Chapter Text
Getting acclimated to a new city was nothing new to Sidney. Growing up with a father in the Marines came with a new school every few years and not many lifelong friends. It wasn’t for lack of trying, but when you’re 13-years-old, relationships are tenuous, even under the best of circumstances.
After she went to college, Sidney thought she would have some stability in her life. That expectation came crashing down after she landed a job with a military company called SHIELD. Her father worked for the organization during the later years of his career. This helped her gain a reputation with the director and all but guaranteed her a position. While Sidney thought that the organization was just a typical government branch, it turned out that they were part of something much bigger. At first, she didn’t understand why she was recruited. Still, it soon became evident that her psychology skills were sorely needed. It also helped that she trained with her father while growing up, so she knew her way around weapons.
And then SHIELD fell.
Hydra became more real to her than it ever had before.
She barely escaped with her life.
Maria Hill contacted her about a job, and Sidney was ecstatic to have another opportunity that she didn’t even ask what it was for. Maria Hill was not in the business of mediocre jobs, so she figured that whatever it was would be worth it. Though, she never dreamed that she would be hired at Stark Industries.
For those that work in the technological field, Stark Industries was the epitome of a dream job. The waiting list just to get an interview was astounding, and Sidney never thought that she would even be considered for the position seeing as she did not qualify for the technological aspects of the company.
Her first time meeting Tony Stark was enough to send her into fangirl mode, much to her chagrin. And while meeting Tony Stark was amazing, Pepper Potts was why she refused positions that she knew were beneath her. Years ago, being a woman in an industry run by men was almost unheard of. Then Pepper Potts broke the glass ceiling by being a badass. Of course, some claimed she slept her way to the top. Every time someone suggested this, Sidney replied that maybe it was the men who withheld promotions until they were given sexual favors. Time and time again, Sidney saw that argument make the entire room go quiet. Then the backlash would nearly send her out of the door instantaneously. Anyway, Pepper Potts didn't need other people to give her anything. The woman was good enough to claim her successes herself.
“Did Maria explain the position that we are offering?” Pepper had asked after offering her a seat during her interview.
“She told me that it was with a reputable company and that you had a small personnel problem.”
Pepper smiled lightly. ”You could say that. As I understand, you worked for SHIELD for quite some time.”
Sidney nodded. There was a full-scale investigation into all employees, and Sidney sat in interrogation rooms for hours before she was finally cleared. She knew that going forward, there were going to be some that questioned her loyalties, so she did her best to prepare for them.
“I got the position 3 years ago. My father worked for them and thought I would be a good fit.” Sidney smiled ruefully. “I thought so too,” she said quietly.
“And what did you do with them?”
Sidney sat slightly confused. “Miss Potts, I was under the impression that you knew my job description and capabilities. That's why you want me here, right?”
Miss Potts smiled delicately at Sidney. “Humor me,” she requested.
Sidney shifted in her chair and clasped her hands in her lap. “I was brought in to evaluate and counsel all Personnel after they came back from missions. All agents had to go through me before they could go back into the field. I also counseled those who had trouble adjusting to their roles.”
“What percentage of Shield did you counsel?”
“I oversaw the Washington branch. Every agent hired came through my doors at one point or another. Though, some came in more often. Hazards of the job for those who were worth keeping around long-term.”
“Did you ever have contact with the man known as The Winter Soldier?”
“No.”
“Are you sure? Because if you had knowledge of him, I need to know.”
“Did I have knowledge of a man being torn apart from the inside out by someone that I grew up with and trusted? Did I know that there was someone in the building that I went to every day that I should have been helping that I didn't? Ms. Potts, one of the few things I regret in my entire life is that I didn't see through Pierce’s bullshit. That I sat by and believed that he was a good man while he tore apart everything that I grew up with. No. I didn't know about The Winter Soldier.”
Ms. Potts sat a few moments appraising Sidney. “You start on Monday. Mr. Hogan will set you up with your credentials. Make sure that you wear them at all times, or you won't be able to get into the building.”
“Wait, that's it?” Sidney asked, surprised.
“You come highly recommended by a woman that I admire greatly. You survived one of the deadliest disasters we’ve had stateside in years and kept your wits about you through the entire situation. And I can see that you are passionate about helping people. You also didn't blink when faced with a difficult question. Yes, that's it.”
Sidney left the room, not knowing what was going to happen. There had been whispers about the Avengers recruiting the person known as The Winter Soldier. Apparently, after everything went down, they found the man and convinced him that New York was the safest place for him. No one knew for sure, but once the rumors started, they took on a life of their own. Was she brought in to evaluate him? Was she going to work with the Avengers themselves? Or would she be relegated to regular employees? Maybe they needed evaluations for new employees to ensure that what happened with SHIELD didn't occur at Stark Industries. There were so many possibilities floating through her head that she didn't see the person rounding the corner until it was too late.
It felt more like walking into a brick wall than a human. She knew that she should have been more alert, especially when rounding corners, but her mind was spinning.
“Sorry … holy shit,” she whispered. “You're ... I mean, oh, I'm so sorry. I should have watched where I was walking. Are you okay? Nothing like bruised or broken? I mean, not that I hit you that hard, but still. Are you okay?”
The man in front of her chuckled softly. “I think I'll make it.” He held out his hand to her. “Steve Rogers. And you are?”
Sidney immediately took his hand, noting that his huge hand swallowed hers. “Sidney Stone.”
Recognition flashed through his eyes as he let go of her hand. “You're Miss Stone? I have to admit, I thought you'd be older.”
What?
“I'm sorry. You know who I am?” Sidney asked. It wasn't every day that a national icon knew who you were.
“Hill told me about you. She said that you do fine work with people who are having a hard time adjusting.”
In all her years knowing Maria Hill, she had never once gotten the impression that the woman believed in what she did. Hell, Sidney hardly believed in her status as the human lie detector.
“I do what I can,” Sidney said as she got herself together.
“Have you seen Pepper yet?”
“Yep. Already got the job. Whatever it is. I mean, it's not like I'm going to be giving therapy to The Avengers or anything. But, uh, maybe I’ll see you around the place,” Sidney joked.
Steve raised his eyebrows lightly, and a smirk tugged at the edge of his lips. “I think you may be seeing far more of us than you think.”
Before she could ask what he meant, he excused himself and walked in the opposite direction. Sidney stood dumbstruck in the thankfully empty hallway. She was employed at one of the top companies in New York City; she just met Pepper freaking Potts and Captain “Truth and Justice” America. She wasn't sure if her day could get any weirder or more amazing, so she hurried out of the building before she met anyone else that had saved the world.
~
The first week of training was terribly ordinary. There were tours of the facility, time for her to set up in her office, and initial reviews of case files. It was almost as if she was working in any office. It wasn't that she was disappointed, it was that her expectations had been different. She expected there were going to be more instances of meeting The Avengers or having to do some kind of tactical training, even though that wasn't her area. In the back of her mind, she knew that it would be just like a regular job, but she had let herself hope after the conversation with Steve Rogers.
Miss Potts had been right that Mr. Hogan did not play when it came to having her identification card on her. She forgot her badge on the third day and had gotten a stern talking-to, which she deserved. The stick-on badge that said “Hello my name is Irresponsible” was pushing it, but she let it go because he had scrawled her name below it. Miss Potts had seen it in the hallway and shook her head slightly. Sidney heard her muttering to herself, “not again,” which made Sidney chuckle.
They started her off with low-level employees so she could get the feel of the company. Most of the employees needed screening because they were getting hired, and there was a push about security considering recent events. It wasn’t known by many, but the reason she was so good at her job was that she could tell when people were lying. It wasn’t a facial tick thing but a gift. Her grandmother had the same gift, though she never really believed it. It wasn't until she was thirteen that she started to honestly believe. She went to her grandmother after the first incident.
It started out as an aura, just a small thing. When they were in a neutral state, some people exuded what Sidney could only describe as yellow. Once they started talking, it would shift. A dark black for dishonesty and a warm red for truthfulness. She could also sense intentions, which was harder to explain. One man she passed in the street felt like rage and desperation; it was a bitter scent that hit her like a truck. Sidney found out a week later that he murdered his wife after finding out she cheated on him.
Some of the auras were harder to distinguish. If someone was a child, they always felt energetic and innocent, whereas older people felt like a dull pain as if they were faced with the reality that they were coming to the end of their lives. To Sidney, it felt as if she had gone through an intense workout, and it was the day after.
Sidney didn’t always know what the signs were, but as she encountered more of them, she was able to feel out the intentions of those around her. Which helped in situations like the one she was currently in.
The man sitting in front of her was applying for an apprentice position, and he had a bad habit of picking his nails when he was being dishonest, and his aura smelled like sour milk. Most questions like “what is your name” passed without incident. But when Sidney asked why he wanted to work for Stark Industries, his thumbnail brushed against his palm, almost as if he were trying to curb his impulse.
“Well, Stark Industries is the best company that anyone could hope to work for. I feel like I have a lot to bring to the company. I graduated first of my class in the engineering department, and it's a dream come true to even step foot in this building.” His body pulsed an inky black as he said this.
Sidney smiled at him. “Mr. Donahue, I know this position is a generalized position, but you would be assigned to someone to work under. Do you have any thoughts as to who you would want to work with?”
Mr. Donahue flattened his hands against his thighs, almost nervously. “Anyone would be crazy not to say, Mr. Stark. He's a legend, after all.”
Sidney watched as his aura melted into a deep maroon color. So. He wanted to get close to Stark.
Sidney took notes as the interview progressed; by the end of it, she had a fairly good idea that he was full of shit. She had already given a signal to Mr. Hogan that he would need to be questioned further. It was a subtle thing. Just a tilt of the head and a quick double-take glance at the camera in the corner of the room. When they set up the signal, Sidney knew it needed to be something subtle because if the person in the room with her knew what she was, there was no telling what they would do to her. Typically people didn’t appreciate being outed.
As with every interview she conducted, at the end, she bid him farewell and told him that the company would contact him. As she shook his hand, she noted that his palms were clammy, and he felt...desperate.
“When will you know?” he asked.
“It shouldn't be more than two or three days. We do still have some more interviews to conduct, but we will let you know as soon as we know. But before you leave, we do have another -”
At her words, the man seemed to panic slightly, his eyes darting around the room. He stammered as he said, “please, this is such a big deal to me. I can't wait two or three days; I need to know now. Am I going to get this?”
“I’m sorry, sir. I can’t tell you at this time. But we should know soon.”
“Please, Ma’am. I need to know if I didn’t get this job. It’s important.”
Sidney studied him for a moment. His aura was confusing because he was telling the truth, but there was an underlying desperation to it. Something wasn’t right.
“What would happen if you didn’t get the job?” Sidney asked softly.
“They would… I mean, I would be ruined.” Mr. Donahue rubbed his hands together as he spoke.
Again, his aura flashed maroon. Sidney noticed that his palms were glistening with sweat as he fidgeted.
She took a chance. “I’m sorry. The job market is very competitive right now.”
Panic flew across Mr. Donahue’s face, which morphed into devastation, then anger, then resignation.
Before Sidney could process anything else, Mr. Donahue slipped his hand into his front pocket and produced a small silver object. Sidney’s heart lurched into her throat at the sight of the small knife. She had no idea how he had gotten it through security, but she immediately stepped away from the sharp object.
“Why didn’t you just give me the job?” Mr. Donahue asked brokenly. “It would have all been fine if you had just given me the job. They won’t stop. They’ll make sure we suffer the consequences.”
“Mr. Donahue, you don’t want to do this,” Sidney said as she took a small step back and raised her hands in front of her.
It wasn’t that she had never been threatened before; it had happened far too many times to count. It was that she didn’t expect it to happen during an interview at Avengers Tower. Still, Sidney was ready for whatever was about to happen. Though, she wished she wasn’t in heels that day. That was going to make it a bit more complicated.
“I don’t have a choice,” he whispered.
Then he thrust the blade towards her. Pivoting to the side, Sidney was able to easily dodge the blade. She brought her arms up to meet his. Hooking her left arm around his, she brought her elbow back, connecting with his face at the same time that her right hand grabbed his wrist. She heard the crunch of his cheekbone as he cried out in pain. Trying to get the knife away from him was proving difficult.
Before she saw it, his leg wrapped around hers, and she was flung to the ground. Taking a moment to make sure her head didn’t connect with the ground, she wasn’t fast enough to stop Mr. Donahue from climbing on top of her, pinning her down. Sidney rolled her hips, trying to throw him off, but she couldn’t get the purchase she needed. She felt him shift.
Then she saw the knife whipping through the air towards her. Thankfully she saw it soon enough to be able to react. Throwing her arms up, she grasped his wrists, stopping the blade inches from her throat.
The scent of bitterness met her nose as she looked up at Mr. Donahue. While she was strong, he was stronger, and she let out a whimper as she felt the knife slowly coming towards her. Sidney’s arms shook at the exertion as she fought to stay alive.
“Whatever you think you have to do, it’s not worth it,” Sidney tried to reason. Her voice shook, giving away her fear.
“I don’t have a choice! Don’t you get it?! There will be consequences. I have to fix this. I don’t have a choice. I don’t have a choice,” Mr. Donahue muttered as the blade kissed Sidney’s throat.
She shifted her neck at the last second so it didn’t go through her neck but dragged along the side of it. She felt the sticky blood run into her hair as she let out a desperate cry. With one last thing she could try, she bucked up with her hips at the same time as she rolled her sternum towards the knife.
It was enough to knock the man off of her. Without thinking about what she was doing, she sent her heeled foot into his groin. She learned early on that no man could walk after being hit there, especially with a stiletto.
Reaching over, she wrestled the blade out of his hand as the door flew open. Happy Hogan stood in the doorway, panting slightly. Sweat was rolling down his face as if he ran there. As much as Sidney liked Happy, she had to admit that his timing was awful.
Just over Happy’s shoulder, Sidney could see two men approaching. Captain America was wearing his concerned face as he caught Sidney’s eye. The man standing next to him was someone she had never met but had seen pictures of.
Sergeant Bucky Barnes was not what she expected. His hair was longer, and his eyes were a bit weary. Without trying to, Sidney tapped into his aura. There was guilt and pain, but also relief. His eyes were as blue as she thought they would be as she noticed his eyes glued to the man that was now writhing on the floor.
After the fall of SHIELD, Sidney researched Sergeant Bucky Barnes and learned of the horrors he endured while he was under the control of HYDRA. The things they made him do were horrendous, and she had no doubt that he had some form of PTSD that he struggled with.
Her attention was brought back to Happy as he called her name. “Yeah?”
“You okay?” He asked as he slipped handcuffs around her attacker’s wrists. Where he got those and why he had them was something Sidney decided she didn’t need to know.
“I’m fine. Where the hell were you?” Sidney asked as she glowered at him.
“In the security office. I got here as fast as I could.”
“Gee, thanks. Could we maybe have someone a little closer when I give you the signal next time? As much as I like working out, I don’t really like to do it when there’s a knife aimed at my throat,” Sidney snapped.
She didn’t mean to be rude. Really she didn’t. But the adrenaline was wearing off, and she was feeling the residual panic seep into her bones. Her hands started to shake as she got her knees under her.
Then there was a hand in front of her, offering to help her up. She looked up to see Sargent Barnes evaluating her as he offered her help. He looked younger than she thought he would.
Sliding her hand into his, she muttered a “thanks.” He lifted her effortlessly, which was no small feat. She wasn’t the smallest person in the world. Don’t get her wrong, she liked the way she looked, but the curves that she developed early in life made her chances of wearing a size 0 an impossibility.
The concern in his eyes was unexpected, as was the soft, “that looks bad,” he muttered as he gestured at her neck. She brought her hand up to stop the bleeding.
“It’ll be fine. Not the worst I’ve had.”
Steve Rogers came to stand next to Barnes. “That’s not really comforting,” he said. “You should probably get to medbay and get that checked out. I’m going to stay and deal with him,” he said, gesturing to Mr. Donahue, who was still collapsed on the ground. “Buck, can you take her up?”
Sergeant Barnes nodded and grabbed Sidney’s elbow, and led her out of the room. Curious eyes watched them as they made their way down the hallway, but Sidney chalked that up to the blood covering her shoulder. It wasn’t that much, but people tended to get freaked out by blood.
“Don’t worry. They’re all staring at me,” Barnes told her.
Sidney chuckled. “Thanks for trying to make me feel better, Sergeant, but I know it’s the blood that they’re looking at. It’s fine.”
“Bucky.”
“I’m sorry?”
He cleared his throat. “You don’t have to call me Sergeant. Most people call me Bucky.”
Sidney nodded. “Sounds good. I’m Sidney, just in case no one told you.”
“Oh, I’ve heard your name being thrown around,” he told her.
“Nothing too bad, I hope.”
Bucky shook his head, and that seemed to be all he was going to say about it.
They walked in silence for a while until they came to a room marked with a hospital sign. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable, which Sidney was glad for. She hated being stuck with people that felt the need to fill every silence with chatter.
“Well, thanks for showing me the way. I can take it from here,” she told him when they approached the doors. “Maybe I’ll see you around.”
He gave her a slight nod but did not move to leave. Sidney waved awkwardly and made her way into the medbay, looking back at him. She caught the small smirk on his face before the doors left her alone.