Author's Note: My dear readers, my deepest apologies for this long, unexpected hiatus. This may not have been the worst five-month period of my life...but probably among the worst. I had to take mental health breaks from pretty much everything that didn't pay the bills. I'm hoping to resume regularish updates now on this story as well as Character & Fitness for my Pacific Rim readers. Thank you all for your understanding, and here's a long chapter to make up for it.
Previous Chapter Recap: After Wanda turned herself in to the International Criminal Court, the remaining Secret Avengers and T'Challa's people joined forces with M'Baku of the Jabari on another mission against human trafficking. Bucky, initially barred for secrecy, was allowed to join after he remembered one of the victims in Hydra-funded compound the team was targeting. The mission was a success, and Sam wielded Captain America's shield to save M'Baku's life, giving M'Baku a lot to think about. Bucky found a girl he'd been sent to kidnap as the Winter Soldier 7 years before and took her back to her family, but wouldn't speak of what happened. Then our heroes got the alarming news that Wanda has been hospitalized.
Canon Note: Elizabeth (Betsy) Braddock, aka Psylocke/Captain Britain, is one of the X-Men, a British-Japanese mutant with psionic powers of telekinesis and telepathy that exceed even Wanda's. This fic headcanons that she's an MI6 and Interpol agent (swiped from the great Minisinoo's The Room With The Computer, a Harry Potter/X-Men Movieverse crossover) forced into the open by the Sokovia Accords. I headcanon (not sure if it's real canon) that the Winter Soldier was sent more than once against Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters and other secret mutant sanctuaries, but the missions failed despite his escape unharmed - and Hydra never figured out why. Nor did Bucky. Haven't decided whether I'm going to add those details to this fic yet - it's already quite long.
Chapter Thirty-Four
THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS
Vision had grown increasingly worried about Wanda's emotional state, and finally decided to confront her outright the day she stopped paying attention to the courtroom proceedings altogether.
Some humans, especially the young, found legal proceedings very dull, he knew. For Wanda, they were also emotionally difficult, as she was either required to be questioned harshly about what she knew about Baron Strucker, Hydra, and Ultron's intentions, or listen to the painful testimony of the victims.
When Vision arrived at her room, Wanda was picking at her meal, which appeared to have come from the kitchens downstairs rather than the one on her floor. Up until now, all Vision's observations were that she loved to cook. Yet she'd immured herself in her room and taken the rather bland cafeteria meals instead for the better part of a week.
She looked very tired when he came in through the door (without waiting for her to open it). She didn't even scold him. "Oh, hello, Vis."
He didn't bother with small talk. "Wanda, I'm concerned about you."
She didn't look at him, just smiled distantly, as if distracted. "So is everyone else, haven't you been paying attention?"
"I have," Vision said sharply, touching her hand. That alarmed him. Her skin temperature suggested a body temperature lower than it ought to be, as if her blood pressure was low. "You haven't. I've been concerned that you're suffering from depression, but now looking closer - Wanda, I think you're ill."
She blinked, but seemed to be having trouble focusing on what he was saying. Her eye movement, her respiration...he raced through his medical sources, and yes, all indicated symptoms of either illness...or a powerful depressant medication. Or poison. She submitted to having her forehead touched, and let him take her pulse without a complaint or question. He liberated a small notepad and began jotting down his observations...in the barely half-hour it took, she fell asleep next to her plate.
"Wanda?" Vision shook her. She didn't respond. He turned and flew through the wall, slapping the emergency alarm outside. The four guards for that floor came hurrying down. "Miss Maximoff is experiencing signs of physical distress. Her vital signs are low and she's lost consciousness."
"I'll radio for medical assistance," said one of them.
Vision returned to Wanda's room, disregarding the prohibition on tapping into security communications. The guards did keep their word and radioed that Miss Maximoff appeared to be having a medical issue, but to Vision's frustration, the response from the central authority fell far short of the urgency of the situation. "Command says she can visit the Court's medical facility when it opens at six am."
Vision had already projected the current progression of Wanda's symptoms. By morning, in fact, within the next few hours, her blood pressure and pulse would have reached a critical point where insufficient oxygen was reaching her brain, and she would be in danger of permanent damage or death.
He brought his written notes to the guards and repeated his demand: "Miss Maximoff is unconscious and unresponsive and must be transported to an emergency medical facility now. Her condition is serious and deteriorating, and she will be in critical condition before morning."
The guard, a young American who at least didn't seem as scornful as some of his seniors, looked helpless. "Sorry, sir, our orders are to wait until morning."
Vision looked the four men over, seeing resolution in their faces. The other three saw no cause for concern, and had no investment in Wanda's survival, let alone her health or comfort.
Vision did. And it was soon clear that the most the security guards were willing to do was send a nurse practitioner from a local overnight clinic to check Wanda's vitals. ETA two hours. Unacceptable.
Vision located the nearest hospital with a fully-equipped emergency ward and returned to Wanda's room. He lifted her carefully and cradled her head on his shoulder, then turned to the living room window. With a few carefully-aimed shots at its seals and mountings, the window simply fell out. Vision allowed the guards to rush in at the noise, and they stared open-mouthed at the sight of him with Wanda's limp body in his arms.
"I repeat, Miss Maximoff requires immediate emergency medical attention. I'm taking her for that purpose."
He turned away, ignoring the guards' shouts and threats, and flew out the window.
They startled the staff and civilians outside the Wassenar Hospital, but Vision carried Wanda into the emergency ward and called in Dutch for assistance. To their credit, the medics brushed aside whatever alarm or confusion they felt and rushed forward to assess their unconscious patient.
By the time the ICC's security authorities arrived, Wanda was already in the intensive care ward, and two doctors and a team of nurses and assistants were already in her room. The hospital security waylaid the ICC's authorities, insisting, as Vision had, that their patient was in serious distress and at risk of death without immediate treatment.
Vision simply ignored the guards' questions.
He stayed close to Wanda in the event that she might awaken and panic, causing an incident with her powers, but the longer he observed, he could see how unlikely that was. The doctors put her on oxygen and stimulants to restore and maintain a safe pulse and respiration rate, and drew blood in search of the cause.
"This appears to be drug-induced," the senior physician informed Vision and the American guards in English. "We've taken blood samples to identify the cause, but you should begin an investigation at once. Miss Maximoff has been poisoned."
"I have noticed changes in her behavior for several weeks," Vision said. "I believed they were merely indications of stress and depression, but it is possible that she has been exposed to a drug or poison for an extended period of time."
The guards started to mutter about it being impossible, then Everett Ross dodged through them, followed by Foggy Nelson. "Did I hear the word 'poison' right?" Nelson demanded.
"You did, Mr. Nelson. Agent Ross, while the physicians haven't yet isolated the exact drug, the most likely delivery would have been her food," Vision said. The doctors nodded.
Ross looked at Wanda, his jaw working, then turned and snapped at the guards, "Get the witness facility and all supply facilities on lockdown now. Every person who has ever had contact with anything Wanda Maximoff has touched, eaten, drunk, or breathed - guards, switchboard operators, deliverymen, cooks, repairmen, plumbers, not a goddamn one of them is to leave the area, do you understand?"
Only when they'd rushed out did he turn back to Vision. "I trust Mr. Vision won't be penalized for seeking emergency services?" Nelson asked coldly.
"Hell, no. In fact, I just sent a message to Tony Stark. Either whoever did this got poison past our security, or it was an inside job. Either way, everyone who was on her security detail is now off it and not coming near her. So that leaves the Avengers," said Ross. He gave Vision a wry smile. "I trust you won't mind keeping an eye on her?"
"I require no sleep or nutrition," said Vision. "Rather, I would insist on it. I also suggest that Mr. Stark be permitted to station one or two of his suits here. They're capable of scanning for toxins even beyond my own abilities."
"I'll talk to hospital security. It'll happen." Ross sighed. "Damn it. Once she wakes up, I've got some groveling apologies to make. This should not have happened, to a defendant or a witness in any court. When I find out who did it, they're gonna be up on charges themselves."
"Suspects?" asked Nelson. "The obvious one is Zemo. Not all of his former associates have been found."
"Yeah, that's my first thought too - hell, I'd actually be relieved if that's all it turns out to be. Let me deal with that. You prepare whatever motions you need to halt the proceedings - I'll sign off to authorize the Avengers and Stark's tech as the only trustworthy protection for her." Ross turned to Vision. "What've they said about her prognosis?"
"She has been stabilized, but until the poison can be isolated, they can't be sure how long her recovery will take, or what will be necessary to eliminate it from her system," Vision said. "Miss Maximoff's metabolism is drastically different from any ordinary human's, down to the manner in which her cells process energy." Tony Stark had received his message and was now on his way - in his armor, with two suits crossing the Atlantic. "Mr. Stark is preparing all the medical workup information available, although we're both concerned about the security of that information."
Ross leaned towards him. "Do whatever you need to do to vet the staff at this hospital. Any red flags, let me know."
BIRNIN ZANA, WAKANDA...
T'Challa obtained the details once Stark arrived at the hospital, while the Secret Avengers paced miles around their guest house. "She's stable and no longer deteriorating," he reported. "But the doctors agree she has been poisoned - repeatedly - by adulterated food."
James Barnes was angrier than T'Challa had ever seen him. "Sons of bitches. I don't believe Zemo could pull this off, at least not without help from somebody in charge of her protection detail."
"Vision, Stark, and Romanoff agree. A report will be made to the Court's panel this evening; the judges are highly agitated that a defendant and witness was nearly killed while in custody. All of her security detail have been detained." T'Challa read further and snorted. "That includes a number of Americans, which I'm afraid President Bunt is expressing his usual form of disagreement with, but Sharon Carter of the CIA is publicly backing the choice, saying this is too severe a security breach to take lightly."
"I need to go up there," Steve whispered. T'Challa wasn't surprised.
Bucky folded his arms, and T'Challa knew what was coming. "We do. She wanted to face the Court alone; she's done that, and someone - possibly more than one - almost took her out. Once I'm up there, she'll be a far smaller, far less controversial target."
Steve looked stricken, but he didn't attempt to argue. Sam, Clint, and Scott exchanged long looks. T'Challa said carefully, "Where you go after leaving Wakanda is and has always been each of your decisions, although I do ask that you do all in your power to avoid exposing my involvement." The men nodded. "I can arrange discreet transportation as close as possible to The Hague, where Mr. Stark or Agent Romanoff can safely bring you the rest of the way. However, you must realize that you may not be allowed to see her."
Bucky sighed. "I hate to say it, man, but the king's got a point," said Sam. "The minute any of us – especially the two of you – turn up, the whole planet's gonna scrutinize our every movement since Berlin, and a lot of pro-Accords, anti-Avengers, or anti-Winter-Soldier people have guessed that we've had some powerful allies helping hide us. Nobody important has pointed the finger at Wakanda - so far."
But T'Challa raised a hand. "You shouldn't take it as a catastrophe if I am found out. It was a risk I chose to take from the beginning, and if it does happen, I'll deal with the consequences. I know what she means to you."
Clint was shifting on his feet, as if physically responding to the pull in two directions T'Challa knew had to be on his mind: should he stay here with his wife and children, or go to Wanda's side?
Shuri was upset by the news; she liked Wanda and was outraged that the girl had put herself into the hands of an unsympathetic international tribunal only to be poisoned. It both surprised and pleased T'Challa to notice how many of his own people were angry and distressed on Wanda Maximoff's behalf. Even among those Wakandans who had no idea T'Challa had been sheltering the Avengers, opinions about Wanda and her teammates had grown more sympathetic.
He left Steve and his friends to talk amongst themselves. Several hours later, Shuri had joined T'Challa when the Secret Avengers asked to see T'Challa again. The group was a little formal about it, which on its own told T'Challa and Shuri of their decision.
"Your highness, none of us can begin to repay your generosity," said Steve.
T'Challa nodded acknowledgment. "I take it some of you will be leaving us." He looked at Clint. "Your wife and children are free to remain safely in the sanctuary of Wakanda for as long as you wish, and they will be under my protection."
"Thank you, your highness," said Clint. "My wife and I've talked it over, and we'd like to take you up on that. I'm going to The Hague to support the rest of the team; it'll ease my mind no end knowing they're here."
"They'll be safe," Shuri promised. "You are all going to The Hague, then?"
"All except me," said Scott. "I've been away from my daughter too long. If the feds want to arrest me when I get home, they can do it, as long as I can see her first."
"We can arrange for you to arrive and visit her before anyone sees you have returned to the U.S.," T'Challa told him. He looked at Sam and raised his eyebrows.
"The rest of us are heading to the ICC. They can take their pound of flesh if they want it," he said. "I stand by everything I did with this team."
Judging by the way the rest of the Avengers suddenly looked down, it occurred to T'Challa that perhaps none of the others could look back on their choices and actions with no remorse. T'Challa certainly couldn't.
THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS
Tony knew they were coming; T'Challa subtly warned him. So he, Nat, Rhodey, and Vision and his suits were all there at the hospital to talk down the security guards from freaking out when three fugitive Avengers and one ex-Winter Soldier came through the doors. Hospital personnel sputtered, but Tony and Nat reassured them, and persuaded the staff to let the unarmed visitors up to the high security floor.
Vision regarded Rogers and Barnes with only a little suspicion. "She is still comatose, I'm afraid."
"What do we know? Is there a lead on who did this?" Steve asked.
Tony nodded, but Nat beat him to it. "It isn't being made public yet. Steps are being taken to secure the suspects. The important thing is they can't get to her now."
"What was it?" Sam asked, peering past Vision at Wanda's door.
"An anti-psychotic sedative, similar to what was administered during transportation to the Raft," said Vision. That alone probably identified the suspects. "However, her metabolism didn't process it as an ordinary human's would, and it was accumulating in her system, causing the effects to increase."
"Another meal, and she'd have passed out and never woken up," said Nat.
Steve's eyes blazed, and Barnes too stared past Vision and the Iron Sentries at the door. "I'm turning myself in. Before I do...even if she's asleep, can I see her?"
Vision and Rhodey looked startled. Right, they hadn't been privy to much that'd gone on in Wakanda, though Vision had certainly worked out that Wanda might have had a hand in freeing Barnes from Hydra's conditioning. Tony and Nat had never mentioned how close the pair had gotten.
Vision and Rhodey looked at each other, then at Tony and Nat, and it was Nat who nodded. Tony ordered the Iron Sentries to stand down.
Wanda looked like hell, on oxygen and IVs and tubes, hooked up to a dozen machines. Tony heard Steve's breath catch at the sight of her, and Sam and Clint too made little noises of anguish. Barnes didn't make a sound, but when Tony couldn't resist stealing a look - whoa.
For the first time, James fucking Barnes looked as young as Steve. Tony had realized back in Wakanda that Wanda cared a lot about the guy (even without that declaration of entirely-platonic love that Tony'd been totally justified in misinterpreting!)...but it hadn't really occurred to him that it might be mutual.
Steve, Sam, and Clint all held back to let Bucky take the chair at Wanda's bedside, and the same flesh hand that had strangled Tony's mom on a dark street touched Wanda's head with utter gentleness. Moreover...she reacted. Just the littlest turn of her face toward Bucky, but her eyes fluttered, and the readings on the monitors jumped.
"Hey, kid," said Clint softly. The monitor readings jumped again, if not as much. He reached past Steve to pat her hand. "You just relax, okay? We're all here, keeping an eye on you. You're safe."
In the hallway, the security guards were chattering, and Tony heard Everett Ross's voice. "I'll deal with this," he muttered, and slipped out.
Ross, his path blocked by Rhodey and the Iron Sentries, was trying his best to be intimidating and failing miserably. More like a housewife trying to scold adult kids, hands on his hips. "Did I hear right? Four out of five are in that room including the Winter Soldier?"
"Yep," said Rhodey, unsympathetic. "All unarmed and haven't lifted a finger to harm her - unlike the people you assigned to her."
"Yeah, yeah. Relax, I'm not here to arrest any of 'em. Can't." Ross looked a bit ragged, come to think of it. Tony raised his eyebrows. "The Court has just officially withdrawn the credentials of all American security personnel. We no longer have any authority whatsoever to involve ourselves in any case, any defendant, or any witness."
"So it was us," Rhodey concluded.
Ross sighed and nodded. "For what it's worth - and I know it's not much - that order didn't come from the CIA. Sentinel personnel were assigned to the ICC cases involving the Avengers. They may not be operating under the authority of my name-twin anymore, but they share his ideals. We're still working on where the decision came from; it might've been from the guys on the ground. For 'security purposes' to keep her from suddenly becoming aggressive."
Rhodey actually seemed to inflate. Tony half-expected him to turn green as he took a step towards Ross. "Do...you...realize...how much…credibility the United States government and military have just lost when it comes to international law enforcement, Agent?"
"Believe me, Colonel, the damage this has done to our intelligence apparatus is foremost on my mind," Ross said. "I haven't slept in seventy-two hours, I've got people screaming at me in eleven different languages every time I pick up the phone, and when they shut up long enough, I'm screaming at everybody else in eleven different languages. Heads are gonna roll for this screw-up."
Rhodey was unimpressed. "And not a milisecond of compassion spent noticing that a twenty-three-year-old woman is in a coma as a result."
"Compassion for suspects isn't in my job description, Rhodes. Deal with it."
Rhodey would've pushed the issue, but alarmed murmurs drew Tony's attention behind him, and he realized something was going on in Wanda's room. He and Rhodey hurried back, but the Iron Sentries barred Ross from following. "Aw, Stark, come on!"
"Sorry, Agent, I've programmed 'em," Tony replied. "Nobody without compassion gets near her."
He wasn't sure what he expected, but found Barnes trying to escape the chair beside Wanda's bed - and a trail of red light holding him there like a handcuff. The rest of the team were halfway between laughter and alarm as Barnes spoke Sokovian to Wanda, obviously trying to persuade her to let go.
"She's not fully conscious," said Vision, examining the monitors. "I fear she simply senses your presence and doesn't want you to leave." There was a strange edge to his voice, but Tony didn't have time to really ponder it.
"Well, that complicates things," said Steve, grinning. But he dropped his smile and looked past Tony and Rhodey. "How long can we keep Ross and the rest of the goons at bay?"
"Ross'll stay at bay as long as we need him to," Tony told them. "He's not passing the suits. But word's out that the Winter Soldier's paying a visit, and there's gonna be a lot more people than Ross wanting to chat pretty soon."
"I know, I know, this wasn't in the plan," muttered Barnes, pulling in vain. "Steve, what the hell do I do? She won't let go!"
Clint considered the scene, then said, "Everybody chill for a second. Let me make some calls. I know a few people."
As Tony feared, a larger group of special forces from multiple countries (excluding, to his amusement, the US) was soon surrounding the hospital. Rhodey and Natasha smooth-talked the nervous hospital staff, who peeked in and saw the very befuddled Winter Soldier unable to free himself from Wanda Maximoff's telekinetic grip, and most people actually in the hospital calmed down a great deal.
Tony greased a few palms, helped reassure the hospital's honchos, and with the Avengers backing them, they refused to evacuate the building or allow international SWAT teams to simply storm the place. "Mr. Barnes has made no aggressive action!" the hospital president informed one of the military leaders (in front of a slew of cameras). "Due to her incapacitation from poison, Ms. Maximoff can't understand verbal communication, and she's simply reacting to Mr. Barnes' presence by holding onto him telekinetically."
"Is she hurting him?" a reporter asked, actually sounding concerned.
"No, no, nothing like that," Tony said quickly. "But he's not willing to risk hurting her to make her let go."
The woman with purple hair, passing through the crowd with credentials that startled even the special forces personnel, caught his attention, and Clint came to meet her. Curious, Tony slipped away from the tableau and followed. "This is Betsy Braddock, British intelligence," Clint said. "We've worked together a few times."
"I know you," Tony recalled. "You're a mutant, on the Accords Index."
"I wasn't exactly given a choice about being on that Index," she said, shooting Tony a reproachful look.
Ouch.
Rhodey knew her too, and shook her hand warmly. "Betsy, good to see you. I don't suppose this means the committee's approved you?"
"Not yet. For some reason, psionic mutants with powers of suggestion make politicians nervous," she replied. Rhodey grinned. "Now, if you'll allow it, I think I can persuade young Miss Maximoff to let go of her friend."
Rhodey looked past her at Tony and nodded. "She's good. Let her in." That was more than good enough for Tony, so he cleared her to pass the Iron Sentries. (Ross tried to slip in, but was promptly blocked again. Tony figured he didn't have to do that. It was probably safe to let the guy pass, but frustrating Ross was fun.)
When Barnes looked up, he spotted Braddock, and his eyes widened. Steve froze. "You know each other?"
Uh-oh. "Sergeant Barnes," said Braddock, her voice not as cold as it might have been if she'd ever gone against the Winter Soldier. "I'm pleased to meet you under such better circumstances."
Barnes swallowed hard and looked down. "I...I know you, but I don't remember...where."
Damn. That had to be absolute shit for the poor bastard. Tony doubted there was any risk of her taking a swipe at Barnes, but Steve got to his feet, shifting his weight in anticipation of having to throw himself in front of his BFF. Braddock held up a hand. "Don't be alarmed, please; as a telepath myself, I was well aware of your complete lack of agency when you were, ah, deployed against people under my protection twenty years ago."
Barnes looked young again as he raised his eyes to hers. "Did I hurt anyone?"
"No. If anything, we'd apologize to you for having been unable to rescue you. We did try." Barnes looked down again and shrugged. Steve's eyes filled, and he went around the bed to put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Now let me see what I can do for the two of you without putting young Wanda under any stress."
"You're enhanced, I take it?" asked Steve.
"Mutant. My naturally-occurring powers have a great deal in common with the powers that developed when she was enhanced - probably not a coincidence. Human brains have the capacity for substantial psionic abilities." She laid a gentle hand on Wanda's head, and while no visible power appeared, Wanda sighed and curled up, and her red power released Bucky's hand.
"She's okay?" Bucky whispered, and Tony was struck by the intensity of the emotion in his voice, as he squeezed her hand once more before getting up. He kept staring at her like he didn't expect to see her again. Well, when the black ops guys take him into custody...I guess it may be awhile. Damn.
"She'll be fine," Braddock assured Barnes gently. "I've made her understand that you'll be back as soon as you can, and she must let you go for the time being."
Barnes wavered. "Someone needs to stay with her."
"I will," said Vision. "I haven't left her since bringing her here. Mr. Stark's suits scan everyone and everything that comes into this room. No one will be able to harm her again."
Barnes said something to her in Sokovian. Wanda sighed in her sleep, then he quickly left the room. Tony followed.
Once they were out of the room, Steve, Bucky, Clint, and Sam kept their hands at their sides, fingers spread, and their movements slow. Everett Ross stared at the now-completely-unrestrained man walking past and asked, "I don't suppose you'll consent to be interviewed?"
"What for? You're not authorized by the Court, so I'll just have to do it again when I get there," Bucky retorted, with only the faintest sarcasm. "You had your chance; not my fault you botched it." Out of the corner of his eye, Steve saw Sam's grin at Ross and had to fight the temptation to do the same.
Ross looked more resigned than anything else. Yeah, you deserved that and you know it. This time, he does get a lawyer.
Tony murmured to Steve, "So far the only one charged with anything is Barnes. You should have Murdock take his case. He's representing Nat too. His old partner, Nelson, he's representing Wanda."
"I know Murdock," said Sam. "He's good. Nelson was doing a good job for Wanda 'till she got sick."
"Yeah, but I doubt I can afford either of 'em," said Clint.
"I'm handling the bills," said Tony briskly. That stopped Clint, and the two men stared at each other for several long seconds. Even the security officers waited.
Finally, Clint looked over his shoulder at Nat, who nodded. Then he nodded too, as did Sam. "Okay."
Steve looked at Bucky, who simply shrugged. Steve fought the urge to sigh. Bucky never seemed to understand the rest of the team's outrage at how Ross had blown off the suggestion of a lawyer. Well, neither had Wanda. The idea was, literally, foreign to her.
Once upon a time, Bucky would've understood. Without the war (and with money) Bucky might have made a lawyer. He'd dragged Steve to the courthouse once or twice to watch trials, just for the fascination of it. Steve hadn't found the whole process so intriguing, but he'd liked sketching the proceedings, and felt more at ease when he realized the courts paid people to do that.
He and the courthouse sketch artist had once gotten into a deep discussion, comparing their work while Bucky had enthusiastically quizzed one of the prosecutors after a trial ended, and both of them had been glowing from getting claps on the back and urgings to "look me up when you finish school, son. I might have a job for you!"
Then had come the war and Pearl Harbor, and all other aspirations died as other young men died in Europe and the Pacific and Bucky's draft letter had come in.
"Cap?" Sam sounded concerned.
Steve blinked back to the present. Everyone was staring at him...shit, and there were cameras. How long had he been staring into the past? "Sorry. I...guess my bank account's still frozen?" He forced a weak smile that he knew would fool no one.
Tony wrinkled his nose and nodded. "If you really want, I'll make it a loan. You need a lawyer, Cap, a good one. You all do."
"'kay," he mumbled. "Thanks, Tony."
"If you're not sure about Nelson or Murdock, say the word, and I'll have business cards from half the attorney population of the planet in twenty-four hours," Tony offered, half-joking.
"Nah, I've been watching the broadcasts. No question they know what they're doing," said Steve in as light a voice as he could manage. "Unless - well, this is a lot of clients for just two guys."
"They've got some associates too, but I'll make sure," Tony promised, then they all walked through the outer doors into a wall of sound.
The hospital staff had steered them to a partially-enclosed exit area for "high profile patients," and there a fleet of armored vehicles was waiting. The noise was from around the walls, where reporters were jammed so thick Steve feared they'd crush each other, shoving their cameras into every gap, yelling questions.
"Gentlemen!" called a Dutch officer, beckoning them over. "I've come from the International Criminal Court; I am in charge of your protection and security."
Tony and Nat nodded their approval, so after Bucky cast a long look over the vehicles, they all got in. There were no boxes or restraints inside, just seats behind thick blast-proof glass. "Damn, they're not messing around," muttered Sam once they started.
"A defendant was poisoned while in custody," the Dutch commander said. "We take that very seriously."
"We hear it was our countrymen," said Sam.
"Yes. Agents from the American Sentinel Program had been assigned to the American portion of the security detail, and their commander evidently decided they were free to take action against Miss Maximoff without permission from the Court. They've all been detained, and ICC's security is now being administered by a Dutch, Danish, and Finnish task force."
"No Germans this time?" Sam asked, sounding like he was only half-joking.
"No. Although the Court has used German Special Forces in the past, they were unwilling to abide by the new terms set by the Court in light of these recent events, so they too are not permitted to participate."
Sam shot Steve an impressed look. Clint seemed cautiously approving, while Nat and Tony were...smirking. All promising, though Bucky just looked at his knees, far too much like the way he'd looked in that box.
It won't be like that. This Court actually gives a damn about your rights. This time'll be different. Steve bit the words back. Somehow he doubted that was what was worrying Bucky.
When they got to the Court, Steve fully expected them to be hauled in front of the judges right away - and for Bucky to be clapped in irons. Instead, they were met by Nelson and Murdock and a court official. "Gentlemen, the Court has ordered that you be permitted to speak first with your attorneys. Conference rooms have been set aside for you. As long as you are not aggressive, you will not be restrained."
Even Bucky raised his eyebrows at that. While all the court personnel and security officers were watching nervously, not a single gun was pointed at them. "Cap, gentlemen, good to meet you," said Nelson, and they all shook hands. It raised both lawyers in Steve's esteem that neither hesitated to shake hands with Bucky. "Let's talk."
Once the conference room door was shut, Sam remarked, "Damn, the judges must've really been pissed."
"Oh, they were, believe me - or at least the majority was. Judge Irina Ginsburg heads up the pretrial panel - Danish, no relation to the Notorious," said Nelson. Sam and Clint grinned, though the joke went over Steve's head. "She's a good egg; I was glad to see her on Wanda's panel, and when we got confirmation it was the U.S. security crew that drugged the food, she hit the ceiling. Hence us being able to actually work with the four of you without guns in our faces."
"She must be willing to take a lot on faith," Bucky muttered, staring at the floor.
"Well, you haven't gone nuts and tried to kill anyone so far," said Murdock. "First question on everybody's mind is going to be those trigger words Zemo announced; do they still work?" Bucky shook his head. "Would you be okay if someone read them to you in front of the Court?"
"Yeah."
There was a long silence as the two lawyers waited, obviously hoping Bucky would elaborate. Murdock finally said, "Mr. Barnes - "
" - Bucky." He still didn't look up.
"Bucky. Are you okay with Foggy and me representing you?"
"Sure, that's fine," Bucky murmured distantly, still not looking up.
"All right. I'd like for us to talk briefly with you alone."
But Bucky snorted quietly. "No point. I know about attorney-client privilege, but it's not gonna apply. There're at least six different listening devices in this room." He tilted his head. "Possibly a video camera."
Steve stiffened, but to his surprise, Murdock chuckled. "Yeah, I noticed. However, the judges won't allow anything that any intelligence agency obtains from this room to be used against you if it's during a meeting between you and your lawyers. But that privilege gets waived by the presence of third parties."
Natasha tugged Steve's elbow, and after trying in vain to catch Bucky's eye, Steve left with the others. "I trust them," she said as they regathered in the next conference room. "They're both going to handle Bucky's case, since he's the one with the most potential charges."
Steve's hearing, along with everything else, was enhanced. Despite the thickness of the walls (probably built precisely to prevent what Steve was doing) he could just make out the conversation in the next room.
"Steve," Nat scolded, but she didn't try to stop him.
"I understand this has to be very overwhelming," Nelson was saying.
"I'm fine," Bucky said.
"Seriously? No offense, Bucky, but I don't believe that for a second. Nobody who's been treated the way you have would be all right," said Murdock. Bucky actually chuckled softly. "So can you tell us how you got those words out of your head?"
There was a long silence, then, "Wanda. Her power. I'm...not entirely sure how it worked. Just that it did."
"We wondered. But that's a good answer; if you don't know how, then you don't know how. I, ah...don't know how familiar you are with being questioned by attorneys and judges rather than, well..."
Bucky sounded amused. "Not really, no, but I figure it can't be worse than any interrogations I used to get."
"It damn well better not be, or this Court can drop all claims of serving justice," huffed Nelson. "You're not about to go on trial. This is a pretrial procedure while the Court decides if it's able to charge you with anything. There are a lot of potential charges floating around, but the pretrial panel decides if there's sufficient evidence."
"How could there not be?"
There was a long pause, then Murdock asked, "Are you, ah, aware of the information Natasha Romanoff leaked about your...time as a prisoner of Hydra?"
"What...oh, you mean the training stuff. Yeah, I know about it, but I haven't watched the videos. I doubt they're very pleasant."
"Well, they're what we in the profession would call 'mitigating circumstances out the wazoo,' not to put to fine a point on it. They also seriously call into question whether you were responsible for anything you did while under their control."
Though Steve listened hard, to his intense disappointment, Bucky didn't say anything to that.
To Be Continued...
Coming Soon: The pretrial of the century begins (sorry, lawyer inside joke). A lot of people are relieved to learn Bucky can no longer be triggered by Zemo's Hydra words, but Team Defense soon hits a snag: nobody believes Wanda could have beaten the conditioning alone. A choice looms between risking Bucky's freedom and T'Challa's.
PLEASE don't forget to review!