5898/Falling Frost: Fallen Soldier

Falling Frost: Fallen Soldier
Date of Scene:	02 December 2018
Location:	Siberia, Russia
Synopsis:	Cap and Bucky undertake a recovery mission in Sibera, only to find that it's one of them who gets lost.
Cast of Characters:	Arnim Zola, Winter Soldier, Captain America
Tinyplot:	Falling Frost

---

Arnim Zola has posed:
Siberia, Russia

From the air the base was no more than a spec of grey in a sea of white. Nothing of it was visible but a landing pad and a huge metal door wide enought to let two tanks in side-by-side. The huge metal door was closed, and from Cap's experience made a lot of noise when it opened. A good way to let the whole base know you're there.

Fortunately, from SHIELD's past foray's here they'd found another way in, a vent set up on a hill, narrow but large enough for men to slip in through.

The quinjet, flies cloaked surveying the scene, a tac team and a computer expert inside along with the two man flight crew.

"What's the orders, Cap?" the pilot asks.

The mission goal was simple, get in, get the data, get out, make as little noise as possible. How it got done was left to Cap and Bucky.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Buck hates Siberia. The closer they get, the grimmer her gets, that familiar indent stitching itself between his brows, the muscles of his jaw tightening. As if Winter were a rising presence, harder and harder to suppress. There's been an uneasy look or two from the other SHIELD agents present - there's no one on the mission who doesn't know what and what he used to be.

He lets Cap give the orders there, devoting himself to checking over his equipment as if that might ward off whatever misgivings he has. Though at the question, he looks to Steve, brows going up. He's got the outlines of the mission, they've gone over it, but...

Captain America has posed:
"Get in and get out without casualties," replies the Man with the Plan to the pilot even as he rises from his seat, careless of the buffeting of wind and swiftness of flight. He's in his recognizable tactical gear, complete with the winged star on his chest and shield slid away into its back-holster. At his hips, two handguns. He meanders up to rest a hand on the pilot's seat and lean forwards a bit, all the better to see the bleak spread of the land beneath them.

"The tac team will stay with us. The coding expert with me up front. Buck, you take the tail. No one splits off without good reason," he adds, glancing back over his shoulder with jaw set. He can sense Bucky's discomfort as if with a sixth sense, but makes no overt acknowledgement of it. Indeed -- in and out, simple as could be.

Arnim Zola has posed:
"Yes, sir," the tac-team says in unison, the tech a moment behind. He looks nervous as he pulls on his artic gear.

From the cockpit the pilot calls, "Will have you in place in 30 seconds, you should see the vent from there."

The men get ready, and when the quinjet drops to a low, it's cloaking engaged, the back doors open letting the cold air rush in with a howl of wind.

The vent lays ahead, just like the plans, but there's also tracks in the snow, not yet blown away, likely fresh. Maybe a patrol? If so it's no more then two men.

Winter Soldier has posed:
It's not quite like the old days, not with all those years and miles behind them. But Steve and Bucky've worked together long enough that the old instincts rise up swiftly enough. He glances at the tracks, looks to Steve, for all the world like a collie asking its master's opinion on going to find a stray sheep.Who's gonna deal with the guys?

Odds are excellent that Buck's more likely to kill them - maybe Steve's soft heart will prompt him to go deal with them.

Captain America has posed:
Steve pulls on his signature helmet, flat to his skull as its wont, and squints from the open bay doors of the quinjet at the sign of recent presences not their own in the snow. A glance back at Bucky and a decision is made, plans flipped on the fly to better suit the scenario at hand. Someone's gotta deal with look-outs to avert further support called to bear...

"You go in," he says to Bucky. "Take half the team and our coding expert. You two, you're with me." He points at two of the senior tac team members. "We'll see who else is prowling around here before rejoining Sergeant Barnes." Like as not, Steve might be the more merciful of the eldest members of the strike team.

Arnim Zola has posed:
The two senior men form up on Cap and follow him into the snow. The tracks when followed lead to two men in Hydra gear paused in the lee of the hill smoking. Not much changes when it comes to shirking duty. Their backs are to Cap for the moment.

As for the vent it's secured in place, and trip wired, but nothing the team or Bucky himself can't get around. Beyond the vent is a drop down into the base of about ten feet.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Never let it be said that Bucky hangs back when the time comes to charge stupidly into battle. Even if his old excuse that it's because he's trying to keep Steve himself from charging stupidly into battle doesn't apply. He sets to work disarming the tripwire....and then he's the one dropping himself in, at least via a rope. He doesn't have a shield, but he does have the alloy arm and shoulder, and it's that he deliberately takes the fall on, rolling up to his feet and making sure all's clear before he motions for the others to rope down after him.

Captain America has posed:
The bootsteps belong to two gentlemen indulging in a habit that Steve detests a great deal -- but less so than the fact that those uniforms set off a low burn of very old and cold anger in him. A series of hand-gestures for the tac team members to pause and the Captain saunters up behind them as stealthily as possible.

"Y'know, if you smoke long enough, you have trouble breathing," he comments out of the blue even as a fist flies at the first HYDRA goon's face when he presumeably turns around. "You can find yourself short of breath." //CLANG// -- that's the shield bouncing off the second guy in a heavy thrust of the buckler at him. "And then you're lying on the ground feeling like an idiot." A crunch of his boot on the smoldering dropped cigarette to snuff it out. "You should probably stop for your health," he quips with a glower at them both where they lie unconscious.

A touch to his ear and across the team's frequency: "HYDRA agents, watch your six." A thin strand of tension has crept into his voice and he tersely adds to the two tac team members, "Cuff 'em and keep 'em in the jet. We'll see what they have to say back at headquarters." Then he's jogging off towards the vent, shield on his arm.

Arnim Zola has posed:
The corridor looks clear to naked eye, but secreted in pinholes along the walls cameras watch. The sight of the Winter Soldier leading to quiet alerts being sent, and old protocols being dusted off. None of it shows now and the way down to the computer room looks clear. Though last time people came through here there was poison gas and machine guns popping out of the walls some caution may be required.

The rest of the team joins them, the tac men landing quiet as cats, the tech landing somewhat heavier, he stumbles and hits the wall.

A panel in the opposite wall drops open a gatling gun spins up, ready to fire.

--

Outside the two men, grin and shake their heads having seen Cap's take down. "Yes, sir, Captain America," says with a tone that suggests he's living a childhood dream fighting beside Cap.

The way back to the vent is clear and it's an easy drop for Cap to reach the bottom.

Winter Soldier has posed:
He should've known better than to come back within their reach. But....isn't that part of the point? Proving whose side he's really on?

The whir of the panel moving and the gun spooling up has Buck turning on a heel, the metal arm already in motion, the palm out to the appearing muzzle. All the better to block the incoming rounds, even as he shouts a warning to the men behind him - apparently he intends to ruin it by main force, wrenching the barrel out of shape.

Captain America has posed:
It's a bit of a lope back along the tracks of his own men through the snow and Steve first stops by the Quinjet to check in on the pilots as well as inform them that they'll soon be joined by the captured HYDRA agents and their tac team escorts. To his ears, the sounds of the surrounding tundra are quiet --

-- and thus, he's able to hear the distant sounds of a sudden quick series of boots on metal and what could be some mechanical whirring? It's an unknown, which makes it 'not good'. He darts over to the vent and makes to slide into it almost as if taking a base in a world series, shield up and at the ready once he's fallen the ten feet to the flooring of the tunnel.

Arnim Zola has posed:
The old team is back at it again. Bucky's hand stops the bulk of the shots and the rest hit Steve's shield and flatten against the concrete walls of the bunker. Then with the strength of the cybernetic arm, Bucky twists the barrles closed until it jams and shuts down.

Danger averted.

The tech, gets up from where he'd dropped to the floor, looks from the gun to Bucky and says, "Jesus, glad you're on our team."

The way to the computer room is clear, there's a sliding metal door for access and a lever on the side to get it to open. It pre-dates keycards and punch code locks. Inside much newer tech is working away just where the plans said it would be.

Winter Soldier has posed:
"C'mon, Steve, let someone else have some danger," Buck says, in a mock-whine. Like Steve's hogging their favorite ride at the playground. Then he favors the Captain with that dazzling grin. To the tech, he says, "Thanks. Taught Captain Meatball here everything he knows," Of course he has to rib Steven.

Then he's heading forward with that oddly heavy tread - listening for a moment, then wrenching the lever to open. By now, if there's anyone paying attention, their presence is known.

Captain America has posed:
"I see you forgot your Life Alert button today, Sergeant Barnes. Proof that his memory's getting foggy, don't listen to him," Steve fires back with a sly smirk. He doesn't put the shield back into place, instead follows along as the tail end of the smaller tac team. He's watching the surrounding walls and listening for any further mechanical shiftings out of immediate sight.

"Once we're in, you get working. We'll keep watch,' he says to the coding expert as the metal doors part due to the lever's interworkings.

Arnim Zola has posed:
...The pinhole cameras give the unseen watches a view of Cap as well. They're both here, the opportunity is too good to pass up. An order is given and they wait for the right moment to strike...

The tac team heads into the computer room when the door is opened, they secure the room swiftly. No one's there, but there's a cup of still warm coffee on one of the consoles, a cigarette still smoking in an ashtray.

The tech moves to the console to get started plugging in the mainframe then punching commands into the keyboard.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Winter Soldier rolls his eyes theatrically. "Look who's talking," he says, but it's more under his breath than aloud. He's got his carbine in hand, up and ready. Gaze roaming for any sign of HYDRA trying something. Then it slides to Steve. "I dunno about you, but....this feels like it's almost too easy."

Testing those old instincts, head up like a wolf scenting the wind.

Captain America has posed:
Steve too has one handgun ready in his spare hand even as he lets the shield drop a touch. He looks around the room and grimaces. "I'm not about to go saying that I'm comfortable with how easy it is," he agrees quietly even as he strides over to squint at the cigarette. He plucks it with spare fingers of his gun-hand to flick it to the floor and then crunches it out underboot, giving his sole a good twist of irritation. "Don't they know these things give you cancer?" It's a complaint to the world as a whole.

From outside the room, a faint sound. Steve glances to Bucky. "Wait, guard him. He's got to get the tech out of the way," he murmurs even as he's striding as soundlessly as he can manage out into the hallway again. A glance left and right and a slight tuck of chin, listening into that almost tomb-like stillness that somehow sounds as loud as a freight train.

Arnim Zola has posed:
When Steve turns to investigate the noise that's when they strike.

There is a crackle of static from the intercom. "Mr Barnes, I hope you are listening," a taunting voice, tinged with a German accent echoes through the room. He switches to German then, using an older code, a forgotten code put in place when Bucky first fell in their hands. The Failsafe: <Restrict, Middle, Dictate, Hour, Fade, Dismissal >

The voice switches back to English again, this time almost taunting. "Welcome home Winter Soldier, it is time to go to work."

Winter Soldier has posed:
He knows what's coming. Those words strike old chords in his nerves, rouse that sleeping presence, the construct subdued. He can't stop them. So instead, in the few moments he has left of free will, Bucky's disarming himself as fast he can - dropping and kicking away the safed carbine and then his pistol. It would be ridiculous, even comical, like some bizarro impromptu striptease, except for the look of utter desperation in his eyes. He's walked into the trap. All that remains is to try and make sure that no one else is taken or killed in the process.

"*Get out*," His voice is already ragged. "It's Zola, the programming.....you have to go..."

Captain America has posed:
Steve turns on a dime at the crackling of the speakers and his face can be seen to pale a touch even as recognition strikes home in his gut to twist and sicken it. No time to even breathe a denial. The tac team's probably staring at the sudden de-weaponizing of Sergeant Barnes -- but little do they truly appreciate that the man himself is a weapon, even without guns.

"Team, stand down!" The bark echoes around the small room, tinged with a touch of fear, even as the Captain strides forwards briskly. He does, however, take a moment to kick the carbine and pistol even farther out of reach. His blond hair is a mess as he yanks off his helmet, fully baring his face. "Bucky. Bucky, no -- it's Steve, stop -- don't listen! Cover your ears!"

Arnim Zola has posed:
Except for the tech, the team stops and stares when Bucky starts dropping weapons.

"What's going on sir," one of the men says to Cap before the order to stand down is given.

The men lower their weapons but stand alert, waiting for orders. One man moves to protect the tech.

The voice on the intercom sounds pleased, smug even, "It's too late Captain Rogers, your friend is ours now." Then as if to prove his point, he says, "Winter Soldier. Eliminate Captain Rogers."

Winter Soldier has posed:
There's that terrible moment where his eyes meet Steve's.....and there's no one home behind them. Not his friend, anyway. Just that presence cobbled together under the knives and the needles, which replies, in dull Russian, "Ready to comply."

A beat, a breath, and he's coming forward with that inexorable pace. He may've discarded his firearms in time, but when is Buck ever without a whole array of blades? One of them glints dully in his human hand, but only for an instant, before it's flung at one of the tac team. He knows Steve. Steve won't leave without him. Better to eliminate all the distractions first.

Captain America has posed:
Too late -- too late to even shoot the speakers, wherever they are in the room.

Too late -- and Steve's heart falls into the acidic pit of his stomach when he sees that knock-knock: no one's home in the frigid wastes of those eyes.

Too late -- there flies the first knife, even as the Captain's setting himself into a defensive stance, shield upraised. "Retreat! Tac team, retreat!" He too knows that he can attempt to save lives even as he sets his gun across the top of the shield. "Stand down, soldier!" His bark echoes through the room again, so loud and yet so useless.

Arnim Zola has posed:
The blade catches the tac team member in the throat. They go down, bleeding and gurgling.

The rest snap weapons up at Bucky, but when Cap says retreat, they go. The tech and his drive are snatched away from the mainframe and ushered towards the hall.

Two of the stragglers ask Cap. "Sure you don't want back up?"

Winter Soldier has posed:
There's a glint of what might be puzzlement. It's not that Winter doesn't understand English.....it's that ..why would Steve think he'd obey? The gun gets a cock of the head. Steve doesn't use guns. That's new. It doesn't stop him from flicking another knife at the remaining guys on the tac team. Stand and be taken down - he needs to concentrate on the Captain. That's going to take time.

But other than that, there's no expression there, the mobile features gone almost slack. Like he's sleepwalking.

Captain America has posed:
"No! Go! To the Quinjet!" The Captain barks. He flinches to see the knives thrown and his expression takes on a wretched tension. "I'll be right behind you! GO!" He still doesn't fire, his finger seeming to go rusted on the trigger, and he glares at Bucky overop the shield.

"Last chance, soldier, //stand down!//" he shouts, as if the sheer volume of his voice might override the Russian's efforts.

Arnim Zola has posed:
The knife hits this one in the shoulder. The man's partner rushes to him and at Cap's order, helps him out of the room towards the waiting ropes.

Before he goes, he gives the pair a final look, and then he's gone.

Now it's just Cap and Bucky.

Winter Soldier has posed:
There we go. All the little irrelevancies discarded, and now the main act can begin. Yet another knife, and this one not a mere throwing knife, but a long trench dagger. He'll pick that uniform apart seam by seam, if he has to, if he can't land the blade in the soldier's vulnerable throat.

He comes after Steve in a rush, boots scraping on the flooring, and the metal hand is reaching out for the edge of the shield. Either to get it out of the way, or to take it and use it against the Captain. All with that absented look still on his features. Winter's driving...and he's out of practice.

Captain America has posed:
Once he can no longer hear the scuffling of boots behind him, Steve's world narrows. A twitch of his finger on the handgun's trigger and -- the shot would be so easy to take, to peg the man right between the eyes -- but his bluff fails utterly in the face of the fact that it's Sergeant Barnes coming at him with all the cold and emotionless fervor of a blizzard.

A backstep out of immediate grabbing range of the metal arm and to entice a further extension of the body even as the handgun swings around from behind the shield for an attempt at a brutal pistol-whipping at the dark-haired skull. Maybe if he can knock the Soldier cold, he can cuff him and -- and -- and -- oh god, SHIELD's going to flip.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Out of practice, perhaps....but still fast enough to dodge, in turn, if not vastly so. No talking; no taunting or threatening or begging. Winter never speaks unless he absolutely must. Now he's going for the gun - always a weakness of Steve's, his dislike for firearms. Trying to snag it from him, rather than turn his back and go for one of the ones he discarded in his last moments of sanity.

Captain America has posed:
Steve is fully aware of just how fast his friend can be, but this Winter has a feral edge that the Captain would rather have forgotten about with delight. It's a rude reminder when the scuffling is brief and painful. With a wince, he finds himself disarmed of the handgun. It seems his chances for successfully taking down the other man are dwindling rapidly. He tries for a short shield-rush in order to knock Winter off his feet.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Buck succeeds in snatching the gun....and is promptly bowled right off his feet by that rush. HE may be a hair faster, but Steve's got mass on him, and long habit in using that shield. He goes skidding over the cold floor, not so much trying to stop himself as trying to bring the gun to bear.

Captain America has posed:
The Captain's then immediately darting off to one side to scoop up the discarded pistol and standing half-crouched behind his shield.

"Buck, NO! NO! Your sister was Rebecca! Your mother was Winifred! You are not this!!!" The color's high on his cheeks even as he aims the gun again at the man and holds on pulling the trigger, hoping against hope that names might jog a visceral memory not overriden by catch-words and cold science. "Stop!!!"

Winter Soldier has posed:
It's like being confined in a cage with a starving beast. Instinct's in control, even if it's the induced instincts of a trained killer. Buck's up in a heartbeat, a quick kip up. And then he's trying to circle, find a shot around the edge of the shield, for all the world like a leopard trying to pry a turtle out of its shell. Not having any luck, though. Not yet.

Captain America has posed:
Steve fearlessly holds those pale eyes with the same intensity as if he'd been brought to bay. He mirrors the circling, keeping a perfect distance and matching Winter's speed of step. Something shivers through him even as he fights to bite the words out overtop the protection of the starry shield. "I don't want to have to hurt you, but I will. I'm sorry for it." One chance. One last chance for the assassin he sees before him to stand down -- for the man he knows is in there to stand up and resist.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Is it what's left of Buck that has him not quite up to speed? The joining not quite seamless? But now he comes in again, a quick rush, trying to drag the shield out of the way to get at the one part of Steve blade and bullet can hurt. Still not a word from him. He's certainly not the least bit remorseful at trying to hurt the Captain.

Captain America has posed:
Hope fails the Captain. He grits teeth and bunches muscle against the crank at the shield, but that metal arm is not to be underestimated. Again, having failed at his bluff to shoot his oldest friend, he's privy to the brutal and sudden impact a bullet entering his shoulder above his left collarbone. Et tu, Brute?

The gunshot rings in the small room and he gasps in pained shock even as he brings up the shield to attempt to clock Bucky cold in the chin.

Winter Soldier has posed:
No evidence of satisfaction in the Soldier's frozen lack of expression. But he's still trying to get the shield away from Cap - for what is Steven without the Frisbee of Freedom? Far closer to helpless. He whips out of the path of the shield, and is trying yet again to wrench it from the Captain's hands.

Captain America has posed:
The most bizarre tug-of-war possibly ever having occurred in the existence of this hidden base, right here. Steve grits teeth even having gone sallow from pain; already blood is spreading through the navy-blue of his suit as proof of the gunshot scored.

Up comes a firm-soled boot aimed at the unguarded knee of the Winter Soldier, intending to force him to break his aggressive posture and open him up for a cross-body haymaker with Steve's gun hand.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Still too fast - and Winter's unwounded, as yet. No more than a bruise or two, and what are those to a supersoldier?

He uses Steve's own strength against him - going from clinging to the shield and trying to steal it ....to trying to clock Steve in the jaw with it. If he wants it so bad he can have it. Right in the face.

Captain America has posed:
Right to the face -- like it wasn't telegraphed clear as day. At least only the Winter Soldier is around to hear what it sounds like when Vibranium meets the infamously-thick skull of Steve Rogers. Back the Captain stumbles a few steps, visibly dizzied, and he shakes his head sharply a few times, blinking at the man he once called friend. A cut lip and he tastes blood even as he tries once last time.

"Bucky Barnes, STOP!"

Arnim Zola has posed:
The comms come alive for both men, with Bucky's earpeice still on the SHIELD network.

The pilot calls, his voice strained, "Cap, we've got company in bound. I can give you and Barnes two minutes tops then we need to get out of here."

Winter Soldier has posed:
Now there's a gleam of something that could almost be amusement. A canine cock of his head at that news, His Master's Voice. For The Soldier doesn't stop - he brings the pistol up, aiming carefully. Can he get Steve somewhere - in the leg, if not in the face? Enough to cripple him, make sure he can't escape?

A beat where he blinks, as if that name confuses him....but then he's still coming. One more chance.

Captain America has posed:
The gun goes off with another resonant echo in the chamber and it might be caught on the coms; Steve's fingers, having wandered up to cue up his half of the radio, drops to his thigh even as he pales another shade yet. Oh god -- retreat. Retreat, the hardest thing for the Captain to do. It's visible, how difficult it is for him to take those steps backwards, but he's outnumbered and out-gunned and he doesn't have the answer for this immediate problem. It somehow hurts worse than the bullet wounds.

"I know you're in there, Buck. I'm gonna get you outta there, one way or another." His voice is tight with pain. "You run, you hide -- but I'm gonna find you -- and you'll know me." He then turns on a dime and bursts out into the hallway for the vent. Given the chance, he'll push his pain tolerance to the limits to parkour up the walls and out onto the tundra proper. On the run, through the coms: "Get the engines going, we're compromised!"

Winter Soldier has posed:
He's still coming after Steven - no one's called him back, after all. Will that run him into Steve's backup? Oh, yes. But then, Winter has no real sense of self-preservation, within the confines of the mission. It's a good thing he's a blunt instrument, and not clever enough to feign some return of Barnes himself. For surely, Cap wouldn't be able to resist that trap.

Arnim Zola has posed:
The quinjet shimmers into view, all attempts at stealth dropped until they're on the way. A coupe of the tac team members step down the ramp weapons raised. They fire short bursts at Barnes, though none of them are aimed to hit just stall him and give Cap time to get to the jet.

"C'mon Cap," one of the men says. "We need to get out of here."

Captain America has posed:
Across the snow runs Steve as fast as his mangled leg can carry him. Here and there, small spots of red mark his passage, proof clear as day of injury that has compromised him truly. He makes his way half-up the ramp before turning around, the starred shield still held up to partially obscure his body. Raising the pistol, he flinches even as he pulls the trigger.

There's a bright flash of sparks as he disarms the Winter Soldier at this distance, but then, his gun-arm fails to the agony of the shoulder wound. With a final grunt and broken glare, he follows the rest of the tac team up into the Quinjet.

Winter Soldier has posed:
His hair's wind-whipped by the the engine wash....and Buck's still trying to hit him, even as the hatch closes. No word of farewell....and when it's out of range, he stands watching, a black speck at the end of that scarlet trail, watching.

Arnim Zola has posed:
As the quinjet vanishes, cloak coming into place as it ascends.

The commlink buzzes, forced off the SHIELD channel to another one, the voice from the intercom says, "Winter Soldier, return to base, we have work to do."