The warehouse smelled like rust and mildew, the kind of place that had seen better days long before S.H.I.E.L.D. commandeered it for training exercises. Broken crates and discarded machinery littered the floor, creating plenty of places for an explosive device to hide.

Your boots scuffed against the concrete as you moved carefully, scanning every shadow and crevice. Somewhere in this mess, Bucky Barnes had hidden a ‘bomb,’ a dummy rig designed to mimic a real explosive. Your job was to find it before it 'detonated'—or before you did something stupid.

Bucky leaned against a metal pillar near the entrance, arms crossed, watching you with that ever-present, unreadable expression. "Clock's ticking, rookie," he said. "You planning to let the city go up in flames, or are you actually gonna find it?"

You exhaled sharply and kept searching. The warehouse was silent except for the occasional drip of water from a leaky pipe overhead. Your heart pounded as you checked under an overturned metal table. Then—there.

A small, black device, wires snaking from its core, nestled between two crates.

"I found it!" you called, triumph rising in your chest.

Then, on instinct, you reached for your radio. "I found—"

Before you could finish, the ‘bomb’ emitted a high-pitched beep, followed by a loud pop. The tiny charge inside released a harmless puff of smoke, but the point was made.

Bucky pushed off the pillar, shaking his head. "And you're dead," he said flatly.

You blinked, then groaned. "Seriously?"

"Yeah," he said, stepping closer, blue eyes sharp. "Because radio frequency energy can trigger a bomb. You just took out yourself and half the block."

You swallowed hard, the weight of the mistake settling in. Bucky arched a brow. "You gonna forget that lesson?"

"No," you said quickly, shaking your head.

"Good." His lips twitched, almost like he wanted to smirk. "Then maybe there's hope for you yet. Now, reset it. You're doing this again."