Why would the CIA have orders to ‘shoot on sight’ and suddenly be replaced by the GSG 9?
“They were going to kill Bucky!”
There were murmurs of confusion through the courtroom after Steve Rogers’ exclamation.
Matt could have slapped himself… or Steve, if the lawyer thought that it would do any good.
The Devil from Hell’s Kitchen told his client countless times not to say that little phrase that he so vehemently believed. Not only because James Barnes was alive and well and without a single broken bone while almost a dozen of German officers were hospitalized, most with life altering injuries… and those were the lucky ones, eight others were in the morgue. But also because, try as he might, Murdock could find no evidence of a kill order anywhere else but in Rogers’ and Wilson’s head and supposedly out of Sharon Carter’s mouth…who was nowhere to be seen and therefor couldn’t even testify against or in favor on this nightmare.
Matt sighed and slumped back in his chair. The prosecution had all ammunition they needed for the Bucharest round now. There was nothing more he could do about the disaster in Romania besides wait for them to skin Rogers alive. Not that he had much material to work to begin with, but still. Matt was not idiotic enough to believe he could get his client free of charges and jail time, but he was hoping to at least mitigate. Oh, well. He could only wait until they reached what took place in Berlin to speak anything worthwhile anymore.
Jennifer Walters was someone he deeply respected not only as a person but also as lawyer. They weren’t exactly friends, they wouldn’t be on opposite sides of a courtroom if they were, but they did frequent a few of the same events and this is the first time in literal two decades since the woman passed the Bar Exam and they were introduced that Murdock was witnessing her being speechless.
The silence wouldn’t last long… and neither would Rogers.
And sure enough, Jennifer collected herself. Matt could sense her accelerated heartbeat and recognized excitement and amusement that were minutely shaking her voice even if he was a hundred and ten percent sure that her expression showed none of it. He knew when someone was struggling not to blab like a flustered teenager. Most people would be surprised that most cutthroat, cold-blooded lawyers even experienced that feeling, but who wouldn’t when they knew they had the absolute winning cards and were just playing the waiting game?
“Kill Sargent Barnes?” Matt couldn’t help but be impressed with Jennifer’s acting skills. She managed to make her voice just confused enough to incite what would be the guillotine order from Steve.
And Matt could only close his eyes when his client gave just what the prosecution wanted. Well, might as well, Steve already gave almost everything Thaddeus Ross wanted without the man even having to make an effort for it. The only thing missing was an unconscious-and-ready-for-transportation-Bruce-Banner and Ross would probably kiss Rogers in the mouth.
“Yes!” Hopeful, relieved and vindicated.
Murdock remembered the same tone of voice being used when he said that there is speculation that the officers sent inside the building were mostly German in hopes of triggering Barnes, “Bucky is an innocent, trapped inside his own mind and has horrible memories of the past. They even sent Germans just to provoke Bucky!”
Matt shouldn’t have eaten that extra taco. It wouldn’t look good once it came back out.
Foggy discreetly put his hand on his arm, “Keep it together. You’re beginning to look green.” He whispered needlessly, Matt could feel the sweat forming and how light his head was. If he wasn’t white or blue, he was probably green. And not in the same way Jennifer and her cousin sometimes got.
Another a second-too-long of silence. Once again Rogers surprised the seasoned lawyer that Jennifer was by pretty much giftwrapping the whole deal. There were so many approaches to it that anyone else that frequented a good enough debate club in high school would be giddy like a dozen of red bulls and firing question after question to end it more quickly. But Walters remained in her chosen path and it was no wonder that Stark snagged her up for SI when she was still in law school.
“But why do you believe that the squad sent to apprehend Sargent Barnes had kill orders?”
“They were shooting him left and right and…”
“I am sorry for interrupting you, Mr. Rogers, but that’s not what I asked. You violated Romanian sovereign borders believing that Sargent Barnes’ life was in danger. Why do you believe that the squad sent to apprehend Sargent Barnes had kill orders?”
“I was told.” And for the first time since he met the man and a migraine was firmly throbbing away in his temples, Matt heard hesitation and care in the way Steve spoke.
Too bad that while Steve can convince pretty much anyone of anything because of seven decades of propaganda and his earnest nature and all American looks – how else someone as jaded as Tony Stark is fooled by a man living under his own roof for years, after all – when facing someone that was impressed by none of it and was viciously fighting him through manipulation or not, Steve was hopeless.
Between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark, no wonder Natalia Romanova had no idea whose boat to stay on.
On one hand, Steve never seemed to pay for anything, literally and figuratively, from mistakes to bills. Besides the fact that the man was ridiculously easy to manipulate and maneuver which only compounds to his apparent invulnerability.
One need to go no further than his teammates: Wilson, Maximoff and Lang, trusting them with monumental tasks when barely knowing a single thing about them. When one of them was an enemy not 24 hours before and another stole from his… teammate? Landlord? Whatever Steve calls Stark in his head and all three have only interacted with Steve for no more than a couple of hours. Barely even ten minutes in Lang’s case. Barton and Romanova worked for more than a full decade for SHIELD and yet they never noticed HYDRA and yet none of it seemed suspicious to Rogers. If not about their loyalty then about the way they do things that they never perceived neo-Nazis as their co-works… or perhaps their competence. So much for being the top spies SHIELD had to offer.
Uh, perhaps that was on purpose. If SHIELD have been infiltrated by HYDRA since the beginning, was it such a coincidence that someone with the bloody pasts that Romanova and Barton had were chosen for such a delicate project as the Avengers? While there were others perfectly loyal agents also available?
He digressed. On the other hand… well, Tony Stark and before him, SHIELD and before them, SSR, were the ones that covered said mistakes and bills. The ones truly aware knew the second part, but most people only ever saw the fake halo around Captain America’s head. People kept covering his mistakes, flaws and insecurities while magnifying the image of Captain America, so of course that for most the man did no wrong.
Well, joke’s on Romanova.
Without the base, the pyramid crumbled. When push comes to shove, Steve proved time and again that he was far from the ‘most brilliant tactician in history’. He was brilliant in increasing fighting spirit, but always quick to use physical confrontation even when the situation was far from reaching it. Captain America seemed truly inept to defend himself with words. He seemed to believe that saying ‘no’ would make the situation go away and he could go about his business.
But ‘words’ was today’s arena. One that Jennifer Walters exceled in, not doubt being informed of everything relevant by Tony Stark, who got away with something as out there as ‘privatizing world peace’ and having generals, colonels and even governors applauding him for it. Murdock knew that the other defendants would be watching this so their lawyers could build their own cases and having their clients aware of everything, and he could only imagine the look on Romanova’s face.
Then again, the woman didn’t notice the pattern of ‘saying no and hoping the problem goes away’…or even that HYDRA, the Red Room’s closest allies since its founding was right under her nose, so perhaps Matt was letting his imagination run a little too wild about her rumored abilities.
In the minutes that Matt was bemoaning the day he agreed to represent Rogers, Jennifer already got Sharon’s name. Not that it was a secret exactly. Anyone not living under a rock knew exactly who armed Rogers and his cohorts. Be it with information or with literal weapons. Nothing was ‘official’ yet, but by now no one will be shameless enough to even act surprised when Carter’s name comes up with abetting charges attached. It was useless on Rogers’ part and didn’t bode well for when they get to ‘accessory after the fact’, what with Rogers hiding Barnes’ involvement in the Starks’ murders just because the accused has personal connections to him.
“And what made you trust Sharon Carter’s information?” Jennifer clearly already knew the answer.
Stark would have long since spilled everything he could possibly have on both Carters but Peggy Carter and her association with Captain America weren’t exactly kept secret either. Matt could barely summon enough annoyance for whoever had the brilliant idea to put that tape where Rogers had a picture of Peggy Carter in his compass on exhibit in a museum, of all places, for anyone to see.
“I’ve known her for two years, through work and I have come to trust her.”
And Steve suddenly remembered the practiced phrases but by now it’s too late and Matt had no illusions that the Starks kept close watch on the Carters. No matter if the younger one wasn’t aware of SHIELD until he was close to his forties. And even that much Matt wasn’t sure if he bought. It seemed a little strange that a tycoon like Howard Stark, who climbed the social and economic ladder like it was part of the Olympics, left no info about it to his sole heir.
“Correct me if I am wrong, Mr. Rogers, but when you first met Ms. Carter, wasn’t she undercover as your neighbor nurse?”
“Yes.”
“And how long ago did you find out about her connection to Ms. Margaret ‘Peggy’ Carter?”
“Right at Peggy’s funeral.”
“Did you even have any contact with her between SHIELD’s fall and Ms. Peggy Carter’s funeral?”
The last part came from Stark, most likely. But the first tidbit probably came from all the files released in the web in 2014. Well, that’s some irony right there. The info dump was so vast that it was being constantly used against the so called ‘Rogues’.
Damn, without it, the public and Matt included wouldn’t even know about the Red Room and Barton’s criminal circus act or the Pym Particles or proof of Maximoff’s willingly volunteering for HYDRA. After all, aside from Hill, Stark and Banner, whose credibility weren't exactly high right after Ultron, the other Avengers refused to share that part of the story and now it blew up in their faces. Treat it like a dirty secret and it will be seen like one. At least that has to sting Romanova.
As difficult as that made his life right now, Matt had to smile at the ridiculous situation the Rogues found themselves in. The only one that wasn’t burned on Rogers’ side by it was Wilson. And another irony: Hank Pym filled his little 'Chosen One’s head with horror stories about the Starks, one of which is dead and the other he never even met, and how they would steal the Pym Particles. And yet, the ones Lang decided to follow were the ones that gave the New York Times everything SHIELD had on the Particles. Pym was unreasonable when it came to Starks and his Particles in the same sentence but he was smart enough to curse the right people in this stance.
“So how can you justify trusting the information illegally shared by an agent of CIA?”
“Like you said, Sharon is an agent of the CIA.”
And Jennifer smiled. Discreetly but very much there as evidenced by the slightest skip of heartbeat. Matt sighed again. This wasn’t the checkmate, just another slash – granted, a pretty big one – to drop more blood in shark filled waters.
“Didn’t you state that earlier this week you were made aware that the officers sent after Sargent Barnes were not from the UN but a German taskforce?”
“Yes.” Rogers was clearly confused to where this was going.
Given everything Steve had unwittingly shared and the questions Jennifer herself was making, Matt had a pretty good idea and could only curse himself for not thinking about it sooner. Then again: Matt was only expecting to mitigate Bucharest, he thought they could move to Berlin pretty quickly after a formal apology and a quick strategy in mentioning Sharon Carter’s involvement. Murdock lost count of how many times he repeated to Steve not to say ‘They were going to kill Bucky’. That was an accusation that had very little to no evidence and the Germans, not to mention the Romanians would not let it go. Matt knew that Jennifer would goad Steve into slipping so when it happened, he could only feel resigned. He maintains his first professional opinion: easy to manipulate.
“You stated before that it was your belief that they were deliberately chosen for their German citizenship?”
“Yes! I mean, not even I have very fond memories of armed men shouting in German and for Bucky that has be so much worse.”
By now Matt was too tired to care how much deeper Steve could dig the hole that was Bucharest. Not even Foggy’s incredulous waves were making a dent in the stupor he willed himself into.
Walters would unquestionably address all the pearls Steve was throwing around like candy. Nevertheless she was a woman in a warpath.
“Do you have knowledge about the GSG 9?”
The tight curves Jennifer was seemly making at random were visibly confusing Steve. And Matt had the stray thought that she learned that little tact from Stark. That man could talk anyone in circles and by the time they even noticed the ambush, the engineer already made a pretzel with the twists he gave.
“No.”
“You do not know what it is?”
“No.”
“It is the elite of the Police Tactical Unit of the German Federal Police. Their main goal is counterterrorism and law enforcement. The unit sent to apprehend Sargent Barnes was composed of its members, were you aware of that?”
“Well, no.”
“But you just said that it’s your belief that the agents sent after Sargent Barnes were chosen for being Germans and considering the circumstances the GSG 9’s involvement seems like a given fact.”
“Yes, I said that I just didn’t know about the… names.”
Was it uncharitable that the last time he heard the very same excuse was when Foggy was teaching his fourteen year old nephew about political offices?
“Right. Were all the agents sent Germans?”
“They were yelling orders to each other in German, I already said that.” Great, now Steve was getting frustrated.
“But that doesn’t necessary mean that they were all Germans or Germans at all, how can you be so sure?”
“Why else would they be talking in German when we were in Romania?” got out through gritted teeth.
“Hn. Well observed. In the case that all the officers sent were Germans and members of GSG 9, why would the CIA get involved?”
Rogers finally sensed the trap but clearly had no idea what the bait was so he could stop following it, “Bucky is still American.” Was said slowly and unsure.
“But did you notice the CIA’s presence in that operation?”
Steve tried to think back but aside from the guy in the building relaying the information in German and whoever had the other walk talkie that also answered in German. And they were all dressed in the same uniform…
“Not that I can recall.” He answered finally.
“If they weren’t involved, then why would the CIA have accurate information if any, at all, about GSG 9's MO and mission parameters?”
Steve had no answer for that and Murdock sighed for the third time. That was why he always cut Rogers off and corrected ‘They were going to kill Bucky’ to ‘I was told that they were going to kill Bucky’. They would still rub raw the fact Rogers consulted no one and verified no fact – like everybody fricking else in his little ‘Rogues’, ‘Exvengers’ and whatever other name the media gave them – but part of the onus would be on Carter. The majority of it as the instigator actually, if Matt had managed to keep Rogers from throwing accusations around before he could put the spotlight firmly on Carter.
“I don’t know.” Matt heard when his client gulped nervously.
“What were Ms. Carter’s exact words, Mr. Rogers?”
“I… she… said: ‘We have orders to shoot on sight’.”
“Ms. Carter used the word ‘we’?”
“Yes.”
“That seems to imply that, since Ms. Carter was an agent of CIA, that the CIA would be a part of the operation, doesn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“But I have official confirmation that the CIA never attained permission to act on Romanian soil and you, Mr. Rogers, just confirmed their absence, isn’t that correct?”
“Yes.”
“By your own admittance, that first grenade was set to stun, correct?”
“Yes, it was… a flash grenade.”
“By your own testimony, the building has already been evacuated. Couldn’t those officers have easily used a real grenade, even several of them, to instantly kill Sargent Barnes? And in this scenario there would be no need for so many armed men.”
Rogers let out a shuddering breath but closing his eyes, he was forced to admit, “Yes.”
“Or even if the case that the first grenade wasn’t a stunning one, if you weren’t there to use the Vibranium shield, isn’t it possible that Sargent Barnes would have been caught unaware and be instantly killed or at least severely injured?”
Steve remembered how Bucky was surprised by their presences, Steve’s and those men’s, “Yes.”
“Do you think it is possible that, based on your scarce conversations and lack of any significant interaction with Ms. Carter, that she lied to you?”
And the senses that allowed Matt to be Daredevil could easily take notice of the way Steve’s breath got shallower, his heartbeat increasing by the minute, his fists clenching in his lap.
Breathlessly whispered, “I guess.”
Jennifer wasn’t one to rub salt in the wound, well, at least not in the professional area so she didn’t smile nor outwardly showed any other reaction, she just waited until the whispers and parallel conversations toned down after the judge asked for order.
“My next question is about the measures the Avengers took to be proper public defenders. By your own admittance, Mr. Rogers, you said that you ‘don’t have very fond memories of armed men shouting in German’, aside from Sargent Barnes’ possible reaction and flashbacks, do you think it is responsible for someone in the position you claimed to not seek proper coping mechanisms? After all, if ‘armed men shouting in German’ affected you somehow, isn’t part of the responsibility yours for not seeking proper help?”