If left alone, Bucky tended to hover about like a T-shirt clad ghost. You'd just find him staring out of windows or at something normal, like a light switch or a pot plant. Sam said it was to be expected, he and Romanoff would both sometimes go and sit near him mutely until he wandered off again. Sometimes Sam or Barton would offer to play gin rummy or slam with him, and Bucky rarely refused, but it was hard to tell whether he actually wanted to play. Banner tended to walk away, even if that meant taking a longer route around. Steve kind of understood that. If Bucky flipped out and attacked Banner, the results would be pretty awful. Stark just seemed unnerved by him. He'd often jump if he turned a corner and saw Bucky standing there like a statue. If he jumped loudly, Bucky would run away, literally. It was on one of those occasions, Steve had lost track of Bucky half an hour earlier and was wandering through the corridors looking for him, that he heard what might have been piano music from the floor below. He could have just asked Jarvis who or what it was, but he didn't trust the AI that much right now. It was too closely linked to Stark. He knew there was a piano down there, he knew Pepper played sometimes, but it didn't sound like her. It was too… stilted, and it was the wrong type of music. Pepper usually played classical-y stuff. None of the Avengers played, so far as he knew. When he came down the stairs and saw the pianist, he smiled. He should have remembered. Bucky could play. Not very well, but he could. Bucky heard him and stopped, looking up like he expected to be scolded, before he'd gone five paces closer. Steve held up his hands.
"Carry on."
"This hand remembers." Bucky said, holding up his right one, the real one. "This one sucks at this." He held up the metal one. "It's only good for one thing."
"Still probably better than my left hand."
"Don't bet on it." Bucky started trying to play again. He shifted his hands left a bit, hit a chord and started playing arpeggios with his right hand, almost out of time with themselves, it sounded very familiar, and he was trying to sort his left hand out. The metal fingers were crabbing, they weren't quite ready for the next chord in time. Bucky growled in frustration.
"This song isn't even difficult."
"Glen Miller, right?"
"Trying to be." The next chord was late too. Bucky snatched his left hand up and shook it violently. "Stupid thing!" He started the piece again, about two thirds the speed, too slow to dance to this time, but he did hit the first chord on time, then the second.
"You can do it."
"I used to be able to do it drunk, at speed."
"When did you last play?" Bucky played entirely the wrong chord and cursed. He sat silent for a moment, staring at his hands.
"I don't know."
"I remember you playing in the summer of '44, when we all had some leave, but not after that I don't think." Bucky leaned his elbows against the piano, avoiding the keys, and rested his forehead on his hands.
"I don't know. You were out for sixty-five years straight. I must have been up for some of that time, but…" He tailed off.
"My point was of course you're rusty." Bucky sat up slightly and flexed his metal fingers.
"Pun intended?"
"No, just… I'm not sure I could still play pool decently. I haven't done it since about '44 either. It'd take me time to get it back." Bucky laid his hands together, palm to palm, fingers spread.
"My hands are different sizes, this one can't really feel the black keys sticking up. Your body's still yours."
Steve sat up straight and pulled his shoulders back. "Is it really?"
Bucky hesitated. "Doesn't it still belong to you?"
"Defaults to the SSR at my death, though I guess they turned in to SHIELD and they turned out to be…"
"So I guess we both belong to HYDRA."
"Maybe we stole ourselves."
.
"Rogers? Barnes?" Romanoff stuck her head round the door. Bucky let go of Steve's arm. Steve straightened up. "You know the boys I mentioned?"
"The lawyers?" Bucky asked.
"They'll be here in fifteen. Go shower." Romanoff backed out.
"You had me that time." Steve said. "Kick in the back of the knee and it would have been over. That's your point."
Bucky shook his head. "It's not over 'til it's over. Inconclusive bout." He sighed heavily. "This is going to be fun."
"They're here to help, Buck."
"Yeah, but… They'll ask."
"Doesn't mean you always have to answer."
.
They were an odd pair when they arrived. Steve and Bucky were waiting in one of Stark Tower's little meeting rooms when Romanoff, looking for all the world like someone's secretary, led the lawyers in. One was broad, pasty, and ash-blond. The other came on his arm: taller, darker, slighter, wearing dark glasses and carrying a cane. Blind. They were both young, they looked well under thirty, but, Steve supposed, so did he.
Steve stood, Bucky copied him. The sighted one started towards them.
"Steve, James, this is Franklin Nelson and Matthew Murdock. Mr Nelson, Mr Murdock, I take it I don't need to introduce these gentlemen." Romanoff could change everything about herself. The Black Widow's cold, quiet, confidence was all gone. She was fidgeting and deferent.
"No." The sighted one said. "No, not at all. Captain Ame – sorry, Captain Rogers, Sergeant Barnes. Thank you for your service to us. I'm Franklin Nelson, this is my partner, Matt Murdock." He extended a hand. Steve shook his, then the blind one's. Bucky helped Murdock to a chair.
"Thank you." Murdock said quietly.
"So," Franklin Nelson said, settling his hands on the table in front of him. "first of all, let me say it's an honour to serve war heroes like yourselves." Steve drew breath to respond, but Nelson carried on. "We've been reviewing the case from the files Miss Rickman here has given us," He indicated Romanoff. Steve did his best not to flicker at her false name. Spy to her bones. "and, correct me if I'm wrong, we're going to struggle to prove that Sergeant Barnes didn't attack and injure Nick Fury, or that he didn't attack and injure Captain America."
Bucky nodded once.
"No, he saved my life." Steve corrected. "I fell unconscious into deep water. He pulled me-"
"I knocked you out in the first place." Bucky said flatly.
Nelson hesitated for a second, but Bucky didn't go any further. "Like I said, we'll struggle to make the case that these things didn't happen. We'll likely do better arguing that Sergeant Barnes wasn't responsible for his actions. I feel like what Miss Rickman has given us barely scratches the surface of the truth but…" He turned a page in his file. "electrocution, mutilation, brainwashing, beatings…"
"By any legal definition, this constitutes torture." Murdock said. Bucky shifted slightly. "Probably not an easy thing to hear, but this is how we get you free: What was inflicted on you for seventy years was nothing short of torture. No person could reasonably be expected to do otherwise than you did. The miracle is that you stopped short of killing Captain Rogers." Bucky blinked.
"So going forward, we need two things:" Nelson took over again. "First, we need to decide who we argue this with. We can do the criminal courts if we have to, if you're recognised and arrested, but that might not actually be our best option. After SHIELD fell, has anyone made any attempt to bring The Avengers on side?"
"Not so far." Steve replied.
"It's only a matter of time." Romanoff said. "Powerful individuals like that, someone'll make a play for you sooner or later."
"We might be smart to wait for that: prep our case, deploy as soon as someone wants the Avengers."
"You want him, you have to deal with me?" Bucky asked
"Are other Avengers on side with this?" Murdock asked.
Steve hesitated. "Varies."
"I think two others are ride-or-die." Romanoff said.
"Well, then this starts to sound like employment law." Nelson said.
"Are we unionising superheroes here?" Bucky said.
"Why not?" Steve said.
"There are problems with relying solely on employment law." Murdock said, "but it might be some help to us."
"The other thing we need is as much detail as we can get on HYDRA's protocols re your treatment, Sergeant." Nelson added.
Steve saw Bucky tense up. "Does it have to come from him?"
"No." Murdock said. "In fact, it might be better if it's lifted HYDRA files and documents. Film footage, mission reports… we need to demonstrate prolonged, severe, systematic abuse."
"The Avengers lifted some in the same mission that they rescued Sergeant Barnes." Romanoff said, not looking up from the pad she was writing on. "There is more than what I gave you."
"There'll be more stored across different bases." Bucky said. "They don't put everything on the mainframe."
"Is that an invitation to go raid HYDRA bases?" Steve asked.
"Now, here we have to be careful." Murdock said. "If you get the data illegally, it's fruit of the poisonous tree and can be thrown out of court. If you're going to go raid HYDRA bases, you need to involve law enforcement."
"Seriously?" Bucky asked.
"HYDRA are enemies of the state," Murdock explained, "but breaking and entering is still breaking and entering unless you have a warrant."
"Should we understand that Sergeant Barnes taking part in these raids is not a good idea?" Romanoff asked.
"Very much not." Nelson said. "You and Captain Rogers are technically guilty of harbouring a fugitive at this point. Attorney-Client privilege protects Matt and me. All it would take is one cop paying attention."
Bucky swore softly.
"You want in?" Steve asked.
"I'd love to."
"Time'll come."
"So this feels like a rough plan now." Nelson said. "We look for someone trying to bring The Avengers in, and use that to guide who we go to for a pardon. In the mean time, Captain America punches Nazis-" Nelson was barely supressing a grin. Steve felt himself return it. "-to get the information we need to show diminished responsibility." Nelson stood up.
Murdock seemed to hear and stood up too. "Just one thing, staying here might not be the best move, Sergeant Barnes. I think if I was looking for someone the Avengers might be hiding, Stark Tower is the first place I'd look, even if it is hard to get in to."
