[Virginia AU] we rose up from the falling waters

[nerves_of_ice]

A little over a week goes by, and as it does Bucky falls into a pattern, slow but sure. He wakes with Sharon in the mornings, shares coffee and something that suffices for breakfast, then works a little on searches and checking contacts and sources from other time zones and locations. Mid-morning finds him at the Task Force offices with Riley and his team. Early afternoon finds him meeting with Ross, if there's any reason to; mid-afternoon he checks in with Steve, with Tony, or with Natasha before he goes back to tracing rumors and hints.

Today's different, though. Today is Sharon's first day back at work after her suspension, and Bucky's determined not to do a single damn thing that might possibly make it difficult for her.

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[marvel_npc]

As the men take their seats, T'Challa ignores the glance Okoye sends his way, over her shoulder and taps at his wrist to activate a Kimoyo bead, placing a priority message on the notification. "Shuri," he says. "I need you."

[marvel_npc]

She has the music turned up in the lab and is dancing from foot to foot as she throws new ideas up into the holographic model. When the call comes through and interrupts the visualization to display an image of her brother instead, Shuri lets out a loud exasperated noise and sticks her tongue out at him.

"Brother! I was designing!" But even as she says it, a closer look at his grave expression and the fact that he is still wearing the Panther habit causes her annoyance to vanish. Shuri waves her hand at the controller and the music goes silent.

"What has happened? What is wrong?"

[marvel_npc]

"There was an incident," he says. It aches to see his sister's brilliance fade into worry, but there is no pretending that the news he has is good. Klaue gone, Agent Carter injured, outsiders who will learn Wakanda's secrets.

He sends up a silent prayer to Bast to aid him in this hour of need and continues. "Klaue had allies who broke him out of confinement. Agent Carter of the Joint Terrorism Task Force was injured during the attack. She was protecting Nakia."

He waves a hand and sends the data from the flyer's sand table to Shuri so she can view Agent Carter's vitals. "We are bringing her to you."

[marvel_npc]

Her shock is visible. "Klaue escaped?" She would not have thought it possible for that man to evade the custody of her brother and General Okoye.

Shuri brushes it aside for now in favor of calling up the data on a display next to T'Challa's image, and hisses at what she sees. "This broken white girl is very broken," she says, and ignores the strangled noise she hears somewhere off to T'Challa's side. "You should hurry."

[nerves_of_ice]

Beside him, Ross clenches his teeth to avoid letting out any more sounds, his gaze whipping back to Sharon.

Bucky can sympathize. He fights back the urge to howl his own grief and fear; Sharon's not lost, not yet - and studies the holographic image that's formed over T'Challa's hand, as much as he can see of it.

This 'Shuri' must be the king's sister. She's young, much younger than he expected, but she seems confident. Maybe that'll be enough. It's got to be.

[marvel_npc]

"We are coming as fast as we can," T'Challa promises. "Be ready when we arrive."

Nakia comes to stand near the two outsiders, absorbing the way they're listening and studying the hologram as Shuri assures her brother she will be prepared. "Princess Shuri is the head of the Wakandan Design Group," she tells Ross and Bucky, quietly. "She is brilliant. If there is anyone who can help our friend, it is her."

Ross looks grim, but nods, short, then turns to Bucky. "The agents left behind are attempting to find Klaue," he says, without preamble. "If the Avengers have any tricks up their sleeves that would make that easier, I'd be grateful for their assistance."

[nerves_of_ice]

“Thank you,” he tells Nakia. “For everything.”

Bucky looks at Ross. “I can think of a couple. You stay with Sharon while I make a few calls.”

[marvel_npc]

Nakia smiles at Bucky, gentle. She had heard, after all – and hopes Sharon had, too – the things he'd been saying back at the demolished black site. "I will stay with them both," she promises him, as Ross nods.

"I don't care what we need to do, Barnes," he says, his voice hard. "I want that asshole served up on a platter."

[nerves_of_ice]

Bucky nods to Ross. “We’ll get him,” he swears. “I won’t give up until he’s dealt with. Count on it.”

Having made his position clear, he steps away, pulling out his phone to call Tony… and then Steve.

[marvel_npc]

He picks up on the first ring, walking to the window of his hotel room. “Yeah?”

Behind him, a series of screens show news casts of Busan. “Change your mind?”

[nerves_of_ice]

“Got a problem,” he says, short and to the point. “He had more accomplices. They blew out the back of the Task Force black site and took him.”

[marvel_npc]

Tony curses and turns from the window to head towards the bed, where his watch sits by the bed. “I can be there in less than half an hour. Hang tight.”

[nerves_of_ice]

“I won’t be there,” Bucky says. “I have to follow up on something. But I can send you the coordinates of where he escaped from, and a description of the ringleader. Can you see if you can run them down?”

He draws a careful breath. “I’m calling Natasha too, to do her surveillance thing.”

[marvel_npc]

“Yeah.”

His voice turns more clear as the the mask shuts over his face and his call gets routed through the suit. “FRIDAY?”

“On it, boss,” the AI says. He steps on the balcony of his room and soars into the air in the next second before his brain catches up. “Wait, where are you?”

[nerves_of_ice]

“Agent Carter got hit.” He can hear how bleak he sounds. “Ross and I are taking her to get help.”

He leaves the Wakandans out of it until he knows what’s going to be asked of him by T’Challa.

[marvel_npc]

"Agent Carter was hit? What, like – shot?"

And the two of them are dating now, he remembers hearing that from Steve. He remembers it because he'd spent a lot of time afterwards wondering what obvious clues he'd missed. "How bad? I can get her to a hospital a lot faster than the Task Force can."

[nerves_of_ice]

“Shot,” he confirms. “Bad. There’s a chance she might not…”

His throat closes for a second and his voice is rough when he manages to continue. “Anyway, we’re already on the way. But this bastard can’t get away, Tony. I’ll pick up a cold trail if I have to, but they’re not expecting you.”

[marvel_npc]

He goes cold all over in a way that has nothing to do with the sub-zero temperatures of the thin atmosphere he's flying through.

"He won't," he promises, grim. "I'm on it."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Thanks." Bucky swallows hard, fighting to keep control. "I'll call Natasha," he repeats. "See what she can find. In the meantime - white panel van, went from the back alley behind the black site. They jammed the surveillance somehow; Task Force equipment, not yours," he thinks to add. "Two flunkies assisting, one more delicate - a woman, I think. Leader was wearing a tribal mask. Dark skin. Knew how to handle a rocket launcher."

That last is very dry.

"Watch yourself."

[marvel_npc]

"Yeah, well, he's not the only one."

He streaks through the sky, leaving the dull boom of faster-than-sound travel in his wake. "Hey," he adds, a little awkward. "Uh, good luck."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Thanks." A beat of silence, then, "Coordinates coming by text. Calling Natasha now. I'll wait to hear from you."

Bucky disconnects the call and texts Tony the location of the black site, then calls Natasha, completely uncaring about time zones and distance.

[marvel_npc]

It's been a fairly quiet evening here at the compound. She'd had dinner; done her dishes; now she's curled in the corner of her sofa with a cold glass of wine and a glossy magazine that she leafs slowly through until her phone rings.

Glancing at the caller, she picks up. "Hi," she says, her voice warm and a little amused. "How's Korea?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Not my favorite place right now," he admits, and knows as he does that the suppressed edge to his tone will be clear as glass to Natalia Alianovna.

"I need your help."

[marvel_npc]

In a heartbeat, all the amusement leaches out of her voice, and she gets up, phone pressed to her ear.

"You have it," she promises. She wants to ask what happened? but it can wait. "What do you need me to do?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Surveillance, first," he says. Everything's clear and as concise as he can make it, his control rigid - even though he knows it won't matter, not with her. "We got Klaue, brought him in to the Task Force's black site but he wasn't working alone. His accomplices blocked the monitoring cameras and blew out the back wall. Took him out through it while I was under the debris, before anyone else could get to him. He can't get away, Natasha. He can't."