[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]

"He would have won without the drug," she says, grimacing. She's trembling now, but it's with anger instead of cold.

"He did win. He had me on the floor. The drug just made it easier to get to the plane."

[nerves_of_ice]

What comes to his mind in that moment, as he holds her closer still, feeling the way she shivers, is a flicker of memory from long, long ago, when talking to an eager group of students at the YMCA.

"Down isn't always out," he murmurs. "But nobody wins every fight. There's no shame in that."

[from_the_outside]

"It was this time," she says, feeling suddenly tired and defeated.

He could have killed her, she knows. He didn't have to bring her all the way up to Siberia. He could have murdered her and left her for Steve to find and brought him there that way.

She's only alive because Zemo wanted to twist the knife. Not through any skill of her own. "I barely got a hit in. And then, this – "

She indicates her bruised cheek. "Wasn't even part of the fight. He slapped me just to make sure the drug was working. Or to humiliate me. Or for fun. Maybe all three."

[nerves_of_ice]

"I may kill him yet," Bucky mutters. "I'm sorry, baby."

[from_the_outside]

She breathes out through her nose and takes a deeper, longer breath in. "There wasn't much more after that," she murmurs.

"I told you most of it. He asked me a bunch of questions and I answered them all. He gave me a cover – told me to pretend to be his girlfriend. And to get him to the airport. Which I did. I helped him set things up in the facility. And then..."

She shrugs, very slightly. "I don't remember anything after getting into the chamber. Not until you opened it."

[nerves_of_ice]

The cover would work. Of course it would. Which is why Zemo picked it, after mining Sharon's mind for intel.

It still infuriates him, thinking of how Sharon must feel. He keeps petting her arm, and tips his head to lean it against hers. "No, you wouldn't remember anything," he says, softly.

[from_the_outside]

She nudges her head against his and closes her eyes, winding her arms around his neck.

"He didn't count on you, though," she mutters, fierce. "He got it wrong. All of it."

She's viciously happy that Bucky hadn't had a chance to update her, that she'd had no idea that Tony already knew, that they'd had a chance to start working through it all. "He must have been so surprised. Asshole."

[nerves_of_ice]

"He thought you and Steve were together," Bucky tells her.

[from_the_outside]

"Yeah," she says, rueful.

"Fortunately he was so sure he was right he didn't bother confirming in clear terms. And he only asked what you were doing with the Task Force. He didn't tell me to elaborate."

[nerves_of_ice]

He traces the line of her cheek, then tucks her hair behind her ear.

"Protecting me, huh?" he murmurs.

[from_the_outside]

"I wish it were that," she tells him, honestly, tipping her head into his touch.

It was probably just that the drug took away her ability to proactively elaborate or determine that other information, not specifically asked for, might be desired. "Maybe it was, deep down."

[nerves_of_ice]

He presses a kiss to her temple, then stays there, just breathing, for several seconds.

"Do you want me to tell you what happened while you were out of it?" he asks, finally.

[from_the_outside]

She nods, slightly.

"Better to hear it now than at the debrief," she murmurs.

[nerves_of_ice]

He nods as well, presses another kiss to her hair, and pulls back a little - although he continues to hold her close.

"Nat and Sam stayed above," he starts. "We knew he was already there, because of the Snowcat. The plan was they'd be on extraction, looking for you, but in case any of the Soldiers had been activated... we needed them above. I went in with Steve and Tony, and led them to the silo chamber."

There's no humor in his grim expression. "After all, I knew the way."

[from_the_outside]

She nods and loosens her arms from around him, setting one hand at the crook of his neck and drawing her thumb gently over his skin.

"And you thought he'd come for the other Soldiers," she murmurs. "So of course you'd start there."

[nerves_of_ice]

He nods again. "I don't know if you were in the tank by then or not," Bucky tells her. "But he killed them. All five. A single shot to the head. Said he didn't want 'more of you.'"

[from_the_outside]

"I wasn't," she says, glancing down and holding back a shiver. "He took care of them before he put me in."

[nerves_of_ice]

His arms tighten around her for a moment at that before he consciously makes himself relax his hold.

"He set up shop in the silo control chamber. Meant it was too tough to break in - so he could taunt them for a while. Steve and Tony, really. I don't think he sees me exactly the same."

A tool to control; a weapon to wield, he thinks. Based on the fate of the flawed Soldiers, maybe something to be eliminated.

"He had a video set up." Each word is bleak and bitter, and achingly clear. "Surveillance camera. From the mission. Howard and Maria. Tony saw it all."

[from_the_outside]

She nods and strokes her fingers through his hair, as soothing as she can manage.

"I'm sorry, baby," she murmurs. "It must have been hard to watch. For all of you."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Worst for him. If Steve and I hadn't told him earlier... I don't know what would have happened. As it was, it was damn close."

He sighs, long and slow. "But he held it together. Somehow. Steve grabbed him before he could draw a bead on me, long enough for him to get himself under control. And then he blasted at Zemo instead."

[from_the_outside]

She tenses as he tells her that Tony Stark almost went for him anyway, then blows out a long breath, shivering at the thought of what could have happened.

Thank God for Steve. Thank God. And she was right there, but wouldn't have known... maybe not ever, if they'd lost.

"Good for Tony," she murmurs. Her heart aches for him. "I hope it helped."

[nerves_of_ice]

“Might have helped him, but he couldn’t get through the chamber. Too well shielded.”

His arm tightens around her, just a little.

“So Zemo used the words.”

[from_the_outside]

She shudders and pulls herself close enough to nudge her head against his, just for a moment. "He's a monster," she murmurs.

When she pulls back, she ghosts her fingertips over his ear, where the life-saving plug had been. "Thank God Tony made you those earplugs."

[nerves_of_ice]

“Yeah.” He strokes his hand over her back, gentle and soothing, as he remembers the triumph in Zemo’s voice when he’d given the order.

“I faked it,” he tells her. “He thought he had me. “I gave Steve a hand signal so he know, and we fought. Made it look real.”

[from_the_outside]

Like in Thessaloniki, but with much higher stakes. She tucks his drying hair back over his ear and nods.

"And Tony? He went for Zemo while you two were distracting him?"