18553/The Head of the Snake.

The Head of the Snake.
Date of Scene:	11 July 2024
Location:	1117 Brighton Beach
Synopsis:	Sara and Sam make a go at being there for Bucky. They both figure out pretty quickly that Bucky is still Not Okay and probably won't be until the find the actual head of the EPA snake.
Cast of Characters:	James Barnes, Sam Wilson, Sara Pezzini

---

James Barnes has posed:
The death of Captain America hit the entire world hard, but it was the death of that scrawny kid from Brooklyn - Steve Rogers - that hit Bucky Barnes the hardest. Is it really any wonder that he's been mostly off the grid. His one official appearance was the night he spared the life of the man directly responsible for the death of, not only his best friend, but the only link he had to a past long forgotten by the world.

His little home that he took so much pride in when he first moved in has fallen into a state of clutter. Not so much dirty just - everything doesn't have it's place to be in anymore. The state of his little home reflects the state of his mind - jumbled and disoriented, lost and confused. How in God's name does James Buchannan Barnes figure out how to live in a world without Steven Rogers?

There's one thing that /isn't/ a complete mess. It's the right wall in the living room. That wall has been stripped bare of all personal pictures and decor to be replaced by what can only be described as a 'murder board' or a 'crime board'. Pictures, news paper articles, papers from files he likely shouldn't have had access too - it's all there pinned to the wall with little push pins. This and that, here and there, back and forth - certain items are connected by colored pieces of string. Leaning against the wall is that familiar shield, the symbol of hope that was once carried by an American icon.

Enough about the residence, on to the man himself. He's disheveled, he hasn't shaven in at least a week. His usual close cropped hair is getting on to the point that - in a few more months - it might be back to the style Winter wore so well. Dark circles surround those intense blue eyes, making them all the more intense - or perhaps slightly insane? He's even lost a bit of weight, food is a means to survive these days, not a thing he looks forward to. No amount of pie from Renquist and Sons Bakery can make this right.

Sam Wilson has posed:
Sam had been away on a mission when Steve's death occurred. He came back as soon as he was able and after settling back in at the school, his next task was to check in on Bucky. The two are tied together by Steve, and he knows how hard that Bucky may be taking all of this. So, there was a stop first to pick up a couple of shrimp po-boys with fries and a couple of beers, before he made his way to James' home.

Dressed in a pair of jeans and a USAF logo shirt, when he gets to the door, and reaches down to ring the doorbell. If Bucky looks through the peephole first, he'll hold up the two bags and quip gently. "Two shrimp po-boys and someone that wants to check on you. But only if you want it." he offers to him, lips pulled into the smallest of smiles.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
The death of Steve Rogers had hit Sara pretty hard, but the truth was she hadn't permitted herself time to think about it, or to mourn. From the minute she heard he had been killed, all of her attention and time had switched to keeping an eye on James.

She had watched them together for years, the closeness between them the likes of which she had never known. For Steve to be gone meant a piece of James was gone, and she was worried that missing piece would be filled by the Winter.

Every day she came by his house to make sure he ate at least one meal, (that meal usually delivered in the morning by her own Aunt Ruth Pezzini), and to keep his kitchen from growing things in the sink or fridge. She brought food for Lily, and ensured that James was at least taking some what care of himself.

His home was his own, and she never touched the wall or his items outside of the kitchen, save of course to sit in a chair and look at that murder wall. Today was no different, she sat in a chair from the kitchen, legs crossed, watching James with concerned eyes.

"Might be time for a shave and haircut," she commented idlily, which is really how she communicated with him now. Random comments he could accept or ignore.

James Barnes has posed:
Poor Sara, more often than not she's met with glares from Bucky. Being on the other end of a Bucky stare is bad enough - just ask Sam - but being on the other end of a Bucky /glare/? That's an entirely different ball game. Her suggestion that he take time for a little personal grooming is met with a grunt bordering on a growl.

The ringing of the doorbell turns his scowl into, well, more of a scowl. He pushes himself up from the chair he'd been sitting in - attention focused intently on that wall.

As per the norm, when he stands, Lili stands too. Normally the gregarious German Shepherd would be beatin' feat to make it to the door first. Now she just follows close at Bucky's heals - head down and tail at half mast.

He pulls open the door.

At first, he just stands there in his worn running pants and an equally worn t-shirt. Any other time, that t-shirt would be the start of a heated debate. Screen printed onto the faded black cotton shirt is a picture of Gandalf.

His scowl turns into something different. Not to say that his features soften, that's not it at all. It's just different. It's pain instead of the anger he'd been holding on to so hard in order to not feel the pain.

Bucky's voice, barely a whisper, cracks when he says, "He's gone, Sam." Once the words are spoken, he has no clue what to do with himself.

Sam Wilson has posed:
The Bucky glare is just... it hits different. Sam knows it all too well, from his early days with him and Cap. But eventually, well, Bucky finally stopped glaring so much. It wasn't that bad anymore. And that was a good thing in Sam's book.

As the door opens, Sam takes in an assessing glance over the battle-hardened veteran. And in that moment, he sees the same look he had on his face when Riley was shot down by an RPG and he was helpless to assist him. He knows almost every feeling he's going to have. Almost, only because he didn't grow up with Riley as Steve and Bucky had.

There's no comment on the shirt, one that would totally kick off a vivid argument about wizards and sorcerers. If only because Bucky mentions those words. And he draws in a deep breath and lets it out slowly, to stabalize his own emotions. "I'm sorry I wasn't there." he offers as his opening. "But I'm here now. And willing to help with whatever we need to do."

As he steps in, he notices the smell in the house, and the presence of another Avenger. "Hey, Sara. Been a while." he greets her. "I assume that means Aunt Ruth has provided food. I'll drop these in the fridge for later."

Making his way to the fridge, he store the food, and turns - seeing Cap's shield there and he needs another moment to focus, before he gestures to the seats. "How're you feeling, man? I'm here to listen. Or just here to be supportive. Depends on you."

James Barnes has posed:
Lili nudges her head beneath one of Sam's hands hoping for a good rub between the ears.

It was fleeting, that tiny chip in the armor he's put up around his pain that caused the previous cracking of his voice. Seems he's patched that little hole right on back up again. The scowl turns back into a scowl rather than the brief mask of anguish it was moments ago. It's the change in his eyes that's always the most disturbing - from blue too bright with unshed tears to blue tempered by the chill of Winter.

He ignores the gesture toward the kitchen chairs and heads for the living room instead to settle back down and stare at that wall. The poor dog whines softly and follows her person back into the other room. There's nothing in his tone, it's flatter than a dry pancake, "Becker pushed the button, but he's not the head of the snake." He pushes back to his feet again, gaze intent on that wall. Poor Lili is getting a work-out. She'd just about got settled on the floor at Bucky's feet when he stands again - so she stands again.

Bucky removes one of the pushpins holding a string and sticks it back into the wall in another location. One of the pictures is Nathaniel Becker - it's off to one side. A few more pictures, images pulled from footage of the incident at Roxxon are present as well. The papers and news articles are difficult to read from a distance but one headline stands out - Sixty Killed in Gulf of Mexico. Closer attention would reveal that the story is about ten years old and involves an explosion on an oil rig.

At the center of the tangle of colored strings is a piece of paper with nothing but a giant question mark circled more than a handful of times.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
The stare, the glare, Sara lets them both just wash over her and away. She knows the pain he's in, she can see it as clearly as one sees a flower in a field. He might mean every glare, he might want them to effect and make her stay away, but that wasn't happening.

As Sam enters she turns her attention to him, offering a nod and a smile as she stands up. "Aunt Ruth is making lunch and dinners for James," she admitted with a chuckle. "Won't come in, but she leaves them for him and I come by to make sure he eats at least one of them."

Without moving too close to Bucky, she takes a couple of steps toward the board, but gestures toward the kitchen, "Second shelve of the fridge is clean and empty, put em there and someone will eat them."

Her green eyes shift back to Bucky and watches him move a pin. She's seen boards like his a million times, in fact she's used them before. She knew what he was looking for and if he found it, she'd be right there to go with him.

Sam Wilson has posed:
Lili will always get a headpat from Sam, a light ruffle of his hand as he doesn't hold her, knowing she will be needed on her primary mission of Bucky wrangling at any moment. And as Sam watches Bucky become someone he remembers, and was trouble enough, he reaches up to rub the bridge of his nose as he follows Bucky into the living room and takes a seat on the couch.

As he listens, he takes in the information. The news article is something he remembers, albeit barely. "Off shore rig, huh." he says with a thinly vieled frown. "Sounds like we need a recon on it. I can get in close enough to release Redwing to go in and take a look, show us what we're up against." His attention turns back to Bucky. "I would rather do that than go in blind."

When Sara speaks up, Sam nods. "I found the shelf, thank you." he mentions in reference to the fridge as he folds his hands together. "Though if you want in, shouldn't be too hard for me to get a shrimp trawler to get us closer - my sister has a couple of boats, and if they aren't available, she can point me at one that will be available."

James Barnes has posed:
"Not their target," Bucky mutters. "It was them though, ten years ago." The wall is filled with all sorts of the same articles spanning at least two decades. Each one of them involved the destruction of some facility or company building that was involved in things that were less than ecologically ethical.

He points to one picture from a particular article - a wall on the side of a building somewhere in Saudi Arabia. 'From the Ashes Rises the Pheonix' is scrawled across the wall in red paint. It's the one wall that's standing in an otherwise burned out husk of a structure.

"They go back years." Bucky points to another article dated fifteen or so years ago but he might as well be talking to himself with the lack of inflection in his tone, the muttering and the softness of his voice. The article describes the destruction of a dam that was said to be destroying the natural habitat of a number of animals. The same words are scrawled into a piece of concrete left from the wreckage.

"They're out to burn it to rebuild it." What, the entire world? "...and they're more active and more bold now than they've ever been."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Looking over the wall from near Bucky, Sara cants her head slightly. He was obsessed, and she understood why, but the answers weren't going to just appear out of no where. Hours spent staring at the strings to articles, the articles themselves, and the large question mark were wasted hours, self tormenting.

"Flawed logic on their part," she comments just loud enough for both of them to hear her. "But if we break down each event, the damage the target had on the environment, and how it was attacked by this group, how many were harmed or injured, we can start to create a profile for the leader responsible for it all."

She glanced toward Sam for a moment, wondering if he had any training in profiling, some counselors did, some didn't. She had. NYPD detectives needed an edge when looking for murderers. "I took a course as part of my bachelors in Criminology and law on profiling. If we can obtain enough information, I can paint a picture or who is behind all this... it might help us find him or her."

Sam Wilson has posed:
"Fuck. Didn't see the article from here." Sam gets to his feet to approach the board - and put on his glasses. Following Bucky's trail, he frowns slightly. "Is there any pattern to these attacks?" he asks, because if there is, he's not seeing it himself. And he's already made one mistake. He doesn't want to stick his foot in his mouth a second time. Bucky doesn't seem to have the patience for it tonight.

When Sara speaks up, Sam is nodding in agreement with the detective. There's a difference between police profiling and PTSD profiling, but he's willing to assist where he can on that. "Also, if we can figure out where they are getting their funding and equipment from, we can possibly add another layer to it." he suggests.

"But she's also right that staring at this wall is only going to make you more frustrated and hyper-focused. You know your limits. I need to make sure you recognize them and when you need to take a breather. Becker's capture was a huge get. And he may cough up the information you want himself. But if he doesn't, I want to make sure you keep your head on straight."

James Barnes has posed:
PTSD Profiling - that book has to have a picture of Bucky in it somewhere. He is, after all, the poster boy. "There's no pattern." That he can find either. "Just motive." Destroying things they believe are destroying the planet. If they weren't violent about it, if they hadn't /killed Steve/ pursuing the cause, Bucky might even be able to get behind it a little. So much has changed - so much land lost to 'progress' since he was a child that things are damned near unrecognizable now.

Bucky turns away from the wall to address them both with, "It's here and I'll find it." There's so much conviction in his voice that he almost sounds like a crazy zealot himself - the wildness of his eyes is right on par as well.

A few steps to the left and he's in front of a small table with a few drawers that are just big enough to hold the manilla folders he pulls out of them. Where he got the files he's holding is better left in the area of 'don't ask, don't tell'. "FBI files dating back to 1998. That's how long this group has been active, how long they've been given no where near the attention they deserve." - if by attention, one means epic beat downs. "That's how long they had to catch the bastards /before/ they..." His voice trails off. He can't bring himself to say 'killed Steve'.

"They were no where near finding out who's behind the curtain."

The silence that hangs in the air between what was said and what comes next is heavy. "I should have killed him when I had the chance." He remembers the feeling, how badly he wanted to end it all and do so with the symbol of the man Becker took from the world. If he had it all to do over again? Would he cross that line or is this all just anger and pain mingled into one tangled mess talking?

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Becker. Sara snorted softly as the name was said. If they'd leave her alone with the man for thirty minutes, she had contacts who could rip the information from his mind whether he was willing or not. Sure, some might do damage in the process, but the bastard deserved it.

Truth was, it Becker had been killed, Witchblade could have called up his soul as a ghost and gotten answers out him that way. The process of 'staying within the law' for all this, something she truly believed in, made it much more difficult to get what was needed.

For now she would stick to the law, but should she find any evidence of a supernatural being behind this, or any sort of magic being used, all legality of the deal went out the window... and she'd release Witchblade on them for Steve's death.

"You did the right thing not killing him," she states bluntly, still watching Bucky and looking to the folders in his hand. "He'll have answers, one way or another. Sometimes there is as much information in what he won't say, as there is in what he will say."

For a moment she glances between Sam and Bucky, considering something, deciding if she should add... "I'm only going to share this because of the seriousness of this situation, but I have connection with the Justice League Dark. There are people in that organization who, with out much trouble, could get the information we want. For now, we stick to the legal route, we follow the law," she looks between them again.

"But if there is any indication at all of a supernatural being, or magic behind all this... the JLD is willing to step in and help out, and that means with finding answers as well."

Sam Wilson has posed:
Don't ask, but Bucky would easily be the case file that would get Sam his doctorate if he wanted it. But Bucky is so much one of his friends that he would never take advantage of him like that. And right now his friend is hurting. A lot. He sees that wild abandon in his eyes, like a wolf backed into a corner, looking for an opening to strike. As he breaks out the file folders, Sam takes one up.

Opening it to study the information. "Let me guess," he asks, "SHIELD didn't deem them enough of a threat to have a dossier on them?" he asks Bucky. "And to reiterate Sara's point, killing him would have only ruined a potential lead. Once we know exactly where he is on the food chain..." He doesn't go any deeper on that. But he wants his pound of flesh as well.

When Sara speaks of Justice League Dark, he looks momentarily confused. "I though that was just a rumor, after all, they seem to be far more... pure... or something than we are. As for involving them? I assume that would be a Bucky decision. I'm willing to assist with recon or as pararescue or as a supportive friend, whatever role you decide you want me in, Bucky."

James Barnes has posed:
"The only reason I didn't kill him," Bucky begins. The tone of his voice is enough to chill the Sahara. "...is because people convinced me that it wasn't what Steve would want." A beat, two, another moment of heavy silence. "But Steve isn't here now is he?" And Becker's the reason. Finding who's behind all of this is important - Bucky wants vengeance on all of them. But Becker is the man directly responsible. He's the man that pushed the button and he's the man that Bucky let live. "I should have removed his head from his shoulders."

Stepping back from that morbid, slightly unhinged little moment he deflects from it. "We know they have metas in their ranks. Possibly mutants, it may have been magic. But someone was controlling the plant life in the swamps and did the same with the trees the day..." Steve was killed in front of his eyes and he could do nothing to stop it. Again, he can't bring himself to say the words. But it's there, that brief moment when his emotions break through the surface. Guilt - on top of the grief, the pain of it all is the guilt. Why did he let Steve go into that garage alone? Why didn't he get to that truck faster? Why couldn't he save his best friend?

And then it's gone again, the walls back up.

"If they have one, they could have more."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
That information changed everything in Sara's thinking. When it came to mutants, magic, demons, and monsters, there were gray areas in the law on how to deal with them. It as something the NYPD had put in her lap with the Special Investigations Unit. The question of how you imprison and punish a being who can teleport, or walk through walls. The question of law when two beings with powers beyond human comprehension start battling it out in the middle of the streets. It was all part of her 'expertise' now, and all because of Witchblade.

Watching Bucky torture himself again was hard. She had seen him swing between emotions many, many times, and every time she witnessed it, it killed her just a little more. That much pain bled out in his aura, even Witchblade could see it and the godlike being wanted to comfort the man in some way... and that was definitely not usual for him.

"I didn't know that," she admits plainly. "I'm going to need a list of every place they've been in the last year, the swamp you are referring to, everything. I'll look for traces of magic in the area beyond what is normally present from flora and fauna. If it was magic, that changes everything as we know it. If it was a mutant..."

She sighs softly, already attempting to work out the logistics of a plant controlling mutant and who to contact. SHIELD just /loved/ keeping their records on these people and things, but they also liked to chase them down and control them, which she did /not/ support at all.

"Mutant or human, magic or something else, I'm here for the long haul," she looks now to Sam. "Yes, the JLD is real, very real, no myth or legend. We do what has to be done to deal with magical, monster, demons, threat levels that most humans can't even fathom exist. If you want information on them, I'm willing to share, but it would be for /you/... not SHIELD."

Sam Wilson has posed:
This is quickly turning into a circling argument - and Sam realizes that. And that he really can't get through to Bucky while he's in this cycle of guilt and anger. "Your feelings on the matter are valid. As was their suggestion that you honor Steve's memory by not harming him. But I totally get your desire to set that aside and attack Becker." He wants to get up and grasp Bucky by the shoulders and tell him it's going to be okay. But Sam isn't even sure of that himself.

However, he glances at the shield for a moment. "Do you think you can look at that shield again if you gave into those base instincts. And I'll point out, we have to recover a body, hold an autopsy or anything else along those lines. Only after that's confirmed, I'll fully believe it." he points out.

As Sara starts to speak on her contacts, he nods slowly. Admittedly, it's a little out of his league (get it?) but if she can get Bucky any good intelligence, he'd be willing to take any help she can offer.

James Barnes has posed:
"Stop therapy-ing me, Sam," Bucky grouses - it's almost a 'bark' but not quite. "I don't need a therapist right now." - He needs a friend that'll just let him do this /his way/, right or wrong. "I need to nail all of these fuckers to the damned wall and make sure they feel every nail." Scowl, glare... But at least it's something more than chilled and dead?

"There hasn't been a lot in the past year that I could find. Just the incident at Roxxon," he really can't stop that little flicker of pain in his eyes whenever he mentions /that/ day. "...when we found them in the swamp, it was just a compound. But yeah, they did the plant thing there too."

Bucky's attention turns back to Sam, all wild eyes and welling... tears? "I /saw/ the truck blow up, Sam. I /saw/ him in it through the windshield seconds before it blew up. Steve. is. gone." But if he was thinking clearly? If he wasn't so caught up in his own grief? Hell, it's likely Bucky managed to survive worse. His heart, broken as it was by what he saw that day, just can't seem to get on board with the possibility that maybe Steve survived it all. Even more than that - Bucky's heart can't get on board with Steve letting him go through this hell on earth for this long.

"Steve's gone." Back to chill and flat. "And I'm going to find the man pulling the strings. When I do, it won't end the same way it did for Becker."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Without a pause, Sara steps over and lays her hand on Bucky's shoulder. She doesn't squeeze or pat, she just lays her hand gently down to offer that physical reminder that he's not alone, that someone cares and will be there.

"Bucky my man, we /are/ going to find each and everyone of these bastards," she states bluntly, no doubt at all in her tone. "We are going to make them pay for what they did, for everything they have done, and for all the things they are thinking of doing."

She glances to Sam for a moment, then with a breath pulled into her lungs says, "I'm thinking we'll both be there for you, even if Sam might try to therapy you a few times, it's out of love and concern... but we're here, and we aren't going anywhere, alright?"

Sam Wilson has posed:
Holding up his hands, Sam frowns. "Sorry, sorry. More friend, less terapist. I got it, I got it." He sighs and listens as Bucky sets the scene for Steve's alleged death. He reaches up and lowers his head, massaging his temples. He may realize something is wrong there, but he's not going to argue with Bucky on it. For now. "I'm here and will continue to be here, Bucky. We'll get through this. With your friends."

"And Sara's right. We're going to find the bastards that did this. My offer for recon still stands. Redwing can get into places unobtrusively and scan around, and feed me the information." With that reminder, he glances at a message on his phone and puts it away. "And when you're ready to talk? I'll be here." He rises to his feet and clasps Bucky's upper arm. "Take care of yourself. I'll see you soon."

James Barnes has posed:
His shoulder tenses just a little. He's so incredibly easy to read in times like these. The contact, the words of support - they threaten the walls he's built around his pain. But he doesn't shrug Sara's hand off at least?

"Sam..." For just a split second, it sounds like maybe Bucky has something to say. The name is spoken quietly with a wavering quality. That something might have been important, probably was going to be important - it might have even been the breakthrough he needed to maybe start to heal, if only a little. But he stops himself and lets go of his own hold on Sam's arm.

"... if I figure out a place that needs recon, you'll know it." He settles on keeping it to business.

Once all the things that threaten to break him down are dealt with, Bucky sits right back down in that chair in front of that wall of possible targets for all the grief and anguish he's trying so hard to channel into nothing but white hot rage. The EPA and their leader might just feel the chill of Winter breathing down their necks.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
As Sam moves to leave, Sara offers him the briefest of nods before her eyes go back to Bucky. So close... he was so close and then slipped back into the dark.

When the man moves to sit himself down, she shakes her head just a little then walks back to the kitchen chair she had placed just out of the living room, but in a place to keep an eye on things. It was her perch, her place to sit and watch and wait.

Sam Wilson has posed:
He doesn't really want to leave, but Sam knows when to read the room and exfil. Dropping his own hand down, he catches Sara's eyes. "Nice seeing you again, Sara. And thanks." he offers to her, before he turns, giving Lili another pat. "And you, the goodest girl, you keep taking care of Bucky." A little smile and then he makes his way out of the aparte, closing the door behind him.