James Buchanan 'Bucky' Barnes

With the controls removed, there technically isn't any reason for Steve and Tony to remain, and Bucky's well aware that there are things they both need to be dealing with back in the States. He's the one to broach the subject with his best friend, late one evening, in private - and it's sometime before dawn before they've hashed out a few of the details to follow on an initial plan for future visits. It helps, he thinks, that there is a plan, rough though it may be.

Tony expresses mild curiosity about the coronation ceremony itself, but on finding out that it's closed to a very small group - what Bucky privately thinks of as Wakandan nobility - decides he'd rather go back in advance than be around and unable to attend. Bucky sees them both off, then throws himself back into further study of Wakandan history, having managed a basic command of the language by now. It helps keep him distracted from figuring out what comes next, and anyway there's no point in spending a lot of time thinking about that until after T'Challa's confirmed in his kingship and things calm down.

On the day of the coronation itself, Bucky finds a place in one of the smaller garden rooms to read, rather than be out and about anywhere in Birnin Zana or elsewhere in the Citadel. He could just as easily have stayed in his room, he knows, but he's decided that it'd be a bad idea for him to ever start thinking of the pleasant little apartment as being any sort of confinement. He should be out of the way enough here to not bother anyone.

After all, it's not like anyone's looking for him.

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.