Day: 794 - May 22, 2014
This Chapter takes place a few weeks after Paradigm Shift
"Captain, please sleep," Jarvis pleaded with a faint note of exasperation. "You have been on watch for nearly seventy hours now."
"Believe me, it's not that I don't want to," Steve answered, rubbing at his eyes with an exhausted sigh. He slumped forward over the interview table, letting his head rest on his hands.
"Dr. Banner is currently engaged in the research for more effective tranquilizers," Jarvis informed drily. "perhaps you would like to assist him with testing?" Steve let out a huff of a laugh before sitting up, leaning back in the chair and stretching his long legs out in front of him.
"I'm sorry, Jarvis," he replied, his mouth opening in a jaw-cracking yawn. "I just haven't been able to get to sleep."
"You might find your attempts more effective were you to lie down in an actual bed." Jarvis surmised. Steve smiled, rubbing at his face with his fingers. He shifted in the chair, folding his arms over his chest as his attention returned to the monitor on the wall. Inside the Hulk cage Bucky Barnes was fast asleep, splayed on top of the down comforter on the queen sized bed, his metal arm dangling over the side, almost brushing against the flokati shag area rug. The cage had been appointed in the finest designer furnishings money could buy, each of them meticulously bolted to the floor. Bucky had objected at first, insisting that he could devise a weapon out of anything. As far as Steve could tell, Tony had only taken that as a challenge.
"Jarvis are you capable of being physically compromised by emotion?" he asked finally. "I mean, obviously you… feel."
"I'm not sure I understand the question," Jarvis answered. Steve's face scrunched up and he blinked dry eyes at the screen as if to clear them.
"I… I'm not sleeping because when I try, my mind races," Steve admitted softly. "I think about everything the happened that day, every choice I made. Everything I did wrong. I can't make it stop." Steve paused, wincing.
"That's probably perfectly normal for you," he observed. "You don't need sleep and you're capable of how many simultaneous calculations?"
"Currently, three hundred and thirty-seven," Jarvis replied. "I do think I grasp something of what you are asking, Captain, there have been instances where emotion unduly influenced my decision making process. It can create a great deal of chaos in my computational parameters."
"Yeah, that's me alright," Steve nodded leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table. "He looks so fragile like this."
"If I might say so, Captain, the assessment is not unfair," Jarvis pointed out. "He seemed quite distraught after this most recent episode." Steve nodded in agreement.
"I was kind of hoping we were getting past this," he whispered softly. "My best friend is in pain, and I got him that way. And I put him in a cage."
"He is showing marked improvement," Jarvis reminded gently. "It will be at least several days before he has another regressive episode, you should take the opportunity to rest. I will call you if there is any change." Steve rested his face in his hands.
"I can't leave him alone," Steve stated. It was a testament to his state of exhaustion that it took him several moments to realize the silence was becoming awkward.
"I did not mean that like it sounds, it's," Steve corrected, cringing. "Hell. I just don't feel right leaving any of you here alone with him. This was all on me, I did this to him, I brought him here. If anything happened to any of you because of this."
"Sgt. Barnes' episodes have become progressively fewer and shorter," Jarvis offered succinctly. "Also, Agent Barton, Sgt. Barnes, and myself conducted a test of the security systems during your last break three days ago, the Sergeant was unable to find a means of escape." Steve stared at the monitor, blinking slowly.
"And you're wondering why I'm nervous about leaving you alone together?" Steve asked incredulously.
"It was a controlled test," Jarvis answered drolly. "According to Agent Barton we were, apparently, bored." Steve let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head.
"Yeah, that sounds like Bucky," Steve nodded, his voice cracking slightly. "Damn, I've missed him so much." Steve rubbed at his eyes, drawing in a handful of unsteady breaths.
"Captain, you're exhausted," Jarvis remarked in his most gentle tone. "Please, Dr. Banner and Sgt. Wilson are both available. Allow me to summon them." Steve stared at the monitor, his eyes shining as he watched Bucky.
"I'm terrified that if I take my eyes off of him, he's going to disappear," Steve confessed, his face contorting in a miserable expression.
"Captain," Jarvis scolded lightly.
"I lost everything, my girl, my best friend," Steve continued, struggling to regain control of his emotions. "I never told them how I felt. I always said there wasn't time, but I…"
"You have time now," Jarvis pointed out. "Sgt. Barnes is not going anywhere. His mental state is improving. It will take time, but I believe he will be all right."
"You know what scared me most when I woke up here?" Steve questioned. "After I moved in here. I kept seeing myself years from now, you and I, the only ones left. And it's nothing against you, Jarvis."
"It troubles me too," Jarvis admitted. The silence drew out between them, less uncomfortable this time, Steve's eyes fixed on the steady rise and fall of Bucky's chest.
"Typical."
Steve started at the unexpected sound of Bryn's voice, his head swiveling toward the door to the observation room. She stood on the threshold, leaning against the frame with her arms folded over her chest and a brown paper bag clutched in one hand.
"Jarvis sent me to bring you food," She stated, holding out the bag as she crossed the room. "You know if you wanted me to come up here and bully him, you could have just mentioned it." she directed the last statement at the camera in the corner and Steve bit back a smile as he took the bag from her.
"Thanks for the food, but I'm fine," he insisted unwrapping his hoagie and taking a large bite.
"Look at you," Bryn huffed, fishing her phone from her pocket. "You look like the end of an eight day Disney vacation!"
"Is that the civilian version of the fourth day of a three day pass?" Steve asked, stifling a yawn. He paused as her camera button clicked, looking at her in confusion as she smoothly turned the phone's screen toward him.
"Okay, this looks bad," he admitted, scrutinizing the photo of himself. Bryn made a condescending face at him.
"I feel like I'm being judged," he stated, his eyes narrowing at her slightly.
"You are being judged," Bryn declared with a frown. "When was the last time you bathed?" Steve gave her sidelong glance, stuffing another bite of his sandwich in his mouth.
"What are you doing?" he asked cautiously as she tapped at her phone.
"Telling Tasha that you're about to grow mushrooms," Bryn answered as her phone made a distinctive whoosh. Steve made a face, his expression settling on wounded as his brow unfurrowed. Bryn dropped into the chair beside him, giving him an expectant look.
"You're comfortable here for a few minutes until she shows up?" he asked hesitantly.
"Preemptive retreat," Bryn nodded firmly. "Best tactical choice."
"That's why they made me Captain," Steve sighed, dragging himself out of the chair and shuffling on stiff legs toward the door.
"Hygiene, Rogers!" Bryn called after him. "Don't come back until you've bathed and brushed your teeth!" she rested her elbows on the table, propping her chin on the heels of her hands until the lift dinged.
"You want to call somebody down here, Jarvis, or should I?" she asked when she was certain the elevator doors had closed.
"Sgt. Wilson will be down shortly," Jarvis answered with a touch of amusement. "As soon as he insures that the Captain is making some attempt to sleep. He remarked that it was proof of the Captain's state of mind that he clearly does not remember that Agent Romanov is currently in California."
"Steve's pretty messed up," Bryn nodded in affirmation, tipping the chair back a fraction and resting her feet on the edge of the table. "Why'd you let that go on for so long?"
"I can do little more than threaten," Jarvis admitted reluctantly. "And threats mean very little without Agent Romanov present to carry them out."
"She is kind of terrifying," Bryn agreed. Inside the Hulk cage Bucky stirred. Bryn dropped her feet to the floor, leaning forward. "Jarvis?"
"Good afternoon, Sgt. Barnes," Jarvis said in a soft, placating tone. "It is May twenty-second, 2014. You are in Manhattan in Avenger's tower under the protection of Steven Rogers and Anthony Stark, the son of your friend Howard Stark."
"Yeah… Yeah… I remember," Bucky said thickly, nodding slowly. "Thanks, Jarvis."
"My pleasure, Sergeant," Jarvis replied. Barnes rolled slowly up, wincing as if in pain.
"What did I break while I was… out?" he asked hesitantly.
"Your accommodations are undamaged, Sergeant," Jarvis replied. "As you can, no doubt, see for yourself." Bucky blinked blearily around the room, scratching at his scalp.
"Steve?" he called out hesitantly. Bryn reached for the microphone, pressing the button.
"Hey Sgt. Barnes, I'm Bryn," She offered hesitantly. "We haven't met yet. I work for Mr. Stark. Steve was looking kind of tired so I told him to get some rest."
"That's, that's good, he's," Barnes paused, dragging his hand over his face. "I'm glad you're looking out for him."
"Is there anything I can do for you, Sergeant?" She questioned with a hopeful lilt.
"Bucky," he suggested. "Might as well call me Bucky if you're on a first name basis with Steve."
"Alright, Bucky then," Bryn agreed. Bucky rubbed the sleep from his eyes, blinking up at the tv screen mounted into the wall near the ceiling.
"You're a looker," he remarked with a faint twist of a smile. "You Steve's girl?"
"We're friends," Bryn answered, her cheeks coloring slightly. "I make the food runs around here, keep the kitchen stocked and pick up the takeout. That kind of thing."
"Way to a man's heart is through his stomach," Bucky remarked, sprawling out on the bed and folding his arm behind his head, staring up at the ceiling.
"Yeah, that's what my Gran always said," Bryn agreed, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. "Is there anything you want? Mr. Stark says it might help you remember so I should get you anything you ask for. Carte blanche."
"He might regret that later," Bucky declared with a snort of amusement.
"Well, you haven't seen Steve and Thor at a barbecue," she said, smiling. "What can I get you? Brooklyn Cheesecake?"
"Is that still a thing?" he asked, a hint of nostalgia coloring his tone.
"It is in my part of Brooklyn," Bryn offered with a shrug. "How about a nice juicy steak?"
"I don't remember getting a lot of steak," Bucky said, closing his eyes.
"I won't tell Mr. Stark if you won't," she suggested. The faintest smile curled his lips but he didn't reply. An uneasy quiet settled over the room and Bryn propped her chin in her hand, watching him, wondering if he had fallen asleep again.
"Steve thinks he's going to get me out of here," Bucky stated.
"That's the plan as far as I know," Bryn nodded.
"That wouldn't be the best idea," he observed.
"Why would you say that?" she asked curiously.
"Because I'm dangerous."
"Mr. Stark doesn't think so." She pointed out.
"Yeah, well, if he's anything like his old man then he wouldn't think it was a bad idea to build a flying bicycle out of a flame thrower either," Bucky declared drily. "But that doesn't make it a smart move." Bryn buried her face in her arms to stifle her laughter.
"What?" Bucky asked curiously. Bryn didn't answer, gasping for air as she waved her hand at the security camera.
"Mr. Stark once rode a nuclear warhead into a black hole," Jarvis answered with no small amount of derision.
"Son of a bitch," Bucky gave a snort of amusement.
"Bucky, I've been here a while now," Bryn stated, swallowing her giggles as she dried the tears from the corners of her eyes. "and I've seen Mr. Stark do some questionable things, but the one thing I've never seen him do is risk someone he's responsible for. So if he says you're going to be okay, then you're going to be okay."
"If anything happened," Bucky began hesitantly.
"Jarvis would never allow it," she stated with conviction.
"Sergeant Barnes," Jarvis offered. "I hesitate to tell you this, but we have already put failsafes in place that would allow me to incapacitate you should you escape. Your containment is for your own safety, not for others."
"If I go nuts and break out of here you can stop me?" he asked in disbelief.
"If Mr. Stark didn't think Jarvis could stop you, you wouldn't be here," Bryn insisted gently. "It really is going to be okay."
"You have an awful lot of faith in the robot butler," Bucky observed.
"I've seen him in action," Bryn replied.
"Oh, is that how it is in the future?" Bucky stated with a knowing smirk. Bryn opened her mouth to protest as the door to the observation room opened.
"Hey, Buck, you're awake!" Sam grinned, a cheerful spring in his swagger.
"Been hanging out with the support team," Bucky stated with a shrug. "If you're done brown nosing to the officers you should join us."
"Cheeky, Barnes, really cheeky," Sam observed, folding himself into the chair beside Bryn.
"If you're good, I'm going to get back to work," Bryn stated, patting his arm.
"Yeah, we're fine," Bucky interrupted before Sam could answer. "I'll keep an eye on him for you."
"See ya, Bucky," Bryn waved at the camera, shooing him a grin. Her hand was on the door latch when he called back.
"Hey Bryn?"
"Yeah?"
"Can you still get latkes?" he asked softly. "There was a jewish deli down the street from our place. They made fantastic latkes."
"I'll add them to the shopping list," Bryn promised. Bucky gave a nod of thanks and Sam gave her a pleased look. She opened the door half way before turning back.
"Did Howard Stark really make a flying bicycle out of a flame-thrower?" she asked curiously.
"Hell yeah," Bucky nodded, his eyes shining with genuine warmth. "I almost broke my neck in the test flight." Sam busted out in laughter as she slipped out into the hall.
"He'll be fine," Jarvis insisted once the elevator doors closed.
"I know," she nodded with a heavy sigh. "It's just really hard to see him like that. James Buchanan Barnes. He's a hero."
"I wish everyone felt that way," Jarvis said with a sigh.
"I kind of just wish he did," Bryn admitted.