Priceless // TFATWS

09

"And we also have eight Super Soldiers that are loose."

Sam frowned. "Zemo is gonna mess with our minds, especially yours and Rosie's. No offense."

Bucky turned on the lights and he and Rosie turned off their flashlights before retorting, "Offense."

"So tell me. What are you gonna do if he messes with Rosie's mind?"

"I'm not gonna let that happen," Bucky said.

Rosie glanced between them. "Super Soldiers go against everything he believes in."

Bucky met her eyes. "He's crazy, but he still has a code."

"Yeah, and I've been on the wrong side of the code, Buck, so has Rosie, and so have you," Sam shot back. "He blew up the UN, killed King T'Chaka and framed you for it. Did you forget that? You think the Wakandans forgot about it? It's a rhetorical question, they didn't. I know why this matters to you, but it's pushing you off the deep end."

Rosie silently weighed their options, then said, "I don't like the idea, but I think the best thing is to go with Bucky's idea."

"You're kidding, right?"

"No, I'm not kidding. Yes, I'm know he's crazy. Yes, I know he trigged me and Bucky years ago. But he also knows things we don't. Sometimes we have to go with the less pleasurable option to get to the better result."

"Rosie, you also have that serum running through your veins. Who's to say he won't go after you? Or even Bucky?"

"Concern duly noted, but you know as well as I do that this is our best option. I can take care of myself."

Sam turned to Bucky. "Clearly reasoning with Rosie isn't working. I know why this matters to you, but it's pushing you off the deep end."

"Sam, we don't know how they're gettin' the serum," Bucky told him. "We don't even know how many of them there are. Look, let me just walk you through a hypothetical. Can I walk you through a hypothetical?"

"What did you do?" Sam and Rosie asked.

"I didn't... do anything."

"James, what did you do?" Rosie questioned.

"The weakest point in a system in any system isn't the software, the hardware, it's the meatware. The human element. Now, in this lockup, it's nine to one, prisoners to guards. And if two prisoners start fighting, then the protocol says four guards have to respond."

"So why would two prisoners randomly start fighting?" Sam asked.

Bucky shook his head slightly with an innocent look. "Who knows? There could be many reasons..." Bucky left the prison and he tossed a rolled note onto a table that he'd written to one of the prisoners, which said 'He will kill you tonight. Kill him first'. "But the point is, these things escalate. Lockdown procedures would have to be initiated, and with all those bodies flying around left and right, it wouldn't be hard to slip down a hallway or two." Bucky continued after a moment. "And if the fire alarm got tripped while the prisoners were being separated... someone would use the chaos to their advantage."

"I don't like how casual you're bein' about this. And clearly Rosie doesn't either. This is unnatural. Are you... And where are we, man?"

A door opened and someone walked in. Rosie glanced at the plastic curtain as the silhouette moved closer.

"Whoa. Whoa. Whoa," Sam protested, trying to go after Zemo. "What are you doing here?"

"No, listen," Bucky told him. "I didn't wanna tell either of you 'cause I knew you two wouldn't let it happen."