Loch was surprised to arrive in Canada and see that there was indeed a S.H.I.E.L.D base. Hidden as a former post office, the jet landed on the roof of a huge brick building on Adelaide Street in Toronto. As they touched down, the Quinjet disengaged stealth mode, and the group within exited onto the roof. Two agents awaited them outside a rooftop fire exit.
"Welcome to the Great White North, Agents." one of the two agent’s said, a wry smile playing on his lips. He seemed to be nearly rocking on his heels in what Loch sensed was excitement. "I'm Agent Burrows, and this is Agent DeSwan. Follow us, please."
Loch followed as the caboose of the march, taking her time to look over the edge of the building to see the streets below. The streets of Toronto were… very similar to New York except there wasn’t hoards of people walking in packs like buffalo. There was a strange smell in the air. Almost like salt water fish in the hot sun.
Entering the building, they were met with more agents who handed them security badges, burner phones and some other identification that they would need. Loch had never really been through all of this before, so when she finally stood there with her fake ID and files piled to her chin, she admittedly felt a little overwhelmed. Lochlyn didn’t even have time to ask any questions before they were escorted to their respective cars to be relocated to their safe houses.
Sam stood next to the two agents who flew with the group and was getting into the large black jeep in front of another smaller car. A dusty grey Nissan that looked like it needed a serious repaint. Bucky was loading several large duffle bags into the trunk of the Nissan and slammed the lid closed.
“Okay.” The soldier began, resting against the side of the vehicle. Sam wandered over and so did Loch. “Everyone knows what we’re doing?”
Sam nodded but Loch shook her head. She hadn’t really been paying attention when Agent DeSwan was briefing them. She was too concerned at looking through all the new documents and things she had been given.
“We’re gonna meet at our rendezvous point at four o’clock. Sam, your safe house is closest to the last known incident. You’re gonna be scoping that area for anything that might tell you where our guy went.”
“Since when were you in charge?” Sam asked with a playful smile. Bucky shot him a disinterested look but continued.
“Loch, you and I are on surveillance duty. We’re just gonna walk around Toronto and see if we can catch this guy in the act. Maybe we can catch him before he does anything else stupid.”
“What do we do if we see him?” she asked, now feeling clod feet creep up on her.
“You’ll stay back and I’ll try and deal with it. If thing’s go sour…”
“You call me and we’ll sort it out. You’re a last resort. Don’t expose our trump card, okay?” Sam finished for his partner, giving Loch a firm but gentle order. Loch nodded, knowing this was very important that she didn’t blow it. This guy was dangerous. And she’d fucked things up before. She couldn’t let it happen again.
“Okay, now that everyone is aware of the plan, we split up and get to work.”
Loch and Bucky piled into the Nissan and Sam into the Jeep. They peeled off in opposite directions, and Loch could finally get a good look at the city up close. She knew she shouldn’t expect much from a large city, but it was… disappointing. Loch saw homeless encampments, people passed out on the sides of the streets, their heads lolled back, dazed. Trash bags lined the curbs the further away from the Post office they drove.
“It’s not… as nice as I thought.” Loch found herself saying out loud. Bucky looked over for a second as they came to a red light.
“Things are tough up here. Especially where we’re going.”
“It’s a shame we can’t help them… S.H.I.E.L.D should help them. They have the money and resources.” Loch mewed slightly, her heart sinking as the neighborhoods seemed to look more like slums.
“S.H.I.E.L.D doesn’t operate like that. You know that. This is for the Canadian government to fix…”
Loch sighed, and her eyes fell on a group of kids standing around a lamp post. They didn’t look much older than fifteen or sixteen, but they were all puffing great white clouds of scented vapor from their tank sized vapes. Lochlyn shook her head and forced herself to look away from the window.
The ride to the safe house wasn’t long after that. No more than ten minutes later they were parked outside a moderate sized house. The windows had closed curtains and the yard was poorly kept. More trash bags lined the end of the drive way and a grey tabby cat sat unmoving on the front porch.
“I guess this is it.” Bucky said as he looked at the house from the car. Loch gazed at the horrendous excuse for a house, and nodded.
The two of them got out of their car, and Bucky grabbed both the duffle bags from the trunk, carrying them over his shoulders like they were filled with feathers. Loch new otherwise, as she had tried to help, only to nearly fall over from the weight.
The inside was no better than the outside. The carpet was stained, but even without the stains that smelled oddly of cat piss, the disgusting grey and brown color of the pattern was an eyesore. The furniture, that looked like it was from the early 90’s, was covered in plastic and a thick layer of dust. The whole main living room smelled like mold, and old cigarettes.
The kitchen was small, modest and filthy. Everything was dusty, and there was old grease splattered and solidified on the backsplash. The kitchen also consisted of a tiny circular table and two chairs, one missing a leg.
Loch dragged one of the duffle bags to the back bedroom. There was no bed, but inside the duffle bag were two collapsible cots used for camping. It also contained some blow-up mattresses and think fire blankets.
“They couldn’t send us with pillows at least?” Loch complained under her breath as she pulled out the sleeping equipment and started to pitch the cots. She was relieved to see that the mattresses were at least powered by a motor to inflate, so she plugged them into the dirty, old sockets and let them inflate.
Bucky entered the bedroom carrying the second duffle bag. He threw it down on the floor next to one of the cots and began to go through it. Loch watched as he removed two AR rifles and several other weapons like handguns and knives. She tried not to watch, and kept her attention on the mattresses. Sometimes, Loch completely forgot who Bucky was at work. It’s not like she was often deployed on missions with him. She was so used to the quiet but funny introvert who liked staying home with a game of Risk, or hanging around the compound bar and having a few beers he could never get drunk off of.
Loch surveyed the makeshift sleeping area when she was finished; a stark contrast to the usual comforts of home. The room, devoid of any personal touches, emanated an air of transience that didn’t feel… like… well she couldn’t describe it exactly. It felt empty. It reminded her a lot of Bucky’s apartment.
She stole a glance at Bucky, who was meticulously arranging the arsenal of weaponry on the floor. The dichotomy between the mundane act of setting up cots and the arsenal of lethal instruments laid bare the duality of their lives. She didn’t even know how to shoot a gun. She didn’t need to. She was a walking loaded weapon herself. Her emotions like a finger on the trigger, and the safety was off.
“What’s wrong?” Bucky’s voice broke through the silence, and Lochlyn’s thoughts. She jolted a little, looking over at Bucky. He was seated on the floor, now looking at her with a puzzled gaze. She immediately put on a fake smile.
“Nothin’. Just thinking about stuff.”
“Stuff that’s none of your business.” She said, feeling a little passive aggressive. Bucky didn’t seem to take it personally and gave her a hard stare. She knew this look. The ‘if I try hard enough, I can read your mind’ look. She clicked her tongue and sighed, rolling her eyes in an exaggerated manner.
“Knock it off. It’s not gonna work.”
He remained silent, continuing to stare her down as if all he needed was sheer determination. She groaned, pulling off her boot and throwing it across the room at him. Bucky batted it out of the way with his arm and laughed.
“I almost had it. You ruined my concentration.”
“Boy, the only thing you concentrate on is being an absolute fucking goof, mkay?” Loch quipped playfully before retrieving her boot. The super soldier held his hand over his heart with a smile.
“Oof, ouch my heart. You’re verbally abusing me. I’m gonna report you to HR when we get back.” He said sarcastically, only to be clobbered again by Lochlyn’s boot.
“Report that, hm?” she snickered and smacked him in the shoulder with the boot before balancing on her other foot to put it back on. Bucky pushed himself to his feet, brushing dust from the carpet off of his jeans. Loch managed to get her boot back on and the soldier clapped his hand on her back.
“Lunch? Before we have to meet up with Sam?”
Bucky and Loch enjoyed sandwiches on their walk through the city. Subway seemed to be the cheapest option, so Bucky enjoyed a cold cut with green peppers and olives, meanwhile Lochlyn chowed upon a chicken, bacon, ranch club; minus the ranch. The streets of Toronto seemed to have some kind of music playing from everywhere. Shops were crammed shoulder to shoulder like sardines in a can with outdoor displays for consumers to browse. There were a lot of eye-catching things from street food to cheap carnival plushies that you wouldn’t even think about spending three dollars, let alone ten.
Honestly, the streets could bee in hellfire and chaos, but Lochlyn was just happy to walking around with Bucky. She walked alongside him, her arm laced through his, which his hand was buried in the pocket of his thin jacket. Their shoulders bumped lightly as they walked, but neither seemed to mind.
“Aside from the fact we’re looking for a psychopath; this is a nice vacation away from the compound.” Bucky said through the last bite of his sandwich. Loch shrugged, agreeing with him. He was right, it was nice.
“Yeah, nice to get away from… well… you know.”
“Everyone. It’s not that I don’t love my mom and Happy… and the Compound is like a second home, what with Clint and his family moving in… but it just-” she sighed, trying to string together what she was feeling.
“I get it… It was the same with me when I came back from Wakanda. People are so nice, but there’s always that… look they give you. Even if you’re prim, proper and put together.”
“But you got to prove to everyone that you can help. I haven’t gotten to show everyone that I’m just as capable.”
The two of them stepped up to a cross walk curb, waiting for the signal to walk. When it changed, they stepped off the curb and onto the tarmac. Loch was staring at the ground, thinking about if she could really prove herself. She didn’t want people to look at her like she couldn’t handle herself in a fight. She knew she could never fill the shoes of her father, or even the big six, but she had to prove she was useful.
Loch didn’t have time to look up when the sound of screeching tires came hurtling towards Bucky and her. The sound of metal scratching against metal as the car was crushed upon impact. Screams and cries of the people in the general vicinity watching as debris flew in every direction. Loch saw a flash of red light as Bucky’s arms shielded her from the collision.
But it was unnecessary. The impact never hit them. In fact, when Loch and Bucky eased up and looked around, there was a perfectly circular rea with car parts littering the road. A totaled chevy was tossed to the side of the road, the entire front of the vehicle seemed to be cut off. Melted by what looked like two extremely precise lasers. A huge trench lied in the black tarmac leading to the front of the car, which was smoking.
Bucky and Loch looked around, noticing the source of the screaming was not aimed towards the nearly flaming vehicle, but rather the man levitating a few feet above the wreckage. Loch and Bucky recognized him immediately as the target. The man they were looking for. He was clad in red, black and white with a long cape billowing behind him. He looked like someone straight out of a comic book. That bright ken doll hair and unnerving blue eyes that looked down at them.
“And just when I thought I was saving two innocent civilians.” The man spoke, his voice echoing around them like it was being broadcasted in their heads. Loch only had to meet his eyes once to know he was a horrible man. The way he stared back at her. He could see into her soul. It wasn’t even a question. This guy was bad.
“Relax, Loch. Just stay back.” Bucky’s voice was firm and serious as he stepped in front of Loch defensively.
“Okay, look Clark Kent, we don’t want to fight you. Just… ground yourself so we can talk about this.” Bucky barked at him as he pulled the leather gloves off his hands, exposing the black and gold Vibranium arm he kept hidden. The man seemed disinterested in what Bucky was saying, cocking his head to the side dangerously to look past the super soldier.
“Does this mudman speak for you?” he asked, directing his question at Lochlyn, who didn’t reply. She couldn’t understand why he was even talking to her.
“No, no, don’t look at her. Look at me.” Bucky yelled again, before tearing off the sleeve of his jacket to have full range of his arm. The gold joints and groves glistened in the later afternoon light.
“First of all, show a little respect. It’s Guiding Star to you.” He scoffed with a sneer, “Secondly, you really think I’m interested in your little prosthetic after that amazing display of raw power? You’re laughable.” The man mocked the soldier, slowly floating down towards the ground where he touched down, light as a feather. Loch grabbed her phone and quickly began to dial Sam’s number, holding the phone up to her ear. Bucky still standing between her and the stranger. It rang twice before Sam’s voice picked up.
“Sam. He’s here. And he’s mad…. We need your help. Now. Dundas and Starling.” She said quickly before hanging up. She knew Sam would find them using Redwing. Right now, she needed to focus.
“Look buddy, I don’t know what your whole… gimmick is, but that death ray thing you’re doing. You gotta stop.” Bucky spoke confidently, really showing no fear. Loch didn’t know how he could speak with the confidence of a bull. The man stood unconcerned, an unpleasant smile on his thin lips. Loch didn’t like it. He looked at Bucky like he was a bug, or a lizard, and he wanted nothing more than to step on him.
The tension in the air crackled like electricity, but Bucky remained surprisingly composed. Lochlyn, on the other hand, felt the weight of the situation sinking in as she anxiously awaited Sam's arrival. The stranger's unsettling smile only added to her unease.
Bucky, undeterred by the stranger's indifference, continued, “I don't know what comic con convention you came from, but you need to come with us. I’d really rather arrest you without the whole… yanno, punching and shooting thing.”
The man laughed, before aiming a punch directly at Bucky, who braced himself for impact. Lochlyn’s heart sank as she watched as if in slow motion, the man’s powerful fist come within a half an inch of Bucky’s face before his hand hit dead air. The shockwave of the collision sent the man backwards, flying into a parked bakery truck. The pavement cracked from where he had been standing, due to the shock.
Bucky lowered his arms, looking around before looking back to Loch, who was staring down the spot where the man had been catapulted into a truck. Her eyes crackled with a toxic looking yellow light that flickered like what could only be described as the power of a hundred nuclear bombs.
Bucky began to push her back, shaking Loch by the shoulders. She blinked a few times, looking at Bucky in shock. She had a headache that pulsated at her temples and the fear but also pride in Bucky’s eyes told her something really bad just happened.
“Lochlyn. We need to get out of here… that was amazing, but we have to go find S-”
Bucky didn’t finish as a blur powered right into him, taking him off his feet and dragged him deep through the rubble of the road. All Loch had to do was blink, and Bucky was ten feet away from her, buried deep under rock as the stranger floated above him, dusting off his hands as if he had touched something foul.
There were hardly any people around now, but the sound of police cruisers could be heard approaching from the distance. Loch looked around for anyone. She had never seen someone take Bucky down like that. So… fast.
Lochlyn felt a surge of panic as she scanned the area for any signs of help. The stranger, seemingly unbothered by the approaching sirens, turned his attention to her. He slowly walked towards her, a look of amusement and twisted curiosity in his almost too perfect face His eyes glowed with an unsettling energy, and she could feel the weight of his gaze on her. As the anxiety built up inside her, she could feel the boiling energy tingling throughout her body.
"You're quite the anomaly, aren't you?" he remarked, his voice carrying an otherworldly echo. Lochlyn clenched her fists, readying herself for whatever might come next. He cocked his head again, and Loch saw it once more. That arrogant, pompous glint. He thought he was better. She could see it in him. He thought he was a God.
Before the stranger could make another move, a burst of wings announced the arrival of Sam, soaring down with Redwing by his side. He circled over the roof tops for a second before landing down with a puff of dust between them. Lochlyn's relief was palpable, but the stranger seemed unfazed, and that worried her. A super soldier couldn’t handle him… what if Sam couldn’t?
"Step away from her," Sam demanded, his wingspan expanding as if to shield Lochlyn from any potential threat. He held the iconic red white and blue shield on his arm as if challenging him.
The stranger chuckled, a sound that sent shivers down Lochlyn's spine. "Ah, the Falcon. How quaint. I thought they’d send someone a little more… relevant.”
“It’s Captain America to you, asshole. Why don’t you put it in park before anyone else gets hurt?”
The man boastfully laughed, throwing the deepest disrespect in every breath.
“You’re not Captain America. Captain America is dead. You’re just the diversity hire because the real Celebrity kicked the bucket.”
The sound of rubble being pushed over with a groan as Bucky pulled himself from under a rather large piece of concrete.
“You disrespectful bastard.”
Sam's eyes blazed with fury, and Lochlyn could feel the tension in the air. The stranger's words lingered like a bitter taste, but Sam didn't let it deter him. He stepped forward, shield raised high.
“I might not be Steve Rogers, but I damn well earned this shield. And I won’t let you disrespect everything he stood for.” Sam's voice carried a weight that echoed through the desolate street.
“Blah, blah, blah. Did you rehearse that? It sounds like you rehearsed. Anyways, you little people bore me.” He sighed. Loch watched it happen at the speed of light. The man’s eyes glowed a threatening red before two blazing hot beams of pure condensed light came flying at Sam took a knee and deflected it with his shield. It didn’t pierce it, but the beam ricocheted and hit a building, smashing several windows in the process. It left a deep black scorch mark across the vibrant paint. The man repeated, each time, the impact driving Sam further back. Loch could see him struggling, the sweat beading down his face. He was laughing Maniacally as police cars began to surround the area. Police in uniform aimed their firearms at him. He stopped laughing and threw a disgusted look at the authorities before leveling his gaze across the crowd.
Loch was paralyzed as she watched the blood and gore explode. Police officers were decapitated, and sliced in half with the force of pure heat. Blood sprayed, coating her face and hair. Sam and Bucky ducted for cover, screaming for Loch to snap out of it as she watched blindly as the carnage flood the streets with blood. The sirens faded in her ears as she felt her own blood pumping through her head, beating like violent drums.
“LOCHLYN! LOCHLYN, WE NEED TO FALL BACK! LOCH!” Bucky yelled at her, dragging the agent by her wrist. Her legs moved as if on auto pilot, but she couldn’t focus. Not on what Bucky was saying. Not on the screams, or the flying hands that hit the puddles of blood with sickening splashes. She could however, hear the sound of the man’s laughter as he slaughtered the police in droves like cattle.
When the screaming faded and Loch was finally able to hear Bucky through the pounding headache and echo of the laughter stuck in her head, she felt like a brick of lead was sitting in her stomach. Covered in blood, all she could smell was metal. It made her sick. The three of them clambered down an alleyway, collapsing against the wall. Bucky looked the worse for wear, with a huge gash across his cheek that was smearing blood across is face. That was nothing compared to the amount of gore Sam and Loch were covered in. Sam was trying to wipe his goggles off, but Loch just sat. Staring at the ground, the fresh memory of what just happened playing in front of her eyes like a cinematic movie.
“Jesus fucking Christ.” Bucky was the first one of the trio to say anything. Sam was shaking his head as if trying to convince himself that the events that had just transpired… hadn’t. Loch had no words. She still couldn’t get over what she had just seen.
“Lochlyn, you good?” Sam asked, looking over to see Loch in a state of mental paralysis. She shook her head, eyes wide as she stared at her feet. Lochlyn could feel only two things in that moment as the adrenaline of fear faded from her mind. Rage and shock.
“Sam… I don’t know if I can do this…” Loch said blatantly, blinking as she looked up and stared at both men who gazed at her with surprised looks. They knew better than anyone that Loch never threw the towel in on a mission.
“I just mean… I want to…” Lochlyn broke her gaze and stared back down at her feet, clenching her fist in anger. The hatred she felt spreading through her chest like a virus… she didn’t like this, “all those cops…” she released her fists and held her head as she felt an earth rattling headache coming on.
Even when Bucky dropped himself down next to her, groaning as he leaned into the wall, she didn’t look up. He tossed his arm around her shoulders, exhauster from being dragged through concrete. Pulling her close, he sighed, but kept his silence.
“I want to rip him apart…” Lochlyn whispered, barely loud enough for even Bucky to hear over the oncoming ambulance sirens. It only made the electricity in her brain spike out of control. Flashes of bodies played in her mind, each like a bomb going off in her brain.
“I know, kid. But you know that won’t solve anything. We need to bring him in. Play by the rules.”
“Come on guys, we should report back. I’ll call for a car to come get us.” Sam spoke up, now on his feet. His once blue and white uniform now crusted with drying blood.
Arriving back at the post office, the S.H.I.E.L.D agents were more than accommodating and understanding. When Agent Burrows came to pick them up from the alleyway, he was horrified. Loch was dead silent the whole ride. She couldn’t stop thinking about the North Guardian or whatever he called himself… That disgusting smile and the way he carried himself. Calling Bucky a mudman as if he was subhuman.
The car engine shuddered, making a dangerous sound, and Lochlyn caught herself; exhaling to relax. She leaned into Bucky who was in the back seat with her. His arm still draped around her as if it could shield her from all the horrible things racing through her mind. It didn’t work.
When she was debriefed back at Headquarters, Loch got the sense that her fellow agents were treading very lightly upon eggshells. Instead of asking her questions right away, like Bucky and Sam, they let her shower, get dressed in clean clothes, and tried to give her something to eat. She denied it, leaving the McDonalds burger on the table. She was so grateful when it was all over. She only lost her temper once, which did startle Agent Burrows, but he brushed it off with a nervous laugh and continued.
Bucky awaited her arrival outside the debriefing room. He was now cleaned up, a heavy hoodie over a pair of grey sweats. He had both his hands full with a Styrofoam cups of piping hot coffee. As soon as they saw each other, Bucky pushed off from the wall he was leaning on.
As Loch approached Bucky, her exhaustion evident in the lines on her face. The weight of recent events seemed to have settled on her shoulders, but there was a glimmer of gratitude in her eyes as she took one of the coffee cups from him.
"Thanks," she murmured, cradling the warm cup in her hands. The aroma of the coffee wafted through the air, a welcome comfort in the midst of chaos. She felt so empty inside, which was only amplified when she felt the hot liquid boil like lava as it trickled down her throat. She walked with the super soldier, neither of them saying much. Lochlyn was oh so grateful for that. She didn’t know what she was supposed to say. Loch half hoped she could just forget, but knew that was an impossibility.
Bucky and Loch were chaperoned back to their safe house, where the two agents were dropped off on the curbside. Loch sighed, her cup of coffee now two thirds empty. She wished for more coffee. Loch really didn’t know if she could continue this mission. Her heart ached as Bucky wrapped his arm around her and began to walk the silent agent towards the house.
Once inside, that musty, old mold smell almost snapped Lochlyn out of her trance.Bucky had wandered off to the kitchen to dispose of his now empty coffee cup. She looked around, and as if she was reliving the trauma right in the living room of the dilapidated safe house, she felt the tears swelling. This whole time, she had tried to keep a stone-cold face, showing very little emotion aside from shock. It was like a crack had formed in her façade. And like a dam; one crack spread like a web and soon, the floodgates were gushing.
Loch stood in the closed doorway, sniffling pathetically. Her shoulders shook but she was unable to prevent the onslaught of tears which fell down her face.
As if called by a dog whistle that only the Winter soldier could hear, Bucky came rushing into the living room. There was a look of calm concern across his face as he hurried to Loch’s side. The lights within the safe house seemed to faintly flicker as each tear hit the carpet with a muddled ‘thup’.
“W…why did… i… come?” she croaked, her voice breaking with every syllable. “I… I’m… n-not ready… for… this.”
The soldier gripped Loch tightly to him, and she found herself crying like a pathetic child into his chest. Her eyes leaving wet stains on the sweatshirt he wore. Bucky did not care in the slightest. He gently stroked the back of her head; as she wrapped her arms tightly around his torso. He was soft, and his body gave off a comforting warmth. His heart beat was slow and soothing, but her mind continued to race.
“I…I’m sorry…” Lochlyn sniffled, pulling away from Bucky in the hopes of sparing his sweater from any more snot and tears. Bucky sighed, but didn’t let go of his embrace.
“Don’t…” Bucky said, resting his chin on the top of her head, “You didn’t do anything wrong. Don’t go apologizing for shit you didn’t do.”
This only made Lochlyn cry harder. She didn’t know what she did to deserve such patience and sympathy from Bucky. She just squeezed her eyes shut, burying her face in his sweater, inhaling a deep, shaky breath. With his cool, smooth metal fingers, Bucky gently tugged at Lochlyn’s hand, lacing their fingers together as he held her waist.
“Just breathe, I’m here… this too will pass.” He muttered to her, planting an ever so delicate kiss to her temple. The ache in Loch’s chest slowly dulled, but did not go away.
Bucky continued to hold her, providing a sense of solace in the midst of the storm raging inside her. The rhythmic sound of his heartbeat against her ear started to synchronize with her breathing. Lochlyn clung to the warmth of his touch, feeling the reassurance that she wasn't alone in this darkness. They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, an unspoken understanding passing between them. Bucky knew he couldn't erase the pain, but he could be a steady anchor in the turbulence. After a while, Loch dreaded letting go.
