It's Now or Never

Part 10

We all rode in a truck to who knows where right now, amidst the convoy is a gray armed truck, inside is Bucky wearing restraints inside a prison pod. Three armed guards sit on the other side of the glass-walled pod. The convoy turns a corner onto a bridge across the river as our SUV follows.
"So, you like cats?" Sam says to T'Challa.
"Sam." Steve and I both say in stern voices at the same time.
"What? Dude shows up dressed like a cat and you don't wanna know more?" Sam says trying to defend himself.
"Your suit... it's Vibranium?" Steve asks T'Challa.
"The Black Panther has been the protector of Wakanda for generations. A mantle passed from warrior to warrior. And now, because your friend murdered my father, I also wear the mantle of king. So, I ask you... as both warrior and king... how long do you think you can keep your friend safe from me?"
There was then an awkward and silent ride after there and I was happy to see we had arrived. We all got out of the SUV and followed the crowd. Steve glanced across at Bucky who doesn't spot him as he is taken away. With Sam, T'Challa, and I, Steve approaches Sharon who's standing with a diminutive, gray-head man.
"What's gonna happen to him?" Steve asked.
"Same thing that ought to happen to you. Psychological evaluation and extradition." The man said.
"This is Everett Ross, Deputy Task Force Commander," Sharon said to us.
"What about our lawyers?" Steve said.
"Lawyers. That's funny. See their weapons are placed in lockup. Oh, we'll write you a receipt." Everett Ross said.
"I better not look out the window and see anybody flying around in that," Sam said to a group of soldiers carrying his Falcon suit.
We began to walk down a hall as Ross continued to talk.
"You'll be provided with an office instead of a cell. Now, do me a favor, stay in it?"
"I don't intend on going anywhere," T'Challa says.
Natasha then joined us and walked next to Steve.
"For the record, this is what making things worse looks like." She said.
"He's alive," Steve said back.
We walked into a room to find Tony on the phone.
"No. Romania was not Accords-sanctioned. And, Colonel Rhodes is supervising cleanup." He said into the phone.
"Try not to break anything while we fix this," Natasha said to us as she walked over to Tony.
"Consequences? You bet there'll be consequences. Obviously, you can quote me on that 'cause I just said it. Anything else? Thank you, sir." Tony said.
He hung up and turned to look at all of us.
"'Consequences'?" Steve asked.
"Secretary Ross wants you both prosecuted. Had to give him something." Tony said.
"I'm not getting that shield back, am I?" Steve said.
"Technically, it's the government's property. Wings, too." Natasha said
"That's cold," Sam said.
"Warmer than jail," Tony responded.
We then were brought to our so-called office where we watched a secured chamber a guard connects a pipe to Bucky's prison pod on a screen. The lights inside dim for a moment. Tony then founds Steve and me in the glass-walled office overlooking the control room.
"Hey, you wanna see something cool? I pulled something from Dad's archives. Felt timely." Tony said to us. He showed us two pens in a black presentation box.
"FDR signed the Lend-Lease bill with these in 1941. Provided support to the Allies when they needed it most." Tony told us.
"Some would say it brought our country closer to war," Steve said back.
"See? If not for these, you wouldn't be here. I'm trying to... What do you call it? That's an olive branch. Is that what you call it?" Tony said as he sat down on top of the corner of the table.
"Is Pepper here? I didn't see her." Steve asked.
"We're kinda... Well, not kinda..." Tony stumbled through his words.
"Pregnant?" Steve asked.
"No. Definitely not. We're taking a break. It's nobody's fault." Tony said.
"I'm so sorry, Tony. I didn't know." Steve said.
"A few years ago, I almost lost her, so I trashed all my suits. Then, we had to mop up HYDRA... and then Ultron. My fault. And then, and then, and then, I never stopped. Because the truth is I don't wanna stop. I don't wanna lose her. And Steve you don't want to lose Hayes over here. I thought maybe the Accords could split the difference. In her defense, I'm a handful. Yet, Dad was a pain in the ass, but he and mom always made it work. And you and Hayes always have each other's back. It quite frankly makes me sick you two work out so well." Tony said with a sigh.
Steve turned to me and smiled at me as I held his hand.  He then turned back to Tony giving him a quick pat on the shoulder.
"You know, I'm glad Howard got married. I only knew him when he was young and single." Steve said happily.
"Oh, really? You two knew each other? He never mentioned that. Maybe only a thousand times. God, I hated you." Tony said.
"I don't mean to make things difficult," Steve said honestly.
"I know because you're a very polite person."
"If I see a situation pointed south... I can't ignore it. Sometimes I wish I could."
"No, you don't." Tony snapped back.
"No, I don't. Sometimes..." Steve says.
"See Hayes, doesn't that bother you?" Tony asked me.
"It's all he knows. How can I hate him for it? It's all Sam and I know growing up pretty much in the military. It can be hard to step away." I said.
Tony huffed and went back to yelling at Steve.
"Sometimes I wanna punch you in your perfect teeth. But I don't wanna see you gone. We need you, Cap. So far, nothing's happened that can't be undone, if you sign. We can make the last 24 hours legit. Barnes gets transferred to an American psych-center... instead of a Wakandan prison."
Steve frowns thoughtfully, dropping the hand he was holding, and picks up one of the fountain pens. He stands up and paces, then turns to Tony.
"I'm not saying it's impossible, but there would have to be safeguarded." Steve finally says.
"Sure. Once we put out the PR fire, those documents can be amended. I'd file a motion to have you and Wanda reinstated..." Tony says.
"Wanda? What about Wanda?" I ask Tony.
"She's fine. She's confined to the compound, currently. Vision's keeping her company."
"Oh God, Tony! Every time. Every time I think you see things the right way..." Steve says.
"What? It's 100 acres with a lap pool. It's got a screening room. There are worse ways to protect people." Tony says to us.
"Protection? Is that how you see this? This is protection? It's internment, Tony." I snap at him.
"She's not a US citizen," Tony responds.
"Oh, come on, Tony." Steve wines.
"And they don't grant visas to weapons of mass destruction."
"She's a kid!" Steve says.
"GIVE ME A BREAK! I'm doing what has to be done... to stave off something worse." Tony says.
"You keep telling yourself that." Steve puts the pen down. "Hate to break up the set."
Steve and I leave the office as Tony watches Bucky on one of the control room's screens.
We walk into another office with Sharon and Sam. We sit down as the interview with Buck plays in the background.
"The receipt for your gear," Sharon says to us.
"'Bird costume'? Come on." Sam whines.
"I didn't write it." Sharon pushes a button that stops the restriction on the audio from Bucky's evaluation.
Interviewer: I'm not here to judge you. I just want to ask you a few questions. Do you know where you are, James? I can't help you if you don't talk to me, James.
Bucky Barnes: My name is Bucky.
Steve studies the blurry photograph of the man who bombed the congress in Vienna as we listen to the interview.
"Why would the Task Force release this photo, to begin with?" Steve asks.
"Get the word out, involve as many eyes as we can?"Sharon answers.
"Right. It's a good way to flush a guy out of hiding. Set off a bomb, get your picture taken. Get seven billion people looking for the Winter Soldier." Steve says.
"You're saying someone framed him to find him," I said to Steve.
"Steve, we looked for the guy for two years and found nothing," Sam said.
"We didn't bomb the UN. That turns a lot of heads." Steve says.
"Yeah, but that doesn't guarantee that whoever framed him would get him. It guarantees that we would." Sharon's gaze falls on the evaluator on the screen, her eyes narrow.
"Yeah," Steve says looking at the screen.
Interviewer: Tell me, Bucky. You've seen a great deal, haven't you?
Bucky Barnes: I don't want to talk about it.
Interviewer: You fear that... if you open your mouth, the horrors might never stop. Don't worry.
The next thing we knew was the power went out.
"Sub-level 5, east wing," Sharon yells to us. We take off running towards Bucky.
Steve, Sam, and I arrive outside the chamber. Red emergency lights flash all around. There are many agents slumped on the floor. All of them are out cold.
"Help me. Help." The interviewer calls out. Steve is quick to run into the room.
"Get up," Steve says sternly as he grabs the man and shoves him against the wall.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Steve asks the man aggressively.
"To see an empire fall." The man says.
As I enter the room, Bucky swings his fist at me which smashes through the wall as I duck out of the way. Bucky then grabs me by the jaw and throws me at the open pod. I weakly roll over on the ground to see Steve lurch into a fight with Bucky and land a punch which Bucky barely feels. Bucky kicks and punches Steve out of the chamber. Steve continues to block Bucky's punches, but one of Bucky's punches sends Steve tumbling into the darkened elevator shaft.
Man on PA #1: Der Ostflügel ist kompromittiert. Ich wiederhole: Der Ostflügel ist kompromittiert. (The east wing is compromised. I repeat: the east wing ist compromised.)
"Hey," I call over to Sam pointing at the man who interviewed Bucky.
He bolts and Sam chases after him as I get up.
"God the fucking hurt," I mumble to myself and I stray to break into a sprint to catch up with everyone.
Sam continues to chases the man up a stairwell. As I follow close behind. The adrenaline keeping me going and from feeling the pain anymore. I turn my head back quickly to see Tony fighting Bucky and then Bucky fighting Natasha. I hesitate and decide to just follow Sam.
Outside staff flees the buildings masses. Sam and I are among them as we try and spot the man. I quickly spot something on the ground. He picks it up not really sure what it is.
"Damn it," Sam says as he looks around the wide courtyard and scowls.

We ended up finding Steve with a knocked-out Bucky and knew we needed to get out of here. We found an abandoned warehouse and decided to hide out here and wait for Bucky to wake up and to think of a plan. I stood at a window looking up at the sky. Steve was close to me as Sam stood next to Bucky.
"Hey, Cap!" Sam calls out. Steve goes over to join Sam by Bucky who sits with his arm in the vice. They stare at him.
"Steve," Bucky says.
"Which Bucky am I talking to?" Steve asks.
"Your mom's name was Sarah. You used to wear newspapers in your shoes."
"Can't read that in a museum," Steve says.
"Just like that, we're supposed to be cool?" I snapped at Steve as I walked over to them from the window.
"What did I do?" Bucky asked.
"Enough," Steve said.
I scuffed and threw my hands up.
"Steve he could of-" I started to argue until Steve glared at me.
"Oh, God, I knew this would happen. Everything HYDRA put inside me is still there. All he had to do was say the goddamn words." Bucky said.
"Who was he?" Sam asked
"I don't know," Bucky said.
"People are dead. The bombing, the setup. The doctor did all that just to get 10 minutes with you. I need you to do better than I don't know." Steve snapped at him.
"He wanted to know about Siberia. Where I was kept. He wanted to know exactly where."
"Why would he need to know that?" Steve asked Bucky.
"Because I'm not the only Winter Soldier."
"Who were they?" Steve asked.
"Their most elite death squad. More kills than anyone in HYDRA history. And that was before the serum."
"They all turn out like you?" Sam asked.
"Worse," Bucky said coldly.
"The doctor, could he control them?" I asked.
"Enough," Bucky said.
"Said he wanted to see an empire fall."
"With these guys, he could do it. They speak 30 languages, can hide in plain sight, infiltrate, assassinate, destabilize, They can take a whole country down in one night. You'd never see them coming."
Sam steps up to Steve.
"This would have been a lot easier a week ago," Sam said.
"If we call Tony..." Steve starts.
"No, he won't believe us," I said shaking my head.
"Even if he did..." Steve says.
"Who knows if the Accords would let him help," I said crossing my arms over my chest.
"We're on our own," Steve says.
"Maybe not. I know a guy." Sam asks looking at us.
I was frustrated with this whole situation. I walked back over to the window and sat down next to it as Sam and Steve continued to talk. I started to play with my hands, trying to calm myself down as Steve noticed me and walked over.
"Is everything ok?" Steve asked as he sat next to me.
"Ya... ya fine," I said throwing my head back and resting it against the wall.
Steve reaches out and lightly grabbed my face. He looked at all the bruises and cuts.
"I'm..." He started to say, but I cut him off.
"Don't say you're sorry. I wanted to be involved in this and I still do. I hope that shows how much you mean to me, Steve. You mean everything to me. It's just, Bucky scares me of how unstable he really is. I thought he would, I guess just get better without being in Hydra's control." I said shifting my body so I could rest my head on his shoulder.
"When this is all over. We will find a way to help him." Steve said as he kissed the top of my head.