She had common sense. He appreciates that. Admitting to what everyone already knows, or at least suspects, when it comes to aiding⊠he imagines Natasha would chastise him. Transparency, though. It will earn respect, if not trust. Thereâs still a chance heâll walk out of there expecting them to come after him, and thereâs a part that even wants to challenge her to.
Not that he wants it to come to that. Fontaine has been cordial thus far, and heâll take no pleasure in making her job more difficult if he decides he has to.
If it was up to him? Steve would have been tempted to lay all the cards on the table. Tell her about Pierce, about⊠everything. Again, Fontaine was intelligent⊠she seemed more savvy than her colleagues. When it came to The Fridge? Steveâs sure it was unexpected, but heâs not convinced sheâs surprised. During the Cold War, there was a theory that one man in the right place at the right time⊠with the right skills⊠could be more effective than an army.
Fontaine certainly would have heard about that theory, no?
December 16th, 1991. Ten days before the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Interesting timing, there⊠it had to be noted.
( Pierce became the Winter Soldierâs handler not long after that. Pierce was corrupt, a traitor. He wanted to scream it. They held vigils for him, praised him and held him up, meanwhile the media had the nerve to call Bucky a traitor and rake him over the coals⊠meanwhile they held up the man who tortured him and forced him to commit so many atrocities. )
She mentions Fury, and she mentions Maria and Sharon⊠how they had covered for Barnes, andâŠ
  âI was aware that Hill approached him. Not the particulars of what was discussed, but the end result. There are some things Barnes doesnât tell even me, and I trust he has his reasons.â He knew a bit, but not everything. Again, he can almost picture Natasha rolling her eyes. He knows enough. Theyâll want to know what he does know, they may want to call inquiries. Question if heâs withholding information.
She mentions Buckyâs dignity, and he has to stifle a laugh. The press has all but tried to rob him of that, hasnât he? âŠStill. The chance for him to turn himself in, alive⊠stand trial⊠it is preferable to being shot dead on sight. For him at least.
His eyes flicker down to the report, Hillâs report. âS.H.I.E.L.D is all that you say it is, but itâs also a joint government organization. You speak of accountability, while not even considering corruption. I mean no personal disrespect, but the Accords? That wasnât about accountability, that was about shifting the blame. It was about bureaucracy. What if we needed to go someplace we felt we needed to go, but we were forbidden from doing so? If Iâm not mistaken, Nick Fury felt the same way as I do. Bogota. He disobeyed orders, and as a result saved 25 lives. Was promoted to Director.âÂ
( Pierceâs attitudes toward diplomacy shifted as a result, and that is likely when he was recruited by HYDRA. )
   ( You start with something pure. Something exciting. Then come the mistakes, the compromises. We create our own demons.
âŠ.Tony could be really profound when he wanted to be.)
âS.H.I.E.L.D as it stands today is a far cry from the organization founded by Margaret Carter and Howard Stark. America is different⊠the world is different. All Iâve ever wanted is to do the right thing, Madame Secretary⊠but in this day and age? Itâs hard to be sure of what exactly that is. Everyone has their own opinion. I will take all of this under consideration, Secretary Fontaine. Now, I can try to convince you to reconsider⊠but without anything solid, I understand that you probably wonât. That you canât. I understand that you have a job, a duty and an obligation. We both do. To do what we each think is right. Youâre asking me to be objective and think about whatâs right, and I promise you, that until my dying breath, I will do what I believe is right. Now, I may be wrong. Itâs happened before⊠and if thatâs the case? If you have to bring me in? I hope it doesnât come to that, but if it does, Iâll understand. Iâm sure Barnes will as well. Iâll ask him if heâll consider turning himself in, and depending on his answer⊠then Iâll have to make the tough calls. Then youâll have to decide if youâll want to arrest me for not bringing him in personallyâŠ.â
Wetting his lips, he closes the file and slides it back across the table. âThe press may crucify us both, but you see, it doesnât matter what the press says. Doesnât matter what the politicians say. Doesnât matter if the whole country decides that itâs wrong is something right. This nation was founded on one principle above all else: The requirement that we stand up for what we believe, no matter the odds or the consequences. When the whole world tells you to move, your job is to stand your ground, and tell the whole world â âNo, YOU move.â⊠and I think⊠that you understand that. I think thatâs exactly what weâre doing here, only weâre doing so civilly. Weâre asking each other to bend, to move, to reconsider. Youâre reminding me of all the reasons I should, and at the moment, I cannot disclose the reasons why you should. Iâm not even aware of all of them. See, itâs not a matter of distrust in regards to you⊠itâs a matter of faith in regards to him. Iâm standing up for what I believe in. Iâm not sure I believe in this country anymore, nor this organization. I believe in Bucky Barnes. I believe in Captain America.â
That said, if he found himself a fugitive once more⊠there are other personal relationships that he was only starting to mend, that would likely crumble. The Avengers, they had their fair share of bad PR as of late. He may not care what the press says, butâŠÂ â I cannot understate this, my stance is not that of The Avengers. I speak only for myself in regards to all of this. Representing myself, and only myself. The bottom line here is if my faith in one man⊠my oldest friend, is worth it to me. Becoming a fugitive once more. The trust of my nation, and the world⊠and my team, and my friends. If Iâm willing to throw all that away for him, on faith. Is it too much to expect some allotted time to consider that question, or do you require an immediate response?â
Ah, and there it is: the man who led others into and out of war. On paper? Itâs an acceptable fact, one easily taken for granted-- sheâd pointed out as much to the Daily Bugle. But you donât really get it until youâre on the receiving end of it, something you feel more than realize.
     ( yes, she sees why people would go to hell and back with Steve Rogers )
She watches as he slides the thickly bound files back across the table.
   âYes, I imagine Nick would agree with you regarding the Accords.â Valentina allows a flicker of a smirk to pass across her features-- the patient drum of her fingertips against her knee. âI was onsite for the BogotĂĄ mission.... Negotiations werenât working, and werenât going to-- Alexander was too close to the situation. A lot of innocent people owe their lives to Nickâs decision to fly against orders, and perhaps in the years that followed S.H..I.E.L.D. became better because of it...but it canât be like that all the time, can it? The very foundations of our society, our government, of this organization, are built on order. Without it you have anarchy-- rogue soldiers and intelligence agents.... You disobey orders to do what you feel is right time after time after time, at what point do you become what youâre fighting against?â
Itâs a rhetorical question, and definitely not one aimed for him-- but he can view it that way if he wishes.
     ( it applies, certainly )
   âLike I said, Iâm not those who sat here before me. You can walk out of this building knowing I wonât give the order to detain you as soon as you step foot outside my office. And as much as Iâd like an immediate answer...well, Iâm familiar enough with the notion that you canât get blood from a stone to know it applies here. The decisionâs yours, Captain, and wonât affect your teammates so long as they arenât involved.â
Her eyes narrow only a fraction, thoughts lingering over his words-- his possibly vain promise to ask Barnes to turn himself in, the reasons he canât disclose. Now would be the time to talk, wouldnât it?Â
     ( say something )
Valentina crosses her legs, jiggling her foot once, twice.
   âItâs interesting though, isnât it? Barnes turned himself in once before-- not after the Helicarrier crash. Which you claim he wasnât responsible for. And not after Secretary Pierce was killed. Which you claim he also wasnât responsible for.... But he turns himself in after a Senator is found dead-- and itâs not the fire that killed him. No. Itâs blunt force trauma. So you have two very high profile events, with digital recordings and ballistics placing Barnes at the scene, and then you have this significant yet swept under the rug murder with no evidence placing him there whatsoever. I mean--â and she doesnât quite scoff, but itâs close â--if it werenât for dental records, we might have never IDâed the body.â
   She gestures, open-handed, as if said evidence is before their eyes in this very room, before allowing her hands to fall back into place, palms resting on her knee.
   âIâm nothing if not loyal, so I understand your predicament. But, blind loyalty? Thatâs deadly.â
