7386/Reunion of Old Soldiers

Reunion of Old Soldiers
Date of Scene:	02 May 2019
Location:	Triskelion, New York City
Synopsis:	Natasha and Bucky reunite for a talk about the past
Cast of Characters:	Winter Soldier, Black Widow (Romanoff), Melinda May, Hawkeye (Barton), Thaddeus Ross, Hellboy, War Machine

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Winter Soldier has posed:
He was HYDRA's again, for a while, in the winter. Long enough to put a great big rifle round into Steven Rogers, to be captured, to succumb to that weird sleeping sickness....and to be healed and freed, happily, before Natasha needed to keep that prior promise.

But it's been a while for Soldier and Widow - he's been all but hiding out on that island, scarcely seen in public. And it's to the Triskelion he invites her, for a little training to sharpen old skills - nothing like one of the partners that knows you best. Even Steve wasn't with the Red Room, after all.

When she finds him, it's in the gym, dressed down to sweats and t-shirt, long hair tied back. He seems healthy enough....but off to the side, beyond the sparring area, sits a big German Shepherd in a service dog's vest, very clearly focussed on James Barnes. Where did she come from?

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
When Natasha enters, she is dressed in her own workout clothes. Tight shorts. A white sports bra. Wraps around her hands and feet, prepared for boxing or sparring. She has her hair cut very short, almost a boyish style, yet it is purely feminine on her. The clothes show the strenght and musculature of her form, as well as many scars that show the life of a warrior. Bullets, blades, even a large one on her left thigh from rebar after an explosion. Pepper was there for that one. Long story.

She sets her bag down on a bench nearby. Bucky knows her well enough to realize it will have her costume and her weapons. She goes no where without them. Even in the Triskelion. This outfit wasn't made for hiding things though so she resorted to the bag. She slides off the sandals she wore to traverse the halls and pads over toward the mats in the middle of the room.

The dog gets her focus first then she looks to Bucky. "Is that vest real or is she an attack dog in a disguise?"

Winter Soldier has posed:
Buck grins. "She's not an attack dog. Trained service dog. Rogers got her for me. Name's Lili - she's a peach. I'm her attack human," The dog, hearing her name, lets her tongue loll out in a big canine smile. And then, in a voice Natasha has likely never, ever heard him use, the ridiculous coo people use for babies and adorable animals, "Who's the best girl? Yes, it's you!" She shifts her paws in evident delight.

James's smile fades, as he turns back to Natasha, though his expression's still pleasant. "Thanks for comin' out here. It's been too long, Natasha."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
That gets Natasha's attention. She stares at the dog's reaction but hearing that tone from Bucky, her head snaps in his direction. She watches him through narrowed eyes as she moves a little closer.

He will pick up on her posture and the way she is presenting more of her side that Natasha just went on red alert.

"Who are you and what have you done with Bucky?"

Winter Soldier has posed:
If she needed proof that the doggo at least is genuine, it comes in the way that the Widow's shift in posture doesn't provoke any aggression. Just canine confusion - she tilts her head to one side, ears cocking forward. Everyone's happy to see me, I'm a good dog. What's wrong here? She looks to James for a cue.

James lifts his hands, that old gesture of placation, "'s me, Natasha. Just me. Barnes, James B. The one who kept dropping you when we were training to get you ready for that pas de deux in 'Swan Lake', until you threatened to put me in a crate and ship me to Magadan."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
That seems to stop her in her tracks. Natasha looks at him oddly, brow furrowed as she shakes her head. "No way an imposter would know that. Hell, I'm surprised you even remember it." His memory being messed with so much is not a secret.

She relaxes her posture, facing him full on again instead of prepared to attack. "As I recall, we both ended up in crates but that was a different assignment. Strange how that happened."

She does move toward the dog, eyeing her. "May I touch her or is she working?"

Winter Soldier has posed:
There's that soundless laughter from him. "Exactly. It's amazing what comes back to me. And yeah - you and me, in the train station in Vladivostok." A gesture to Lili, and she comes pattering forward, tail wagging furiously. "She's off scope now, so to speak," he says. "You can pet her. She loves people."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Natasha reaches out a hand, offering it to the dog to sniff before she moves to pet her. A moment later and she's squatting down to be able to give the shepherd two handed pets on the neck and head. "So pretty. She is well mannered. I suppose all service dogs are."

Finally she stands, giving a last rub to Lili's head then looking to Bucky. "What's the story here? Why did Steve arrange for her?"

Winter Soldier has posed:
Lili is well-mannered - no climbing on Natasha, or slobbering, though there are a few polite licks of approval. "Yeah," he says, fondly. Then he meets the Widow's eyes, "She helps with nightmares, some of the mental wreckage. I had someone take out the programming architecture, so I won't ever be the Soldier again, but....they didn't restore all memories, or heal the other damage. So....it's still a mess." He taps his temple. Nat's another he won't even bother to try and lie to.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"That's good. I don't want to have to keep my promise." Natasha glances over at Lili as she says it. She gives a little shake of the head, dismissing it all and pushing it away for now. She turns her green eyes to focus back on her former trainer and sometimes partner on assignments. So many years, so many jobs.

She sometimes envies the holes in his memory.

"Time will help with that. Glad you have her." She tilts her head slightly. "Did you have something specific in mind for training or just catch up for old time's sake?"

Winter Soldier has posed:
There's an upnod at that. Notably, he doesn't recuse her from that promise. The day may come....and Natasha has enough ice in her heart to do what Steven never would. A gesture dismisses the Shepherd back away from the mats, where she sits down, as if she intended to referee.

His smile's a little faint. "Some review....and speaking of Swan Lake, I thought some of the old ballet training. I know you're busy, but I thought it might be nice to focus on that again. When we were heavy into it, I had a flexibility and control I don't have so much. Less pain, too." The grin turns rueful. "And I can hardly walk down to the NYC Ballet and explain that I want to train with their corps."

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"Ballet dancers are machines of physical perfection," Natasha agrees with a nod. "Much more flexibility, an ability to tolerate pain that would send a normal person screaming to the emergency room." She considers a moment, looking around the room and realizing they don't have a bar. She'd never really needed one before. If she wanted to work on dance training, there were a few studios she used from time to time.

"You know this is not going to be a one day thing." Not a question, a statement. "To reach those levels again, we will be looking at daily." She spreads her arms out to her sides, balancing on the ball of one foot and bringing up the other as she pirouettes. "I didn't even bring my shoes."

Winter Soldier has posed:
There's the smile only suggested in the lines around his eyes. As thinking of those past times even has him reverting to more Russian subtleties of expression, emotion pared down to the tiniest flickers - the old deadpan mask that was nearly all he ever offered to the Widow trainees, even the greatest of his proteges. "I know," he says, gently. "It is effort, it is commitment....and if you've moved past that in your work now, I'll understand and find another way." Maybe by actually walking down to the NYC ballet. Imagine the chagrin of some teacher in the freeflowing American style, teaching wobbly adult amateurs, confronted with a product of the Cold War era Bolshoi. "I can come to where you train, if that's more convenient." The pirouette conjures up a bigger grin.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"I have no problem with it. I actually have kept up my studies as much as I can. Time doesn't always allow for it," Natasha admits as she takes up a first position then grins and relaxes her stance again. She shakes out her legs a bit, one then the other. "I need to stretch more." She works on doing just that, starting with her arms and shoulders.

"I have a few studios where I can go that respect my privacy. We can schedule time there." She looks at him curiously but keeps her questions to herself. She hadn't expected a trip down memory lane or for it to have gone to the dance training. She'd come prepared to have her ass handed to her, though she would've made a good showing against him. Maybe even beaten him if she was lucky. Or not.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Winter Soldier looks around at that. "I might be able to mock up something here. Some of the training rooms have the kind of floors we need. Could get a portable barre set up. But if you've got somewhere in town, sure. Exactly. Now, tonight, for a reminder, I figure some old fight training. Or we can go straight into the beginner stuff, strength and flexibility." Gods only know what training he endured, as an adult beginner, hurried up to a level to permit him to deal convincingly with Soviet ballerinas. "Up to you."

Melinda May has posed:
May enters the gym in her usual quiet way, skirting around the edge of the room to a small open area set aside for martial arts practice. Her workout clothing makes it clear why she's entered, and while she begins a slow warmup routine she's paying attention to the pair of former Russian assassins despite looking like she's paying attention to nothing.

What? It's habit to track potential threats at all times. She's mentally tracking Lili too, if that is in any way reassuring.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Poor Lili the mistrusted pup.

Natasha gives a shrug. "I think I'd prefer the dance, to be honest. You caught me by surprise with that. It isn't often I get surprised." Not after so long.

She glances around, looking for things that they can use for their purposes as well. "Scrounge and meet back here in five? We just need something to help with balance as we go through the basics. We'll work our way up."

Winter Soldier has posed:
Potential and definite past, for on that wall in Virginia that commemorates SHIELD agents fallen in the line of duty, there are many stars that may be laid at the feet of this pair in their heyday. Even if James himself holds the first one, from the SSR era - no one's scratched it out, yet.

He nods at that. "I think I saw one the other day, maybe that's what brought this to mind. Gymnast stuff, either. Lemme go look." Lili's given another flick of his hand that apparently indicates she should stay. She even lies down into the sphinx position, as if preparing for a wait. Then he's padding for the storage area. God only knows what random things he'll find.

Melinda May has posed:
Continuing with her warmup routine, May seems to switch seamlessly between a few different yoga poses, a couple of simpler Tai Chi moves, and at the end some plain old stretches. Out of the corner of her eyes she watches Barnes pad off somewhere, but she knows he'll be returning quickly, as he made sure to have Lili stay where she is.

With a nod hello to Natasha, May then settles in to the actual part of her workout. While it appears to merely be more Tai Chi, she's pitting her own muscles against each other to make each slow and deliberate motion require far more effort than they normally would.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
As Bucky heads off in search of things for their makeshift studio, Natasha remains on the workout mats. She is dressed down in workout clothes instead of her usual uniform. Settling down on the blue mats, she is working on stretching out her legs and preparing for what is to come.

One one of the stretches, she pauses, hand on her foot, body laying mostly atop her leg which is extended out at an angle from her body. Last time she saw May, the woman was a bit upset with her. "Good to see you," she says to their fearless acting leader.

Winter Soldier has posed:
He found one - a portable barre, an assemblage of aluminum tubes. "Ha," says James, coming in with it folded over his shoulder. "I thought so. Mislabelled. It's not for gymnasts at all, unless they cross-train."

Then he's folding it down and seting it up, as Nat stretches. "We'll have to make do with this for now. I guess we could get mylar mirrors for next time." May gets a nod, but he's far more clearly focussed on the red-headed assassin.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
How'd Clint end up with this detail? He'd been given the job of meeting Secretary Ross on his arrival at the Triskelion and giving him the grand tour. So, Clint put on a suit *sigh* and met the Secretary at the helopad and did his best to answer his questions while, before getting on comms and with a, "Just one moment, Mr. Secretary," before he says into his headset.

<<Agent Barton to Agent May, we've got Secretary Ross here and he'd like a look around, where do I take him?>>

He wasn't sure where May would be but he knew wherever it was she'd have comms.

Thaddeus Ross has posed:
Arriving on deck in a three-piece navy suit is Thaddeus Ross, accompanied by a couple of aides following him. He looks to Clint and nods politely, "Very well, Barton." He crosses his arms and looks around. He may be a civilian now, but old habits die hard.

Melinda May has posed:
Stopping in the middle of a seemingly languid motion, May straightens and one hand goes to her ear to listen to Barton's message. Her initial gut reaction is to have Barton take the man to a conference room where she can have Operations trot out the dog and pony show (no, Lili, not you). But on second thought, he wants to see what's going on here, he's going to see some reality.

<< Gymnasium, Barton. I'm already here. >>

So much for a relaxing bit of exercise.

Hellboy has posed:
    So far, HB had been keeping to himself during all of this. Off in the corner the red shape could be seen, tail twitching around once and a while as he was sat across a bench lifting a tied together collection of weights with his left hand. Many of the traditional dumbells wouldn't offer the kind of weight he was looking for, so he had to improvise with the larger 'bench pressing' weights. It seemed to work for him, however, as the figure clad in black spandex workout gear grunted to himself once and a while.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
As soon as Bucky appears with the bag, Natasha rises to her feet to walk over and see what treasure he has found. "How did I not know this was here?" she mutters as she begins helping him to assemble it. Strangely, it's like riding a bike. A moment of wait-a-sec then oh-yeah and all the pieces started being put into place in rapid fashion.

"I have a thought." She suddenly hits her own comm, also always in her ear when she was around here. "I need pointe shoes. One mens, one womens." She rattles off the sizes then flashes a grin over at Bucky as they finish assembling the barre. "If we are going to do this, we're doing it right. Should have the shoes in about five minutes."

Winter Soldier has posed:
No dog and pony show (the one literal dog doesn't do tricks, and Hellboy only has two hooves), but there will be dancing spiders on the bill. Ross is a lucky man - it'll be an impromptu performance from one of the Bolshoi's greatest ballerinas, with her long time partner. "You always had the highest standards," Buck says, laughing a little. "Glad to know you're not gonna let the old school down." He doesn't have his own ears on, so he's oblivious to the brass descending on them like Jove coming down from Olympus. Happy in his innocence, poor fool.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
With his finger to his ear, Clint replies, << Understood, we're inbound, four minutes >>

He turns to Secretary Ross, "This way Mr. Secretary, Deputy Director May is waiting to meet you in the gymnasium," he says with a serious a tone as possible wonder if May had planned this so she could meet Ross while surounded by the trainees she'd beaten. He had to admit it'd make quite the setting.

Assuming the Secretary doesn't object Clint takes him down to the gym knocking twice on the door before pushing his way through, "Director May, the Secretary is here," he announces for the room as he sweeps it with his eyes smiling at the array of agents waiting inside.

This was going to be interesting.

Thaddeus Ross has posed:
Ross responds bluntly, "All right, Barton, lead on." He walks into the gymnasium, unaffected by the informality of the room, as he expects it. He looks around, trying to see if he can spot the deputy director. He gives a polite nod in the general direction of the agents, though the familiar faces, at least from dossiers, of Natasha, Hellboy, and Bucky are not missed.

Melinda May has posed:
May is waiting for Barton and Ross and the rest of Ross's entourage just inside the gymnasium doors, still wearing her workout gear. But no, she's NOT completely devoid of weaponry, if the black shiny sash tied wrapped several times around her waist is any sort of clue.

"Secretary Ross. A surprise to see you here, I don't think this visit had been added to my schedule or I would have been better prepared." She's staying completely polite and professional in appearance and tone while inwardly she's cursing in no less than four different languages. "What brings you by today?"

Hellboy has posed:
    Without pupils it was sometimes hard to tell what Hellboy was looking at or what he was concentrating on. And with his head tilted downward and him clearly focused on pumping of iron, it was reasonable to think that maybe he wasn't noticing anyone or anything. But that theory was disproven when those weights were dropped to 'thud' noisily against the ground as he almost rolls and leaps up to a standing position(He didn't like sitting down too much, it wasn't always easy to manage with hooves) so that he could clack toward the group. Unlike May he appeared to be completely unarmed, though given what he had at his disposal, he could afford to take those chances.

    "Clint, how are you, it's been a long time."

    He turned his head toward the older Thaddeus, HB giving a more subtle nod as he continued with that soft rolling voice of his.

    "Sir." It was a neutral greeting, clearly he was unsure of what Ross was going to bring to this encounter. But he also didn't seem too concerned...

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Those four minutes were enough time. The agent that was retrieving the shoes arrived in two, allowing Natasha to have them on by the time the visitor and his entourage appear. Bucky had brought his own, since he knew what he had wanted to ask before her arrival.

May hasn't shared the information with them about who is coming in. The channel that Natasha is on is not the same as the one Barton had used for the director. Which means, that the pair of Russians are left doing what they were doing when everyone showed up.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Well, at least Barnes isn't in tights. Still in sweats, but he's got his own slippers on. This you can't practice in combat boots or wholly barefoot. Oblivious to nearly all of it save Nat - they're only in the beginning of the joint warm-up when Barton and Ross come in, but even that little span is enough to make it clear that this is the resumption of something old, a well-worn partnership, not new ground broken. He glances up with a kind of mild lack of real curiosity. If it's brass, May can handle it. If she wants her pet assassins to come over and make nice, she can let him know. In the meanwhile, work to be done.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint gives a nod to Nat and a quickly flashed look that says, 'FML' as he steps away from the Secretary to let May schooze with extreme prejudice.

His face slips back to neutral for just a moment before Hellboy comes over, "Heya, Red," Clint says holding out a fist to bump with the demon. "Been way too long, you seriously need to come over for pizza sometime." He tries to keep his voice down to keep out of the serious shop talk.

Thaddeus Ross has posed:
Ross nods to Clint and looks to May after raising a brow at the Russians' ballet practice. "Happened to have an opportunity in my schedule to visit. Wanted to see how our investment in the world's security is doing." he looks around quickly, "So far, I am impressed. Anything of note you wish to point out at this time that I might have missed?"

Melinda May has posed:
May considers Ross's question quickly before gesturing toward Hellboy. "The recent rounds of evaluations are just about complete, and overall, our agents are proving to be prepared and in some cases revealing aptitudes that are unexpected and proving to be very effective in the field. Additionally, WAND agents have been increasingly effective against incidents that fall into the supernatural category."

"But, I suspect, you can find all of that out by reading quarterly reports." She's very much aware of Natasha and Barnes starting their barre routine nearby, and Lili's everpresent alertness. "Likely less visible in the reports, I am firmly of the belief that the increase of diversity in SHIELD's agents is a huge contributor to the improvements you been seeing."

Hellboy has posed:
    "Yeah, you wouldn't believe what was nesting underneath Queens last week. Nasty little bastards, hookbeaked imps from Yugoslavia. After squeezing through keyholes in a home they'd take babyheads and they'd-"

    Suddenly Hellboy realized where he was, and after looking around at the crowd of people for a few moments, the big red half-Demon just cleared his throat, and spoke in a somewhat more quiet tone of voice.

    "Yeah well uhh, Melinda's right, you can read the reports later if you want. Clint that sounds like a plan, maybe I've been clocking in one too many hours."

Winter Soldier has posed:
The Russian pair are apparently oblivious, though they hardly have the besotted look of lovebirds. The intensity of old work partners, maybe. But after a bit, Natasha excuses herself - prior Avenger commitments - and Buck's left stretching carefully.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint makes a face when Hellboy starts talking his sort of shop, glancing urgently back over his shoulder at the secretary. "Heh, that's great," he says with a put on laugh. "And seriously, baby-" he stops himself from asking the rest. He didn't need those nightmares.

He turns instead, "Mr. Secretary have you met Hellboy or Agent Barnes before?" he asks Ross.

Thaddeus Ross has posed:
Ross nods to May, "I ahve read them, but I still wished to see for myself." He does not frown, but maintains his stony exterior and takes in what he sees. "Still good to do your own field recon, sometimes." He looks to Clitn and hsakes his head, "Met them, no. But I am familiar with their files. They have made names for themselves."

Melinda May has posed:
May nods her acceptance of Ross' reason for being here. Kind of can't really get away with telling the former general he's a great big windbag. Not without documented proof, anyway.

"Would you care to see more of the Triskelion, sir?" As ... different as the people in the gym might be, they're not really the focus of why the Secretary is here. Or at least she hopes they're not. Better to deflect quickly while there's a chance.

War Machine has posed:
     A lone figure descends from the sky with a small box held under one arm. It's hard to pinpoint when exactly the suit comes down, just sort of silently floating next to the secretary. The all black suit is very thin, with all surfaces designed for radar absorption or redirection. It's footprint is a small one looking almost skin tight but not quite, and in spite of using repulsor technology the device remains almost completely silent.

     It's like a dark shadow falling from heaven with two red eyes and a small red slit where the mouth should be. The depression where the arc reactor would go is completely black as well blending into the sleek and highly advanced suit so well it's almost undetectable.

     The first sound to really come from the suit is that of boots touching down onto the ground, and even then it's far too feint for its own good due to the padded souls of the shoes.

     "Mister Secretary." The deep, and almost menacing robotic altered voice speaks up. The vocoder on this thing is top of the line and makes it a bit difficult for people who don't already KNOW who's in the suit to tell. "Special delivery from H one eleven."

     That padded box is lifted up from under an arm and held out towards the secretary with a sense of purpose its own surface covered with an intricate series of locking mechanisms tied to a small pad on the front of the box. "Rush delivery."

Hellboy has posed:
    Hellboy looks up when the figure descends, and though there's no facial reaction(as per usual), his tail twitches once or twice.

    "Didn't know that was up there. If there's a guy in there then that suit's gotta be like a furnace in a room with no AC."

    For a few moments HB was looking off into the distance at the thought of how miserable a man in a suit of armor would be up near the ceiling of a sweaty gym where all the heat and body funk's been rising. Then he shudders, and it's back to normal, looking at the group.

    "Well, I'm sure everyone has everything covered from here. Speaking of evaluations, I gotta get down to the firing range, and what the hey. No time like the present."

    If nobody stopped him, then off he would go, toward the direction of his locker, and then off toward eval. All in all a normal day at the Triskelion.

Winter Soldier has posed:
Made a name and not in a good way. 'What is Barnes doing loose?' is a very valid question for someone outside the Triskelion to be asking, even as the assassin tamely starts disassembling the barre he was working with. War Machine's appearance earns him a thumb's up in greeting, but clearly Rhodey's on official business, so nothing more.

Thaddeus Ross has posed:
Ross accepts the package, and nods to the man in the suit. "Duly noted." He tucks the box under his arm and looks to the aformentioned individuals. He looks to the others and then to May, "I would like to see the rest of the ship, the visit to this room was more incidental than anything." He takes a breath, at least things could be worse.

Melinda May has posed:
May looks at the stealth suit with Rhodes piloting it and nods a greeting, then gestures toward the door while addressing Ross. "Let's visit Operations next if you prefer, Mr. Secretary." She leads the man and his aides out of the gymnasium, discussing something or other as she goes. It's quite possibly intentional, to keep Ross's attention on her and away from Barnes.

And Lili.