Eminent Silence

by Tristan Carey

  He pulled down his left sleeve slightly and adjusted his gloves, careful to make sure there was no sign of his metal arm. Vielka was looking over a map, well, pretending to look over a map. He was certain she didn't actually need it as she had led them the whole way so far, without looking at it once.

  As they got closer to the checkpoint, he started to notice the guards seemed to be looking at them with great interest. He gulped slightly, before pretending to read the map over Vielka's shoulder. 'Guards are interested in us,' he murmured, moving closer to her ear. As he leaned closer, he couldn't help but notice the scent she gave off, it was oddly flowery, not what he was expecting, yet still very pleasant.

  She didn't respond at first, before turning the map upside down, much to his surprise. 'Ugh, reading maps suck!' she huffed loudly. Bucky raised his eyebrows in surprise, her voice was unrecognisable, higher pitched with a distinct American accent, and almost sweet.

  He smirked, realising what she was doing and moved closer to her, before taking the map from her hands and turning it back the right way. 'It goes this way, but don't worry, I know where we are going,' he said, hoping the smugness wasn't too obvious in his voice.

  Vielka looked at him pointedly, before putting on a grin that caught him off guard. Her Asian features were accentuated as she grinned up at him. He was caught more off guard as she slipped her hand into his left hand, her fingers intertwining with his own and wrapping her other hand around his elbow. 'Thank goodness I have you,' she said sweetly, batting her eyelids slightly.

  Bucky had to do all he could not to burst out laughing, as he shoved the map into his hoodie pocket. They were lucky it was the middle of winter, no one would question his outfit choice, and Vielka was careful to wear a similar style to make him appear quite normal.

  It was finally their turn, and they approached the desk inside the office, both handing over their passports. Vielka still held Bucky's hand, bouncing slightly next to him as the border officer checked over their passports.

  'I'm just going to assume you're here for leisure?' the officer asked, flicking through their passports.

  He glanced from Bucky to Vielka, who beamed at him, flashing a brilliant smile and flicking her hair slightly. He grinned back at her before stamping both their passports. 'Any plans on what you're going to do while here?'

  'Oh my god, the one place i really want to go to is Venice, I've heard it's, like, so romantic,' Vielka answered immediately, clutching at Bucky's arm tighter. Bucky could only smile at her, worried that if he opened his mouth any more than that he would burst out laughing.

  He didn't need to worry though. 'An excellent choice. Well, enjoy yourselves you two,' the border officer replied, waving them through, winking at Bucky as Vielka led the way, releasing his elbow but maintaining her hold on his hand as he handed her passport to her, putting his own in his pocket.

  Vielka dragged him out the door, without looking back once, her eyes flashing only at the officers that they passed before she stepped out of the sliding doors. She slowed so that he could now walk shoulder to shoulder with her. She soon led him around the corner of a building and dropped his hand from hers before sighing.

  'That was painful,' she said with a grimace. Bucky grinned, he had found it both amusing and impressive. She looked sideways at him, narrowing her eyes. 'Tell anyone about this and I'll cut off your other arm.'

  Vielka looked around for a moment, before nodding towards a side street, beginning to walk down it. They walked a few hundred metres, before she found the familiar door and knocked. They only waited a few minutes before the door was opened ajar, an older woman with grey hair and deep wrinkles poked her face out.

  'Madam Medici, what a fine day it is,' she spoke in her best Italian.

  The woman's eyes went wide for a split second before she was quick to respond. 'My dear, a finer day could not be found, but the skies grow dark quickly.'

  'Darkness frightens no one here,' Vielka replied quickly.

  The woman shut the door, and they could hear the rattle of a chain before the door was opened wide for them to enter, the old Italian woman standing to one side.

  'Ellie, dear, it's been so long since you visited,' the older woman said in English, although her Italian accent was thick, before hugging her. She turned to look at Bucky. 'You must be Benjamin.' Bucky raised an eyebrow but was quick to respond with a nod. 'Such a handsome man! Ellie, dear, where did you find such a handsome man?'

  Vielka, or Ellie as Gaia knew her by, rolled her eyes. 'We are not going there, Gaia, he is a friend,' she replied, before moving to the back brick wall of the kitchen they stood in. She tapped the wall a couple of times, before one of the bricks moved slightly. She grabbed this one and pulled it out. 'How's your son, by the way?'

  The Italian woman threw her hands in the air, seemingly in frustration. 'That boy will be the death of me! A new woman every week, it seems.' She turned to look at Bucky. 'A respectable man would do no such thing, am I correct?'

  Vielka saw Bucky grimace slightly before answering. 'I can't really comment on that,' he murmured as Vielka pulled out an expensive looking handbag and a new backpack. She looked back apologetically, before beginning to pull things from the two bags.

  'Oh, darling, why not? Such a handsome man such as you, must have many women seeking your attention.'

  She heard Bucky chuckle nervously. She felt a pang of sympathy for him, and it occurred to her that he probably hadn't been with a woman in that way since 1945. Vielka motioned for him to join her at the table, as she pulled new passports and IDs out from a zip lock bag.

  She then opened the back pack and had a look in. She raised her eyebrows and looked at Gaia. 'Gaia, really?'

  'You said successful American business woman, this is what they wear these days,' Gaia replied defensively, before moving to sit at a chair by the door. Vielka sighed, but pulled out the clothes, handing Bucky the jeans and collared shirt, and then found the cloaking device. She flipped it over in her fingers a couple of times, examining it. 'Did you test run this, Gaia?'

  Gaia looked back to her and then grinned. 'Oh yes, this is my finest work, I think,' she said standing up and striding quickly across the room. She took the device from Vielka and pressed a button before holding it up to Vielka's face. A blue light flashed and panned across her face, before the device beeped. Gaia then pressed it to the side of her face and pressed another button.

  Within seconds, Vielka was looking at a much shorter version of herself. She raised her eyebrows in surprise, it was flawless, there was no tell that it wasn't really her.

  'I'm not sure whether to be impressed or creeped out right now,' Bucky murmured, looking at Gaia's face, making her laugh. It was unmistakably Gaia's voice. 'Nope, creeped out it is.'

  Vielka smirked to herself. Couldn't be any creepier than getting around with a 92 year old man who could pass for maybe 30 at the most, and who could crush you to death with one arm, but she kept her thoughts to herself.

  'Well, we don't need it for face value anyway, so voice isn't going to be an issue,' she said as Gaia deactivated it and handed it back to her. Vielka looked to Bucky. 'Shirt off.'

  Bucky furrowed his brows at her in confusion, but began to strip off without argument, taking off first his hoodie, then his t-shirt. Vielka could feel her cheeks heat slightly as she faced his bare chest now.

  Gaia leaned her head to the side slightly, her eyebrows raised and a perverted grin on her face. 'My, oh my.'

  'Gaia!' Vielka scolded, motioning for Gaia to move away and give him some privacy.

  His body rippled with tight and toned muscles, as well as many scars and she could see clearly where his prosthetic arm attached to his body, and she felt slightly angry. It confused her but she quickly set her face and tried to push her thoughts to the back of her mind and focus on the task at hand.

  She stepped closer towards him, pursing her lips and put her hand on his right shoulder, gently moving him so h
is side faced her. She pushed the button on the device and scanned his arm. Once it was complete, she turned him back around so his metal arm was facing her. She grit her teeth, feeling her cheeks flush as he looked down at her, a mixture of apprehension and intrigue on his face.

  'Put the device on the very point of his shoulder, Ellie,' Gaia instructed, folding her arms and watching with great interest. 'Where that star is.'

  Vielka did as she was told, ensuring it was affixed properly, before pushing the button. The device flashed and slowly the gunmetal colour of his arm began to change to the same olive colour of the rest of his body.

  Vielka released a breath she didn't realise she had been holding, as the device made a faint beep to signify the camouflage was complete. Bucky looked up at her, his eyebrows raised as if he was seeking approval. She gave a small smile and nodded. He lifted his arm and looked at it carefully, wiggling his fingers in wonder and she saw the smallest of smiles drift across his lips.

  She looked back at Gaia, who was grinning proudly. Vielka raised an eyebrow, this was a demented situation if ever there was one.

  'This is amazing,' Bucky breathed.

  'Don't get too excited, you need to be careful of that device,' Vielka warned.

  'Ellie is right, Benjamin,' Gaia chimed in. 'If it loses its grip of your arm, the cloak will deactivate. That being said, it's not just going to fall off without a lot of help. Just be careful though.'

  'We will try and get it back to you in one piece, Gaia,' Vielka said, giving a reassuring smile to the older woman.

  'Oh, don't be silly, he can keep that one,' Gaia scolded Vielka, which caught her by surprise and she stared at Gaia for a moment. 'Look at how happy he is! Don't worry, I can make another easily enough.'

  Vielka looked from Gaia to Bucky who looked so grateful to the old Italian woman, she couldn't help but smile at Bucky.

  Bucky looked from the sweet, Italian woman to Vielka, and was stunned by what he saw. The tall, and usually stoic woman, was smiling at him, but it was different to her usual smile. It wasn't half-hearted or forced, nor was it apologetic or sarcastic. She was genuinely smiling warmly at him. It was dazzling, her pretty Asian features accentuated and her whole face lit up, a couple of dimples even appeared in her cheeks.

  He smiled back at her, seeming to catch her by surprise and her face quickly returned to a serious expression. 'Go and get dressed. We need to go and check into our hotel,' she ordered.

  Gaia took him by the hand after he gathered the clothes and shoes that Vielka handed him, and led him to the bathroom upstairs of the small Italian townhouse.

  'Here, you change in here. Ellie could only give me a rough estimate of your sizing but I think they should fit you,' she said ushering him into the bathroom. She stopped and looked at him critically, before shutting the door while she was still inside.

  'I have heard of you, you know? The Winter Soldier.' Bucky froze and stared at Gaia, fearing the worst. To his surprise, and mild relief, she smiled at him. 'Oh yes, I'm not the mild mannered, naive old lady Vielka believes me to be, but you needn't fear me either. She is like a daughter I never had, although in a rather demented manner, I suppose, very unorthodox. And she saved my life once.' She looked thoughtful for a moment, staring off into space before looking back to Bucky. 'You take care of my Vielka, she's lived through many a trauma. I'm too old to protect her myself, but you, you have the means to watch out for her.'

  Bucky stared at the old woman for a moment, stunned at her revelations and request. He wondered how well she actually knew Vielka, remembering the times he had fought her in Liepzig and Vienna, he didn't consider her the type to need protection. Gaia looked at him pointedly, and he nodded slowly. 'Yes, ma'am,' he murmured, suddenly feeling very much in awe of the old Italian woman. She smiled at him, before turning, opening the door and leaving him to change.

  He changed quickly, the clothes fitting him perfectly. He admired the holographic cloak on his metal arm, it was flawless. It was weird, seeing himself with two normal arms in the mirror. The memory of waking up on the operating table mid-operation when they were putting his arm on flashed before his eyes. He grimaced, closing his eyes and shook his head, to clear the disturbing thought from his mind.

  When he finally composed himself, he hurriedly walked back downstairs. He slowed as he came to the bottom of the stairs, to find Vielka had already changed.

  She was dressed in a fitted, mid-length black dress that hugged and accentuated her curves, her hair draped freely down her shoulders and she wore black high heels. He couldn't help but notice that the dress chosen covered her up to her neck and over her shoulders. She looked sullen as Gaia finished her make up with lipstick.

  'I can do this myself, you know, Gaia?' she murmured while trying not to move her lips.

  Gaia tutted. 'Let me have my fun! Now, put on the jewellery, to pull off a successful business woman and socialite you need all the bits and pieces.'

  Bucky smirked as Vielka rolled her eyes, before she finally noticed him standing at the bottom of the stairs. He saw her eyes rove over him once before she turned to do as Gaia instructed.

  'Ah, Benjamin! Perfect fit! So handsome!' Gaia hurried over to him, taking him by his right arm and pulling him further in the room. 'A perfect look for an equally successful businessman on a leisurely trip.'

  Vielka turned to look at them with a furrowed brow, as she attempted to put an earring into her ear. 'Hang on, whys he get to be leisurely and I have to be... well... this?'

  'That's what successful businesswomen consider leisurely!' Gaia scolded before looking at Bucky and rolling her eyes. She then returned to Vielka. 'Okay, your earrings emit an EMP, just push here,' she said, showing Vielka.

  'Nice,' Vielka gushed with a smirk.

  'And Benjamin,' Gaia picked up something from the table and moved towards him, gesturing to his right hand. 'This watch has a grappling hook attached to a tungsten line that is weighted to 200kg. Should be enough to cover you, I think.' She motioned to a button on the side as she attached it to his right wrist.

  'On top of the ball as always, Gaia,' Vielka said as she began putting things into the hand bag she had pulled out of the wall. She pulled out a set of keys from the side pocket of her bag, and began moving towards the door. 'Everything else I asked for in the car?'

  'Of course!'

  'Fantastic,' Vielka said, before she threw the keys to Bucky, much to his surprise. 'You drive, need to allude to being a high powered couple.'

  'Ooohhh! You're going to look so cute together!' Gaia gushed, making Bucky chuckle.

  'Don't get carried away, Gaia.' Vielka patted her on the shoulder before smiling warmly at her, those dimples he saw earlier appearing again. 'Thank you for being there for me again, Gaia. Until next time?'

  'Don't make it so long this time!'Vielka and Bucky strode out from the alleyway and along the side of the street, her heels the only sound between them. The dress meant she had to shorten her stride, which annoyed her to no end and she half heartedly cursed Gaia in her mind. She noticed that Bucky fell into step with her, shortening his own stride for her benefit.

  'So Gaia...'

  'Don't want to talk about it,' she cut him off quickly. The old lady was like family, a very strange, dysfunctional family, but the closest thing to family she had left.

  They walked into a parking garage, Vielka leading Bucky. She finally spotted the car she was looking for. She walked towards the white Audi TTS parked into the furthest corner of the parking garage, stopping at the passenger side door before looking pointedly at Bucky.

  He dug into his pockets, unlocking the car. Vielka dug through the huge handbag that Gaia had provided for her, it seemed completely impractical to her, but she knew the older woman was more in touch with the fashion.

  She finally found the paperwork she was looking for and was about to open the passenger side door for herself, but was caught off guard when Bucky opened it for her. She pull
ed her hand back quickly, raising an eyebrow and looking at him sceptically.

  He simply smiled back, motioning for her to get in. She felt her cheeks fill with heat, but quickly ducked her head and carefully slid into the seat, cautious with the tight fit on the skirt of her dress.

  Bucky shut the door and hastily moved to the driver's side, starting the car, the engine roared to life, deep and throaty. Vielka input their hotel details into the GPS, bringing up the map on the small screen on the dashboard. 'Think you can follow that?'

  'I'll be fine,' he said in a surly voice. He had been a bit broody since they had left Gaia's house, she her suspicions as to why, but thought better than to ask.

  She smirked with a raised eyebrow, before looking through her bag again for their IDs. As he began driving, she looked through the cards. 'Ok, your name is Jason Goodman, you own a successful building company in the US. It's all in here. You can read through it when we get there.' She began placing his ID and cards into a wallet.