[Leipzig AU] a means to a necessary end

[nerves_of_ice]

It's a long flight from Berlin to Novosibirsk and the secret location far beyond it, even in a Quinjet. They spend the time planning and coordinating. Bucky describes the structure and security of the facility itself as best he remembers. Tony calls up plans and blueprints from god knows where and throws them into the middle of the plane for all to see. They're not the same as what Bucky remembers, they figure out fairly quickly, but they're better than nothing.

Tony also takes over the back of the plane and snaps at anyone who comes close, doing something that involves shifting screens and models of buildings and wave patterns and a human skull, and the eventually the low humming grind of a machine. Soon after, he stalks back up to the front of the plane and shoves a set of custom-fabricated earplugs at Bucky, who stares at them and then at Tony.

"Noise-cancelling all the way to total sound blackout. Tap the end of the earpiece to deafen yourself," Tony informs him. "Last thing we need's for you to be his puppet." Bucky starts to stammer a thanks, but Tony growls something under his breath and stalks back to the back of the plane again to work on something else. Steve catches Bucky's eye and shakes his head, and Bucky decides to leave well enough alone.

Sam advises everyone to rest in shifts; Bucky knows he's not wrong, but neither he nor Steve can do it, and after a while Sam stops trying to convince them. Natasha sits with him for a while, her eyes dark with concern. They don't say much, but there's no need to.

A Snowcat is parked outside the door of the facility when they land. Bucky's jaw sets in hard lines at the sight of it, and he trades a look with Steve.

They're already here.

Comments

[from_the_outside]

There's a long moment where nobody says anything. Tony Stark looks grimly vindicated; Steve's as solemn as he had been at the funeral. Sharon, who had in a very short while grown to hate the place as fervently as any she's ever hated before, squeezes Bucky's hand back and looks at him, offering silent understanding and support.

She can only imagine how he must be feeling, seeing the earth swallow the place whole.

They wait until FRIDAY informs them that all explosives have deployed and the surrounding rock is stable, and Tony nods, punches in a flight plan for Berlin. "Okay," he says. "Ice cream's on me, guys."

[nerves_of_ice]

It's just as long of a flight back to Berlin as it was to Siberia in the first place, but it feels faster, somehow.

Natasha and Sam split shifts guarding Zemo, while Steve and Tony trade off piloting duties. Bucky quietly offers to help with either or both, only to be waved off. He doesn't fight it, and ignores any internal whispers that suggest he's an intruder in the Avengers' routine; he knows better. Instead, he busies himself watching over Sharon, making sure she rests, and thinking about what lies ahead of them all.

[from_the_outside]

She doesn't offer to spell Nat or Sam, even though she knows she should. She even wants to.

But Zemo beat her once already, when she had a home field advantage and no cracked skull or bruised muscles. If something were to happen, she's not sure she could manage him, and that hurts as much as any of the rest of it.

She doesn't offer to spell Steve or Tony, either, though she could. After all, she'd told Zemo she could fly the Quinjet.

Instead she subjects to Bucky's concerned wishes and tries to rest, even though it's almost impossible. She doesn't talk any more about what happened; she doesn't talk much at all, instead losing herself to long periods of disassociation where her mind goes mercifully blank.

Only once they start the descent into Berlin does she realize she has no idea where she'll be staying once they get in. Her apartment is likely still a mess; she's not even sure it's secure anymore. But where else is there to go?

It's a question that thankfully evaporates from her mind as the jet lands and the ramp descends onto a tarmac that is absolutely filled with Task Force personnel, Everett Ross at the forefront.

She huffs a small laugh. Of course he's here.

[nerves_of_ice]

"Steve, why don't you and Tony bring Zemo out together?" Natasha suggests. "I'll follow with Agent Carter." Bucky has to stifle a smile at how neatly she's orchestrated it, but he has to admit it's a good idea.

"Guess that leaves me and the Tin Man bringing up the rear," Sam teases, and Bucky rolls his eyes as Natasha mimes a slow punch at the other man, who pretends to cringe from her. "Didn't say it was a bad idea, did I?"

All joking's set aside, though, when the ramp lowers. Steve has a tight grip on Zemo's arm as he and Tony walk him down the ramp and into the custody of the waiting Task Force personnel. "I want him on Sublevel Five," Ross orders, with a bared-teeth grin at Zemo. "It'll be nice and familiar for him."

As his team takes Zemo away, he nods a cursory thanks to Steve and Tony, already looking past them to someone else. "Agent Carter."

[from_the_outside]

She's intensely grateful for the painkillers that let her stand up straight as she and Nat come down the ramp together. Steve and Tony move out of the way, flanking the Task Force team that puts Zemo into a waiting car, and Ross starts forward to meet her.

"Sir," she says, and gestures to the team: Steve, Tony, Nat, Sam... Bucky. "I can't begin to express my gratitude to everyone who came to get me. And to you, for coordinating the response so quickly."

[marvel_npc]

She's pale as a damn ghost, but holding herself at attention all the same, and Ross feels a rush of pride.

"Least we could do," he says, gruffly. "Welcome back, Agent Carter."

He turns to Rogers and Stark, with an acknowledging nod for Romanoff and Wilson, and hell, Barnes too - that's a problem to sort out another day, tomorrow, probably. "The Task Force sincerely appreciates your service," he says. "Let's reconvene tomorrow, my office, promptly at nine A.M., to debrief."

He shoots a sharp look at Carter. "You, too. Assuming you're out of the hospital by then."

[from_the_outside]

Sharon starts. "Sir – " she says, but stops as he shoots a glare at her.

"I don't want to hear it, Carter," he snaps. "Get yourself checked out. That's an order."

[marvel_npc]

"Why don't I take you by the clinic?" Nat suggests, lightly, but not without sympathy. "And we'll go from there."

She's perfectly well aware of James practically vibrating behind them, but at least he has the good sense to keep his mouth shut.

[from_the_outside]

"Suits me," says Ross, before Sharon can protest. "We've got a car waiting for you, right over here."

Sharon gives him a rueful look – her boss knows her too well – and turns to the others. "See you later," she says.

Bucky looks strained and worried; she gives him a small smile to ease his concern before turning and heading with Nat to the waiting car.

[nerves_of_ice]

It’s completely unreasonable of him to feel that he can’t let Sharon out of his sight or something bad will happen. He knows it. He knows it.

It doesn’t stop him from feeling it, but at least he can keep from acting on it. Bucky looks away from the car and finds himself met with a gimlet stare from Ross. “Will you be coming back to the Center tonight, Sergeant Barnes?”

[marvel_npc]

"Actually, I was thinking we'd all hang out at the hotel," Tony says, butting in without a hint of self-consciousness.

"I've got a floor reserved for us. All of us. Plenty of room. Nice beds. Continental breakfast. All the amenities. And we'll be able to travel together back to the Center tomorrow morning. Good enough for you, Deputy Commander?"

[marvel_npc]

Oh, the Secretary’s going to love this. He can already feel the headache starting.

“Good enough,” he says, crisply. “Then I’ll see you - all of you - in the morning.”

[marvel_npc]

"Great," says Tony, and turns to the others.

"We gotta get going. There is a very large delivery of ice cream arriving at the hotel and we can't let it melt. Also, drinks. Who wants drinks? I want a drink. Let's go."

[nerves_of_ice]

“I’m in,” Sam says, easily, and casts Steve a quick glance that Bucky can’t quite read before he starts walking with Tony in the direction of the hotel.

Bucky gives Steve a glance of his own as the remaining Task Force agents disperse, following Ross’s lead. “So,” he starts, uncertain. “Hotel? I guess?”

[marvel_npc]

"Seems that way," says Steve.

He's not quite sure how to express to Bucky what a good thing this is, how normal it is for Tony to do something like this. What a good sign it is that he's inviting not just Bucky, but Steve and Sam along.

Maybe they'll be able to figure out a way around or with the Accords after all. "I'll shoot Nat a text, let her know where to join us when they're done."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Okay."

He honestly doesn't know what he'd expected. Not really that Ross would start the fight into the question of the Winter Soldier's removal and disposition, not right then and there, but he hadn't really assumed he'd be anywhere but under watch at the Center. But he's not, and Tony had - and they're all --

He can't really think about it, not now, so for once he doesn't try. He lets himself ignore all the corners and angles and potential traps. He lets himself just fall in at Steve's side, and follows, and doesn't think about anything at all.

[marvel_npc]

When Tony had said he'd arranged hotel space for them, what he'd meant was that he'd bought out the penthouse floor and the floor below it, which means they get their choice of rooms, plenty of space, and access via FRIDAY to the hotel's security systems.

Steve's not sure the hotel knows about that last part, but they're all so edgy and paranoid right now that even he doesn't put up much of a fight about it.

And when Tony had said there'd be an ice cream delivery, what he'd meant was that he'd sent for more gallons than any of them could ever eat, plus all the possible toppings, to turn the penthouse kitchen and dining area into a pop-up sundae bar.

Steve, accustomed to Tony's food reward system, digs in without comment, and has to admit it actually does help.

Or maybe that's just sitting with the others, a beer at hand and a half-finished sundae in front of him, listening as Sam and Tony chat and occasionally interspersing a comment himself.

It's nice. Even after everything.

[nerves_of_ice]

It's almost unimaginable luxury everywhere he looks, along with an almost unthinkable amount of choice, and for a split second Bucky's certain he's going to collapse. Somehow he manages to keep from freezing in place like a startled deer as they walk into the penthouse suite.

Steve's acting like this is normal. Maybe it is normal, for Tony Stark, for the Avengers, for those around them. Maybe it's just him who's broken.

He trails the others like a shadow through the room. He shakes his head at the sundae bar - when was the last time he had ice cream? He doesn't know, and it's not been something that he'd spent any time seeking out in the last few years - but fills one of the glasses as much like everyone else as he can.

If his selections happen to mirror Steve's, hopefully no one will notice. He can't make those decisions, not right now. He can't.

Bucky settles carefully in an armchair and listens to the conversation between Tony and Sam, and does his best to be near-invisible. Steve's happy. He will be, too.

[from_the_outside]

* * * * *

"Agent Carter," the receptionist at the clinic greets her. "How nice to see you. Again."

She makes a face at him and fills out the necessary forms, then takes a seat with Nat in the waiting room.

They can't possibly keep her overnight. She's fine. It's not like this is the first time she'll have to recover from a concussion or a fight.

(It is the first time she has to recover from being put into a cryo tank and drugged with God only knows what, but she does her best not to think about that just now.)

[marvel_npc]

"So...," Nat drawls. "Come here often?"

She stretches her legs out in front of the chair, crosses her ankles, and slants a sideways look at Sharon.

[from_the_outside]

"No," Sharon says, annoyed, then purses her lips, forced to amend.

"It's just that I was here recently. Checking up on some broken ribs."

[marvel_npc]

"Uh-huh." Annoyance is good. Annoyance is resistance, which is the opposite of compliance, which means the injection isn't reasserting its hold. Nat decides it's one of the very, very few times in her life she's been truly grateful for the existence of cryostasis.

"Should I ask?"

[from_the_outside]

"Got shot while wearing body armor," Sharon tells her, after a second's deliberation.

This isn't really the time or place to tell Nat the whole story. "Plus some hand to hand. It wasn't that bad."

[marvel_npc]

"Ouch," she says, lightly. "Better to be shot with than without the armor, though."

"Mrs. Carter?" the nurse calls, and Nat manages to stifle a laugh. "They never do manage to get that quite right, do they? It's the language," she murmurs. "Want me to come back with you?"

[from_the_outside]

"You'd think they'd stick with 'agent,'" Sharon mutters, as she gets up.

Her thoughts are still a little slower than she'd like, but it doesn't take her long to consider and nod. "Yeah. Then they can see I've got someone to go back with."

There's no way in hell she's staying here overnight.