Possibility of Tomorrow - 32

 

Cont...

The rest of Darling's surgeries went well. Now all that was left was her face which would take hours and careful precision. She was up and walking now, getting more and more of her strength back. Her last surgery was scheduled for a week from now. 

Progress on changing the Accords wasn't working due to Ross stonewalling them. Steve was getting frustrated. He was venting to them when Tony burst in, tripping over his own feet, "I got an idea!"

 "Breathe before you choke," Darling warned without missing a beat. 

"What's going on?" Steve asked, slightly irked that he'd been interrupted so rudely.

 "Tony's been working on a potential lead he found and has been keeping us up to date," Bucky explained. 

"A lead on what?" Steve asked. As far as he knew, the case in Australia had been closed, and all that was left was the legal battle against the Accords. 

"On a possible connection between the Australia mission and Secretary Ross," Darling explained, handing Tony a bottle of water. 

"How?" Steve asked, now interested.

 "The evidence suggests that the Undertaker, the guy we ran into in Australia, was once Thaddeus Ross's brother Randle. Who's supposed to be dead." Bucky filled him in. 

"Okay, so I wasn't able to find any communications that connected them, but I was able to find a pattern in Ross's travel and reports of the Undertaker in different cities. They were doing old world spycraft. But there's no way to prove it." Tony began out of breath.

 "Okay, what was your big idea?" Darling prompted. 

"What if, because they're so old school, Ross doesn't know his brother is dead?" Tony asked, looking proud of himself. 

"Meaning we can predict and intercept him at their next meet," Bucky said, getting hopeful.

 "Okay, how do we know when the next meet is?" Steve asked, thinking ahead, "And how will we get him to confess without having Randle there?" 

"I can do that easy enough." Darling nodded, "All it'll take is a little hallucinogen and a cocktail of nerve agents from Peter." 

"Okay, still have to find him." Steve agreed. 

"By my analysis and data mining over fifty years of travel patterns, my best guess is that they'll be meeting in Quebec in two weeks." Tony offered. 

"Alright, Quebec in two weeks. Then we finish this once and for all." Darling nodded, "No more looking over our shoulders." 

"And what if they weren't in league?" Steve asked. 

"Then I guess we better hope I'm a good actress; otherwise, I'll be on a one-way ticket to the Raft." Darling shrugged with a smile. 

"Well then, if you don't mind, I'd like to look over this story to make sure we don't have to break you out." Steve rose, "You mind?" 

"Not at all." Tony got up, "I'll show you what I have and start arranging things for our trip in two weeks." 

Once they were out of hearing range, did Bucky voice his thoughts. "I don't think you should do it."

 "Do what?" Darling asked, voice edged with defensiveness. 

"Going to Quebec to try and catch Ross. You're still healing." Bucky pushed.

 "I'm the only one who can. I'm the only one left who knows enough about the Undertaker to convince Ross to confess." Darling argued. 

"And what if he knows you left Randle's little flock? What then? You won't be going to the Raft Darling. You'll be dead." Bucky shot back. 

"Just because I've acknowledged you as my father doesn't mean you get to run my life!" 

"I never said that!" 

"You're sure acting like it!"

 "I just want you safe!"

 "And I just want you to stay out of it!"  

Bucky stared at her like she'd smacked him, "Why?"

 Darling closed her eyes and shook her head, "That's not how I meant it." 

"What did you mean?" Bucky asked, pulling his chair closer. 

"I mean, this is my fight. If I tried to take on Hydra, you'd tell me no. That would be your fight. This is mine. This is my life they ruined. This is the evil I know. I get you're worried. I am, too, but bravery isn't the absence of worry or fear; it's the action despite it. I can do this. I know I can. You have to let me." 

Bucky mulled over her words for a long moment, "I am worried, and that's my right. Not just because I'm your father but because I care. This is your fight; you're right, but it's mine too. Not just because they brought me into it but because they're challenging you. I stand behind you no matter what, supporting you, but this is our fight. We're the only Barnes left which means we face problems as a family, the two of us." 

"So you're not saying I can't go?" Darling asked skeptically. 

"No, I'm just saying that you need to be careful, and I will be watching over you the whole time," Bucky said comfortingly. 

Darling smiled, "That's a nice thought, not having to face things alone."

"That's the great thing about family. You're never alone again." Bucky smiled back. 

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