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WHO: Agra 10 gets another Captain America, and this one is Bucky Barnes!
WHERE: Starting in the square, then pretty much anywhere you want to run into him around town/the forest
WHAT: Arrival and exploring (NOTE: If you'd like to continue/assume our TDM thread as canon, just go ahead and I'll roll with it!)
WHEN: Bucky's arrival, a few weeks into the first event
WARNINGS: Will mark if any appear!

The last thing Bucky remembers is being on the Bishop with Steve. Then, suddenly - he's in the middle of a run-down square in a run-down city and there's a glowing... thing downloading information into his head.

All in all, it's kinda like any Tuesday in the Fleet. Almost. Except not. Especially not since after things changed.

He's alone - at least, he is at first. Which means he goes looking for Steve, once he realizes he's got no communicator and, honestly, pretty much nothing else, either, except for the plain coveralls he's wearing and the red, white, and blue shield that might be familiar to some.

He eventually finds his way into places like the hotel, the hospital, and the power plant. He's not afraid to poke around, and anyone he spots that doesn't look like a threat will be approached without hesitation.

At first, he's looking for Steve - or for acquaintances from the Fleet. But that doesn't mean unfamiliar people get the brush-off. He'll come right up, ask if you know what's going on, and probably offer help if it looks like you need it.

It's pretty much part of the job, after all.

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Bucky hums, because okay - maybe she wasn't at home home when this happened, but it sounds like she was still at least on her homeworld. "But you weren't on a ship," he confirms, even as they start gathering themselves for whatever this expedition is going to turn into. "You were where you were supposed to be. On your home planet."

Because that sure means... something, he's sure, even if he doesn't know what, yet.

And as for the bending... "Huh," is mostly what he can say to that, at first - mostly processing, picturing people being able to do with fire or air what she's doing with water. It's simultaneously fascinating and a little worrying, if only because his mind maybe turns to the damage it can do just as quickly as it can imagine the good.

But it doesn't mean he's particularly thrilled when Katara just announces she's going in first, either. She is, after all (in Bucky's opinion), just a kid - and while kids can be plenty resourceful, he probably has more experience than she does in a couple of areas, including infiltration.

"That depends," he says, taking the torch but standing his ground, shifting so she can't enter just yet. "Tell me what that means, because I don't know how it works and I don't want to bet your life on it when I can probably take more damage than you can."

"A ship? No. I was in the Caldera... the capital of the Fire Nation. But I've been on plenty of ships, of course--the Water Tribe are hunters and fishers. I've even been on a few Fire Nation ships." She cants her head at the mention of being on her own home planet. "Wait, what kind of ship were you on?" she asks, surmising his experience has been quite different to hers.

Bucky's not wrong about the damage that bending can do. Katara has seen the devastation caused by firebending first hand, has felt the terror caused by another waterbender reaching inside and controlling the very blood that flows through her veins. Would he shrink from her if he knew the power she possessed? She hoped that he would never find out--that no one here would ever see that side of her ability.

But, then he basically asks for a demonstration of what she can do, and Katara has never been the one to turn back from a challenge.

Water already drawn, Katara turns and takes a few light, loping steps back from Bucky to give herself room. Hands held close and then pulled wide call the water, controlling her element, and her arms are sheathed in it. She uses the dual water whips in a twirling motion, lashing out at a wide swathe of the tall grass growing nearby and neatly shearing it short with the razor-sharp whip. Spinning, the water forms a wheel around her, and it freezes into a glittering arsenal of icy daggers that fly at the ground and land in precise rows. The ice melts a second later, returning with a gesture to form a loop around her. The others have seen the practical uses of her bending--Bucky is the first to see this sort of demonstration, the weaponized waterbending that marks her as a master of her style even at her tender age.

"My life has been on the line plenty of times," she says, not boastful but as a matter of fact. Her stance, the set of her jaw, the determination in her eyes make it clear that she's not just a teenager playing with magic water, but a proper child soldier. "You probably can take more damage, but my reach is longer. I just... I don't want anyone getting hurt when I can protect them."

Bucky shakes his head a little. "The kind that doesn't sail on water," he admits, pointing, well, up. "S'called a spaceship. Trust me, you'd know if you'd been on one." Which mostly just leads him back to the idea that she was kidnapped from her homeworld, which - well. Sucks. This sucks for all of them, but at least he's kinda used to the game, by now. She's not - so, at least, he can admit that she's handling it admirably well, and he can respect that. Then again, kids are a lot more adaptable than most people give them credit for, and he can recognize that, too.

He can also respect that she doesn't balk, doesn't protest that she knows what she's doing (like some people he knows), and simply falls back and - well. Wow. Shows him what she can do.

And it's impressive. Bucky's already got a healthy respect for water and ice, but that's in the general sense; this is definitely creative, and functional, and, "Well, shit," he murmurs, eyes flicking back up to her face. "I think I'm jealous."

He sure as hell is, because that isn't a trick - that's a skill, and a damned useful one. It's certainly one that a former sniper can appreciate - but as that former sniper, he's got a few ideas. "I've got a long reach when I need it," he says, because most people don't see a shield as an offensive weapon, but Steve had taught him that it absolutely is. But more than that, "Yours is probably longer," he can concede. "Which is why you're better off behind me. That kinda weapon works better when it's not on display, front and center." He considers the darkness, and what light they do have - which they're using up, and they should get a move on. "How about we do this together, but you stay right behind me. I cover you," he hefts the shield in front of him, "and you cover anything that surprises us, ideally before I have to deal with it." He's not asking her to trail twenty feet behind, but he'd still rather have a shield between her - and him - and anything they might meet. Ice can be strong, but he's willing to bet that vibranium is stronger.

Katara's mood is always lifted by people's appreciation of her skill, and she smiles at the expression on Bucky's face. While her eyes do narrow slightly as he explains the advantage of moving her to the rear, she scratches her chin in consideration. He obviously has some tactical experience, and after a moment of consideration, she gives a little nod.

"All right. I'll cover you. It would still be better for you to carry the torch, though--my bending works best when I can use both hands."

She falls into position behind him, but only very slightly. He's tall and broad, so she stands just to the side, not wanting her view to be blocked by his larger frame. "I'm ready when you are."

"I can do that," he agrees; maybe he's not used to compromising with people under his command, but Katara isn't actually a person under his command, and Bucky sure as hell has no problem holding the light - unless she's got some crazy vision powers to go along with the water-and-ice thing, he can probably see farther than she can, anyway.

So, he hefts the shield in one hand and the torch in the other, and nods, starting into the dark, cool tunnel at a slow but steady pace. He's not entirely used to exploring things by firelight, but the illumination is decent enough - not that there's a whole lot to see, at least at first. "I think we let this torch burn up, and see how far we get," he suggests quietly. They've got more than one backup, now, but that doesn't mean they need to use them. "Might be a whole lotta nothing, for all we know."

She is very certainly not under his command, but she's not unfamiliar with operating within a military unit. Though she might buck under the authority of an unknown leader, she also knows when to pick her battles. Like water, she finds the path of least resistance, and Bucky at least seems to know what he's doing.

Stepping down into the tunnel sends a little thrill up her spine, equal parts apprehension and nostalgia. She misses her friends. The water in her pouch sloshes gently, ready to be used to hurt or to heal.

"One torch," she agrees with a nod. "All right." Because there's no telling just how far the tunnel goes. "If it forks off... we probably shouldn't explore it any further, not without another person or two along." After all, the last thing they want is to get lost, especially without anyone knowing where they are or what they were doing.

"Agreed," Bucky says softly, because his memory's good, but he doesn't want to stake their wellbeing on it. Especially not if there might be a cave-in or any number of things that could cut them off from the way they came.

They move a little further in, Bucky on high alert for anything moving in the darkness ahead of them, but it's quiet - which is not as comforting as he wishes it were. "Can you tell if there's water around us?" he asks quietly, curiously - because this looks like a manmade (well... artificial, at least) tunnel, but that doesn't mean that's going to be the case, the further they get in. He wonders if her abilities include finding herself more ammo, as it were.

"I can sense water if it's nearby, and I can use water from basically any source," Katara confirms. "Water in the air, in steam or mist or clouds, in plants..." She trails off, not mentioning the next obvious, logical source: animals, people. She's sworn to herself that she'll never employ bloodbending again, and the less people know about it, the happier she'll be.

"It's actually pretty dry down here," she adds quickly. "But even if I spill the water I have, I can bend it out of the dirt."

The tunnel is cast in orange-white light and sharp shadows from their torch, and Katara listens for even the slightest sound. At least this world is unlikely to have any wolf-bats to attack them.

Bucky just nods, shortly - that's reassuring, at least, because it means she mostly can't run out of ammo, and that's handy. He likes this kid more and more, even if he realizes the reasons for that are pretty depressing.

Still, "Probably better than walking into an underground swamp," he points out - not that he's above getting his feet wet, but that doesn't mean it's fun. He'd much rather stay on solid, dry ground in a place he doesn't know. "Plus, that's another point for this place being intentional, whatever it is." As in, intentionally confusing, because it's not for utilities, despite the label (which he still doesn't trust).

Everything's quiet and calm as they continue for another several minutes, which is still more unnerving than not. It doesn't quite take them to the twenty-minute mark before the way the shadows are moving ahead of them changes, and he realizes, "Think there's a wall or a door up ahead."

Which, it turns out, there is - the latter, that is, a relatively plain metal door that Bucky sort of pulls up short and stares at in the torchlight, because, "I recognize that."

"Yeah, I can tell you from firsthand experience that swamps aren't fun at all. Especially if they're full of spirits." He might not see the grim expression, but he'll hear it in her voice. Though, the cave hadn't exactly been fun either, but here she is. Would she ever learn her lesson?

As they walk, the silence is a tense if companionable one. Katara is on high alert until Bucky brings them to a stop. She peers at the door through the darkness, then looks back at him.

"How can you recognize it if you've only just arrived here?" she asks.

"I'm definitely willing to take your word for it. Muddy farm fields aren't much better." Plenty of those in Europe, and depending on the time of year, a lot of them had felt like swamps, certainly.

But here and now, it's the door he's got to worry about. Because, "I don't know," he admits, sounding just as frustrated as he is confused, making his way up to the smooth, solid metal door and holding the torch closer for a better look. He's not stupid enough to just assume it's not some kind of trap, so he keeps his distance, but eventually, there's only so much looking he can do, before he's got to get closer and touch. "It looks like the door to the ship - the ship I was on. Like I told you."

But, "That doesn't make any sense."

"So... there's a ship under the ground here?" That doesn't really make sense. "Or maybe... they used pieces from a ship like what you were on to build something. A bunker, maybe."

Stepping up beside Bucky, Katara runs her hand over the smooth metal of the door. "Toph could pop this open, no problem, but I can figure something out with my bending if you want to check out what's inside." Because nothing could possibly go wrong there, right?

Bucky's frown deepens, as he hefts the shield a little to transfer the torch to the same hand, reaching out to touch the cool, smooth metal of the door. "Those seem like the two most likely options," he agrees, because yeah - the door feels just like it should under his fingers, even as he steps aside to let Katara do the same.

Of course, "If it's a ship we can use - or, hell, a bunker for some reason - we probably don't want to damage the door." Especially not if it's the former, because maybe it could get them off this run-down planet, even if he's not sure whether that's a pro or a con, at this point.

Still, "If it's a ship, I can fly it." Which is definitely a pro. He considers the edge of the door, running his hands along the place where metal meets the wall of the tunnel. "I could try prying it open, but that might do more damage than your bending."

"I've used waterbending to cut through metal before, but if you want to keep the door in one piece that's not the best idea. That would take a while, anyway, and we don't want to risk the light going out." Not that the tunnel was all that difficult to navigate, but she doesn't want to attempt it in the dark.

Considering for a moment the door and Bucky's suspicions, Katara glances over her shoulder back down the hall. "Maybe we should talk to your friends. Can't the Vision... go through solid things? ... Phase?" That would be convenient in this situation, certainly.

Bucky nods, because no - he doesn't want to damage the door if he can help it. He feels along it for a moment more, trying to find the edge, the seal, but if it's there, it's right where the thing disappears into the wall. And, what do you know - actually trying to open it with the handle doesn't work. Even if that sure would've been nice.

"I don't want to damage it," he eventually confirms, knocking on it, like he's trying to tell whether there really is hollow space behind it... but while the knock does ring, it's too hard to tell whether it's just echoing in here, or actually indicative of something on the other side.

He frowns a little, at the question about the Vision. "I... think so? I've never seen him do it," he has to admit - if there is a Vision on his world, he hasn't met him yet. Which is pretty much how it goes with a lot of the people from his world, honestly, It's a good way to feel weirdly lonely. "But it seems worth bringing him back to try, if he can. Better than us getting nowhere, or breaking through it only to find that it's either nothing, or that we turned it into nothing by damaging it."

He sighs - it's frustrating, but it's still better than a lot of outcomes, he figures. "So we should head back," he confirms, even if he doesn't sound overly happy about it."

While their little foray hasn't been nearly as eventful as Katara's last adventure in a secret tunnel, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. "Yeah. For now, at least." Before their good luck runs out. "But we'll come back and figure out what it is later." She gives a determined little nod, making a mental note to find Vision and ask him to come check it out.

"Do you want to take the lead again?" she asks, raising her brow at Bucky with a grin. "Or can I go first this time?"

"Yeah," Bucky nods, decisively; he isn't about to leave this weirdness alone, especially because it looks so very exactly like the door to a ship he recognizes, where nothing else on this entire planet does. It's definitely too obvious a clue to just walk away from and not return, but he can at least agree they're sort of at a - literal - dead end for now.

At the question, he does grin a little in the flickering light of the torch; "How about you go ahead, this time," he offers, gesturing for Katara to take the lead. He's still going to be wary, and maybe even still expecting something unexpected to happen, but at least cautiously - very cautiously - optimistic that they'll just be literally retracing their steps, uneventful and all.

"I guess we should head back to the middle of town, let people know what we found."

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