. You can relax. I’ll be ok, Steve.”At his words, a long sigh came from Wanda and she immediately put up her hands.“Wanda, no!” Steve’s long strides took him to her side before she could do anything. “I don’t know where we are or why they brought us here, but we’re not in any immediate danger. Peter here assures us that the people who brought us here have no ill intentions,” he said.Wanda stared at him and then at Peter. She raised one finger, and a spark came out of it, entering the young man. He stood still for a moment and then the spark returned to her hand.“That was weird!” He exclaimed. “I didn’t know you could do that!”“Forgive me,” she said. “I had to assure myself that he was real. He is, and as far as he knows, they have told him the truth but I could not see everything. Something is being withheld...”“White Wolf! What has happened?” T’Challa came alive. He stared around the room and almost went into one of his catlike attack poses. Bucky was beside him in an instant.“I’m not really sure. I just took the same weird trip you did, but whoever brought us here could have killed us long before now if they wanted to. Peter tells us they need our help and, according to Wanda, he’s telling the truth,” Bucky said. T’Challa said nothing for a moment. He relaxed, then stood there and stared at Bucky.“I’m not averse to giving help when needed, but I wish they had asked first,” T’Challa said. Steve thought he was being amazingly calm about it.“Forgive us,” A feminine voice came from a dark corner. The whole room flooded with light and everyone except Peter took on their own unique defense posture. “It was impossible for us to ask first, as we could not travel to you. If we could have done this by some other method, we would have. This was the only way.” The speaker wore a long white dress with a large gold belt. A long dark braid hung over her right shoulder. She appeared human. Behind her was a man, gold hair, who wore a white tunic of the same material with a smaller gold belt, reminding Steve of pictures he had seen of ancient Greece. They were a handsome couple. Wanda relaxed and the rest of the group followed her lead.“Your young friend has been most...helpful,” she continued. “We are not in the habit of kidnapping people but this was the only path we could take. I am speaking through a translator implant so forgive me if my answers do not come as... as they should. It is still learning.” Her voice had a slight hesitating pattern to it, similar to people who had suffered minor brain injuries. “I believe my name, in your common language, would be Regina.”“Regina, Queen,” Bruce said. Steve hoped to hell Bruce speaking out like that wasn’t some kind of cultural no-no but Regina took no offense.“You are correct, and this is Regulus.”“Regulus. Prince. Son of the King.” Bruce added.“Yes, He is the son of the Ruler of a nearby realm and someday that will be his kingdom but until then he is my... Prince Consort.” The man nodded to them. “Who speaks for you?” She asked. “I know you have a King among you.”Steve wanted to ask how she knew that but decided now was not the time to question their captors. He and T’Challa exchanged glances.“I do not speak for your people,” T’Challa said.Steve turned back to Regina. “I guess I do,” he said.“First, you are asking, why of all the people on your world? Why this group? You were the only ones strong enough to make the journey. Some of you have already made similar excursions.”“We were strong enough to make the journey because we are all enhanced,” Wanda said. Everyone else in the group glanced around at their companions as if at that moment they realized what they had in common. Wanda moved closer to the Queen, her eyes focused hard on her. “You are not what you seem.” Her voice was almost accusatory.“You are correct. What you see before you is not our... true image. This is an illusion. We wished to present ourselves as something familiar to you. Perhaps, in time you will see us as we are.”“The people we left behind...” Steve began. “They’ll worry about us...look for us…”“As you saw, we can... put people in a state of... suspended animation. We were able... to do that to your world. Time is standing still for them. They will not suffer from your absence.” Regina moved closer to them, Regulus following close behind. ‘As long as we are able to control the passages, they will come to no harm. I cannot translate the name of our system to you. It is... Sacred? Sanctioned,” she appeared to be fumbling for words.“A place set apart,” supplied T’Challa."Yes, that’s it. A pace set apart. Sanctuary. Generations ago a plague-infested our system, so we are quarantined. No one can come here, but we have a window on the world."“You can see out,” Bruce said. “You can’t leave, but you can bring people here.”“Yes, and it was difficult. We knew the journey would be strenuous. Had we not found you, your kind, we might have given up hope of ever reaching anyone who could help us. After years of fruitless research, our scientists and.. wise women... were close, very close to ending the plague and then some of them, were gone. Vanished. We searched for an answer out there and saw a great disturbance. Before our eyes, we saw it happen. It must have been what took them. Then we saw another upheaval undoing the first, but it did not reach here. We searched again until we found the... origin point. Your world. We have brought you here to ask, that whatever you did, however, you brought your people back, to do it here. Bring our people back and end our suffering and our isolation.”A heavy silence fell on the group.“What you are asking, is impossible. I wish we could help, I honestly do, but we did nothing,” Steve said.“You mean this was... natural?” Regulus asked, speaking for the first time.“No, I mean, it was the work of Sorcerers,” Steve replied. “Magic.”“Wizards?” He asked, his voice full of incredulity.“Yeah, Mr. Stark told me. Wong and Doctor Strange, sorcerers. Wong did something that fixed things,” Peter spoke up. He acted as if he would continue, but Steve held up a hand, stopping him.Regina let out a loud cry and turned away from the group. Regulus put a hand on her shoulder. Steve recognized the look on his face. This was the look of a man used to being able to handle any situation only to discover something out of his control.“This is distressing news, but I can tell you are being honest,” he said, still trying to comfort Regina. “There have are no wizards here. No sorcerers. They used to be among us but, they left us, a long time ago. They are gone.”
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The light lowered for a moment, then returned to brightness when she turned back to face them. Her face showed every sign of being in real distress. Bucky had been on edge the whole time. Even though the room appeared empty, his eyes shifted constantly around the room, pausing at every dark corner out of sheer habit.“You brought us from a Sanctum. A sorcerer, our friend Wong lives there,” Steve said. “You didn’t know?”“He was weak. We could not bring him here. I doubt you would wish to put your friend is such danger.” Regina paced. The dignified woman’s behavior was becoming more undignified by the moment. Bucky suspected if she were alone she would cry.“He won’t leave the Sanctum,” Steve said. “He has to protect our world. He told us the Blending was a one-time thing. Time and the cosmos had to align just right. He also told us he believed higher forces were at work, using us for their own ends. Even if you could bring him here, I don’t think it would do any good. I’m sorry. If we could help you, we would.”“After all our hard work, after everything we’ve done, I refuse to give up,” she said, more to Regulus, her voice full of frustration. “There must be a way…”“We promised no force, no unnecessary risk.” His voice was low but Bucky heard it. Steve caught his eye, revealing he did too.“But this is about our survival as a people. We can’t have come so far and not… what will the Council say? They were against this from the beginning and now…”They had a Council. People they answered to unless this whole thing was a charade put on for their benefit. Bucky mentally ticked off the way the Consortiums used to operate. False backstories was a classic.“There might be a way…” Bruce stepped forward. He appeared a little hesitant. “This is a long shot, but we might have something, maybe…” he looked to Steve as if for permission. Steve nodded.“I’m willing to listen to anything. How can you help us if not by magic?” Regina asked.“Before we told T’Challa what happened, he had his people investigating the phenomenon we call the Blending. I was working with them, monitoring them, curious about what they would find out and they were close… I mean, the laws of physics should be the same here shouldn’t they?”“Go on,” Regulus said.“You said you could not leave, but can we? Can you send T’Challa and me back? We can gather our research, bring it here and share it with your people. Theoretically, maybe... we could reverse engineer something. Maybe develop a working non-magical theory of how it all happened. It will be better than nothing.”Regina’s face lit up, literally. The room grew a little brighter. “It is a faint hope, but I accept your offer. We cannot leave. The quarantine binds us to this place but you are free. You are strong enough to travel there and back. I must take this proposal to the Council. We will return.” The lights lowered, then came back up. Regina and Regulus had vanished from the room.Bucky kept his eyes trained to the empty room around them, ready to respond to any sudden movement. “Do you think they’re watching us?” he asked. “Can they hear us?”“It seems they have been observing us for some time,” T’Challa said. “We apparently have few secrets from them.” Bucky flushed at the idea, wondering how much they had seen.“They’ve only been able to do it bursts. Mostly to grab what information they thought they needed. Or that’s what they told me at least. It’s not like they were following us to the bathroom or anything,” Parker said. “They were looking for people… like us and when I told them Cap and Doctor Banner were part of the original group, they were really excited about it. They honestly thought we could help. I didn’t know they didn’t have any wizards.” His fingers flicked to his wrist and a long string of webbing appeared which he threw upward. He pulled himself and did a quick survey, crawling around above them, holding his ear to the ceiling. He flipped himself back down to ground level. “Nothing up there but vents. They have to have some kind of environmental controls somewhere.”Small sparks escaped from Wanda’s fingers, exploring the walls. “We are alone. I can find no evidence of any security devices or the source for the light. There is something curious about this place,” she said. “Everything, the floor, the walls, even though they give off an illusion of a normal room, are of the same material as if someone carved it out of stone. I’ve seen nothing else like it. This place, whatever it is, is very secure.”“Something about it looks familiar, but I can’t place it,” Steve said. “And there is something else, at the edge of my memory that’s trying to break through.”“Which is unusual, considering you and I can remember just about everything,” Bucky said. “They found out enough about us to know what we need to stay alive. They can provide oxygen, that is, if they don’t already use it themselves. They are keeping us in here for a reason. Either don’t want us to leave because it would be dangerous for us out there…”“Or could it be their true form is really ugly? Maybe they all look like bugs or something… and they didn’t want to scare us,” Peter supplied. “Or maybe this is like a big lab, like Mr. Stark’s and they are just holograms or…”"Or perhaps we appear hideous to them,” T’Challa said, allowing a small smile to escape. “And they did not wish to frighten their own people. Or this is a means to protect us from that plague. Curious that the blending did not reach here. Are they so isolated to the point something protected them from Thanos’ machinations? I wonder why they cannot leave, but we can? Is it because they themselves are, weak?""I remember someone else telling me the same thing Wong did, that there are higher forces at work here, who allowed the blending to happen," Steve said. "I wonder if the two things are connected.."“Who told you that?” Bruce asked.“It came to me in a dream when I was in that coma, but…” Steve bit his lip and closed his eyes. He was struggling to remember, to concentrate. It was rare for anyone to see him like this. His face relaxed as he shrugged his shoulders. “I’m sorry, that’s all I have.” He walked over to the place where Regina and Regulus had been standing. “I think we should see this through. Help them. To stand in the way of this might lead to other problems but at the same time, stay skeptical.”“If they're telling the truth, we can give them a start,” Bruce said. “And maybe, in the meantime, learn more about them,” Bruce said, sounding almost eager. Ever the scientist. "We seem to have little choice in the matter,” Wanda said. “The sooner we help them, the sooner we can return. I wish I could examine them more closely, find out more about how their illusions work, but it is risky. We don't know their defenses."“I’m not sensing any danger,” Peter proclaimed. “I haven’t since I came here. I believe them.”“What about you Bucky?” Steve asked. “What’s your assessment?” The whole group turned their attention toward him.“You know me, I have major trust issues,” he said, allowing himself to smile to break the tension. “If this is a deception, if they have some kind of ulterior motive, then it's one of the most elaborate ones I’ve ever seen or been a part of. This took time. All of this wasn’t just dreamed up on a moment’s notice.” “This may all be smoke and mirrors,” T’Challa said.“But why?” Bucky asked. “What do we have they could want? Do they want to get their hands on your research?”“There would be no need for this masquerade,” T’Challa said. “If they have been spying on us, they would know that all they would have to do is ask. But I believe Regina’s distress was real. I recognized the burden of having to protect a kingdom. I have traveled on the astral plane and seen gods and monsters fall from the sky. I have seen the dead return, in a manner of speaking. After all of that, in this place, does not seem such a fantastical idea. I agree with Captain Rogers. We are here at their mercy and alive by their good favor. We should see this through.”The group went silent.Steve rubbed his hands through his hair and let out a long sigh. He stared out into the soft nothingness of the room for a few moments, then singled out T’Challa and whispered something in his ear. T’Challa pulled back, slightly surprised and nodded. That sparked an idea in Bucky’s mind. He didn’t like being alone here, defenseless against these people. As soon as Steve left him, he cornered the man himself.“Shuri programmed my arm with certain enhancements…” he kept his voice low.“Yes, and she disabled them,” he said whispered back, keeping his eyes on the rest of the group.“Would it be possible for you to enable them again?” Bucky asked. T’Challa drew back, a question on his face. “Not to hurt anyone, I don’t want to kill anybody, just… shock them, like a taser.”“A taser? We know nothing about these people. Such a weapon might not faze them and those applications involved training…”“I get that. I would feel better if we had at least one weapon. We’re all capable of defending ourselves, but…”A smile followed T‘Challa’s sigh. “Once a soldier, always a soldier. Very well, You ask for little and I owe you everything. If they let us go, I’ll bring back what we need. We’ll tell them it’s needed for maintenance for your arm.”“Thank you,” Bucky said. The room darkened then; then glowed again, and they were there. That was fast! “The Council has agreed to the two of you returning but it must be quick. Gather only what you need and return. The rest of you could return with him if you wish, but you will live in a state of suspended animation.”“You mean frozen?” Bucky asked bluntly. He and Steve exchanged a glance. The programming was out of his head, but the memories remained. “If it’s ok with you, I’ll pass on that. Not a fan.” He didn’t want to go to sleep and maybe wake up a hundred years older, again.“Neither am I,” Steve said. “I’ll stay. The rest of you are free to go or stay.”“Can we see them?” Peter asked. “The people still there?”Regina and Regulus exchanged a glance. “I don’t see what harm that would do and it perhaps it would prove to you we are true to your word. We went to great care to not interfere with your timeline,” he said.She waved her arms in a circle and a portal appeared before them. An image of Tony, in his bed with the monitors, Pepper Potts by his side. The image changed to Peter’s Aunt May, standing motionless by a window, then to a sleeping Natasha, a worried-looking Clint at her bedside, the hand of an unseen woman on his shoulder. Bruce took a step forward at the image of the two, his hands clenched. It was obvious the image disturbed him.“I should be there,” he said to himself, his voice low, but Bucky heard him. “I should have gone back with her.”The scene switched to Rhodey, sleeping in what appeared to be a military hospital, a doctor at his side. Then it dissolved and became Shuri standing still in her lab, talking with Vision, a shot of Sam and Thula, on a hillside overlooking an African plane and finally to Bucky’s neighbors, frozen in time during their evening meal. The scene returned to Shuri’s lab.Wanda took a step toward the portal, reaching out her hand as if to touch it but she pulled back. “I would like to remain alert, aware, so I can watch over Viz, even if only from a distance,” she said.“I feel the same way about Aunt May, and Mr. Stark and the rest of them,” Peter said.“I cannot fall into such a state and leave my people unwatched,” T’Challa said.“Then we agree,” Steve said. “We stay.”“Very well. We will take care of your needs. The sooner we can process this information, the sooner you can return home.”Regina turned her attention to Bruce and T’Challa. “It will disorient you, traveling back again and seeing what you will see but you must be quick. Bring back only what you need. Go,” She nodded toward T’Challa and Bruce who exchanged a quick mutual look. They walked through, disappearing along with the portal. The light lowered, and Regina and Regulus once again faded into the darkness.“So I will ask the unasked question,” Bucky said. “That portal. Is that what Doctor Strange’s portals looked like?” he asked Peter.“Yes… they did…” Peter answered. His skewed his face up as if he were just considering this for the first time.“So, how did they know how to do that if they have no wizards?”
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The group fell silent as they contemplated Bucky’s question.“When I got here, I was sort of overwhelmed by everything and…” Peter said. “But yeah, it's kind of weird. It looks the same. Did they lie about the wizards?”“Maybe that’s not the same thing,” Steve said. “Maybe they just look similar. Science can be indistinguishable from magic.”“Why are you so hell-bent on believing these people?” Bucky asked. “Is it because you want to justify us coming here?”Steve gave him a hard look. “They had Peter. I couldn‘t take the chance that they…” he began, but the room went dark. When the lights returned instead of seeing their benevolent captors, a door appeared on one side of the wall.“Whoa!” Peter said. “That’s new!”Wanda sent one of her red sparks through it, making it open. On the other side was a well-lit, white hallway, revealing five more doors. She entered the hallway as the unofficial discretionary scout, opened one, her other hand upraised ready to use, just in case. She appeared surprised. “It's a room....”They followed her in as a group. A bed, a table, a bureau, another small door. Steve opened that one, revealing a small bathroom with a shower He turned on the tap and water flowed out. Touching a drop to his lips, he nodded to the others.“It is what it looks like. Would guess that these are our quarters,” he said. “They appear to be comfortable enough.”“How did they do that?” Peter asked.Bucky and Wanda explored the walls, searching for anything out of the ordinary. “All one material as the rest of the building.” She opened one drawer pulling out what looked like a generic black t-shirt with matching slacks. “Unisex, but serviceable.”“I wonder if they will magically just sort of fit us?” Peter asked.“Magic is the word,” Bucky said.“Or science we don’t understand,” Steve said. “When I woke up from my deep freeze, Times Square looked like… pure magic.”“What will they feed us?” Peter asked. He was doing his own snooping, opening another drawer.“I’m sure they have that covered,” Steve said. “They understand we need air and water, and we've got that.”“How long do they intend to keep us here?” Bucky asked. He took the t-shirt from Wanda holding it up against the light. “The details mean someone did their homework.” He put the shirt back in the drawer, shutting it hard, slamming it so it made a noise. Everything felt real.“It’s been several months since the Blending, so at least that long,” Steve said. “They're fast learners.”“Why are their only five rooms?” Peter asked. “There's six of us!”Bucky was glad he was facing the wall so no one could see his expression.“If they’ve been watching us, they know I’ve been staying at Bucky’s place in Wakanda. They probably just put us together. Think you can stand me in such close quarters again for this little adventure?” Steve’s voice took on a teasing tone. Bucky turned around, and they exchanged a glance. It obviously amused him, making Bucky want to throw something at him. “I mean, after growing up together, marching together in WWII, hanging out at the compound, and now in Wakanda, I think we’ve got each other’s bad habits down pat. Better us bunking up together than anyone else.” This was his way of diffusing the situation.Bucky crossed his arms in front of him and tried looking a little defiant. “Before this happened, I was going to ask if you wanted the neighbors to build you your own place, but I guess I can put up with you for a little while longer if I have too,” he said, deliberately making his voice into a mock whine, causing Wanda and Peter to smile at their banter. Maybe they would think no more about it.A noise from outside diverted their attention back to the main room. T’Challa and Bruce were back. Each was carrying a heavy duty metal briefcase, the outer casing probably protected by Vibranium, but that was not the focus of their attention. The large once empty room was now a computer lab. A Wakandan computer lab, a replica of Shuri's. Bucky had been there often enough to recognize it. Wakandan computers inset along the wall, the clear dividing glass between each one, the blue lights, the scanners, the dazzling technology, with a main station at the center. It even sounded the same, the gentle hum of energy wafted through the surrounding air.“What the hell? ” Bucky asked. He and Wanda examined the tables, the computer, the monitors. “Is it the same material?” He asked her.Once again the tiny sparks and once again a nod of the head. “Yes. They can form and reform it to create whatever they wish, even things so intricate as the computers in this laboratory. They can manipulate matter but not in the same way I do.”Bruce pulled himself out of his temporary state of astonishment long enough to put his case down on a table. He entered a few numbers on the lock, popped it open. “Weird being down there. No one moving, like walking through a wax museum, but I think we got everything we needed.”“I did as you asked, Captain,” T’Challa said, following Bruce’s lead by opening his own case. “This solves the question we had if our systems would be compatible. The sooner we can give them this information, the sooner we can go home. I have one thing to do first, White Wolf.” He motioned Bucky over. Inside the case, alongside the information storing devices unique to Wakanda, was a set of small instruments. Bucky held up his arm and T’Challa made adjustments. Bucky watched carefully as he enabled the applications. The rest of the group looked on with questions on their face.“Maintenance,” Bucky said. “The thing is a machine, can’t let things go too long without a check-up.” He hoped the mysterious watchers believed him. He had no idea how much these aliens knew about him. The process didn’t take long and if Regina and Regulus objected, they made no appearance.“I hope this does what you want, and hurts no one,” T’Challa whispered. “The controls are the small indentations on your palm. Shock only. What it will do to these people, I have no idea.”“Neither do I” Bucky murmured back. He wished he had a place to train but for now, that wasn’t possible. “I just feel a little safer knowing I can defend myself.”“And now, seeing all this, so do I.” He surveyed the room. “All we can do is what they ask and hope that is enough...”“And hope they don’t have any ulterior motives.”“We have rooms!” Peter said, pointing to the hallway. “With running water and…” his voice trailed off as he wandered back to their temporary quarters. They heard him opening and shutting doors.“That was nice of them,” Bruce said. “Although to be honest, I wish I could see one of those plague victims but I guess that’s out of the question.”“Hey, guys! Guys! There’s a computer in here... and a gaming system like mine back home!” Peter’s voice carried over from the far end of the hallway.“Good, that should keep him busy. Check on him, would you Wanda?” Steve asked. She nodded but before she could join Peter, he came out, carrying a tray."Guys! Look!” Peter slammed the tray down on a nearby table. It was overflowing with donuts. Plain, chocolate, glazed. He picked one up. The pastry was inches from his mouth before Wanda’s red energy pulled it back. She floated it over to her own hand and allowed the red sparks to enter it. “It seems to be just what it appears to be. A donut,” she said.“The same weird material everything else is?” Bucky asked."Yes, but it is also flour, sugar, shortening, salt, butter, I would say it's digestible," she said."So they were watching us so closely they could figure out a donut recipe?" Bucky said. "Who here eats a lot of donuts?" Peter guilty expression was almost laughable. "I guess that would be me, but please don't tell Aunt May when we see her again!"“I’ll be the guinea pig for this,” Bruce said. He picked a donut up off the tray and took a bite. “Less chance of it killing me.” They waited for a few minutes and nothing happened. “I suppose it could be a drug or something, to knock us out…”“Maybe they want to steal our DNA?” Peter suggested. “They seemed interested in us because we’re all enhanced.”“They could have just put us in a state of suspended animation and do what they wanted,” Bucky said. The whole idea was distasteful to him.“Or they are trying to convince us they are the good guys, all the while deceiving us,” Wanda said. She met Bucky’s eyes for a brief second and then looked away. She was referring to her own childhood. “For years, I thought I was doing the right thing only to find out they had manipulated me…”“Everything is a possibility, but we can’t let our imaginations run away with us,” Steve said. He was back into Team Leader mode. "If we do that, we'll just tie ourselves up in knots and be right back where we started."A few more minutes passed with Bruce suffering no outward ill effects. “I’d say they’re safe to eat unless you’re celiac or diabetic.”Peter reached for one but waited until Steve nodded to stuff a glazed one in his mouth. “Wanda, you want to come and see this system? Maybe play a game? I mean, nothing much to do here and while it’s interesting….”“Might as well. I must warn you I have an unfair advantage..” Wanda said.“That’s alright. So do I. So let’s see whose unfair advantage is better! Oh, Cap, one room is full of books and what looks like art stuff. I guess that’s yours.”“Art. That’s downright scary, ” Bucky said.“What’s that about?” Bruce asked.“That’s how we met, in Art School. James Buchanan Barnes and little skinny sickly Steve Rogers…” Bucky said. “At least, that’s how I grew up.”“Me too. Might as well check it out. Not much to do here but wait. You’ll let us know if anything changes,” Steve said. T’Challa nodded. Bucky couldn’t help but think they had some kind of secret signal between them.T’Challa entered information into a computer. The whole lab lit up. A hologram appeared in the space above them. Stars and constellations spun around, casting out a light. Something divided the display in two, with a large dark area in between.“It’s closing,” Bruce said. “I hope we can find what they need before it snaps shut.”The room went dark, the now familiar glow appeared. Regina emerged from the darkness a smile on her face.“We have your information, thank you. If we learn anything new, we will let you know. Please, make yourselves comfortable. I will talk to you again, soon.”The room darkened, the light returned, and she disappeared before any of them could say a word.
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"Damn it, there's a double bed. Peter saw it and with his mouth he's…" Bucky said"Probably forgotten about it by now," Steve interrupted. "He's a good kid, a smart kid, but a little scatterbrained. More than likely, he took a quick look and moved on." Bucky shut the door behind him. This room was bigger, there was a large shelf filled with books. A blank sketch pad and some pencils lay on the table. He decided not to check out the room. So far his poking in corners had revealed nothing new. Steve sat down and picked and the pad and a pencil and doodled on the paper. Since he seemed at ease with the situation Bucky perused through the small library. He pulled a book down, A History of the English-Speaking People by Winston Churchill. He ran his fingers along the spine; it felt real enough. Opening it up it could fool him into thinking this was a brand new book."This is weird," he said. "All the books I've wanted to read but never got around to so I could catch up on things I missed. So the war was almost the same where you came from?""Pretty much," Steve said. "The outcome was the same. We won.""Does this mean they read our minds?" Bucky wondered out loud. Steve was drawing the interior of the room, intent on his sketching. "So I guess they know… about us."Steve put the sketchbook down and took a long hard look at Bucky. "You need to stop being so paranoid. It's not like the world will explode if someone finds out we're together." He got out of his chair to join him by the bookshelf. "If anyone is out there watching us, or listening in, I'm in love with James Buchanan Barnes and I don't care who knows," he spoke to the ceiling. He pulled Bucky toward him and gave him a hard swift kiss.Bucky pushed him away just as roughly. "It's not funny," he said. "What if this place has some kind of taboo?""Then we wouldn't be here," Steve said. He took a step back and crossed his arms. "You've been through a lot. Tough childhood, you fought in WWII, then you go missing, get frozen, brainwashed and forced to do despicable things, then when you realize what you've done, you turn yourself in, and after an act of heroism, you picked the simple life in a place where you could live like a prince."Bucky replaced the history book and pulled another random book off the shelf and turned back to face Steve. "Is there a reason you're going over my life story? I was there, I know what happened.""I'm saying you went to hell and back and here you are, a well-adjusted human being. It's almost a miracle, to see you here and now, in your right mind. You're a showcase for resilience, an inspiration for people enduring difficult times, but with that one thing, your orientation, you're almost a petty, petulant child, the way you insist on keeping something secret that…"Bucky threw the book down on the table, crossed the room to sit on the bed. A scent like fresh flowers filled the surrounding air. "You said you weren't going to push it.""I'm not pushing anything. You need to realize that our friends are our friends. They won't care, they'll understand…""Why were you beating up on Tony?" Bucky asked, changing the subject like he always did when Steve touched this nerve. "What did he do?"Steve's mouth hung open in surprise. "I don't want to talk about it.""So, there's issues on both sides we don't want to work through," Bucky said. "Why won't you tell me?""It's gone. It's over. I like to pretend it never happened. It's kind of fading away now anyway…""But it did. The other guy killed his parents. I guess he didn't take it so well?"Steve sighed. He crossed the room to sit beside him on the bed. The scent became stronger; it wafted through the air, re-invoking a memory. Bucky faced Steve, their argument forgotten. A sense of overwhelming love washed over him. He needed to be close to him, to touch him and feel his touch. He reached out to him. Steve's arms wrapped around him, pushing him backward on the bed. He returned the embrace burying his face in his shoulder. He was warm, so warm. His hands dug into Steve's back, aware of Steve's fingers on his body."I love you," Steve said, pulling Bucky's face back, kissing him hard. This was so different. It was almost if they were doing this for the first time."I love you," Bucky moaned. Steve was on top of him, his tongue in his mouth, on his neck, their hands clasped tight together. The sensation of the outline of Steve's body against his became a mirror image of Paris, the other Steve, being held down, a moment's panic. He couldn't do this. It was like an out-of-body experience. It was happening to someone else and he couldn't focus on the here and now. He shuddered at the idea but didn't want to be unfair to Steve. Maybe he should just shut this out and concentrate on something else. Think about something else, anything. Just go through with it even if it meant risking the horrible depression that might come afterward. Steve grip tightened on his metal hand. Before Bucky could say anything, short electric shocks started somewhere deep in his metal arm, just like before but not as powerful. The energy rushed down to his fingers…"What the hell!?" Steve pulled back and fell over on the other side of the bed. "What the hell was that?" He repeated."Are you all right? Damn it, Steve, I'm sorry. That was an accident." The guilt was real. If he hurt him—Steve held his hand so tight he had accidentally activated the taser."Yeah, I'm ok. Just got shocked by... something." He got out of bed and paced around the room. Bucky wasn't sure if anyone could overhear them so he joined him, throwing his arms around his waist and pulling him close."I'm so sorry Steve, that wasn't supposed to happen…""What did you do?" Steve asked. "No need to go to extremes. All you have to do is say no...""It's my arm," Bucky whispered in his ear. "I asked T'Challa to enable the applications, not to kill, just to shock. I'm so sorry.""You did WHAT?""Keep your voice down. The walls might have ears. I didn't like us being defenseless, ok? I haven't had a time or place to train with it. You accidentally set it off… while we were…""Yeah, about that. What happened? I mean, I love you, but now’s not really the time..."Bucky let go of him and walked to the bed. The faint floral scent was still there, bringing with it an intense desire to pull Steve close and get lost in his embrace again, He backed away and the sensation left."The scent is some kind of aphrodisiac.""What? Our captors are a bunch of voyeurs?""No, nothing like that. I don’t think they care about our love life or in our case, lack of one. It's a tactic. They capture someone, make them comfortable, give them what they want… like Peter's computer and the games. That keeps him and Wanda occupied. Bruce and T'Challa have their mystery and we…""I guess what we do, and who we are, isn't taboo here.""It's classic. It's something the consortium did when they wanted to win someone over to their side. It's an illusion of safety. Give them something to feel good about. We're not the first people they've brought here. They've done this before.""Stockholm Syndrome…" Steve said."What's that?" Bucky asked."A situation where a hostage takes on the side of their captors. That might be what they want us to do. We can't let this cloud our minds. If they've done this before, what happened to the other people?""I don't know. I don't think we should go back over there, but we have to sleep.""We'll do this." Steve walked over and pulled the mattress off the bed, placing down on the other side of the room. He laid down on it. "Remember, like when we were kids. I don't smell anything over here."Bucky laid down beside him and stared at the ceiling again, going over their situation, again and again, testing out theories and dismissing them. The image of Steve falling off the bed intruded, making him burst into laughter."It's not funny. That hurt!" Steve said. "I can't imagine what it would do to a normal person. Be careful with that thing!""I know, and I'm sorry but, yeah it was. Funny, I mean. Right in the middle of things and another ' what the hell was that? ' moment. Too bad we can't tell anybody.""I wouldn't be so sure of that. We have to let the others know, so they can be on their guard.""That's blackmail. You wouldn't…" Bucky turned and half sat up on the mattress."I probably won't, but I'll keep in reserve. Be extra nice and I won't go into detail..." Steve put his clasped hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling, a smile playing around his mouth."I'm always nice to you!" He moved closer to Steve so he could whisper in his ear. "Since you found out my secret, what did T'Challa do for you?""I had him send a signal out to Thor and come back with a tracking device and he apparently got away with it. It's a long shot. Thor's got his own problems and may not help, but he's out here somewhere and we need someone to know where we are…""That's smart. Good strategy. Wish I'd thought of it…""So do I, instead of this. Come here," he said. Bucky rested his head on his shoulder and draped his arm across his waist."So… did you want to keep going?" Bucky asked."Didn't get that far, to be honest, I got shocked out of the moment, but don't worry about it. I told you, if it becomes a thing, I'll let you know, and then we'll deal with it," Seve said. "And I'm sorry. That was a lot like what happened in Paris. Your Steve didn't mean any harm. It confused him. He hated not having answers and he was sorry he never had time to tell you that.""You're right. He hated unanswered questions," Bucky said, turning over on his back and stare back at the ceiling. "It confused the hell out of me. Still does.""Except now you know, and I know, no need to worry about it anymore."Bucky stayed away long after Steve drifted off, his mind full of tactics. In between possible strategies his mind wandered into more personal areas. He wondered how his present companion knew what his Steve thought...and felt.
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Steve woke up to the familiar sensation of Bucky sleeping close to him, his arm around his waist. He shifted his position but Bucky shifted right along with him as if there was some need not to let him go. Steve knew years from now he might come to find this behavior irritating and tell him to stay on his side of the bed, but right now it was still new and he enjoyed the intimacy.From somewhere a new scent wafted into the room. It wasn't the flowers of yesterday but something still familiar. "Coffee?" He rolled off the bed and stood up. Nothing about the room had changed. "Come on, Buck. Someone made breakfast.""Coffee? Where are we? Oh yeah, in space. Coffee sounds good.” He rolled over on his back and stared at the ceiling. "You smell," he said. "It's almost as bad as when we were back in the war…"Steve laughed. "I guess the honeymoon is over. I'll check out the shower. Want to join me?" As soon as he said the words, he knew he had made a mistake. Bucky was averse to nudity.Bucky sat up, taking the time to time to give Steve an evil eye. "No thanks. Swimming in the lake together is one thing, that's different. Besides, there's not enough room in there. You go first."Bucky was right. It was small, but the water temperature was perfect. Everything in here was real. The water was real. He let it drip off his hands to find something off about it but nothing gave it away. He finished, emerging to find Bucky had put the mattress back in place and had made the bed.Without a word, he left the room take his turn. It wasn't long before he emerged, drying his hair."You look good," Steve said."Thanks. So do you.""So let's see what's out there.""You go first. I'll be out in a minute.""Buck, come on. We've got bigger issues going on than you and your hang-ups. It's not like we're doing the walk of shame…""What's the walk of shame?" Bucky asked. At first, Steve thought he was joking, but a voice pinged inside his head. Bucky is not a child, but things obvious to the rest of the world are not so obvious to him. This would take getting used to. Steve adjusted his attitude."It's something Sam told me about. I'll meet you out there," Steve said. He made his way down to the hallway and back to the big room. There was coffee on the table and more donuts. T'Challa and Bruce were sitting down, deep in conversation, both holding cups."Morning Steve," Bruce said. "We took a break last night for a few hours and when we came back, this was here. I believe the donuts have all of our basic nutritional needs. It's almost a dream come true. Eat all the junk food you want and be healthy.”The sound of opening doors diverted their attention. Wanda and Peter both emerged from their rooms, Wanda looked tired but Peter as energetic as ever. Peter was wearing the black clothes that magically fit. A moment later Bucky emerged, his hair tied back. Something about seeing him stirred emotions deep inside Steve and he wished they were back at their place, in Wakanda, shutting out the world. Damn it. I'll take him any way I can get, I don't care about… He noticed Wanda looking at him curiously. His line of sight went past her to Bucky, so he immediately looked away. He had no idea what emotions his face had betrayed."Hey, I said these clothes would fit! Wouldn't it be great if we all wore them, and then we could be like a cool night ops team!" Peter said. Bucky gave a short laugh and reached over and ruffled his hair."Isn't this cozy," Bucky said, joining the others. He poured himself a cup and took a drink. " I assume this is safe? Tastes all right. Bit strong. Anything new happen? Our hosts show up again?"T'Challa and Banner exchanged a glance."No," T'Challa said. "But something curious happened. Along with the coffee and donuts, this was waiting for us." With a flip of the wrist, a long list of computer data appeared in the air. Long equations, interspersed with random characters. "They uploaded this to our system.""I don't know a lot about computers, but even I can tell something's not right," Steve said. To him, it was like seeing English words interspersed with random foreign letters."It looks like a corrupted data stream," Peter offered as he stuffed a donut in his mouth. "Maybe the systems are incompatible but some of it got through. That's odd.""Yes, we are trying to clean it up, to find what information is there, but it's taking time. Perhaps you would like to help us?" T'Challa said to Peter."Sure, whatever I can do," Peter said, his voice muffled as he stuffed a chocolate donut in his mouth."That makes no sense," Bucky said. "They make all this elaborate stuff, accurate down to the smallest detail, but they can't send information on the computers they replicated? This is all their tech."Wanda wandered away from the others to a far corner of the room. She pulled a chair to her with her mind, suspended it in front of her and let it spin in mid-air."Bored?" Peter asked.She smiled. "Curiosity about this material. It's malleable yet solid." She let loose a sudden burst of energy, splitting the chair into several pieces. The bits of the chair hung in mid-air but then suddenly snapped back together. “They can make it take on the form of anything but the thing it becomes is real, not a poor duplicate" She set the chair down and walked back over to them."Plato," Bruce said. "The theory of forms. He believed what we see and hear is based on a permanent form that exists separately from one item. The form is perfect and doesn't really exist. Somewhere there is a real chair…”"And Aristotle did not think so," T'Challa said gently. "I do not think earth philosophy can explain it.""Magic," Bucky said. It was a statement of fact."They said they had no wizards," Bruce said.'They're lying. Those portals, just like exactly like the one we saw…""But the data stream is NOT magic…" Peter began.“I believe this material is this place's version of Vibranium,“ Wanda interjected into their debate. Her declaration brought the conversation to a halt as each of them considered her words."She might be right," Bruce said. "It makes perfect sense. Vibranium is malleable, can be reworked to suit almost every need…""But you can't eat Vibranium, can you?" Peter stared down at the half-eaten donut in his hand.T'Challa gave a short laugh at Peter's discomfort. "You can, in a way. Vibranium can enrich the soil and certain plants. I can say little about it, but yes, a person can safely eat it.""Tech, malleable materials," Steve said, ticking off their theories"And magic," Bucky said stubbornly. I don't know why they're lying about it, but it's mixed up with all this somehow." He got up to pace around the room. “Somewhere there is a control room, and I bet there’s a wizard behind the scenes messing with us."Just as he turned to face them a portal opened in the air behind him. Steve watched in horror as something pulled him through."Steve," he said, the same look of confusion he had he fell from the train and when he turned to dust. He got up but before he could reach him Wanda's energy shot out, along with a long web from Peter. Peter pulled as hard as he could, bringing himself close to the edge portal himself and for a moment it looked like they might succeed when something pulled Bucky through, the portal closing behind him leaving nothing in his place but space.
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"Where is he?" Steve shouted to the ceiling "Where is he?" He never lost control but now rage was taking over. "WHERE IS HE? WHAT DID YOU DO?""I'm sorry, Cap," Peter's face was white. "I tried, but it was just too strong…"Steve breathed heavily, his heart beating hard as if he had just run a thousand miles. He walked over and pounded on the walls. "Bring him back, damn it." He hit harder. "I just got him back. Why do they keep taking him away again... and... again…" Each word emphasized with a punch. One more solid hit to the wall, then he fell against it. It was cold and solid. Despair and anger welled up inside him. He hadn't felt this way since…Bucky fell from the train. When he disappeared...when he ran away.He felt a touch on his shoulder. Wanda was kneeling beside him. Using her familiar graceful hand motions he felt something enter his mind. He saw himself finding Bucky after a long search and telling him who he was, bringing him to the compound, seeing him in Wakanda after he was free of the programming, finding him again after the battle of Wakanda, memories of his two lifetimes were meshing together. He immediately became calmer."I'm sorry Captain. I'm so sorry, but you can't lose control. Not now. Yes, you have lost him before, but you always found him again. Hold on to that,” she said, her voice quiet and gentle."Cap, I got close to it and from what I could see, it was outdoors somewhere and for what it's worth I don't think he was in any danger from the other side," Peter said.Steve swallowed hard. He trusted Peter's ability to sense danger. "I suppose that's a good thing. Why him?""He kept talking about magic. I wonder if he was getting too close to some idea… and someone didn't like it," Bruce said."He could be anywhere," Steve said, bitterly. It seemed so long ago now, but he remembered Tony, angry, lashing out, out of control. He understood him now more than ever, but Wanda was right. He couldn't let his emotions overwhelm him. He took a deep breath and looked over to T'Challa who was staring at the rings on his hands."Captain…" he began but before he could finish the room darkened and lit up again. Regina stood before them, alone. There was something different about her. Had she aged since they saw her last? "Where is he?" Steve asked.Her face screwed up in confusion as if trying to remember. "Where is who?" "Don't play dumb. Where is Bucky?" Steve shouted the question."Bucky. Your companion? Did he fall victim to the plague? It should not have reached in here. I'm so sorry," she said. She looked sorry. "It wasn't the plague. A portal opened and someone pulled him through. Now, where is he?" Steve felt the anger returning but Wanda had placed a mental image of Bucky in his mind, smiling at him at Tony's party."That is impossible. We restricted that knowledge. No one else has it. That was not us. I am sorry. Regulus is gone," she said. She was having difficulty speaking."Gone? As in…" Bruce asked."The plague took him. Now you see why we are so desperate. For years we have worked and now it has reached us…""We sent you the information…" Bruce said. "You came here and told us you received it and you sent us back gibberish.""Did you? Did we? I have no memory of that. Please…" "Is memory loss a symptom of the plague?" Bruce asked. At first, Steve thought he was asking a rhetorical question but his interest seemed real."Memory loss? What do you mean? Regulus is gone, taken by the plague."Was grief making her erratic?"Enough of this!" Wanda hissed. Before he could stop her, red sparks came out of her hands and made their way to Regina. She stared hard at Wanda, then the sparks deflected back. The room darkened. Regina disappeared."She is a hologram," Wanda declared. "But yet, more than just a hologram. There is something real about her.""Could you see a power source?" Bruce asked."She disappeared before I learned anything more. But I believe it is somewhere in the building.""Guys," Peter said. "I might have a theory for what's going on. The corrupted data. It might be because the tech it came from is old. They tried to convert it and couldn't. She is acting erratically because this….” he pointed to the data stream “is her. She’s the data. Regulus disappeared because the program is freezing up or disintegrating or something. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I jumped through the portal and brought you here. They were so convincing. I thought I was doing something good by coming here I could help Mr. Stark and I screwed up again…" He put his hands upon his head, his face taking on the appearance of an animal caught in a trap."Stop it, Peter,' Steve said. "He told me there are other forces at work here, and if they didn't use you, it would have been someone else. None of this is your fault, and before I forget, I want to say thank you, to you, and Wanda, for trying to save Bucky.”"Who else told you about the other forces?" asked Wanda. " You mentioned this before!!It might be important for you to remember!""Someone I met while I was in the coma," he said. "And even though she said no one else had the knowledge to create the portals, someone obviously does, someone out there. I agree. I think Bucky might have been on to something." His take-charge attitude suddenly snapped into place."We are all enhanced so that means we can survive longer than most. If Peter is right, if age is corrupting the computer stream, other things might disappear so we don't know how long any of this will last. That might mean air and water. Wanda, keep working with the material. Find out all its secrets. Keep trying to clean up that data stream and see if we can use it. We have to get out of here and find…""Captain," T'Challa had been silent during the whole exchange with Regina. He held up his hand. On one finger was the ring of his office, but on another, there was a smaller plain ring with a curious stone that was blinking red. "We have reason to hope. He has found us.""What?" asked Peter. "Who has found us?"Relief flooded through Steve."Thor," he said, "Thor has found us." If anyone was out there listening, he wanted them to know.
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The sensation of being pulled into a vacuum ceased. The image of shock on Steve's face, of Wanda and Peter trying to pull him back, disappeared. Someone was holding him. He reacted without thinking, throwing off his abductor, not looking to see if he had caused any injury. Something that felt like a hand grabbed his arm and he shook it loose, using all his strength. All around him were voices, intelligible gibberish. He was out in the open, in a weird half-lit place. Someone else touched him. He pressed the indented place on the palm of his metal hand and let loose a shock, not caring who it affected. He knelt down and prepared to use his taser in a continuous round.A loud whooshing sound rang in his ears. Something froze him in the kneeling position. He struggled to move his arms, but they remained stuck by his side. Panic swept over him but he discovered he could adjust his head and look around. He was under some kind of open structure. There was a roof, thick beams but no walls. Plants and trees surrounded it, familiar looking but their leaves were red. He could breathe, see and hear. A circle of beings, wearing long robes with hoods pulled down over their faces, surrounded him."You said he was the weakest one!" a voice said. Something forced Bucky's pounding heart to slow down. He understood their words and the uncertainty in the tone took made his captors seem a little less frightening."I also said it was by a minuscule amount! This was a bad idea. We can't keep him like that for long and he'll start up again as soon as it wears off and we must do this all over again. I said we should bring the other one, the one who looked like their leader. Are you all right?""Yes. That arm is a weapon, but it caused no lasting injury. I wouldn't recommend messing with it. It's attached to him somehow, a most remarkable instrument."Bucky's heart slowed down every more. He stared hard at his captors, forcing himself to not react to what he heard. Whatever they were, they weren't all-knowing and their reactions to him were almost comical. There were seven standing close to him. Away beyond them, another one stood in the distance almost hidden by the trees, slowly moving closer. He assessed the situation and considered his next move. They were a group and he was alone and they possessed an advantage over him. Playing dumb was one way to go, and if this thing that was holding him wore off, fighting them again was an option, but to what end? Should he pretend he couldn’t understand them? His mind and body revolted at being frozen in place again. He was alone and friendless in a strange place. He cooperated."I can understand you," he said. Their conversation ceased."How is that possible?" A deep voice spoke."Do you doubt my abilities?" a higher sounding voice responded."No, just at the speed with which you achieved it." The deep voice again. "But good. This will save time." This hooded figures approached Bucky. "We apologize for bringing you here in this manner. We can release you, but only if you give your word you will not attack us. If you do, things will not go well for you. We can do much worse.”"I agree," Bucky said. Whatever was holding him in place dissolved. The ability to move again was welcome, so he stood up. There was that part of him wanted to make demands and start asking questions but this was not the time nor the place. He was at their mercy. "I am sorry for my response. It's my training. I hope I caused no permanent injuries.""You did not. And I am sorry for describing you as weak. What is your name?""My name is James." He didn’t know why he said that. Maybe because Bucky was reserved for his friends."James, we will reveal our true selves to you. It might be disorientating."Bucky nodded, and the hoods came down. They were humanoid with elongated faces and their skin was in various shades of pink. Some had what looked like long hair, some were bald. Bucky considered all the things he had seen at the battle of Wakanda, which seemed so long ago now. Their appearance was tame in comparison. The hood stayed on the person in the back, who was still drifting closer to the group."It's nothing I can't get used to," he said. It was the truth."Good. We are the Ritika and this is our world." The person with the deep voice now had a face to it. He, Bucky assumed it was a he, was bald. "A day ago we noticed a disturbance in our system. Something from outside breaking through. That does not happen here. We can create what we call the eyes of time, where we can see, for brief periods, other places. We saw you and your people, in what looked to be a laboratory. We assumed we were being invaded. Together, combined, with ancient knowledge, we brought you here. We want information.""Are you wizards?" Bucky asked without thinking. Magic. I knew it! "We don't call ourselves that. We are not worthy. Why are you here?" The bald one's voice took on a determined tone. "And where were you? The place was unfamiliar to us. We did not wish to risk traveling there ourselves, too many unknowns, so we brought one of you here. I repeat, why have you come here?”Bucky wasn't sure how to begin or which tactic to use. He knew nothing about these people. They could read his mind for all he knew. There were all kinds of ways to approach this but for now, he chose the simplest option. Answer their direct questions.“This was not an invasion. We were, brought here against our will. I can tell you what I know, but that may not be enough. I'm a just a soldier.”"Begin," The deep-voiced bald one stood back, and the others followed suit. He must be their leader. The one in the back stopped, still keeping the hood on."How far back do I go?" The question was rhetorical. "I wasn't there for most of this. I am only repeating what was told to me." He recounted, as he remembered, the story of Thanos and his plan to bring order to the Universe but as soon as he got to the snap, the bald one held up his hand."We experienced this here," he said. "Sudden disappearances and reappearances of certain people...are you saying, these people who reappeared were not the people we knew?”“That’s how they explained it to me. The ones who returned were different. I know this probably created chaos in your world for a while. I’m sorry.” Bucky said. So they weren’t beyond Thanos’ reach.“So that explains that…” his captor’s voice went low and he stared out into the distance. “Arrogant of you.”“That was my reaction, at first but in the end, it's worked out for us.”“But did you consider that perhaps things might not work out so well for others?”“It wasn’t me...I’m just a…”"I know. You’re just a soldier. "So far, your story seems...credible." Did it? It sounded insane to me when I first heard it. That he accepted this bit of information could mean the unusual was usual here. "The coming together, It was the work of Wong, a sorcerer on our world. He merged two realities. Don't ask me questions about it because it's beyond me and the people who planned it were from the other side. They call it the Blending.”"A sorcerer?" The bald one asked. “A sorcerer? There are sorcerers on your world?” A murmur rose up from the group behind him."Fascinating." He raised his hand, and the whispers ceased. Are Sorcerers are a known thing here? Are they the same kind of Sorcerers as Wong? "Yes. I don’t know anything about them. I told you, I’m just a soldier.” Now that he had adopted that facade he might as well keep it up. “The reason we're here..." Bucky started with Peter’s impulsive jump through the portal."He is young, hardly more than a boy. We felt responsible for him and followed him. That's when we found they had taken our other friends, and that's where we met Regina.""Regina. That is not a name we are familiar with.""That's the name she gave. It means Queen. Her husband was a guy named Regulus, Prince, son of the king. She called him her Consort. She said their scientists were close to stopping a plague but half of them disappeared. We thought it was because of the snap but for whatever reason...the merging didn’t happen here. She wanted us to bring them back and…”"Did I hear you correctly? A Queen, her Consort, and a plague?"“I'm just repeating what she told me.”“Did she look like us?”“No. She looked like us actually but told us was an illusion. She spoke to us through some kind of translation implant. She sent two of us, the two scientists back to gather information, the hard science behind the Blending. Once we did that, she said we could go home, but since you pulled me away who knows if that will happen.”The other robed figures murmured among themselves again. Bucky caught snippets of their conversation. "I sense no deception in him. How could he know this?""How is this possible?""It's the stuff of legends and myth.""We are the stuff of legends and myth, and yet here we are.""We must confer. Do nothing...foolish.” The bald one turned his back on him to talk with the others. They moved in close into a tight circle, temporarily ignoring him. Bucky strained to listen but only got snippets of gibberish. They must have turned off their translation method but something startled him. He heard a voice, not in his head but close by. He kept his eyes straight ahead, focused on the group."James is your name, but not the one you use with your friends. I don't know you well, but Steve Rogers regarded you with great affection, and as he was my friend and comrade, I will help you." He realized this person knew of his acute hearing. Turning his head, he saw the other robed and hooded figure, standing behind a large sustaining beam, out of sight of the group but close enough to where Bucky could see. The stranger lifted the hood just enough so Bucky could look into the blue eyes and handsome face of Thor, the God of Thunder. He winked at him and replaced the hood. Bucky said nothing, turning his face to the crowd. He couldn't allow his relief to show.After a few moments, the group returned to him. One with long hair walked up close to him, studying him closely. It reminded him of his days in the Consortium. Every time he was rented out to kill, the client would do this, walk around eyeing him like he was a piece of merchandise.“I think he knows more than he’s saying,” this was the person with the high-pitched voice able to translate languages.“Can you read minds?” He asked bluntly. They reacted to sorcerers and the Blending so calmly nothing that was possible here would surprise him. He shouldn’t have said that but their approach set off old memories.“She thinks she can, but she can barely read emotions. She keeps dabbling in things beyond her reach,” another said and there was a collective chuckle through the group. Her face became pinker, probably a version of a flush. They grew silent as their leader came forward to stand in front of Bucky."This story you tell is most remarkable, but I have something to tell you in return. A plague-infected our system, it ran its course. We are descendants of survivors who passed on that immunity to us. We had a Queen, with a Prince Consort as you described, but they disappeared, we thought taken by the Plague. Most of your story seems plausible except all of this happened several generations ago. Several hundred years in fact. You have been interacting with a ghost."
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"A ghost? Ghosts exist here?" Bucky asked, surprised at the fact he wouldn't be the least bit surprised if that were true considering the few things he had learned about them so far. The group exchanged glances, but he took note that no one answered his question. "If she's not real, then who or what is she?""We do not know. All we know is our last Queen disappeared long ago. This is as much a surprise to us as it is to you, and the answer is something we must discover for ourselves. My apologies, but we must take you to a holding area. You are not our prisoner but for your own protection. If anyone else sees you, it might cause a panic," the translator said. He didn't know what else to call her. "Follow me. It's not far." Bucky fell into step beside her, conscience of soft footfalls behind them. He hoped it was Thor keeping them in sight and the idea was reassuring. The soft light reminded him of early morning, just after dawn and the red-leafed plants were disconcerting but he was sure there was a reason for it. They walked past a courtyard that reminded him of old ruins in he had seen in England except here; it all looked new and lived in. On the other side was a row of small stone buildings. She opened the door to one and led him inside. It was small but clean. A window on one side revealed a small garden and a high wall. Heavy wooden beams covered the ceiling. The rough-hewn table and chairs taking up the center of the room reminded him of a pioneer's cabin. Off to one side was another door which he assumed was the sleeping area. Red-leafed houseplants space evenly on the shelves, along with what looked like scrolls. There were no obvious signs of technology. He had been held in much worse places. "We have much to discuss among ourselves and it might take time. It would be best if you didn't go wandering." She started toward the door. "Can you send me back?" Bucky asked. "Not until we get more answers," she replied, stopping at the door and turning to face him." If what you are saying is true, you might be safer here. We are dealing with an unknown." "If they are in danger, I should be with them..." She said nothing for a moment, her eyes on the floor as if pondering something."Can you describe the place?" she asked."The place where they kept you?" "It was a large empty room," Bucky said. He wasn't sure what to say about the miraculous material. "There was air for us to breathe, and there was light, but we couldn't find a source. The walls glowed." She took a step closer to him. "I believe what you said, about the merging of two realities. They said I disappeared, and after returning, fell into a deep sleep and when I woke up, I had more knowledge than before. I can do more than I could before, like translate languages, and can sense emotions. I created the portal that brought you here. No one else here knew how to do that. You saw them, they are jealous. There is so much more in my head now. They might think you arrogant, for what you did, but I thank you." "It wasn't me, but I hope you use your new abilities for good." Bucky wondered why she was sharing all this with him. "We have an ancient legend, of a place, called...The Vault. A storehouse of treasure and knowledge. I had hoped that might be where they took you." "If there was a treasure there, I didn't see it," he said. The treasure might be the ever-changing element, whatever that was, but he needed to know more about these people before he would reveal more. Would they use it for good.. or as a weapon of oppression? "You did not react when we mentioned ghosts. Are they ... a thing where you come from?" "There was something not... real about Regina," Bucky said, watching her. "Look, I wish I had the answers you're looking for but I've said all I can. I need to get back to... my friends. Can I at least see them?" "If what you say is true, and you are not our enemy, we might arrange that." She took her hand off the door and approached him, pausing between each step. "You have endured much, suffered much. More than your comrades." Her features became hard as if she were trying to concentrate. "Your name is not James, is it?" Bucky chose not to react. "It's the name I'll use while I'm here. What's yours?" He said to move the conversation away from himself. It unnerved him. If she could do this, he didn't want her to realize what he was holding back. "We do not have names or titles. We are not worthy. You may call me, the Speaker." Her face relaxed. "For now, we must investigate, find out what this means." With that, she was out the door. Bucky sat down and stared out the window. Since he was alone, there was nothing to hold back the images of being pulled away from Steve. The empty feeling of things being out of his control, of his freedom to choose taken away again consumed him. He raised his metal arm and brought it down hard on the table, causing it to break into small pieces. His hang-ups about himself and what he had with Steve seemed so trivial. Now, If he saw him again, he would push past all that. Then there was the unnerving idea his friends might be in danger and the Speaker's ability to sense things about him. He picked a part of the broken table and threw it against the wall. It didn't solve his problems, but it felt good. A sound of someone outside. Maybe The Speaker returned. He waited, his breathing almost out of control to the point of hyperventilation. After a moment the door opened, and the hooded figure entered and pulled back his head cover. It was Thor. The air released from his chest in one long drawn out motion. "Greetings, James, if that is the name you wish to use here." He stared down at the broken table and smiled as if in approval. "I would do the same if I were in your position. However, your appearance here was most fortuitous. I tracked the signal through Earth to here, but it faded. I was about to leave this place when they brought you here. I heard what you told them." "Lucky me. It's good to see you. Bless you, Steve Rogers, for planning ahead and to T'Challa for agreeing to it. How long have you been here?" Bucky said. "This is the second day for us." "A day and a night. I entered by stealth but it is something I have done before, on other worlds. Who else came with you?" "Steve," his voice caught a little at saying his name. "T'Challa, Bruce, Wanda, and Peter." "Ah, the Spider-Boy." "He prefers Spider-Man. We are all enhanced. They said we were the only ones strong enough to make the trip. How many of them are there here?" "There is a sizable community here but the ones with you appeared to be their leaders. This place has high walls, I found the entrance through a cave. It exists in seclusion from the rest of their civilization but there is a city nearby." Buck sat down in a chair, moving a piece of wood that had fallen there. "You can call me Bucky. I'm sorry, I didn't know your counterpart all that well. He showed up when things got to be too much for us, like with Thanos,” Thor threw back his head and laughed. "So my story is the same in both worlds. And by your words, I take it that Steven told you what we did. I didn't know your counterpart at all, but I knew his story and that my friend thought he was worth saving, and he did not disappoint him." His voice trailed off and for a few seconds a sadness seemed to wash over him but he replaced that with a smile. "And I am confident, neither will you. But now, the trip. Can you describe it, and I know you didn't tell your hosts everything... but tell me." Bucky went into detail, describing the tunnel of light, the magic material, the food and the rooms, the lab. Thor listened intently then sat back for a while going over this information in his mind. "I had heard stories, of travelers going missing in this section of space but investigations revealed nothing of any consequence. This place would be almost invisible to an ordinary being but I am not ordinary. The rest of the planet is not like this," he said. 'Like this...?" "It's a progressive civilization on par with your own world. They have the technology, but no space travel. I don‘t think most of the people out there are aware of the existence of this...compound." "A place set apart. That's what Regina said." "Ah yes. The ghost." "I don't know if she was a ghost, but she didn't seem real. A hologram, maybe?" "A long-running hologram, if we can believe these people. Something has to power the technology. I wonder if this might not be... some sort of religious community." "A religion?" "Perhaps. Ah, before I forget, take this. It will go well with your arm." Thor handed Bucky a gold band. "Slip it around your wrist. It is a tracker, in case something separates us." Bucky put the band on his wrist and it disappeared against the backdrop of the vibranium. "Thank you. Did you find your people? Are they ok?" "Yes, they are in a temporary haven, under the care of my watchful friends. It was hard, the coming together. Much chaos but eventually..." He stopped. Bucky sensed a slight tremor in the room. "Did you feel that?" "Yes..." Before they could react the bits of the table raised up, some of them flying across the room. Bucky had to duck his head to keep being hit by one and the one he was holding shot out of his hand. One by one they snapped back together and settled on the floor. The table had repaired itself.
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"This doesn't make any sense!" Peter said as he sat down hard on a chair, staring at the data stream that hovered in the air above them. To Steve, nothing about any of this made sense. He was looking at a window to another world."What we entered should fit with the rest of the code! There should be a pattern," Bruce said."We do know it is a hologram," T'Challa said. He stood up to stretch. He had been stooped over that computer for hours. "Of that we are sure.""Can you recreate it?" Steve asked."We did, using the uncorrupted data, and this happened." Bruce swiped something, and a golden outline of Peter hovered above them."Captain Rogers," The image said. The sound was scratchy and blinked in and out a few times, but undeniably Peter."Just like something Tony would make but with no form, no interaction, nothing like Regina. She was real." As Steve spoke the words, a cold chill moved through him, an old memory, half-forgotten rose to the surface."Oh my God," he said the words as a prayer, not an oath."What, Captain?" T'Challa asked."In my other life, I came face to face with… someone, something, who said he stored his brain to a computer. I was in a room, full of technology Natasha said was ancient. The monitor came on; there was the face of a man who was supposed to be dead. He spoke to us, interacted with us as if he was in the room," Steve said moving closer to the image of Peter. "When we took down Hydra, when SHIELD fell, and when I found Bucky…" thinking about Bucky forced him to stop for a moment to regroup his thoughts. "In our world." "Armin Zola!" Bruce said. "I read about that! He programmed a self AI with a face identifying camera and lots and lots of data. Did you get the impression that was actually him?""All I know is he spoke to us and answered our questions.""You mean, something might be… alive in there?" Peter screwed up his face in an expression of pure disgust. "Eww… and gross.""We were close to something similar in Wakanda. A theory we could preserve the essence of who a person was, in a mainframe. Thank you, Captain, if your theory proves correct, I think we can solve this part of the mystery." He pulled down the image of Peter and then ran his fingers over the keys. Bruce and Peter stared at the monitor with growing interest."Glad I could help," Steve said. Between the trio of geniuses and Wanda's efforts, he was feeling useless. T'Challa looked up at him and smiled.Thinking of Wanda, he joined her on the other side of the room. This time she was playing with one of the coffee cups. Over and over she broke the cup apart and watched as it came together again, leaving her with no answers. She increased the force of her energy but nothing changed. She gave Steve a weak smile as he approached. This activity was obviously a drain on her system."How about taking a rest?" he said. "Try a different tactic in a few minutes." She leaned back against the wall. "A few minutes," she repeated. "Time. How long we've been here? If something happens to Regina, will our world become unfrozen and will they carry on, wondering what happened to us? Will the portal close? Will we return and find its 100 years from now? Viz will think I left him…"A sick feeling rose inside Steve. He was tired of being bounced around through time and space and just wanted to return to his life with Bucky. He hated not knowing where he was, not knowing if he was ok, but he couldn't rage out against that now."Why are you and Bucky keeping your relationship a secret?" She asked.Her question was so unexpected and in line with his train of thought that it startled him."How did you…?" He asked. " You been reading my mind?"She laughed and adjusted her position. " Not necessary. It's a cliche, like a line from a movie, to say I saw the way you were looking at him, but I saw the way you were looking at him. That's not the way someone looks at his best friend."Steve leaned back against the wall beside her, so he wouldn't have to face her. "Keeping the whole thing quiet is Bucky's thing. He's sensitive, I don't care but he….""Does he think we will judge him? Or you?""Bucky and I are in a relationship. We love each other. That sounds simple enough, but there's more to it. He's… asexual, and he just found out. He's still getting used to the idea, and of us…""Oh. How, unusual. Are you both ok with how things are between you?" She asked. The same casual question Sam asked. No judging Bucky, no embarrassing questions, nothing that Bucky was afraid might happen."I have no problems with any of it." The pain of him being gone rose higher in his chest. I'll take him any way I can get. "Then that is all that matters. When you see him again, tell him I won't judge him. How can I? My partner is an AI," she said. Now Steve looked at her and they exchanged a smile. When I see him… "We'll see them again," Steve said, forcing himself to believe."I need to try something different," she said, changing the subject, which was smart. They had to focus on the here and now. She levitated the cup off her hand making it spin in the air in front of her."Maybe decrease the force of your energy bursts?" Steve suggested. "A kinder gentler exploration?""I was considering the same thing," she said, allowing small red sparks to escape from her fingers. The cup broke apart in slow motion. She pulled on piece toward her, her sparks floated through the air."Not snapping back. Maybe the thing absorbs the energy?" Steve suggested.More sparks. This time the piece broke apart into even smaller pieces. She repeated the process, each time using a little less energy until little more than an ember entered went in. The piece of broken pottery now resembled a tiny golden ball. Wanda pulled it to her hand with the force of her mind and hovered her other hand over it. Waves of light rippled in the air as her fingers did their dance."Almost, natural, but, not," she said."I'm getting tired of hearing that," Steve said and instantly regretted his tone. None of this was her fault.If his tone upset her, she didn't take offense. "Something infused them together. Tiny circuits!" She stood up and ran to the other side of the room, the tiny element floating alongside her. "This is programmable matter!" she announced, her face flushed with her success " Smal circuity, like a little computer. Millions of little computers!""Programmable matter? Like Vibranium?" Bruce asked.T'Challa inspected the small piece of material. "That is NOT Vibranium.""Nanotechnology?" Peter asked. "I wish Mr. Stark was here.""That's for you to find out, but there is more to than just the technology," Wanda said. "Something I can't seem to penetrate. Something beyond my knowledge.""I would guess that whoever programmed Regina, also programmed this," Bruce said. "They took disparate elements and fused them together to make something appear real…. almost like…""Magic," Steve said, then dismissed the idea as ridiculous but remembered how Bucky always came back to it. “They were able to make those portals.”"Aren't you… magical?" Peter asked, directing his attention to Wanda with hesitation in his voice."If this is magic, it's not like mine," Wanda replied. "I'm not… familiar with this." She carefully set the piece down on the table in front of them and the three scientific minds gathered around it.'Now that's done, We can work on the rest of this room. Find out where the controls are. All we have to work on is this," Steve said, pointing to one vent close to the floor. Wanda nodded and knelt down beside it, allowing the slow stream of her energy to float across the opening. To her and Steve's astonishment, part of the wall peeled back, enlarging the vent. Peter, looking up from his work with the others, came over to join them. He knelt down by the larger opening."You know, if you make it a little bigger, I could crawl in there and look around. I'm the smallest one here… I'm flexible…""We're already a man down," Bruce said from his place at the table. "Tony would never forgive us if something happened to you,""But, he has a point," Steve said. "Damn it. We don't know where that leads…""I'm fast. If I sense I'm in any danger, I'll come back. I'm the only one…""I don't know…"The lights lowered and brightened again. Regina was back, looking much as she did before but something was different. She had aged."Why have you not brought them back?" She snapped. Gone was their congenial hostess."We are doing our best," Steve said. She was unaware of what they had discovered. "It takes time…""This, this is the plague. I am alone now. After avoiding this sickness for so long, I have it, and you have failed. My people…""We will look after your people," T'Challa said, his voice kind."You will do your best to leave here and abandon them…""We will not leave them, you have our word." T'Challa insisted.Her face softened for a moment, then screwed into anger."Why have you not brought them back!" she raised her arms and a flash of light emanated from her fingers. All of them were quick enough to dodge it but it struck a far wall. A large gash revealed what appeared to be conduits of circuitry. Before Steve could say anything, it was covered over like a wall again. Regina raised her hand again but this time Wanda stepped in front. A ray of bright light rebounded back. The lights lowered and Regina disappeared. They took a moment to recover from the attack."Is everyone all right?" Steve asked looking around. "Bruce, you ok?" Bruce nodded from a place under the table. T'Challa had backed up against the wall. 'Good thing we're all enhanced. I think she might have killed anyone else. There's circuitry under the wall…" It was just then he noticed Peter was missing. He must have taken advantage of the melee to disappear into the unknown."Peter! Damn it! Peter, why didn't you wait?"A flash of light. The ones left prepared themselves for another attack but instead of Regina, an image of Peter flashed before them, standing in her place. The group stood still, in shock, unable to process what they were seeing.The image waved a hand at them and smiled. "Hello, Cap!"
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The small team all moved toward Peter, almost in lockstep with one another. The same smile, on his face, the wild hair, the same young eyes Steve had looked into just moments before on the other side of the room looked back at him."Peter… are you ok?" Steve said, not sure how to approach him. Was this even Peter? "I'm fine!""Where are you?" Bruce asked, stepping through the data stream."I'm in the room, with the rest of you." His brows knit together and his forehead wrinkled up showing his confusion. "Where else would I be?""Is he even aware of what he is?" T'Challa asked in a low voice. "We had already created the hologram. Somehow, someway, the real Peter has become one with it.""There was no place to hide when that crazy lady shot those flash beams at us, so I ducked into the vent and then… well, here I am!" he exclaimed. The same mannerisms, the same expression of wonder when he experienced something new, it was all Peter.Wanda immediately broke away from the group, returning to the vent. She sent out an exploratory beam into it. Peter flashed on and off."Wanda, stop!" Steve commanded. "We're sorry, Peter, but something happened when you hid in the vent. You somehow became one with your hologram.""That's impossible! I'm…. I'm…" his voice trailed off as his hands traveled upward to his head and then down the sides of his body. He raised them up to stare at them."I feel as real as I ever did," he said."Peter," Wanda said. She moved back across the room and inched to him. "I'm going to send out a small bit of energy. It shouldn't hurt."Peter nodded, his eyes wide. A small red beam escaped from her fingers to the image. After a moment it returned. She let her hands go down to her side and sighed."He is the same as Regina, but more alive if that makes any sense," she said. "She was fading away.""What the…!" Bruce said, his voice so loud they all turned around in unison. He was staring at the data stream, still suspended in midair. "The corruption, the missing pieces. It's all cleaned up. It looks like all it needed was fresh data to fix it.""Wanda, stay close to him. Try to keep him calm," Steve said to Wanda, keeping his voice low. She nodded and moved closer to Peter, a wide forced smile on her face and spoke to him in a low reassuring tone. Peter still had the face of a frightened wild animal. If he wasn’t already sick about losing Bucky, the transformation of Peter was another hard hit. They came here to find him. Steve’s mind went to Tony, somewhere out there, deep in dreams waking to find the boy gone. He wouldn’t let that happen."It looks like your suspicions were correct, Captain. These people could upload their consciousness to this network and it has taken Peter," T'Challa said. "Much like Armin Zola.""But where is his body?" Steve said keeping his voice as low as possible. "It has to be in the vent somewhere.""If it is, he might be in a fugue-like state," Bruce said. "We shouldn't risk any of us going in there to search for it. This might happen to us.""And that would mean more of the team down and we can't afford that," Steve said. "Maybe we can use him to get information. If he's part of the system now, he should have a knowledge of the system, shouldn't he?""A logical thought Captain," T'Challa said. "But he doesn't seem to have any awareness he is not Peter Parker,""Neither did Regina. Zola did. He bragged about what he was," Steve said."If we were on earth, under normal conditions, I would say the first thing to do would be to shut down the system, but as that system is keeping us alive…" T'Challa said."Can you separate the two?" Steve asked."We can try," Bruce said, keeping his eyes fixed on the data stream. "But there's more to it than just plain science and technology. There's an unknown element, a procedure binding the two together that we might not replicate…""Magic," Steve said. The desire to hit things rose inside him but he pushed it back down. "Well, we have our own form of magic. Let's see what we can do with that. Wanda!" he motioned her over. "Wanda, we need you to stay focused. You can't let down your guard, not for a minute. We don't know what else they will throw at us, or what they will take away. We might need you to go above and beyond. I don't know your limits, but you might have to stretch them. Do you understand what I'm saying?"Wanda breathed deeply. She took a long look around the room, her eyes coming to rest on Peter. "I'll do my best." Steve was about to return to Peter's side when the room filled with a bright intense light, so bright they had to shield their eyes. When they opened them again, Peter was still there but the hunted look has gone from his eyes."Whoa!" Bruce said, stepping back from the data stream, his hands in the air. The stream was moving, revolving in place, almost as if it was alive."Our doctors and scientists, are gone," Peter said, his voice menacing. "The plague is taking our people. You brought your people back. That's all we ask, for you to do the same. We are desperate. Bring them back!"
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"Is anything about this place real?" Bucky asked.Thor said nothing but walked over to the table and placed his hand over it. His eyes glowed for a moment. "So this is what you experienced, where you were being held? Things being created out of... nothing?" He asked."Yes. Wanda wondered if it might be like Vibranium.""This is not Vibranium. Vibranium is a metal. This is…" He positioned both hands on the table and his eyes glowed again. An electrical blaze came out of one of his fingers, and a piece of the table broke off. The small chunk tried to recreate itself but Thor's strong hands interfered with the process. With one loud crunch, he broke into even smaller pieces. Again and again, he broke the pieces until they became smaller and smaller. He stared them for a few moments, then looked up, puzzled. "This material is malleable, can take many forms. At first guess, someone tried to fuse magic and science but had an incomplete knowledge of both. I know of this because on Asgard, science and magic are the same.""I heard. I didn't understand it, but I heard.""Few of your people can, at this stage. They are both grounded in reality, but as you would say, opposite sides of the same coin. This is something someone started but did not finish." Thor formed one small piece of the material into a ball and rolled it around between his fingers. He set it down on the table and it remained a ball until he pressed down on it. It remained flat, reminding Bucky of liquid clay."The portals were magic but Regina looked like a hologram. She was…" Bucky said."Technology. Science," Thor finished the idea. The two of them said nothing for a few moments, staring at the tiny pieces of material. Bucky half expected them to come alive again but Thor's powers had stopped their recombining."These people say they have no sorcerers. Nobody like Wong, or Doctor Strange, but those people the ones who call themselves the Ritkia, they come close. They can do things…" Bucky said."Yet the city is, as I told you, as advanced as your own earth. No magic. Any that exists is here, in this sanctuary.""Steve, the others, they're here somewhere. That's how Regina described it, as a place set apart. That woman, the Speaker, told me she fell into a coma, just like Steve, and when she woke up, she remembered things that didn't happen here, she could do things she couldn't before, and she says the others are jealous of her. I don't know if she can actually read minds, but she can sense when people are holding things back. She knows more than she's saying."Thor let out a sigh. "This was a risk, this blending. We believed we could set things right, but we may have caused more problems than we solved. We allowed this, exposing this person to things she was not ready to handle.""If it's any consolation, I think we would have done the same thing," Bucky said.Thor flashed a warm smile at him. "They might not allow you to wander, but I can. There must be a library or some center of knowledge here," he said as he pulled his hood back up over his head and turned to go out the door."Can't you find another one of those outfits and let me go with you?" Bucky asked.Thor stopped in his tracks and turned to face him. "You are strong and brave, but if they return here and find you gone, they might raise an alarm and for now, stealth is our friend. If anything would happen to you… how could I face my friend Steven again?" Thor's smile grew wider. "The things he endured to ensure the safety of your counterpart. If there were a woman in his life, there would have been a great conflict," Thor said, letting out a hearty laugh.Bucky felt his cheeks grow warm and hoped to hell Thor didn't notice. Why couldn’t he just react like a normal person? The answer came hard and swift. Because I’m NOT a normal person. He found something on the ground very interesting and kept his eyes fixed until Thor stopped laughing. When he finally looked back up Thor had his head cocked at an angle and was eying him curiously. He had noticed."Courage," he said. "And if you need help squeeze on that device. I will return. I would not touch those... things in their pure state if I were you." He pulled the hood over his head and left the room.Bucky watched the door close with a heavy heart. He wanted to hit things again but decided that was an exercise in futility. Sitting down he stared at the broken pieces piled on the side of the table. Thor was right. They had no idea what these people were capable of and it would be foolhardy jeopardize the chance of finding Steve and his friends. The pieces became more interesting. He realized he shouldn't touch the material with his real hand, but would it affect Vibrant? He stretched out his hand, his metal index finger was just inches away when the door opened. His reactions were quick enough for him to stand in front of the broken table, hiding Thor's destruction from view.It was the one he had secretly nicknamed The Leader and The Speaker."James," he said, closing the door behind him. "We discussed your situation, and it is a mystery. Our knowledge and traditions are oral although some have attempted to keep written records in the past. It might take time to research what it all might mean…""Can you send me back to them?" Bucky asked. "I don't care about the danger. I have to be with them.""We understand they are your friends, but creating the portal took great effort on our part. The new knowledge The Speaker brought back with her, given as a gift, is a fragile discipline. We were fortunate it worked the first time…" he said."And you will be safer here," The Speaker said."I don't care about my safety!" Bucky was on the verge of shouting. "You brought me here, against my will. You need to send me back!""We understand your frustration, but please, try to see things from our point of view. We existed in isolation for centuries. When we saw you…" The Leader was having difficulty expressing himself."What are you people, if you're not magicians?" Bucky asked. He was losing patience."We are students of The Great Way. No names, no titles. We are…" the Speak said."I know, unworthy. WHY are you unworthy? What did you do?" Bucky asked. The Great Way. The way they repeated those words 'unworthy', was like a mantra. Maybe Thor was right. It sounded like a religion."We did nothing," The Leader said. "We keep alive the ancient ways.""The sorcerers left. That's what Regina was trying to tell us. They left and you…" Bucky was on the verge of figuring it out."What is this? What did you do?" The Speaker's voice cut through the conversation. He had been so intent on getting answers he made the fatal mistake of taking his attention away from her. She was now between him and the broken table. The tiny bits of the element were out in the open, exposed to view."I broke the table. I was angry. When I'm angry, I hit things. I'm sorry…""I knew you knew more than you were saying," The Speaker's hands came up, golden light emitted from her fingers and she aimed them toward the Leader. He became a statue."He is unharmed. I know you came from the Vault, and together, we will find it," she said. "But first, I will have answers of my own.”Buck's hand went to the gold device on his wrist, his fingers encircled it and pressed around as hard as he could before he felt her paralyzing waves envelop him.
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Just as before, her spell did not paralyze him completely. He stood before her, remembering the times the Consortium woke him from the deep sleep. The disorientation. He knew of his surroundings but could not move."They use the word 'unworthy' as if we are all the same, but we are not. I was the lowest of the low, and they laughed at my efforts, and my belief that the Vault was real, and not the stuff of legends. They still laugh but now they are afraid of me. Their thoughts are open before me. I need more evidence, more proof of the great treasure," The Speaker said. "It's an old story," Bucky said. He strained against her spell but gave up. "Be careful with your new abilities. Sometimes the oppressed gain power and become oppressors. Then there’s the story about people becoming obsessed with something, an idea, to where nothing else matters. That's you."She moved closer to him, staring into his eyes. This made his discomfort worse. This woman was boring into his soul and she had the potential to be very dangerous. He had no idea how to handle this situation. "You are older than you appear. Much older, as if you have lived several lifetimes but empty places exist. There are dark times, times you don't want to remember," she said."That's true," he said. "I am older than I seem. I have lived several lifetimes." No point in denying what she said. Where was Thor? He had barely left. He had to be close by.'Someone you admire, someone... you love. They oppressed him, beat him down, and yet... he did none of the things you say and you wish I would follow his lead."This woman was digging deeper below the surface but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. He couldn’t hide anything from her but perhaps he could use that to his advantage. He attempted to concentrate on Steve, on how he used to be and the choices he made. He focused on an image of Steve as a sickly boy, and the of him as the man he became."He never let obsessions rule him except for you, so I'm sure he would understand." She moved away and took her place by the table leaving him to ponder what she meant. How deep could she go? She picked up one of the broken pieces and studied it. "This is under an enchantment.""I don't know what the hell it is," Bucky said. "The place I was in before...could do things like that, but there was no treasure!""I'm sorry. I wish I did not have to do this, but you insist on hiding things and I need answers," she said, extending her hands. A long gold thread of light touched him. An image appeared, of himself and began to move. It was like watching a movie of his life. The Bucky he saw appeared rough as if he hadn't slept for days. Then without warning, he saw him lash out and hit something. The scene pulled back and he saw Tony. Tony in a different suit, wild anger in his eyes. Tony was different. Hitting him again and again, then Tony firing at him, then Steve helping him, fighting Tony. Holding him back. Another long blast and his arm blew away, the force pulling at his shoulder and spine. Another memory, of standing with Tony in the Palace, the astonishment on his face when Bucky mentioned his ability to control himself. What the hell..."You do not remember this?" She asked. "And yet this happened.""That wasn't me," Bucky said. "I don‘t understand why he's doing that…" The memory surfaced, of going on a forbidden mission to hunt down Zemo because he caused this. Peter’s questions. Steve‘s evasive answers. Things were getting mixed in his own head."I believe you," she said. "That was not you. This is something your friends left behind but connects to you. This, spell, must allow me to visit other dimensions, other realities. I have not yet learned to use it to its fullest.""Regina could do that, " Bucky said, stalling for time. Her abilities were frightening him but he couldn’t let her know that. "She showed Peter his other life." With a sinking heart, he realized he would be the object of experimentations, again."And now it is mine. What else will we see?" There was no hint of cruelty in her voice, merely a fascination with her own powers. She didn't know what she could do. This could get dangerous.Another flash of light. Scenes his life with the Consortium, and with another group, he didn't recognize, but they didn’t look much of an improvement. He saw himself being frozen and revived. T'Challa chasing him with bloodlust in his eyes, T'Challa welcoming him like an old friend. Seeing Steve. A series of vignettes, ending with him and Steve by the lake and Steve pulling him into a kiss. The way Steve looked at him. He loves me. His discomfort magnified a thousand times."How touching," she said. "He loves you despite what you are.""This won't help you," Bucky said. She knows what I am. Despite his semi-paralyzed state, he sensed another presence. Someone close by... maybe the Leader was coming awake."ENOUGH! Release him!" A loud voice and a brighter flash flooded the room. Bucky could move. Thor had finally shown up.When he regained his senses, The Speaker was attempting to throw the golden thread at Thor but he deflected it. "Who are you?" She hissed."I am Thor Odinson, God of Thunder," he replied. Bucky thought he knew relief when he appeared on the plains of Wakanda but it was nothing compared to the way he felt now."That's impossible! You are a myth, a legend." Her eyes were wide with terror."Oh, so you have heard of me!" Thor sported a sudden smile despite the circumstances and turned to Bucky "There are places where they haven't if you can believe that," he said.Bucky didn't know if he was trying to be funny or not. He didn't know the man that well but he seemed to have the situation under control."I'm sorry that I took so long to get back, but I picked up their signal again." He held up his hand and the gem on the ring on his smallest finger was blinking rapidly. "Close to here. I was following it but had to return when I saw you were in distress. Now this person will be our guide as we wander through this place. As you can see, I am no legend. Whatever powers you might own, they are nothing compared to mine. Now unfreeze this gentleman long enough so we can borrow his cloak and then enchant him again. We will take a little walk and the fewer involved, the better."The Speaker stood still as if contemplating what to do. For half a second Bucky was afraid she would lash out again and it would catch him in the crossfire. Thor's words did not frighten her, but she did as he said. The Leader came to, looking bewildered as Thor apologized as he removed his cloak and then he went back into his suspended state. He gave it to Bucky who wrapped it around himself and pulled the hood over his head. Thor did the same and then forced the Speaker out the door.Outside nothing had changed. The light of a constant new morning, the red plants. Other figures passed them by and bowed as a way of greeting. They did the same, following the course the blinking light on Thor's ring set for them, following it through other rows of stone houses, across a large open stone lined courtyard that was probably the center of the community. Through more stone-lined streets, past more houses, until they came to the top of a hill looking down on a valley full of ruins. It appeared uninhabited."This place is forbidden," she said. "They are the ruins of our original community, from long ago, when our ancestors first came here.""So naturally, you come here as often as you can," Thor said. The Speaker turned to him, amazement in her eyes. "I would have done the same. One need not have the power to see into other's minds to know such things. We are not your enemy. We want the same thing. To find out where his friends are, to release them and if we can we will help you solve your own mystery, but my mission is to see my friends safely home. Do you understand this," he asked. "I have no ill will toward anyone here. Now our friends are here, somewhere, in this area. Find them.”She nodded. Something about her relaxed. Perhaps it was knowing she was close to finding her own answers and it was best to work with them rather than against them. "It's been a while since I was here. Some ways are dangerous. I must get my bearings.""Just be sure that is all you do," Thor said. She stepped a few yards in front down a path that led down the hill."I did not know about you and Steven," Thor said, staring after her. "That would explain your reaction to my joke about a woman in his life.""You saw that?" Bucky asked, wincing."Yes. There is no need to keep it a secret, around me. What did she mean, despite what you are?"Buck took a deep breath before replying. After they took care of this mess, Thor would be far away, sorting out the problems with his own people. "I'm asexual." There he said it."Ah, I see. And Steven knows this?" Thor asked. Bucky nodded in response. "From what I could tell, it makes no difference to him,""He says it doesn't, Look, I really don't want to talk about it..""Of course you don't, and we won't, but let me say one thing. What you are is nothing you should hide away. Despite what others might say or think, nothing about you, the way you are, makes your relationship with Steven any less valid, no matter what form it takes."Thor's words caused something to snap together in his mind. After all his internal struggle, could the answer be as simple as this? Believe Steve when he said it didn’t matter. It was a small moment of clarity. "Thank you," he said. "You're very wise.""One doesn't live to be my age without picking up a few things," He said still staring straight ahead at The Speaker. "I believe they are somewhere down there.""Is this where you thought it was?" Bucky asked, calling down to her " The Vault? Is this why you came here?"She nodded. "It made sense that the old legends would begin here, where it all started. I would wander around for days at a time but found nothing. If they caught me, they punished me.""In my experience, forbidden places are forbidden for a reason. Often people will make up stories of ghosts and weird happenings to keep people away. I've seen it done often on your earth," Thor said."That's why there are ghost stories?" Bucky asked."Yes. I'm sorry if I destroyed any fond illusions but yes, that's why. Often though, the original purpose for the legends was forgotten but the stories linger on. That might be what happened here.”They followed the path down the hill. It was steeper than it looked. Rocks fell down around them but none of them lost their footing. The red light on Thor's ring glowed stronger and stronger. At last, they stopped by a large stone building."This is it, they are here," Thor said.The speaker appeared puzzled. "There is nothing special about this place," she said. "It does not differ from any other building here. There are no legends, nothing.”"It might appear that way, but I'm sure there is something here, that your people forgot or suppressed." He walked around it, touching the stones as he did. "There is one thing special about it. It doesn't appear to have any doors or windows. This isn't a tomb is it?"The Speaker shook her head. "I don't think so."All Bucky could think about was Steve somewhere on the other side of that wall. He wanted to pull the rocks apart and call his name but knew it would do no good. He placed his good hand against it as a small attempt to be closer to him. There was something odd about it the building."It feels warm," he said. He changed hands, this time using his metal vibranium fingers to move up and down the stones. Tiny electrical sparks shot out. Thor walked over to him studying the reaction."Well, let's see what we can see," Thor said and stuck out his hand. They waited a few moments and his weapon appeared out of nowhere, darting through the air. Without a word he held it above his head and lightning came down from the sky. A white flash changed the simple stone building into a cathedral-like structure that reached upward. The Speaker cowered and started to run for cover but seeing Bucky’s calm reaction found her courage to remain with them."That was another illusion," Thor said. "And the others in this community will know I am here, but it matters not.""Well, can't you smash it or something let them out?" The thought of seeing Steve again pushed everything else out of Bucky's mind."Can you do this?" The Speaker's voice was just as eager as his. The answer to her lifelong quest was right there, making her eyes glow with excitement."I don't think so. There is some kind of errant enchantment on this. Something…""It can't be beyond you. You're the God of Thunder!" Bucky gave in and smashed his metal hand against the wall. It had no effect."It's not beyond me. Do you understand computers?""A little, not much.""Well, for a program to work, someone must enter a code, and that code must be correct. If someone uses the wrong code, nothing can make it work unless they fix it, or they override it.”"You mean if someone didn't do the enchantment right… if the spell is faulty..." the Speaker asked. "You mean it's not doing what they wanted it to do. It has gone astray.""It is as I suspected. Someone was messing around with things they did not understand. Just like someone must override a computer code, someone must override the spell. The best way for this to happen is for it to start the inside because this is where the enchantment originates. Then we here, from the outside, can finish the work.""So if we can send word to Steve and the others to break Regina's hold on the inside first, you should be able to break through and finish the job. How do we get word to them?" Bucky allowed his mind to go into overtime until his eyes fell on the red blinking light on Thor’s ring. "Can you send a message with that?" He asked.Thor looked down at it. "We could, but what code could we send with blinks and signals they would understand?""Leave that to me. This is what I want you to do…"
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"Damn it, damn it damn it!" A loud noise forced the group's attention away from Peter's transformation to the back of the room. Steve turned just in time to see Bruce pick up a chair and throw it against the back wall. "I am so damned tired of this!" He shouted, as he turned to face them, his hands clenched, his eyes a brilliant shade of yellow. The first warning sign his anger was about to take over."Bruce," Steve said, as gently as he could, "We're all frustrated. I don't know what happened, but please stay focused…" Not now Bruce. We can't deal with that on top of everything else... "I should have gone back with her. I'd be with her…" Bruce growled. "And they took Peter. We've lost him…" Steve had no idea what he was talking about but Bruce's words brought up the hard truth he wasn't the only one with internal struggles.Steve made what he hoped was a barely perceptible nod to Wanda. She took a few steps in Bruce's direction, then stopped. They had to be careful."Bruce, these people, whatever they are, were determined to bring us here and it wouldn't have mattered where you were," He moved a few paces in Bruce's direction, doing his best to hold his attention while Wanda slid up behind him."Aargh!" Bruce yelled again, and this time a monitor joined the chair."Doctor Banner, please, this will not help. We need you," T'Challa said. His low melodious voice stopped Bruce long enough for Wanda to make her connection. The motion of her fingers seemed to mesmerize him. For an awful few seconds, Steve thought he would push her away, but his eye color returned to normal. A few deep breaths and he was back."I'm sorry," Wanda said. She apologized every time she did this."I'm sorry myself," Bruce said, leaning back against the wall. "The other guy hasn't been out for a while. It's one damn thing after another. Natasha and I had a fight, and it was so damn stupid. I'm not her boss, she doesn't have to do what I say, and now I'm stuck here in God knows where and who knows when I'll see her again. Every time we get close to something, something else happens and she's…"T'Challa stared at him for a few moments. Steve realized he had yet to encounter the personality Bruce carried inside him. "I'm sure, when this is over, you will make things right with her. We all had unfinished business, but for now, all we can do is move forward. Remember, we are all smart, strong people. All is not lost," he said. T’Challa didn’t know it, but he was keeping them sane.Bruce stood back and nodded. He seemed out of breath. He picked up the monitor which to no one's surprise, remained in one piece, and carried it back to the table."The personality, the program that was Regina has apparently enveloped Peter," T'Challa said."The first thing we need to do is find Peter himself, see if he's all right," Bruce said, wiping sweat from his forehead."How the hell do we do that?" Steve asked. "Even if we tore the walls apart, they'd just snap back together again. Wanda could do this," he said, pointing to the small bit of gold matter on the table. " But it took a long time to break it down to that and we're not even sure what it is or what it does…" He stopped in mid-sentence distracted by the small blinking red light on T'Challa's ring."Your ring. It's blinking," he said.T'Challa raised his finger up to stare at it. "Thor knows we sent a signal. Where he is at this moment or if he is coming here, who knows….""No, I mean it's blinking in a pattern!" Steve rushed over and ignoring all sense of propriety took the King's hand to hold it up so he could see it better. "So it is," T'Challa affirmed and not at all offended at Steve's actions. "What does it mean?""It could be a code. One I haven't seen used in years. Small short bursts, then longer bursts. Dots and dashes. It's from Bucky. He's ok!" He hadn't allowed himself to hope but now it washed through him like a spring. He's ok. "Morse code?" Bruce asked."Yes. it's repeating. Am ok.'" More relief poured through Steve " With Thor. Am outside. Take out Regina by any means necessary. Will do the rest.""We have to send a signal back. Can we do that?" Bruce asked.T'Challa considered Steve's question for a moment, then walked over to the table that had been his workstation and picked up some tiny instruments. "For the White's Wolf's arm. There must be a way to disrupt this signal." After a few moments of tinkering, he carefully removed the red gem, but it continued to blink. Underneath was a small mechanism. With a few small taps, he inserted the tool, and the blinking stopped. Pulling it back, they started again."Ok, dots are short, dashes are long. You understand?" Steve asked.T'Challa nodded as Steve relayed a message he knew sounded like utter nonsense to the people listening. "I said message received. Understood. Will comply. Wait for our signal ."T'Challa carefully put the ring back together. More dots and dashes."Standing by," Steve translated the final message, collapsing against the table. He hadn't realized until that moment how emotionally exhausted he was and how hard he had been holding everything back. A realistic image of Bucky being torn away from him flashed in front of his eyes but the sight of finding him again in Wakanda replaced it. Thank you, Wanda."Now we understand what we should do, but how do we do it without hurting Peter?" Wanda asked.Steve regained control of himself and turned back to face his team. The four of them stared at each other for a long moment before Steve spoke. "It seems the only way to get around inside wherever this is, is to be a hologram. You made the hologram of Peter. Would it be possible to make one of me and could you make it self-aware so we can relay messages back and forth?"Bruce and T'Challa stared at each other taking in what Steve had said. "Like Armin Zola," Bruce said. "It's possible. The hologram, we can do. The rest…we'll do our damnedest, but Steve, this is dangerous.""It's the only way. I have to get in there and we might as well have one ready for me when whatever happens in there, happens. You two need to stay where you are, keep doing what you're doing and talk me through it, and Wanda has to protect you in case Peter, or Regina, or whoever the hell that is, comes back throwing lightning bolts again. It has to be me," Steve said."If you are sure," T'Challa said. "This might be a one-way trip. We don't want to face it, but Peter could be…""We have to try," Steve said cutting him off. "Someone needs to get in there and I'm the most likely candidate. Wanda, do what you did before when you enlarged that vent. It has to be big enough for me to squeeze through."She nodded and returned to the corner of the room and knelt down by the vent, directing gentle streams of energy toward the wall."The template for the hologram is in the system, that won't take much time. As far as the rest, all I have is the knowledge from the research our scientists have made and that is a theory which we can use in addition what we have seen here," T'Challa said. Bruce was already at work, a new golden stream of data was being put together before their eyes. "We can attempt to put them together and see what happens.""That's enough," he said.The two men worked as quickly as they could, adding data to the stream so it grew longer and longer. They stopped to confer with one another from time to time, making quick decisions and but had to backtrack once. Something forced them to erase part of the stream and start over. Steve was getting impatient then they asked him to stand still so they could scan him and record his voice. More data entry and the stream turned in mid-air, almost looking alive, the same as Peter's and Regina's. They fit in a listening device for him, in case the hologram thing didn’t work out. It felt clunky because they had to make it out of the materials they had available. It didn’t feel right, but he couldn’t complain about comfort. It was time.“Thank you, gentlemen. If I don’t make it out, use whatever force, whatever is necessary to break down these walls. We have to get Peter out of there. Do you understand?” Bruce and T’Challa exchanged a glance, then nodded. They understood.He walked back to Wanda. Just as before, she had enlarged the vent. It looked big enough for him to crawl into."Look after them. If I don't make it, tell Bucky…""You'll make it," she said. "And you will tell him yourself. Now go,"He knelt down to enter the vent, then crawled into darkness.
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"Can you hear me?" Bruce was tinny in Steve's ears. This was a far cry from the streamlined tech Tony created but the sound of his voice was a relief. Blackness enveloped him but a tiny spark of something glowed in front of him."Yes, can you hear me?" He asked. A long few seconds passed."We can. What do you see?""It's dark, but it looks like I'm standing at the end of a long hallway. There's a light in the distance." He decided to not touch anything unless he had to. "I'm headed toward it."The hallway wasn't as long as he thought. Within a few minutes, he was standing in front of a glowing golden ball of light. It was as tall as he was and pulsated in even rhythms but made no sound. It was beautiful."I've reached the source of the light. It looks like a larger version of those particles Wanda found.""Interesting." That was T'Challa.An impulse to walk into it seized him. He stood still for a moment, unsure of what to do when something changed. An image appeared in the light.. Bucky."Bucky?" He asked. The image smiled at him."Steve," He reached out a hand to touch him, Bucky reached back when the tinny noise broke through. Bruce's voice."Whatever you're seeing, Steve, it's not Bucky. He's outside, remember, sent us the message. This thing can obviously read your thoughts. Be careful."Steve pulled back his hand. "You're right, that's not him but now I have this urge to join him, wherever he is. I'm going to attempt to go around this thing."Bucky pulled back, a hurt expression on his face. The way he looked after the bomb blew his arm off when Steve visited him in the hospital. Hurt, Betrayal. That wasn't me! Steve scolded himself. He has sent Bucky off to sleep in a Wakandan lab. Safe and looked after. The image changed again, Bucky arm blown off, tears of pain in his eyes. He had to go to him…"Steve?" Bruce's voice broke through."I'm ok, I'm going to go around this thing." He shut his eyes and felt for a wall, hoping that thing wouldn't speak to him again. He reached out into the darkness and found one. Nothing happened. Keeping close to it, he turned his face turned away so the glowing ball of light was behind him. He inched himself around, forcing himself to take quick glances until he believed himself on the other side.Once there, he glanced upward. He was in another room. A larger room, reaching up to a great height. Golden electric circuity covered the walls. It was almost like being in a Cathedral. At that moment Steve realized why this place seemed so familiar. The Sanctorum in New York. The lines, the windows, all very similar.“I'm in another large room, bigger than the one you're in. There are gold electrical wires covering the walls, going in all directions. Kind of pretty in a weird sort of way. Almost like someone went crazy with Christmas lights.”"Is Peter there?" Bruce asked."I think I'm alone. Wait, a minute!" Steve moved closer to the walls, adjusting his eyes so he could see past the glowing network. "This stuff looks alive if that makes any sense. The bigger cables are transparent, the light is moving through them. There are finer wires, webbed together into a kind of honeycomb.” His eyes played over the mesh but a thing so bizarre popped in front of him, forcing him to step back. From deep within the circuitry covered and obscured by wires and circuits, two eyes stared back at him."Whoa!" He said, another step back. He shook his head to get the revulsion out of his system. Steeling himself, he looked again. He was right. A person caught up in the web, embedded deep in the system."What's the problem, Steve?" Bruce asked.“Someone‘s in there caught inside the wiring," he said as calmly as he could. “Not Peter, but appears humanoid. I don't think they're in there by accident. He forced himself to examine the other panels. More eyes, more faces. "More people Lots of them. They aren't responding to my presence.""That sounds worse than we thought," Bruce said. "We suspected there was something more than tech or magic guiding this thing. That must be where Peter is…" “And why they could not leave,” T’Challa said.Steve turned around and surveyed the large room. He didn't give into despair that often but now might be one of those times. This room was huge, the panels with their mysterious symbionts were all over. Peter could be anywhere. Something small thing caught his eyes. A dark spot on the other side of the room. Part of the network that looked unfinished. Running to the spot it relieved him to find the form of Peter looking back at him. The wires had yet to cover him."I found him. He's not entrenched as deeply as the others.""Good. It must take time for it to do whatever the hell is it does. Steve, is anything embedded in his skin?" Bruce asked. "Check on his leg or hand, don't go near any vital organs."Steve knelt down and followed the course of wire to Peter's left leg. He gave it a slight tug, ready for anything but nothing happened. He reached down to examine the point of contact."It looks like those patches they stick on you in the hospital when they check your heart. I'm going to remove one." As gently as he could, he pulled the sensor away. Peter did not react."I can remove them. After I free him from this thing, I'm going to get him out of here," Steve said.It took time but there weren't as many sensor patches as he first thought. Slowly he pulled them away, expecting to get zapped with each one but nothing happened. It occurred to Steve that this place was so well hidden and secured that perhaps no one thought to use extra security measures. Nothing was supposed to get past that golden ball of illusions and find this placeAfter what seemed an eternity Peter collapsed in his arms. He was breathing."He's free, and he seems to be ok," Steve said. At the sound of his voice, Peter sudden came awake."Aunt May!" He exclaimed "Mr. Stark! I have to find them…""Peter, that wasn't real. They're not here. We're in what looks like the control room."Peter took a minute to get his bearings but when he did, he immediately came to life. He jumped up and took a good look around, his face full of wonder. "This place is amazing!""Don't look too closely," Steve said using his most commanding tone. He was hoping to spare the boy further trauma. The sight of the people stuck inside this system had unnerved him, he didn't know what effect it might have on Peter. "I mean it, don't stare at the walls. When this is over, maybe we can come back and inspect it, but right now I have to get you out of here. When we go past the big light, remember it's lying to you. Don't listen to it or you'll just end up back here again."Peter nodded. Together they went back toward the light. Steve motioned him over to get close against the wall with his face turned away and Peter followed suit."Peter…" The voice of his Aunt May. "I miss you…" "Don't listen!" Steve said, trying not to sound too harsh. Peter nodded and faced the wall and inched his way around in tandem with Steve."Parker! You've done such a good job, I've got your new suit all ready for you!" Tony's voice was so real the illusion almost caused Steve to turn around. He and Peter exchanged a glance but inched a few more yards around the light."Steve, you love me, and I love you. We should be together and I promise, I won't leave you again."Steve stopped for a moment to pound on the wall. He glanced over at Peter who looked up with pure astonishment on his face."You and Bucky are...together? I mean like together... together?"Steve nodded as he moved a few more feet."Why the secrecy? I mean who would care?""Bucky's idea. He's kind of sensitive about everything. He's asexual." Steve said. The words had popped out of his mouth before he could stop himself. Bucky said he could tell people and while this conversation was uncomfortable, it was serving its purpose of distracting Peter."Asexual? You mean he's like a plant?" The boy's question was so innocent and unexpected Steve laughed despite the circumstances. "No, he's not a plant. I’ll explain later. Come on. Not far."A pale glow revealed the vent. He made Peter go first, gently pushing him out of the hallway toward Wanda's outstretched hands."We have him, Steve," Bruce said. "He doesn't seem to be any worse for the wear.""Check him out. I'm going back and enter that thing. If you need to come to find me, I'll be a blank spot where the circuitry hasn't taken over. Regina and I are going to have a little chat."With that, he turned around and strode toward the pulsating golden ball. Bucky was waiting for him, a smile on his face and a mischievous look in his eyes. He reached out to Steve and Steve took his hand, allowing him to guide him deep into the light.
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Bucky enfolded him in his arms and kissed him. Drugs didn't affect Steve but now something flowed through him as if someone had injected something into his veins. This was ecstasy. It was all he ever wanted, a beautiful, beautiful dream. Gold light surrounded them and nothing else mattered, not this place or these people but he and Bucky, together, shutting out the universe."I'll do anything you want, Steve, be anything. I'm yours." The embrace grew tighter, everything intensified when he realized what Bucky was offering. They, whoever they were, had been watching them and thought they understood their story. They assumed Steve wanted this, a Bucky willing to deny who he was for Steve's pleasure. It was a logical assumption, but they didn't realize he already had what he wanted. Loving Bucky, keeping him safe and close to him was enough and all that mattered.He pulled back. So this was how they operated. They showed you what they thought you wanted and if you gave in, they somehow absorbed you into their system."I can't ask you to go against what you are," Steve said. "Or do anything you wouldn't enjoy, for any reason."Bucky vanished, replaced by Regina. An older Regina. Her face was still humanoid, but elongated, a pale red complexion, not repulsive but different enough for him to stare."What did you offer them?" He asked, waving a hand at the walls. "Are they still dreaming?”"You are too good!" She said. "But no matter. You are here. We need your energy!" She reached out, grabbing his arm. He could no longer breath, his heart ceased to beat…And he was in the room again, facing his friends. They gathered around him. The room was the same as when he left it. The golden data stream was still there, spinning around in the air."Steve, it is you, isn't it?" Bruce asked."Yes, it's me. This is strange.""Of course it's strange. Congratulations. You're a hologram. Peter's described the control room to us. Did you see Regina?" Bruce asked. Adjusting to the sight of them was hard. His eyes didn't want to focus."Yes, just a minute ago. She said she needed our energy." Something passed through his mind like a shadow. "Something's in there, in my head. It's trying to take over.""Why have you not brought them back?" He demanded, holding out his hands. Long streams of energy shot out only to meet with Wanda's retaliation. He was back, in the room with Regina. She was even older now, an elderly pink skinned woman, bowed with age."You are spending energy each time you do that," Steve said. "Why not stop?""Why are you resisting? No one else resisted," she said. His refusal to give in was obviously a new scenario for her. Her programming wasn't able to handle this."We can’t help you. We can't bring anyone back. I'm sorry. We can try to help you, but you need to let these other people go.""It's too late. I have spent their energy.""And after you use up our energy? What then? That's really why you brought us here, isn't it? It wasn't just about being strong enough to make the trip. You searched through your portals, bringing people here, telling them your story and they tried to help but it wasn't enough. Then you found us. We are stronger, we will live longer, we will give you more energy by simply existing. That's what you needed…""My people need me!" She snapped. "Why can't you understand that? I had to shut myself off from them for their own salvation. I saw you, with him. You love him. Stay here, and lose yourself in dreams."Her eyes focused on something past him but she was looking at something in her own mind. Did she have a mind? Could she reason? Was she like a computer, unable to function outside her programming? Was she even sentient?"Regina, the person who was Regina isn't here. You're are some kind of ghost. Let us go. We can't help you." He knew what he had to do. He had to get out of this golden bubble and back to the control room and find her. Disconnect her from the rest of the network.He turned away from her to take stock of his immediate surroundings. The gold light surrounded him. He aimed at one spot and threw himself against it. A shock moved through his system but he quickly recovered. Another and another. Behind him, she was grabbing at him, screaming at him, but he shook her off. He concentrated on getting back to Bucky, his friends, home. He came in of his own free will and he should be able to exit the same way. Again and again, pounding against the glowing barrier until he was through. He expected to land on the floor but he stayed suspended in mid-air, held in place by pulsating bright gold cables. The network had barely started to work its way around him. Remembering how he had released Peter he tore the sensor patches away until he was free, dropping to the floor. He looked up at the huge room, with its myriad of pathways weaving around it."Can you hear me?" He asked."We can hear you!" Bruce said, relief in his voice. Steve took a long breath. His hand went right to his chest to feel for his heartbeat. "I'm me again. I freed myself. I have to find Regina and break her free from the network but it will be almost impossible for one person alone. I need all of you to come and help me. Peter will tell you what to do."It was an eternity before his four friends entered the room. They all looked as if they had been through a war. Steve didn't ask them what they saw. All except Peter stared agape at the height of the walls."This will be a little disconcerting but there are people buried underneath all that circuitry. I don't know if they are alive or not, but the person we are looking for is humanoid but with a long face and…""Her skin was pink!" Peter added. "And she had long hair. It was red, bright red. Wanda and I can check out what's up top." He let loose a piece of his webbing, pulling himself upward. Wanda's hands extended and with a flourish levitated to join him."Yes," Steve called up. "Try not to hurt them. They might still be alive."T'Challa immediately transformed into his cat-like posture, found a foothold and climbed up the nearest wall. He stared deep into the webbing. "I will take the mid levels. It looks like there are many different species here.""Yes. Bucky and I suspected they must have done this before.""I don't want to call the other guy out unless it's necessary, so why don't we stay here below?" Bruce suggested. Steve nodded, and they immediately inspected the network closer to the ground. The sight of the people being used like this was revolting. Staring into their empty eyes he realized that if they were still alive, he might pull them out of a beautiful illusion.At one point Wanda called Peter over, but he shook his head. "We found one that looks like her, but it's not!" He called out. "It doesn't look like there's that many here like that.""Make our job a little easier. Here," Steve pointed one out to Bruce. "Like this, that's not her either," Steve said. "Hair's too short. That might be a male. I wonder if its Regulus?" Bruce stared at the being for a moment then moved onto the next panel.It was a team effort. Peter swinging, Wanda flying, T'Challa more like a cat than ever, finding footholds in the mesh and swinging himself around. Steve and Bruce were fast, surveying one portion of the wall in less than a minute before moving on to the next."I would think she'd be in a central location,'' Bruce said. "We entered from that direction. She supposed to be a Queen so I would assume her throne or seat of power would be over there." He stared at the middle of the far wall then made his way across the room. Steve followed him and they looked into the system. It was deeper here. Steve's eyes focused, and he saw the glint of something buried deeper than the others. Pink skin. Eyes. He recognized them.""Over here!" He shouted. All the team joined him and together they worked on dismantling the network to get to the person underneath. Steve, Bruce, and T’Challa pulled on the heavy cables, Peter on the smaller wires. Wanda moved things out of the way with her mind as the others pulled them away, dropping them gently to the floor, careful to not tear anything apart. Even with all of them helping the work was labor intensive. Eventually, they exposed her face."That's her!" Peter said. Steve nodded in confirmation."Let's get to work!" Steve said. "Careful. We don't want to destroy the system until we are sure if those other people are alive or not." They tore away at it, removing more large cables, then the thinner wires, moving onto the micro cables then down to the small sensors.With the removal of the last one, her eyes came to life. She blinked, and the room flooded with light.
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“Amazing, this little code of yours. Is it something the two of you came up with yourselves?” Thor asked as he replaced the gem on his ring.“No, its something we learned when we were in the Army. I know my memory was enhanced along with everything else, but I’m surprised I remembered it,” Bucky said. The exchange relieved a great deal of fear. Steve was ok at the moment.“You and Steven must teach me. I might need to use it again, sometime. I am a fast learner.”“Of course you are,” Bucky said. Thor was handsome, strong and congenial so it wouldn’t be surprising to know that along with his other assets, he was a sponge when it came to new disciplines. The sounds of approaching footsteps took their full attention.“Our friends have found us, as I knew they would,” Thor said. He and Bucky both took cover behind a nearby building but The Speaker did not, opting to stand defiantly in front of the small cathedral. Bucky didn’t know what else to call it.The group did not join them but stopped at the top of the hill. A collective gasp went through their number at the sight of the structure.“This place is off limits!” A voice yelled down.” What have you done? You have been meddling in things forbidden.”“Now we know why they are forbidden. I’ve found it. I’ve found the VAULT!” The Speaker called back up to them. She was overjoyed. Everything she had wanted was coming true.“How did you do this? And what was that sudden storm we heard?” one called back to her.The Speaker said nothing. Bucky peered from around the corner of their hiding place. One of the robed figures at the top of the hill sent down a flash but The Speaker deftly deflected it. A gasp went up from the group.“We don’t want to cause a Civil War here,” Bucky said. “This won’t help.” Thor pursed his lips, considering Bucky’s suggestion. It looked as if he would be perfectly fine with the idea of a Civil War but eventually nodded in agreement. They stepped out from behind the building.Bucky pulled back his hood. “This was my doing. We asked her to bring me here. I have reason to believe my friends are trapped inside…”“What was that storm?” Someone asked. Everyone in the group raised their hands. The Speaker jumped in front of him. “And what do you mean by we? Who else is with you?” “That would be ME!” Thor followed Bucky in stepping into their view and removing his hood. He smiled at them. Bucky wondered if there was some kind of Asgardian enchantment about his face because the group immediately put down their hands.“And who are you?” the same voice called out.“I am Thor of Asgard, God of Thunder,” he said. A look of puzzlement went over their faces. Bucky might have laughed had the situation been different. They had no idea who he was, and Thor didn’t like it.“He is out of the old stories, something you would know if you paid attention!” The Speaker said, coming to his rescue. There was some commotion from up top that the group below could not see. The collective above them parted and The Leader, without his cloak appeared at the front of them. He stared down at the three of them, and up at the structure, his mouth agape.Hoping to diffuse the situation, Bucky walked halfway up the hill, pulling the cloak off as he went. “I believe this is yours, and my apologies. My friends, we believe they’re in there.”The Leader took the cloak and wrapped it about himself. “Who is your friend.”“He is Thor of Asgard,” Bucky said.This time there was a hint of recognition. “Is he?” The Leader didn't expect an answer and walked past Bucky, down the hill to face Thor.“What brings you here?” He asked. He was behaving in a most respectful manner, mollifying Thor’s ego.“My friends are trapped inside there. I wish to free them and return them to their homes. If you will allow me to do that, and not stand in our way, we shall leave here and bother you no longer. Be advised, my magic is stronger than anything you can produce here. You saw the storm.”“Yes, we did. Well, even if we wanted to, we couldn’t stop you. Come!” He called out to his entourage. “I lift the restrictions. We will help them. Why did you not tell us you were friends with Thor?” The Leader asked Bucky. Behind him, Thor leaned on his weapon with a slight smirk on this face. Bucky was at a loss for words when he noted Thor’s ring. It was blinking.“A signal!” he said. The Leader turned around as Bucky pushed past him. Thor held up his hand so Bucky could see the repeating pattern. “It's just one word. “NOW’.“So you spoke the truth! The others are inside and you have been communicating with them! What do you propose to do?” The Leader asked.“They would take care of the barriers within, and we would break down what is out here. I will start small, don’t worry.” Thor said."You won’t be able to get through by brute strength alone. There are obviously spells and enchantments on this side as well.” The Speaker said. "If they can destroy the source from within...."“Can you help us?” Bucky asked.“We will do our best. Come!” The Leader waved the rest of the group down the hill. After reaching the others they formed a circle around the building. The Leader raised his arms and sent a direct beam of gold light toward it, the others following his lead. Thor raised his weapon and released a single bolt of lightning. A corner of an eave broke off. The group on that side of the building jumped out of the way as it fell to the ground. They all stared at it for a moment and then it did what Bucky knew it would do. It started to reform.“Oh no, you don’t!” Thor said. He shot another bolt toward the broken piece, doing it again and again until it was a pile of rubble. The Speaker was first to examine it, picking up a small piece.“What is this?” She asked.“Someone, at some point in ages past, discovered this material could absorb the technology of the times and magic. They fused them together to create illusions and reform it to take whatever form they wished. You have it, here, all around you but you didn’t know it and apparently, this building is full of it.” Thor said. “That is my educated guess and my educated guess is worth a great deal.”“This is the treasure!” She said, her eyes glowing.“It might be considered a treasure to some," he said. “to me, it is the result of children playing with things beyond them but that is not the fault of anyone here. Again!” he commanded the group. The Speaker took her place in the ring and again they let out a collection of golden beams and Thor’s weapon reduced another broken piece to rubble.Bucky had nothing to do but stand back and watch as the others did their work. After about ten minutes a small portion of the roof was gone. The group stood back to survey their handiwork.“This is slow going,” Thor said. “But I don’t wish the building to come down on their heads. I wish I had some way to see…”“Is there any way you can open a portal?” Bucky asked of no one in particular. “Like you did when you pulled me out? At least we can see…”The Leader and The Speaker exchanged a glance. "We only did it once and that took great concentration on her part and after many attempts but now it seems our only option," the Leader said.“Very well,” the Speaker said. She nodded to the rest of the group and they stood in a circle. She closed her eyes, standing still for a few moments giving the impression she was at prayer. She opened her eyes and without warning shot out a gold beam but this one was different. A large circle tore through the air, cutting through space revealing a bright golden room. It wasn’t the one Bucky remembered. He took a moment to realize a battle was going on. Wanda was shooting out her energy while the rest seemed to concentrate on pulling something apart. Bruce had become the Hulk, ramming his body the walls, again and again. He saw Steve bending over something with T’Challa. Bucky walked up to the opening but an invisible force field knocked him back. At that moment Peter Parker looked over and got Steve’s attention. Steve saw him and walked to the opening, reaching through but Bucky shook his head, stopping him. It was frustrating to have him so close.He nodded to Thor and once again he lifted his hammer; the flash came down and once again the Ritika threw out their golden threads. The building shook. Steve’s attention turned back to the others and the battle inside grew fiercer. Anger rose inside Bucky. There was nothing he could do except stand there as a spectator while the other battled around him. He had only his arm. His arm! Without a second’s hesitation, he pressed on an indentation on his palm and allowed the shock to penetrate the invisible barrier. Something happened, something short-circuited. A web of glowing circuits became visible for a moment, then a hole appeared in the center. He shocked it again. More disruption to the circuits. He thrust his metal arm inside, enlarging the opening.“Here! Come through!” He shouted. The group stared at each other for a moment and as if by consensus immediately pushed Peter through the opening. He looked astonished at his surroundings. Bucky could feel energy building around his arm. It was trying to repair itself, sending back shocks of its own. It went down his hand, up to his shoulder. Right now it was mild but he knew the longer he stood here the more painful it would become.“Hurry!” he shouted. The adults didn’t want to follow but first came Wanda, then T’Challa, then Steve. The Hulk stared at them for a moment, let out a loud yell and followed them, breaking down part of the wall, forcing everyone to stand back. He stared at the group and ran into the distance trees, keeping himself within sight. The Ritika all pulled back in terror. Bucky fell back, his arm tingling. The wall began to repair itself.“What is that?” The Leader asked.“That’s our friend, Doctor Banner. He’ll calm down in a minute. Just leave him alone,” Thor said. “I’m the only one who can handle him...don’t worry. I’ll take care of him.” With that he followed Hulk into the woods, standing just out of his reach. Bucky couldn’t hear his voice but his tone was gentle and in a few moments, Hulk gradually turned back into Doctor Banner. This caused murmurs to arise from the Ritika.“What magic is this?” The Leader asked.The portal closed and the Speaker collapsed drawing their attention away from Bruce. Bucky turned to Steve who took advantage of the distracted group to pull him close in a tight embrace. Bucky didn't push him away. It crossed his mind that this action would look like lovers reuniting instead of old friends but he didn’t care.A new noise, like an oncoming train directed their attention toward the top of the hill. “What now?” Bucky asked as he pulled away from Steve. Everyone in the group went into a defensive stance, Thor and Bruce running back to join the group, the Ritika and Wanda with their hands up prepared to do whatever was necessary. Another portal opened and to the astonishment of everyone there, out stepped the robed figure of Doctor Stephen Strange.
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The Ritkia immediately raised their hands in defense and shot out rays of gold but Doctor Strange immediately deflected them."Stop!" Thor called out in his most commanding voice. "He's a friend!"Doctor Strange smiled at Thor and gave a polite nod toward all the other humans present. "I wish to commend you. They presented you with an intricate puzzle, and each of you found pieces. No one can blame you for not putting it all together as the whole thing is rather, convoluted, but as Thor said, that is not the fault of anyone here. Blame their ancestors.""Who are you?" The Leader became brave, taking long steps toward Strange."He's Doctor Stephen Strange, he's like the Chief Wizzard back on earth!" Peter said. "He's amazing. We traveled into space with him and we fought Thanos and…""His title is Sorcerer Supreme," Steve said. He let go of Bucky to approach their new visitor."Sorceror!" The Ritika all pulled back their hoods as one. It was like a religious moment. Bucky half expected them to kneel, but they remained upright."If you aren't sorcerers then what the hell are you?" This time it was Bucky's turn to step forward, taking up a position in front of the group, turning to face them. "I've seen you cast spells and do magic! You created a portal, you can freeze a person….""They are descendants of apprentices. Centuries ago, the powers of this place banished the sorcerers, but they left their students behind. Their education was incomplete, but they passed down and preserve what knowledge they had," Doctor Strange levitated himself down to join them at the foot of the hill. "And you have done an excellent job.""That's why you call yourselves Unworthy! I knew it!" Bucky said. The Leader nodded in acknowledgment."Have you been watching us this whole time?" Steve directed his question to Strange. "And you did nothing…""They put measures in place was to keep us out. They forced us to stand back until someone broke the curse although it's not a curse, in the strictest sense of the word. More like a barrier.""Why were you banished?" Bruce asked. The Hulk had torn his shirt, and he looked a little bruised but otherwise was back to normal."I'll try to break this down as much as I can and keep it short. Science and magic both have a basis in reality. In time, the disciplines merge, as they did on Asgard. Here, however, the practitioners of both became arrogant, believing they knew more than they did, and tried to merge them before it was time. They discovered they could by combining science and magic, manipulate a simple element to appear and do whatever they wished. Because of this, they felt they had no more need for us, and sent us away. We cannot stay where they do not want us, but we isolated the system, put it in a bubble if you will, to keep it as safe as possible from unseen threats, but despite this, they still had a great deal of knowledge and power.""Was Regina real?" T'Challa asked."She was a real person. During her time, an epidemic swept through the planet and the leaders and scientists isolated themselves, reasoning they could not find a cure if they were dead. They created an elaborate network, as you saw, and in time learned to become one with the system. How that happened, we don't know. It might have been accidental. Perhaps what they created turned on them. They became a strange blend of life, science, and magic. They lost themselves in there, prolonging their natural life, existing long after the epidemic had run its course and people here on the outside assumed she and all the others had died in their isolation. The society moved on, but Regina and her group remained, stuck in their elaborate prison, still thinking they were working on a cure. In time, the technology aged and the personalities and programs bound to it disintegrated. To Regina, it was as if they had simply disappeared. The ones left could see out into the Universe and while they could not leave, they discovered they could bring other here substituting them for the ones they had lost. Then they happened upon the decimation, the snap, and saw life disappear all over the Universe, in the confusion they believed that was what happened inside their small world and then saw what appeared to be the same life returned. They could not know what we did behind the scenes, Captain. I know this group of enhanced humans would have kept the system going for a long long time as you surmised. Ironic that you were its downfall.""So those people inside are all dead?" Wanda asked."Their energy was spent a long time ago but if it is any consolation, they died while under the influence of beautiful illusions, as you saw yourself.""We should do something for them," T'Challa said. "Treat them with respect, perhaps return them to their homes."“We will take care of them,” Strange said."Regina and Regulus should be in the Hall of Rulers," The Speaker said. "There's just a plaque there, saying she disappeared during the epidemic and they presumed they died while searching for a cure.""And so they did," T'Challa said. “Even when she was acting at her most erratic, her first concern was always for her people. She might have behaved arrogantly, but I don't believe she was evil.""She was desperate," Bruce said and let out a sigh."Earth is in a state of suspended animation. The people we left behind…" Wanda began. “It still is. We took care of that," Strange said."We? Who are we?" The Leader asked.Strange opened another portal and a small group of five people stepped out. Bucky knew at once they were sorcerers."If you would like us to stay, we can finish your education, but first, we must cleanse our Sanctorum. You may help, if you wish," Doctor Strange said to the Ritika. "I would advise the rest of you to stand back."Steve nodded to the group of humans and accompanied by Thor, walked away from the building up to the top of the hill. Steve held onto Bucky, his arm tight around his waist as if he thought he would disappear on him again. Bucky didn't break away.Golden rings shot out from Doctor Strange's hands, and his companions did the same. The aimed at the building and large double doors appeared. The doors opened by themselves, revealing the room Steve and the others had just left. Strange the sorcerers entered, the Ritkia following.The group on the hill could see enough to observe the web of circuitry fall from the walls. Bodies were freed and gently placed on the floor. Silent explosions tore through the air and so did the sight of the constant spinning of golden circles. Then a large flash filled the building, causing everyone outside to turn away. When they looked back, Strange was at the door, motioning them to come in."The illusions are gone. Now we see things as they truly are," he said. "Our cleansing reveals the hidden things."Walking inside, the room reminded Bucky of the Sanctorum in New York. A long stairway, oversized windows, tall rooms filled with relics, the bodies gone."Oh, man! This is cool!" Peter Parker's enthusiasm returned at once. "Look at all this stuff! This was worth the trip!" He stopped in front of what looked like a large futuristic suit of armor. It differed from they were used to on earth, but still recognizable. The boy bounced around from display to display, voicing his approval to anyone who would hear. The Ritkia moved through as one group, their murmurs of wonder were a little more muted than Peter's but it was obvious everything about the place amazed them as much.Bucky became conscious of Steve still touching him, his hand positioned gently on his back, He relaxed, deciding not to fight it any longer. He noticed The Speaker, standing in front of a large glass case that contained a golden sword with a jewel-encrusted hilt, rapture on her face. He walked over to her, with Steve following close behind."You were right," he said. "There was a treasure.""Yes!" She said. "I never dreamed it would be this." She turned to face him. "I'm sorry for everything…""It's ok. No lasting harm," Bucky said. Her eyes went past him to Steve."This is Steve?" She asked."The one and only," Steve replied."The one you love, the one who others abused and ridiculed, gifted with great powers but used them for good and not revenge. You are the one Bucky wishes me to emulate."A bemused Steve allowed a small smile to cross his face."She sort of reads minds," Bucky said. "I'll tell you about it later, but yes. Use it all for good."At that moment Doctor Strange and Thor called Steve over, leaving Bucky and the Speaker to admire the sword. "He'll never leave you, you know," she said startling him out of his reverie."What?""No matter what decision you make, he'll never leave you. You're afraid you can't give him everything he needs, but he's beyond all that. They gave him many gifts when he was enhanced, and the process increased his selflessness. Keeping you close is what's important, no matter what form your relationship takes and you will be together forever.""That's a nice thought..""I mean it," her voice took on an otherworldly tone. "It's not just poetry. I looked into other dimensions and you are there, together. Forever. There‘s a price, but you always find each other, again and again. It‘s what I see.""And you need guiding," Doctor Strange said, startling Bucky. He didn't know if his surprise resulted from being caught up in The Speaker's words or if Doctor Strange floated over to them. "You were given too much information too soon. It's not your fault, but we must teach you how to use it. For your first lesson, it's not polite to inform people of their lives in other dimensions, but I fear in this case it might be too late."Thor and Steve followed Strange over, Thor throwing back his head, laughing at something Steve said. Doctor Strange let out a small sigh. As soon as he was close enough Steve was immediately back at Bucky's side, he once again felt his arm go around his waist. "So, can we go home now?" Bucky asked."We can see you home safe," Doctor Strange replied. "No one will have noticed your absence but you will remember it. I can't do anything about that. If you wish to tell others about your little adventure here, feel free to do so. It will affect nothing.”"So were you the ones pulling the strings, using what we did to advance your agenda?" Steve asked. "I'm not angry if it's true, but I wish we had known from the beginning."The noise of the small crowd grew a little louder each time they made a new discovery. Peter was talking to The Leader who seemed to struggle to keep up with him. Steve's hold on Bucky tightened just a little."I admit, we hoped the situation would play out as it did," Doctor Strange said, "but to answer your question, Captain Rogers, someone else allowed all of this to come to pass, and I don't mean only what happened here but also, the Blending. We are not the ones with the higher agenda." Bucky felt a shiver go down his spine at Strange’s words. There was someone else out there, someone watching, and using them. A tingling sensation went through his metal arm, just enough to be noticeable. He dismissed it as after-effects of the struggle.
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The group stood on a small cliff outside an opening in the rocks that led to the Sanctuary, staring down at the distant city. Steve couldn't see details but there was enough there to reveal it was a civilization close to the technological advancements of Earth. Electricity, flight and ground transportation existed, but they were planet-bound. "Things will change for them," Bruce said. "The Sorcerers and the Ritikia will move this place out of that 'bubble' they placed it in, which was probably a pocket Universe, and the people down there won't notice a thing. They'll start with satellites and some orbital missions before reaching out any further. I envy them in a way.""You can always stay. It looks like a nice enough place," Bucky said. He smiled to himself as he examined the distant city. Steve had to restrain himself from touching him. The interesting thing was, Bucky didn't seem to mind it when he forgot. No pulling away, no warning looks reminding him he had gone too far. His thoughts reminded him that he needed to tell Bucky that Wanda and Peter knew about their relationship. He dreaded it, but he had to be honest with him.Bruce chuckled at Bucky's words, then his face turned serious. "I think as soon as we get back, I’m going to go visit Natasha. I can't do much, but I'd like to be there when she wakes up.""We understand," T'Challa said. "This whole experience was an eye-opener. I wonder how many other things have changed across the Universe." He and Wanda had just returned from a short excursion to the far side of their lookout point. Wanda looked especially tired. She had expended a lot of energy on this adventure but was eager to return to Vision."Let's hope it was mostly for the better," Steve said. "And if there are problems, I hope they can work it all out themselves. There’s enough things happening on Earth without us having to fix everyone else's."Peter had been unusually quiet. "I wonder how much I should tell Mr. Stark. He'll think it was kind of dumb, me jumping in like that…""If Tony gives you a hard time, just give me a call," Bruce said. "He's got a track record of doing things without thinking. I'll set him straight. The thing is, though, it worked out. We're leaving this place better than the way we found it. Hold on to that.""I suppose you're right. I hope he wakes up soon. So are you going to send us home or is Doctor Strange?" Peter directed his questions toward Thor who stood a little apart from the others."We shall work together. Distance limits his powers but I can give them a boost," he said.'"Thank you for everything," Steve said. "It seems we're always calling on you to bail us out. You have your own problems…""Nothing I can't handle. But I must be on my way as must all of you. Once again, if you need me, just send out a signal. I will always answer and it was a pleasure to finally get to know you, James Buchanan Barnes," Thor said. Steve was taken aback a moment at the use of Bucky's full name but Bucky himself smiled in return."The same goes for me, Thor Odinson, God of Thunder," he said. They would have to have one of their private after mission debriefings as soon as they got home. Steve had a lot of questions.A noise behind them caused them to turn. Doctor Strange approached, with his fellow Sorcerers and the Ritikia."My apologies again for the misunderstandings caused by our first meeting," The Leader said. "But I would like to think we have made new friends. Even though it wasn't her intention, Regina did what she set out to do. She saved us."The Speaker separated from the group to stand in front of Bucky. "I wish you well," she said. "Remember what I told you.""I will if you'll remember to follow my advice," Bucky replied. She smiled and nodded, then rejoined the rest of the group.Doctor Strange opened a portal and one by one, they stepped through. This time Bucky took Steve's hand, and they tumbled together through a weird combination of the light tunnel and the Bifrost. It was much quicker this time and before they knew it, he, Bucky and Peter were in the Santorum. Wong was standing still, frozen in place but after a long moment, his eyes blinked. After becoming aware of the group's presence, he relaxed and came alive."You have returned! It's good to see you again. Have you found Doctor Strange?""I don't know how to tell you this, but we've been away for two whole days. Everything here was in a state of suspended animation while we were away," Steve said."Is that right? How interesting! I'm glad you found Peter and could bring him safe home." Of course, he would be calm about it. The extraordinary was ordinary here."I'm sure Doctor Strange will make his way here as soon as he's through with his current project…" Steve recounted the whole story and had to stop from time to time to as Peter interjected his own observations."This is fascinating!" Wong said. "The Universe is unexplainable and there are realms and dimensions we have yet to encounter. I am glad to learn Stephen is well, and you have solved this mystery.""Thank you for your help," Steve said."I could say you're welcome, but in reality, I did little. The door will always open for you," Wong said. His choice of words sounded odd but at that moment the door opened by itself, sending a signal it was time for them to leave. They stepped out into the streets of New York to find nothing had changed during the time they had been away. "Can I at least go with you to see Mr. Stark?" Peter asked. "I should be the one to tell him everything, and I promise to go home right after that.""If you're sure you want to take on that responsibility and if he's awake, I don't have a problem with it," Steve said as they approached the company car and got in with Steve as the designated driver. Peter was silent for the first part of the trip Glancing in the mirror Steve saw him lying back against the seat with his eyes closed. The boy was still a boy and enhanced or not, was tired."I just realized we're two days older than everyone else," Bucky said. "If we keep skipping around in time, we'll make it to two hundred.""Funny, I can barely remember the first hundred years," Steve said. "But as long as you're with me this time around, I think I can muddle through.""That was sweet, if a little sappy," Bucky said."So, you two are together?" Peter asked from the back. Steve physically cringed. He thought he was asleep. Bucky turned toward him, his eyebrows raised. "You told him?""I sort of had too…""He didn't have a choice…there was this thing, showing us illusions and stuff and Cap saw you. I mean, you don't have to keep it secret around me. I'm cool with it," Peter said, oblivious to the small drama going on in the front seat."Thank you," Bucky said, turning his gaze out the window."But what's asexuality?" Peter asked. "I mean, I know what it's supposed to mean…"Once more with the raised eyebrows. Steve wasn't sure how to handle it when Bucky exhaled."It means I don't experience sexual attraction," Bucky said, now keeping his eyes straight ahead. "It's an orientation, like being straight, or gay or any other variety you can think of." His calmness stunned Steve to where the car veered out of the lane onto the shoulder of the road. He steered it back with an effort."So you were…born this way?" Peter asked. "And you don't…?""Yes, and no.""Wow. But you're still together?" His voice rose a little on the last word, a faint skepticism coming through."Yes," Steve said firmly. "I suggest that you research this on your own." He was doing his best to shut down the conversation because he had no idea what embarrassing questions Peter might ask next. Bucky surprised him when he turned to him let out a small laugh. Peter asked no more questions and appeared to be pondering this new revelation.It wasn't long until they arrived at the facility and were past the security checkpoints. Ms. Potts met them with a warm smile, reminding Steve of old times."He woke up and seems to be fine," she said. "He'll have to take it easy for a few days because he was out so long, but the doctors say everything should be back to normal soon."She led them upstairs, back to the room where, to them, just that morning they had left. A Doctor was leaving just as they arrived. Tony was sitting up in the bed, the monitors now silent."They tell me I lost two weeks of my life!" He said. "You were out for two days! So why did it take so long for me? And don't tell it me was super serum or some other nonsense!""Not just you, but the same thing happened to Natasha and Rhodey. Wong said you were fighting the meld," Steve said.“I was fighting it? I barely remember it! And shouldn't you be in school?" He directed the last question toward Peter."I'm going, as soon as we're through here. I've got something to tell you. It's kind of dumb, but exciting and it's all kind of my fault. I went to see Doctor Strange. He wasn't there, but we saw him later but that was after…" Peter recounted the happenings of the past two days, sometimes looking toward Steve and Bucky for confirmation. Ms. Potts leaned back against the wall, her arms crossed, her expressions going from curious to shock and then to fascination. Tony kept his attention rapt on Peter, saying nothing which Steve thought out of character for the garrulous Tony."So this little experiment of ours almost wreaked havoc on some other world and caused a sorcerer to absorb too much information? Who knows what she would have done if you all hadn’t shown up? What else has happened out there that we're responsible for?" He asked."Tony as hard as it will be to accept this, that can't be our concern. They'll just have to work things out for themselves. We knew when we made this decision things like this might happen. We have too much to do right here," Steve said.'He's right," Ms. Potts said. "Think about what you left behind. The chaos, the turmoil, the dystopia, even if it's hard now with what you did, this is still better.""I know," Tony laid back on the bed."Inside my head, I know." A moment passed then he regarded Peter again. "You need to get back to the city.""And so do I." Ms. Potts said. "I'll take him. I'll be back tomorrow. Come on, Peter." With a wave of the hand, she ushered Peter out of the room who gave many a backward look toward Tony."It's ok kid!" He called out. "Things worked out!" Then to Steve and Bucky. "Why am I not surprised at the things he gets himself into? And the way he manages to drag everyone else in with him? I suppose you'll be heading back to Africa?""We might spend a few days here if you don't mind. First time Bucky's been able to get out and about in a while.""Sure, great. Knock yourselves out, just don't go jumping through any more time portals, I don't care what Peter asks you to do!!""Thanks, it's been a long exhausting two days, and we need some rest," Steve said. "We'll see you later. I should tell you to not do too much too soon, but you'll ignore it, but I'm telling you, anyway."Tony nodded and once again they walked side by side through the silent halls of the empty building. Turning a corner far from any prying eyes, they stopped as one, their eyes meeting for a moment then without saying a word, both reached out the other, coming together in a mutual embrace. They stood there, for a full minute, reluctant to let go. Steve pulled back, clasping Bucky’s face, the same way he had long ago when Hydra took him prisoner. He let his hand rest there longer, reluctant to pull back in fear he would fade away again. Bucky smiled in response and slipped his arms back around Steve’s waist. “That was a rough couple of hours,” he said. “Felt like days. I admit I lost it when they pulled you through…” “So did I.” “Let’s not do it again,” Steve said. “If Peter Parker or any of them leaves this planet, let’s let them go. For the first time in a long time, I’m tired.” “So am I. You smell.” “You would too if you’d been cooped up in that room fighting off magical electronic lighting bolts. I need a shower, but so do you. We could just save time and…” he expected the same answer to his usual invitation. Bucky rolled his eyes but something stopped his automatic denial. “How about a compromise?” “Compromise?” “This place does have a pool.” “The pool it is. Good idea.” Taking his hand, he pulled a laughing Bucky along behind him. Fifteen minutes later they were in the water. The way the water beaded up on the substance coated on Buck’s arm fascinated him. He wasn’t sure how it worked, Bucky didn’t understand it either, he was just glad it did. They swam a few laps when Bucky stopped by the edge of the pool to examine his arm. Steve joined him. “Something wrong?” he asked. Bucky pointed to a small gold band on his wrist. “Arm's tingling a little. The taser application must have used more energy than I realized or it could be this thing Thor gave me…” “Thor? Giving you shiny things? Should I be jealous Funny I didn’t think he went that way… not that I would blame him… but if the other Thor did…” Bucky laughed, a long clear laugh that echoed around the empty pool room. “No, stupid. It’s a tracking device, and I forgot to give it back to him. I don’t want to mess with it, might set it off. I guess I’ll have to have them take it off in Wakanda.” The water was dripping from his hair and his wet skin glistened under the lights. Steve didn’t resist. His arms encircled him, his own damp skin sliding against his, the new sensation was overwhelming. He pulled him into a kiss which he did not resist. Again and again, he repeated it, being rewarded by the gentle sensation of Buck’s arms going around him and his hands gliding up and down his back. Steve’s mouth slide down to his neck. "I should tell you… that Wanda knows."“Wanda?” Bucky didn’t stop him as he gently licked the water from his shoulder.“She said she saw the way I was looking at you, and it wasn’t the way a man looks at his best friend.”“Lucky me. Thor knows.”This time Steve pulled back. “I have to know how that happened…”“Tell you later…” This time Bucky pulled him into a kiss. “So this is the reason you always wanted me to join you in the shower…”“Do you like it?” Steve asked, his hands made wet trails down his chest. “I thought we could… change things up?”“So you’re getting bored with the way things are?” Bucky asked.“I will never ever get bored with you. Never,” Steve said.The light in Buck’s eyes grew brighter. “You’re two for two on the sappy scale. To answer your question It’s different, but not…unpleasant,” Buck said.“There’s an inlet, on the lake, it’s secluded, no one goes there so when we get home could…”“I know the place. I guess we could. What is it with you and me and water?”Steve pulled back. “Are you insinuating I have some kind of water fetish?”“What’s a fetish?”This time it was Steve’s turn to laugh out loud. “Life with you is full of surprises.”“What’s a fetish?”“Let’s finish this, back in the room. I’ll try to explain it.”The swim must have rejuvenated them because back in Steve’s old quarters, lying in bed, they found their second wind, so instead of falling asleep right away, they stayed awake for a while telling the stories of their separate adventures. Steve chuckled at Thor’s reactions when the Ritikia didn’t recognize him.“So why did you believe Thor when he said what he said about us, and not me?” Steve asked. “I’ve been telling you the same thing since we got together.”“I don’t know. Just having an outsider say it, in those words, made it hit home.”“As long as the message got through, that’s all that matters. Come here,” he said, pulling Bucky close. “I like to feel your heartbeat.”“Well, my heart belongs to you,” Buck said.“And I’m supposed to be the sappy one?” Steve said. Bucky laughed and rolled away, forcing Steve to go after him and pull him back, this time holding him tight and not letting go until they both drifted off.
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The street name was familiar and there was a faint hint of memory around everything but it had all been ‘gentrified’. Upscale. Every once in a while they would point out a familiar thing that remained and Bucky startled him at one point, laughing out loud, pointing out the historical plaque that marked the childhood home of Steve Rogers, Captain America. Steve didn’t recognize the building and didn’t even know the marker existed, it didn’t back in his world, and wondered if Howard or Tony had anything to do with that. They visited Coney Island where they ate the real Coney Island hot dogs and rode the Cyclone. It could have been a depressing trip but in its own way, it had a healing effect. Things had come full circle.“We can move here if you want,” Bucky said. “We’re really city boys at heart. Be closer to the Compound…but then everything has changed so much.”The offer was tempting. “You've made a life for yourself in Wakanda, and I’m not ready, not yet, because this really isn’t my world, but I do think we should come back here, every so often, just to stay in touch. We could find a place here…”“It's expensive!”“I happen to know you can stay at the Wankandan Counselate if you wanted, for nothing.”“How do you know that?”“I looked it up. But I still have backpay from the Army. We could work something out.”“Ok, but we come back in the spring. I’ve gotten over the winters and if I’m going to endure the summer heat I’m going to do it in Wakanda, close nature and not concrete.”“Sounds fair. We’ll find a place for our ‘spring’ home.”“Sounds pretentious, but ok.”They arrived back at the compound later that evening and were surprised to find Tony still in his office.“Got some news. Rhodey is awake, I went to see him, doing fine, a little more snippy but nothing we can’t work around. Natasha woke up too, surprised at Bruce being there, but I think they’ve worked things out. Clint wants to have a big sit down with me which I am not looking forward to and there's this other thing...kind of sensitive but I came across something and...well, keeping secrets has never served either of us well in the past…”“What?” Steve asked.He reached into his desk and pulled out a picture and handed it to Steve. A black-and-white photo, taken from a video, showing Steve and Bucky in the pool, in a passionate embrace. Bucky exhaled very loudly and turned away.“It's from the security camera. Don’t worry! As soon as I saw what it was, I stopped looking but…”“We’re consenting adults Tony,” Steve said.“That’s not the problem. The problem is why didn’t you tell me? I mean, why keep this a secret? Did you think I’d judge you or throw you off the team?”“That was me,” Bucky said turning around. “All my doing. What the hell. This relationship isn’t what you think it is. I’m asexual. I’m different and I don’t like having to explain myself over and over so that’s why we kept quiet about it.”“Oh,” Tony said, he blinked, his head snapping back in surprise. “I see. I’m sorry.”“Don’t be. This is why I didn’t want to tell people!” Bucky said, more to Steve than Tony. “I'm not sick, I’m not broken, I’m ok with myself...but people…”“But you two seem to go at it pretty hot and heavy there…” Tony said. “I'm confused.”“Bucky experiences romantic and sensual attraction. They're not the same thing as sexual attraction.”“They’re not?”“No…”“Then what’s the point? I mean, isn’t that why…”“The point is, we’re in a relationship…we love each other...and that’s how we show it.”“And you’re ok with just that?”“Yes, I’m ok with it. We consider our relationship to be as valid as anyone else’s. Tony, would stand for it if anyone started digging around in your private life?” Steve asked.Tony took a moment to stare at the wall behind Steve. “Ok, consider me properly chastened and rebuked. What you do, or don’t do is none of my business. I just wanted you to know that I know.”“Thanks, Tony.”“Keep the picture. It’s actually a nice picture. I wiped the rest of the footage. And we won’t say anything more about it.”“Thank you,” Bucky said. “Although, I’m kind of glad you know. One less person to dance around.“I did have my suspicions, even back in the other life,” Tony said. “But I suppose he’s told you all about that.”“Some of it,” Bucky said. “Enough, but not everything. I’m sorry, about everything that happened and what you went through, Tony.”Tony looked past him, then focused his eyes back around. “So am I, about what you went through, I mean. I think I saw it when I was out...when you were held captive. It was terrible. Oh...and I went chasing you through the streets of New York!” he shifted his focus to Steve. “When’s it all going to come together?”“I don’t know, but I’m not going to worry about it,” Steve said. “Right now, we have to focus on the here and now. If a few of us go through the rest of our lives a little disjointed and unfocused at times, it's a small price to pay.”“I suppose you’re right. So you’re leaving?”“First thing tomorrow, but we’ve agreed we'll be back. Probably in the spring. Best time to come to New York...unless we’re needed before then, of course.”“Let’s hope not. I’ll see you in the spring.”The flight home was uneventful. Bucky didn’t fully understand the concept of the mile high club but he didn’t stop Steve’s advances either.Wakanda hadn’t changed. T’Challa had informed only those who needed to know about their recent adventure. All anyone knew was Bucky and Steve had taken a short trip to New York and had returned home.The hut was the same. The neighbors had helped out. The goats were fed, the vegetables harvested and the meat was drying in the smokehouse The grass had been mowed and a piece of the thatching of the roof had been repaired. Steve took a moment to look out over the lake. The water was calm, the sun sending out its early afternoon rays across the lake. Bucky disappeared into the kitchen, returning with the two blue spice bags. It struck him that they had taken the dead tree down less than a week before. He watched as Bucky hung the two bags onto the doorframe so it was visible to any visitor. The significance wasn’t lost on him.“You sure about this?” He asked. “People will talk.”Bucky turned around, smiling. “I should say something sappy like I’ve never been surer of anything, and I don’t care if they talk, but the truth is, when it all comes down to it, I’m ready to believe you when you tell me what we have is what you want. That was my real hang up. I just focused on the obstacles and I’m sorry.”Steve joined him in the doorway. He reached up to touch one of the bags and watched it move and swing in the breeze. A slight pleasant scent surrounded them. He reached out to Bucky and pulled him close. Bucky moved in to kiss him, not caring that they were out in the open for anyone to see.