[Bucky Barnes; R] The Righteous Side Of Hell: Chapter 7 Character/Series: Bucky Barnes, Cast; Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating: R Notes: In which a coping technique becomes his own person and takes the lead. This is an old disassociation, he just didn't like it. Until it was needed. Title: The Righteous Side Of Hell - Chapter 7: Comfortable Liar Author:yuuo Word Count: 6707 Summary:Boston was a five hour drive, easily, and it was tourist season, so they made plans to leave by ten that next morning to account for traffic and construction.
time spent wading off shore the calm before the storm my take from you is simple so heal your fear to heal your fear you're such a comfortable liar -Chevelle
Boston was a five hour drive, easily, and it was tourist season, so they made plans to leave by ten that next morning to account for traffic and construction. There was also the consideration of the airport itself, a madhouse of missed turns and tunnels in what amounted to a one-way loop.
Steve and Bucky had slept on the couches that night before; they hadn't even had to suggest it to each other, they just automatically knew they'd need to. Steve was about to leave on a very dangerous part of the mission and it'd been Bucky's idea. Both of them were scared, though neither admitted it.
Maria was going with to drive him; Steve had refused to let Bucky drive when he wasn't in a good mindset. The last thing they needed was a wreck because Bucky was lost in his own head. They all knew that even if that invitation hadn't been explicitly extended to Bucky, nothing short of God himself was going to keep Bucky from seeing Steve off at the airport.
The only argument about the arrangement was that Maria wanted to stay a few hours at a hotel after dropping Steve off. "Bucky, if I drive us there through heavy traffic and construction, driving immediately home, even allowing for time to stop and eat, will put me driving fourteen hours in one stretch."
Bucky opened his mouth to argue, but she didn't give him an inch to take a mile. "You and Steve aren't the only ones with stressful roles in this mission." She could've stopped there, the reminder of the mission enough to convince Bucky, but she had more to say. "If you want me to be awake and rested to fly to Jericho tomorrow, I have to have a break at some point in this trip. I've already called ahead and used the Stark name to get us a place with room service so that we don't have to go out to eat. It's done, the room's reserved, I need the rest. And you can't deny that you will, too. Too much hangs on us being in top condition to push farther than we can go."
At that point, Maria had put her foot down, and made several points that Bucky couldn't and didn't even want to argue with, so he consented.
That next morning, Bucky made up a 'late' breakfast- only late by their standards -while Steve showered and finished packing. Steve had expressed a lack of interest in food, but once reminded of just how long it'd be before he got any food (and no, they weren't stopping for fast food on the way to Boston), he relented, leaving Bucky to the kitchen while he showered.
Breakfast consisted of the hashbrowns that had earned a five star opinion from Tony, a dish that was one of Steve's favorites. Sausage and eggs for protein, and toast just because you couldn't have eggs without toast. At least according to Tony. Bucky had decided that he sometimes wasn't wrong.
Neither spoke as the food was dished up, Steve's suitcase by the hall, a reminder that Steve would be out the door after the food was done.
They met Maria down in the garage at nine fifty-one on the dot, and except for Maria to inquire if Steve had everything he needed, they didn't really say anything. Maria seemed to think nothing strange about Bucky and Steve both sitting in the back, leaving the front passenger seat empty. If she saw them holding hands like a pair of frightened kids, she didn't say anything about that, either.
It was five-thirty when they got to the airport, almost too late with how long security could be. Maria handed Steve a wallet and passport. "Here are your papers, John," she said.
Steve didn't ask questions, just handed over his own wallet with his real information in it and took the one Maria gave him, the one with all of John Stiles's information that would get him to Israel. He took a deep breath, staring at the fake passport, then looked at them. "I'll see you two in a couple days," he said, some confidence forcibly shoved into the tone. He'd had time to wake up and get food into him, he was inching back towards his previous attitude towards this dumb plan.
"We'd better," Bucky said.
Steve set down his suitcase and pulled Bucky into a hug, one that promised things would be okay.
Bucky clung to it for a moment, then pulled away and picked up Steve's suitcase to give to him. "Don't miss your flight."
Neither he nor Maria said anything as they watched Steve disappear into the crowd on his way to his gate. Bucky lingered, wanting to chase after him and change the plan, but it was set, they were committed.
Maria took his hand. "Come on," she said gently. "He's doing his part, it's time for both of us to get some more rest before we do ours. You'd do well with some sleep."
Bucky didn't look at her. "I'm not sure I'll be able to sleep. I just sent my best friend to die."
Maria's arm wrapped up over his shoulder, hugging his arm without letting go of his hand. "No, you didn't. We're too good to not get him out of there in time. You need sleep, you're too stressed to think clearly right now. And I need to lay down for awhile. We'll be together, no one's going anywhere."
Finally, Bucky looked away from the crowd and over to Maria. He kissed the side of her head. "You're a wonderful woman, Maria. You're learning to read my mind, though, and that worries me."
A smile managed to form on her face as she looked up at him, small and comforting. "No, no mind reading," she said. "I just know how much you two mean to each other. It wasn't a hard conclusion to come to that you need a chance to rest now before you reengage, or else you'll lose sight of what we need to be doing." She pulled him away from where he was, forcing him to turn away and walk with her. "Let's go. There's stuff to do tomorrow and we need to be focused."
He let her lead him back to her car, watched the passing scenery once back on the road to the hotel. Winding streets, taxis and cars, some going to just where he came from, ready to take an overnight out to save money on a red eye, others going who knew where. It was the dinner hour, and people dominated the streets. Everything seemed so normal for the place and time.
Bucky spent the entire ride trying to convince himself that after this facility was destroyed and Hydra exposed, maybe things could go back to the way they were, governments mad at them, but still willing to hire, a secure home in the safest building in the world, friends and family close by.
It was probably just fear speaking, but something in his gut told him that wasn't going to happen.
Hell, he was more tired than he thought; he felt as if he was coming down from an episode. No real shock if he was. He'd spent the whole trip jittery and thoughts bundling up in his head.
Once at the hotel, he followed Maria up the elevator to their room, worry chewing at his gut and making him want to skip dinner. His mind was too full of feelings of impending disaster and dark colors and the occasional hum of music, all of which would take him days to translate into words. None of it allowed for conversation, nor would it make sleep easy.
The crash from the low grade, ongoing episode that had plagued him without his awareness since the time he woke up that morning started hitting him hard once they'd gotten to to the room; Maria adjusted the temperature in the room to suit Bucky's need for warmth when his ability to handle stress had hit its limit. He offered to let her have it cooler, but she declined.
"I'm more worried about your comfort," she said. "This is your mission. I can always ask Sharon to fly for us tomorrow morning and get some extra rest then if the temperature disturbs my sleep. But before you worry about any of that, you need to eat. We both do."
"You say it's my mission, but you're the one doing all the ordering around here," he grumped.
She smiled. "My job is to make sure you're capable of doing yours. Right now, you need food, and a chance to sleep. We'll leave at two, be home at seven, seven-thirty, assuming the overnight hours put traffic on our side. We'll take in another small meal, and then suit up and meet the others at the landing pad to go get a winch and cable installed. We'll both likely want to rest on the jet, as well."
Feeling marginally better to hear a plan mapped out so well, he became a bit more focused. "Speaking of getting new toys for this mission, what about that coat you guys had made for me?
"You'll get it once we're in Palestine. It's too hot to wear unless in a cold environment or if your arm needs to be hidden."
"Because my usual uniform isn't all black and where is this testing ground?"
"New Mexico."
"You're taking me to New Mexico in a uniform that covers every square inch of me but my heat conducting metal arm."
She smiled. "You already sound better. I'll call for room service."
Step one of the mission was complete. The team member knew his part, Bucky knew his own. Now was time for him to put himself into condition to do it. That meant eating, and then getting some rest. Maria noted how shaky he seemed, and he was forced to wave it off as nerves without further explanation. She didn't ask for any.
They did manage to get home before eight, though barely. They decided to eat at their own apartments, both with uncertain appetites that would dictate what and how much they made.
Bucky's apartment was empty when he got there. No Steve waiting up for him, no sign of his art books or paints on the table. The place almost looked the way it did when they first moved in. It was only the presence of various notebooks and sketchbooks on the bookcase and the small box of tools and a table easel next to it that betrayed that anyone actually lived there.
The hallway beckoned, the bathroom promising a quick shower, probably one last chance to shave for a few days, and a chance to brush his teeth after having forgotten to take a toothbrush to the hotel with him. He followed the siren's call of all three, deciding they were a higher priority for his health than breakfast.
Upon leaving the bathroom, he stopped and stared at the bedrooms, side by side, across the hall from the bathroom and laundry room.
Steve's was the back bedroom, meticulously clean, bed always made, except the scattering of books by the headboard of his bed. By contrast, Bucky's floor was clean, but he never made his bed.
Bucky didn't go to his own bedroom, not right away, heading into Steve's. He paused just long enough to pick up the books before walking to Steve's closet. The new Captain America uniform hung in the back corner, unworn but once, helmet up on the shelf above the clothing rod, and shield against the wall beside his boots. Bucky took hold of the sleeve of the uniform, feeling the comfortable texture of the cloth with his flesh hand.
Bucky was going out in uniform without his partner.
"If I believed in you," Bucky said, voice quiet as if not wanting to disturb someone sleeping, "I'd beg you to watch out for him. But since you're a fairy tale, I guess it's up to me."
He had a feeling that praying would be more comforting if he believed in a god to pray to.
Since it did nothing to calm his fears, he switched his mind back to mission mode, not entirely sinking into the Winter Soldier, but wading in enough to walk away from Steve's room, to change into his uniform, to pull on the face mask and goggles. He knew that for a simple rendezvous and trip with teammates didn't require them, but it made it easier for him. He was the Winter Soldier, he had a mission. He needed all of his resources immediately accessible at all times.
The girls were in their uniforms when he joined them in the penthouse. Bruce was running late, getting one last thing done. Neither of the women said anything about just how totally in uniform he was, nor his silence. Maria might've had an idea, possibly knew that he was simply in mission mode, not that he'd called on his years as the Winter Soldier to slip into a completely different mindset, but she understood just enough to keep quiet. Sharon seemed to just be following Maria's example, not saying anything, although she flashed him an odd look or two.
Smart woman. She wouldn't have gotten much of an answer out of him.
Bruce finally showed up a few minutes later, in pants loose enough that the Soldier, quickly overtaking Bucky completely, could assume would fit the other guy if he was needed, and a shirt that Bruce probably wouldn't care if it got torn in the transition process. He had his lab coat draped over one arm, and a USB stick of some kind in his hand.
"Sorry I'm late," he said upon entering, then paused, looking at the Soldier. The Soldier gave him silence in return. Bruce cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I had a few last minute touches to put on this." He held up the USB to show it to the others.
"What is it?" the Soldier asked in an almost too flat tone.
Bruce seemed relieved. "Oh good, you talk while that's on," he said. "I wondered after the call. You uh, you didn't talk until you'd taken the face gear off. Thought maybe there was some reason for that."
Neither the Soldier nor Bucky decided to dignify that. Bucky didn't feel up for explaining his mission mindset, the Soldier's presence. Of everyone, Bruce would understand the most, but he just didn't want that conversation if he could avoid it.
"What's is it?" the Soldier asked again, a little annoyed at having to.
Bruce's relief disappeared. "That's what you're going to use to wipe copies of the project files from the records in the base," he explained in his best 'I just work here' voice. "When we get in the air, I'll upload a copy of Junior into it. All you have to do is plug it into any of their computers and she'll search and destroy. Unless there's a lot of computers in there with all the files, it shouldn't take long."
The Soldier made a noise of acknowledgement, but said nothing, no asking for how it worked beyond 'plug it in', no asking who made it, Bruce or Tony. Nothing but that noise.
Bruce took a deep breath, a little unnerved by the silence. "Anyway, we should go. Who's flying?"
"I am," Sharon said. "Maria and Bucky were both up to take Steve to the airport last night, they haven't gotten much sleep, and you have work to do."
"I suppose that makes sense," Bruce said, shooting an occasional glance at Bucky.
Maria seemed to be the only one he wasn't making nervous, and he knew she was just hiding it well. His intimidating silence during the call yesterday had been an act. Now was not an act. Now was a mission that required his focus, or his best friend would die. It was time for the Soldier, not Bucky Barnes.
At Sharon's prompting, they boarded the jet. Sharon took to the pilot's seat, and the other three strapped themselves into the seats that surrounded the central computers, waiting for Sharon to get them safely in the air before any of them moved from those spots.
Once airborne and flying steady, Maria and Bruce unbuckled, Bruce moving immediately to a computer terminal near the front of the passenger area. Maria approached the Soldier, almost as if approaching a dangerous animal. "I can put your gear away for you," she said.
For a moment, all he could do was stare up at her, although she probably couldn't tell if his eyes were focused on her or not behind the goggles. Bucky shook his head. "No," he said. "I need this."
She wasn't quite understanding. "That's not going to be comfortable to rest in. There's no need to defend ourselves in the jet."
Bucky and the Soldier argued back and forth a bit, each trying to at least come up with an explanation for the Soldier's presence that Maria would understand. Well, may as well sound like they were crazy, it was the best that Bucky's thought process could do, and the Soldier didn't know any other way of answering. "The Soldier's the only one that can get Steve out of there. I need him."
Maria crouched by him before leaning forward to look past Bucky at Bruce. "Is this like him?" she asked.
Bucky looked back at Bruce briefly. "No. The other guy is an actual person separate from Bruce." He looked back at Maria. The conversation he hadn't wanted to have was shoving itself in his face. He'd had this conversation with Tony already, a year and a half before, and he thought he had some of it crammed into Steve's brain, but he also had a feeling Steve had some denial he was still living in.
And now he had to figure out how to say it again, this time with someone who he'd never wanted to see the weapon, someone he wanted to be nothing more than the person for. But he needed the Soldier for this mission, it was the only way he could see to keep Steve alive, so he had to do it all over again. But she required different handling than Tony, so while she waited patiently, he struggled to pull sentences out of the chaotic mess in his brain.
"The Winter Soldier isn't a separate person from me," he finally said, glancing back at Bruce briefly, who didn't seem to hear him. Good. He looked at Maria. "He's part of me, even if I can't call myself both him and Bucky at the same time."
"Disassociation."
He winced. She'd hit that little nail pretty hard. "Something like that. But he's still me. He's just a side of me that I never wanted and can't get rid of. When we got out of Hydra, we got out together and never really separated. He's a killer. He's got very few morals that would stop him from completing a mission and those aren't even his morals, they're mine. That's why right now, I need him. Don't take him personally."
He waited for a response, feeling sick to his stomach and sick to his heart that she wouldn't understand, or would change her mind about how much of Hydra she actually wanted in her life if she did.
With great care, Maria reached up and took his face mask and goggles from him, and he held perfectly still, waiting for either acceptance or rejection. She gently put the gear on his lap and reached up, kissing him on the cheek. "As long as we get Bucky back."
The ease with which she said that settled his nerves. For the moment at least, she was accepting. So he took a deep breath, forcing out an acknowledgement that his brain was scrambling to give. "You will. The Soldier is how I protect people. Just let him do his work."
"Then we'll yield to his decisions," Maria said. "He has more experience at this than any of us." She stood. "Get some rest. There's not going to be a lot of chance for it later."
"You too." He pulled his face gear back on and leaned his head back against the central pillar and drifted off.
It was the jet slowing to a hovering stop that woke him, and he looked around the corner of the pillar to see Maria strapped into her seat, snapping awake seconds after him. He looked around the other side to Bruce, who was buckled in but didn't look like he'd been sleeping.
"You woke up just in time," he said. "We're about to land."
It crossed the Soldier's mind to wonder when the hell they were going to tell him, but quibbling over human alarm clocks was inefficient and a waste of time. They would've woken him at latest once they were successfully landed.
He checked around to Maria again, making sure she wasn't going to drift back off; Bucky knew from experience that if she was jolted awake- usually by a cold hand -she sometimes had trouble not falling right back to sleep. She was trying to stretch as much as possible within the belt straps, which wasn't much, but it was a sign of waking. That meant all three of his comrades were awake and aware and would be ready to get to work once the jet was properly landed.
One less thing to worry about.
They were forced to wait upon landing for technicians to come take the jet to add the needed cable rigging. He didn't know who would've called ahead to make this need known, though he suspected it was Maria, but the technicians already knowing their job made things likely to go faster. The Soldier was patient, as far as he needed to be; Steve would still be in the air over the Atlantic somewhere, far from danger for the moment. He had time before he had to start riding someone's ass to get their job done.
Maria approached him, standing at his side close enough that lowering her voice to where only he could hear was doable. "How should we address you?"
He hadn't expected that. He'd only been referred to by his code name by allies twice since escaping Hydra, back in Kiev, both times by Steve, and that had nearly spooked the Soldier away. This was different, it wasn't Steve talking to him, and it wasn't at a time where Bucky was terrified of the Soldier. "Use my real name," he said, just as low in tone. "I don't care to explain myself to the other two. They don't need to know."
"One suggestion, then. Try to let Bucky interact with Bruce more than you. You and your behaviors might make Bruce nervous and he's the last one we want to make uncomfortable with you."
She made a good point. "Noted."
Company personnel finally met up with them, technicians and a qualified pilot already swarming the jet to start work. Someone the Soldier assumed was in a management capacity met them and informed them that 'the bossman' was inside, waiting for them, and pointed them in the direction of the inner building where, he said, designs were processed and finished to direct the final product.
Upon being questioned as to who 'the bossman' was, they were informed that Tony Stark had decided to pay a visit.
Tony. Why. That's all the Soldier needed, was a pushy and bossy man who understood the difference between the Soldier and Bucky well enough to accidentally out him as to which mindset he'd sunk down into.
He'd better not say anything to Sharon or Bruce. It'd make Bruce uncomfortable, and until Sharon had proven her status as an Avenger instead of an infiltrated government agent, the Soldier wasn't interested in her knowing, either.
Hopefully, he'd be able to corner Tony on the subject privately.
The building had been pointed out to them, and it wasn't hard to navigate. It was built primarily to give engineers room to translate ideas that came out of the Avengers lab into workable reality before the grunt work was passed out to technicians and and mechanics to put the designs together. The Soldier was familiar with such facilities, against his will, and Bucky knew how Tony worked enough to find their way to a work room that Tony had probably claimed as his for when he wasn't at the Tower nor in California.
And people said Bucky stretched himself too thin.
"I was wondering when you guys would get here," Tony said as soon as he'd answered their knock on the work room door. He motioned them in. "I was expecting you about about twenty minutes ago. Was something wrong with the jet?"
"No," Sharon said. "I'm not as good of a pilot as Maria."
Tony looked at Maria. "I'd ask you why you didn't fly, but the bags under your eyes is a good answer."
"It was a long night," Maria said. "What are you doing here? Weren't you in California?"
Tony hopped up on a table. "I was. Then I was called about you guys taking off with the jet and the new uniforms. I figured something was up. I got told you were coming back this way, I decided to drop by and find out what's going on."
"We're dealing with that nest you kicked for us," Bruce said. "Turned out one of the copies got out."
"Shit." Tony looked annoyed. "I was hoping there wouldn't be any hornets in that one. Fill me in."
"There's a Hydra facility in Palestine," Maria said. "We're just going in to get rid of it before it causes problems."
Tony studied the group, pointing his finger around as he did a head count. "Where's Cap?"
"He's already gone ahead," the Soldier finally answered. "He's doing his part of the mission."
Something about the Soldier's words must've prompted something in Tony's brain, an unfortunate understanding that he knew he'd be asked about. It'd be nice if Tony didn't bother at all, but if he had to, the Soldier would pick him up by the scruff of his neck as a warning to not talk about it in front of the others.
Tony pointed at him. "You, I want to talk to. Privately, after you've caught me up on what I'm missing. And I already know you're going to leave out details."
"I will," the Soldier said firmly. "This is my mission, I make those decisions."
"Not sharing that authority with Cap?"
"Steve is not here. I am."
Tony nodded once or twice. "Okay, the rest of you, out. I gotta speak to our buddy here, since he's controlling the information. We don't want him getting upset that someone let slip something he doesn't want me to know."
It was a weak excuse to kick the others out, but it was Tony's private work room, he could kick out whoever he wanted.
Maria took charge of the other two, herding them out. They went without protest, but not without both shooting a curious and worried glance behind them.
Once the door was shut, Tony got right to his point. "So am I speaking to the Soldier, or Bucky?"
"You don't need to ask, you already know."
"Yeah, I do," Tony said. "And that worries me. You're on a mission against Hydra where you're separated from Cap and now you've jumped headfirst into an old mindset that I thought you didn't want to keep and it's clearly affecting how you're interacting with the others."
The Soldier was tired of this conversation and he'd only had to have three times over the course of almost two years. Even with some semblance of practice, it still wasn't his favorite conversation to have. He let Bucky answer, pulling off his goggles. "I need him, Tony. We sent Steve off to potentially die. He can keep Steve safe better than I can."
Tony held up his hands. "Not judging. If you feel he's needed, I'm not going to tell you not to use him. I'm just worried about you coming back from him."
"As long as I can get to Steve in time," Bucky said, although he wasn't entirely sure how much of that was him, and how much was the Soldier.
"Just remind him that you've got other friends who'd miss you and don't want to have to bring you down from a rampage if you don't get there in time."
Bucky couldn't help but take over; talking to Tony was tiring for the Soldier. "Why are you so irritatingly right on this subject?"
Tony shrugged. "Told you, I've talked a lot with Bruce. I get it's not the same, but there's similarities. And speaking of Bruce, you're going to want me to tell him what's up, if you don't do it yourself. The Soldier isn't the most pleasant of people to deal with."
"Maria already recommended I treat him with Bucky."
Tony shook his head. "Not good enough. Not unless you treat them all that way. Bruce doesn't like being singled out, and he'll still feel nervous about you if you don't treat the girls the same way. If you need the Soldier, then Bruce needs to know the difference between you. I'll talk to him. It'll be fine. Just don't let the Soldier neglect the rest of us. We're still your friends."
"You're his, too," Bucky said. "I told you, he's not like the Hulk, he's just-"
"-another personality?"
Bucky gave him the dirtiest look he could. "I do not have multiple personality disorder. The Soldier's just a scar that's not going to go away, so he may as well be useful."
"He's a coping technique."
"That's closer than calling him another personality," Bucky said. "Where the fuck did you get that idea anyway?"
Tony did that sniffing thing that drove Bucky crazy. "Well, we don't call it multiple personality disorder these days. It's called Disassociative Identity Disorder. I was thinking of the disassociation part."
Bucky really thought that people ripping apart his brain was over. Apparently not. "That's what Maria called it."
"She's right, you know," Tony said. "But okay, keep the Soldier. He's creepy as hell, but if he'll protect the team better than you, we'll put up with it."
"You're not coming along, are you?" Bucky asked in alarm. He and the Soldier both could improvise to fit Tony in, they were good at improvising, but if they didn't have to, both would breathe easier. They had a bad feeling about the idea of Tony coming along. Neither could pin down what it was, but it was a bad idea, that much was certain.
Tony's eyebrows raised. "I can't?"
Bucky hesitated. "In theory..." he said, trailing off as he tried to come up with why it felt like a bad idea for Tony to come along. It was that same nagging feeling he'd get when something in the back of his head knew something the rest of him didn't. "The plan has been worked on for the last week," he finally said. "Finding room for another person would be difficult." That last bit was the Soldier coming to Bucky's rescue.
Tony seemed to catch that. "Then I'll take my suit over to the Tower and sit on standby. I'd rather go, but if the plan's that carefully detailed, it's not worth endangering Cap just to dive into this headfirst." Then he gave Bucky a stern look. "If I'm needed, someone had better contact me right away. I'm not gonna sit by when I'm needed."
"You'll be notified," Bucky said, already slipping back into the Soldier's mind. He thought he sensed that Tony was about to give up the conversation.
Tony, for his part, didn't appear impressed that the Soldier had just answered him, but he didn't say anything on it. "Okay, before I tell you to go ride someone's ass in the hanger to get that winch and cable installed, tell me this. Who got those records that tipped you off about this base?"
Okay, so the conversation wasn't done. But this was mission briefing that the Soldier could do, as long as Tony didn't get too irritating.
"Someone in the Israeli Knesset."
Tony let out an impressive swear. "So the nest I kicked not only had hornets, it had Japanese hornets." He tapped his chin with his fist. "Okay, what're we going to do with that information?"
"Release what we can find to indict them."
"So you're helping to kick the nest. I hate you all." Tony slumped on the counter, propping one elbow on his knee and his chin in his hand. "Okay, I'll start evacuating people who can't get out on their own, your brother, Sam, Maria's dad."
There. That was what that bad feeling was. Tony could help at the facility, sure, but he was the only one who could evacuate people that might feel the fallout of the bomb they were dropping on the Middle East.
"If the Avengers have to protect Israel while Hydra is flushed from their government, you'll want Sam as an active combatant," the Soldier said. "He's very skilled with the flight pack and his guns. We'd need every fighter we could spare."
"Excellent idea. I've been working on those wings, Cap asked me to. Probably had the same thought you did."
Tony paused, looking to say more, so the Soldier and Bucky stayed quiet and let him talk. "But I'll get the others to where Hydra can't find them. We'll talk about us evacuating the Tower once we see how much damage taking out Hydra from the Israeli government causes. If it's something we can contain minimally, we'll stick around." He trailed off for a moment. "If not, I have a place I can hide the team, do our work from a less exposed place."
Tony straightened, giving them a hard stare. "Just for the love of god, don't let an Avenger die in Palestine."
"We've already discussed this at the Tower," the Soldier said. "We understand the conflict it would cause."
"If you wanna call a world war a conflict," Tony said with a derisive snort. "How about we just don't let an Avenger die at all? I'm fond of you jerks."
"And we tolerate you."
Tony scowled. "I don't like the Soldier. He's not flattering. Go on, get out of here. The hanger's back around the side of the building. Send in Bruce, I'll talk to him." He looked over at the Soldier. "What about Sharon?"
"Let her wonder," the Soldier said. "I want her to prove we can trust her before she knows any personal details."
"Another reason you're right about me not going," Tony said. "Give her a chance to be part of the action this time without me stealing the glory. We'll see where she falls."
"You don't trust her either?"
"I'm neutral," Tony said. "I like her, she's been good for Cap and his better half." Tony motioned at the Soldier at that. Ah, Bucky was the better half, despite the lack of romantic connection. The Soldier filed that in the back of Bucky's mind in case that term came up again. "Maria and Bruce seem to be friends with her too. But I know how government agencies work. I'd would've thought you'd trust her, but this mission and her resignation came with bad timing to each other, you're probably thinking the same thing. I took a chance, giving her that uniform. I want to see if she deserved that chance." He sat back, propped up by his arms. "So I guess I stay behind and let you decide if it was a good one to give her."
"I'll give you a report as soon as I have something to report."
Tony wrinkled his nose. "Get out of here."
The Soldier obeyed, not out of deference to Tony as a member of the Avengers, but because the room was his private room, and the Soldier's welcome had been revoked. He pulled his goggles back on, then stepped outside, looking at the others sitting in chairs scattered about the hallway. "Stark wants to talk to you, Banner."
Oops. That didn't sound at all like Bucky. Well, Bruce would understand soon enough.
Bruce did seem a bit off-guard by the tone, possibly by the invitation to speak privately right after Tony was done with the Soldier, but he stood. "I'll try to keep him on topic," Bruce said. "He starts rambling when he's talking to me."
Maria raised an eyebrow. "You're actually going to try to stop him?"
Looking more comfortable with Maria's quip, he smiled. "We're on a time table, that'll help." Then he disappeared into Tony's work room, shutting the door behind him.
Sharon looked at Maria. "Are we next?" she asked. "He wouldn't try to get details from all of us individually, would he? That seems like pitting us against each other."
Maria shook her head, glancing at the Soldier as he left the room. "No, he's not. I doubt he'll need to talk to you or I at all." The Soldier stayed just outside the doorway, pressed against the wall and listening in. "Bucky's in charge of this mission, Tony probably just wanted to know at least minimally what's going on. I'd be surprised if he didn't try to get in on things."
"It'd be helpful to have Iron Man out with us," Sharon said in admission.
"It would," Maria said. "But I suspect Bucky told him no, if it was asked. You've seen him the last week, this plan is down to details, depending on what we find when we get there. Adding in a new wild card might throw everything off. I'd make the same call in his position."
There was a sigh from Sharon. "Which is why I don't ever want to head a mission. I'm good at being a bodyguard, but leadership isn't my strong suit."
"It's not Bruce's, either. I can step up when needed, but I work better as a second in command. It's what I've done for years, it's what's comfortable for me."
"What about Bucky?"
Maria seemed to hesitate. "I think it depends on the situation," she said, tone careful. "He's told me stories about the Howling Commandos, there were times he took over the mission over Steve's head because Steve's plan wasn't up to his standards."
"Is that why he's been acting weird since this morning?"
A pause. "Sharon, he's been asleep most of the morning."
"I meant with keeping his face gear on. Who sleeps like that?"
"Someone who wants all his resources immediately available. I doubt he thought there'd be trouble in the jet, but..." That cautiousness came back. "He's scared, Sharon. I know you're close to Steve, but nobody will ever mean as much to Steve as Bucky, and vice versa."
"I know." Sharon didn't sound like that bothered her. "I kinda got that from listening to Steve and watching them interact. I guess I just didn't think Bucky'd start acting-"
"Like a soldier?" Maria finished, sounding vaguely amused. "Sharon, he is a soldier. You should know like anyone else who's worked in the government, part of you never leaves that behind. He's scared, focusing on the mission is helping him stay in one piece. We won't see it, but I'd be surprised if he didn't have a meltdown at Steve once this is over. Don't take him personally, just go with it."
Maria, you wonderful, smooth-talking woman. If Sharon didn't buy that, the Soldier would be surprised. Maria wasn't saying anything dishonest- the Soldier knew he'd only been called on for this job because of Bucky's fear at failing a mission that he knew the Soldier could do better.
Deciding that Sharon wasn't going to need any more explanation than she'd gotten, the Soldier left to go put some fear in the technicians to be quick and efficient about that winch and cable.