Sam felt more than a little guilty about having shoved off his cases on his co-workers, but he was well aware that he wasn't going to do anyone any good by trying to go into work like this; he just wasn't capable of compartmentalizing something so huge. Fortunately his boss was very clear on what happened when someone called and said "I can't handle it right now" and was forced to come in and try anyway.
There was also the fact that he had the biggest veteran-trauma case of his life right there in the Tower with him--though Barnes flatly ignored any conversational gambit that wasn't directly relevant to his self-imposed mission of finding Steve, and Sam still had not the faintest fucking clue where to start. He settled for insisting that Barnes eat and sleep on something resembling a normal schedule, with the distinct feeling that he got away with it because Barnes was capable of recognizing biological necessity.
Which was, to be fair, better than some people Sam had worked with, but also probably had something to do with the Winter Soldier being required to maintain combat effectiveness and that just wasn't a train of thought Sam wanted to ride on because it led to a deep desire to break things.
There followed about a week much like the first, though Sam and Clint didn't have to do food runs any longer; Tony Stark had people for that. It wasn't as much of a bonus as it at first appeared, because it meant there was nothing to do but think. Sam spent a lot of time with Clint and a mild, perpetually rumpled man named Bruce who, Sam gradually realized, was actually the Hulk.
He assumed that at some point his life was going to have to hit maximum weirdness and stop getting crazier.
*
"OK, here's what we've got," Tony said. He gestured and a rotating globe sprang into being in the middle of the lab. Four glowing spots pulsed red on it, widely scattered. "The truck that pretty much had to be carrying Steve went to Dryden Regional Airport in Ontario. From there the trail gets muddier, because Dryden's not big but the plane headed for Vancouver and wouldn't you know there was a weird computer glitch not long after it got into YVR's air traffic control pattern. We had to go by arrival times and type of aircraft." He waved at the globe. "Those four places are our possibles. They all have suitably shady ownership histories and ongoing activity. I have 'em ranked in order of probability, but there's not honestly much to pick between, difference of less than ten percent top to bottom."
"That's not how probabilities work, Tony," said Bruce, in his usual diffident way.
Tony rolled his eyes. "I'm simplifying, OK?" Bruce looked amused but shrugged agreement. "So the problem here is, while we are totally capable of reducing any one of these bases to rubble, if we pick the wrong one the right one's bound to hear about it and maybe move him again."
"Unacceptable," Barnes said. He looked even more tightly wound than usual, as was normal when he had to enter Tony's lab. "They've had him more than three weeks already, Stark. We need to get him out."
"I'm not arguing with you, Robocop, I'm telling you I don't know how to pick," Tony said. "You, on the other hand, worked for these people." Sam winced. Barnes didn't visibly react. "So tell me: where's Hydra keeping Captain America?"
"Give me a flat map," Barnes said. Tony didn't bother gesturing, but the globe unwrapped into a plane that hung in the air. Barnes stared at it. Let him not be wrong, Sam thought. If he's wrong it'll kill him. Finally Barnes walked to the map and tapped the air. That spot continued to pulse while the rest faded, and the map zoomed in. "Here," he said.
"That's actually in Bogotá," Bruce said. "I think I better sit this one out."
"You did fine in a big city before," Tony said, wheedling.
"When it was under attack by aliens already," Bruce replied dryly.
"Come on, Big Green, it'll be great!"
"Do you really want me smashing things on a hostage rescue?"
"Argue later," Barnes said, in a tone that brooked no argument at all. "Start prep now."
Re: FILL: Lie Down on the Wire 13/?
There was also the fact that he had the biggest veteran-trauma case of his life right there in the Tower with him--though Barnes flatly ignored any conversational gambit that wasn't directly relevant to his self-imposed mission of finding Steve, and Sam still had not the faintest fucking clue where to start. He settled for insisting that Barnes eat and sleep on something resembling a normal schedule, with the distinct feeling that he got away with it because Barnes was capable of recognizing biological necessity.
Which was, to be fair, better than some people Sam had worked with, but also probably had something to do with the Winter Soldier being required to maintain combat effectiveness and that just wasn't a train of thought Sam wanted to ride on because it led to a deep desire to break things.
There followed about a week much like the first, though Sam and Clint didn't have to do food runs any longer; Tony Stark had people for that. It wasn't as much of a bonus as it at first appeared, because it meant there was nothing to do but think. Sam spent a lot of time with Clint and a mild, perpetually rumpled man named Bruce who, Sam gradually realized, was actually the Hulk.
He assumed that at some point his life was going to have to hit maximum weirdness and stop getting crazier.
*
"OK, here's what we've got," Tony said. He gestured and a rotating globe sprang into being in the middle of the lab. Four glowing spots pulsed red on it, widely scattered. "The truck that pretty much had to be carrying Steve went to Dryden Regional Airport in Ontario. From there the trail gets muddier, because Dryden's not big but the plane headed for Vancouver and wouldn't you know there was a weird computer glitch not long after it got into YVR's air traffic control pattern. We had to go by arrival times and type of aircraft." He waved at the globe. "Those four places are our possibles. They all have suitably shady ownership histories and ongoing activity. I have 'em ranked in order of probability, but there's not honestly much to pick between, difference of less than ten percent top to bottom."
"That's not how probabilities work, Tony," said Bruce, in his usual diffident way.
Tony rolled his eyes. "I'm simplifying, OK?" Bruce looked amused but shrugged agreement. "So the problem here is, while we are totally capable of reducing any one of these bases to rubble, if we pick the wrong one the right one's bound to hear about it and maybe move him again."
"Unacceptable," Barnes said. He looked even more tightly wound than usual, as was normal when he had to enter Tony's lab. "They've had him more than three weeks already, Stark. We need to get him out."
"I'm not arguing with you, Robocop, I'm telling you I don't know how to pick," Tony said. "You, on the other hand, worked for these people." Sam winced. Barnes didn't visibly react. "So tell me: where's Hydra keeping Captain America?"
"Give me a flat map," Barnes said. Tony didn't bother gesturing, but the globe unwrapped into a plane that hung in the air. Barnes stared at it. Let him not be wrong, Sam thought. If he's wrong it'll kill him. Finally Barnes walked to the map and tapped the air. That spot continued to pulse while the rest faded, and the map zoomed in. "Here," he said.
"That's actually in Bogotá," Bruce said. "I think I better sit this one out."
"You did fine in a big city before," Tony said, wheedling.
"When it was under attack by aliens already," Bruce replied dryly.
"Come on, Big Green, it'll be great!"
"Do you really want me smashing things on a hostage rescue?"
"Argue later," Barnes said, in a tone that brooked no argument at all. "Start prep now."