[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]

She slides a glance at him, then looks back at the elevator doors. "Uh-huh."

When the lift arrives, she gets in and waits for him to follow before sending it back up again. "This isn't going to be a big deal every time I get hurt, is it?"

[nerves_of_ice]

“Probably not, but I’m never going to like it,” he says, with unthinking honesty.

[from_the_outside]

That is, actually, a relief, and the corner of her mouth twitches as she looks over at him. "Well, it'd be pretty weird if you liked it."

But if he doesn't beat himself up about it every single time, she'll take it as a win. The lift stops and she gets off, heading with him toward Fury's office.

[nerves_of_ice]

“I guess that’s true.”

A thin thread of tension grows in him as they approach the Director’s office. He’s not sure he could help it if he tried, and it seems right to be on guard anyway.

Bucky raps lightly at the door when they reach it, metal fingers causing an equally metallic ringing sound.

[from_the_outside]

"Come," they hear, and Sharon pushes open the door and enters to see Fury standing by a large screen, reviewing personnel files. He closes the window as they come in and puts his hands behind his back. "Well?"

"Report for you," Sharon tells him. "And our recommendations for the Siberia mission."

[nerves_of_ice]

He sets the report on the other man's desk where he can easily claim it when he wants and keeps his position by Sharon. "Summary of intel on the other Soldiers, plus some supporting information about the facility."

"Bottom-line it for me," Fury suggests. "Thirteen, how do you propose to run the op?"

[from_the_outside]

"Small and fast," she tells him. "Two teams: one for initial infiltration, one for damage."

She folds her hands together in front of herself, ignoring the ache in her muscles and joints. "I recommend the initial team be made up of me, Bucky, and Coulson, attempting to maintain the original cover I set with the North Institute. Bucky has volunteered to go undercover as a programmed and obedient Winter Soldier."

[nerves_of_ice]

Fury's eyebrows rise, causing the patch to shift a bit. "Activated or pretending?"

"I'm familiar with how to behave that way," Bucky says, absolutely neutral.

[from_the_outside]

"Pretending," she clarifies, schooling her expression.

"Wave two will be Stark, Romanoff, and Barton, in case we need to fight our way out."

[nerves_of_ice]

"How much opposition do you expect?" Fury asks.

"Minimal, based on the intel Agents Thirteen and Romanoff obtained," Bucky reports. "The Soldiers should remain on ice unless activated. The goal is to not give anyone a reason to do that until the facility is secure."

[from_the_outside]

"And what do you expect me to be doing?" Fury asks Sharon, turning on her. "Twiddling my thumbs and waiting?"

"You can't take the helicarrier into Russian air space," she points out. "We already have a war with HYDRA, do you want one with Russian, too?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Seems to me like we already got one," Fury counters.

Bucky holds his silence and eyes Sharon.

[from_the_outside]

"You should probably let the Secretary of Defense know that," she says, just as dry. "You know what I mean. SHIELD doesn't have that kind of jurisdiction. Officially."

[nerves_of_ice]

Fury rolls his eye. "Officially. And it's not like I don't have enough trouble with the World Security Council right now, given that their local Secretary's cooling his heels for being a HYDRA asshole. All right, Thirteen, I'll cede the point."

[from_the_outside]

"So we'll need extraction options," she says, smoothly moving on. "Rome can pilot a Quinjet, and so can I. But we may need something a little less obvious."

[nerves_of_ice]

“What did you have in mind?”

Bucky watches with interest. Fury seems inclined to listen so far, which is good.

[from_the_outside]

"I'd have to make a call," she tells him. "But before I do, I think you should read over Sergeant Barnes' report. As soon as you give me the go-ahead, I'll start pulling the teams and resources together. We should strike soon."

[nerves_of_ice]

"I will," Fury assures them. He looks back and forth between them and settles on Bucky. "But one thing I want to know right up front. You going to have a problem with how I handle your ex-colleagues?"

He holds himself carefully, perfectly still, and meets Fury's eye. "Depends on what you plan to do."

[from_the_outside]

Sharon glances between them, her gaze landing on Fury as he shrugs, his blasé facade as uncrackable as Bucky's own neutral expression. "What do you suggest we do with them?"

[nerves_of_ice]

“It’d be nice to give them a chance. If any of them are sane enough to take it. If any of them aren’t HYDRA to the bone.”

The absolute emptiness in his voice proclaims his lack of belief in that.

“If not, there’s really only three options I can think of: imprison them somehow, put them back on ice, or … eliminate the problem.”

[from_the_outside]

Fury watches him with an unreadable expression in his single eye. "Only one of those options gets them out of the reach of anybody else who wants to play God with genetics."

Sharon keeps her mouth shut, wondering a little uneasily whether Nick's including himself in that group or not, as he goes on. "But I like to think we don't have to be cold-blooded killers to solve a problem. If there's a chance at rehabilitation, complicated as it might be, we should probably take it."

[nerves_of_ice]

Bucky nods and doesn’t say anything else, not sure if he’s relieved or dismayed or what.

[from_the_outside]

Fury arches his eyebrows, glancing between them. "Anything else? Because it looks like I've got some reading to do."

Sharon shakes her head. "You have my recommendations, sir."

[nerves_of_ice]

“All right. Tomorrow morning, bright and early. You’ve got the team you want, Thirteen. Once I’ve finished with this, we’ll see what else there is to add.”

Bucky shifts, preparing to follow her out of the room.

[from_the_outside]

So much for that pipe dream of resting for two weeks, or even one. Well, she can rest when she gets back. Maybe. "Thank you, sir."

She gives Fury a nod, then heads back out of the office at a brisk pace despite her aching muscles, heading back for the lifts.