Chapter 46
She sat on her quinjet, as JARVIS piloted her jet. Steve had been confused by her sudden departure, especially given that she usually told him her schedule way in advance so he'd know when she wouldn't be there at night.
But he'd accepted her reasons easily enough as she packed a bag of essentials quickly. He'd kissed her goodbye, and she'd felt guilty at the time for lying to him about where she was going and what she was doing.
She still stood by her reasons, knowing that she didn't want him to attend because she didn't want to hurt him. She didn't want to raise his hops in the case that Barnes was long gone by the time they reached Linz.
She knew it was a very likely conclusion. He was a master assassin whom the world didn't even have confirmation existed until Steve saw him face to face. He would have known the cameras were there. And he was likely to know that Steve was tracking him down. Especially given that her boyfriend wasn't all that subtle in his attempts to bring Barnes home.
But maybe that was the problem. The lack of subtly. The lack of choice. The forced decision. Especially when Barnes hadn't had many choices in the last seventy years.
And didn't he deserve the right to choose for himself what he wanted to do? Didn't he deserve the chance to decide if he wanted to come home or if he'd rather live on the run?
Even if it wasn't a life she'd wish on anyone; he deserved that much. He deserved a home. Everyone did. And she owed it to Steve to at least try. Because Barnes was Steve's Rhodey. The man he'd go to the end of the line for. The one whom he'd do anything for.
And she understood that all too well.
Ava and Harry were her family; and while they loved her, they didn't choose to know her. Pepper and Happy became her friends, but they were her employees before that.
Rhodey chose her. He friended her when no one else would, as she did with him. They were there for each other through so many ups and downs in their lives. When her parents passed away. When his father got sick. When she got taken in Afghanistan. They were always there for one another. Through thick and thin.
And that was what Barnes was to Steve. His Rhodey. The one who was always there, even when things got tough.
She could only imagine the guilt he must carry, thinking that if he'd just saved Barnes, then his best friend would have lived. To if he'd just held on tighter, his best friend wouldn't have been tortured.
She understood it all too well. Understood the grief that would be associated with it. Understood that there was pain and suffering involved. That Steve went under thinking that his best friend was dead and woke up to find out the truth.
And she loved him. She loved Steve more than she'd ever loved anyone else.
There really wasn't anything she wouldn't do, if she knew it would make him happy. Well maybe not murder. Depending on the person. If murdering Justin Hammer made him happy, then she'd probably do that. But that would also be for selfish reasons, cause it would also make her happy. Though that was very much beside the point. She wouldn't commit most illegal activities, unless she had a very good reason.
"So what's the game plan, Stark?" Clint asked her, looking up from his screen. They were just over an hour away, and she knew they'd begin their descent soon. "Go in guns blazing and demand he come with us?"
She snorted, "Do you really think we could take him? Not unless we both fully suited up, and even then, who knows how much damage would happen to the city. You saw that stretch of DC where Steve and Barnes fought. It looked like a war zone."
"Then what?" he asked her incredulously, "We just go ask him nicely and hope he decides to come with us? 'Oh hi Mr Assassin. If it's not too much inconvenience for you, could you come back with us? My boyfriend really misses you and wants to have a playdate at his house.'"
"Very funny," she said, looking at him unimpressed. "Of course not. But we at least offer him the chance. See what he wants to do. He deserves to make an informed decision. To know that he doesn't need to be on the run if he doesn't want to be."
"Why?" he asked her carefully. "I get the whole mind control thing. But he still was the one who killed your parents. If anyone killed my family, it wouldn't matter how it happened or why it happened. It wouldn't matter if they didn't have a say in it all. I would have put an arrow between their eyes. Why are you doing this for him? Even if Steve wasn't your boyfriend, you don't have any obligation to do this. So why help?"
"I know what it feels like to not have a choice," she said simply, "To be tortured. To be manipulated. To be controlled. And I hated when that was done to me. I can only imagine what was done to him. You saw his face in that video. He didn't recognize my father. Despite the aging, Howard hadn't changed that much. He wasn't the same man from Aunt Peggy's stories. The smug assured man who was cracking jokes. The one with character. He was a different man. He wasn't Steve's Bucky. You would do the same, if it was Natasha who'd been tortured. I would have done the same for Rhodey. I need to do this. To bring home James Buchanan Barnes. But to also make sure the Winter Soldier won't ever be used to hurt anyone again. Not like he hurt my mother."
Clint looked pensive at that.
"I see your point," he said softly.
"So we go in," she said, answering his initial question about their strategy, "See what we're dealing with. And offer him something he hasn't had in a long time; a choice."
They landed in a fairly remote part of Linz, not wanting to draw too much attention to themselves. She knew that all it took was one social media post talking about the Avengers being in the city to send Barnes fleeing. And it had taken months to get this lead from JARVIS; who knew how long it would be before they found anything else out.
It hadn't taken long after to track down the convenience store that Barnes had been spotted at. And based on the numerous matches of facial recognition at the store, she knew the man frequented it. After all, all it took was one direct match to get other similar instances from the feed, as despite the lower initial accuracy, the match they received raised the probability of the prior occurrences.
So much so that they knew that almost every day Barnes went to the convenience store everyday between 2:30 – 2:45 pm. All because he looked at the camera once.
It was almost scary how precise the man was with his visits. The fact that they could tell where/when he was going to be due to what must have been the residual effects of his initial soldier regime. The last stable thing he'd had before he'd become the Winter Soldier. It made sense that he had a routine. Something to ground him and give him stability despite all the other chaos in his life.
The thing that had given him a sense of security was also going to be the cause of disruption from his daily life.
She stood on her spot, perched on a rooftop at 2:29, waiting patiently as she looked through her modified glasses, zoomed in on the store.
"Are you sure he's going to show?" Clint asked, looking through his own StarkTech glasses.
"There's a 90% chance he shows up right at 2:30," she told him, "8% chance it's closer to 2:35, 1.5% that it's 2:40 and 0.5% chance of him showing up around 2:45."
He whistled, "I'm a little terrified you have those numbers from JARVIS after a bit of surveillance on an assassin. Makes me wonder what kind of statistics you have on me."
She laughed at that, "Oh Clint, you don't even want to know the kind of information I could pull up on you if you wanted. I just choose to use that information wisely."
He glanced over at her, "Not that I don't trust you, but now you've got me curious."
"I know that you prefer eating Chocolate Puffs throughout the week, but the first day of the month you try eating Raisin Bran before giving up again. It's why we keep buying the Raisin Bran, but the smallest possible amount of it. And that you watch The Bachelorette when no one's around, and reruns if there's not a new season," she said, trying to soothe him. "JARVIS collects data, but only that pertaining to how to make your stay in the Tower more comfortable. He doesn't monitor calls or chats or anything too invasive. However, if you feel uncomfortable with it, I can always change his coding to stop."
He relaxed slightly at that and she wondered, not for the first time, what kind of secrets the superspy was hiding from them. He was entitled to his own secrets, she wouldn't begrudge him that. But curiosity more often than not got the better of her and she couldn't help but wonder.
"No it's fine," he said softly, "I wondered about it. You always seemed to have exactly what we want without us even having to ask. Makes me feel bad sometimes. Like I should be paying rent or something."
"I'm a billionaire," she said with a shake of her head, "I don't need your money."
"Need, maybe not," he agreed, "But you're our friend. I know I don't live in the tower full time but that doesn't mean you owe us anything. You give us a home, give us gear, and took in SHIELD when it fell. You didn't have to do any of that. It wasn't your job. And yet you did anyways. And I just want you to know how much we appreciate that. It's not much, but it's why we try and help out around the tower with cleaning and such. It won't come close to how much you do for us. But we want you to know how much it means to us."
She offered him a soft smile. She had made so many friends over the years who had the intentions of using her for her money that she'd grown to expect it. Rhodey was really the first one who didn't want it. Who insisted she not buy him presents but instead take the day off from working and spend it with him. Pepper enjoyed the occasional pair of shoes, but she more often than not would give her unimpressed looks if she bought them ostentatious gifts.
The Avengers had been her co-workers before they were her friends. She housed them to give them a home that wasn't a standard issued room. They deserved that much after all. But she never expected them to contribute anything. Not really. Not when there wasn't much they could offer.
But the offer was very much appreciated. It meant that they cared enough about her that they didn't want to use her for her wealth. And that itself meant the world to her.
She swallowed, not wanting to get too emotional. They still had a job to do, and the last thing she needed was for anything unnecessary to distract her from it. They'd come to Linz with a mission in mind. And they would be completing it. Even if she had no idea if it would even work.
"I have eyes on Barnes," Clint said, and she followed his gaze as she saw him walk into the store precisely at 2:31, just as JARVIS predicted he would. And sure enough, fifteen minutes later he walked out with a bag full of groceries with what must have been enough food for the evening in his arms.
They followed him on rooftops till they reached the building he was residing in, and she used the thermal setting on her glasses to track which floor and apartment he went into.
"We got him," she breathed in surprise. The Winter Soldier who had been so hard to track down over the last few years had finally been traced to a singular unit. They now knew where he was staying, and if they were careful, they would be able to reach him without him knowing they were even there.
She knew that was unlikely; an assassin such as himself would know he's been made. However she just hoped they'd be able to convince him to listen to them without turning it into an international incident.
One could only hope.
"Are you ready?" Clint turned to her as they prepared to enter Barnes' building.
"As ready as I'll ever be," she said with a nod. She had left the suit on the quinjet and knew it would be on her in a matter of minutes if she really needed it. She was just hoping she wouldn't need it.
They walked through the apartment complex quietly, as to not arouse suspicion. She knew by the occasional curious glances they were getting that they were clearly out of place, but she hoped that they would at least be able to get to Barnes before anyone called them out on their presence.
"This is it," Clint said as he gestured to the door. It was a third-floor apartment, and she wondered if he'd chosen it for a reason.
She felt torn for a moment as she wondered to herself what to do. On one hand, she could knock on the assassin's door and instantly give away their position and let themselves get made. But on the other, if she just went in guns blazing then they were a threat.
She sighed, as she took a step forward and knocked, "Mr Barnes," she called out, soft enough for him to hear her with his enhanced hearing, but not enough for any neighbours to hear. "We would like to talk to you for just a moment. We're unarmed and came alone. We're not a threat. We're just here to talk."
"Do you really think that will work?" Clint asked, giving her an incredulous look.
She shrugged. Because no, in all honesty she wasn't sure. But it was worth a shot. And really, she wasn't all that certain herself.
They stood there in silence for a few minutes and she used her glasses to see the soldier just waiting to see what would happen. She took a deep breath.
"Steve doesn't know we're here. And if you choose not to open the door, we'll turn around and go home," she told him firmly, as Clint gave her a sharp look. "He won't find out where you are."
She counted silently in her head, giving him time to figure out what he wanted to do and if he wanted to trust her or not.
Curiosity must have gotten the best of him as he eventually opened the door and she exhaled.
There he was, in the flesh. The man who'd fought in the war with her dad, Aunt Peggy, and with Steve. The one who'd gotten her boyfriend out of many fights, and the one who she'd loved hearing about as she grew up. The one who she admired for relying on his own strength and values.
The one who'd strangled her bother.
"Stark," he said, with a gruff voice. "What are you doing here?"
"Can we come in?" She asked, cocking her head to the interior of his apartment. "Don't exactly want to have this conversation in the hallways."
He gave her an untrusting look, but popped his door open to them. She wondered how quickly he could take them out if he really wanted to. Clearly he didn't perceive either of them as a threat. Not like Steve who could have matched him with pure strength.
"What do you want?" he asked again, the minute the door closed.
"I want for you to come home," she said simply.
"No," he said firmly. "I'm safe here. I'm not a threat to anyone, and HYDRA hasn't found me."
"Is that your biggest fear?" She asked him curiously, "That you think you're a threat to others?"
"Why didn't you tell Rogers you were coming here?" he asked her instead, "I thought the two of you were…" his voice trailed off, as if he was unsure of how to finish that statement.
"We are," she said firmly. "But I'm not just here for Steve. He misses you and wants you to come home. You two were friends, brothers really. He would do anything to have you back in his life once more. But as much as I love him, I want to do what's best for you. And bringing him wouldn't have been helpful for the discussion I want to have with you."
"Do you even know who I am?" he asked her after a moment. "The things I've done? You wouldn't be offering any of this to me if you knew the truth."
"I know enough," she told him carefully, "I know what HYDRA did to you and the things they made you do. I know that you weren't in control, not really. That you were nothing more than the weapon they turned you into. I know far more than you think I do."
"Do you know what I did to your parents?" he challenged.
"Do you remember it?" she asked him curiously, and he shut his eyes firmly.
"I remember all of them," he said, sounding pained.
"Did you want to do any of it?" she questioned further. "Did you enjoy it? Did you like killing all those people? Did you enjoy watching the life leave them? Did you enjoy seeing my father beg you to help my mother before you killed them both?"
He closed his eyes in pain, and she knew in that moment that there was no part of him that had any sympathy towards HYDRA. Because as badly as she wanted to trust him and bring him home for Steve she needed to know. He'd been with HYDRA, even if unwilling, for the better part of the last century. She needed to know if he believed in their cause.
And if there was one thing she'd gotten good at being able to tell was when someone was lying to her.
James Buchanan Barnes was not.
He was just a man who'd been taken by HYDRA and forced to do horrible things.
"That's why I'm here," she said firmly. "Because you didn't choose to do any of those things, Barnes. It was horrible, what happened to you, and I'm here to give you options."
"Why?" he asked, and Clint watched them interact.
"Because you deserve better," she told him firmly. "You didn't ask for any of these things to happen. And we've all done horrible things. Albeit on different levels for some of us. But I know what it's like to have that guilt of feeling responsible for things that were done without your consent. Stark Industries used to make weapons. And I thought we were helping the 'good guys'. But my business partner; my godfather, was double dealing to terrorists. The same lives I was trying to save were being hurt by my weapons. I know what it's like to feel responsible for things out of your control and want to make it right. And I think you do too. I think you want to make it right for what was done to you and what you were forced to do. It's why you've isolated yourself here in a form of penance for what you've done."
"I'm a danger to be around," he told her firmly. "I can't always control the Winter Soldier. He's a part of me, but not a part that I can keep down. Sometimes he comes back up and I can't stop the damage he does."
"I have PTSD," she told him gently. "From everything that's happened to me. And I've been working on a new form of technology to help with that. I think I can repurpose it to help you as well. I'm not a licensed therapist or anything, but I've been working with some to help. And that's what I want to do; help you."
"And if I don't want that?" he asked her, sounding a bit unsure. "What if I just want to stay here, and hide out for the rest of my days here?"
"Then you can do that," she told him firmly. "I'm not going to force you into anything. I just want you to know you have options, like I said before. I'm giving you a chance to come home and get treatment. To have what HYDRA did to you be exposed to the world and be cleared of any crimes as you're an extreme case of a prisoner of war. I already have my lawyers working on the paperwork to get you exonerated. You would be able to walk in the day without having to constantly look over your shoulder. You could have a life again, get a job if you wanted, fall in love. You don't have to live your life in the shadows any longer. And if that's what you wanted you could have it."
He didn't say a word, so she continued talking, "But that's if you want that. I'm not here to force you to do anything, James. If you want to come home, I want you to know it's a possibility. But if you want to stay here, then you can do that. Clint and I will go home and Steve will never find out that we were even here in the first place. No one will. We'll go home and it'll be as if we were never here. You can continue on as you've been."
"Why?" he asked her, "Why would you do all of this for me? I get that you care for Steve and that you now of me. But you don't know me. and even if you claim you don't blame me for your parent's deaths, that's always going to be there. I always will be the person who killed them. Why would you even want to do any of this for me?"
"I told you," she said, "Because you deserve to have your life back. I don't have any ulterior motives. I just want you to be happy. I'm not going to lie and say it wouldn't make Steve extremely happy as well, and that's not one of the things I've considered. But I want you to have the life you deserve."
"I don't have anything," he said, "No money to my name. No belongings other than what I have in this apartment. No skills that aren't related to what HYDRA trained me to do."
"So we'll reintegrate you into society," she told him. "Once you're fully recovered of course. Get you a job, find you a place to stay if you want something outside the tower. Whatever you want."
He looked over at Clint, wanting to see what the man thought.
"She means it," Clint offered, "Maybe it's an eccentric billionaire thing, but she seems to have a thing for strays. Took me and Natasha in. And Steve all but moved in after SHIELD fell. Not sure I understand why either, but her offer is real. Besides, the Tower makes a nicer place to stay than any of the SHIELD rooms I've had."ISSHIEdss
"So what do you say?" she asked him. "Will you come with us, or will we go home and pretend I was here for SI work."
He closed his eyes as he deliberated what he wanted to do, and she watched with bated breath.
"Fine," he said after a moment. "I'll come back with you. But if at any point I think I'm putting any of you in danger then I'm leaving in the middle of the night and you'll never be able to find me this easily again."
"Fair enough," she agreed. "It's time to come home, James."
He looked both relieved and terrified at that, and she smiled to herself knowing that it was going to be for the best.
