Steve rubbed the bandage that covered his hand, watching August through the one-way glass.
His heart ached for her. It was not fair that she was in here- if it was up to Steve, they would have dropped her on an island somewhere and left her alone. She did not deserve to be imprisoned.
But it was not his call to make.
He felt a presence next to him and turned, his arms crossed over his chest. Tony was watching August as well, his eyes much harder than Steve would have hoped.
"The WTC agreed with my testimony. She's much too dangerous to let free."
Steve did not look at him. His eyes were glued on August. She sat in the white jumpsuit, her hands bound in the power-lock cuffs that reached her elbows. In the month since the battle in Manhattan, the gash on her forehead had healed nicely, leaving an almost undetectable thin white scar.
"The verdict?" His voice was low, like he was scared to ask. Tony shifted his weight.
"Twenty-five years in the Raft." His sentence was interrupted by Steve's deep sigh. "But no solitary and no death penalty. Look, I get that you sympathize with her, or whatever, but she killed people, Steve."
"If I had woken up in a 21st century hospital after my time on ice, I probably would have flipped out too," Steve looked over at Tony. "Only difference is I'm not capable of destruction at that level. Put yourself in her shoes, Tony. You would have reacted the same way. And now she's losing another two and a half decades? Who knows if she'll even live that long?"
"She will." Tony nodded. "The nerve agent that SHIELD put her on keeps her preserved like a mummy. At least she won't be in a coma this time."
"No. Just locked in a cage in the middle of the ocean." Steve shifted his body to be facing Tony. "Tony, what if we agree to take her on? Reduce her sentence and go in and train her while she's in the Raft? After a year or two, if she's deemed fit, she can come to the compound and join the team. She could be a real asset."
"You two sound like gay dads arguing over your delinquent, troubled child." Natasha strode into the room, slipping her phone into her pocket. "Steve, I don't get why you care so much. She was just another assignment."
Steve pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Look. Thor is gone. Banner is gone. If we have another problem like Ultron or Loki, we've lost our two heavy-hitters. What happens if a new threat arises, and someone who could seriously help is locked at the bottom of the ocean?"
Tony shook his head.
"We have Wanda now. And Vision. Besides, I don't trust that woman as far as I can throw her. If you lead in with promises of freedom, she'll say anything just to get out, and then slip back into the world before we even know that she's gone."
"She did stick me in a hole, Steve. I'm not all the way over that."
Steve stared at them.
"We were fighting Wanda once too. She's proof that August can be helped. I'm gonna approach Haze about it."
"My money bought that compound dude. My money, my call." Tony raised his eyebrows, practically daring Steve to challenge him. Steve looked back at August, who was still staring at the table in front of her. "Look, I've gotta get home. Pasha's science fair is at six and I can't miss it. You two have fun staring at little-miss-bioterrorist."
With that, Tony left the room, leaving Steve and Natasha in silence. She looked up at him through her lashes, her brow furrowed.
"She's not Bucky, Steve."
YOU ARE READING
SURVIVE ➤ BUCKY BARNES
Fanfiction"i think of you-" "think of me?" August had never identified as a hero. She had never chosen to do what she did. Spending her entire life as a pawn in somebody else's wretched game. She was whatever they made her - a hero, a...
