𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗛𝗘

𝘎𝘌𝘕𝘌𝘛𝘐𝘊𝘚 𝘈𝘕𝘋 𝘛𝘏𝘙𝘌𝘈𝘛𝘚

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The first morning rays shined through the window and gently reflected in his metal arm. That was his reminder that another night had passed and he hadn't closed his eyes.

But he had to push himself just a little bit further, just a little bit more.

He had been digging information for hours, but nothing good came out of it. His list of names felt random at this point. What all these people had in common was that they were not as well intended as they claimed to be, or at least that's what he could find.

Maybe Steve had more luck than him.

Bucky grabbed his phone and dialed Steve's number, patiently waiting for him to pick up.

"You're up early," Steve pointed out instead of greeting him, his voice as full of energy as ever.

So lively, compared to Bucky's tired one.

"I didn't sleep," he corrected him. "Did you find anything?"

"Actually, yes. I think I'm onto something here."

"Onto what, exactly?"

"So we know that all these people did something bad, but at first glance they're unrelated to each other. I mean, first and probably second glance too."

"Get to the fucking point."

"Language!"

"Steve, I swear—"

"Okay, okay, calm down. None of them have direct links to HYDRA, but there's this guy, Mikhail Lučanok, that stands out. He didn't really fit her pattern. He's a belarusian investor with a strange affinity for science. He seemed quite sketchy so I did some more digging and it turns out he funded a project that never happened in the first place."

"What do you mean it never happened?"

"It was a closed project hosted by a foundation that has been inactive since it was created, so I couldn't find out much about it, but I know for sure that it was a cover-up. The president of the foundation is Robert Reid. Another individual that doesn't exist, that's just an alias. He claimed he wasn't a big fan of pictures, but I managed to find a recording of him."

"And?"

"It turns out Robert Reid is actually Philip Khan. A genius when it comes to genetics. Many years ago, he claimed he found a formula that would genetically modify humans and turn them into a better version of themselves. He's been missing ever since, but not really. He just changed his name and he's probably conducting experiments. Oh, and the best part? He's been recruited by HYDRA."

"So, that's the connection," Bucky says. He was making coffee while he listened to Steve, but he suddenly stopped. "What about project 13?"

"I think he was involved in it. The timeline matches, he was nowhere to be seen during the years when Project 13 took place. Maybe he was helping Valentin Kamenev in Siberia."

"Anything else?"

"Not really, no."

"Then I'll catch up with you later." Bucky hung up.

Recap. He could now suspect Catastrophe found out about the HYDRA base by questioning Lučanok, who surely knew something about Robert Reid. Or Philip Khan, actually.

And if Philip Khan was indeed involved in Project 13, it meant he was connected to Kamenev.

Could Valentin Kamenev be one she actually targeted? Every piece of information they uncovered strengthened her link to Project 13.

With a long sigh, Bucky returned to the coffee he was making. He was going to need it.

The hallways of the National Institute of Genetics were swamped with people. Everybody was waiting for the conference to start and there was about half an hour left until it did.

It was exciting. The Annual Conference for Genetics brought scientists from all around the globe to New York, so that they could meet, share experiences and results, contributing to the development of science.

It was a free entry as long as you could prove you were researching in the field. Not that they'd bother verifying your background too deep.

But you still needed a badge or a name tag to get in.

Her high heels were tapping against the pavement. A little uncomfortable for her liking, but blending in was important. She was dressed to fit in, now all she needed was to make sure she could get past security.

Hiding behind a large pillar, she waited until another woman passed by and grabbed her by the wrist, then placed her hand over the woman's mouth.

"Scream and it will hurt. Keep quiet and it won't," she warned her, then took a look at her name tag. "Well, Alina, it seems like you're not making it to the conference today. Don't be sad, they'll probably broadcast it on the internet anyway."

She took her badge, then tied Alina's wrists together. Tight enough to hold her in place but not tight enough to hurt her. She sealed her mouth with tape, then tied her ankles too.

All there was left to do was to drag her to the back of the building, where nobody would look until the conference was over. It wasn't like any of them wanted to miss the event.

After she took care of Alina, she put on the badge she stole, dusted herself off and headed to the main entrance. She presented the badge and once the security guard verified her name on the list, she was let inside.

The conference was about to start, she didn't have much time to find Philip and not cause a scene. The last thing she wanted was to be accused of kidnapping a man whose name hasn't been pronounced in years.

He went out of hiding every year to attend this conference, there's no way he's going to miss it. He has to be around here, somewhere.

There he is, headed to the exit in the back with a cigarette in his hand. He was going to regret going out for a smoke, she'd take care of that.

She waited a moment before she went through the door too, stopping right next to him, but facing forwards.

"Ah, what did they say—" She started, not even bothering to look in his direction.

It was enough that she caught his attention.

"Smoking kills. Yes, that should be right," she finished her idea with a nod of her head.

Confusion was spread all over his face, she could see it in her peripheral vision.

"It can cause cancer, yes, but that's—"

She turned around to face him and he realized something was off. He couldn't recognize her, it's been years since the last time they met and she was only a teen back then. But he was sure something was going on.

"You haven't aged that much, Doctor Khan," she said, ready to catch him if he tried to flee.

There was a fine line between confusion and shock. "How did you—Who are you?"

"We can talk about that later. Now tell me, do you want to come with me? Or should I force you?"

"I—I—"

"You, you. Cat's got your tongue or what?" She rolled her eyes. "I remember you were smarter than this."

She took the cigarette out of his mouth, tossed it to the ground and stepped on it. Then, she grabbed his hands and twisted them behind his back a little harsher than she usually would.

"Move. If you make a sound, I'll snap your neck."

"Come on, Buck. Pick up, pick up," Steve murmured to the phone, pacing back and forth around the room.

"What?" A grumpy voice could be heard from the other end of the call.

"Finally! I have new information on Robert Reid!"

"Why didn't you said so earlier?"

"Well, I tried to, but you weren't picking up the phone."

"You could've texted. I was busy."

"Doing what?"

"Stuff."

"Yeah, okay. Whatever."

"Steve? News?"

"Right. News. So it turns out Robert Reid isn't as inactive as we thought. He has been on the list of the Annual Conference for Genetics for years and he hasn't missed an event so far."

"Alright. We know he's probably Catastrophe's next target, so getting to him first would lead us to her. When's the conference?"

"Let me check, uh.." Steve said as he typed on his computer. "I'm coming to get you, be ready in 10."

"What?! Why?"

"The conference is today."

"Why can't you let me drive? We'll never get there in time!" Bucky complained, constantly shifting in the passenger seat.

"Because you're going to crash the car, Buck."

"We're already late, can you at least hurry? It's not like she's going to wait for us."

"It's a red light, what do you want me to do?"

"Name a police officer that's going to stop Captain America because he ran the red. Just one."

"The law—"

"We don't have time for the law!"

Giving in, Steve finally hit the gas and took a sudden turn, hurrying to get to the National Institute of Genetics.

A screeching sound caused by Steve hitting the brakes broke the silence of the Institute. Both of them rushed out of the car, but not before checking to see whether their comms were working.

"I'll take the front, you'll take the back! Go!" Steve said, motioning for him to go in the direction of the courtyard, while he was headed towards the main entrance.

There wasn't much time for explaining, so he motioned for the security guards to open the door and get out of the way and at the sight of his shield, they complied. Steve was now in the building, searching the empty hallways.

Bucky was already looking for her around the back of the building, but she was nowhere to be seen.

He heard a loud noise behind him and turned around. When he approached the source of the noise, he noticed a woman tied up to a tree.

He sighed and kneeled before her, carefully removing her tape. "Let me guess. A blonde female did this to you."

She nodded.

Bucky turned on his comms. "Steve, I don't think she's here anymore."

"Yeah, I was about to tell you the same thing. What did you find?"

"She tied a woman to a tree and dragged her to the backyard. She probably used her name to get inside. You?"

"I think you might want to come to the surveillance room."

Bucky untied the woman and helped her get to her feet, then he went to get Steve.

"So? What is it that you wanted to show me?"

Steve pointed to the screen. "There she is. She dodged most of the security cameras, but I think she didn't see this one. We have a clear image of her."

Bucky crossed his arms against his chest and leaned forward to take a better look at the woman's face.

"The man next to her, is that—" He asked.

Steve nodded. "It's Robert Reid. Well, Philip Khan, but you get the idea."

"That was exactly ten minutes before our arrival." Bucky sighed, watching the recording of her leaving the Institute with Khan. "I bet you regret not running the red earlier."

"Don't even start—"

"Take the original copy of the video and delete the rest of the footage. Let's go, we gotta search for abandoned places where she could have taken Khan."

"Delete them? Do I really need to remind you that she has become a threat to New York? We're getting this to SHIELD."

"No, we're not."

"What are you talking about—"

"She could've killed people if she wanted to. There was nothing stopping her. She only hurt them because it was necessary. She could've killed the scientist at the HYDRA labs, she could've killed the woman i found in the backyard and the list goes on. But she didn't."

"Don't tell me you're trying to protect her, Bucky. We want to catch her and stop her from harming people and if she was indeed in Project 13, she needs to be caught right now and placed under strict observation."

"She's not the bad guy here, Steve. I'm not taking her to SHIELD against her will."

"That would involve finding her, wouldn't it?"

"That's what I plan to do. Report her, if that's what you wish. You can report me too. I'm not joining the searching team, you're on your own this time."

"Hey, what's up with you? I'm not going to report you, Bucky. We're a team. I want us to do the right thing."

"Then do it. The right thing, I mean. Help me get to her before someone else figures her out."

Steve sighed, without giving him a reply.

"She needs our help, Steve. She doesn't know it, but if she's after Kamenev, she's in great danger. And as you said, if she had been part of Project 13, it means she's still unstable. We can help her."

"Buck, I don't know—"

"She's not a villain."

"When did you get so sensitive?"

"Tsk," Bucky clicked his tongue.

"Okay, fine. We'll find her. And convince her to come back with us. And place her under observation after that."

Bucky shot him a glare.

"After getting her explicit consent," Steve corrected himself.

"Let's go. She couldn't have got too far."

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