[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]

“Mr. Stark won’t like that,” Hogan says, and Bucky has to fight to keep his lip from curling. While Sharon argues with him, he prowls the apartment, searching thoroughly for any sign of surveillance equipment.

It’s a nice apartment, at least. Spacious, with three bedrooms and a large open common area.

He stacks the third bug with the others on the table beside Sharon and goes back to his search.

[from_the_outside]

"Mr. Stark should have thought of that before he strong-armed us into coming here."

Her hands are on her hips and her eyes are spitting fire. "Complete control over our security and surveillance was one of my conditions. If you or Mr. Stark wants to revisit negotiations, I'm happy to take Sergeant Barnes with me back to Virginia."

She opens the pack of anti-surveillance equipment and leaves it on the table for Bucky to take and place where he pleases before she turns and gives Hogan a glance up and down. "You look like a man who understands the importance of good security," she says, and watches with hidden amusement as he puffs up beneath the compliment.

"I'm sure you can understand the bind I'm in here. Tony Stark brought us here under duress; he clearly intends for this to be some kind of house arrest situation. I'm just trying to make the best of it."

[nerves_of_ice]

“You’re guests,” Hogan insists. “The security measures are for your protection.”

He doesn’t let himself react to that. Nor does he take all the anti-surveillance equipment where anyone else can see it, leaving half for later. Bucky quarters the room, then circles the perimeter, then does the same for each bedroom.

The camera above the fireplace he removes with his left hand and crushes, dropping the scraps into the pile of bugs.

[from_the_outside]

"Oh, we are?"

She tips her chin up and fixes him with a flat stare. "Do all your guests get brought here under threat of grievous bodily harm, property damage, or worse?"

Hogan looks a little flustered as he watches Bucky crush the camera. "No," he says, "it's – look, lady –"

"Agent," she corrects, coldly. "Agent Carter. CIA, Joint Terrorism Task Force. I can protect myself just fine, thanks. I'm opting the hell out of your security measures and instituting my own. And I want visual and audio access, both inside the building and on the exterior, for a two hundred yard radius around this apartment."

Hogan gapes at her. "You want to surveil the Avengers?"

"Damn right I do," she tells him. "And that's only the start."

[nerves_of_ice]

“I wouldn’t argue with her,” Bucky observes, blandly - and lying through his teeth, given how often he’s done exactly that.

He finishes placing the devices he’s willing to let Hogan see, then takes up position on the side of the room, watching them and the door. It’s why he sees Hogan press a button on his watch behind his back.

“Whatever you just activated, you should rethink it.”

His tone is deadly flat.

[from_the_outside]

She looks at Bucky, then levels a flat stare at Hogan, who has just realized that he's been flanked by the Winter Soldier.

"It's not," Hogan starts. "It's just a, just a – I'm just letting Mr. Stark know –"

Sharon's eyebrows creep up until they're nearly at her hairline. "I see," she says, and her voice could freeze a river in July.

"Hey," comes another voice, from the hall. "Hey, hey, hey, no bloodshed on the new carpet."

It's followed by Tony Stark entering the apartment, now dressed casually in dark pants and a beautifully tailored long-sleeved shirt that probably cost more than everything Sharon is currently wearing. Happy looks relieved. Sharon feels murderous.

"You haven't met my conditions," she tells him, and looks at Bucky. "I guess that means we can go."

[nerves_of_ice]

He doesn’t move save to tip his head forward in a nod to Sharon. He’s deeply certain Stark will protest either way and would rather not start a physical escalation if they don’t have to.

“You just got here,” Stark tells Sharon. “Don’t like the decor?”

[from_the_outside]

"I don't like being threatened or undermined," she says. "And, yeah, the decor is a little cold."

Happy relaxes as she transfers her glare from him to Stark. "I told you I want complete control over our security here. Meet that very reasonable request and we'll stay. Don't, and watch how little I care about walking right the hell on out of here."

[marvel_npc]

He already knew she was going to be a pain in the ass, but he’d hoped it would take longer. Then again, between a CIA agent who used to be one of Fury’s and the goddamn Winter Soldier, he might have guessed.

He spreads both hands wide, gives a deliberate look around the room, and turns back to her. “It’s open plan. Everything’s right here. There’s even snacks in the fridge. You already found the little enhancements, so what’s the problem?”

[nerves_of_ice]

He holds himself completely still and silent.

Let Sharon handle this. He’ll antagonize Stark with every word he says whether he wants to or not, and it’s best to keep that to the minimum necessary.

[from_the_outside]

"The problem is that you think you can dress up apprehending and detaining us into something nicer than abduction and house arrest by putting snacks in the fridge."

She meets Tony's intelligent dark eyes with her own level ones. "Last chance. Take me seriously, give me my security and surveillance, and get the hell out of my sight, or we walk."

[marvel_npc]

“Fine.” He drops the pretense in an instant. Happy’s eyes widen a bit, but he stays silent. Tony nods to let him know he can get out of here for the moment.

“What do you need? Within reason.” I’m totally reasonable.”

[from_the_outside]

Without batting an eye, she repeats her demands.

Hallway surveillance. Access to the exterior cameras. Audio and video on both. Her own security override on the door and windows. And so on.

"By the way," she adds, "I know what Vision and Wanda Maximoff are capable of. I don't want either of them within five hundred yards of this apartment at any time."

[marvel_npc]

“Out of the question,” Tony snaps. “This is their home. I’m not limiting their movements in it.”

He paces over to the kitchen, fiddles absently with the sink faucet, and turns back to her.

“Override on the apartment we can talk about. Hallway, limited, maybe. Outside, no. I’m not having you fuck up my systems.”

[from_the_outside]

"You should have thought of that before you decided to jail us here," Sharon snaps back.

"I don't think you're remembering our conversation before clearly. I said all security for this apartment will be at my discretion. You agreed. I bet your AI recorded the whole thing."

He's all nervous motion; she's standing still, arms crossed, watching him. "And if you don't meet my conditions and insist on keeping us here, you better believe I will do much, much worse than screw with a couple of cameras."

[marvel_npc]

“Security for the apartment,” he enunciates. “Not the compound. Don’t try to split hairs with me, Agent Carter. If you don’t like it you’re free to leave at any time, but Barnes stays.”

[from_the_outside]

Her lips thin.

"That wasn't the agreement, either," she tells him, and takes the few short steps needed to get her backpack from the table. She glances at Bucky. "We're leaving. Both of us."

[marvel_npc]

Barnes moves toward her side, and Tony steps quickly between them and the door.

“No.”

[from_the_outside]

When he's not in his armor, she's as tall as he is. She moves to a few feet in front of him and looks him in the eye.

"Get out of the way."

[marvel_npc]

“Not happening.”

He doubts they know how fast he can activate the glove in his watch if he needs to, among other things. He keeps a sharp eye on Barnes, who’s not speaking at all.

“I’ll give you the apartment end the hall, just to be a good host. The rest isn’t your business or your problem.”

[from_the_outside]

"You made it my business when you decided to throw your weight around and forced us to come out here," she reminds him.

"Don't give yourself airs, Stark. You're not a host and we're not guests. Guests can leave. You decided to make yourself our warden. Sit with it."

[marvel_npc]

“Fury must love you,” he observes. “Either that or you drive him even crazier than usual.”

He shakes his head. “You’re the one not acting in good faith here. Making wild demands just so you can say I didn’t meet them isn’t going to work with me.”

[from_the_outside]

Her eyebrows almost hit her hairline.

"I'm not acting in good faith? Of the two of us, who threatened to blow up a house with people still inside? Who used coercion and threats? Who is now trying to renege on a verbal contract? Speaking of which."

She takes another few steps forward. Either he'll move, or he won't: it's his choice. "I told you: you don't get –"

There's a scuffle of some kind further down the hall, then the sound of rapid, running footsteps, and Steve Rogers comes barreling around the corner and through the door. "Stop, stop," he says, throwing up a hand. He's a little out of breath; she wonders if he's just sprinted the entire length of the compound.

He glances at Bucky and Sharon. "Happy told me – what happened? Is everything okay?"

"No," say Sharon and Tony at the same time. They glare at each other, and Sharon lifts her chin, turning to Steve.

"Tony is putting us under house arrest," she says, flatly. "He showed up at my parents' house this morning. Things went downhill from there."

[nerves_of_ice]

He can read the deep worry in Steve’s eyes as plain as print. “No fighting,” he murmurs, holding himself still. “Nothing physical. We talked. He wants to know I’m not going anywhere until this business with Zemo is all over.”

He keeps to himself what he suspects Stark wants after that. This is already going nowhere good, and if he can make it easier for Steve and Sharon, he will.

“Agent Carter has some requirements for the relocation.”

[marvel_npc]

“Oh, now he talks,” Tony informs the air. “Great. That’s just what this situation needed.”

He already doesn’t want to hear whatever Steve’s going to say in that disappointed voice he uses that tears on Tony’s nerves like a cheese grater.

“You wanted me to think about it. I thought about it and decided I didn’t want your army buddy disappearing again before I got some answers. So while all of you were off on your playdate this morning, I invited them here. Don’t even start with me, Rogers, I’m not in the mood to deal with it.”