2014-02-22 - A Favor to Steve

Tony has been dreading this meeting. It isn't because he hates James or anything, but he knows it is going to be difficult for them both. That's just common sense, right? But the day after Steve is finally buried in the ground, he finally hits the grinder as the say. First he spent some time in his lab for 'recovery', working on fixing Drew's armor. Next after the two have both had some lunch and Jarvis reminded him, Tony finally gets up and heads down the hall to the Medical Bay with his Avengers Holo-ID Card being carried with him. He knocks on the wall as he enters, "Hey. You decent? Cause I don't want to start crying like a girl." Obviously, he has to start things off with a laugh.

From the room, ... a gruff sound, "Might as well come in, then. It's a regular party." Though, the voice belies the truth behind it. James is staring at the TV, which someone, perhaps Jarvis, perhaps Pym, or Drew, has managed to find him a station that's presently playing a movie featuring the Andrews Sisters, likely something Bucky would've watched, in the WWII days. His eyes move from the screen, and he doesn't say anything. But at least he's out of the restraints. And, his arm's been reattached. It shines, in the medical bay light, a polished silver color.

Stark comes on in and heads toward your chart to take a quick scan of it. Honestly, it's just something to do so he isn't just staring at James and James at him...awkwardly. Isn't he just so conciderate like that? "So...seems like you are doing physically sound, and mentally....well, enough you aren't about to blow up the White House, means you can escape the medical bay soon at least," he states. "Bad enough to have your life turned upside down, worse when you got nothing to do except piss in a pot during it." He shrugs and forces himself to hang up your chart again. "So, I'm going to ask how you feel, not expect a detailed answer you can give those to Doc Samson, but...well...guessing I should kinda just ask." And Tony finally looks up at James from the chart he just hung up.

By now, James is pretty much certain that everyone knows who he is. He presses the 'off' button the remote, and the Andrews Sisters flicker into TV silence. His eyes narrow, briefly, then he looks away from Tony. Briefly. His dark brown eyes sweep back to regard the man that brought him here. "I'm alive. And I remember everything," he says, pointedly. "That's how I am." Not exactly a concise, or clear answer. But then, ... it's been more than a rough few days for him, too.

A nod at that. "Memories can be fuzzy reversing Viper's brainwashing, but you had more brain conditioning I guess or...ah hell, screw reasoning. Basically, I'm not surprised and that sucks. Sometimes, fuzzy memories are a blessing." But Tony then moves to a tray near the medbay bed and sets his Avengers Holo-ID card on it. "Let's get this part over before I chicken out even showing you. I hate this second guessing what's best for someone." He pulls up a hologram of Steven on it, full color and life, before he fast forwards through it in silent mode to a certain part in it. He glances up for approval to hit play.

'Bucky' has not been up for a whole lot of conversation. His sentences clipped, to the point. His demeanor not hostile, but neither pleasent. Gruff. Blunt. He merely nods his head, once, after staring at Steve's hologram for a long few moments. His fists clench. Then, relax.

Tony then hits the play holo-key. Steve's voice is heard clear and sharp:

"First," Steve says, "remember when we spoke about the information we found and that James Buchanan Barnes A.K.A. Bucky was a product of the Red Room? If he was there, if he has been brain washed or not himself in some way, please help him. He is a good man, and he deserves help and possibly a second chance. Be there for him, because I won't be able to," the emotion heavy in Roger's voice as he looks away.

Tony then hits stop and closes the hologram image of Steve down, picking up his ID Card. "This is his will, and his first favor he asked of me was that. So sorry, but I'm going to be worse than a barnacle that had a few years to grow attached to your ass," he states. "Basically, I'm going to be a real pain, all up in your business, and trying to be 'helpful' that special way I know now." And he smirks a bit lopsidedly though the humor doesn't quite reach his eyes.

James just stares at the image of Steve for a long time. Then, slowly, his eyes track back to Tony. He just stares at the man, for what comes to be a rather uncomfortable moment, "You'll have a hard time catching me, if I don't want to be found," is all he says back at first. Then, he looks back at the hologram. His jaw stiffens. "Sounds like something he'd say."

"Oh, you'd be surprised." The Avengers Holo-ID Card is then tucked away, out of view. "On both counts. Steve had very surprising things to say, and I will find who I'm looking for if I dedicate myself. Anyway, other than some mandatory Doc Samson sessions which I totally don't envy you, you will have freedom to come and go as you please. You aren't a prisoner here. You are a citizen of the United States, and a damn hero at that, and you will be treated with the respect deserving of your service to our country, and as a friend and partner to Steve. All I ask is that you don't abuse it," Tony states.

"On another note, what do you know or remember about Red Guardian? He is the one that I want to actively make his life miresable right now to finish another one of Steve's last wishes." It's getting easier to say. He didn't talk about losing Sawyer, and maybe that is one of the reasons he became so isolated and never dealt with it. Oh, what is he thinking, no matter how much he says it he won't deal with Steve's death.

"You think," says James in a low whisper, that's half pained, half anger, "That I've forgotten -anything-?" He's still looking at the hologram of Captain America. "I know his name. I know how to contact him. I know where it's likely he's at, right now, after everything went down."

His voice is low. "Maybe I was a hero. Not now." Yeah. It's not going to be an easy road, for him. "Who's Doc Samson? Never heard of him."

A nod from Tony, "Good. He took some vials of the Super Soldier serum, I need them found and destoryed. Guess that means we are making a team when you are back on your feet," he states. "You can jump for joy later." But at the question of Doc Samson, Tony states, "The Avengers psychologist. He's really good. Steve went to him himself when recovering from HYDRA brain washing thanks to Viper. Sawyer went to him when recovering from the same. He's a good man, and he can break people in half since he's part Hulk, so try not to piss him off, alright?" A slight amused smirk at that.

"So, other than depressed and kicking your own ass for being brain fucked, what else do you wanna do?"

"So, other than depressed and kicking your own ass for being brain fucked, what else do you wanna do?" Yes, Tony really goes for the shock value, doesn't he?

"Pyschologist? What?" Yeah. The Soviet's? Not so keen on having their guys see shrinks. Psychology was a very different thing, in Bucky's day. He looks back to Tony, grimaces. Admits, "I don't know." And, he doesn't. He shakes his head, slowly, pushes the palm of his hand to his head. "I certainly don't belong anywhere, now."

"A psyhologist is someone you speak to and they help get the thoughts straight in your head," Tony says, actually saying something nice abotu psyhologists this time. "It isn't like it used to be with Freud, all about sex and your mother, or something, I don't know, Freud was just strange," the man states with a roll of his eyes.

"In either case, alright, you don't have to make any decisions right now." But he does pull and envelope from his other back jean pocket and sets it down on the tray. "It has a new identification for you. Your real name, birthday, well except for year, and so on. Your address on it is Steve's old address, well, hope his girlfriend doesn't mind anyway. If you want to hunt it down later, his girlfriend's name is Katrinka Romanov, she's a Russian magician." Stark hrms slightly, "Actually, perhaps it be good for you to search her out. I haven't contacted her yet. Steve says she can use the place as long as she wants, but his remodeled warehouse is huge with plenty of room. I'm not sure if you want to be crashing at the Avengers Mansion all the time or if you rather have some privacy," he comments. "Steve with a live-in girlfriend, can you picture it? I about flipped when I originally found out," Tony says with a smirk. "Originally his warehouse was going through repairs and he was living at /her/ place."

James listens, then exhales. "This is ... a lot to take in," he admits, rubbing his head again. Still, he takes the envelope, looks at it, but does not open it up, yet. "I'll see this Samson guy. Fine. I owe you that much for - waking me up out of that nightmare." There's another grimace from the man. "Funny thing, about nightmares. They don't always end, when you wake up."

"No shit," Tony states. He then offers a hand toward James, "Welcome to this disfunctional family James." James will find out later the envelope contains more than just a driver's licence. It contains a credit card in James' name, about five hundred in cash, and a slender Holo-PDA. The Holo-PDA when activated not only has a tutorial if James has the patience to go through it, but also downloaded maps, a to-do list like go buy a wallet and some clothes he actuall likes, and so on. Basically, it's a to-do list to keep James busy and doing practical things that he won't hopefully find completely useless, though there is also a tour book downloaded to the Holo-PDA that James can use for site-seeing.

It takes the man a minute, as if he weren't sure, yet, if he could completely trust Tony. Or, perhaps it was himself he couldn't trust. But, he reaches out his arm - his cybernetic arm, and shakes the other man's hand without crushing it. Always a good sign. "Thanks." He exhales, then. Asks, "How did Steve know it was me, before I saw him?"

"Well, not sure really," Tony confesses. "Maybe it was gut? I got him a partial list of participates in the Super Soldier Program in Russia. Nat was missing from the list so I knew it was a partial, but your list was on, so was your entry date during the end of World War II," he explains. "He talked to me after getting the list anyway, the day before the mission," falling quieter at that, more softer spoken. "He wondered if you might have survived, if you were still in the program. Honestly, I'm not even sure how the hell you survived at your age since you are a cyborg, not genetically altered. Wanna shine some light on that one?"

James closed his eyes. "Thought I was dead. Couldn't get my jacket, my arm, out of the plane. It'd caught, just as Cap ...," he closes his eyes tighter, jaw tensing, "As Cap and I were going after it. He .. yelled at me to let go. I couldn't. Plane exploded. I didn't die, in the explosion. It ripped my arm off, instead. And ... last thing, before I woke up as the Winter Soldier? Hitting the water. Freezing." Just like Captain America? Bucky'd been flash-frozen, of a sort. He adds, "Not a cyborg. Just a replacement, for an arm." And, he squeezes that fist, and the metal is covered with the holographic projection of a real, flesh arm. "Rest of me is still me. Or, still human. If there's any part of me still here."

"Well, that would have sucked." But Tony nods. Cyro-Freeze likely, there were tubes for that at the mine base after all. "And cyborg is a mixture of engineering and human flesh, which classifies as you. Doesn't make you less human, it just means you have mechanical parts that integrate into your nervous or reponsive system, or in your case your brain waves. It's impressive technology, I honestly would have never guessed Russia had it in them," he states.

"Anyway, try to settle in and give yourself a chance James. Often, that's the hardest thing to do. It's not the moving on, it's not the healing, it's the self-forgiveness. And that is my philosophy lesson for today," Stark dates. He then taps the evenlope, "Considered yourself cleared to leave medbay whenever you feel up to it. Let Jarvis know if you want a room made up for you upstairs." He then turns to take his elave unless James stops him.