[oom] make up some simple lies and compromise

[from_the_outside]

They gather, bright and early, back in the conference room that's beginning to feel downright familiar: T'Challa, Nakia, Shuri, Okoye, Ayo, Steve, Bucky, and herself, with a speak in the middle of the table for Fury's call. With the celebration behind them, everyone looks a little tired but focused: there's no time to lose. The first meet is tomorrow, and they have to be ready.

But first, they need to get everyone on the same page. 

Once all the attendees are sitting with their choice of coffee or tea or water in front of them, and once Fury has called in, T'Challa looks around the table, meeting everyone's eyes briefly before speaking. "Thank you all for being here," he begins, and nods to Steve. "Particularly you, Captain Rogers. Your assistance in this matter is much appreciated."

Sitting back again, he looks to Okoye and Ayo. "General. Where do we stand on the intelligence we have gathered and analyzed?"

Comments

[nerves_of_ice]

Okoye nods to Shuri and then to Sharon in respectful acknowledgement as she says, "Thanks to the princess, we have been able to discern a great deal from the scanner data collected in the mine. Among other things, it is clear that the traitors have rigged at least one platform to collapse in such a way that the train tracks will fall with it."

Her teeth are practically grinding as she says this.

[from_the_outside]

Okoye is furious, she knows, but there's nothing they can do about it until after the auction. They can't tip their hand too early; doing so risks the entire plan. "The good news is that they want to set up a long-term supply for Irma," Sharon says, leaning forward onto the table.

"And to do that, they need to be able to maintain their shipments. Right now, they have no motive to collapse the platform."

T'Challa nods, steepling his fingers together. "Then we will not give them one," he agrees. "But we will continue quietly taking stock of any other explosives the traitors may have planted."

[nerves_of_ice]

Okoye nods. "In addition," she says, "the team that Ayo led was able to learn something from their surveillance." Bucky - who looks completely unsurprised to hear this - glances expectantly at Ayo.

"The route they came from, and along which some of them returned," Ayo tells them, impassive, "leads into Jabari lands."

[from_the_outside]

Really.

She exchanges a glance with Nakia. For his part, T'Challa looks unsurprised – no doubt Ayo had briefed him right away – and slightly resigned. "In light of this new information," he says, dry, "I will be briefing M'Baku and his advisors on the situation. As with the traitorous mine workers, we cannot show our hand before the auction; however, with M'Baku's assistance I believe we will be able to carry out a synchronized operation on both the miners and traders."

[nerves_of_ice]

"That dust-up you mentioned before, Fury, the one near the border," Bucky says. "We were able to locate some intel on it, too."

His tone is perfectly neutral, that of an observer giving a report. Fury probably knows they were responsible, in fact Bucky's almost certain that he does, but he's not going to be the one to confirm it.

"It's not all that far from the direction this group's headed. There may be more hidden in those hills."

[from_the_outside]

"Seems likely," Fury says. "Areas like that, full of caves and dense rock to throw off sensors, tend to be pretty popular among the smuggling crowd. I can get some satellite photos of the area, see what we can find."

T'Challa turns to Sharon. "In the meantime," he says, "Ms. Carter and Captain Rogers will make contact with the local distributor. Ms. Carter, have you received the time or location yet?"

She shakes her head. "Not yet. Ambe's got one working braincell, at least. We'll probably get the notification tomorrow with just enough time to get to the meeting point."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Well, that's good," Fury replies. "I'd hate to think they'd have gotten this far without us catching them if they were complete fools."

"They are complete fools," Shuri snaps, and T'Challa gives her a sharp look. "They are! Who claiming to want the best for a country and its people would think such destruction was the way? Even N--"

She goes instantly silent as every Wakandan at the table stiffens. Steve and Bucky trade a look, and Nakia's hand flattens on the table beside Sharon.

"-- he had a different goal," T'Challa allows. "Not without reason. But that is not what we face now."

[from_the_outside]

There's a moment of fraught silence, then Nakia speaks, her voice as calm and warm as ever. "I have looked into this man, Jori," she says, "but found very little. Whoever he is, he is not Wakandan. I believe, from the context in which his name was provided, he once worked with the distributor but was careless with sensitive details. If I can find him, he may be able to provide more information."

Sharon nods. "If he got burned by the distributor, he might be willing to help us out of spite," she says. "It's a pretty good motivator."

[nerves_of_ice]

"If he's alive," Bucky points out, and there's another instant's silence as everyone absorbs that. "But if he's not, that's still useful information, because someone might hold a grudge over that, too."

[from_the_outside]

It's interesting to see the way everyone reacts to Bucky's observation: Shuri looks aghast, Okoye and Ayo and Nakia all have matching expressions of grim acceptance. "And if he's dead," Sharon says, "that gives us an idea of the kind of people were working with."

They might be more professional than originally anticipated, for example. T'Challa nods, and addresses his next question to the speaker in the middle of the table. "Fury, have you found anything new about Gray that we might use?"

"Gray's been keeping a low profile," Fury tells them, "but he hasn't turned himself invisible. He's been vacationing in Austria, where he's likely to stay until the auction."

[nerves_of_ice]

Steve trades another look with Bucky, both of them remembering a different time in Austria. Bucky's expression is very, very wry for some reason as he turns his gaze on the phone.

"Austria." A beat of silence. "He have any interesting visitors?"

[from_the_outside]

"A few," says Fury. "An envoy or two from Madripoor. A sheik from Oman. The kind of people interested in becoming bigger players on the global stage. Angling for invites to the auction's my guess."

A beat. "I've got my eye on them."

[nerves_of_ice]

Bucky nods, and asks the next necessary question. "Anyone involved yet that has previous connections to Irma Kruhl?"

Nakia draws a quick breath, and glances at Sharon.

[from_the_outside]

"No," says Fury, and Sharon relaxes minutely. "They're all relatively new players. There's at least three degrees of separation between anyone Irma worked with before and any of these new folks."

"So they might recognize the name, but not me," Sharon says, nodding. "Okay. I can work with that."

[nerves_of_ice]

"That's handy," murmurs Steve, and both Nakia and Bucky nod.

"Very good," T'Challa agrees. "Now. We must wait on contact from Ambe for Ms. Carter and Captain Rogers to respond. Okoye and I must speak with M'Baku to coordinate efforts. Ayo, you and Sergeant Barnes will work on follow-up surveillance, while Shuri works on the plan to neutralize the problems that the miners have seen fit to create. That leaves the auction itself."

His glance tracks around the table.

"I realize that there may be limited planning we can do until we know time, location, and how to access, to begin, but perhaps collectively there are some things we might establish in advance?"

[from_the_outside]

"We can figure out how Steve and I are getting around," Sharon says. "And start making contingency plans in case we don't win the auction."

Winning is the best-case scenario, but how often does that actually happen? "And as soon as we know where and when the auction itself will be, we'll need to get in touch with the appropriate authorities so they can mop up the whole group."

[nerves_of_ice]

Something cynical passes swiftly through his eyes as Sharon mentions the authorities, and Bucky enters into a short, silent fight with himself while Steve asks,

"I assume there's some reason we'd not be out on our own?"

"We do not have many visitors from outside Wakanda," Okoye tells him. "Although I suppose that means we have no precedent to overturn."

"Sightseeing?" Shuri suggests. "To understand Wakanda, if you are going to work with us?"

[from_the_outside]

"I meant more in terms of actual transportation," Sharon clarifies, "but we'll need some reason for Irma to disappear for an hour or two tomorrow. And to organize an extraction team if anything goes wrong."

It won't. But she promised to be careful, and that's what she's going to do.

T'Challa, meanwhile, watches Bucky for a moment before he says: "As for who to contact about the auction, we could do worse than reaching out to Everett Ross." He meets Sharon's gaze as she looks a quick question at him, and nods. "He does not need to know of your involvement," he says. "Or that of Captain Rogers or Sergeant Barnes. But he is a man with connections to the United Nations, and I believe he will help us if he can."

[nerves_of_ice]

He just barely manages to catch the bitter laugh before it leaves his throat, but he does manage it. Bucky nods to T'Challa, then shakes his head in reassurance at Steve, who's noticed the look T'Challa was giving him and is watching him too now.

"That could work," he says, and is pleased to hear that his tone remains neutral. "It also could solve the issue of what to do if the local authorities in wherever the auction is are corrupt."

On the other end of the phone, Fury snorts.

[from_the_outside]

"Ross is a good choice," Sharon says, after a moment's struggle with herself.

He is. Nobody is incorruptible, but he's as straight a shooter as they come. Her personal feelings have nothing to do with it. "Get the JTTF on the case. They have jurisdiction pretty much everywhere outside Wakanda and Madripoor."

She's pleased with how level her voice is, although she has to consciously unclench her fingers as they fist on the table. "But Steve and I will have to be well away before they come in, otherwise we'll get swept up, too."

[nerves_of_ice]

"You've got the advantage there, agent," Fury points out. "With how much you know about how the JTTF operates."

Bucky is very, very careful to not let his breathing change or his body tense. He thinks he's even mostly successful at it. It's Steve who winces instead, visibly, guilt passing over his face.

"We have encountered Ross during a similar operation before," T'Challa tells them, as Nakia and Okoye trade a resigned look with each other. "I have seen him in action, personally. I agree with you, Ms. Carter. We will ensure a secure exit for you and for Captain Rogers is in place."

[from_the_outside]

She catches a glimpse of Steve's face and wishes she hadn't as all that guilt comes rushing back in again like he'd opened the door holding it back.

" – and I put you there – "

Her throat's tight; she just nods to T'Challa to show she understands.

"As for contingencies," T'Challa continues, gracefully ignoring the sudden swirl of tension at one end of the table, "it seems to me we will have only two choices: to take the plans and prototype either by theft or by force. We cannot trust that whoever wins them will not spirit them away before they can be apprehended."

[nerves_of_ice]

"You definitely should not trust in that," Bucky says, as Nakia nods her head in firm agreement. She tells them all, "The extraction can be combined with a strategy to snatch back those things if we do not receive them through bidding."

Fury says, "Got deep enough pockets from shady enough sources to pay the price?"

[from_the_outside]

"I believe our resources will be more than adequate," T'Challa tells him. There's the slightest hint of frost to his tone; Sharon's mouth twitches infinitesimally.

"Fine," says Fury, apparently unfazed. "It's just these things tend not to go at bargain prices. And we'll only get one shot at winning it."

T'Challa looks a question at Sharon, who explains: "These aren't normal auctions. The invitees are shown the item in question and are able to ask questions of the auctioneer, then they put a slip with their bid into a box. Highest bid wins; no competitive element. The kinds of people who show up at these things... a bidding war can easily turn into a bloodbath. Nobody wants that, least of all Gray."

[nerves_of_ice]

T'Challa considers that for a moment in silence. Beside him, Okoye looks like she has bitten into a lemon. Ayo leans forward slightly to catch Bucky's eye, raising her own eyebrows. He nods back to her, and tilts his head toward Sharon, silently backing her assessment.

"Very well," T'Challa says, at last. "Tell us what you think an appropriate bid would be for this. We will ensure that at least double the resources are available."

"Offer something no one else has," Shuri says, a little absently, looking at something on her tablet. "Something invaluable, that no one else could get. Something worth more than money."