16. Consequences
Berlin, Germany
"So you like cats?" Sam quips from the back seat of the truck the three and T'Challa are being escorted in. Mary's emotions are strung high but she manages a chuckle. Her husband and daughter are in the truck a few cars ahead of them. Both strapped in separate containment cells. Becca was innocent in all of this, as was Bucky. But all the governments saw was a young, more agile and moldable version of Bucky when they looked at Mary's daughter. They saw her as a weapon to be used. Not a teenager. Not as a niece and daughter.
"Sam." Steve criticizes.
"What? Dude shows up dressed like a cat, you don't wanna know more?" Sam retorts, Mary nods in agreement.
"So are you Cat Man?" Mary asks her friend.
The king of Wakanda chuckles every so briefly. Steve then looks over, "Your suit. It's vibranium?"
T'Challa looks over at Steve, his eyes holding nothing but distain for the two men. His eyes soften when they meet the hazel eyes of his friend. "The Black Panther has been the protector of Wakanda for generations. A mantel passed from warrior to warrior. And now because your friend murdered by father, i also wear the mantel of king. So, i ask you as both warrior and king, how long do you think you can keep your friend safe from me?"
Mary's eyes narrow as she listens to T'Challa condemn her husband, "He didn't do this."
"What makes you so sure of that?" T'Challa asks.
"Because i know my husband." She snaps in reply. "And my daughter had nothing to do with any of this. She just wanted to help her father." Mary was releasing secrets she had long kept for nearly eighty years. But none of those secrets mattered anymore. Her husband and daughter were at risk and she was going to pull every string she had to get them out. T'Challa's eyes widen briefly, but he regains his composure quickly but Mary isn't done, "You know me, T'Challa. As did your father. So that means you know how stubborn i can be. So i ask you this, what makes you think that i wont do everything in my power to save my family."
As Mary, Sam and Steve are leaving the van. The mother looks behind her, seeing her daughter and husband in their containment units. Her blood boils as she watches her daughter's panicked expression only worsen as she's rolled away from her mother's line of sight. Steve takes the front lines as they walk up to Mary recalls is Agent Everett Ross. Beside him is Sharon.
"What's gonna happen to them?" Steve asks Ross.
"Same thing that ought to happen to you. Psychological evaluation and extradition." Ross replies sternly, and smugly.
Sharon sighs briefly, "This is Everett Ross. Deputy Task Force Commander."
"I know who he is." Mary grits out as her jaw clenches in anger. Ross makes eye contact with her briefly, then looks away from her.
"What about a lawyer?" Steve asks
Ross breaks out into a smile, "Lawyer. That's funny." He amuses, then commands his officers behind him, "See that their weapons are placed in lockup." Officers begin walking off with Steve's shield, Mary's boots and repulsers and Sam's wings. "We'll write you a receipt."
Sam's eyes narrow, "I better not look out the window and see anybody flying around in that." He grumbles as the four begin to follow Ross and Sharon. Mary looks behind her as Steve wraps his arm around his sister's waist. Her eyes locking onto her husband's blues as he leans his head back in defeat.
"You'll be provided with an office instead of a cell. Now do me a favor, stay in it?" Ross states as he guides the four heroes, now criminals, to their office.
"I don't intend on going anywhere." T'Challa says as he walks slightly behind Ross. Mary's eyes widen when she sees Natasha walk along side them.
"For the record, this is what making things worse looks like." The redheaded spy states in disappointment.
"He's alive." Steve states simply in reply.
"What did you expect us to do?" Mary asks her sister, "Let him be taken?" She asks as she then hears a familiar voice. Her son.
"No. Romania was not Accords-sanctioned. Colonel Rhodes is supervising cleanup." Tony talks into his phone, his eyes softening as he sees his mother walk into the room followed by her brother and multiple officers.
"Try not to break anything while we fix this." Nat quips as she walks off.
"Consequences? You bet there'll be consequences.-" Tony speaks into his phone as he steps down the stairs to meet with his mother, "Obviously you can quote me on that because i just said it. Anything else? Thank you, Sir." He finishes up, hanging up his phone as he walks up to the three people he knows. Sam and Steve standing on either side of the pissed off mother in between them.
"Consequences?" Mary questions her son, her arms crossed as she is furious.
Tony hesitates briefly, then points his phone at the three of them, "Secretary Ross wants the three of you prosecuted. Had to give him something." The son replies. He knows his mother is pissed. He knows his sister is beside her father in her own containment cell. He wanted to fight them on that but he couldn't.
"I'm not getting that shield back, am i?" Steve questions.
Nat walks up along side Tony as she turns around to say, "Technically it's the government's property. Wings and Mary's gear too."
Sam narrows his eyes, "That's cold."
"Warmer than jail." Tony quips back.
Mary looks up at her brother, "We have to get them out of there. Becca doesn't belong there. She's completely innocent."
Steve sighs, nodding as he looks around the room. Different cameras have different angles on his brother and niece. He can see Becca is still scared out of her mind. Bucky only able to try to comfort her by speaking to her in Russian, but it only makes the officers with them angry.
Mary sits in front of her brother as Tony walks back into the office room. "Hey you wanna see something cool?" The son asks, holding up a case in his hands, "I pulled something from Dad's archives. Felt timely." He says as Steve sits down in a chair beside his sister. He sets the case down then look at his mother, "I didn't know they would do this to Becca."
Mary looks at her son, "If you did would you have done anything to get her out?" She scolds.
"I did try. But i can't go against them." Tony responds.
Mary nods sarcastically, looking away from her son. "I wont live in secrets anymore, Tony." She states, "I will say and do anything to get them out."
Tony's eyes widen, but he nods slowly in understanding, "I know you have pull everywhere, but not this time. This time you're a criminal who went against the law to aide a fugitive."
Mary's eyes narrow, "He didn't bomb Vienna, Tony!" She snaps.
"But he's done countless other things." Tony reminds his mother, "And there's video proof of him at the scene of the bombing." He points out, rubbing his temples. Steve had stayed silent the whole time the mother and son were arguing. He knew it wasn't his place to involve himself in that. Tony shakes his head, regaining his composure as he opens the case. "FDR signed the Lend-Lease bill with these in 1941. Provided support to the Allies when they needed it most." He states.
Steve looks over the pens, "Some would say it brought our country closer to war."
Tony's eyes narrow slightly, "See? If not for these, you wouldn't be here." The son scoffs, "I'm trying to... what do you call it?" He trails off as he sits down across from the siblings, "That's an olive branch. Is that what you call it?"
Steve glances around the office, "Is Pepper here? I didn't see her."
Mary hesitates, she remembers the phone call Tony made to his mother when Pepper walked out needing a break from him. "We're kinda.. well not kinda.."
"Pregnant?" Steve interrupts. Mary's eyes widen, looking over at her son.
"No. Definitely not." Tony responds quickly, Mary deflating a little. She knew what he was going to say next, "We're taking a break. It's nobody's fault."
Steve looks down, "I'm so sorry, Tony. I didn't know."
"Few years ago i almost lost her-" Killian, Mary remembers, and the actor hired by him to portray The Mandarin. She still remembers when she visited Trevor in prison. "So i trashed all my suits. Then, we had to mop up Hydra, and then, Ultron-" Tony points to himself, "My fault. And then, and then, and then, i never stopped. Because the truth is i don't wanna stop. I don't wanna lose her, Mom knows that. I thought maybe the Accords could split the difference." Tony pauses. He leans back in his chair then stands up, his hands going into his pockets. "In her's and Mom's defense, i'm a handful." He states, causing Mary to chuckle, "Yet, Dad was a pain in the ass, but he and Mother always made it work."
"You know i'm glad Howard got married." Steve comments, Mary nods in agreement. "I only knew him when he was young and single."
"Maria became a good friend of mine when Howie introduced me to her." Mary adds quietly. She watches as her son loosens up slightly, un-cuffing his shirt.
"Oh, really? You two knew each other? He never mentioned that. Maybe only a thousand times." Tony states sarcastically.
Mary huffs in annoyance with her son, "Tony." She warns him.
Tony pays his mother no mind, "Gosh, i hated you." He grumbles, "Hearing all about you from Dad was insufferable. But Mom added to it." He grits out, "At first it was nice hearing about you. Mom's brother. But then it became too much."
Steve hesitates, looking up at his sister's godson solemnly, "I don't mean to make things difficult."
"I know, because you're a very polite person." Tony quips as he puts his suit jacket back on, walking around to where Steve and Mary are seated.
Steve spins in his chair to look at Tony, Mary following suit. "If i see a situation pointed south. I can't ignore it." Steve replies quietly. "Sometimes i wish i could."
"We can't ignore it." Mary corrects her brother softly.
"No, you don't. Neither of you."
Mary hesitates as Steve sighs, nodding his head in agreement, "No, i don't." He states with a small smile on his lips. "Sometimes-"
"Sometimes i want to punch you in your perfect teeth."
"Tony!"
Tony holds up his hand to his mother, indicating that he's not finished, "But i don't want to see you gone. It was hurt me, the team, and Mom too much. We need you, Cap. You too, Mom" Mary leans back in her chair, crossing her arms as she looks over her son as he continues, "So far nothing's happened that can't be undone, if you sign. We can make the last twenty-four hours legit. Barnes and Becca get transferred to an American psych-center instead of Wakandan prison."
Steve turns in his chair as Mary stares at her son dumbfounded. How could he still be so naive that the Accords were a good thing. That everything would be better if they would sign it. The brother picks up one of the pens from their case. He stands, thinking it over. "I'm.. not saying it's impossible.." Steve starts, causing the mother's hazel eyes to widen, not believing her brother.
"Steven! You can't be seriously considering this!" Mary exclaims, standing up from her chair, her hands firmly on the table as her anger rises again. "Becca doesn't deserve any of this! And you're just going to hand James and her over to them?!"
Steve looks at his sister, sadness radiating off of him. Mary hesitates, backing down slightly as he continues, "There would have to be safeguards."
"Sure. Once we put out the PR fire, those documents can be amended.-" Tony replies quickly, sitting down in where Steve once sat, "I'd file a motion to have you, Mom and Wanda reinstated."
Mary looks over at her son in confusion as Steve does the same thing, "Wanda? What about Wanda?" Mary questions.
"She's fine. She's confined to the compound, currently. Vision's keeping her company." Tony responds. The mother's eyes widen and Steve looks away in defeat and annoyance.
"Oh, gosh. Tony. Every time i think you see things the right way." Steve grumbles.
"Seriously? Wanda isn't to blame for any of this!" Mary shouts, defending her sister and friend.
"It's a hundred acres with a lap pool. It's got a screening room. There's worse ways to protect people."
"Protection." Mary scoffs, "Is that how you see this, T? This is protection?" Mary points out to her son.
"It's internment, Tony." Steve adds.
"She's not a US citizen." Tony spits out in anger.
"Oh, come on, Tony." Steve scolds.
"And they don't grant visas to weapons of mass destruction." The son states quickly.
"She's a kid! Just like Becca!" Mary shouts in frustration and anger.
"Give me a break!" Tony shouts back at his mother, "I'm doing what has to be done. To stave off something worse."
Steve and Mary stand side by side, staring at Tony in frustration. "You keep telling yourself that." Mary retorts.
The brother sets the pen he had picked up a few minutes ago back down on the table in front of its case, "Hate to break up the set." He states as he guides Mary and himself out of the small room they were just in.
Minutes later a psychologist is in front of Bucky and Becca. Mary stands beside her brother as they watch closely to what happens. Sam is sitting at the table as Sharon walks up, handing him a paper, "Receipt for your gear."
Sam looks up after reading it, "Bird costume? Come on."
Sharon raises her arms in defense, "I didn't write it." She responds quietly.
"Hello Mr Barnes." He greets Bucky, looking over at Becca, "Hello young miss, we haven't had the pleasure. You're not in my files." The Doctor greets the teenager. Mary watches as Becca hesitates, her eyes still showing fear. Mary looks over at Sharon as she presses a button close to her, letting them listen in as well.
"I- I'm Becca. Becca Barnes." The young girl introduces herself, causing gasps to erupt in the room.
"I wasn't aware that Mr Barnes had a daughter." The doctor says to them, looking back over at Bucky.
"Nobody knew except for my family. Well.. until now." Becca replies softly. Her mother's heart to ache at how her daughter responds with kindness. How she always had been to people, no matter who they are or where they came from. Becca always treated them with kindness. Bucky looks over at his daughter as she talks freely.
"Your father is James Buchanan Barnes. But who is your mother?"
Becca hesitates, looking over at her Papa. The father nods slowly, telling her silently that the truth needs to come out. the daughter looks back at the doctor, "Mary Rogers-Barnes.. Papa's wife. She's with Uncle Steve and Uncle Sam." She replies with a small smile.
More gasps erupt in the rooms surrounding them, T'Challa and other in the room turn to look at Mary and Steve. The mother looks at Everett as he turns around in shock, looking at Mary. She knows she'll need to answer questions later. She's prepared for that, has been since Steve came out of the ice. The Doctor in front of the father and daughter looks at the girl, "When were you born?"
"1945." Becca responds.
"Enough." Bucky snaps gruffly, not liking his daughter being interrogated when he's the one they've been after for years. His wife's secret that she's kept hidden for decades is out, and he can't see her reaction.
"I'll find out more later. Back to why we are all here. I've been sent by the United Nations to evaluate you, and now your daughter as well. Do you mind if i sit?" The doctor states as he takes a seat at the table he was given. "Your first name is James? And you're Becca, is that short for Rebecca?" He asks, Becca nods quietly as she looks over at her father. "I am not here to judge either of you. I just want to ask a few questions. Do you know where you are, Rebecca? James?" The doctor asks, he expected Becca to respond but she doesn't. Now that everyone knows who she is. Who she really is. And who Mary truly is. She isn't saying anything more until her father does. "I can't help you if you don't talk to me, James, Rebecca."
"My name is Bucky." The father responds gruffly, "Only my wife gets to call me James." He adds, causing people to turn around again, looking at Mary as she smiles at her husband's response. "And her name is Becca."
Becca nods slowly, "Nobody but bad people call me Rebecca." She clarifies to the doctor and Mary's heart softens as her daughter speaks up. The sister notices her brother looking at the picture the news media put out of Bucky at Vienna.
"Why would they release this photo to begin with?" Steve asks curiously.
Mary looks over, "Get the word out i suppose? Gains a lot of attention, lots of eyes looking for him." She mutters.
Steve nods slowly in agreement, "Right, it's a good way to flush a guy out of hiding." he points out, Mary's eyes widening, "Set off a bomb, get your picture taken. Get seven billion people looking for the Winter Solider."
Mary looks up at her brother, "I knew he didn't do this. Someone is trying to frame him to find him." She states, looking back at her daughter and husband on the monitors they were given access to look at.
"Steve, we looked for the guy for two years and found nothing. Still bitter about that, Sis." Sam points out, Mary sighs.
"We didn't bomb the UN. That turns a lot of heads." Steve retorts.
Mary looks over, "But that doesn't guarantee whoever framed him would get him. It guarantees that they would." She explains, motioning with her hand to Everett and his team. Mary's eyes widen as she looks up at the monitor, her brother and Sam following suit. Their eyes trained on the doctor with Bucky and Becca.
"Tell me, Bucky. You've seen a great deal, haven't you?" The doctor asks.
"I don't wanna talk about it." Bucky states quietly, not wanting to relive his days as Hydra's weapon.
"You feel that if you open your mouth, the horrors might never stop." The doctor pauses, "Don't worry. We only have to talk about one."
Becca hesitates, "One?" She questions as the room goes dark.
Mary's eyes widen, looking around frantically, "What the hell?" She questions, her eyes adjusting to the sudden darkness as she looks at her brother. His face holds the same expression. Only he knows what happened. Mary looks over, seeing her son talking into his glasses, knowing he's talking to Friday.
Steve and Mary look over at Sharon as she also knows something bad is going to happen, "Sub-level five. East wing." She tells the three. Steve quickly grabs his sister, hoisting her onto his back like their time in the war as he and Sam jog quickly to where Sharon told them to go.
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