he had it coming [closed]

[youbarium]

Who | Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, and Carlos
What | Misery loves company. Misery has company. Misery has no choice but to put up with company.
Where | Their holding cell.
When | After the jailbreak.
Warnings/Notes | Mentions of torture.


Here is a list of good things about the situation:

- Carlos still has his glasses.
- Carlos still has his lab coat.
- Carlos is no longer being interrogated.
- Carlos's arms are no longer cuffed behind his back.

Here is a list of the bad things about the situation:

- Carlos has a very painful brand on his temple, near his right eye.
- Carlos doesn't know where the other prisoners are.
- Carlos doesn't know if they're okay. Probably not.

Carlos's mind categorizes all these pros and cons neatly into little rows. It's important to keep stock of his situation. It's important to see everything around him realistically. A clear perception of reality was part of being a scientist. His body might be sore, bleeding and bruised, but his mind -- his mind is clear. Right?

Then, two people are brought into his cell and placed on the far sides of forcefields, and Carlos mentally retracts the last two items on his list. Now he only doesn't know where most of the other prisoners are. The list breaks even, though, because the presence of Steve and Bucky definitely counts as a bad thing. Not that he minds the company. The company is nice. But Carlos would rather have Steve and Bucky out there free than in here with him. Carlos looks over through the force fields at his brand-new cellmates.

"Hi, Steve."

He says it tiredly, but not sadly. Really, Carlos just sounds worn out. He looks worn out.

Comments

[aboveangrybees]

Steve isn't an easy man to subdue, the peacekeepers had to beat him near unconscious to capture him. Even then, half the reason he gave in was because of Bucky, of not wanting to fall unconscious and leave the man to fend for himself. To deal with this alone when it wasn't his idea to do this in the first place. No, he followed Steve here and it was Steve's fault his friend was in this mess and suffering this pain. So, in the end, Steve decided a tactical surrender was best, as much as it bruised his pride to do it.

Though holding onto consciousness was difficult at first, the branding - on his left cheek just edging his mouth and nose - gave him the shot of adrenaline needed to be fully awake and aware by the time they hauled them both to the cell.

Well, at least they still were able to reach the man they meant to come here for, even if it wasn't exactly the way they originally intended. His eyes move over what he can see of Carlos, trying to take in the man's state the best he can before replying, though when he does, he speaks primarily from the right side of his mouth.

"Hey, Carlos," there's a pause before he keeps on, exponentially more deadpan now, "I see they're treating you well."

For the moment, he gives himself the time to breathe as he sits up tenderly, then he'll move to check on each of them. But for a moment, just a moment, he can let himself breathe through the pain and overcome it.

[tookthewheel]

When they took them down the Soldier's instinct had been to protect Steve, something that went beyond the mission, that went deeper inside of him. But even they, the Captain and the Soldier, as good as they were, had not been enough to stop the flood of peacekeepers into the cellblock. They had been overwhelmed, the only way to stop men such as them without lethal force.

He had still fought as long as Steve had, left a swathe of broken bones and bruises in his wake and only stopped when the man he'd chosen to follow surrendered. The words MISSION FAILED blew up red and bright in his mind, setting off a chain reaction of apprehension when they were both dragged away.

The stink of his own burned flesh fills up the small confined space he is shoved into quickly but it's not the worst thing he had thought they would do. He still knows, still knows himself and Steve and Carlos, the one they'd come to try and save, the man who'd listened when Bucky told him not to touch his arm. He knows where he is and the past two months are still there to recall in his mind.

It's the only comforting thing.

The sound of Carlos and Steve registers dimly at first, as if through a fog he has to pull himself out of to pay attention. Slowly he begins inching as close to the forcefield separating them as he dares and allows his gaze to roam the cell, searching for weaknesses that don't exist in its structure.

[youbarium]

"Actually, they were treating me a lot worse." Carlos rolls his shoulders and stretches his arms out in front of him, a luxury he hasn't had for the past week or two. "This isn't so bad. I have my arms free. That's nice." His tone is one of genuine appreciation for the fact that he can move his arms.

[aboveangrybees]

Steve feels his jaw tighten to hear it was worse before now, especially when he looks at Carlos and he doesn't exactly look to be in great shape. He should have gotten the man out of here, not caught.

"Maybe the flood of people got them to let up," he figures if he and Bucky got caught, good chance other people did too. He hopes Stark and Banner were able to get out, that James got Natasha too.

He scoots closer to the force field, he can feel the hair on his arms raise being this close. Probably not fun to touch. Still, he looks past Carlos to Bucky, clenching his jaw on an apology for getting the man involved.

[tookthewheel]

Bucky's knelt up on his knees and it's a good thing his hair was cut or it'd have gotten stuck into the weeping wound on his face by now with the way he keeps swivelling his head, getting more and more frustrated as he comes up empty handed. Steve is here and hurt, their target is here and hurt, the space is small and confining and the forcefields are unbreakable.

When he turns his gaze back to his cellmates he finds Steve distressingly close but still out of reach. "I can't see a way out." he reports, bowing his head as he says it, shoulders hunching up when he hisses in pain from talking.

[youbarium]

Flood of people? Carlos thinks. How many people were involved with this rescue? But Carlos says nothing, because asking Steve for information like that could get the people who hadn't been caught in trouble.

"Be careful," Carlos warns, looking from Steve to Bucky. "Those forcefields are really strong. They won't stop your heart, but they will hurt if you touch them. I don't think we can get out," he goes on, looking at Bucky over his shoulder, "but they'll probably let us out for the Arena. So, this can't go on that much longer, right?"

[aboveangrybees]

Steve wouldn't have said much more anyway, he's not sure who all got out and who didn't, so he wouldn't risk it. But it was pretty obvious a lot of people were involved, especially considering if anyone got out with any of the captives.

With a small sigh he gives a nod in Bucky's direction at the report. He wants so badly to reach out to Bucky and help the man, but seems he can't. All he can do is eye the forcefield. Before Carlos said anything, he'd wanted to test it out, get to both of them, but the man knows well enough, having been here longer than them. So, he'll take his word.

"Doubt they'll pass up able bodies for the arena," talking hurts like hell, but that doesn't stop him from doing it. Not for the moment at least.

[tookthewheel]

The response sets the tension higher in the Soldier shoulders. He turns back to the space where they shoved him inside the cell, eye balling it angrily for a long moment as Steve and Carlos exchange words before with a snarl he slams his left fist into the door, metal resounding off metal with a terribly loud clang.

He can't break the forcefield, maybe the door.

But whatever it is is strong and the jolt that resounds back up into his shoulder is enough to rock him backwards, perilously close to touching the forcefield until he regains his balance barely in time.

[youbarium]

Carlos starts as Bucky stumbles, reaching for the force field -- then drawing his hand back. "Hey, be careful!" His voice is concerned -- the first real negative emotion to show in Carlos's voice all conversation. "It's probably better if we sit quietly," he goes on, resigned to it but not hopeless. His manner is seriously not upset enough for this situation. "They're watching us more closely than ever, and without help, I really don't think there's a way out of here. Even with our hands free it's--"

Then, Carlos looks at his hand. He looks at his hand like he's seeing it for the first time.

"Wait a moment -- my hands are free. My hands are free. Now I can record my results!"

No one has the right to sound that happy in a Capitol cell. Carlos stumbles -- he would have jumped if he were in better shape, but it's a stumble -- to his feet and crosses to one wall of the cell.

[aboveangrybees]

Steve shoots up to standing, letting himself get close enough to feel the force field electrify the hair on his arms. The sound of Bucky's hand connecting with the door echos in his ears, the sight of his friend losing some control discomforting. It feels like the man could easily fall into being a caged animal right now.

"Hey, Buck, just try to settle down a little," his voice is steady, unhurried, a technique he learned from his mom helping him through attacks and with panicking soldiers. "Carlos is right, they're watching us, forcing our way out isn't gonna do us any good right now, we just need to sit tight," his voice holds a lingering for now, not that he believes it, but if there's a chance, Steve very well might take it.

Besides, he really doubts they'll get medical attention here, so no use in Bucky hurting himself.

He's about to continue when Carlos distracts him, his eyebrows lifting at the man's display. He doesn't see any chalk or anything the man could write with, so the fact he's talking about recording information is concerning. Because he's fully aware what the man might end up using. There's only so many options left.

"Results?"

[youbarium]

"Yeah," says Carlos, with more cheer than anyone had the right to feel in his situation. "I've been participating in experiments for over two weeks now and I haven't been able to record any of it."

This is what he told himself, at the beginning: Carlos told himself it was an experiment that he was participating in willingly, to make himself feel less powerless. It was like when scientists made stinging insects attack them so that they could record how painful the sting was. This was for science. This was for knowledge.

But it isn't science until you write it down.

"Luckily I -- I remember the whole thing," he says. His voice only shakes slightly.

Carlos looks around, one last time, for something to write with. You know, just in case he won't have to use blood.

There is nothing.

But there is a cut on his arm that has only been loosely bandaged.

[tookthewheel]

He stops, turning to look back at Steve and then down at his cybernetic hand. Bucky flexes the fingers, rolls his shoulder and feels the protest where weaker human flesh has suffered. His human fingers wrap around a metal wrist and grip tight as he swallows, trying to use the hold as a way to focus himself.

No use. It's not right, he should be able to do it, he's sure he's done it before in places he can't remember.

Again he looks at Steve and swallows. Orders, commands, he can follow them. He manages to nod, gripping his wrist tighter.

"... experiments?" he looks sharply at Carlos.