Everly || Steve Rogers

60. Betrayal

Everly's heart sunk as she slowly climbed out from the back of the van, her gaze immediately falling to where Bucky was being hauled away in a glass crate. A soldier lightly shoved her toward where Steve, Sam, and T'Challa were headed. Sharon stood before them alongside a shorter man in a gray suit. Three guards stood directly behind the pair, assault rifles gripped tightly in their hands. Steve stepped toward them.

"What's gonna happen to him?" he asked, peeking over his shoulder as a forklift picked up Bucky's 'cell' and drove off.

"Same thing that ought to happen to you." The small man hurried, a look of disapproval spread across his features. They'd never even met the stranger and somehow found a way to plant themselves firmly on his bad side. "Psychological evaluation and extradition."

Sharon nodded toward the man. "This is Everett Ross, Deputy Task Force Commander." Everly watched anxiously as armed men passed all around them sending dirty looks their way.

"What about a lawyer?" Steve questioned.

"Lawyer." Ross scoffed. "That's funny. See their weapons are placed in lockup." He directed his attention back to the group standing before him. "We'll write you a receipt." Two men walked by, one with Steve's shield and the other with Sam's pack tucked away in his arms, Ross and Sharon following shortly after. Sam's glare intensified as he reluctantly followed.

"I better not look out the window and see anybody flying around in that." He warned. Steve glanced back at Everly who stared down at her shoes as she walked.

They made their way through the large facility and all the while, she hardly looked up once. The few times her gaze broke from the floor was when she peeked nervously at the guards surrounding them. The shaking in her hands had faded, though she feared the pain would return at any given second. She'd gone so long without feeling it that she had completely forgotten how unbearable it was.

"You'll be provided with an office instead of a cell. Now do me a favor, stay in it?" Ross said as he turned to look at T'Challa walking beside him.

"I don't intend on going anywhere." He returned. Everly flinched when Natasha appeared alongside them, falling into stride with the group.

"For the record, this is what making things worse looks like." She hurried, her tone soft as her hair bounced with her every step.

"He's alive."

They all remained silent, the only noise being the tapping of their shoes against the tile floors as they waltzed into a large room whose walls were covered in computer screens. Everly's eyes snapped up from the floor at the sound of Tony's voice. He had a phone pressed to his ear as he paced back and forth.

 "No. Romania was not Accords sanction. Colonel Rhodes is supervising cleanup." He paused for whoever was on the other end to speak. 

"Try not to break anything while we fix this." Nat said as she separated from the group who had stopped in the doorway.

"Consequences?" Tony spun around to look at the trio. "You bet there'll be consequences." He stepped down the stairs toward them, briefly locking eyes with each. "Obviously you can quote me on that, because I just said it. Anything else? ... Thank you, sir." He dropped the phone from his ear and slid it into his pocket as he stopped before them.

"Consequences?" Steve asked, his eyebrows raised.

"Secretary Ross wants you three prosecuted." Stark returned as he gestured between them. "Had to give him something."

"I'm not getting that shield back, am I?" Steve questioned as Tony and Nat began walking away. 

She spun around to look at them. "Technically, it's the government's property. Wings, too." She added with a smile.