exorcising the ghost

[advanced]

who: Bucky and TOTALLY OPEN
what: Some spying, some clothes shopping, some rescuing
when: Throughout August
where: Quarantine
warnings: None. If any crop up, they'll go in the subject lines

[A: Open; sneaking around]

[Pierce might be gone, but that doesn't mean that Bucky feels like it's safe to relax. The man could easily have recruited, could have left planted spies and operatives behind, or files that could be very damaging in the wrong hands. He needs to make sure for himself that any of these people, or any of this information, is weeded out and dealt with appropriately.

Which is why if anyone is working in, or happens to be at, the hospital, any of the laboratories in the city, any buildings that deal with high level technology, or the perimeter guard; there's a late night visitor who definitely isn't authorised to be there. Sneaking through the hallways in black combat gear, obviously armed, and hacking into computer systems.]

[B: Open; shopping and rescuing]

[He's really trying to make an effort to get involved in life again, not just surviving. And part of that means coming into the city itself even if he hates it, making the skin between his shoulder blades itch as if a knife is coming right for him.

He's decided his first self appointed mission will be to get some new clothes, because the ones he has are falling off him from the weight he's lost hiding out for months, and have got threadbare besides. But he's also keeping an eye out for any trouble, and so if he notices anyone in danger from anything - speeding car, mugger, oddly strong breeze - he'll drop all his bags to intervene.]

[C: Closed to Tony Stark; memories]

[He's not sure whether Stark will still be willing to help him, after he blew up at him the last time and then literally disappeared for weeks on end to hide from Pierce. He's also not sure why he feels guilty, and it annoys him that he does. He's even got an apology gift tucked awkwardly under one arm, because he can vaguely remember his Ma telling him that this was the polite way to do things, and he already deeply regrets getting anything in the first place.

Too late now.

He forgoes knocking and slips into the lab, as long as he finds it open, and will take a perch on any of the nearby tables to wait for Stark to show up.]

Comments

c

[buildsomething]

[ Bucky may have snuck in, but there's always someone watching. Someone who has apparently deemed him not to be a threat, considering the lack of a reaction to his presence.

Or maybe JARVIS is just trying to make a point, considering that a few moments later, Tony stumbles down the stairs from the upper floor, yawning absently. And nearly gives himself a heart attack when he very suddenly catches sight of someone just sitting there, though luckily he manages to make it to the bottom of the stairs unscathed. ]

Jesus. Where'd you come from?

[advanced]

[Bucky should remember to thank JARVIS sometime, this isn't the first time that the ever-present invisible butler has been at least partially on his side. Though it's odd to think of something that sentient observing him when he doesn't want to be observed.]

The street.

[The deadpan reply slips out before he can stop it.]

[buildsomething]

Ha ha.

[ Okay, at least if Bucky is going to be a little shit to him, he can't entirely be in crisis mode. Which means Tony has time to detour over towards the coffee machine, luckily for both of them. ]

So is this a social call? You want yours black or with sugar?

[advanced]

Sugar.

[At least Stark doesn't seem mad that he's missed their last fifty million appointments, but it still leaves him feeling awkwardly wrong footed about all of this.]

I haven't been about for a while, but I didn't forget we were meant to be working on stuff, I just got-- busy.

B

[seeingscarlet]

[Wanda peers over the shoe rack. Oh hey, that's a familiar face, if different from the brief flashes she'd caught in Steve's memory.]

Bucky?

[She knew he was here but they haven't managed to run into each other, at least not when Bucky was actually awake. Wanda dropping by Tony's to see if she could affect the virus nanites doesn't count.]

[advanced]

[He doesn't know her properly, though he's read files on her while doing his research about all of the Avengers and their allies, and so he knows who she is when she says his name.]

--you know who I am.

[That's probably a really dumb thing to say, in retrospect, but it just slips out.]

[seeingscarlet]

I know Steve. He's talked about you.

[And thought about him. She barely had to scratch the surface to see enough to know that she could never use Bucky against him, even as angry as she'd been at the time.]

I'm Wanda.

[advanced]

I know.

[This is an odd situation, with both of them knowing something about the other without actually knowing the other.]

I read about you.

a

[whosthemonsternow]

[South is doing paperwork. The least fun part of any job, especially one as special guard. Reports of drunks, reports of what monsters were killed where and how many, nests that were around, damaged places that need further investigating to see what did it and if they need to be worried. Ya know, the usual here.

Problem is, she got half way through when she fell asleep, sprawled across the desk with datapads and food wrappers littering her space. A ferret is asleep half in her hair, half on her shoulder, until it hears a noise and starts running circles over her head and squealing quietly to her.]

Bonnie for the love of fuck, chill out-

[She starts to chide the ferret, but stops when the hair on the back of her neck sticks up, sensing she's not alone after all. She's quiet as she gets from her seat, putting Bonnie on her little ferret bed. Her hand on her pistol, she crouchs as she eases out of the office and peers down the hall. She spots the man, in his gear and lurking around like a creep. He doesn't look familiar, which isn't new, she's been out of the loop for a while,but he doesn't look like he belongs, either. So she waits until his back is to her, gets to her full 5'11 height (nearly 6' in her boots) and squares her hips and shoulders, pistol aimed]

Ya lost, pal?

[advanced]

[He feels the prickle between his shoulder blades just before she talks, something from long experience that tells him there's a weapon trained on him, and he's half turning as her words drift over to him.

He doesn't recognise her, but he can see that she knows what she's doing. She doesn't look afraid, and that pistol is being held with a steady confidence, which means this could turn ugly fairly quickly.

He decides to try and bluff this out, his entire body language shifting in a moment to something more casual.]

Yeah, actually, I think I took a wrong turn back there somewhere, maybe you can help me?

[whosthemonsternow]

[Does she believe it? Not really, not. This hour and his clothes make her very, very skeptical of his change and answer. But, just in case, she does lower her gun and look him over with a disbelieving eye]

Lost. Right. What're you looking for, then?

[Because, maybe there's a sliver of a chance he really is lost and needs to find a place. Maybe he's new to the guard. Maybe he was told to meet someone here. Most likely he's full of shit, but she doesn't shoot civvies. The gun isn't holstered, but it's lowered to a neutral point, ready but less of a threat.

South's face doesn't much change with her being on guard, maybe even glaring a bit. Which could be intimidating, she knows her fucked up right eye messes with some people, makes them uncomfortable- though she has a feeling he probably wouldn't get intimidated by it. But whatever intimidation she has going for her might be a little hindered by the quiet sound of scampering nails on the hard floor and the sudden appearance of Bonnie scaling up her back and perching on her shoulder, peering out curiously from strands of blond and purple hair. Welp. The little sweater definitely doesn't help this situation,]

[advanced]

[It's a mistake for her to lower her gun, but it lets some of the tension loosen in his shoulders. She's still ready if he should attack, but she seems less likely to immediately fire on him now. Not that he's afraid, it wouldn't be the first time he'd been shot and he's fairly sure that he could still get away, but he doesn't want to fight anyone unless he has to.]

Archives, someone I know told me about a position here, figured I'd look him up.

[That's not entirely a lie. He does sort of know someone who offered him a place here, and he knows a lot of people who work here who haven't offered him a place that he could still use as names if he needs them, but it's enough of a lie to suit his purposes.

His gaze never flickers when the little animal appears, she's the one who might be a threat and not her pet.]

a

[breqintopieces]

[Breq didn't intend to be in the Perimeter Guard barracks at this late-- early, by this point-- an hour. But her latest trip out into the forest, started this morning, became a bit more complicated than she'd expected, thanks to a string of unfortunate events involving her gear, sinkholes, and the usual pesky wildlife. She's unhurt, which is the only benefit to it in her mind, but she's dirty, and tired, and seriously considering finding a spare bed at the barracks, rather than making the trek across the city to her own bed in the communal housing.

As tired as she is, she might have been forgiven for not checking her surroundings quite so thoroughly, but even exhaustion doesn't keep her from having her advanced reflexes, and sharp vision. So, when her glance through the darkened doorway reveals the dim light of an emergency exit sign glancing off of the angle of a shoulder, the bulk of a body, it takes her 2.3 seconds to register it as a person, and one sneaking around, at that.]

Stop where you are.

[advanced]

[That's a familiar voice, and it's probably the only thing that stops him from reaching for the knives hidden about his person. He hasn't seen her since that attack on the city, but he remembers her competence and her bravery in trying to save the people around her. He doesn't want to fight her, but he will if he has to.

He stops, half turns, so that the dim light reflects off his face and she might be able to see who he is in return. But he doesn't speak yet, deciding to be cautious and see what she does with the information of who he is first.]

[breqintopieces]

[She remembers him, too, and it makes her pause long enough to not pull out her gun and shoot him on sight. It doesn't make her any less wary, though. Bucky had managed to leave a good impression of his fighting and shooting ability, last time, but he wasn't especially trustworthy then, and this situation she finds him in is going a long way to convince her that he hasn't improved any since then.

So she walks slowly closer, stopping out of arm's reach.]

I don't suppose you're any more authorized this time, Bucky Barnes.

[advanced]

[That makes the ghost of a smile pass over his face, it's a clever way to remind him that they've met in case he'd forgotten and still to challenge his right to be in this building.

She's good. He hadn't forgotten that either.]

No.

[No point lying about it.]

I'm not here to do any harm.

A. because whY NOT

[madeupnames]

[Spider-Man is busy doing his usual rounds, and his honed hearing is what tips him off that someone is in the records department of Riverview's diagnostics lab when he crawls along the side of the building (sometimes people are weirded out, his bad). There's not usually anybody in there at this hour, you know? It's for daytime blood tests and keeping files tucked away, or for blood drives, or medication pick-ups— or for specialty cases that require more work than the average human body. There's a little psychiatric help clinic right next door, too.

He comes down on a web, straining to hear the very faint sound of footfalls.

An unwanted visitor, huh?

He appears in the window, moonlight pouring in behind him and casting a shadow on Bucky's back. Quiet as a fucking floating feather, but he makes up for that with his knee-jerk quips:]

Hey, buddy. I'm pretty sure business hours ended a while ago! You missed out.

WHY NOT INDEED

[advanced]

[Really?

He tenses up when he feels the shadow fall across his back, fully prepared for this to be someone meddling - staff, perhaps, or even one of the many superheroes around the city. That's confirmed when he turns around and there's a guy in a weird red suit just behind him.

A scowl crosses over his face, before recognition of the voice catches up to him and he straightens properly.]

Peter?

[Seriously?]

[madeupnames]

[Whoa, whoa, whoa, Bucky? He hangs there in confusion for a moment.

Well, there was a reason he was trying to arrest the guy back home; still up to his old problems, huh? And here he was, rooting for ya, man — but oh my god, don't notice him, don't notice the voice! He waves a hand.]

What? No. Who the hell is Peter?

Are you stealing confidential information from this lab?

( a )

[mannerism]

[ it's not quite like home, to say the least. Peggy has come a long way from her previous stay in Quarantine. Less fetching coffee, more work - would that she could say that's going well for her. It seems that with new responsibilities and more work comes her own errors, her failures and faults. Staying in the city these days feels like running away from the consequences of her own actions.

But there's work to do and where there are duties and Peggy throws herself hard into work.

It's really why she's still at work so late. Assigned to handle the perimeter guard makes it easier to focus. She's internal affairs, these days, but she does reach for her gun when she watches him.

A moment passes and then another and she doesn't allow herself to relax even when recognition comes. ]

It's been a while.

[advanced]

[He curses himself silently. Not for getting caught, though that's annoying in itself, but for not even knowing that she was back in the city. He's let himself get so out of touch with everything, too busy hiding and looking after his own skin, and that has to stop.

How long has she been here?

Does Steve know?

Stupid question, of course Steve has to know, he's surprised that the big blond idiot isn't following along behind her like a puppy.]

I don't think you want to fire that at me.

[It's half warning and half statement.]

[mannerism]

I wanted to make sure it's you.

[ That you remember. She puts the gun away, from all she's heard, he's not wrong, it'll do no good and thank heavens, there is no need. ]

It's good to see you, Barnes.

A.

[winscenario]

[ Seeing someone around the perimeter guard, even this late at night, isn't necessarily the most unusual thing. Jim's here, after all, still working even while Victor's already back at the house with Lucy. Late nights are a little unusual for him these days, but that's not the case for everyone— a lot of people even work through the night, whether it's by choice or because it's their assigned schedule.

What does tip Jim off is that whoever's in there with him is very obviously sneaking around, trying to stick to the shadows. Jim nearly misses them, if not for the light of one of the computer screens flicking across their face. He freezes, hiding behind a wall while peering around the corner, watching for a few good seconds.

Finally, once he's sure the guy's just going through files, he speaks up, stepping into the room. ] Can I help you with something?

[advanced]

[He reacts on split second instinct when he hears a voice right behind him, knife appearing in his hand and raised ready to throw before he's even fully turned around. And only noticing the other man doesn't appear to be visibly armed or attacking is what keeps him from throwing it.

Damn.

Now he can't really play it off as just someone being lost.]

You should walk away.

[winscenario]

[ Jim tenses at the sight of a knife, but he still doesn't budge. A hand rests on his phaser out of habit more so than anything, even if he's not planning on shooting unless he absolutely has to.

When the stranger in the dark doesn't actually attack him, he drops his hand again, breathing out slowly. His heart's still beating fast in his chest, senses keen. Could still be dangerous. ]

Yeah, that's not gonna happen. [ Duty above self-preservation, apparently. ] You look like you're looking for something, so— I'll ask again. Can I help you?

[ He says it like he partly means it. Depends on what the guy's looking for, really. He might be able and willing to help. ]