[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

[marvel_npc]

Ross had thought his headache couldn't get any worse after the frustrating half-hour or so that he'd just spent questioning that asshole, Helmut Zemo, but apparently he'd been wrong.

"Who did you say is here?" He stares at the junior agent. "Where is he?"

"Meeting with Tony Stark, sir," the agent reports. "In the north conference room."

"Just Tony Stark?" He can feel his headache getting worse by the second now. "Where are the rest of them?"

"Yes sir," the agent replies. "Agents Riley and Carter escorted Captain Rogers, Mr. Wilson, and Sergeant Barnes back to the Center residences."

This is a clusterfuck of epic proportions, but it's not an utter disaster yet. He hopes. "Get security on the line and remind them that they're supposed to let me know directly when 'distinguished guests' arrive, and I don't care if it's the President himself. I want the names of whoever's on door duty today."

Ross turns away, already stabbing at Carter's number on his mobile.

[from_the_outside]

They're a few corridors away when Sharon's phone buzzes in her pocket. She reaches for it quickly – it could be Bucky, he could already be in trouble – and sighs as she sees the number.

Activating the call, she puts the phone to her ear. "Hi, sir. Agent Riley and I are en route to you now."

[marvel_npc]

"Then don't waste time talking to me," he snaps. "Get here now, Carter. I want you both in my office in the next minute or I'll know the reason why."

Ross disconnects the call and goes searching in his desk for aspirin.

[from_the_outside]

Sharon exchanges a glance with Riley as she slides her phone back into her pocket, and they redouble their pace.

Only a minute or two later, they enter Ross's office for the second time that day. Riley closes the door as Sharon comes to stand in front of the desk, her expression wry. "You heard about our surprise visitor, I take it?"

[marvel_npc]

"Eventually," he grits out. "Sitrep, Carter. You too, Riley. How bad is it?"

[from_the_outside]

"Bad."

She speaks while Riley comes to stand by her side, straight-backed and serious. "It almost seems like the Secretary isn't here for Zemo at all. He's completely focused on Sergeant Barnes."

Sharon watches Ross, unaware of the bleak shadows in her eyes beneath her iron mask of professionalism. "It's only a matter of time before he interviews Zemo. And we have to assume Zemo will make use of his most valuable leverage and offer the Secretary the activation codes to the Winter Soldier in exchange for leniency."

[marvel_npc]

"Fuck," he hisses, then pins Riley with a sharp look. "Anything to add?"

[from_the_outside]

"Yes, sir," Riley responds, instantly. "Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes decided on a contingency plan. They, uh..."

He glances at Sharon, who picks up the thread of his thought. "They went to King T'Challa," she says, smoothly. "And formally requested political sanctuary for Sergeant Barnes in Wakanda."

She pauses for a heartbeat. "King T'Challa granted their request."

[marvel_npc]

Ross stares at them. He can't possibly have heard that correctly.

"Are you seriously telling me," he breathes, "that the Winter Soldier has been given political asylum against the United States government, by the Wakandans?"

[from_the_outside]

Sharon breathes, very carefully.

"Yes, sir," she says. "That's what I'm telling you."

[marvel_npc]

"Did they say why?"

He was wrong. This is a disaster.

"Does the Secretary know?"

[from_the_outside]

"Not in English," Sharon says, dry. "But it seems as though King T'Challa is grateful for the Sergeant's help in apprehending his father's murderer. Past that, you'd have to ask him yourself."

"And no," Riley puts in. "We don't believe the Secretary knows yet. It only just happened."

[marvel_npc]

"Well, there's that." Ross plants both hands flat against his desk and leans on them, staring down at nothing as his mind races.

"Romanoff went looking for Stark. We'll just have to hope she can help him occupy the Secretary for a few minutes more," he says, finally, looking up. "I need to talk to King T'Challa. Carter, with me, and don't give me any backtalk about the paperwork."

His gaze pins Riley. "Agent, I'd previously been planning on assigning you to the Avengers to keep an eye on Barnes. Obviously that's gone sideways now, so if you want out of this mess and back to your desk, now's the time to speak up. Otherwise, join us."

[from_the_outside]

"I'll come, sir," Riley says, immediately. "What can I say, I'm invested, now."

The ghost of a smile touches the corner of Sharon's lips before she nods and moves to get the door for Ross and Riley, hoping fervently as she does that the Wakandan security is as good as T'Challa boasted.

[marvel_npc]

As they leave his office, Ross considers posting an agent outside the north conference room to alert him once Thunderbolt leaves it, and decides against it. Delay in finding him might give a few seconds of plausible deniability about something, and right now he's grasping at any straw he can.

In a fulminating silence, he strides down the corridors with Carter and Riley, heading toward the conference rooms and offices that have been set aside for the Wakandan team. He notices a couple of the guards trade looks as they approach before focusing back intently on him.

He's not sure what it means, but probably not anything good. Why would it be, when this whole day has been hell in the making?

[from_the_outside]

The guards let them back inside, and she relaxes minutely when she sees Bucky again, standing with Steve and T'Challa.

Everything is a mess, but at least he's still all right, for a few more minutes.

"Ah," says T'Challa, turning to face them. "Deputy Commander. Welcome."

[marvel_npc]

"Your Highness," Ross responds. "Captain Rogers. Sergeant Barnes." His tone flattens on the man's name, and he sees Rogers register it, but oh well.

"I've just received some interesting news."

[marvel_npc]

"It seems to be a day for that sort of thing," T'Challa says, blandly polite.

"How can I help you?"

[marvel_npc]

"You could tell me that you're not considering putting Wakanda at odds with the United States over one of its citizens," he says.

"Because that could lead to all kinds of problems."

[marvel_npc]

T'Challa spreads his hands. "I granted a request for political asylum," he says. "As is my sovereign right. Whether it puts us at odds is entirely in the hands of the United States."

He clasps his hands behind his back once more and considers Ross. "He will be safe from those who would misuse him in Wakanda. Can you promise the same if he returns home?"

[marvel_npc]

The answer's no, and everyone in this room knows it. If they hadn't before - Riley, maybe - they do now, given the way his jaw clenches tight at the question.

Barnes is standing perfectly still, he notices, and perfectly silent, apparently calm and undisturbed by any of this. "Going back on your promise?" Ross snaps at him. It's a cheap shot, born of frustration, and he regrets it almost as soon as he says it -- the more so when he sees the way the man goes pale as a corpse, the way Rogers grips his shoulder and gives Ross one of those level, disappointed looks of his.

He turns back to T'Challa. "There are other ways, surely," he grits out. "I'm trying to help avoid escalation, your highness."

[marvel_npc]

Next to Ross, Agent Carter goes white and then red with anger, a transformation which T'Challa notes with interest.

"I am perfectly willing to cooperate you if you can find another way," T'Challa says, mild. "I am certain this is a last resort for Sergeant Barnes. After all, he might be safe, but he will have to leave his friends behind. As much as I love my home, I can understand that it is unlikely to be his first choice of residence."

[nerves_of_ice]

Steve's hand tightens further on his shoulder now, taking comfort as well as giving it. Bucky hopes like hell he stays quiet and doesn't let Ross goad him into reacting. There's time to find out what the options are, visits maybe, something, depending on what the Wakandans want to do with him when he gets there. For all he knows they'll want to lock him in a box too... but he doesn't think so. Not given what T'Challa's already said and done.

He makes himself pay attention to what's going on around him - he'd better, given that he's the flash point. Sharon looks furious, although she's hiding it pretty well. He wishes he could tell her he's sorry for disappointing her, again.

Ross is saying something, he realizes, and wrenches his focus back. "It's going to be hard to do that if you've already set yourself in opposition," he tells T'Challa. "I need time to defuse the situation. Or a plausible reason for him to be with you. Something."

[marvel_npc]

Of course, he can offer an extremely plausible reason, which is that if Shuri cannot help get the controls out of this man's head, no one in the world can, not even Tony Stark.

But he can hardly say so without risking derision at best and unwanted attention on Wakanda at worst. "I have already given my word on the matter," he says, still mild. "And I prefer not to lift my protection while the Secretary is here. I understand that this complicates the situation, Deputy Commander, and I am sorry for the position in which it puts you, but I will not go back on my word. Sergeant Barnes will remain under Wakandan protection until he feels it is safe to do otherwise."

[marvel_npc]

Ross scrubs both hands across his face, not caring what it reveals about his stress levels, and lets them drop. The problem is that no one knows much about Wakanda. No one goes in, no one comes out, save for the occasional delegation. Obviously they have some experience with enhanced individuals, given the surprise T'Challa himself had presented them with the other day - more than anyone had been saying - and yet they're also the country that had helped create the Sokovia Accords.

What all of that means in this case is anyone's guess. Ross hates guessing. He hates even more the nightmare scenario that they're facing if this blows up in everyone's face. He needs time to talk Thaddeus - goddamn 'Thunderbolt' anyway - down from whatever position he'd taken that's caused all this to begin with.

"How about this," he half asks, half suggests. "Before anyone starts talking about politically fraught things like 'asylum', why don't I say that Barnes is acting as an, uh, advisor in the Zemo matter while you're here. Give me a few days to see if I can straighten things out."