Special thank you to aliensweets I started missing Will, too. That one comment made me write again. Thank you.

He stared at the bottles filled with different coloured drinks, getting lost in their labels and flashy commercials. A frown pulled on his otherwise emotionless face as he stood there, staring, analyzing and trying to identify the drinks. He settled for two bottles of water, holding them carefully in his calloused hands, afraid that the plastic would easily brake if he gripped them with too much force.

As he purchased the sandwiches and water, he tried to avoid eye contact with the curious cashier who kept smiling at him, throwing her long hair over her back and then over her shoulder again. The soldier said nothing as he grabbed his things and left the girl ogling.

He sped away from the small shop, making a quick stop couple of miles away near the road. Uncapping the water bottle, his eyes flickered around the most scenery briefly, making sure there weren't any cars or houses in the distance. The cold water soothed his dry throat as he leaned into the seat, grabbing the map to see if there were any dirt roads he could take to make sure he coolant be tracked through any of the cameras he ought to drive by if he followed the main road.

He made a mental map, studying it and every road and name of even the smallest of places he would pass by. The dirt roads would make his route longer, but it would be safer. So he was going with this. He neatly placed his things away and turned on the car, rolling his shoulders to try and soothe out the tension. He rolled over the road, sliding a pair of sunglasses over his nose.

The sky was clear and the sound of the engine was almost scratching his ears, he didn't like the way it drowned out the rest of the noises, it was like a sound barrier. Screeching sounds were nothing new to him, but he still didn't like them. Reluctantly he switched on the radio, frowning at the off-tune singer and horrid beat in the background. He changed the channel, settling for classical music. It wasn't distracting and also helped to relax a little.

The drive was steady and to his surprise, not once were there anyone after him. While it was a good sign as it showed his ability to disappear, it was also nerve-wracking. He had had no contact with anyone, he didn't know what sort of event had led up to him being out of cryo and he knew the moment he woke up HYDRA should have sent out their best to fetch him. Yet there he was, driving a car, eating a sandwich while listening to classical music. Like a real human being, pathetic.

He had his suspicions, but not once did he cross the speed limit. How stupid it would be if he got chased by police for something like driving too fast.

After a couple of hours driving, he had almost reached his destination when rolled the car to a stop, turning the engine off as he suspiciously scanned the still scenery. The house was dark, yellow paint was peeling off the two-story house, a grey barn was on the brink of falling over and the roof of the building seemed to be broken in many places. The soldier stepped out of the car, keeping his hand on his gun the entire time as he analyzed every tremble of a leaf, switch of a twig and a rustle of a rat who escaped from the barn as the door creaked in the wind. He snuck into the dark house from the backdoor, moving in the shadows like he had been doing for a long time already. The two floors were completely empty of any furniture, surfaces were covered in a thick layer of dust and a couple of birds had made a nest in the living room.

Not sensing anyone else, he placed the gun back into its holder, walking back up into the bedroom furthest away from the front door. The only thing in the room was a mirror that hung in the corner, it was cracked and dirty. He took slow steps to stand in front of it, stopping to look at the man in the mirror.

It had been so long since he'd seen his own reflection, and something about it made him curious. He studied the firm jaw, the scar above his brow and one on his temple, dark blonde hair that looked brown in the dim light. But what really unnerved him was the eyes, there was nothing to read from them. They were like walls of metal covered in ice, one could melt the surface and yet again be met with an even harder wall. He looked away, taking the mirror off the wall very carefully.

Behind the mirror was a small, built-in safe. He lowered his face over the small scanner, keeping still as it scanned him.

"Agent Ripper, confirmed. Access granted." the monotonous female voice announced the soldier before it clicked open with a small hiss. He pulled out a pile of documents, it was commanded to only take yours and leave everyone else, but the soldier was on a mission to destroy everything that was left of the organization, and that meant erasing the false documents that could be used. He closed the safe, hanging the broken mirror back over it before be returned downstairs into the kitchen. He sorted out the papers, taking his documents under a false name, leaving the other nine agents' documents in the pile.

Arthur Jones was written in the passport and ID card with the soldiers face in the picture. There were two more names, but those were for backup.

He peeked into the yard, making sure no one had joined him. He turned away, falling on one knee as he looked straight into the small device that locked the kitchen drawer that was supposedly for cutlery. It repeated the same words that had been said a couple of minutes back upstairs. He stood up as the drawer clicked open, blue hue emitting from it as he pulled it open with a little too much force. Five guns were neatly placed in the drawer, along with ten knives all in different shapes and for different purposes. The soldier took them all, along with bullets that were neatly packed.

He went over the documents one more time, finding out where the closest base was, it was a safe base for doctors and scientists. Secure, underground and if he kept driving without any stops, he should be there within a week, six days minimum.

He collected his things and was on his way. As he drove the car away from the house, down a small dirt road through a forest, small specs of ash flew in the air as it seemed to rain on the forest.

The house was being licked by flames, the ground around it going black after the burning touch of fire.

One safe house down, several more to go.

***

“Declared missing, what do you mean missing?” Steve's voice was tight, eyes squinted in mistrust as they looked up towards Tony who was standing at the end of the table. “its adjective meaning: not able to be found because it is not in its expected place. Synonyms may be, misplaced, lost, misled–”

“I think we got it.” Bucky cut in, looking carefully at Steve who seemed to be in a shock. Which was something that didn't even seem to be in Steves vocabulary. “Could have fooled me, Starbucks. And why am I only now hearing of disappeared family members? I didn't even know you had siblings Captain Blondie.” Buckys eyes flickered from Steve to Tony, giving him a warning look which the billionaire brushed off like a fly on the wall.

He had come all this way to the facility while he could be home with his wife, daughter and three alpacas. And there he was again, helping out old people.

“Was there anything else? When? Who saw him last? Anything at all?” Steve leaned closer to Tony, resting his elbows on the table. Tony knew it was important, but a little thank you would have made their secret get-together more pleasant. “April 1941, Some lady named Margareth Davids notified the police. The reasons of disappearance are unclear.” Steve was concerned, what had happened to his brother? It had happened shortly after he had left, it was so long ago but he was convinced there still was someone who knew something, some lead.

Tony didn't like the silence that followed, he closed his iPad, the small screen in the corner of his glasses turning off as the connection disappeared. “Well then, that's it for the bingo night, folks. I'll be off now, hope you find what you're looking for.” he straightened out his suit, giving the two supersoldiers one last look before heading towards the door, Buckys eyes following his every move.

“Tony.” the billionaire stopped, hand on the door as he tilted his head, letting Steve know he was listening. “Thank you, really. I— we really appreciate it.” There, the gratitude Tony had always looked for. He slightly turned around, opening the door as his dark eyes clashed with Steves blue ones. “You're welcome Rogers, but you owe me. This winter's firewood is on you, you did it for Clint, now it's my turn. Next week will do,” his eyes slid over to Bucky who looked the interaction with amusement “Take your guard dog along, I'm sure he wouldn't mind tearing some firewood apart as well. Have a nice evening.” the usual frown was back on Buckys face as he glared at the door once it closed. 

Steve sighed and leaned back in the chair, looking out into the city through the gigantic window. “Where do we start, Buck? Where can we start?” his eyes were troubled, guilt seemed to burn him. Bucky didn't relax as he looked at the view of the city, squinting his eyes at the setting sun.

“From the beginning, Steve. Let's start from the beginning.”

***
Here it is, next chapter. Once again, sorry for such a long hiatus, i really havent been in the right headspace lately.

Also its 2AM so sorry for the grammatical errors, I'll check it in the morning.

Sincerely,
Stranger