[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

[from_the_outside]

She squeezes his fingers back and lets go, turning to Steve with a sunny grin. "Come on, Rogers," she says. "You can take it. Let's go."

Steve gives Bucky a faintly resigned look, but follows. By the time they've made it back to the Citadel and Bucky's peeled off to join Ayo, he's confident enough to tease her and Nakia back, which is a good sign.

Still, he looks a little apprehensive once they've come back to his suite, sitting around the table to brainstorm details of his cover. "It's not like they'll talk to me," he protests, but Sharon shakes her head. "They might. Or I might need to tell them something about you, and I'd rather not make it up on the fly."

[nerves_of_ice]

He finds Ayo exactly where he'd expected to, in the large "war room" that they'd used last time, going over some things with a few of the Dora. She nods at him when he comes in and keeps talking. Silently, he approaches the back of the group to listen - and is a little surprised to find that they make space for him to come fully up to the table as an accepted part of the discussion.

About ten minutes later, he's deeply involved in the conversation about how to balance Dora Milaje surveillance with Jabari observation posts and whatever else M'Baku has to offer, and stops paying attention to the time.

[from_the_outside]

Steve takes notes as she and Nakia walk him through the basics of creating a cover identity, which is both sweet and a little alarming. "The best covers are you, just with different details," she explains, "but that's not going to work here. Fortunately, we don't need too many details, just enough for us to go off of."

Between them, they eventually craft an identity that makes sense: an ex-military, ex-Blackwater heavy assigned to Irma by one of her mysterious clients. They build a profile that includes the last three years of accompanying Irma to meets just like the one tomorrow, and give him a name: Ryan Devlin. From Boston.

Nakia takes the backstory and details and begins transmitting them to Fury so he can lay in a digital presence for Ryan Devlin, while Sharon gets Steve up and starts coaching him on body language. "You're ex-military, so you can still hold yourself the way you normally do," she tells him. "But as a bodyguard, you're on alert all the time. Always checking for vulnerabilities. Taking in the whole room at a glance. Keeping an eye on potential sniper positions. But casually, like it's an instinct instead of a choice."

[nerves_of_ice]

Once they have the basics worked out - and once everyone's come to terms with the collaboration with the Jabari, although not without a good deal of sarcastic commentary - the discussion shifts to the upcoming meeting between Ambe and Irma.

"We recovered many things from the stronghold," Ayo says. "Among them vehicles. Vehicles of the sort that an outsider might be expected to be more comfortable with."

"They'd need to be altered," Bucky points out. "You got a chop shop that can take care of that, or whatever you call it when it's Wakandan and official-but-secret?"

Someone laughs at that, quickly stifled as Ayo nods. "As it happens, we do."

[from_the_outside]

Next steps are to practice walking together. She positions Steve a few steps behind her right shoulder and Nakia runs them through several small drills: entering the room takes more than one shot because Steve keeps forgetting that he shouldn't open the door for her. "If you're going ahead of me, it'll be because you're checking the room to make sure it's safe," she tells him. He stands behind her as she sits at the table with Nakia and when she sits on the couch, unobtrusive but implacable.

And reassuring. Whatever happens, she's glad she'll have Steve Rogers at her back tomorrow and at the auction after.

"Good," Nakia says, when she asks Steve a question and he only gives her a blank, unimpressed stare in return. "Let Sharon do the talking. But if they try to intimidate her, intimidate them right back."

[nerves_of_ice]

They identify a small jeep that's appropriate for a tourist, and work out an official requisitions process for Irma as a business contact and visitor that would stand up to scrutiny if anyone were to check.

"It will be ready by morning," Ayo confirms. "Without bugs." Her tone flattens a little on that, but Bucky nods. "Better that way," he reminds them. "If anyone's scanning they might find them - and since it's not only outsiders involved in this, they might even find your stuff."

No one likes that, including him, but everyone's in agreement. Bucky takes his leave and goes to meet the others to bring them up to speed.

[from_the_outside]

They're taking a break, sitting on the comfortable couch and armchairs with cups of coffee in hand, when the knock comes. "That'll be Bucky," says Steve, already smiling as he gets up to get the door, only to stop short at Sharon's: "Wait."

He gives her a quizzical look as she straightens her posture and re-settles herself on the couch, crossing one leg over the other and sipping calmly at her coffee. "Go ahead," she says, after a second. "Show him what you've got."

Steve peers at her and at Nakia, then visibly attempts to put himself into character before finally opening the door. He blocks it, just like he should, and gives Bucky a reasonably believable version of a blank assessment.

"Let him in, Ryan," says Irma, slightly bored. She takes another sip of her coffee and watches both of them carefully.

[nerves_of_ice]

He realizes immediately what they're doing and slips into an all-too-familiar role himself. He looks 'Ryan' over, clearly taking his measure, then walks past him and into the room. He stays standing and positions himself in the room as the third point of a triangle, with Ryan on one end and Kruhl and her friend on the other.

"Ms. Kruhl." There's the faintest hint of a sneer in his voice as he meets her eyes. "I trust you had no trouble evading your hosts?"

[from_the_outside]

"We had no problems," she says, calm and polite. "The Wakandans are gracious hosts. They were more than happy to give me some time to myself."

Ryan leaves the door and takes up position nearby: not directly behind her, but well within reach should the newcomer cause any trouble. She doesn't watch him: Nakia and Bucky will both observe and make note of anything he should do differently. And anyway, Irma and Ryan have worked together long enough that she trusts him to know his business. "But I think you can understand that we should not be missing long."

[nerves_of_ice]

His glance flicks to Ryan as the bodyguard moves, making sure that he's not approaching as a threat before he turns his attention back to Kruhl.

"As long as you are able to do what you say, then we can be ... efficient."

He looks down his nose at her.

"Do you have what we spoke of?"

[from_the_outside]

Her expression shows the kind of flat disdain a question like that deserves. "Of course," she says, still polite but now with a faint hint of patronization. "Everything we agreed upon, to the cent."

Mildly: "If you're uncertain, I'm sure Ryan would be happy to help you count it all out. He'll also be taking custody of the sample."

[nerves_of_ice]

He has to do a fast internal calculation - be fully professional or emulate someone less so, as they suspect Ambe will be? He decides on the latter, angling for a worst-case scenario, to make sure that Steve's ready for whatever might happen.

As soon as he decides that, he acts accordingly. "Do not be insulting, Ms. Kruhl," he says, stepping forward with the intent to loom over her.

[from_the_outside]

She sees Steve move out of the corner of her eye: not close, just close enough to let the man Bucky's playing know that if he wants to try physical intimidation, two can play at that game.

Irma smiles faintly, looking up without any hint of fear or concern. "I certainly do not wish to insult," she says, cool. "Something you may also aspire to. I'm perfectly happy to walk away and look for alternate business opportunities...or we can sit down and talk like adults. Ryan, what do you think?"

They've gone over this: Steve says, nothing, only looks at Bucky, expressionless. She nods. "Yes, I think so, too. We're already here, so we may as well get on with it."

[nerves_of_ice]

He backs off, gives Ryan another look, then clearly chooses to ignore him as he goes to sit in the armchair across from Kruhl.

"Fine. Get on with it, then," he says, with less than good grace. He hadn't prepared himself to have anything that might look like an actual sample, but palms a pen as he sits down and twirls it in his fingers. "The sample."

[from_the_outside]

She sets her coffee cup down and picks up the book Bucky had been reading the night before. "Payment for the sample," she says, and holds it out. "Plus your finder's fee."

Only once "payment" and "sample" have changed hands does she relax back into herself and turn to look at Steve. "Good job," she tells him, then turns back to Bucky.

"How'd he do?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Pretty good," he agrees, relaxing back into himself. The small smile he gives Steve is a little rueful. "It's hard to find the right balance between being in someone's face and being a silent guard presence."

He glances at Nakia. "Your impression?"

[from_the_outside]

"Not bad at all," Nakia says, giving Steve an encouraging smile as he sinks into one of the other armchairs.

"Thanks," he says, wry. "It's surprisingly hard to stand there and not say anything." He looks at Sharon and adds, quickly, "It's not that I don't trust you to do the talking. It's just..."

"I know," Sharon tells him. "Don't worry about it. The good news is you'll only have to be Ryan Devlin for an hour, two at the most, and it should mostly be just like that. Nothing to it."

He gives her a wry half-smile and turns back to Bucky. "All finished with the Dora?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"It's harder when they poke at you, trying to get a reaction," Bucky observes - and there's more than a hint of bitter experience underlying his tone. "Professionals won't, as much, but amateurs and people with confidence issues will. You know. Bullies."

He nods. "For now, anyway. They've got a jeep ready for you to use to get around tomorrow. It's been stripped of anything identifying, and it won't be bugged."

[from_the_outside]

Sharon, who has definitely poked at him more than once to try and get a reaction, just looks at Steve. "They probably will try to bully us," she says. "Or Irma, at least. Just remember that if this were a real meet, they want what we have more than we want what they have. Ambe might be an amateur, but I'm willing to bet his distributor is a little more professional and more likely to be amenable. But if things go wrong, really wrong, the play is to get out as fast as possible. Fighting is a last resort. Okay?"

She holds his gaze until he nods, then turns back to Bucky.

"Good," she says. "But I assume we'll have some of Shuri's earpieces. Is Ayo setting up reinforcements in case things go south?"

[nerves_of_ice]

"Yes to both," Bucky tells them. "We weren't sure if they'd have a scanner that'd pick surveillance tech up, but the earpieces are designed to avoid that problem." He shakes his head, a hint of admiration clear. "Just another one of Shuri's tricks."

"Anyway, we'll be tapped into the circuit so that we can track and respond if it comes to it." He glances at Sharon, then at Steve. "Hopefully it won't."

Steve meets his eyes and holds his glance, steady and reassuring as he says, "It won't."

[from_the_outside]

"It won't," she agrees, looking back and forth between them and smiling slightly before catching Nakia's eye. Her friend looks pleased as she pushes herself up from her seat at the table.

"Good work, Captain Rogers," she tells Steve, then gives Sharon's shoulder a squeeze. "I must go find T'Challa and update him on our progress. Dinner later?"

Sharon nods, and Nakia gives them all a last smile before vanishing from the room.

[nerves_of_ice]

"In any case," he drawls, as Nakia leaves, "if the secret Avenger thing doesn't end up working for you, you've got a new career path all figured out."

Steve groans, and Bucky laughs.

[from_the_outside]

There's more to do, of course; there always is and the three of them all have important tasks to take care of. But for the most part, they can do so together, so they do. Working on Steve's cover. Theorizing possible outcomes for the meet and determining best solutions to them.

And later, dinner with T'Challa and Nakia and Shuri that feels very like that first welcome meal that Sharon had here, before another long evening spent lingering in each others' company.

But she doesn't fall asleep on Steve's couch, this time. She bows out early: the day will get started before they know it.