[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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[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."

[marvel_npc]

He sounds like he's skating the ragged edge beneath that absolute control, and again she wants to ask what the hell happened, what went wrong.

She goes to her laptop and flips it open as she listens. "He won't," she promises. "Tony's out there. I'll coordinate with him."

[nerves_of_ice]

"He's on his way now," Bucky tells her. "He'll be expecting to hear from you. I'll send you the coordinates too. They took Klaue in a white panel van. Three collaborators; two flunkies and the leader in a tribal mask. Dark skin. Natasha..."

He makes himself breathe. She needs to know; she needs to be able to prepare herself as much as she can, if the worst should happen.

"Sharon took a bad hit. We're taking her to the hospital now, but ... she might not make it. I'm sorry."

[marvel_npc]

"James," she breathes, a cold flush skittering through her. The words, his tone, the way he's holding himself together, it all pulls a picture of crystal clarity into her mind.

Memories of her friend flash into her mind, unbidden: sparring together, undercover together, sitting here on the couch talking easily together.

She hasn't seen Sharon since the day she and James left for Budapest. "I'll take it from here," she promises him, her own voice under ruthless control. "Do whatever you have to do, James."

[nerves_of_ice]

"I will," he swears, low and fervent. "Everything I can. And I'll keep you updated. The second I know anything."

[marvel_npc]

"Yes," she murmurs, her fingers flying over the keys. "Thank you."

She's not accustomed to hoping for good news, but perhaps she can make an exception for this. "I have Tony," she tells him, as her connection request chimes gently on her screen. Her voice gentles, a little. "Call me if you need anything. Anything."

[nerves_of_ice]

"I will," he says, softer now. She knows; more than that, she understands. He's only recently learned how to begin to hope again, but he hopes now, as hard as he can, that he'll be able to give her good news soon - that there's a miracle waiting for them in Wakanda.

"Talk soon," he promises, and ends the call. Bucky sends her the coordinates, and looks over at the table where Sharon lies under Ross's watch, making sure that she's still breathing.

She is. He draws another deep breath of his own, and places the next call.

[marvel_npc]

He's watching a documentary – half watching and half idly doodling on a sketchpad, anyway – when his phone buzzes.

Seeing the name, Steve's smile grows wide. "Buck," he says, answering. "Hey."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Hey." It comes out rougher than he'd meant it to. Bucky clears his throat. "Um. Got an update for you, Cap. It's not great news."

[marvel_npc]

His smile melts away at that rough tone like it was ink someone had taken a washcloth to and scrubbed hard.

Every alarm in his head jangles at once. "What's wrong?"

[nerves_of_ice]

He needs to tell him, will tell him, but if he starts there he's going to shatter, he knows it. Bucky falls back on habits first established seventy years ago, seeking shelter in it.

"We brought Klaue in to a Task Force black site," he starts. "There was a chase, Tony said reports hit online, but minimal property damage, or anything like that. Secured him, brought him in for questioning... but he wasn't working alone."

He has to break off and breathe for a second. "His accomplices jammed the Task Force cameras. They blew out the back wall of the site to retrieve him. I went down under the debris. I wasn't fast enough clawing my way out of it. I wasn't -- I couldn't --"

His voice cracks like glass along a fault line. He stops for a second, swallows hard again. "I called Tony in for the search. To get him back. Natasha's on surveillance, coordinating with him."

He has to say it. He has to tell him. Has to.

"I'm with Ross. Taking Sharon to - to a hospital. She was shot. She... Steve, she may not make it."

[marvel_npc]

Every new word only paints a worse picture, and Steve's thoughts race to keep up. He'll grab Nilsson, have her coordinate with Tony and Nat and the Task Force team –

But then Bucky's voice breaks, and when he starts again, the things he says fills Steve with cold fear. "Don't say that," he orders, reflexively, and strides into his bedroom. It's a grim echo of the day Bucky had called him from Sharon's phone; like then, he throws open his closet to drag out his duffel. "She'll make it."

Stubborn, sharp-tongued Sharon Carter, who throws herself at every challenge like she's charging into a fight; he can't imagine her lying still and vulnerable.

If something happens to her, it'll break Peggy's heart... and Bucky's, too. "Where are you? I'll take a Quinjet. Just hold on a few more hours, Buck."

[nerves_of_ice]

"In transit," he says. "On the way to, to a - a specialist." It's as good an explanation as he can think of.

"Don't come yet. I don't know where to tell you to come yet. I'll call you when we get there. For now, can you -- he can't get away with this, Cap. None of them can."

[marvel_npc]

"They won't," Steve promises him, grim, and straightens from packing. "I'll grab Nilsson and meet up with Nat. We'll coordinate with the Task Force from here, with Tony on-site."

He wills himself to loosen his fingers before he accidentally crushes his phone. "Don't worry about Klaue, Buck. We'll get him. The others, too. You just focus on... on Sharon. Let me know if anything... anything changes, and where to come."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Thanks. I... thanks," he repeats, helplessly. "I'll keep you up to date."