*Edit : 4/21/2017*
So, I know the ending of this chapter left you all guessing, and I'm a little sorry about that.
But I have only one week of instruction left in my semester, and then a week of exams, so my brain is completely fried. Given all of that, I chose to re-write the very end of this chapter, adjusting it so I can forgo the sorta-thought-out plotline in favor of one that I can actually manage to think about without my brain bursting out of flames.
So, I reposted this chapter. It's all exactly the same, accept the plane-scene at the end.
Any questions, PM me.
Sorry not sorry.
I still love you all, my cupcakes!
So, all you wonderful cupcakes, I am in a fantastic mood!
I'm in Chicago.
My hotel is right on Michigan Avenue.
I have a badass view of the city 'cause I'm on the 38th floor.
And I saw Hamilton today. Yup, that's right, I SAW HAMILTON AND IT WAS SO AMAZING AND I CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT HOW AMAZING IT IS!
Anyhoo, here's the chapter! I'm not gonna lie, it gets kinda intense. In a way. I don't know. *shrug*
Leave a review for a faster update! ;)
~Christianne
Previously…
"I think it's pretty damn clear what I want, so why don't you just pretend to be a decent human being, and tell me what the Hell happened to my tech," Anna huffed, cocking her hip to the other side.
"Ah, yes, James Samuel Barnes the Third…TJ, I believe he likes to be called," Enrico said, as if he was recalling something that didn't really matter. "I'm afraid that my aforementioned employees picked up the first man by the name of 'James Barnes' they found. That, I believe, is the only problem with a man passing his name down to his son."
"I want proof of life," Anna demanded.
"I have no reason to hurt the young Barnes boy," Enrico said with a dismissive shrug. "Consider him…A prisoner of war…There is only so much I can do when concerning TJ, if I am to adhere to the conventional terms of war…I am going to have to deny your request."
Anna chuckled once. "I'm sorry, did I ask if I can have proof of life? 'Cause I didn't mean to ask for it. I was going for more of a…Give it to me or I will kill you tone."
Enrico chuckled at her words, though even Bucky found them a little terrifying. "I do not currently have him at my disposal…Will you settle for another video conference in two days time?"
"You're not giving me much of a choice, are you?" Anna huffed, narrowing her eyes.
There was more silence, before an aged voice spoke up.
"You referred to my grandson as a prisoner of war," Jimmy said, slowly walking towards the screen, passing Anna to stand in front of her. "Which war is he a prisoner of?"
Enrico let out a whole hearted laugh at Jimmy's words. "Why, the war I am waging against Annabelle and the original James Barnes, of course!"
Two Days Later
Omniscient POV
Bucky was experiencing a strong feeling of déjà vu; in the basement of Rebecca's house, members of the Barnes' clan, Ellie, Steve, and Kara floating around as they quietly spoke among themselves, and a heavy feeling in the air that just about choked everyone on each inhale. The only differences were the absence of JJ and his wife, Anna was pacing in front of the wall that Enrico Slavic would be projected onto in less than an hour, and Tony Stark was now there.
JJ blatantly refused to let Clarisse see whatever condition their son was in, which everyone else agreed on. He bargained that he would stay with her, which finally made her agree. Anna seemed surprised by his voluntary absence, but Bucky thought it made sense; they had absolutely no idea what kind of condition TJ would be in, and should he be bloody and beaten, no parent would want to see their kid like that. Jimmy on the other hand was contently sitting on a bench along the back wall, near the door. No one dared try to make him leave.
"You're gonna wear a hole into the floor, Glow," Bucky finally spoke up, making Anna glance at him.
She let out a soft laugh, just a breath through her nose and a smile, and shook her head. "Do you know how hard I tried to keep something like this from happening?" Anna asked, a sad smile on her face.
"Keep what from happening?" Bucky asked, trying to keep engage her in conversation.
"This…" she sighed, gesturing to the room around her. "One of the family members of some of the bravest men I've ever met being dragged into a world of war that was already endured for them…I kept kids out of the draft, put security on them when they were in countries that were even slightly dangerous, made sure they all got into college and graduated…All that work…"
"…And you think that this one thing with TJ just erased all that work?" Bucky asked, trying to pick up where Anna left off. She turned away and shrugged as she resumed pacing.
"Look, Annie, a gal as smart as you has to know in some way, shape or form, this isn't your fault," Bucky sighed, crossing his arm as he gazed at her pacing form. "I mean, you can feel how you feel, but you gotta know in that logical part of your brain that this isn't something you could'a controlled."
Anna shot a glance Bucky's way, before chuckling quietly to herself. "You know, it's always been annoying when you're more clearheaded and rational than me, but now, when you're recovering from your mind going through a washing machine, it's really annoying."
Bucky just grinned at her, and sent her a quick wink before Kára pulled her away to ask a question.
"Alright, looks like Indigo Montoya is finally calling us," Tony called out from the computer in the corner.
"Oh, don't compare Slavic to him," Ellie complained from her spot next to Steve a few feet away. "The Princess Bride is one of my favorite books; don't sully its characters by comparing them to a man who kills indiscriminately and has captured one of my friends."
Tony rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, fortune cookie."
Steve would have laughed at Tony's lack of response to Ellie, had the situation been different. Ellie just had a way of bringing out the good in people, even if they didn't want it to be seen. He put his arm around his gal, and brought her closer to his side, allowing his thumb to rub Ellie's shoulder through her light cardigan.
There was a flicker, and then an image appeared projected on the wall of the basement.
"Hello again Annabelle," Slavic greeted with a polite smile. His eyes roamed his own screen for a moment before he spoke again. "Forgive me if I do not greet you all by name. I can only assume that you are eager to observe the proof of life you so rudely demanded."
"Considering your guys rear-ended an unarmed tech and yanked him from his car, I don't think you can really judge us for being a little less than polite," Anna huffed, crossing her arms.
Enrico chuckled, and shook his head. "Very well…" He stepped aside, and Ellie let out a quiet gasp that was quickly muffled by Steve pulling her into his chest, gently covering her mouth with his hand. As much as the action made him uncomfortable, and as much as he wanted to gasp himself, he couldn't let Slavic know how they were reacting.
The background wasn't the expensive office with the waxed leather chairs. Instead, it looked like a darkened warehouse with only a few florescent lights aimed towards the center of the frame. Enrico had stepped aside from the center of the frame, and revealed the young man in the chair behind him. Slavic stood behind the young man, and put his hands on the guy's shoulders. The man in the chair flinched at the contact.
"As you can see, James Barnes III is alive and well, if not a little worse for wear," Slavic explained, frowning as TJ squirmed beneath his hands. "I shall allow you to speak to him without me present, but I should warn you all, that an armed associate will be here to operate the camera and to ensure that Mr. Barnes doesn't divulge any…prudent, information."
With that, Slavic gave TJ's shoulder a pat, and walked out of frame. There was an echoed sound of a door closing moments later, and then silence.
"…TJ?" Anna asked cautiously. Since he'd been revealed behind Enrico, his head was hanging limply down towards his lap; his wrists were visibly tied down to the arms of the chair, and it could only be assumed that his ankles were as well.
Slowly, the head of shaggy dark hair rose up, revealing the tired face of the former S.H.I.E.L.D. tech. There was a gash in his forehead; it didn't appear too deep, but it had clearly been gushing blood, going by how much of the dried, rust-colored, stuff was on his face. His nose was visibly broken, there was a deep bruise on his cheek, and his greasy hair hung in clumps over his face. Despite all that, his blue eyes were still bright and alert.
"Hey Anna," he greeted in a dry, cracked voice, paired with a slightly pained half-grin. "Hey…Uh, everyone else."
"Are you alright?" Anna asked seriously, waving Kára over. "What did they do to you?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary," TJ shrugged. "The head wound and broken nose are curtesy of my steering wheel after they rammed into me at a stop sign. Aside from that, they roughed me up a little. No broken bones, just a few bruises."
Anna glanced at Kára, who leaned a little closer as she moved away. "They can't keep that up...His mind only thinks his body is strong enough to take a beating like that." Anna nodded slightly.
"Could you send someone to make sure that Z-... that Ariel is alright?" TJ asked, licking his dry lips. "I was on my way to the airport to see her, and I don't know if they took any of my stuff."
Anna knew that 'Ariel' was the name Zoya was under in the facility in Canada, and nodded. "It didn't look like they took anything from your car, but I'll put Natasha on it. Promise."
TJ's brows furrowed, only to make the cut on his forehead open up slightly. "Uh, Anna? Not-Not that I doubt Agent Romanov's abilities as an agent, I'm not sure that she would be the…the best person to…interact with Ariel."
"Trust me, TJ, Nat's got her issues with bed-side mannerisms, but she can be really sweet and gentle when she wants to be, and she speaks Russian. Ariel would definitely appreciate that," Anna explained quickly, making TJ nod slightly.
There were a few moments of silence.
"TJ," Steve finally said, moving towards the screen slightly, holding Ellie's hand as he did. "You know we're get you back home, right?"
The bloody tech on the screen let out a small laugh. "Of course I do…I may not go into the field much, but I am part of the team…I know how you guys are."
"Good," Anna spoke up, gaining his attention again. "Just…Just do what they say, tell them whatever they want to know, and hang-tight until we can get you out of there."
His brows furrowed again. "Tell them—Anna, I'm not gonna do that!"
"What the hell do you mean you're not gonna do that?" Anna snapped at him, her tone severe and worried, and her eyebrows were raised in surprise.
"I don't know all the details, and even if I did, I don't have a way to tell you without the very large man by the door with a gun finding out, but I know Slavic is planning a war, with you and Bucky in the crosshairs," TJ explained calmly. "I'm not there with you to help like I normally would. So…I'm gonna help you how I can here. And the only way I can think of that I can help you here, is by keeping my mouth shut."
"TJ, you can't be serious!" Anna almost laughed, her eyes still wide and brows raised. "Do what I told you, alright? Tell them whatever you need to tell them so they won't hurt you."
"No, I'm not gonna put you all in danger like that," TJ said firmly, shaking his head.
"James Samuel, you listen to Anna," Jimmy spoke up, standing from his seat by the door. He walked towards Anna, and stood slightly in front of her. "I don't give a damn if what she's telling you to do goes against what S.H.I.E.L.D. drilled into you head, because the only reason she's telling you to do it is that she's trying to get you back home in one piece."
"I know, granddad, but I-"
"Don't argue with her, James," Jimmy said firmly, looking at the image of his grandson on the wall. "I shouldn't have to explain to you all the reasons you need to be alive, but I will if I need to."
"TJ, you know I like you, but you're not trained for this, and your body can't take the kind of stress Slavic is going to put you through," Steve spoke up, allowing Ellie to slip out of his grasp to hide behind the desk with Tony and Bucky. "You know we're going to get you home, so you just need to stay alive until then."
"Look, you guys, the captain asked me if I knew that you were going to get me home, and I said that I knew you would…But, he didn't say that you would get me home alive," TJ said, his voice still calm.
The pause that followed felt like a weight on everyone's chest, making it hard to breathe.
"What the hell do you mean?" Kára snapped, crossing her arms. The Valkyrie didn't like the weight on her chest, and hoped TJ's explanation would make it go away.
"It means that I don't want you guys to waste time on me," TJ explained. "Not when you have a crazy man like Slavic preparing to wage war on you and everything you believe in—Everything we believe in."
The basement was in stunned silence.
The bloody tech swallowed thickly, and looked down briefly before he spoke up again.
"Look, I know I'm a bit of a letdown, alright? I didn't meet the standards S.H.I.E.L.D. expected of me, and I've accepted that…But this is my chance to make up for all of that," he paused, and looked at the reactions of the people a world away from him on the screen.
"Slavic knows that I had a high security clearance, and know all your files like the back of my hand, not to mention all the databases I have access to—both legally and illegally. He-He's going to…He's gonna allocate a lot of resources to gettin' it outta me," TJ swallowed thickly again. Just the thought about what he was going to endure was enough to make an acidic ball of fear grow in his throat and clog his airways. "He'll be distracted with the idea of me giving him information, and won't be fully focused on whatever you're gonna do to beat him."
The basement was silent.
"I know that if I had been more like grandad, or Bucky, or my dad, I-I would'a been able to do a lot more good when I was still at S.H.I.E.L.D…Hell, I would'a been able to keep myself out of this situation…" TJ kept going. "But things just never worked out…But I can do this."
"James…TJ," Jimmy said, his voice full of sadness and a hint of regret. "You can't make a choice like this based on gossip you heard when you were working at S.H.I.E.L.D. You helped plenty, in your own way…This heroic complex you have is dangerous. You're my only grandson, and I love you dearly, but I'm afraid this isn't something your training prepared you for…This just isn't something you can handle."
"Don't tell him that."
The abrupt statement made everyone turn around and look at Bucky. He was leaning on the desk Ellie and Tony were behind, mostly covering them with his broad torso and shoulders, and looking at Jimmy with a stern gaze.
"Don't tell him he can't handle this 'cause he wasn't trained for it," Bucky explained, then paused. "Hell, you shouldn't be telling him he can't handle anything just 'cause he wasn't trained for it.
Kára, whose Valkyrie past instilled in her a very serious respect for receiving proper training and preparation, let out a soft snort. It was no surprise, considering that she went through a good three hundred years of training before she was allowed to use her wings for what they were made to do. "I don't wanna make a bad situation worse, but I have to ask the rational for dropping a tech into a situation where he's gonna be torn apart from the outside in."
TJ visibly flinched when Kára said the last part.
Bucky glared at the Valkyrie, and frowned a little as he looked down. "The fact that he's willing to let himself get torn apart from the outside in is proof enough that he can take it."
"Really? And what's your basis for this?" Kára challenged him, cocking her hip as she crossed her arms.
There was another pause, and Bucky looked right at Kára.
"When I was in the HYDRA factory in Italy, before Steve was overseas and the Howling Commandos existed, I spent twenty-three and a half hours a day strapped to a table while who-knows-who did God knows what to me," Bucky said in a flat voice. Both Steve and Anna were surprised to hear him mention that. It was rare that he did way back in the 40s, but he hadn't brought up anything remotely close to it since he 'came back.'
"I could have stopped it all at any time, but I didn't, 'cause I knew what was at stake," he paused, and licked his lips. Then, he looked at TJ, who was wide-eyed.
"Don't get me wrong, TJ, you sayin' you'll do this is by far the stupidest, pigheaded, most hero-complex like thing anybody would ever even consider doing, but don't you doubt for a second that he could do it," Bucky said, looking at his young relative. They looked like they were only a few years apart in age, but the fact that one was nearly 100 and the other was just scratching 30. "A person can be trained 'till the cows come home, but being trained doesn't mean you're prepared for what you're gonna come up against…Nothing prepared you for…for torture."
There was a heavy pause, and TJ swallowed that ball of fear yet again. He nodded, and clenching his jaw in resolve. "I can do this."
"Just 'cause you have the ability to do something doesn't mean it's a good idea," Steve cut in, fixing TJ with that authoritative gaze that always got things done. "Self-preservation isn't a cowardly thing, TJ."
"'The needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few'," TJ said, cracking a scared grin. The pause made him frown. "Oh come on, I'm gonna be willingly throwing myself into torture, and you're all still too cool to at least pretend to laugh at me quoting Star Trek?"
"I don't understand," Ellie spoke softly. Her voice was thick from seeing her close friend in such a state, and from what he was saying.
TJ swallowed again. "What don't you understand, Ellie?"
"I understand that you believe that you doing this will help defeat Slavic," Ellie said, her hands running over her scars anxiously. "But…But, why do you think that we can win without you?"
She paused. "What makes you think we can function as a team like we did without your help?"
The silence came back, and TJ looked down.
"That's the point…I help, Ellie…I just help. I don't do," TJ spoke quietly. "I'm not a game changer...Keeping Slavic guessing on what I know would do more than if I was there to…to tinker on a laptop."
Jimmy's face fell. He'd told TJ something along those lines many times whilst his grandson was with S.H.I.E.L.D. 'Quit tinkering on that laptop and go out into the world like a real S.H.I.E.L.D. agent! Earn that eagle on your shoulder, goddamnit!'
"Could-Could one of you get a message to Helen?" TJ asked shyly, his brows furrowing. "Could you tell her that I-…That she's-…"
"Hey, I got you, pal," Bucky spoke up again. "I'll let her know."
TJ nodded, then looked at his granddad before wiggling in his seat to sit up straighter. It made him wince in pain, but he was really trying to express that he wasn't that hurt. "Can you get my mom and dad?" he asked in a small voice, his eyes wide. "I-I wanna talk to my family all together."
"Of course, TJ," Ellie finally spoke. "I'll get them right now."
"Times up, Barnes," a voice off camera said, sounding rather bored.
"No, no no no—Hey! C'mon! Just five more min-!" TJ's pleading was abruptly cut off when the camera went black.
Ellie hadn't even had enough time to get halfway to the door to get JJ and Clarisse.
The silence was so heavy and profound that Jimmy could be heard breathing, and everyone could hear their own pounding hearts.
Bucky was the only one able to make a coherent sentence minutes later.
"Hey Stark," Bucky asked, gaining Tony's attention. "I-I read up on you…You were taken captive in the Eastern Desert, right?"
Tony glanced at Anna briefly for an explanation of the unknown term.
"Soldier term for what you know as the Middle East way back when," Anna answered numbly, still looking at the black screen.
"Oh…" Tony said, then blinked twice. "Yeah, I was," he answered Bucky.
"And…And you're really smart, with numbers and statistics and stuff, aren't you? I mean, at least smart enough to make a program to figure all sorts of stuff out, right?" Bucky continued, looking at the screen like everyone else.
"Yeah," Tony answered again; his voice was flat and almost hollow sounding.
"So…What's the chance that was the last time we're gonna see TJ alive?" Bucky asked, swallowing thickly.
The silence he was greeted with was more than enough to answer his question.
"What do we do now?" Ellie asked from her spot next to Steve. She was clutching onto his arm, and he was holding her tight, moving his hand on her back in an effort to comfort her after seeing her close friend in such a state.
This time, the suffocating silence was broken by Anna.
"Enrico called TJ a prisoner of war…As neurotic as he may be, Enrico follows the rules," she looked at Steve and Bucky as she continued. "And how do most POWs get home?"
The best friends glanced at each other, Bucky looking a little confused, and Steve looking apprehensive. It was Steve who answered. "You…You get your men back when you win the war."
The resolve growing around Anna made it clear she already had a plan working its way through her head, and no one would be able to stop her.
"Well, then, I guess we better start gathering the troops," Anna said, nodding once in determination, before going up the steps and out of sight.
It was at the airport early the next morning that Anna finally filled the others in on what she was planning. The sun hadn't yet rose, and everyone was already ready to listen to what Anna said. Well, most were ready to listen to what Anna said.
"Slavic has romanticized the whole idea of war, so he's gonna wanna make this as close to his fantasy as he can," Anna explained as the group walked briskly over the tarmac towards the hangars of private planes. "He took TJ, which is a ballsy first move, so he's gonna be treading very lightly for a little bit, which means we have an opportunity to be a little more bold than normal in the first stage."
"First stage of what?" Bucky asked, easily keeping up with the blonde. Kára was on her other side, Tony close behind, and oddly enough Steve and Ellie were the ones lagging. The super-soldier was half-supporting his tired partner as she stumbled forward; Ellie was not a morning mutant, and rising from her sleep at one in the morning to be on a plane by three was taking its toll.
"War," Anna answered easily.
"My memory is a little fuzzy," Tony quipped, taking a swig of the espresso he had. "How many stages of war are there, again?"
"Three," Kára put in. "Stage one; Organization."
"Like I said, gather troops," Anna sighed, running a hand through her curly hair. "Make as many alliances as we can. Get as much firepower of every kind on our side before they get it."
"What about stages one and two?" Bucky asked; the conversation was perking up strategic parts of his mind that he didn't know he even had before.
"Stage two is insurrection and expansion," Anna explained. "Followed by stage three, decision or defeat."
The group fell silent.
"I already contacted Pietro and Emilia, they're gonna see what kind of enhanced or mutants they can find and offer them a spot in our little army," Anna began explaining. "A little note was sent to the others, letting them know what's goin' on."
"Kára, you-"
"Fly around the globe and call on favors, make allegiances and get firepower," the Valkyrie cut Anna off knowingly. She shot the brown eyed blonde a look with her blue ones and smirked. "I remember the drill…This may be the biggest war I've fought with you, but it's hardly the first."
Kára clasped Anna's hand in hers briefly, squeezing it tight, and nudging her shoulder before letting go and sauntering towards a different, smaller jet. "I think I'll start my jaunt in Thailand," she mused casually as she passed Steve and Ellie. "I could use a good coconut drink and hit 'a opium before I start trying to be nice to people."
"What about us?" Steve asked, cutting his losses and picking up Ellie easily in his arms. She sighed and snuggled into Steve's shoulder as she held her like a princess, while he jogged to walk in step with Anna and Bucky. "Where are we off to?"
"You always have your home base on your own turf," Anna said with a shrug, then shot a look at Bucky. Her face softened, and a little smirk came across her lips as she glanced at Tony, who had his head tipped back to try and get every last drop of his caffeinated drink. "'Sides, it's been awhile since I've gone home."
"Home?" Bucky questioned, frowning a little as they walked to the remaining airplane. "We're goin' to Manhattan?"
"No, it's too populated and busy there for what we're gonna be doing," Anna dismissed, adjusting the bag over her arm. "And I haven't considered Manhattan my home for a long time anyway."
"So where are we off to then, Anna?" Tony asked in a tired voice, lazily tossing his paper cup into a trashcan.
Anna paused, her expression turning to a softer, melancholy expression that made Bucky put a hand on her shoulder. "Call it what ever you want, but like I said, I'm goin' home."
