Bucky didn't expect that S.H.I.E.L.D. would send this person to help him with his affairs.
Looking at the agent in a women's suit, so heroic and spirited, and then at the little girl Skye, he thought to himself that these two really had a connection.
Yes, the person who came was none other than Melinda May, also known as 'The Cavalry', whom he had seen before. She was Agent Coulson's partner and would also be Quake's future companion.
The nickname 'The Cavalry' meant that she was exceptionally capable and had repeatedly undertaken the most dangerous missions, rescuing agents in distress, as if the bravest knight had descended from the heavens.
So, for her, who should be performing dangerous tasks on the front lines, to suddenly appear here and meet Skye in advance, could only be explained by fate, right?
Melinda now was much younger than the one Bucky remembered, appearing to be only twenty-seven or twenty-eight, yet her demeanor was exactly the same as Bucky remembered: an unsmiling ice queen.
She merely glanced at Skye, making her scared, and she tugged at Bucky's sleeve with her small hand.
"Sir, Melinda May, ordered to assist you."
"No need to be so formal, just call me… Johnny. Skye, come say hello to Ms. May."
"Ms. May, hello."
Skye was timid, which was actually the appropriate attitude for her to have when facing strangers.
Melinda simply nodded.
"Then I'll leave Skye to you. Skye, follow this older sister, it'll be fine."
Bucky watched as Skye hesitated to approach Melinda, who exuded an aura of 'strangers keep out'. He rubbed her little head, thinking, 'Where did your feisty spirit go when you argue with me?'
Skye followed the seemingly formidable auntie, looking back every few steps. At this moment, she was truly worried about what she would face.
Meanwhile, Bucky received another call.
"Bucky, did you notice anything special about her?"
From the small brick phone came the voice of the wealthy man who had given Bucky the phone.
Howard didn't mention Skye or the little girl; he just said 'her'. Bucky knew he was being very cautious with everything he did now.
"No, I just felt sorry for her and couldn't leave her alone. What problem could she have?"
"...Really no problem?"
"Really a problem?"
"I'll send someone over to talk to you face-to-face."
"Are you that busy?"
"Yes."
What Bucky wanted to ask was not convenient to discuss over the phone, and Howard only said a few words before ending the call early.
On the other side, it wasn't long before Melinda returned with Skye, her face ashen.
If she was an ice block before, now she was liquid nitrogen.
Clearly, she had also learned of Skye's ordeal.
"Is everything handled?"
"Yes, an injury certificate has been issued. I will contact the police later, and personnel from the child protection agency will also come."
Not only are HYDRA agents lurking in every corner and every industry of the world, but S.H.I.E.L.D. is the same. It's not just combat personnel; there are also a large number of ordinary people in ordinary industries providing information to S.H.I.E.L.D.
So naturally, the police and various government agencies would have their own people. This matter would follow normal legal procedures, but the investigators, police, prosecutors, and even the lawyers hired by the foster parents, would all be S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel.
Oh, or S.H.I.E.L.D. HYDRA, but in this matter, there's no difference.
Afterward, investigators from the child protection agency arrived, interviewed Skye, and followed the procedures. Bucky then became Skye's temporary guardian.
"Uncle Johnny, why are you so concerned about me?"
Skye sat in Bucky's car, watching the sky darken outside and the streetlights gradually illuminate, her voice filled with uncertainty.
Because I found out you are Quake, and after meeting me, your story will definitely be different from what I remember. I'm afraid that if I just hand you over to S.H.I.E.L.D., you'll be tricked by HYDRA into becoming a "true World Destroyer"—although Bucky thought this to himself, he merely reached out and rubbed her small head, messing up her soft, fine hair.
"Why can't I care about you? Don't be so desperate, and don't see the world as so bad…"
Bucky, when he got serious, got stuck here. This world is far worse than you can imagine, in every sense of the word.
"Anyway, don't think too much. First, have a good meal, get a good night's sleep, and everything will pass."
"Really?"
"Of course, will time go backward? It always has to be tomorrow."
"You!"
Someone's cool demeanor lasted less than three minutes, and the big and small resumed their bickering mode.
He took Skye to eat at a Papa John's. Pizza is much more appealing to children than any Michelin meal. Skye ate until her little belly was round, which made Bucky a little worried that the little kid might turn into a chubby girl.
"Uncle Johnny, is this your home?"
"Uh-huh, and now it's your home too."
Back home, Bucky took off his jacket and gloves, and said to Skye:
"Also, my real name is James Buchanan Barnes. People who know me call me Bucky. Of course, to outsiders, you should still call me Johnny, Robert Johnny Lynde."
"Uncle, you're not really some kind of spy or agent, are you? And that ice block auntie… Wow! What is this!?"
Even though Skye was young, she was naturally intelligent and had become very precocious from being exposed to the harsh realities of society. She could guess that Bucky was not an ordinary person. Although she didn't understand the conversations between Bucky and the ice block auntie at the hospital, she felt they seemed very powerful…
However, just as she was thinking that Johnny, oh, Uncle Bucky, was some kind of secret spy, she saw that the uncle was actually a robot!?
"Uncle, are you a terminator?"
"Kids shouldn't let their imaginations run wild. It's just a metal arm. Uncle lost his arm in the war, so he got a prosthetic."
Bucky casually bluffed with the truth, but felt a bit strange. Everyone he met in this world was surprised by him, but Skye had no reaction to his name.
"Uncle, you're lying! You must be a terminator, here to protect me! Wow! Movies are real! Am I John Connor? Will I become the leader of the future resistance!? What model are you, Uncle?"
"…"
Bucky watched helplessly as the little kid spun around him, pinching his arm one moment, then his thigh the next.
He thought to himself, what's a terminator? Just wait until I'm fully cybernetic and become Cyber Psychosis No. 17.
After a long fuss, Bucky finally managed to convince the little kid to reluctantly accept the explanation that he was a "volunteer in Stark Industries' latest neural-linked prosthetic medical experiment," and that his identity change was due to a commercial non-disclosure agreement with Stark Industries, which would result in heavy penalties if leaked.
Bucky, whose head was aching from the little kid's incessant chatter, decided it was best not to tell her about his even more bizarre experiences for now.
ADVANCE CHAPTER AVAILABLE IN PATREON
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