#i think finishing this comm gave me. an energy refill.

[ebonytails]

Commission for @the-starship-system! ⚾️🧢

[flightlessangelwings]

Protect

Billy Russo x Powered!Reader (fem, she/her pronouns)

Chapter 1

“We got some new recruits today, Mr Russo. They look promising.”

Billy watched the room full of recruits from his vantage point on the upper balcony. Most of them looked like the usual people who applied to work for Anvil: hair buzzed, muscles abound, a take-no-shit attitude. But there was one in particular who caught Billy Russo’s eye.

You stood among the others as you waited for your performance evaluation. Billy knew better than to judge someone based on appearance, but you looked so unassuming that he wondered what you had hidden behind your eyes. He didn’t have to wait long as you were up next. Your opponent was the toughest trainer Billy had, and he was nearly twice your size. But you didn’t look intimidated at all.

With a smirk, you sparred with the trainer as Billy watched with an intense gaze. He noticed your patterns fairly quickly, and he could tell you picked up on the guy’s weak spots right away. You put up more of a fight than the other guys thought you would, and soon you had him on the defensive. He tried to turn the tide on you, though, and pushed back at you until he backed you up against the wall. He kept his aggressive moves up until your back slammed against the wall and his hands wrapped around your neck.

The other guys cheered him on, but Billy stayed silent. He saw the fire in your eyes that everyone else missed. The man you fought smirked; he thought he had won. But you stayed still and waited for the smile on his face to fade. Slowly, his gaze dropped down to finally notice the knife you held against his stomach. He didn’t even see you pull it out. The only one who noticed was Billy.

The trainer backed off and raised his hands in surrender until you shielded your knife, then he reached his hand out to shake yours. You had kept your guard up the entire time, but for the first time you let yourself relax. With a soft smile, you accept his hand with a strong handshake.

“No one has ever been able to beat me before. Well done…”

You gave him your name as you straightened your posture again, “Thank you sir.”

“We’ll have to get the final word from the boss,” he motioned up to where Billy watched from the second floor overlook, “But I’d be happy to welcome you to Anvil.”

Of course, Billy immediately offered you the job and before you knew it, you found yourself alone with him in his office.

“I don’t normally have newbies in my office so fast, but there’s something about you that I really like,” Billy said with an alluring smile on his face as he handed you a drink, “That fight was impressive.”

You accepted the drink but kept your guard up, “I see your reputation precedes you, Mr Russo,” your words were light, as if you were playing a game with him.

“I hope you mean my reputation for being delightfully charming,” he cocked an eyebrow and flashed you a devilish smile.

You took a sip of your drink and relished how smooth it was, “More like I did my research. I don’t go into anything unprepared.”

“Smart woman,” he quipped back with a wink.

You furrowed your brows for a moment. It was one thing to hear about Billy Russo’s exploits and flirty nature but it was another to have it directed right at you. You weren’t used to someone acting like this with you, especially so soon after you met. Part of you thought it was flattering, but you pushed the thought down, “It’s kept me alive all this time,” your voice was heavier this time.

He noticed the change in your demeanor so he changed the subject, “What branch were you?”

“Marines,” you answered simply.

Billy’s face lit up, “I knew there was a reason I liked you,” he refilled both your glasses and raised his to clank them together before he took another drink. “What’s your story?”

You smiled at him as you drank with your new boss, and you got the feeling this would be a regular thing, “I joined when I was 18. The whole pay for college, see the world, get opportunities deal, you know,” it wasn’t the whole story, but you still weren’t exactly sure why you told him that. Yet, you felt comfortable with him. You wondered what his story was like as you finished off your second refill.

And Billy was definitely curious about you, “Where were you deployed? Iraq? Afghanistan? Somewhere else?”

Your face dropped as the playfulness disappeared from your demeanor, “I can’t tell you.”

He noticed the frown on your face and decided not to push it. He knew all too well the horrors that stay with you, “I understand,” Billy took a deep breath, “Either way, I’m happy to have you with us now. I think your skills will be a great asset,” he paused to take a sip of his drink, “And if you don’t mind my asking, what brought you to Anvil?”

“Thank you, Mr Russo,” you replied with a faint smile, “I just wanted to use my skills to do some good, you know? I tried the whole ‘normal life’ thing and it didn’t work out. So I thought, I have the means to protect people, might as well put it to good use. Someone recommended Anvil to me at a support group I was in.” The fire in your eyes was gone, replaced with a vacant expression. If he only knew the weight that your words carried. 

Billy found himself completely intrigued about what you had gone through to affect you like this. He had only just met you, but he could tell that you were a strong person, and you had a good head on your shoulders. You didn’t strike him as the type to take any shit from anyone or to break down easily. Yet, you completely closed off when he asked just a simple question about your past.

We all have our demons, he thought.

Time went by in a blur and before you knew it, you had been at Anvil for almost two months. You quickly impressed everyone around you, and Billy always looked forward to seeing you. In fact, you had done so well for a new recruit that you were already assigned to your first protection detail.

Billy led the squad of course, and you followed with several others to the hotel where you all were tasked with protecting a visiting ambassador. Word was that there was a threat to his life, and Anvil was the first call the ambassador’s people made. You and the others were all in the lobby, dressed in your tactical gear with your weapons ready as you waited for your next instructions.  

“We pair up and cover the building,” Billy spoke to the group in an authoritative tone, “Ludgate and I will stay at the ambassador’s side,” he motioned to you and said your last name, “you and Maxwell cover the stairwell,” he went on and assigned each pair a position before the group broke and took their positions throughout the hotel.

You stood alert at the stairwell door with your partner, Maxwell. He was a quiet guy but he seemed ok. He was nothing compared to Billy though. Wait, where did that thought come from? You spoke to Billy pretty much every day since you had drinks with him in his office, and he left you confused about your feelings after almost every time he spoke to you. But, now was not the time to dwell on your boss. You were here for a job, and you had to be focused.

Everything was quiet so far, no sign of any threats. The team at the doors checked over every person who entered the building and the team had eyes everywhere. Comms were clear, and you started to wonder if the information they were given was a false lead.

Then, out of nowhere, an explosion from the roof shook everyone off balance. The previous calm was gone and replaced by shouts through your comms and people in a panicked state. The men placed throughout the lobby quickly worked to evacuate the civilians out while those placed around the perimeters kept their guard up for the next wave of attack.

“They’re coming from the top,” someone shouted through the comms, and half the team in the lobby rushed up to meet their enemies.

“Shit, they hid in the rooms,” another said.

“Fuck,” you muttered under your breath. You and Maxwell stayed at your post, which was now more important than ever. You positioned yourself to face the stairwell door while you let your partner watch the lobby when another explosion tore through the lobby.

Smoke filled the area as a group of men wearing masks and dressed in all black rushed in. You and Maxwell raised your guns and easily shot down any of the threats who tried to reach the stairwell. You could hear the shouts of your other teammates in your earpiece and it sounded like the men also got in from the roof to cause a distraction before their reinforcements burst into the lobby. 

That meant that your job was more important than you thought, and you and Maxwell had to protect the stairwell and make sure none of your enemies' backup made it up the stairs. You clenched your jaw as you thought about how it was just Billy and just a few others up there with the ambassador and they most likely would need more backup.

“Maxwell,” you shouted over the sounds of gunfire, “I’m going up the stairs to help Russo. Guard the door.”

“You don’t get to give me orders,” he raised his voice to you in reply. 

He glanced over at you, but that split second was all it took for him to become distracted. In that one moment, one of the infiltrators fired directly at him. You kept your focus, so you were quick to react. 

You pushed Maxwell aside and once your body blocked his field of vision, you raised your hand and formed a small energy circle in front of you. A subtle hue of blue and silver formed in your hand that created an indestructible barrier. The bullet hit your small shield and you immediately recalled the energy to keep your power hidden. In another swift movement, you fired your gun and hit the man right in the head.

With a heavy exhale, you turned to him, “You ok?”

Maxwell looked at you wide eyed; he clearly did not expect that from you, “Go,” he said after a nod, “I’ve got the door.”

“Thanks,” you replied, “Make sure no one gets by,”

“You got it,” he said as he raised his weapon. You then disappeared into the stairwell and once you were gone, a scowl came across his face. Maxwell glanced behind him and noticed something odd: there was no bullet lodged in the wall. If you pushed him out of the way, it should have hit the wall. Instead, he looked down to find the shell on the floor right at his feet. He furrowed his brows as he tabled his inquiry for later.

As soon as the door closed behind you, you raised one of your hands to ready your powers while the other held a firm grip on your gun. You also kept your knife strapped to your waist so you could easily grab it if you needed it. The echoes of gunshots could be heard from the upper levels and you ran up as fast as you could. You made it up almost five flights before bullets started to rain down on you.

You were ready, and you raised your arm above you and called on your energy shield to block the hail of bullets. The men who shot at you cursed loudly, frustrated that they couldn’t hit you no matter how hard they tried. They were so wrapped up in their anger that they didn’t even notice the soft blue and silver glow of your energy shield above you. 

As soon as there was a break in their shots, you raised your gun and hit one right in the face. The other man dodged, and immediately shot back. You raised your shield again as you waited for another window. When it didn’t come, you decided on a different strategy. You pulled out your knife and concentrated your energy into the tip of your weapon. It was a newer trick you learned, and the knife helped you to focus your energy to push it forward like a whip or a bullet. With a flick of your wrist, you lashed your energy up towards the man, which glowed a deep blue in its more concentrated form.

He knew he was done for, and right before your burst of energy hit him, he pulled out a grenade and tossed it down towards you. You didn’t see it until it blew up a couple floors above you, and with a deep breath, you raised your energy shield again. In your earpiece, you could hear yells from your team but you ignored it to focus all your strength into your shield. You pushed forward to get yourself out of the stairwell, but it was harder now that you had railing and concrete to hold up with your powers.

With a grunt, you finally made it to the door and pushed yourself through. You crashed through the door, and completely pushed it off its hinges in your rush to get out of the stairwell. All your breath was forced out of your body as you landed on your side on top of the door. Luckily, you dropped your shield before you burst through because a familiar voice greeted you with your name in the hallway.

When he heard the pound at the door, Billy raised his gun in anticipation of unwelcome company, but immediately relaxed when he saw it was you. “What are you doing here?” his voice was tough, but you could hear the concern as he rushed over to help you up.

“Thought you could use some backup,” you strained as you stood to your feet. You noticed right away that it was just Billy and the client alone in the hallway, “Looks like I thought right. Where’s Ludgate?”

“He’s injured. He ducked into one of the open rooms,” Billy replied with a frown, “So yeah, I could use your help,” he added in a lighter tone.

Luckily for you all, the majority of the attackers were already taken care of by the time you reached Billy and the ambassador and the two of you easily took out any stragglers who tried to come at you as the two of you led him down to the lobby. You and Billy seemed to read each other’s minds and easily anticipated each other’s action. It was refreshing how well you worked together.

Once all the threats were taken care of and the ambassador was confirmed safe, Billy finally relaxed. He put on his usual charm as he spoke to the ambassador and some other men you didn’t recognize but guessed were high ranking officials. With a final handshake, Billy sent them off on their way before he came to speak to you.

“I should say something about leaving your post,” he said your name, “But I couldn’t have gotten this job done without you. So, well done,” Billy extended his hand to you.

With a soft smile, you took it, and you were grateful that he couldn’t feel the surge of energy that pulsed through your hand.

~

Notes: I’m a little nervous about this because I really want to get this story right, but I’m also really excited for this little series. This was originally supposed to only be one or two chapters but it got away from me while I was working on it, so as of now I’ve got it outlined at 5 chapters. Next chapter will be some fluff and cuteness, since this was a pretty explosive opening to the story lol. As always, let me know if you’d like to be added to my Billy Russo taglist

Billy Russo taglist: @witchygagirl​ @runawayolives​ @morriganwarrior 

[mycupoffanfiction]

His Second Chance Part 9

Bucky x Reader

His Second Chance Masterlist

Bucky comes back from Wakanda with Steve, ready to begin his recovery from his days as the Winter Soldier, but there’s one thing he doesn’t take into account - you.

Warnings: Fluff, smutty thoughts, language, a tiny bit of action (if you can even call it that).

Word count: Approx 3000

Masterlist

Bucky becomes more enchanted by the Reader and a small discovery about the Reader is made.

Please don’t hesitate to leave suggestions or thoughts! TAG LISTS ARE OPEN! (Permanent list and His Second Chance list)

IF YOUR TAG ISN’T WORKING PLS MESSAGE OR ASK 💖💖

___________________________

“Mornin’ doll.” Bucky peaked into your room through the half open door. “Hey Buck.” You smiled up at him as you pottered about your room in the t-shirt and underwear you’d gone to bed in the previous evening. “I wanted to make up for yesterday.” Bucky started, looking down at his sock clad feet instead of meeting your gaze. “I was an idiot, I acted impulsively.” Bucky scolded himself. You rested your hands on your hips and shook your head. “No, silly, I already forgave you last night.” You pouted a bit. “I still felt bad so- uh I got you- um, I got you something.” Bucky held out a little paper bag. Good, you’re getting better at finishing sentences Barnes, especially around her.

 You looked a little shocked as you walked up to Bucky and took the bag from him. “You’re too sweet, Bucky.” You beamed up at him. “You really didn’t have to.” You shook your head with a little smile on your face. “But thank you.” You opened the bag to see a new mug and a few bars of chocolate. “Oh I finally get to have my own mug again.” You sounded much more excited than Bucky had expected as you pulled it out of the bag. “Thank you, Bucky.” You grinned, automatically leaning up to kiss him quickly on the cheek. Bucky’s cheeks burned bright red when he felt your soft lips gently peck his face just above his beard. Oh my gOD SHE KISSED YOU. Okay, no calm down, she does that to the others too. But she just kissed you, holy crap.

 “I’ll just get changed and meet you guys in the kitchen, I have to go training with Stevie after breakfast though, so I can’t stay for long.” You pouted a bit as you spoke. “We could uh- um- coffee?” Bucky asked, frowning at himself. What is that supposed to mean? “I mean we could go for coffee after?” Bucky swallowed thickly. “I’d like that.” You nod enthusiastically, smiling up at him. Did you just…? It’s not a date though, urgh shoulda said it was a da- Holy mother of god. You turned away from him and pulled your shirt off ready to grab a clean one, your bare back completely on display for Bucky, along with your deep grey underwear that was hiked up between your butt cheeks, leaving very little to the imagination and he looked around wondering if he was supposed to even still be there. “I’ll- uh I’ll just go.” Bucky pointed at the door as you innocently looked over your shoulder at him, the slight outline of your bare breast was only a bit visible to Bucky from his angle and he was about ready to drop dead. I just want to… Maybe reach out and- No! Nope, I’ll just see myself out and make my way down to hell. And just like that, you looked back over your shoulder to see that Bucky had silently disappeared.

 “You should ask (Y/n).” Sam encouraged, leaning forwards on the island counter as he drank a smoothie while Bucky enjoyed his black coffee. “No, I can’t.” Bucky shook his head. “C’mon, don’t tell me you don’t want to.” Sam glared at Bucky for a second. “I want to, but I can’t.” Bucky mumbled into his mug before taking a sip of the dark, hot liquid. “I see the way you look at her like she’s the only woman that exists.” Sam smirked as he sat back in his seat. “M’not sure we’re ready.” Bucky was reluctant to Sam’s persuasion, but that wasn’t going to stop him. “Please, just try and ask her on a date.” Sam sighed. “I asked her for coffee.” Bucky admitted. “And that’s not a date?” Sam asked. “Well, I didn’t specify that- I mean I just didn’t really say it was.” Bucky stumbled over his words becoming increasingly nervous about the subject.

 “Morning Sammy!” You beamed at him as you walked in, wrapping your arms around his shoulders and squeezing before you hopped up to sit on the counter. “Bucky has something to ask you.” Sam grinned before busying himself with his smoothie. “Is- is that my hoodie?” Bucky examined the garment your wore, he’d be lying if he said you didn’t look good in it. I definitely prefer this over that stupid Captain America hoodie, good lord. “Oh I’m sorry Buck, I saw it on the sofa last night and it just looked so soft and warm.” You sighed. “Do you want it back?” You asked, reaching for the edge of it to pull it off. “No, no it’s okay.” Bucky shook his head. “It looks cute- good- nice on you anyway.” Bucky swallowed thickly before awkwardly looking away and moving his attention back to his coffee, quickly glancing up at Sam who glowered at him for avoiding the date entirely.

 “Okay, well if that’s all you wanted to ask, Buck. I gotta get ready for my training session with Stevie.” You smiled, hopping off the counter, your butt nearly on full show since you were wearing tiny spandex workout shorts that were rucked up your butt a little. Bucky almost spat his coffee out when he saw it and tried to cover Sam’s eyes with his hands, causing Sam to collapse into laughter about how ridiculous Bucky was being. You looked over your shoulder and the pair of soldiers and shot them both a questioning look as they tried to act natural. Thankfully you were none the wiser about the cause of their odd behaviour and refilled your water bottle before leaving the kitchen. “You really need to ask her, or someone else will.” Sam wiggled his eyebrows at Bucky, eliciting a sigh from him as he rested his chin on his hand, leaning against he island as he brought his coffee mug up for another drink.

 “I know you’ve got it, (Y/n).” Steve encouraged you from the side lines. You were outside in a training area that was created for you and Wanda to use, your powers being extremely similar. “Steve, I can’t.” You shook your head. “Sweetheart, you’re holding yourself back, I know you can do it.” Steve walked towards you. “I’ve seen you do it before.” He went on as he approached. “That was different, I thought you were going to die.” You looked away from him, knowing you’d not be able to resist the sweet smile the Captain gave you. “Try and tap into that, remember how it felt.” Steve instructed. You paused for a few moments before nodding and waiting for Steve to step back.

 “I’ve barely seen her use her powers.” Bucky remarked as he walked beside Sam on their way down to meet both you and Steve since it was close to the end of your training session. “She’s very timid about her powers, she’s pretty scared of what they can do.” Sam sighed, eyes full of sympathy as he watched you twist and turn in a beautiful dance, making your energy fields swirl around you, not that they could see them though, since they were virtually invisible to the naked eye. Scared of them? I know how that feels, to be scared of yourself.

 You paused in your step, stopping to look down at your hands. You took in a deep slow breath. “Take your own advice, sweetheart. Breath and think about what you want to do.” Steve encouraged, walking around you until he was on the other side. He caught sight of Sam and Bucky but did nothing that could alert you that they were there, worried they may distract you.

 Taking in another deep breath, you focused on your powers. You felt the tingle in your hands and the energy rushed through your veins. The feeling from that moment you’d saved Steve’s life in battle came back to you. You replayed the memory in your mind.

***

Hydra agents swarmed the pair of you. “We’re compromised.” Steve hissed into the comms. “Hold tight, we’re five minutes out.” Tony responded. Five minutes was too long, far too long. There were easily fifty men and women surrounding you, probably more. Most of which were soldiers, guards, workers and probably a few brain washed experiments. They were all trained to kill, fifty against two. Sure you had a super soldier with you, but you weren’t sure Steve alone could handle this many, especially while surrounded with multiple weapons pointed at you both. “Get behind me.” Steve ordered. You didn’t budge. “(Y/n), sweetie, please get behind me.” Steve almost begged you.

 “Stop moving!” An agent barked, cocking his gun at you. The metal of several guns were pressed up against Steve’s skull. “We can-.” Steve began but was cracked over the head with the butt of the gun, making him stumble a bit. You shrieked, Steve trying to give you a reassuring smile. “Open fire on my command.”

A pause. The world went silent. “(Y/n) what’s your position?” Tony’s voice came through the comms. “Cap?” Nat’s voice filled your ears. “Are the comms down again?” She asked.

“Fire!” The command came. Something inside of you erupted, like a spark on gasoline. Seeing Steve thrust about, fingers on triggers about to shoot. Time went slow as a guttural scream ripped through you. A power like you’d never felt before rushed through your veins, your eyes went red and the wind picked up as if a storm was brewing, much like it did when Thor would enter battle. A hot, tingly feeling sparked into your palms and it almost burned. An energy force was unleashed from you, but instead of it being invisible to the eye like it normally was, it was like fire. Flames roared through the air, the only sound you could hear was the low boom of the energy explosion you caused, the sound of flames engulfing everything as you stood over Steve, keeping him from harm as the flames consumed the agents around you.

***

The same feeling sparked inside of you and the flames coursed through your veins, igniting in your hands. You sent a force of energy at the wall ahead of you, the built up pulse was large and strong, the fiery energy creating a low boom as it hurtled towards the wall. You shrieked as the energy bounced back and came towards you, heat and fire throwing you back and you hit the ground, rolling over a few times until you stopped and lay on your side, curled up on yourself.

 No, no, no, no, sweet pretty girl. Bucky ran to your side as Steve shouted curses, Sam running up behind Bucky. “Doll, are you alright?” Bucky’s gravelly, deep voice came through to you and you visibly relaxed a little. “Can you hear me?” Bucky asked, unsure how to even handle the situation. Christ, fucking hell that scared the shit out of me. You finally uncovered your features and you looked totally unscathed by the fiery explosion that had hit you. You did however look a bit dazed and confused. “Did you hit your head?” Sam asked kneeling down on your other side. All you did was nod, but that hurt. “Shit, she might have a concussion.” Steve stressed in the background, pacing back and forth.

 “Pretty girl, can you look at me?” Bucky asked. Pretty girl? That was new, but sounded so, so nice coming from Bucky’s lips. “Can you see alright?” Bucky asked, cradling your head gently in his large hands. Oh that felt nice. You hummed in response. “Use your words.” Sam spoke softly, moving some of your hair out of the way. “Yes.” You squeaked out. “Does your head hurt?” Bucky began checking you over, but you just enjoyed the feeling of his large hands on your soft skin. “Probably.” You looked up into Bucky’s bright blue eyes. Probably? What’s that supposed to mean? “Okay, let’s get you inside and take you to Banner.” Sam tucked some of your hair behind your ear.

 “You gave me a scare, doll.” Bucky looked down at you as you walked alongside him, hand intertwined with his. “Lucky you didn’t have a concussion.” He went on, his gaze soft as he eyed you looking up at him with sweet doe like eyes. “The powers, they’re hard to control, it scares me sometimes Bucky.” You sighed, sticking close to his side as you walked through the busy street under an umbrella that Bucky clutched in his other hand. He mostly held it over you, which was totally unnecessary and he was getting himself rained on just to keep you dry. “I’m just glad you’re alright.” Bucky smiled as you approached the little café you and Bucky now frequented on your way back from his therapy appointments. It originally started when Bucky had asked to go for coffee after his first session, but it had since turned into a routine, almost like a reward after the hard part of the therapy was over. But today was just a nice trip to the café with no therapy to make Bucky feel uneasy.

 You both entered the café and went to stand in line, Bucky fiddling with his now wet hair for a moment as you eyed the menu. You knew what you wanted, but you still had the habit of checking the board every day. When you both got to the cash desk and ordered your drinks, you pulled out your wallet to pay but Bucky was too fast, pulling out some cash for the barista before you could even try paying. “It’s on me today, doll.” Bucky smirked, putting his arm around your shoulders as you moved to the side to wait for your coffee.

 Bucky set your drinks down on the table, a slice of chocolate cake in the middle for you to share. “I know spending time with the guys is fun and all,” You began, pausing for a second to pour some sugar into your drink. “But coffee with you is my favourite part of the week.” You admitted, feeling your cheeks warm as you spoke, glancing timidly up at Bucky to see his satisfied smirk. Coffee with me is her favourite? Jesus Christ, how did I get so lucky? “You’re my favourite.” Bucky blurted out nervously. What? I mean, yeah she is, but that’s not what I meant to say. “Uh, I mean it’s my favourite too.” Bucky stammered, but you were just giggling and smiling up at him, knowing he’d full well meant what he just said.

 “Uh, (Y/n).” Bucky broke the comfortable silence as you both people watched through the window. The rain gave you a comforting, cosy feeling as you watched people huddle under umbrellas or look warm and comfortable under their hoods, people rushing to stand underneath store front canopies until the rain subsided. You hummed in response, looking across at Bucky, your eyes meeting and his intense blue gaze almost made you forget everything for a second. Say it, c’mon Barnes, you worked up to this all fuckin’ day, you can do it. “Can this- is this- fuck.” Bucky cursed at himself. You gave him a reassuring smile, waiting for Bucky to compose himself a try again. Thank god she has the patience of damn saint, feel like anyone else woulda’ clobbered me by now.

 “Can this be, maybe, like a coffee…” Bucky paused, you looked well and truly confused. “Date?” He dropped his voice so low he wasn’t even sure you’d heard him. Your smile widened into a huge grin and you almost dropped your mug. “Like a real date?” You asked awkwardly. Bucky hesitantly nodded as he reached for his mug, fiddling with it and twisting it about on the table to keep his nerves at bay. “If that’s what you want it to be, Bucky.” You smiled widely at him and Bucky’s heart almost gave out. “R-really?” Bucky almost couldn’t believe his own ears. For real? This is real? This isn’t a dream or some strange simulation? Bucky pinched his leg under the table so you wouldn’t see. Ow, yeah okay, it’s real.

 “So this is a date?” Bucky felt the need to ask for clarification. “It’s a date, Buck.” You nodded, smiling and giggling at him as you moved to lean on your hand, your arm propped up on the table. You did it, you fuckin’ did it! You’re on a date with her! Bucky felt like he could scream or cry or probably a bit of both. Bucky felt the happiest and most normal he had in years. He actually felt closer to how he had in the forties than he had in the past seventy years.

 You of course, were ecstatic. Bucky fucking Barnes was sitting across from you giving you heart eyes and your simple trip out for coffee had turned into a date. You couldn’t quite believe it yourself and you felt like a teenager, a little school girl on her first date all over again. Your heart bubbling with joy and you brimmed with excitement, looking over into Bucky’s sweet, blue eyes. You loved the way the skin around his eyes creased, he’d never looked happier and the smile he wore only made him more handsome to you than he already was. If Bucky had asked you to do anything in that moment, with a smile like that, you would have done it in a heartbeat.

 Bucky Barnes was on a date, with the prettiest, sweetest and loveliest gal he’d ever met and he couldn’t wait to see where this went. “Promise I’ll take ya on a real one soon.” Bucky finally spoke up. “If you’ll let me, doll.” He added, fiddling with his mug. “The answer is always yes, Bucky.” You murmured, looking up at him through your lashes, fluttering them a little before you took a long sip from your coffee.

 The answer is always a yes, Bucky. Bucky swore he was the luckiest man alive.

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Permanent Tag List:

@shygirl-00 @swanlakemikey @scuzmunkie @paintballkid711 @lovelylilia @mapreza1 @love-bucky-3000 @cals-cigarette @scarlett-berserker @2407zzz@mercurybarnes @mywinterwolf @geeksareunique @fairislesheets @wendaiii @mochibarnes

His Second Chance Tag List:

@socialheartbreak @whatsupbucky @yesno18 @just-a-littlebit-of-everything @crystallstaircase @megantje123 @fantua @lady-x-red @buckys-islandgirl @chipilerendi @butteryoptimisticpeanut @wowitsemilysblog @dark-night-sky-99 @marvel-ous-bucky @rand0mfangurlstuff @tfandtws @vxidnik @books-baritones-bucky @bluerorjhan @calwitch @hello-keeley @vrgelivvvv @steve-harrington-said-gay-rights @swiftlymoniquesblog

[imalifegen89]

A Legacy Left Behind - Chapter -1 - Initial Encounters - Part 5 (Final)

The new beginnings

Briefing Room, Level 27, SGC - Colorado

Next morning at precisely 0800 hrs, John found himself in the spacious Briefing Room which offered an overview of the Stargate and the Embarkation room through its clear glass window. A detailed star map dominated the wall next to the General's office, which was adjacent to the briefing room. There were projector screens, computers and other stationary surrounding the huge conference table that could comfortably seat about 30 people at a time.

"Hi. Good morning. Major John Sheppard, I presume- Cameron Mitchell- Nice to finally meet you in person- You caused quite the stir around here, man!" The Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, who was lovingly fondling the coffee machine near the window, offered a friendly greeting.

"Good morning, Sir." John returned the greeting and made his way to the coffee machine intending to get a cup for himself as well. He had a feeling he was going to need it.

The handsome Colonel flashed him a grin, his blue eyes sparkling with good humor.

"Relax Sheppard; we are not going to feed you to the sharks or anything. It’s just about you telling us your side of the story of what took place so we have the whole picture of the situation. We still have some loose ends to tie up, you see. And for the record, we only really start throwing our guys to sharks or alien versions of nasties after at least their third gate hop." His charming Southern drawl and the easy conversation did help to wash away some of the tension John carried in his shoulders without even realizing it.

He carried his coffee to the seat the Colonel pointed to and they both sat down. They didn't have to wait long as the remainder of the brass walked in for the briefing. John was introduced to Colonel Marshall Sumner, Marine Corps, Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter, Air Force and Mr. Richard Woolsey, liaison for the International Oversight Advisory (IOA). Dr Lam and Sergeant Harriman also joined and completed the gathering. After everybody was properly armed with their caffeine intakes and settled at the table, the General opened the debriefing session.

"Now Sheppard, Marshall plucked you out from the detention facility they have hidden away behind Bagram Air Base. We know they kept you there for five days. Take us through what happened from the beginning, from where you started, who was with you and what your initial mission was. Anything and everything you can remember and give us as many details as possible."

John took a deep breath, cleared his mind and then throat and started his account as ordered.

"I was sent in a Pave Hawk to pick up a CIA agent, Mr. J. Smith, from Kandahar airport. Caucasian, blond, brown eyed, early forties, 5’6”, spoke with a slight German accent. I was to deliver him to Bagram but I was under orders to divert as required if Mr. Smith requested. He was on record as my crew. I was on comms black out as well. He kept on comms with someone on a private channel from the moment I picked him up and I didn't understand any of it- it was mostly code. Thirty-three minutes into our flight, a Black Hawk came out of nowhere and went down hard right in front of me."

He took a sip of his coffee and took a steadying breath and continued. Nobody interrupted him but he had their full attention.

"I followed it down. I sent a quick message to Bagram but didn't acknowledge their reply. Mr. Smith was insisting that we continue our flight but I didn't listen to him either."

He hesitated here, because he didn't know how to put into words the compulsion that took control of him that directed all his actions from there on. The help came from Colonel Sumner, surprising Sheppard.

"This is probably where your biological imperative took hold. Basically your ATA gene came online and one of its rather strong side effects is the urge to annihilate anything Wraith-related. Don't worry son, you will get the full lecture in the near future. Do go on and tell us what you felt and what you did then."

With a grateful nod towards the Colonel, John continued his narrative;

"Like you said Sir, Things started to feel weird just then. Everything sort of came into sharp focus and all my senses sort of elevated to a very high degree. I was on auto-pilot when I landed my bird near the downed Hawk and armed myself. By then everything else was faded to background and in my mind unimportant, the survivors were already piling out of the bird and I could not stop to check on any of them. By then I had three clear targets, a male and a female, 100 yards off to the South of me and a creepy crawly bug/baby/spider hybrid thing that was crawling towards them in a hurry."

The dread, the guilt, and the nausea he had been pushing away resolutely whenever he cast his mind back to it-since he woke up in Antarctica, came back in full force. He hadn't had the time to properly dwell over his actions as he was occupied from the moment he was awake back at the Outpost. He realized that he still didn't know what happened to the survivors of that unfortunate accident.

"Continue, Sheppard."  The order was soft and full of understanding, yet firm.

So he continued, doing his best to keep his voice flat and face neutral.

"I engaged them from a distance first- opened up with the carbine and emptied a full load on both of them but that didn't do anything to them. The male alien- charged me and I stabbed it on the neck and shot its right palm with my hand-gun, the palm with the mouth-like opening, neutralizing it."

"Sheppard, can you describe them, what exactly these Wraiths looked like?"

The question came from Colonel Mitchell. And it was significant for some reason; if the laser-focused looks pointed his way were any indication.

"Well, they were very thin and very tall, easily over 6 and 1/2 ft. They moved way faster than humans and were obviously bullet resistant. They both had kind of long faces, pasty pale, cat like eyes, flat noses and mouths full of pointy teeth. Long white hair that looked slimy. Oh, and really nasty breath. And, um, one of them had, um, curves and, um, breasts and a sort of shrill voice, so I assumed female."

John finished, blushing slightly avoiding looking at anyone. He heard snickers from both Mitchell and Carter.

"Major Sheppard, can you tell us the significance of the way you attacked? How did you know to do that?" The question was from Dr. Lam and she had an intense look on her face. He realized that everybody was staring at him raptly, in varying degrees of alarm and fascination.

"Like I said Doctor, the compulsion that took over my mind sort of gave me all the information. I could see the attack points as if I had an HUD on me. I can't really describe it except to say that I knew what to do and how to do it."

"Sounds like basically your online experience came with some genetically stored information about the Wraith as well. This is extraordinary. I must consult with Dr. Beckett about this at the first opportunity."  The doctor had a gleam in her eyes that made Sheppard want to squirm.

“I need to sit down with him and go through all the weak points of the Wraith, their biology and everything else he can tell me about them as soon as possible Jack." Lam directed the last at the General who looked like he wanted to squirm as well.

“All in good time Doctor, let's hear his story first."

John took his cue to get on with it.

"The female was trying to get into my head by this point. She was hurling attack after attack at my mind and she had me on my knees and squeezing me by the throat. She was trying to keep me alive and get information out of my head. I shielded my mind and somehow managed to throw it all back at her- She wasn't expecting it and I caught her off guard. I managed to stab her the same way I did the male and she died. Then I shot the bug hybrid to pieces. Things went back to normal for me then; the compulsion and the energy and sensory boost faded away and I figured I got them all. I remember having the worst headache I have had in my entire life - The return to crash site is a bit hazy and I think I met Steven- uh Lieutenant McGarrett of the Navy SEALsb- I was arrested and my memory is blank from there. The next clear memory I have is being thrown into a cell I thought was in Bagram."

John gulped the remains in his now cold coffee in one big swallow. The General waved a hand towards the coffee maker signaling him to go for a refill. The Sergeant refreshed the General's coffee; nobody else moved. They were all busy taking notes on their PDAs and laptops.

John sat back down and at the nod from O'Neill he continued his account.

"There were five people in there with me with-in like ten minutes. I had the feeling at least three of them were CIA. Mr. Smith was one of them. One CIA guy sounded like a Texan and over 6'3 while the other was African American with cut glass British accent. The other two looked Chinese but they never uttered a word when they were around me. Smith started asking what I did to the aliens; I think they referred to something called homo-iratus at a point and something about keepers. He was quite insistent that I tell him how I got to know about the aliens and I think he couldn't see what I could when we landed at the crash site. Anyway I had the same sort of strong urge again not to reveal any information. They resorted to physical interrogation techniques soon after."

John fervently hoped that the General wouldn't make him talk about the ensuing five days, he lost track of the things they were doing to him by the second or third day. He could feel a cold sweat starting to break all over his body despite the pleasantly controlled temperature in the room.

"Hmm, I don't see the point in making you talk about the torture now Sheppard, we have all seen the medical reports Carson forwarded that came from the pod. It's SOP for any major incident involving our personnel- Besides I'm sure Dr. Heightmayer will sit down and have a talk with you soon enough. She is the resident psychologist for the SGC."

"Carter, I'm sure we can run a search and get IDs on those CIA goons, yes? Sheppard can ID them for us and we can finally get some headway on the missing agents of the elusive 'Keepers Collective'?"

The Air Force Colonel gave a nod of affirmation and John was sure she was already running a search on the laptop in front of her, along the same lines, before the General even made the request.

"So you want to tell him how we got to him?" O'Neill asked the Marine Colonel.

Sumner started to recount the story with a sip of his freshly refilled coffee.

"This was roughly three weeks ago, may be a day or two before you encountered despicable Mr. Smith.  Apollo, our second BC 304 warship that was on orbit at the time, started tracking a string of coded messages. It got their attention because they caught reference to this 'Keepers Collective'. Now, this is a group of agents we believe are in league with the Wraiths on earth. They have infiltrated many of our government agencies in a very short time. So our people stumbled across a signature of transporter activation. It was heavily encrypted. When we finally managed to get it decrypted, it was a transporter activity that beamed a flying object from its original path to Area 7 in Russia into the middle of Afghanistan. That was where you got your surprise mid air. We think the plan was to get it safely into on of the small villages that had several entrances to a hidden cave system, but the chopper went down. This village was where the transporter signal originated."

"We believed it was the missing chopper that we were actually looking for. We had a team transporting a cryofrozen Wraith hybrid to a secure facility in Russia for study. This was a specimen that we found during a raid on an enemy base. They never showed up at their destination and we were on alert regarding their disappearance. So when we caught on to the fact that our bird was hijacked by the enemy, we deployed teams to locate them." Colonel Sumner paused.

At this point, Colonel Samantha Carter interjected and informed John somewhat apologetically-

"-It took us sometime to pin-point the origin of that signal. I was there with the tracking team in Apollo, We have only really come across this species a few months ago and up to that point, all we had were some obscure reference from the data we retrieved from Antarctica. We didn't even know that they had beaming capabilities until we caught this activity. Saying we were surprised would be an understatement."

She inclined her head at the Marine Colonel, smiling slightly, indicating he should continue with the brief.

"So we beamed two of our teams to recon, to take over and secure this village where they were operating." Said the Colonel. “They took custody of eight agents, all human, and sealed all the cave entrances. They also uncovered a shallow grave area where they discarded the dead villagers after Wraith feedings. Our teams were trying to locate our missing chopper when they caught some of the comms chatter between the SEAL teams. They were about 30 miles from the crash site then, still near the village. Then Apollo's sensors caught another one of those beaming signatures at the same time the radio chatter started. Different origination this time and a different purpose. When they finally reached the crash site, they found the wreckage of the two birds and five confirmed fatalities. Two civilians and three SEALs."

"The SEAL team had already apprehended and taken you away by then and left a marker for body collection. The SGC team was ordered to leave the crash site security operation to naval forces. They never found any traces of your fight with the Wraiths and the bodies had already disappeared by then. So we didn't know that you had engaged the Wraith at this time. We believe your Mr. Smith and his buddies got there and sanitized the site. We only knew that we found our missing cargo transport and assumed the cargo was destroyed."

He paused again, taking in the appearance of the Major. He had grown steadily more pale throughout Marshall's report and was looking shaken and as if he was about to get sick. It was obvious to him that the kid was blaming himself for not saving his fellow soldiers when he had the chance. And this was the first time he heard the confirmation of what happened to the occupants of the Black Hawk. But Marshall knew from experience that there was nothing he could do once he was under the influence of his genetic heritage. John was staring blankly at a point of the table and Marshall knew he was no longer there with them; he was back there in Afghanistan reliving the memory- trying and failing to see how he could've changed the outcome.

Marshall leaned in closer to the table and fixed his gaze on Sheppard.

"Sheppard, listen to me." He didn't raise his voice; but the command in his tone brought John back and he flinched slightly as he focused on the colonel.

"There was nothing you could've done differently. I, the General, Colonel Mitchell and all other ATA gene carriers who came online during combat facing Wraith went through something similar to what you experienced. And none of us even had to face a fully fledged Wraith queen before. Yeah the females are very rare and they are all queens. It was a Wraith drone or a hybrid every time for us. So we know what happened to you was much worse."

"Besides Sheppard, what you couldn't have predicted was the guy in the chopper starting to call for help on all open radio frequencies. They broke their comms blackout directive. And we are positive it wasn't even the first time they did it because that was how the transporter signal locked onto them in the first place to beam them to Afghanistan. That is how your SEAL buddy Steve knew what happened and that was how the second transporter signal locked on to them as well. This time bringing a bomb that blew them up. We don't know if they could have survived the encounter if not for that call but there wasn't anything you could do."

"But what you did do saved a lot of lives, Sheppard. Those Wraiths were feeding on that village and would have just kept on going if it wasn't for you. There were kids in that village. I know it's hard but that is what you have to focus on Sheppard, because when it comes down to it, knowingly or unknowingly you made the only call you could as a soldier. You put the safety of the humans as a species first above that of your fellow soldiers. You went after the much bigger threat because the War we are fighting against Wraith is much more important than any other war. And like it or not, you are a part of it."

He watched Sheppard visibly collecting himself and regaining some of his composure with huge effort and focusing on him more or less. The Major took a sip of water Walter had kindly placed in front of him and gave a barely perceptible nod.

"So the second signal, we tracked to Bagram, of all places. I'm sure Mr. Smith's buddies again had something to do with it. When our ground team got there a few hours later they found an abandoned site- they had cleared out. Around this time, you were already in custody and we still didn't know anything about you or your involvement except for what we intercepted through the radio chatter. We were not focused on the AWOL zoomie who took off after landing his bird and then got himself arrested. Our teams were instead instructed to keep looking for the missing Wraiths that were feeding on the villagers.”

John thought he detected another slight note of apology there. Colonel Carter took over from the Marine Colonel at this point.

"While we were busy tracking the Wraith-related activity, Rodney was following a strange signal that came online around about the same time you came online. Since we never had the Outpost react to anyone coming online as an ATA gene carrier, he didn't know what it was. He was keeping an eye on it but didn't realize he was actually reading your brain activity."

"He contacted us and the SGC on the third day of your captivity in all-out, full-blown panic. He had finally figured out it was human vitals, with the help of Dr Beckett. By this time you were in trouble and the Outpost was reacting to your distress. They had power fluctuations all over the place and McKay was being bombarded with Ancient and English demands to locate 'P1' and bring them in. That was what Terra Atlantus was calling you. On the fourth day the Chair came online on its own and it launched a program onto our network, our heavily encrypted secure SGC network. And within a couple of hours the Outpost had complete control of the whole national grid and soon after that, the global network. The internet, communications, Satellites; it had control of everything. The White House had issued an order to neutralize the Outpost. They issued evacuation orders to both McMurdo and Terra Atlantus after POTUS authorized extreme measures. But McKay refused to move and he figured out what it was telling us."

She paused briefly to hydrate herself. John thought her timing had more to do with adding to the suspense.

"Your location - That was what the Outpost was looking for. So once McKay figured it out, we scrambled the team with Marshall in the lead to go down and get you. Once McKay managed to convince the control at the Outpost that we were retrieving you, it released our networks and went back offline again."

"Yeah that is one debriefing at the White House I'm not willing to ever repeat again." Jack O'Neill said with a theatrical shudder.

"Well, you know the rest- I found you and beamed with you to Antarctica, and the outpost took over your care. I went back to Bagram to continue the investigation. We have three of your captors in custody along with the agents we arrested in the village. They are all detained at Area 51 and undergoing special hospitality. Being in league with an alien species that literally eat humans for sustenance is not your average war crime. We recalled our teams from Afghanistan after a week, when they kept running into dead ends. We are still keeping our ears to the ground for anything regarding Smith and his cronies. But the odds are they have gone to ground now that their operations are compromised." Colonel Sumner finished the narrative.

John was feeling completely overwhelmed and in way over his head. He hadn't known the lengths that an unknown sentience had gone, to make sure of his safety. He shuddered at the real possibility that it would have been destroyed before John even knew its' existence. He realized that he had connected to the sentience in Terra Atlantus at an astonishingly deep level because the thought of its' destruction made him feel like losing a part of his soul. It had buried itself in his mind so thoroughly and completely and John didn't mind one bit. Because as strange as it was, it was home.

"Alright then, I think we got everything covered. We will meet up again if anything comes up that we didn't cover today. But for now I think we are done. I don't know about you people but I'm hungry-" The General remarked, ending the intense debriefing/briefing session.

"Sheppard, meet Walter after lunch- He will have your introduction program and work schedule. So you can get on with your life here. It's gonna be fun-" the General predicted cheerily at Sheppard.

Then he turned to the civilian who was quiet throughout the whole session and remarked sourly.

"Well, Richard, you and I have to brief the White House and IOA, now won't that be fun? No it won't be fun!" With that he got up from his chair and walked towards his office. John heard a muttered comment about 'processing protected assets and future headaches' from Mr. Woolsey as got up and scrambled to follow the General.

John also got up hurriedly from his chair and received an amiable pat on shoulder from Colonel Sumner when he thanked him for the rescue. Colonel Carter did not show any signs of leaving her seat or her laptop anytime soon. Walter had already followed the general out to help prepare for his not fun briefing.

The Mess hall

Colonel Cameron Mitchell appointed himself John's unofficial welcome wagon, taking him to lunch with him. He was introduced around to some of the gate teams who were there. Some of the scientists were eyeing Sheppard like a pack of hungry hyenas and Mitchell deftly maneuvered him around them to a secluded corner where they could eat in relevant privacy.

He gave him a rundown of the chain of command at SGC, responding to John's question as to where he fit in.

According to Mitchell, General Hammond of the Homeland Security had the overall authority concerning all extra-planetary operations; therefore SGC came under his purview and he reported directly to the POTUS. General Jack O'Neill was the base CO and was stationed at the mountain. Colonel Sumner was the head of military for all military personnel in the mountain while Colonel Carter was the head scientist and in charge of all science projects happening at SGC. She had overview of all science related projects concerning all extraterrestrial technology at Area 51as well. She shared that responsibility with Dr. Rodney McKay. Mitchell was the head of gate operations and third in line of the military chain of command. He also led the first gate team, SG-1.

Carter usually wasn’t involved in military operations as she had her plate full with science. John would fit in there after Mitchell. They had four more Majors; two Air Force and two Marines, but John had more time in rank and therefore seniority. There were three captains and eight Lieutenants that completed the officer contingent.

They had fifteen NCOs and over one hundred fifty soldiers belonging to a convoluting mixture of Marines, Air Force, and soldiers from various military branches belonging to five different countries. The IOA provided the civilian oversight and acted as a diplomatic body due to the multinational nature of Stargate Command. They had sixty Scientists based here from several nations as well.

After the meal John was given the information packet regarding his schedule. There were more medical checkups, psych evals, a couple of one-on-one lecture sessions with various military and science personnel for history and information sharing, a ton of reading materials stored in a few PDAs along with all gate mission reports up to date, physical training, flight simulations and new flight orientation and qualification sessions. He noticed he was also on a roster to be beamed to Antarctica on a weekly basis for training, Ancient tech maintenance and related projects.

His life at SGC had officially begun.

[wizardsnwookies]

FOC122117 - One Night at the Neon

“Ahhh, Graalbar. I hope you found what you were looking for?” Graakus waved the group into his audience chamber, a glass of pale green liquid resting in his grip. Graalbar led them in walking in tandem with a twilek assistant assigned as a translator. Rugor and Vrssl hung back for the moment, Graalbar had already done the initial legwork and all they had to go on was second hand knowledge. They wanted to hear what Graakus had to say before speaking for themselves.

When Graalbar shook his head the hutt frowned and set his glass down on a floating platform. “Pity, did you at least get something useful?”

GRAAAAAR ROWRK GARRRR

“Aisha...working in MY facility?” Graakus narrowed his eyes and stood to full attention on his mechanical legs. “She’s getting a bit too cocky for my taste."

Graakus calmed himself by reaching out and taking a long pull from his glass. He sighed, letting the veins bulging in his neck calm and settle before continuing. “Kara is a valued asset, and I would like to see her returned if possible, but more importantly I think I have let this problem with the Togruta go on long enough. I’ve stayed my hand for the sake of appearances, taking her out directly would all but bring my organization to the surface.” He looked at the three of them and smiled. “Personal vendettas are far more simple and tidy.”

“ ‘Simple and tidy,’ so I assume that doesn’t mean ‘a pair of rampaging battledroids set loose in a crowded night club?’” Vrssl seemed disappointed.

“As much fun as that sounds, I would prefer something more quiet. Besides, her organization could prove to be a valuable addition to my own.” Graakus placed the empty glass on the platform and pressed a button on the curved edge, sending it back to the bar for a refill.

“A merger?”

“If possible. She has a second in command, a Zabrak by the name of Jan Van Eyre. Make him the offer, all of their assets, all of their ‘employed’, everything goes to me. I will make sure everyone is treated as well as can be expected of their level of usefulness.” He paused as the platform returned with his drink and he took a long, sensuous sip.

“However, and this is non-negotiable, Aisha Hannah must die.”

GRAAAAH RONK

Graalbar folded his arms expectantly.

“Then something most unfortunate happens to her little club. A generator explosion perhaps? Everyone dies, and with it, her organization begins its decent into nothingness.”

---

“This guy is a ghost.” Rugor frowned and tossed his data pad on the lounge couch next to him. He had been on the net, both surface and dark net, for hours and found only hints and mentions of this lieutenant of Aisha’s. “But wherever he DOES show up, it’s bad news.”

Graalbar made no acknowledgement, ever since he had gotten back his new Rancor-hide armor from Graakus’s armorer he had done nothing but admire it. He sat with a can of leather polish, gently massaging the paste into the hide with a piece of scrap cloth. Vrssl only briefly looked up from his own business, scrolling local shop ads for personal shield generators for his new battle droids.

“What about the club layout?”

“Are you kidding? It’s a public establishment, of course I got a layout. With all the selfies people post of themselves there on social media I can map every nook and cranny of the joint.” Rugor squinted his eyes as he corrected himself. “Except for two halls in the back.”

“Why not?”

“Must be off limits to the public, or the refreshers, or both.” Rugor shrugged. “This is a good start but there’s still a lot of question marks.”

“Like the Zabrak.”

GROWWWR ROOOOWR

“I’m sure you could very easily handle him.” Vrssl nodded to the wookie, having finally joined the conversation. It was certainly an option, take out Aisha’s second in command, send her a strong message to get her to the table. “But I think he’s our best bet to make a deal, remember Graakus wants her head.”

RAWWWRK

“Good question, how do we get his attention?” Vrssl turned to Rugor now who had picked his datapad back up, something coming to him during the discussion.

“Dunno...we could cause a little trouble at the club. Bomb threat, rowdy customer,” Rugor’s eyes flashed to Graahlbar when he said this who nodded in turn, flashing a toothy grin.

“Unfortunately I think he’s a little too high profile now for that. The holo is all over the net right now, the minute he steps foot in the place people will recognize him.”

“Funny you should say that.” Rugor spun the datapad around the four images stared back at Vrssl, one for each of them, and each with a sizable number next to them. “We’re still wanted by the Empire.”

Vrssl smiled, quickly catching on. “Which means Aisha is harboring a known fugitive. Would be a shame if someone were to drop an anonymous tip.”

Graahlbar slumped back into the couch and tuned out again, this line of thinking was out of his wheelhouse. Shame, he was looking forward to facing the so-called “Ghost” Zabrak.

“Just one problem, we don’t know for sure they are holding her at the Neon.” Rugor pulled the datapad back across the table. “We should probably confirm that before we do anything.”

“Right,” Vrssl reeled himself back from the edge of fiendish glee. “Then there’s the matter of how we are getting her out of there with troopers swarming over the place?”

RAAWWWR

“Of course we’re not forgetting about the money.”

Rugor exhaled deeply, letting his thoughts sink in. As much fun as it would be to bring the empire down on Aisha, that would bring in a lot more problems than it would solve.

“Stakeout?”

“Sounds like we need a spy droid.” Vrssl’s glee returned, he spun around in his seat and hit the comm link. The shield generators for the battle droids were merely a finishing touch on a completed project. His tinkerer’s fingers were getting twitchy, a new toy was just what the doctor ordered.

“I was thinking I could just apply for a job...” Rugor arched an eyebrow.

“Why not both?”

---

The Neon Cantina gave off a bright magenta glow that tinted nearly two full blocks of the metropolitan area a pale pink. The sign on the top of the squat building was lit from sundown to sunrise, and could be seen for miles above the city. A beacon of the nightlife and promise of upscale access that Shail offered in stark contrast to the slums of Hutt Town. A dull thud permeated the walls as the music inside continued to entertain those lucky enough to be gained entry, which was not as easy as it appeared.

When Graahlbar dropped off Rugor and Vrssl on the side of the street they were greeted with a line of species that lead to the front door and a velvet rope. A short, attractive, female human held a datapad in her palm, her bob-cut hair dyed the same color as the sign above her. Towering over her was one of the many Whiphid’s they expected to encounter tonight. It (their gender rather difficult to tell from a distance) was dressed in formal attire, and stood with their massive arms crossed in front of them.

“You go in first, I’ll wait in line.” Vrssl checked himself in the side mirror, standing on his toes to do so.

Rugor gave him a look. “Really?”

“Trust me.”

Rugor shrugged and gave himself a moment to figure out the angle he wanted to use. He caught a glimpse of himself in the glass when stepping out of the speeder and was reminded that he was far from a looker. Something visible was probably out of the question. Although it made him feel dirty to do so, he’d play on the stereotype of his species if need be.

“Name?” The human female didn’t even look up from the datapad on his approach, her tone marked someone who had spent many nights having to shoo away the riff-raff who claimed to be a ‘friend or relative’ of the owner.

“Actually I was looking hoping to find a job.”

“Not hiring.”

“You need security?”

The Whiphid offered a chuckle at this. Finally, the female’s face pulled away from the screen long enough to shoot him a cold glare. “Not. Hiring.”

“Come on, I’ll take anything. Bus boy, janitorial, bar back-”

She was turning to the whiphid to have him escorted away but stopped halfway. “Bar back?” She gave him a once over before pulling up her wrist where a comm link had been subtly hidden in her sleeve. “Karl...I think I’ve got someone for you. I’m sending him to you, Gungan, kinda shabby looking-”

“Thanks for that.”

“-If he doesn’t report to you inform security.” Her hand lowered before she could get a response. The cold glare returned. “You hear that?”

“Crystal clear.”

“Good, then I won’t have to repeat myself.”

The inside of the Neon was more than pictures could do justice, there was an energy there that could be felt coming from every inch of the place. Rugor looked around at the clientele as he made his way across the floor, noting the security guards exactly where Charmer said they would be. The Neon attracted all kinds it seems, wound up spacers looking for a night on the town, a gand who was proving to be a surprisingly good dancer, and an overweight Twi’lek male with two very attractive females, one human, one Twi’lek, doting over him. Must be loaded, was all Rugor could figure.

As he approached the bar he let his eyes drift upwards to the VIP area, elevated a meter over the rest of the club. From this angle he could only see the tops of ferns and the heads of the occupants, two Whiphids, and sitting on a very large louch couch, a Togrutan female.

“You must be my new Bar Back.”

Rugor was snapped back to attention by a middle aged human male with light scruff on his face. He tossed a bar towel over his shoulder and ducked out from behind the glass top counter.

“You mean, I got the job?”

“Right place, right time it looks like. It’s been busy lately and I can’t afford to be picky. Name’s Karl, if I’m not tending bar you’ll be working for Elania.” Karl nodded over his shoulder to a human female, her hair was also died purple, but her shade was much deeper, and half of her head was shaved.

“I appreciate the opportunity.”

“Sure, sure. Let me give you a quick tour and we’ll put you to work.”

---

Vrssl looked at his chrono and frowned. He had been waiting far longer than anticipated. The female working the door was proving to be very stingy letting people in. Every now and then someone would come up on the list, but it wasn’t until half a dozen people left before she made her way up the line.

Her eyes scrutinized and weighed against some kind of internal standard that the public was apparently not privy to. She paused in front of each person before either moving on or giving a sharp, “You” before letting them in.

A few attractive females were let in first. A Rodian who Vrssl could only assume was considered well groomed for his species. A sharply dressed Devaronian. After a few rounds of this, Vrssl was starting to take it personally. He looked up at the person in front of him and cringed. A male Twil’ek, not un-attractive, but his dress was much to be desired. He had a button up shirt that was the right style and color, but it was buttoned all. the. way. And his pants were far too high.

“How long have you been waiting?”

The man turned at the voice but his eyeline was far too high to see who had adressed him.

“Down here.” Vrssl sighed.

“Oh, sorry?”

“I said, how long have you been waiting?”

“Too long.” The Twil’ek scoffed and cast a dirty look to the front door. The female had her nose in whatever work her datapad offered. “Did you see that Gand they let in? What’s he got that I don’t have?”

“Well, for one thing he slipped her a few credits, something you might want to keep in time next time if I’m not here to help you.”

“Excuse me?”

“Bend down.” Vrssl grabbed his shirt, not requesting, and began to work. He freed two buttons, un-tucked one side, adjusted his head tails, lowered the waist line... “Yeah, that should about do.”

The Twil’ek blinked and turned to look at himself in the reflective surface of the faux windows installed in the front of the building. “I don’t get it, how is this different then how I was dressed before?”

“I know you don’t get it, it’s fine. Next time she shows, just look like you don’t care about getting in either way and you should be golden.”

“But I do care about getting in.” He clearly wasn’t getting it.

“I know...I know, just, trust me on this. And if you do get in, just remember who helped you?”

Vrssl smiled to himself and waited. Sure enough, twenty minutes later another large group exited the building and the sour looking door check girl made her way back up the line.

A rowdy group of humans and a random Twi’lek. A Kel Dor with very fine looking clothing, breather polished to a high shine.

“You.”

“You.”

She passed on a grubby looking Toydarian who grumbled as they flew out of the line before finally stopping at the Twil’ek. Her eyes narrowed, puzzled, and gave him a good, long, once over.

“You.”

“Really?” The Twil’ek’s face lit up, eyes wide with surprise.

“Want me to pick someone else?”

“No, no. I’m in. Only...” He pointed back at Vrssl. “He’s with me.”

---

“Hey, new guy.” Karl looked up from the screen embedded into the counter and his hand immediately got to work on a new drink order. “You want a chance to make a good impression on the boss? Here’s your chance.”

Rugor took hold of the fluted glass by the stem, careful not to warm the ice cold, green cocktail. Slowly he made his way around the corner, and ascending the soft carpeted stairs to the VIP lounge. At the top of the stairs a Whiphid turned to look over his shoulder, saw the glass and stepped aside granting him view of the entire area.

The lounge was more comfortable than the main floor, less chaotic. Sound dampeners brought the music down to a more tolerable level, and the lighting was a steady soft glow of pinks and greens. Exotic ferns flanked the couch where Aisha lounged, playing on her data pad, and a large quartz table sat in the center of the room.

Aisha lifted her eyes from the pad and lowered it, reaching out for her glass and studying this new face in front of her.

“You’re new.” It was a statement, not a question.

“Karl’s bar back, just got hired today.”

“Ah.” Aisha lifted the glass to her lips, her eyes rolled back, almost bored. “Well, you’ll find I’m very fair to my people. You play by the rules, do your job, we all get along just fine.”

“I appreciate the opportunity working here. I offered to work security but they laughed at me.” Rugor was still feeling the situation out. He wasn’t quite playing up the stereotypes just yet, but he wasn’t letting on just how on the ball he was either.

“Yes well, as you can see we have that taken care of.” Aisha smiled and let a hand wave at one of the whiphids to her side.

“I didn’t mean just the rough stuff. I have other talents.” Rugor stepped up to the couch. “May I?”

Aisha furrowed her brow at first, but after a moment’s pause she laughed to herself. This was different, most new hires were too scared to look at her, let alone ask to sit with her. What the hell?

“Why not?”

Rugor sat and snatched up the data pad, his fingers flew across the surface and before she could see what he was doing the data pad was spun her way.

“Just a few of my extracurricular activities.”

The net was open to an online review page for the 23 Restaurant. Aisha was aware of the establishment, who couldn’t be? Its policy of discrimination was something she took to personal offense, and the inclusiveness of her own establisment she saw as an antithesis to it.The rating for the 23 had plummeted in the past few days, and recent reviews and comments ranged from negative to abysmal.

“You did this?”

“A simple bot program, posts a new review every few minutes or so. They’re also have non-human nights on Fridays now.” Rugor smiled and it wasn’t all for her benefit. He was still quite proud of this particular bit of programming on his part.

A smile grew wide on Aisha’s lips and her eyes blinked elegantly before turning to look at him. “Bravo.”

“They wouldn’t let a friend of mine in.” Rugor shrugged and stood. “Just figured I’d show you, didn’t know if you would need skills like mine in the future.”

Aisha’s mind was already working in overtime. What a delicious new asset that just so happened to drop right into her lap. Oh the things she could do.

“I just might.”

---

Last call came with one final glorious mix over the speakers. The liquor poured as patrons made their parting shots to sobriety before stumbling into the night. The whiphids made their rounds urging those already too inebriated to open their wallets to find their way to the door. All of this passed without anyone knowing that within one of the magnificent purple ferns by the bar, hid a tiny military grade spy droid, ready for Vrssl to take control from the speeder parked around the corner.

“Nice night?” Vrssl offered a playful jab as he climbed into the passenger seat next to a very bored Graalbar who had spent the last few hours reviewing the holos of his battle with the Rancor.

GROOOONK RAAAWK

“Oh come on, I’m just teasing. We’re all working tonight.” Vrssl found his datapad tucked in between the seats and fired up the droid remote program. “And it’s time I clocked in.”

The screen flickered to life with a dark and obstructed view from inside the fern, but the audio receivers were working just fine. The music had died for the night, and only the light hum of carpet cleaners could be heard over the speakers. With quick and precise swipes and taps, Vrssls fingers glided across the screen and the droid stood upon it’s tiny mechanical legs and silently climbed out of the foliage.

GRAWRK ROOONK

“Well, I think the best place to start is the security room, see if there were any whiphids we missed.”

RAAAWR

“I see him.”

Vrssl maneuvered to follow the towering form of one of the hairy bodyguards as he strode across the main floor. His jacket had been removed and was hanging casually across his arm as he played with a small data pad. He made his way out of the main room and took the first right into a heavy, secure door, swiping his card for entry.

Silent as a breeze, the tiny droid skittered across the carpet and slipped inside just before the door closed behind him.

“Hello, boys.”

In all there were seven whiphids in the room, most were fussing about near a row of lockers, ending their shifts and changing into more formal attire. Directly opposite a massive computer station took up the entire wall and part of the corner. A single whiphid sat inputting some kind of data at one of the stations, just beyond the security screens still glowed with life.

“Bingo. Let’s see what we have here.” Vrssl loved security cameras, more often than not they gave more information than they protected. By looking at the cameras, you knew exactly what whoever owned them thought was worth protecting, and therefore, what was worth taking.

The droid climbed up the wall effortlessly and made it’s way onto the console, positioning itself so that the entire computer bank was in view. One in the coat room where a female Twil’ek was putting on her own jacket before leaving for the night. Four on the floor, each pointing in an opposite direction. One on the VIP lounge. One for each hallway behind the bar. And one more, that appeared to be an upstairs office.

Vrssl smiled and looked over to Graahlbar. In the office he saw three figures, Aisha and the Zabrak were talking on one side of the room, going over data on a computer desk against one wall. But what was of real interest was the final figure, flex cuffed and sitting on a small couch, Kara looked quite put out.

“Bingo.”