[Ohio AU] the heart of winter

[nerves_of_ice]

Coulson had been called away on something for Fury before they'd gotten more than halfway to wherever his locker is and the set of trading cards stored within it. Without anything else to do, Bucky makes his way back to the quarters he's been given. It's either that or explore the rest of the helicarrier on his own, and that seems like something that can wait safely enough.

He swings by the mess on the way back. As he'd suspected, it's not placed too far distant from what serves as a commissary on this boat. He requisitions a couple of notebooks, a couple of pencils and pens and takes it all with him.

Might as well start with a report on the other Soldiers, he decides. That's likely to be more important in the immediate future than anything else.

Comments

[from_the_outside]

"Okay." She murmurs it low, her eyes closed, folded up in his arms. "I'll leave it to you."

[nerves_of_ice]

"I figure I owe her an apology, anyway. For being ready to believe she just left me there."

He sighs, and reluctantly raises his head to look down at her. "You know her better than I do now. After the mission, or before?"

[from_the_outside]

"Before," she says, lifting her head to look back up at him. "Clear the air. Nobody needs any extra distractions before this mission."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Okay. If that's the case, we'd better get back to planning." Bucky says, and finally makes himself let go of her. He steps over to the table instead and picks up his report.

"Summary of everything Karpov had on the other Soldiers," he tells her, holding it out. "I added a few recollections of my own where I had them, but it's not all that much."

[from_the_outside]

She follows him to the table, reaching to take the report when he holds it out. "This'll be helpful," she tells him, skimming through the first few lines before she looks at him.

"Do you mind if I share it with Fury?"

[nerves_of_ice]

He shakes his head.

"I wrote it with him in mind. Figured intel on the others was priority one to ensure the best possible mission outcome."

[from_the_outside]

She nods, flipping through the report before she sets it back down. "You're right. Even with what we got from the lab techs, we'll be going in partially blind. They didn't know anything about security."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Unless they've changed it since my last mission, I do."

His voice is as soft as falling snow.

"It's a place to start, at least."

[from_the_outside]

"Unlikely they've changed much, especially since it sounds like the place is pretty abandoned." Sharon crosses her arms over her chest and leans a hip against the table.

"Still, it could be booby-trapped. And I'd just as soon not get hit with a missile again."

[nerves_of_ice]

"No," he agrees. "But it's a start, for planning purposes. Come in on the right approach and they're unlikely to detect us. Enter the right code at the door, and it won't set the alarm off. Once we're inside... well, it takes time to rouse someone from cryo."

She should know. She's seen it.

[from_the_outside]

The look she gives him is trouble. "You think they'll defrost the soldiers when the alarm goes off? Wouldn't that put them in danger, too?"

[nerves_of_ice]

His own is bleak.

"It would. Hopefully they're smart enough to know that. But they might think that it would cause enough of a distraction for them to escape."

[from_the_outside]

She considers that, dropping her chin to her chest as she stares blankly at the floor, her mind racing. "One of them, fine. Maybe two of them we could handle. But all five?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"You've seen me fight." He figures she can extrapolate from that, although he might do better against them now that he's in better condition than he was then. Still, all five at once - no.

"So if at all possible we need to get in without raising an alarm."

[from_the_outside]

"Yeah, I have. And I know you can do a lot." She shakes her head at him, blonde hair shifting over her shoulders. "But even you can't handle those guys. So how do we get in without raising an alarm?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Not all at once without some significant weaponry, no."

The expression on his face is bleak and resigned as he meets her eyes. "It could make a difference if they think I'm reporting back to base for a new assignment."

[from_the_outside]

Sharon breathes out through her nose and considers it. "We could pose as buyer and asset again."

[nerves_of_ice]

He nods. "I'm not sure it'll work with Tony though. Not this time. He was ... very visible in DC. He'd have to be part of the second line."

For a moment he has the inclination to pace, but suppresses it ruthlessly.

"Natasha could help get him through the layout. Coulson could accompany as your financier, or something."

[from_the_outside]

"He'd work," she agrees. "Better than Barton would. Undercover has never been his thing. So—"

She loosens her arms and taps a finger on the table. "You, me, and Coulson go in first. Stark, Nat, and Barton are the B team. And the helicarrier can be close by... in case."

In case they need a bigger gun than Stark.

[nerves_of_ice]

He nods. The way she's laying it out makes sense. Except --

"One risk. If word has gotten out from Ohio, it could be a trap by the time we reach the bottom of the silo. In which case I'll do everything I can, but you and Coulson should be ready to fall back."

[from_the_outside]

"And we'd better find a way to get Stark down there quick," she agrees. "Maybe lay some incendiaries strong enough to blow the top before we go down."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Wouldn't hurt. I can open the hatch from the bottom, but it wouldn't hurt, just in case I'm busy."

Fighting multiple supersoldiers would keep him pretty busy, after all.

"Hopefully we won't need it. But better safe."

[from_the_outside]

"We'll make sure there's a way," she promises. "I don't think anything could stop Stark, even a missile silo."

[nerves_of_ice]

"He seems like a determined kind of guy when he wants to be." Which is probably all to the good, all things considered.

"When's he arriving?"

[from_the_outside]

"I'm going to guess.... soon." There's a flicker of amusement at the corner of her mouth, warming her eyes.

"He doesn't seem like the kind of guy who can sit things out. My bet is he's on his way already."