seeking a friend for the end of the world

[ostavil]

( The world is a shithole. Actually, that's putting it mildly, really, but Bucky's trying to be optimistic these days since there's nothing to be optimistic about anymore. As soon as the virus started spreading, he got his gear together and headed straight to the woods. Anything like this, you need to be as far from people as possible and he wasn't going to depend on his enhanced immune system to defend him from something like this. It changes people, rewrites them from the inside-out, and he's not sure that super serum can protect a person from that.

He tries to only go into populated areas for supplies and since he can hunt pretty well and survive on his own, supplies usually constitute bullets. On his last run, he'd gotten a compound bow out of a shelled-out sporting goods store and he's been looking for arrows ever since because what he can make in the woods isn't going to be strong enough for the draw on the thing. It's a white elephant right now but he's loathe to part with it. He does his runs at night when he can exploit the weaknesses of the totalitarian government that came into place after society disintegrated; dealing with scared soldiers with shoot-to-kill orders is not his idea of a good time.

It's a good run until he sees someone else and he touches his hand to the hilt of his knife just in case. Smaller person, doesn't move like one of the infected, clearly not military. An idiot. Fantastic. He tries to get the drop on them from behind. )

Either you've already gotten infected and aren't showing symptoms or you're a complete idiot. What are you doing out here? It's not safe.

( It's an understatement, really, the lack of safety and he almost laughs about it; two years ago, he might have been talking about a teenager sneaking out of their house at night and now it's not safe for anyone at any time of day. For this person to have survived this long, they're not completely stupid. He's closer now and he can see that it's a woman. )

I could have killed you or one of the patrols could have shot you without asking questions. What's worth those two outcomes?

Comments

[chuju]

[ So the world ended. Again. Or, rather, it's in the process of ending, and there doesn't seem to be a damn thing Daisy can do to stop it except lay down and die. Which she isn't willing to do. Yet.

More than once since the start of all this, she'd given as many blood and tissue samples as she could, first to SHIELD scientists and then to the government that took control of a quickly crumbling country. As soon as they'd discovered Inhumans were immune, she and the others had willingly done everything asked of them to try to help. Until they asked for too much. Maybe it went deeper, they said. Scans and samples weren't enough. It's for the greater good. They'd taken Charles against his will, Coulson had told her, and by the time he was found...

The only thing to do was run. Those scientists were no closer to finding a cure than they'd been at the start and they'd dissect each and every one of them if that's what it took. Coulson had given her weapons, a bag, and what might be the last hug she'd ever get from the only father she'd ever really known.

Getting out of the quarantine zones is easy enough for someone with her abilities. It's up and over the fence and right into a cluster of infected. Despite having a gun, she doesn't shoot them, not willing to risk drawing that sort of attention from the living or the dead. They're quaked away with just enough oomph to give her space and then she's running, boots pounding the pavement and pack cinched tight against her back.

Two hours out, she makes it to a quieter part of the city with few living or dead milling about. It might be a stupid move to stop and get her bearings, but if she wanders into an area with patrolling soldiers, she'll be in an even worse position. Fishing a flashlight out from her pack, she's trying to get a look at the nearest street sign when that voice comes out of nowhere.

Shit. How had he gotten this close without her noticing? He's not a soldier, at least, they've all got twitchy trigger fingers these days, but there are plenty of assholes leaving the quarantine zones to try to make their own way. She really doesn't need one of them figuring out who she is; the public may not know about Inhumans being immune, but who knows if the government will change that to use civilians to round up their missing lab rats.

Slowly turning around with her hands out at her sides, there's a biting remark on the tip of her tongue, ready to lash out at whoever this is because she is not in the mood, but as the flashlight beam swings over to him, the words catch in her throat. She doesn't point the light at his face, she can see well enough with it aimed at his feet, but— ]

Holy shit. Sergeant Barnes.

[ To say she's shocked at the sudden appearance of one of her personal heroes would be one hell of an understatement. ]