Road to War Part III: I Would For You

Don't Know What Else There Is to Do

"So, why do you want to do this, Barnes?" Barton asks as he readjusts the tip on one of his arrows.

"Fury asked me to," he answers shortly.

Barton smiles grimly. "You always do what Fury wants?"

"No."

Finishing his task, Barton meets his eye. "Then why, Bucky? Why's it so important to you?"

He glances up over to Natalia, who's piloting, then back to Barton. Their conversation is quiet, but she can certainly hear them. If she's waiting for his response, it's not obvious. "I owe it to Steve to make sure the shield doesn't fall into the wrong hands," he explains.

"And yours are the right hands?"

Scoffing, he shakes his head. "No, of course not. But... I know Steve. And I knew him better than anyone. I don't want someone deciding his legacy for him as a political move, or a power play. If Steve... If we need someone to take over for him, there aren't a lot of people I'd trust to make that decision."

Barton nods, seeming satisfied. "Well, I'd agree with you there." Turning toward the cockpit, he raises his voice to talk to Natalia. "Almost there, 'Tasha?"

"Six minutes. We can't approach directly or they'll probably fire on us," she calls back.

"Let's try to avoid that," Barton responds with a grin. "Here, you're going to need this," he adds, handing over the arrow tip he was apparently removing, which he tucks into his belt. Getting to his feet, Clint pats him on the shoulder, and goes to join Natalia in the front.

Silently, he watches him go, trying to push away the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach. What he said was the truth, of course, but he doesn't like considering that the world may need a Captain America besides Steve Rogers. That Steve might not wake up. Still, if it comes to it... A new Cap will have to represent the same things Steve did, will have to be separate from the government, not a tool for those in power to use to their advantage. Not like the Winter Soldier was.

When they land, they are in the middle of the woods of upstate New York. Natalia leads the way toward the hidden SHIELD base, one of the few that is left off the books. She always seems to know where things are, and how to get to them. He is glad she agreed to come along, to help him out. It was a very serious conversation when he asked her, but she'd smiled at the end, touched that he'd asked her, perhaps. He appreciated how often she smiled, how she always seemed to find something to smile about. Even now.

Barton didn't go on all of Natalia's missions, but she had suggested he come along on this one. He isn't sure why, but he understood the tactical advantage Barton would provide. He doubts that was what Natalia was thinking of when she brought it up, though. In any case, he can't ignore the strange connection he has with Barton, who understands better than anyone (possibly better than Natalia) what it means to come back from being under enemy control.

Natalia gets them inside without setting off any alarms, which is a feat. The plan is for her to tap into the security feed from inside the base and guide him, while Barton keeps an eye on everything from above.

"You're sure about this?" she asks quietly as they prepare to split up.

"Yeah."

"I can go with you," she offers, looking at him intently.

He smiles slightly, reaching out to take her hand for a moment. "I'll be fine," he promises. "I have to do this."

Nodding, she steps back. "Be careful, James," she tells him.

"I'm sure you'll keep me safe," he replies, tapping his earpiece. The look of concern remains on her face, but she turns back to join Barton.

Taking a deep breath, he heads as quickly and quietly as he can in the opposite direction. The base is, like most of SHIELD's current assets, largely empty. Whether HYDRA or not, most agents have left the company in favor of something a little less universally hated. He knows they are rebuilding, but places like this are not a high priority. Or weren't, at any rate. Now, he is not surprised to find more people walking around than any of the intel they'd gathered would have suggested.