Avengers: A New Dawn/Chapter 1

5 years after The Battle of Earth (2028)

Avengers Facility III

"Hey Bucky, could ya give me a hand up here?"

"I could give you an arm if you like."

"Quit fooling around, and help."

"Sorry Sam, just finishing the flooring of the bottom."

The two stopped. Avengers, Sam Wilson, and Bucky Barnes (The Falcon and Winter Soldier). They stared at the wall. It was a mess! What was he thinking? Sam was getting mad. He wanted it to be just right. Sure, Tony and Steve didn't always get along, but they were the two most important members of the Avengers, at least, to Sam. Bucky? He knew at least, that Steve was his best friend.

"No. No, this wall needs to be red, blue, and white. This one needs to be red and gold."

"This is what you wanted me for?"

"Hey, I'm not the one who painted it. You did," Sam said as he was pointing towards Bucky. "And, you have to at least do Steve's side."

"No Sam, that's your's. We discussed this."

"No. I gave you the shield for a reason."

"Why though? Steve wanted you to have it"

"And I wanted you to have it."

"Honestly, I think I'd rather go back to you hating me," Bucky said, as he walked back down to the main floor to get some more paint.

"YEAH, WELL, GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!" Sam called down the stairs.

"Very funny," Bucky said under his breath. Bucky opened the door to the main floor. It was a mess, covered with red, blue, white, and gold paint stained tablecloths, and old sheets. It had walls being torn down, and a remadle team was coming in tomorrow to rearrange the furniture back to what it originally was, 17 years ago. Wow! Bucky had been working for HYDRA then. 17 years ago. It is incredible on how far they have come, and are still moving forward, even after Tony's death. Bucky looked out one of the windows that wasn't covered with either cardboard, wooden planks, or a sheet, and saw Bruce Banner, who made himself Smart Hulk, which Bucky still does not understand to this day, along with Thor. They were trying to put up the old "Stark" Sign up, in honor of him. Bucky walked outside. The sun blinded him, but he was happy to see it. He had been working with Sam for three straight days on the first floor, and now, the second floor.

"How's it coming?" Bucky asked, looking up, partly in awe, partly in shock, and partly in humor.

"What does it look like?" Smart Hulk said. "Care to join us?"

"Can't," Bucky said, as he held up the paintcan, and pointed to it. "Have to finish as much of the second floor as possible before tomorrow."

"Well, at least floor one is done."

"You know, I never will understand how Tony built this in like what? One month? Two months?"

"Three months." Smart Hulk corrected.

"Why did he sell it in the first place?"

"We needed more space, so he bought the New Avengers Facility."

"If he was a billionaire, then why not just keep both?"

"Why have them both, when there is a chance for a profit on a building you own, and probably will never use again?"

"Good point," Bucky said, almost ready to come in, but saw them struggling to get the main-frame strapped up to the balcony. Bucky sighed, and then went inside to set the bucket and brush down. He went up the stairs, because with the remodel, they had to uninstall the elevator.

"Hey. Hey!" Sam called as Bucky ran past him. "Where the hell are you going?"

"To help them."

"What?" Sam sighed, and put his brush back into his can of gold. He sat down on one of the sheets, obviously tired, since neither Bucky nor Sam had any rest in the past three days. Sam was not trained for this, but Bucky? When he was experimented on by Zola, he survived a deadly fall, and was made HYDRA's secret weapon. He, was meant for that. And he showed that too, by making no sign that he was tired. Sam shook his head, half in disbelief that he was probably going to have to do this alone for the next hour and a half, and halfly because he was so tired. Yeah, they all had their own jobs, but you gotta help one another out sometimes. Sam knew that. He wasn't in disbelief at Bucky, only at how massive the building was, and how long it took. OK, that was a lie. He was shaking his head at Bucky. Sam chuckled, and got his brush, pulled it out of the gold paint can. He gently pulled it up, and then flipped it, lowering it, repeating the process until there were no drips. He started to stroke the area that he was supposed to.

"Need my help Bruce?" Bucky asked, walking towards the edge of the balcony.

"No, we just got it up," said Bruce, clearly exhausted.

"So I climbed up all those steps for nothin'?"

"Yep," Bruce said as he climbed up onto the balcony, with Thor close behind him.

"Now, we can go home," Thor said.

"Wait, me too? Bucky asked.

"No, sorry pal, you and Sam have to do the painting."

"Wait, so all you two were assigned to do was to put that up?"

"Well, yeah-" Bruce was cut off by Bucky.

"No. You have to help us," Bucky said, now walking backwards in front of Bruce and Thor.

"Look, sorr-" Bruce was again cut off, but this time by Sam's voice.

"Guys, something's happened. my paint can just fell over, and I didn't touch it."

"Sam, that's not a problem, it is just the win..d." Brue trailed off, as he looked out off of the balcony. Afar, some distance away, several mini explosions rattled the ground, and shook the buildings.

"What the hell?" Bucky asked.

"I don't know, now let's go!" Bruce said, as he jumped off the balcony, down to the road.

"Want a ride?" Thor asked.

"No, and I don't think it is physically possible with the metal arm to do that."

"I know," Thor said, taking Stormbreaker from his back, and calling lightning.

"Then why did you ask?"

"To make you feel bad," Thor said, looking back only moments, before he took off. Bucky could make out the amusement he was having, and stuck the middle finger up at him. Bucky then sighed, and went back into the building, where he jumped down a staircase, then making a grab for the rails of one. He cried out in pain.

"GAH!" He did manage to grab on, and then let go once again, this time, landing on the second floor on his feet.

"What the hell," Sam said, but Bucky jumped the rail again, and floated down to the main floor, where he grabbed Steve's shield, and sprinted towards the explosions. Some people call him the second Super-Soldier, with Steve being the first. Actually, Bucky would have been the third, because Johan Schmidt was the first, then Steve the second. But, Steve passed his shield on down to Sam, who accepted it, but gave it to Bucky. When he arrived, he saw Bruce looking around still.

"No civilian casualties, only collateral damage," he said as he inspected the blast damage further.

"Who would do this?" Thor asked.

"Don't know. Most likely an enemy of New York."

"No," Bucky said as Bruce was thinking. "the blast was too far from the capitol, of New York, and Manhattan. It was an attack on us."

"Why would someone blow something up out here to attack...us?" Thor trailed off, raising lightning, flying back to the compound.

"Bruce, give me a ride."

"Alright, but it's gonna get bumpy."

"I don't car-" Bucky was interrupted when all the air in his lungs was sucked out. He was flying through mid-air, at, who knows how fast? It was not meant for him. When they landed, Bucky fell straight off of Bruce's back and wheezed. Bruce looked at him, then waved his hand down, gesturing that he was leaving him, that he would be fine. Bucky finally got up and made his way down the stairs.

"We got anything?" Bucky asked looking around.

"No, nothing but a broken window."

"What did they take?"

"I don't know," Bruce said. "Probably nothing."

"No, they wouldn't just break into here, only to leave empty-handed."

"Well," Thor chimed in, "they could have fled since we are the Avengers."

"No, they took something, I just can't put my finger on..." bucky stopped.

"Sam? SAM?" Bucky ran up the stairs. That was what they took. It was confirmed, when he got to where Sam was taking a nap when he left.

"They took...Sam?" Bruce asked. "Why?" There was a clear tone of sadness in his voice.

"I don't know, but we're going to find him," Bucky responded. Yeah, sure, they didn't get along too well, but he respected that guy and knew that Sam would do the same for him. He turned towards the two, mainly Thor. "Where are the rest of the team?"

"Hard to tell. I know that Danvers is out roaming the galaxy, the rest? I don't know. The Guardians are off-planet too. Everyone else, I don't know anything than on Earth."

"Send out a distress signal to them all. Tell them to meet us here by tomorrow morning at 8:00 am. OK?"

"Consider it done," Thor said with a smile, as he flew away. bucky sat down on the steps in disbelief. He rubbed his face several times, then stroked his beard.

"What is your plan exactly?" Bruce asked.

"I don't know, other than we're going to find him," Bucky said, as he walked up the stairs, avoiding any further questions from Bruce.