13769/SHIELD shorts: Stuck for words

SHIELD shorts: Stuck for words
Date of Scene:	26 August 2021
Location:	Security, The Triskelion
Synopsis:	Alonso Stuck is finally brought to task, but the HYDRA agent has one last trick in mind...
Cast of Characters:	Winter Soldier, Quake, Phantasm (Drago)
Tinyplot:	Digging Up The Past

---

Winter Soldier has posed:
    It is, on the whole, not a good time to be Alonso Stuck. Being brought in by a shadowy intelligence agency is bad enough, but to be kept waiting in a cell without anything resembling due process for days, after being thoroughly strip searched? It could start eating away at a man's good humor. But at least there is some movement now, and the man has been moved to a bare interrogation room. It's the usual one, probably built on the same template as interrogation rooms the world over. Solid steel chair bolted to the ground with additional handcuffs. Solid steel table bolted to the ground. Bare concrete walls. Two comfortable seats on the opposite side of the table nearer the door. Large mirror that is absolutely an observation window. Security camera. All boxes ticked.

    On the other side of that mirror stands James Barnes, or properly Agent Barnes while he's in the building. Look, he has the badge and everything, just in case the metal arm wasn't obvious enough. He stands there, glancing at the man he had named 'Scumbag One' in his mission report, silently handing over a thick folder to Skye. "Can't tell you how long I've wanted to make this guy sing."

Quake has posed:
So they were going to do this. In the holding cells in fact.

"I haven't done this in these rooms before." Yep, James was pulling out the big guns to make that man worry. "Now, let's be on the right page, what role am I going to play?" Two bad cops were alright.. unless you were expecting good cop/bad cop!

Skye really didn't think she does bad cop.. but.. she certainly can do indifferent cop very well. Very. Well.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
While the strip search was a bit... invasive. There wasn't a sound coming from Stuck during his stay at the one star accommodations being provided by SHIELD. He even ate what food what was provided to him. Although he did pick at it a bit. Guess the menu wasn't up to his standards. Tavern on the Green this is not.

And now he sits in the interrogation room, waiting. Stuck is a man who just gives off this aura of confidence no matter the circumstance. There's also a hint of this general sense that you want to punch him in the face. This is the case here. Despite the food and sleeping arrangements, he's not frowning. He's not smiling either. But, he seems, extremely accepting of his current situation. Hands shackled in a manner that keeps him from reaching up to his mouth, there's the slightest movement under his lip as he runs a tongue along his teeth. Hmm. Must've gotten a bit of ... meal lodged into his teeth.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    Arms crossed, Bucky just glares daggers at Stuck through the mirror, although he looks mostly calm and composed. Part of that is because Lilly is sat right next to him, and Bucky Barnes is never one to display anger in front of his dog. There are in fact lines he will not cross. "Usually it's Steve playing the straight man while I present an implied threat of physical violence."

    A shrug.

    "Don't think that'll work with this guy. Once you're in with HYDRA, not much you fear except for HYDRA coming for you. The used to mean me, but..."

    Another shrug.

    "Can you do existential dread? Aloof implication of utter oblivion?" Hey? Has Bucky been reading gothic poetry? "Just remember, this guy is at least a lieutenant in a HYDRA operation, so... gloves off."

    And with that, he pats Lilly on the head, gives her a very solid 'stay!' and picks up a paper bag of evidence on the way out the door to the interrogation room.

    His entrance is... anti-climactic, opening the door like an actual human being and holding the door open for Skye. Gentleman habits die hard...

Quake has posed:
"Trust me, with HYDRA, there's nothing they can do to me anymore." After all, Skye was kidnapped and used in the experiment that had resulted in her powers. She /still/ did not feel good about that, including her accidentally blowing up the laboratory..

oops?

"He probably has something that he doesn't want found." Shs smiles. "That's where I come in." She follows him into the room.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Isn't it nice about the reflective glass? While Bucky and Skye can look at his salt and pepper short cropped hair, he doesn't have to look at them.

Yet.

Hearing the door unlach and the sound of it swinging on its hinges, Stuck doesn't even turn his head towards the entering pair. There's more important matters to attend to. Like, checking the bottom teeth...

"In the process I assume there will be a need to suss out a lie for the little back and forth we're about to do so let me just offer you one right up front to save time. 'My compliments to the chef. Food to die for. Would eat again even if there were other options available."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    With a small thump, the bag of evidence hits the table. Another thump and a small plastic bag of cyanide capsules lands next to it. "In the spirit of your previous statement, Mister Stuck, allow me to say what a pleasure it is to see you again. And I'll pass the compliments on to our chef, although I suspect it may have been hard to eat given your recent accidental dentistry work."

    Thump.
    Another smaller baggie, this time containing just one cyanide capsule. "You lost yours in the back of the van after, I'm entirely sure, a perfectly legitimate collision between your head and the side of the vehicle during your arrest, Mr Stuck."

    Pause.

    "Or is that Mister Doe, by now?" A querying glance at Skye as Bucky continues to pace around the front of the table, eyebrow lifted. "Or haven't you run that program yet, Agent Johnson?"

Quake has posed:
As Skye entered the room, she was quiet. She sat down and opened up her laptop. Still quietly.

Really she didn't have to say much. Her job here was to find anything about him.. Mt. Stuck.. and sort through it. What did Mr. "Stuck" not want anyone to know about him. From her perspective even with HYDRA upper echelons, they /always/ had money squirrelled away.

Always.

"Oh, just compiling the results. Don't worry, take your time. I'll be here when you are done.. I wonder.. passwords.. my favourite things to break.."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
The first bag of evidence gets the briefest of looks before the second bag is set down. Seeing a number of capsules greater than his own. Stuck grows quiet for a few moments, listening to Bucky present the third bag that has his.

Cool eyes look over to the young woman setting her laptop down but as she does not add anything of note to him. He looks back over towards Bucky and then to the second bag. "Seems you were quite busy. Makes me wonder who you missed."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "She means that." Bucky mentions off hand when Skye mentions her love for breaking passwords. "Not the first thing she broke in this case either." And that prompts the appearance of a list of codes, dates and numbers. Phone records, spread out on three pages. "We've already matched the phone you had on you with the last burner phone listed for you, and our data goes back well over a decade. Interesting stuff in there."

    Having fired that broadside, Bucky sits down, smacks his forehead with his metal hand, and leans back in his seat. "Where are my manners? I'm supposed to introduce myself first, therapist is pretty hot on that. Has a whole phrase I've got to say an everything, so, let's get that out of the way first."

    And so he leans in, smiling, both hands on the table in front of him.

    "Hello, I'm James Buchanan Barnes, and I'm no longer the Winter Soldier."

    Significant.
    Pause.

    Then more paperwork is dragged to him, flipping through the pages as he leans back again. "Oh, those capsules were just the one team you sent to kill Wayward Son. McGee, Daniels, Givans, Evernham, and my all time favorite, DeAngelo Santan. Their bodies are in the morgue, just down the hall."

    Pause!

    "Also had a notice of a disturbance at Shaw Studios. Madman tried to stab one Wade Shaw." He looks over the page towards Stuck with a smile. "Security over there is used to superpowered martial artists coming through the door, didn't go well for mister... 'James Smith.'. Also I have to make note of the tragic death of Sergeant Walters of the NYPD, Hell's Kitchen precinct. Seems he went rogue and tried to kill a DEA agent. Gun didn't manage to clear the holster, according to this report, before he had his chest ventilated by agent Schwizer. Bad day all around, isn't it?"

Quake has posed:
Skye smiles prettily.

"I don't have a doctor. But you might know me as DarkSky. Really, I love breaking passwords.. It's like potato chips in the code world. Let me know if you'd prefer to have your money sent to this mutant group to help teenagers whose parents abandoned them, or the soup kitchen."

She looked over.

"Good idea!" He didn't say anything. "Both of them!" And she was back to her hacking.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
A brow rises slightly to the introduction and there is the slight shifting back due to the utterance of the name. As Bucky lists off the names of the people who went to the cabin and their current placement in the morgue, Stuck has a bit of time to gather himself. "Bad day indeed." He agrees, head turning a bit quicker to Skye's introduction. Both brows raise. Lips start to part ways to respond to Skye before she dismisses him.

Eyes narrowing, he looks over towards Bucky, "You say you're no longer him... but you seemed to have found it rather easy to kill all those people. Perhaps deep down, he's still in there."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "Deep down and buried, while the security camera is on." Bucky reassures Stuck with a smile.

    "Now, things must have changed a bit, because I seem to recall it was anathema to give your underlings access to direct lines of communication to your overlings." And once again James is engrossed in the pages of evidence. "But then I suppose you were the middle man there, really. Stuck between the goons and Clayton?"

    Yes, he does glance over to Skye with a grin after that terrible, terrible pun. The smiling assassin indeed.

    "I have enough evidence here to link you to the Hannigan murder... Watcher is fine, by the way... the death of Dennis Moretti, I'm sure we'll find the corpse eventually... oh, his old gang isn't doing so well. Tried to steal files from a psychiatrist, ran into Frank Castle. Nasty business, that, except for the one that surrendered. Shall I give your regards to agent Schmirler? You know, the one you sent the message to to kill Wayward Son during the condo raid. Doing very well, that agent, despite the poor care at that hospital. Had to have words with that nurse."

    And so the file is flicked closed, and he does the inevitable.

    Commence the Bucky Stare.

Quake has posed:
Ooooo. Oh SNAP! Good one Bucky.

Meanwhile..

"The kids will thank..well, nobody. It's anonymous." Skye looks over for just one second, her finger paused. "James?"

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
What bit of a smile had been forming when making the comment earlier fades at Bucky's retort. So Stuck listens as Bucky walks them through his findings and theories. He doesn't reply to the pun. Eyes narrow as he sits back, looking over to Skye. "Might as well add New Hope to that list."

If he could cross his arms in defiance, this would be the point.

But... Well...

He can't.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "See, here's the thing, Alonso." and when Bucky uses a suspect's first name, it's bad times. Bad times indeed. "I can't threaten you. Not directly anyway. I can't threaten your life, because you don't care for it. Evidence, the cyanide capsule."

    A brief gesture to the small evidence bags.

    "I can't threaten your freedom, because no longer have any. You're tied in with HYDRA, and that means you're not walking out of the door any time soon. Might be a few years before you see sunlight again, and that probably behind some very thick bullet resistant glass."

    A brief gesture to the handcuffs.

    "So what I'm doing here, is threaten your hope. Your hope of ever walking free again. You never know, after all. Stranger things have happened. Evidence, us two. But you'll have to ask yourself the question, do you want to walk free being a beggar with no money, or free as a man with some..."

    And here he glances at Skye, with a smile. "... moderate means at his disposal." Yeah, get rid of the rest, leave him a pittance. A small pittance. Payable in ten installments of one tenth of a pittance.

    "It's up to you." Again he looks at Stuck, and although the smile remains, it's not reaching his eyes. "Tell me about Groundbreaker."

Quake has posed:
"Oooo. see? You've got the gist of it! New Hope. I do hope you don't mind it. Especially as I didn't have anything to do with those extra accounts that weren't easily available. You know.. behind the back door and into the cellar. The kind that you hid when you hid others."

There's offshore accounts, and then there's off-offshore accounts.

"It's really not your money anyways." No, Skye has no guilt in erasing Mr. Stuck's money.

When she pressed the button, it was almost a let down.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
With the threat laid out and the demonstrated chance to check out earlier held just out of reach, Alonso studies Skye's expression as she tap tappity taps away at the keys. Eyes look to the laptop. As she hits the button. There's the slightest move of his lips. There's no sound but its likely easy to figure out what it was he was calling her. So he has stuff to figure out.

But honestly, could someone who have raised in the ranks of DHS to a deputy director position really turn his back on the group he worked with for so long? They BUILT an entire department together on the back of another agency! They even got to take over a few of their agents in the process. Much laughs were to be had with that in uppper management! Could he betray their loyalty?!

Just what do you think sleeper agents do?

He shakes his head, the side of his mouth opening in a sneer. "Fine...but first you tell me how you got to the cabin in time when it wasn't even listed."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "The only thing we will be discussing is Groundbreaker. That determines if there is a hope for you in future to walk away as Alonso Stuck, or as... " And here Bucky ponders, tapping his lips with one index finger, and glancing over to Skye. "What do you think of Adolf Ziegler? Nice foreign name. No social security number, of course, no fixed address, a long list of priors for drug abuse, petty theft, violent assault, that sort of thing?" A glare, a /glare/ over to Stuck. "No military history, no honors, no awards, nothing. Just a criminal scumbag one step away from being deported to some place they've never heard of him."

    With a swift motion, Bucky stands and leans over the table, hands right next to Stuck's "If you think you'll be walking away with even the deal you gave Malcolm Morretti, you've got another thing coming. Groundbreaker, or your history is history."

Quake has posed:
"Tsk tsk." Skye shakes her head. "I can always have you fill your bank accounts with other people's money Mr. Stuck."

With the addendum being other people who were in HYDRA. People who wouldn't be pleased and would hurt him first, and ask questions later. And if they couldn't find him, other members of his family would do just as fine.. to begin with.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Alonso snorts at the mention of Malcolm. "We didn't give him a deal. That's on the DEA." He looks over to Skye as she continues threatening him, he does something odd.

He smiles at her. Not in the happy oh boy he's glad to see her type of way, but more...

Those expressions are just hard to read and only seem to serve in the need to want to punch him in the face.

"Operation Groundbreaker was a short term DEA operation. After 9/11, DHS was created and they were tasked with helping getting us set up. It was a useful operation. Wasn't being used to its full potential. So. It now belongs to DHS."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "Save me the bulletin board ad." Bucky snorts and turns away from the table to glare into the mirror. Really though, he's imagining who's behind there, to keep his temper in check. "What did you do with Groundbreaker, Stuck? You and Clayton. What's HYDRA's angle in this? Why murder the Hannigan woman? Why the attack on Wayward Son?"

    Half turning, he points towards the mirror as he glares at Stuck, the finger of his left hand against the glass. "The only reason you're still in one piece is because of who's behind that glass. Someone who can control even me, Alonso. I want you to think about that one."

    Behind the mirror, Lilly sits up, tongue lolling out of her muzzle, tail thumping happily against the table she's perched on.

Quake has posed:
Skye almost gives it away, but presses her lips down, and ducks her head as she makes certain she's wrapped up her hacking, including erasing her presence from the code.

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Alonso tilts his head at the knocking sound coming from the other side of the glass. A rather excitable person in control. "Groundbreaker is just a means to an end. A very quick one. Cementing a foothold. But it had a big flaw to it. And I did what had to be done to ensure its survival. All that initial structure centered around one person. Who wanted to LEAVE for some goddamn bastard. So yes, I may have let it slip to Morretti where they were hiding. What he did with that information was on him."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "To what end?" Bucky shoots back almost instantly, sitting down as quickly as he stood, keeping the pressure up and the questions coming. Now he has Stuck for that initial murder, which is the crack he needed to start levering everything open. "Easy placement of sleeper agents? Revenue from drug sales? Bit of black market dealing to balance the fascist check books?"

    He knocks on the table hard, inches away from Stuck's position, using his right hand while keeping the obviously metal left one in full view. "And when Malcolm disappointed, you got a hold of his boy, Dennis. Couldn't go with Green, because Green had gone straight. Set up the whole second attack once Wayward Son was old enough. What'd you tell him? That Wayward Son was the reason dear old daddy was in jail? When in fact he was shoveling shit down in Florida?"

    Another slam of his hand on the table. "But Savio never realised. He blamed himself, blamed himself for his wife's murder because he'd gone to visit his son on the day before. For his birthday, Stuck! The kid's actual goddamn birthday!"

    And now the chair clatters backwards as Bucky stands up, his eyes as cold as the Siberian winter. "Should I do that to you? Just to get even? Sic some attack dog on your family?"

    His head whips around to Skye. "Agent Johnson, who do we have available on our roster of sadistic bastards? And who's the softest target in Stuck's life. Wife, I think, just for some poetic justice."

Quake has posed:
"Mr. Stuck has no wife."

Very carefully Skye turns off her laptop and stands up. "Don't kill him." Is the only warning she gives Bucky, before she exits the room with her laptop.

Yes, Bucky is alone with Mr. Stuck. She probably has plunked her butt down outside the glass wall. Probably.. Or else she's gone to the break room for a coffee.

Either/or.. right? Right?

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
The good part about too many questions is that no one fully expect you to actually make out all of them. The bang upon the table causes for Stuck to glance towards the left arm held where he can easily see it. The reminder of the timing of the murder does cause for the side of his mouth to rise to the side. "That really was good timing. The amount of motivation that gave him...perfect. Made for a very good refresher."

When Skye gets up, Stuck turns his head, looking over to her. Wait. She's leaving?

Shit.

The disgraced agent watches the hacker leave the room, turning to look over to Bucky once the door shuts.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    Oh now.

    There's no verbal response to the caution, and Bucky simply smiles when Skye stands up and leaves. Recognising a working intimidation tactic when he sees one, Bucky moves to capitalise on it. The moment Skye leaves and the door closes, he locks it. Then reaches up an pulls the wire out of the back of the security camera. That doesn't actually do anything, but it looks like he's disabling it.

    And then, slowly, he walks over to the back wall and pulls the shade down over the mirror, cutting off the view from the other room. Supposedly. It just stops you from seeing the mirror from this end.

    Then, and only then, does he sit down, smiling. "This is the part I enjoy, Stuck."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Meep.

Alonso's lips thin to a line as his eyes shift, focusing to a spot on the screen. Alright... Alone with the Winter Soldier and KNOWING its the Winter Soldier.

A long stream of obsenties play in his head before he glances to the table, tongue poking the side of his cheek in thought.

Quiet.

"Dennis thought Drago had him offed." Alonso adds in, lowly, "I did not correct him."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    Leaning back in his chair, Bucky employs the patented Bucky Stare until Stuck finally talks. And continues while Stuck talks.

    And when Stuck is done talking, he's still staring, the fingers of his left hand drumming on the metal table. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

    Leaving little dents.
    Obvious little dents.

    The implication is clear. Stuck is alive as long as Bucky doesn't get bored.

    "But you did correct him. Sent out a DC notice on him. Where's the body?"

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Stuck shrugs, "He wasn't supposed to go for the head," Stuck replies, justifying Dennnis's need to go, "Would have to ask Xydias about disposal. That was his thing."

Oh RIGHT.

...

They can't.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    There's a slow nod, almost a nod in commiseration, as if Bucky sees the point of that. "Had to go... I mean, that's a pretty obvious failure, isn't it? Like Schmirler, botching the hit at the Condo. Nearly got me to do your dirty work on that one, just a shame I saw that picture with him and you two. Still have that picture, it looks nice."

    The tapping of the fingers is slowing down. And nobody is trying to open that door. Nobody is tapping on the glass.

    "You know, if you've got nothing else to tell me, let's get to the fun bit..."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
"Schmirler followed orders." Stuck bites out, "HE did not. Make a scene yes, hurt yes, but he nearly killed him. And after the work put in... no."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "And what was his reward for following orders? DC notice." Tap. ... Tap... Tap.

    With the final ring of metal on metal, the fingers stop drumming, and Bucky slowly stands up, speculatively eyeing the room. "You know, we really only need one chair now."

    So the other metal chair is hefted casually in his left hand, until with a simple squeeze of his fingers, Bucky starts to buckle the metal as if it's tissue paper, keeping eye contact with Stuck the whole time.

    "These days, I don't get angry half as much as I used to, Stuck. But, gotta tell you, when I saw what you'd done to poor Schmirler's head, how you had him indoctrinated... gotta confess, I was hoping that one day..."

    "... I'd get you alone. In a room. With nobody around."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
"That DC was not my decision. That was a lot of work and if you hadn't sent that message he-"

Stuck stops talking as Bucky picks up the chair and starts squishing it. At a loss for words.

Oh my gosh.

Did he break one of the COMFY chairs?! What a waste!

"Are you DONE interrupting?"

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "Just short on blunt weaponry, so I'm making my own." Bucky smiles as he starts to crush the chair and twist it into a rough kind of club.

    A club probably weighing enough to bash down a wall.

    "Don't let me interrupt, Alonso, don't mind me."

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Alonso stares at the makeshift club, seemingly growing agitated. "The failure, they were going to work with. IF you hadn't sent that message, Legacy wouldn't have been discontinued. That one. Is on YOU."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "But Watcher wasn't. Or Doc." Practice swing, slowly, to judge the balance of the club, and Bucky doesn't seem satisfied with it. So he reshapes it again, until the bat has a wicked point at the top. Swing!

    Much better!

    It's a happily smiling Bucky that walks around the table, bat on his shoulder, watching Stuck like a bug he's about to pin to a cork board. "Wasn't my message. That idea was from an associate."

    "And since we're all by ourselves, I can tell you that was the Punisher. We've been working together on this." Grin. Big grin.

    "Body bag, Leavenworth, the Freezer or the Punisher. Take your time, I understand you've got to think that one over." Test swing, right over Stuck's head. By a hair. "I can wait."

    "While you're thinking, what do you think I should do with Clayton? Try to bring him in? Car accident? Crushed by a falling cement mixer?"

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
If the mention of working with Punisher was supposed to be a surprise, Alonso is doing a very good job of containing his surprise. That or he ate something that really disagreed with him. Reader's choice.

"That was a possibility." Stuck admits, "And yet. I showed up."

He pauses for a moment, dodging his head to avoid the stick. Ok Getting interrupted again. NOT fun. And very. IRRITATING. "Oh come now. Did you SEE anyone around her apartment?! Or considered why Walters was even at Schwizer's? He had three options listed and DEA ASSHOLE was not one of them. You were SUPPOSED to go chasing around town for those three so you wouldn't interrupt the collec-"

Stuck pauses, mouth parting open

"There's no way you could have gotten there in time."

"He killed them. Didn't he?" He looks over at Bucky, smile starting to form, "Took him long enough."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "You're forgetting one thing, Alonso..." Bucky smiles, sitting down on the edge of the table.

    "I didn't have to get there. It was my place, I didn't have to go chase for it. All I had to do was keep a few associates nearby. Because at heart, Alonso, I'm a paranoid bastard. Comes from you guys trying to kill me for years. All I had to do was keep Wayward Son there, you'd show up eventually."

    Brief, smiling pause.

    "And do you want me to believe that all of it, the discontinue notice on Schmirler, all those bad, bad things you say you didn't want to do... that they were all Clayton's idea?"

Phantasm (Drago) has posed:
Stuck's eyes narrow, "No. I did all of it. I kept Groundbreaker alive for a long time. And I had a damn good setup for the second generation before Wayward ran off and Legacy got shot. But plans change. And I don't regret a damn thing."

He glares at Bucky before giving a nod. The smile falters, "...Except Colby. Clayton called for that and-"

Stuck is interrupted once again. But this time from his own head blowing off.

It gets quite messy.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    It's his enhanced reflexes that save Bucky from serious injury, close as he was to the exploding head. Ears ringing, he takes a few deep breaths and walks a slow circle while the alarms start going off. Things don't just explode inside the Triskelion without a lot of people asking why, and being damned inquisitive about it.

    "I'm good." he says to the first few agents that come through the door, finding him blood stained and gore spattered in a seemingly locked interrogation room with a prisoner whose head has been exploded. Yeah.

    This is going to take some explaining.

    "Tell me we got all that?" he calls to the forensics crew in the other room, stalking off with one last glance at what remains of the man who used to be Alonso Stuck.

    "Just had to get the last word, didn't you?"