sentinel of liberty ;

steve rogers; captain america; 95, not dead. 'the price of freedom is high it always has been, and it's a price I'm willing to pay. and if I'm the only one, then so be it. but I'm willing to bet I'm not.'

[agentalexreed]

The eerie, quiet feeling that fell upon the room as Alex tried to speak was nerve wracking, to say the least. But…then again, she had just burst into the conference room with the Avengers present, Director Fury and Coulson – of course she was going to be given the cold shoulder, so to speak. Though, the constant frown that was smeared over Phil’s face was discouraging; he clearly wasn’t impressed with her, but she couldn’t let an innocent man get put down, right? Well, brainwashed, somewhat innocent – it didn’t matter. All the agents knew the stories about Captain America and his best friend, Bucky Barnes, best friends until the end. It made Alex think of her relationship with her best friend, Riley, and how if it were the two of them in the situation Steve was in with Bucky – there’d be no way in hell she’d let anyone harm her, so this was Alex’s way of making up for the want – no, the need to put a stop to The Winter Soldier by means of death. That was something the young agent appreciated about S.H.I.E.L.D, death was never really an option, only in an extreme circumstance, so clearly a brainwashed-by-Hydra Bucky Barnes classified as an extreme circumstance, but the team hadn’t exhausted every option yet, and that’s why Alex couldn’t help but interrupt in the conference room. “I’ll do it— whatever you need me to do. If it’s gon’ save Buck’s life, ‘m all ears, ma’am.” Raising a brow in the Captain’s direction, the brunette was impressed. “Alright, so Cap is on my side – does that mean I get to finish my impromptu presentation?” Alex asked, with a little bit of sass being directed at Coulson, before directing her attention to Fury as he perked up. “Let’s hear the girl out, she’s obviously eager to get her point across; what harm could it do?” The fact that Nicholas J Fury was on her side and wanted to know what her plan was, gave Alex an instant confidence boost – something that was definitely needed in the presence of the Avengers. “Oh, go on, Reed,” Coulson commented, finally giving in, which caused an automatic smile to form over her face. “Let’s do it,” she replied, beaming as she took a few steps towards the table to place the device within clear view of everyone; so she could explain all the functions and have every person in the room on the same page, rather than going back and forth. “Okay, so this is the…shit, I haven’t actually come up with a name for it. Whatever, now isn’t the time, anyway. This device is a demo that I knocked up over the last few days, since eavesdropping on Coulson and finding out about The Winter Soldier.” “– the fact that death seems to be the most obvious answer for this guy – without any other attempts at rescuing him – and yes I’m using the word rescue, since it’s clear he’s been a prisoner of Hydra for, well, just under a hundred years…” Trailing off, Alex had to pause and collect her thoughts, shifting her gaze to and from Phil, Fury, Steve, Tony, Natasha, Clint, Thor and Bruce, hoping they were all following. “I’m getting way off track, aren’t I?” She mumbled, mainly to herself. Alex had been known to get too invested in missions, and ramble…just a little, so mentally, she was reigning herself in to not look like an idiot in front of the heroic and now iconic members of S.H.I.E.L.D. “Why don’t we try a different approach? One that saves a life? We can disable his strengths and turn them to weaknesses; we can bring him in and put him in a cell until we’re able to fix him. What gives The Winter Solider the upper hand?” “His mechanically enhanced arm,” Thor perked up, stating the obvious – which was what she wanted, though, it was typical Thor fashion; blunt and to the point. Asgardian’s were some of her favorite beings to interact with, she found the way they found Earth and the human way fascinating. “Exactly, and that’s what this does – it’ll disable any use of his mechanics, making him basically human, with human strength…and humans are easy to bring in.” Watching from the corner of her eye, Alex watched as Coulson came closer, obviously impressed with what she was saying. He hovered over her shoulder to inspect her device a little more. “You did this in three days?” He asked, shifting his hues to look at her. “Mhm,” the girl replied, proud of her work. “How does it disable the arm?” Tony interrupted. “You haven’t mentioned that yet, Agent?” “Reed, Agent Reed, and I was just getting to that, Mr. Stark – it’s simple, really, all I have to do is attach and activate it.” “And how are you going to get close enough to do that?” Shooting Tony an unimpressed look, again, it soon softened – she knew it was coming, and she knew majority of the team wouldn’t be accepting of what she had to say next. Which was why she looked at Steve, focusing in on him. He was her key to being able to do this mission, it was his heartstrings she needed to pull at, using Bucky – he would be the one that would be on her side and help convince the others that they at least needed to try, and she would succeed. “I have to get close enough to the arm…” Alex said, softly, looking down for a moment, before back up. “If I get close enough to attach it while he’s not expecting it, I can make a run for cover and activate it from a distance, it’s just getting it on there.” “Why can’t we attach it to one of Clint’s arrows and do it that way?” Natasha spoke, arms folded over her chest. “Oh, I…uh, it doesn’t work like that, it needs to be manually placed and…I’m the only one who can do it.” Swallowing the newly formed lump in her throat, Alex awaited the full reactions of those in the room, though she couldn’t help but look up at Steve.

[captnrxgers]

A perpetual frown seemed to be etched onto his face, the lines making him look a lot older and worrisome. But after all, he was technically about ninety-something but the jokes revolving around his age had finally seemed to cease in the past couple of months. Most things didn’t make sense to him-- but it didn’t make him any less intelligent than his fellow Avengers, it just made him a man who’d been trapped in ice for about seventy years and was still trying his best to grasp concepts they’d grown into. Still, with his arms crossed over his chest, he eyed the device with a certain amount of trepidation. He’d only seen Stark fling around weapons and creations before this-- be it Tony or Howard, and he’d also seen the destruction they could cause. Destruction he always seemed to have to stop before the world came crumbling down. He didn’t trust technology, but his own plan included capturing Bucky so he could sit him down and bring back his memories and so far, it was the least feasible plan because no one had the strength or the ability to capture the Winter Soldier. 

As the conversation rotated around the device, everyone else speaking up and giving their two cents, he watched their reactions. Not everyone wanted to save him-- it wasn’t really top priority for them. He’d fought along these people, he would willingly give up his life for them, and yet when he needed them to help him save his best friend they put up their hands and said they couldn’t. And yet, here was an agent he’d never seen before and she was willing to do whatever it took to help him, it almost reminded him of the fire he’d seen once a long time ago in a woman who’d taught him everything about being a soldier. 

Snapping out of his thoughts, he watched Stark question the girl, confusion swimming in his bright blue eyes because for the first time since she’d barged into the room unannounced, she looked truly uncomfortable. “Oh, I…uh, it doesn’t work like that, it needs to be manually placed and…I’m the only one who can do it.” Finally opening his mouth as though he had something to say, he closed it immediately, pressing his eyes closed for a moment to process his thoughts. Clearing his awfully dry throat, he shook his head, opening his eyes to find everyone in the room looking at him, awaiting a reaction, some orders, anything. Although Fury was the top authority when it came to anything regarding S.H.I.E.L.D., they couldn’t forget that Steve was still the leader of the Avengers and decisions regarding their actions couldn’t be made without him. 

And that’s where it all became difficult. He wanted to save Bucky-- more than anything, he wanted to save Bucky and everyone knew that. But from the looks of it, this Agent hadn’t spent a day in the field, probably a new recruit, probably better with technology. Not that she would go in unarmed, but to send a novice Agent into the field against the Winter Soldier would be the worst decision because there was no way she would walk out of there alive. And yet, she claimed to be the only person who could fix the device, which was currently the only solution to their problem. And it seemed it would be the only solution infinitely, considering they’d been at it for days. But he’d made up her mind, the second she’d said she was the only one who could do it.

“I can’t let you do that, ma’am. Thank you for your... help, Agent, but we’ll figure somethin’ else out.” Steve nodded sternly, and the rest of the team eventually turned away, presumably wondering what they would do next.

[agentalexreed]

All of SHIELD had been going nuts, The Winter Solider was terrorizing civilians working for Hydra, and Coulson continued to hold meeting with The Avengers on how they were going to disable the masked man, who had been dubbed a ghost. Of course, Alex snuck herself into the conference room to get a better idea of where The Avengers were at with stopping him and how they were planning to terminate the threat like they had all been taught – that was, until she overheard Captain America, aka Steve Rodgers explain that it was his childhood best friend, Bucky Barnes, and how killing him off wasn’t an option. This was new information that the other SHIELD agents wouldn’t be given, and it was something Alex needed to use to her advantage. See, Alex was what some would call impulsive, she went with the first thing that came to mind, whether it was behind a computer screen or out on the field, but she liked to see herself as being quick on her feet, something that was credited for saving her life multiple times over the last three years. Keeping her head down and muttering to herself, Alex made it back to her station and immediately sat down at her laptop, making up a blue print for a weapon to use against The Winter Soldier. Of course, it didn’t take the brunette long to come up with a demo model, two days at the most, with her head buried in the project, barely seeing any other being during its construction. As she assessed the final product, a smile formed over her face, satisfied with herself.  Alex had come up with a device that when latched on to metal and activated, electricity would shortage the accessibility of the metal; in this instance, a mechanically engineered arm, which was what gave Bucky the edge over the other SHIELD agents and Avengers. Though, with her device, it’d be shut down completely, leaving him as human as what she was, and SHIELD would be able to take him down, and bring him into a stable facility, ready for questioning – and this way, Steve’s best friend wouldn’t be killed in the process. The only problem was, since Alex couldn’t replicate Bucky’s metal arm, there was no way to fully test he prototype out. She frowned, exhaling through her nose as she knew that it’d be a hard point to sell Coulson on, and allow her to go into the field, get close enough to attach and activate it, seeing as she’d be the only one able to do so. That alone put enough risk on her life, and knowing Agent Coulson like she did; she knew he’d never agree to letting her do it alone. Taking the small object in her hands, Alex briskly walked through the corridors on what she called, the ‘spaceship’, determined to show Phil what she had created, and began putting together her pitch in her head. Being in her own little world, Alex didn’t even realize she was being stopped in her tracks by another agent, who was guarding the doors to the conference room. “Agent Reed, what do you think you’re doing?” The male asked, glaring down at her. “Uhh,” quickly, she found his name badge. Agent Miller. “I’ll ask you again, Agent Reed – what are you doing? You know you’re not allowed in there, though I suppose I have you to thank for this new position.” Alex’s brow creased, her hues looking into his. “Well…Agent Miller, you see – I have to get this to Coulson,” holding up her device in front of Miller’s face, so that he could see she was there with a purpose, rather than to eavesdrop. “It’s important, it’s classified, and by what’s stated on your badge, you aren’t high enough in the rankings to know about it just yet…” She trailed off, before holding her badge up in front of him. “But you see, I am, and I’m higher than you, so you need to get out of my way, okay?” Rankings were something no agent could ignore, and seeing as Alex was two levels higher than Agent Miller, it made her task of getting in to the conference room much easier. Pushing the doors open and allowing herself in, she heard the room succumb to silence, with all eyes on her. “Phil – I mean, Agent Coulson, I need to show you this.” Instantly, he raised his hand in protest. “Not now, Reed, if you can’t see we’re a little busy.” It didn’t take long at all for Alex to cut Phil off, knowing that what she had was probably more than what they could all brainstorm together. “I know it’s about The Winter Soldier! I made this, it’s a disabling device. What’s the one thing he has over all of us? His arm. What’s his arm made out of? Metal. What does my device do? It disables any metal function once it’s activated…at least, I think.” Alex could feel the eyes of The Avengers burning into her, as Coulson looked less than impressed. “You think? We don’t have room for any errors, Agent Reed. Tell me it works or leave the room, please. This is important.” Alex walked around the table of assassins, aliens and enhanced humans, whether it be mechanically or via testing, her eyes looking at each and every one of them before stopping in front of Coulson. “Phil, you don’t understand, it’ll work – I promise,” she nodded, trying to be as convincing as possible without knowing exactly what her creation would do. “If it shuts down metal, you’d better keep it away from me, kiddo,” Tony Stark perked up, tapping his chest plate while trying to be a smartass, as per usual. Alex rolled her eyes, Tony was never able to get on her good side, the two would constantly bicker when they were in the same room, but that seemed to be the norm, he just rubbed some people the wrong way. “Well, I could always test it on you, it’d surely shut you up,” she shot back with ease. Her attention turned back to Coulson, who was seemingly still not convinced – she needed a different in. It was then, she looked at Steve, taking a few steps towards the Captain, holding the device out in her hands. “This could save Bucky’s life, Steve. This means he won’t by physically harmed, but rather, short circuited. Think of it as a black out with electricity; you can’t do anything in the dark, can you?” She chuckled, nervously. “This could mean he doesn’t have to die.” Pulling out the death card with his best friend, Alex knew he’d side with her, what other option was there? Standing up straight, she looked at Coulson once more. “I just need to get close enough to attach and activate it, but if you have another idea, I’m all ears.”

[captnrxgers]

Steve banged his tightened fists against the table, the room finally going silent for the first time in about an hour, each set of eyes turning to pay attention to the frustrated Captain. Blue swiveled around the room, capturing every eye for a brief second before finally landing on Natasha— the only one who knew. She watched him shift around, nodding slightly as if to saygo ahead, because if you don’t do it, I will. Nodding stiffly and with a certain air of authority, he made his way to the front of the table, Fury stepping back with no questions asked because when the captain meant business, you get out of the way. Running a hand over his face, a small puff of breath flew out of his lips as he cleared his throat. “Killing the Winter Soldier is not on the table, we need to figure out another way to take him down. And if anyone goes against this, I’ll fight you myself,” Steve practically growled the last bit, images of Bucky falling off that train still haunted him, and probably always will. Holding up his hand before Tony would protest or interject with a snarky comment, he shook his head, fire in his eyes. “We’re not going to kill him, because the Winter Soldier— he, he’s Bucky. Bucky was—” “your best friend? Back in the day? Yeah, we all know the story, buddy,” Steve frowned, throwing his best authoritative look over at Tony for the interruption before continuing. “Yes, Bucky was more than just my friend, a lot more than just my left hand at battle— he was my brother,” he concluded, looking back at Fury, “and killing him was off the table.”

Dragging his feet through the one bedroom apartment, Steve stared at the bathroom tiles dejectedly. After an hour of fiery debating, he’d finally convinced the team that they’d figure out a way to capture him, even if it meant Steve wouldn’t make it out. There was no way he was losing his best friend again, especially not when he could do something to change it. Splashing his face with cold water, he flinched as images from his past continued to haunt him— he could’ve done something. No matter how many times he replayed that scenario in his head, it always ended with Bucky falling to his death and his heart dropping down with him. And still, when he finally went to bed, all he did was writhe against the sheets helplessly, reaching out for a hand that would never reach his own before waking up screaming— covered in his own sweat and the deep-seated feeling of guilt and regret.

But that was just another day in the life of Steve Rogers, and the next day, he was back at work, seated in his assigned chair as he swiveled a pen between his fingers, trying his best to look alive when all he wanted to do was rip apart every single person who’d had any hand in turning Bucky into what he was. Only then, it seemed, he’d have any sort of peace of mind. When Bucky looked at him like he wasn’t a stranger, only then he’d have any sort of hope for his redemption. It was hard for him, a lot harder than he let anyone see, and it definitely took a toll on him in every possible. Not only had the bags under his eyes grown tenfold, he found himself looking over his shoulder every few minutes, paranoid. Paranoia had never been an issue with Steve, in fact, there wasn’t a single situation involving war that would cause him to flinch. But with every bit of his subconscious haunting him with Bucky, he didn’t know how much he trusted himself at this point.

And yet, he sat quietly in that conference room, watching them all argue and bicker and all he gave back was silence, Sam and Natasha fighting his fight for them because they truly seemed to be the only ones who grasped how important Bucky was to him. Well, them and Phil— for obvious reasons of course. But it seemed to be a battle they were desperately losing. From what he could see, and from the many ideas flung back and forth, there really was no way to but an end to the Winter Soldier without putting an end to Bucky, and if that really was the case, he’d go down with him, and that was one thing that wasn’t up for debate. The yelling just seemed to get louder by the second, bogging down on him and pushing him to the point of frustration that caused him to leap out of his chair, arms crossed over his broad shoulders as he wandered over to the large window, staring out into the expanse of the city, his mind wandering back to the past. It was all so different now, so altered.

A sharp voice brought him out of his daydream, blinking rapidly at the source standing in front of him. Frowning, he looked over at Coulson, almost as if to say who is this again? And why aren’t we doing what she wants? Receiving just a nod as a reply, he looked back down at the girl, nodding with an air of understanding. “I’ll do it— whatever you need me to do. If it’s gon’ save Buck’s life, ‘m all ears, ma’am.”