[AU] How much - how little - is within our power

[from_the_outside]

 "No," says Sharon, for what feels like the thousandth time. "That's not acceptable."

The rest of the flight had been uneventful, and once they landed she'd been grimly unsurprised to see that Stark had sent Happy Hogan, his erstwhile chauffeur, to guide them to the apartment they've been assigned. Stark himself had apparently gone somewhere to get out of his armor, somewhat mollified by having gotten them here and under his thumb.

Except Sharon won't stop kicking up a fuss.

Hogan stares at her as she inspects each corner of the apartment. "I can't cut these rooms off from the central security protocols," he says, slowly, like he thinks she's just misheard him.

"Well, you can," she tells him. "Or I can force a cascade in a couple load-bearing subroutines that will shut the whole damn thing down. It's your choice."

Comments

[nerves_of_ice]

He nods and sets to work. It doesn't take long to ensure that they're well placed and that there's enough of a scatter pattern to make sure everything's covered and protected from either audio or video surveillance.

By the time the coffee finishes brewing, everything's been set up. He detours by the kitchen and pours a cup for Sharon, adds sugar and cream, and brings it back to the table for her.

"Ready when you are," he says.

[from_the_outside]

"Oh, thank you," she says, in response to the coffee. She picks it up for a sip as she activates the program and her screen fills with inputs.

"You have access, of course," she tells him. "And me. That's it so far, though I have zero doubts that Tony's AI will be trying to nudge its way in as soon as possible."

[nerves_of_ice]

"I'm sure." He sounds weary. "But I'm also guessing that you've got a plan in place for that."

[from_the_outside]

"You bet I do."

It's a little self-satisfied. "Tony Stark can probably out-hack me, but I can at least make it annoying enough that it's not worth the effort."

[nerves_of_ice]

He smiles a little at that and goes to retrieve a cup of black coffee for himself. Bucky leans back against the counter to sip it.

"I'm betting on you."

[from_the_outside]

That gets a smile; she finishes what she's doing and pushes the laptop into the center of the table.

"Then I'll do my very best," she promises, and sips at her own coffee. Her eyes are warm as she watches him, before she looks around the apartment, finally seeing it. She'd been too distracted arguing with Happy when they first arrived.

It's nice. If a little impersonal. "This place is wild. It's like the world's most awkward resort."

[nerves_of_ice]

"I get the impression they don't have guests much," he says, dryly. "But that Tony was planning for the future when he had the place built. There's probably more apartments like this scattered around."

[from_the_outside]

"He really took Fury's concept and ran with it, that's for sure."

She'd be impressed, if she weren't so angry with him. "I'd still rather be in Virginia, but we'll just have to make the best of it. At least Steve and Nat are here, that'll be nice."

[nerves_of_ice]

"It will," he agrees, very quietly. There's something shadowed in his glance as she mentions Virginia, quickly hidden.

"You can probably wander the grounds, too."

[from_the_outside]

She shakes her head at him, stubborn.

"Not if you can't," she says, firm. Not that she thinks she needs to worry about it too much; Steve would never stand for it.

[nerves_of_ice]

He starts to argue, but stops, deciding it's not worth the fight. Besides, he doesn't really want to stay under apartment arrest if he doesn't have to. He'll see how it goes.

Instead, he nods at her, and takes another sip of coffee.

[from_the_outside]

The problem with being done with the task at hand is that now she has nothing to distract her from thinking about his hair under her fingers, his mouth on hers, the way he said her name like that single word gutted him –

And she can't get distracted. Not now. She checks the time on her phone and gets up to dig out the bottle of ibuprofen, swallows a pill down with her coffee. "I wonder how long the debrief will take," she says, sitting back against the edge of the table instead of in the chair.

[nerves_of_ice]

"If it were just debriefing on Karpov probably not long," he tells her. "Depends on how much Tony wants to fight about the idea of bringing the JTTF in, I bet. But depending on how Steve frames it..."

He shrugs.

[from_the_outside]

"He'd be an idiot to fight it," she says.

"This is what the Task Force is designed to do, and honestly? The Avengers aren't. They're a wrecking ball with a single intelligence operative. This is turning into an investigation, not a fight. Better to let the Task Force handle it."

[nerves_of_ice]

He doesn't have much faith in Tony's intelligence on anything that involves him in any way, but hopefully sense will overcome anger.

"How do you think Ross'll take it?"

[from_the_outside]

"I think he'll be annoyed that I hid sensitive intel from him, but he'll be fine to work with the Avengers. Threats like this are his purview, after all."

She opens her mouth to continue, then shakes her head and sips at her coffee instead.

(There's every chance Ross will recall her back to Berlin to work the investigation from there. And she would have to go.) "He's a little brusque, but his heart's in the right place. And he's an excellent agent."

[nerves_of_ice]

“You respect him,” he murmurs. “I’ll remember that.”

He almost visibly checks himself, a little ruefully. “Although I guess maybe it might not matter as much. I don’t know. Will he want to take me into custody?”

[from_the_outside]

"I do, yeah."

But his question hits hard, even though it shouldn't; she ought have known he would ask. "I – "

Don't know, she was going to say, but it's a lie. She sighs and shakes her head. "Maybe," she admits. "Like I told you in Franche-Comté, you're definitely a person of interest. But since you haven't acted on HYDRA's orders or hurt any innocents since you broke away..."

She studies her coffee, thoughtful. "We could strike a deal, maybe. And he trusts my judgment. I could negotiate."

Until Ross realizes she's... compromised. Damn.

[nerves_of_ice]

“Negotiate?” He sounds surprised. “With who?”

[from_the_outside]

She blinks at him.

"With Ross. If he wants to take you in."

[nerves_of_ice]

He shakes his head.

“He’s going to expect you to be arguing with Steve, you know. Not with him.”

[from_the_outside]

"Then Steve can negotiate with him, and I'll advise. I'm not going to – "

Her hands are tightening around her coffee mug; she relaxes them. "I didn't turn you in before, I'm definitely not going to now."

[nerves_of_ice]

He sets his mug on the counter and crosses over to crouch down in front of her, reaching out to cup her hands and the mug she’s holding between his.

“That’s not what I meant,” he says, quietly. “I know you didn’t. Wouldn’t. I just don’t want to see you get sideways of your boss if there’s another way.”

[from_the_outside]

Honestly, it's astounding, she thinks, watching him as he takes her hands, feeling the careful way he holds them, looking into his face and those serious slate-blue eyes.

It's incredible he can think he's got nothing to offer, when he's so intrinsically good that even decades of programming and brainwashing and fear and pain haven't destroyed that kernel of himself.

"I won't if I don't have to," she promises. "And if Steve requests me as a liaison, I'll have a little more leeway. But since I'm so involved and I have all the intelligence already..."

She puffs out a breath and extracts her hands long enough to put her cup of coffee down on the table, then sets her left hand back in his while she reaches to tuck a fallen lock of hair behind his ear with her right.

"He might recall me," she says, finally. "Want me back in Berlin to work the investigation there."

[nerves_of_ice]

He goes absolutely still as her fingers brush against the side of his face, even while her observation settles in the pit of his stomach like a stone.

“I can see that,” he says, slowly.