Chapter 16. What Would Bogie Do?
Content warning: Contains violence causing injury as well as emotional trauma. An ethnic slur is used.
Two days after the encounter in Central Park with the Professor, Thor drove Steve and Bucky back to the tailors for their final fitting. Jasmine was not the receptionist but it was a young woman cut from much the same cloth sitting in the chair. When the three men walked in she wasn't sure who to place her attention on but she finally decided on Thor / Trent. That decision was soon regretted when Bucky and Steve came out in their first new suits, Bucky's dark grey double breasted with a grey shirt and striped tie and Steve's medium grey three piece suit. When they went back and came out in their blue suits she was almost beside herself. All three men ignored her as the tailors checked the fit and pronounced themselves as satisfied. As the suits were being hung up in garment bags with the newly ironed shirts, and the shoes, ties and pocket squares packed into shopping bags she played every card in her deck trying to get noticed. As they prepared to leave the store Bucky beckoned her over and bent close to her ear, whispering something to her. Her face dropped and she returned to her desk, disheartened. Out at the SUV Thor looked at Bucky.
"What did you say to her?" he asked.
"I told her the last number three murdered his girlfriend," said Bucky. "Is that really what she aspired to? Perhaps if someone had said that to Amber she wouldn't have hooked up with Rumlow."
Thor shook his head at the insanity of a young woman being enticed by the apparent wealth of handsome but dangerous men involved in the drug trade. He couldn't blame Bucky for bursting her bubble. He saw it all too often during his time undercover. Many of the young men he worked with in those warehouses treated their girlfriends shabbily, alternately lavishing them with presents or physically and verbally abusing them. He stayed celibate during that time, as much to protect his true identity as to not become involved with a woman who would choose to be involved with the type of man he portrayed.
On the drive home Trent talked more about how Bucky and Steve should behave when they went to the Florida warehouse. With a significant number of Hispanic and Latino employees, many of them with an exaggerated sense of their manliness it was important that both men appear strong and decisive. There was sure to be a challenge that they needed to deal with in a way that left no uncertainty about who was in charge. The top guy at the warehouse was Michael Kelly, originally from Boston. It was important they convince him first that Pierce had personally chosen them as his new number two and three. The team were scheduled to fly to Florida the next morning. Although Thor wouldn't go to the warehouse with them on the infiltration team as news of his departure had already circulated he was going to be on comms with them and would be on the team that destroyed the building. Not originally planned, this time they wanted to be sure the operation couldn't be set up again.
Dinner was organized by Natalie, cooked by herself, Stark and Barton. Using the example their RCMP minders had used in witness protection she made it clear to everyone that those who cooked didn't clean up. They made tacos and fajitas, both chicken and beef, with all the toppings, Spanish rice and salad. It was a great spread and garnered a lot of praise. Then the three of them sat with beers in front of the TV in the common room and watched the football game. It worked so well that everyone wanted to follow a similar schedule for all meals and teams were chosen to collaborate on meals. Friday was designated make your own Fridays. Saturday was designated take out Saturdays. Once Bucky completed his chore of putting the leftover food away in the fridge he joined Natalie on the couch and put his arm around her, kissing her neck, just below her ear.
"Let's go to bed early," he whispered. "I have to be up early and I want some alone time with you."
"We all have to be up early," she whispered back, then stood up and gave him her hand.
"Good night everyone!" said Bucky loudly, with a smile.
Bucky asked Majel for privacy as soon as they entered the apartment and they went straight to the bedroom. Throughout their kisses and caresses Natalie detected anxiety in Bucky, almost as if he was trying hard to experience everything they were doing as if it were the first time. When they were holding each other after she turned to him and cupped his face.
"What's wrong?" she asked gently. "You seem anxious."
"It shows?" he asked in return. "I guess I'm nervous about tomorrow, about pretending to be someone I'm not."
"Thor has prepared you both as best he could," said Natalie. "Was it enough?"
"I don't know," he said. "These guys, in the Florida warehouse, they're a different type of guy. They're more macho, harder to convince. Thor said we have to have the swagger down, be prepared to face a challenge and I don't know if I can do it. If I could get drunk right now I would do it...that's how scared I am."
"We'll be in your ear," said Natalie, reassuringly. "The team will be close by if you need backup. Bucky, I have faith in you. You'll have Steve there as well."
"If anything happens you'll be okay," he said suddenly. "They'll watch out for you, protect you until the trials. Know that I love you so much."
"I love you," she replied. "It will be alright. Let's just hold each other, like we did in Ucluelet."
Natalie asked Majel for rain storm sounds and that helped them both fall asleep.
The next morning everyone was up, making breakfast, drinking coffee, and trying to act normal. Majel asked if everyone was packed as the the private jet was fueled and ready to go. Thor, Bucky, Steve, Barton, Stark and Torres went to the airport in the biggest SUV, the Lincoln Navigator, with three rows of seats. Left behind were Fury, Parker, Natalie, Peggy and the kids. Bruce and Natasha had returned home several days before. Majel had already impersonated Pierce to phone the warehouse and tell Kelly that the new number two and number three were coming to the warehouse. Barton and Torres would accompany them as muscle while Thor and Stark would stay with their vehicle and send in the drones as well as be on comms with them. Back at the warehouse Fury, Parker and Natalie would also be on comms.
On the flight down Stark fit the comms pieces into their ears. These smaller comms pieces were virtually undetectable. Then it was time to put the suits on. Barton and Torres had been fitted with their suits previously and the four men changed on the aircraft. Torres pulled out a box from the galley and fitted everyone going into the warehouse with a shoulder holster and a gun. Stark brought out a box of watches fitting the dot tracker onto the inside of the strap of the first two for Torres and Barton, both Tag Heuer brand. Bucky and Steve were getting more expensive watches. Bucky was fitted with a square faced Cartier watch, tagged with the tracker while Steve had a Longines men's watch. As Stark tagged the second watch he looked at all of them.
"Don't wreck the watches," he said. "Even though I got a discount on them for being a good customer they still cost more than you can imagine."
"Tony, it's okay," said Barton. "We won't wreck them. I would think as a billionaire's son you wouldn't be thinking twice about the price."
"I grew up hearing it all the time," he said, rolling his eyes. "If there was one thing my dad was very aware of it was the price of everything. Of all the things that I didn't want to inherit from him was that trait but here I am sounding just like him."
"Well, at least your dad didn't think you were a murderer," said Bucky. "It took my dad ten years before he finally believed the truth. Now I have to walk into that warehouse and act like the murderer I never was."
The bitterness in his voice caused everyone to stop for a moment. "Bucky, we all knew the truth," said Torres gently. "What you're doing today is just an act. It's not the real you."
"I don't know you from before," said Thor, "only from the Philadelphia warehouse on but from what I've seen you're an upstanding man. Natalie mentioned that you're a big Humphrey Bogart fan. So, keep this in your head. If it was Bogie doing this then what would Bogie do?"
Bucky smiled slightly. "He would do what had to be done," he replied, then he smiled grimly. "Thanks, Thor. I'll do what Bogie would do."
When they landed at the private airport there was a black SUV and a white SUV waiting for them. The rental agent handed them the keys and Thor signed for both. They unloaded drones from the jet into the white SUV then Barton took the keys for the black vehicle. Stark and Thor headed out. They would get 15 minutes head start to set up nearby. After 15 minutes Barton got behind the wheel of the black SUV. The others got in and he began driving. They didn't see the white SUV near the warehouse but Thor saw them and said they were in position and ready to send the drones. Barton pulled up to the warehouse. Both he and Torres got out and opened the back doors of the SUV, showing deference to both Steve and Bucky as they came out of the vehicle. Torres opened the warehouse door then stepped aside, letting the other two enter first. Then he and Barton entered behind them and assumed a pose of relaxed but alert surveillance. Kelly was sitting at a desk and stood up when the entourage entered.
"You're Kelly?" asked Steve. "Number one told you we were coming?"
"Yeah," he said, guardedly. "How come I never heard of you before? All of sudden I get a call from the Boss saying you're in charge? I'm not buying it."
Bucky turned his look on Kelly. "What aren't you buying Kelly?" asked Bucky. "That number two and three fucked up in Canada and are stuck there with number four? Or that the Boss finally brought in the two guys he should have had from the start. You want me to call him? Tell him that the Mick in Florida isn't obeying orders?"
Kelly came out from behind the desk. "Who you calling a Mick?" he said, walking aggressively up to Bucky with his hand raised.
Bucky slapped him and Kelly became aggressive, looking like he was ready to punch Bucky. Grabbing Kelly by the shirt front Bucky slapped him again several times before shoving him away as if he was garbage.
"When you're slapped, you'll take it and like it," said Bucky, menacingly. "If you thought the old number two was dangerous and unpredictable you haven't seen anything yet. Test me. Once more, test me."
Kelly rubbed his cheek which was red from Bucky's slap. Like a light bulb going on in his head he realized he had overstepped his boundaries and he stepped back.
"Sorry, it won't happen again," he said, chastened. "You won't say anything to the Boss, will you?"
"If you do your job and don't challenge me like that again, I might consider it," said Bucky, straightening his jacket. "Now, bring everyone together. There's a speech I have to say."
Kelly went to a door behind him and pulled it open waiting for Steve and Bucky to walk through. He entered behind them then walked quickly ahead of them calling everyone in. In their ears the team heard that the drones were entering the building. As they stood and waited for the warehouse employees to get there the drones were getting visuals of all the employees and identifying them. Natalie, back at the warehouse, was taking screen shots of the individuals and putting them through facial recognition software. Peter was running the infra red cameras to make sure everyone in the warehouse was headed to the main floor. He saw a couple having sex on the third floor and notified the team.
"Tito," said Bucky, looking at Torres. "Go up and see if there's anyone who hasn't got down here. Drag them down by their necks if you have to. Start at the third floor."
"Woah, everyone's here," said Kelly, looking quickly again at the assembled people.
Torres ran up and came back five minutes later holding a girl by her arm and pushing a guy with a bleeding nose ahead of him. "Found these two doing the nasty in a bathroom," he said to Bucky. "I didn't think there were any women employees in the warehouse."
"There aren't," said Kelly, now panicking. "Diaz, what the hell?"
"Man, you've had me on night shift for two weeks," said the man. "She came in for a conjugal visit."
Bucky stepped forward and grabbed Diaz by the neck raising him up to his tiptoes. He said nothing but put on his biggest sneer and watched as Diaz grew redder and had trouble breathing. Then he released him and let him fall to the ground.
"No girlfriends, or wives or same sex partners at the job," he said to the others. "This is the only warning you'll get. If it happens again ..."
"It won't happen again," said Kelly who then spoke to the young woman. "You, leave and don't come back."
"Wait," said Bucky. "Sweetheart, come here. I won't hurt you."
He gestured to her and she hesitantly came closer to him. "What's your name?"
"Camila," she said in a small voice, trying not to cry.
"Camila, does Diaz have a big dick?" he asked. "Because I can tell you right now he's wrecked any chance of promotion in the organization by bringing you in here. So if you had dreams of him being your sugar daddy, it ain't happening. If he doesn't have a big dick to keep you happy then you might want to consider a new boyfriend, maybe a McDonald's employee or something. Now get the hell out of here, bitch."
She ran out crying. Diaz was still on the floor but was glowering at Bucky. Aware of the angry body language Bucky knew that Diaz would attack. When the man did make his attempt Bucky didn't have to do anything. Steve stepped in, knocked the knife out of Diaz's hand then punched him in the stomach, hard enough so that he couldn't breathe. Bucky watched impassively as Diaz struggled to get his breath back. He pulled a pair of skin tight leather gloves out of his jacket pocket, put them on, picked up the knife and played with it expertly in his hand. One of the things that often happened in Afghanistan was free time, lots and lots of free time. Playing with his knife had entertained Bucky for hours on end and if there was one thing he could do it was incredible knife tricks. The other warehouse employees were mesmerized by the tricks Bucky did as he waited for Diaz to get his breath back. Then he nodded at Steve who pulled Diaz up to face Bucky.
"There are many cultures whose primary weapon is a knife," said Bucky, loud enough for everyone to hear but his eyes on Diaz. "Gurkhas, Sikhs, Greeks, some Spanish ethnic groups, even the Scottish clans. All of them had one thing in common with their knife cultures. If it was drawn as a weapon it had to draw blood before it was sheathed. Hold out your hand."
Diaz looked at him uncomprehendingly. Bucky asked him again and this time Diaz's eyes went wide and he shook his head. With an exaggerated sigh Bucky looked at his team. Torres and Barton both forcefully took Diaz's hand and held it towards Bucky. Very carefully Bucky dragged the tip of the blade across Diaz's palm causing him to yell out in pain. He stopped, nodded at Torres and Barton, then turned and threw the blade into a wooden post, burying it up to the hilt. Diaz sank to the floor holding his bleeding palm and Bucky looked at him with disgust. He turned to the others.
"If you're going to be in this business there's going to be times you're asked to prove how much of a man you are," he said to the assembled. "Sometimes that means taking your punishment without complaint. Kelly, get rid of him. Send him packing, pay him off...I really don't care. When I come here again I don't want to see him. The rest of you have just learned how pissed the Boss was with the attitudes at this warehouse. He wasn't happy with how the old number two and number three handled things. Fucking up in Canada was just the excuse he used to replace them. They were on the way out long before he named us as their replacements. Number three and I have been working in the Middle East. They didn't hesitate when we gave orders. We expect the same here. Now clean this place up. It's a dump. When we come back tomorrow it better look perfect or some of you will be getting your own scars to go with Diaz's."
Thor gave them the signal that all the drones were in position. Natalie told him all of the employees had been identified. He turned around and with the team left the warehouse floor. Kelly followed them out the main door but they said nothing to him. Torres and Barton opened the doors on the SUV and closed them once Steve and Bucky were in the back seat. Then Barton started up the vehicle and drove away. When they got a mile away Bucky told him to pull over. He told Thor to blow up the building then he went behind a dumpster and threw up. When Thor got the signal Majel sent the pictures of all the employees to the police department and alerted the fire department of a building explosion and mentioned it was full of heroin. Thor and Stark quickly packed up their equipment and drove the white SUV all the way to the private airport where Barton had just arrived with the others. The car rental agency had two men there to pick up the SUVs where Thor gave them a cash tip. Then the team boarded the jet and belted themselves in as it took off. Once it was at altitude they changed out of the suits, gave back the watches and comms earpieces. Bucky poured himself a large scotch and sat in one the seats.
"You okay?" asked Steve.
"No," replied Bucky, looking haunted. "I'm not. The violence came way too easily. I can't do this. I'm sorry everyone but I really can't do this anymore."
No one said anything at first. Then Stark started to speak but Barton put his hand on the man's arm and shook his head. He knew the look of PTSD and kicked himself for not realizing that Bucky really hadn't been ready for undercover work. As everyone else sat in an empty seat he and Steve sat across from Bucky. Barton leaned close in to him.
"I'm sorry," Barton said quietly. "I didn't realize you were still suffering. That was my fault. Everything violent you did for Natalie was out of love and necessity. You're not well enough to do this part. We'll figure something out for the last warehouse but I'll tell Nick you're out."
Barton got up and poured his own glass of scotch, sitting at another seat and looking out the window. Steve looked at Bucky with concern and compassion.
"You never got treatment for it, did you?" he asked gently.
"They took my VA benefits away when they dishonourably discharged me," replied Bucky. "I got treatment in prison but not after I got out. I barely made enough to pay rent and buy groceries. Paying for treatment was a luxury I couldn't afford. I thought I had reached a point where I could handle it but it's been building up all week, longer really. That display in the warehouse ... I was this close to killing Diaz."
A tear spilled out of one eye and rolled down his cheek. Shakily he reached his hand up and wiped it away. He took another drink of his scotch and looked out the window, not bothering to wipe away the rest of the tears as they came. After they landed Barton took a moment to make a phone call before they all got back into the Navigator. Majel let them into the parking garage when they arrived. Barton walked up the stairs to the main floor while the others took the elevator to the living quarters level. A debriefing was announced for thirty minutes later, long enough for everyone to have a quick shower and change. As Bucky entered their quarters Natalie stood up and put her arms out to him. Without a sound he embraced her, holding her like they had been apart for years. He kissed her tenderly then looked at her and she saw the pain in his eyes.
"Bucky, what happened?" she asked. "What happened after you blew the warehouse?"
"Babe, let me have my shower first and I'll tell everyone at the debriefing, okay?" he said, touching her hair. "Go on down and wait with the others. I won't be long, I promise."
His hand was on her cheek and his look was so compelling she accepted his request and turned to leave. Just before she got to the door she turned back to see him looking at her intently.
"It's alright," he said softly. "I'll just be a few minutes. I love you."
"I love you, too," she replied, and left the apartment, walking down the stairs to the main level.
Others were beginning to arrive for the debriefing and she kept looking at the stairs, expecting to see Bucky coming down them at any moment. The thirty minutes was almost up and he still hadn't arrived.
"Majel, where is Bucky?" she asked. "He said he would be a few minutes."
"Mr. Barnes has left the warehouse," replied Majel. "He has left a video message for everyone and a private one for you, Mrs. Madison."
All conversation stopped and everyone looked at her then at Nick Fury. Barton swore and looked upset with himself.
"Play the message meant for everyone," said Fury, quietly.
The video appeared on the screen. "Hey, everyone," said Bucky. "I can't stay. I've killed two people since Natalie and I went on the run. That guy in Buffalo who attacked me and Kirk, in the Brooklyn warehouse. I know I had no choice in either but it's eaten away at me ever since. When I carved Diaz's hand up in Florida I wanted to shove that knife in his eye and finish him. I'm a danger to you and to myself. Don't come looking for me because I won't come back. I can't do it, I just can't. I'm sorry."
Fury looked at Steve for any explanation. "He never got treated for his PTSD," he replied, upset. "Couldn't make enough money to pay for treatment and without VA benefits... He sat and cried on the flight back. I've never seen him like that and I'm supposed to be his best friend."
"Do we have any trackers on him?" asked Fury.
"He took the one off of his watch," said Parker. "Majel, is the tracker on his car still functioning?"
"Yes," she replied. "Would you like me to continue tracking his vehicle?"
"Yes," said Fury, then he turned to Natalie. "We can hold off the debriefing if you want to watch the personal video first."
"No," she said, her cheeks flushed. "Let's get this done then I'll go up and watch it."
Everyone reported on their part of the destruction of the warehouse. The police and fire department arrived. The employees and Kelly were all arrested, the remaining drugs confiscated, and one more building in Pierce's empire destroyed. They watched the video of Bucky's portrayal of number two. From the objective viewpoint of the camera it was obvious that something was wrong. The brutality that he showed was frightening. Fury ended the debriefing and Natalie ran up the stairs to the security of their apartment to watch Bucky's personal video to her. She asked Majel to start the playback and Bucky's handsome but troubled face appeared.
"Natalie," he said to begin, "I'm sorry. I love you and I want to marry you but my PTSD is simmering just below the surface. Sooner or later it would boil over and I would hurt the one person I never want to hurt, you. So, I have to go. I'll never forget you but you should move on. You deserve better than a broken down vet like me."
He broke down crying and ended the video. Natalie went to the bedroom closet and saw that most of his clothes were gone. The custom made suits were both there. The sweater she got him for Christmas in Ucluelet was still there and she pulled it off the hanger, holding it to her face, breathing in his scent that was still embedded in the fibres. She sat on the bed and laid back still holding the sweater to her face.
"Oh Bucky," she cried, then curled up on her side and buried her face into the sweater.
For hours, she laid there crying off and on, holding on to the sweater. Several times Majel asked if she wanted to talk to anyone but Natalie never answered her. She finally fell asleep but when she woke up Natalie knew what she was going to do. She got dressed, packed some clothes and opened the door to find everyone waiting outside her door.
"What's the plan, Boss?" asked Fury. "How are we going to get our lost lamb back into the fold?"
Natalie swallowed. "I have some ideas but you heard him," she replied. "He's not coming back. What about the final warehouse?"
"The warehouse isn't important," said Fury. "He is. We asked too much of him and that's on me. But we need him and whether he believes it or not he needs us and you. We need you as well."
She looked at all of them, watching her intently, and saw the faces of a family. The stern father figure, older brother, slightly younger brother and his wife, the crazy uncle and the idealistic younger nephew, the friend, the new acquaintance, the ex wife and her husband...all of them waiting on the stairwell for her to come out.
"Let's find him then," she said. "Let's bring Bucky home."
Fury took her suitcase back into the apartment while everyone else crowded around for a group hug. Then they all went down to the kitchen to make breakfast and start planning their latest mission. Finding Bucky.