Fic for Ani Bester
When compared to America, or the whole of occupied Europe, Korea isn’t that big. But it’s still large enough, and tense enough, that flying across the country is going to create problems.
Fred’s being arguing that they needed to look in to the Human Torch’s disappearance more, need to send someone to investigate the rumours of a flaming man on the Reds side. When he gets a call first from Chief Wilson, then from Roger, it’s a no brainer.
“Yeah, I can make some calls,” He said, holding the phone to one ear, while looking down at the latest intelligence report. “But you might want to suggest he starts about five miles west of Kijŏng-dong. Looks like that’s where our flaming mans being turning up.”
Five minutes later, front line troops are briefed, and the Human Torch is on his way. Fred actually sees him fly past from the window and prays he’s going to be O.K.
2.
Toro tells the Torch that he overheard that he was in danger and that “snapped him out of it”. It’s a lie, but the Torch is apparently content to accept it. Fred’s not going to disillusion him, and he knows Toro won’t. The truth is, he wishes it was that simple.
During the two days between the Torch’s departure and return to the states, Fred Davis reads everything he can get his hands on about brainwashing. And more importantly how to undo it.
Some of it makes sense, some of it is ridiculous, but ultimately the result is the same. No one knows for certain how it’s done or how to undo it.
The most successful, and least dangerous, methods suggested seem to be where family and friends reach out to the person. Unfortunately, if the Torch can’t reach him, then there’s only one person who might, and he’s not around.
That’s when he has an idea.
The FBI is like most government agencies, it’s got a basement full of weird junk. It takes him nearly an hour to find what he’s looking for, squashed between a cracked glass case and what looks like an Atlantean skull.
His badge gets him into Toro’s hospital room, no problems, and while the doctors are busy explaining the situation to Jim, he pushes the play button.
“You gotta snap out of this Toro. We’re your friends, you know that, right? Yeah, course you. Everything’s going to be alright.”
Bucky’s voice, captured during a brief few moments while Toro lay unconscious and under the Red Skull’s control, drifts across the room, and Fred lets himself sit back in the chair. Bucky’s not as good as Captain America, but when he says everything’s going to be alright, you have to believe him.
3.
He doesn’t object to tabs being kept on Toro when he returns from Korea. Leaving aside the brainwashing, the kid just lost the nearest thing to a father he’s got.
Someone needs to keep an eye on him and as there aren’t that many people around who Toro trusts, it’ll have to be the FBI.
O.K. some of the information they think is relevant is a little...strange (he has no idea why what brand of shaving foam a man buys is related to his political views), but better too much information than too little.
He doesn’t object to them creating a file on Anne, lord only knows he’s heard enough rumours about Russian Femme fatal (even if Anne looks as American as apple pie), or Jim (the man is a borderline nuclear deterrent on his own and he’s died once too often for Fred to believe it) and he doesn’t even mind they have a file on him.
What he objects to, is the idiots who are trying to use the files. McCarthy’s gone, and good riddance too as far as Fred’s concerned. Hoover may be paranoid, but McCarthy was a loon. Toro, Anne and the others are at risk, sure, but they’re not criminals and they shouldn’t’ be treated as such, whatever his superiors opinions of their political beliefs.
Destroying, or more accurately permanently editing those files is probably the only true act of treason he ever commits, and he can’t say that he’s sorry.
4.
It’s 3 am in the morning, and he can come up with a million things he’d rather be doing. Catching up on some sleep, checking in with Roger, flirting with the cute girl from dispatch, drink beer with Logan in Berlin, sipping Manhattans in Madripoor with Nick Fury. In other words, almost anything, but pulling himself into the FBI’s Californian headquarters and flashing his badge.
Toro is sitting next to his wife in the cells, flowers still hanging loosely around her neck, even though they’re turning brown at the edges. Toro has a black eye and several bruises. The rookie agent who brought him here tells him he resisted arrest.
It takes all of Fred’s self control not to snort at that, because if Toro had actively resisted arrest the arresting agent wouldn’t be alive and he’s being involved with enough of these to know that resisting arrest can just mean defending yourself. There are a lot of guys who are a bit rough in the bureau.
“I’ll speak to the arresting officer.”
It takes him nearly two hours to convince the deputy director that, yes Tomas and Anne Raymond do object to conscription policies of the United States Government, they are not, nor have they ever been enemies of the United States. He brings up Toro’s war record and Anne’s husband’s records, argues that they were trying to make views heard and just got caught put in the madness.
The arresting officer isn’t happy, but the Deputy Director agrees that they’ve no reason to hold them. Released without charge.
Anne is at least grateful, elbowing Toro to make him say thank you and informing him he’s invited for Dinner as soon as he’s available.
It almost makes up for Toro calling him a “square.”
5. Brian told him once that Bucky’s job is to protect Captain America.
At the time, indoctrinated with the ideals of the Allied Propaganda, he’d been confused. Brian had sighed.
“Captain America represents the best of America, right?” At Fred’s nod, he continued. “But America’s like Britain. A country. She’s got a lot of good stuff going for her, but also a lot of bad. And she’s fighting a war.” He glanced at Fred. “Bucky’s job is to keep Cap focused on the good stuff, distract him or at least make him believe the bad can change, even when you don’t necessarily believe it.” His eyes rested on where Roger and Spitfire were standing, talking and laughing together. “In return, Captain America makes Bucky believe it can change, and inspire him to act.”
He’s not Bucky any more, and should probably be grateful the bureau will take him. But Jeff Mace in Red White and Blue still makes him believe in a better future.
Jeff isn’t the kinda of Captain America that guys like Skinner want, but he’s the kind they need. The guy who’ll question their decision, make them think about the ethics involved. Different to Steve Rogers, but it’s a different America now.
And it’s madness that Fred’s clearance, heck that Toro’s clearance is higher than Captain America’s.
He does it subtly, taking advantage of opportunities presented as Toro and Brian taught him to. Betsy Ross was going, Skinner wanted her out. He was deliberately mysterious, deliberately disencouraging Cap from getting involved with anything bigger. Might as well have waved a red rag in front of a bull.
When Tommy was kidnapped, it was like he’d been handed the opportunity on a platter. Top Brass can object to Cap being told, but they can’t object if he finds out by himself, can they?
Cap gets his security clearance boosted, gets on board with these projects and helps Fred shut down some of the more...irregular projects. Like the Weapon X one with its plans for mutants, like Toro. It’s Captain America and Bucky fighting for a new half century.
Except he underestimates two things. Skinner’s hatred of Jeff Mace, and Mace’s love for Betsy. Skinner wants Mace in Korea, and he wants him there as a trouble maker, so he can put his own Captain America in. Jeff is a man in love, who’s sick and tired of being mistrusted and manipulated. He doesn’t give Fred a chance to explain and after one look at his face, Fred doesn’t especially want to.
He does pull some strings to help them find get financing for the house in Glendale. He figures it’s the least he could do.
And one time he couldn’t
Roger nearly has a fit when he hears about the trial.
In fact, Fred is 99% certain that if Jack hadn’t been in America all ready, Roger would have been on the next plane, damming them all to hell.
He knows Roger contacted Bucky’s lawyer and offered to testify, but was refused. Britain’s’ had laws about acts committed under the influence of brainwashing for quite a while, but America doesn’t. He understands Bernie’s feeling that they need to establish a president, not rely on previous ones, especially with all the hurt that’s still around with the Civil War
Unfortunately, what he doesn’t think anyone, except him and Roger, has realised is Bucky is being offered as a sacrificial lamb. Was what Bucky did in Philadelphia any worse than what The Invaders did in Boston in 1942? Wolverine in 1999? And that’s before you get on with the number of ex criminals in the Avengers ranks.
But Bucky led in the Avengers when they were illegal, so they feel they have to make an example of him. Plus (even if it’s only in the privacy of his own head that he admits it), they want to try and bring Captain America under their control.
Steve won’t even consider that, poor loyal fool, so it’s up to Fred and Roger to sort things out.
They’ve nearly got it so the judge will rule the acts were committed while “temporarily insane” as Roger puts it, but then Bucky has to go and prove that being Captain America obviously does something to head, by admitting the acts and agreeing to go to Russia.
Roger nearly decks Steve in that instant for allowing it, and probably would have done if Fred hadn’t been there. Steve looks so confused, so unhappy, he might not have objected.
Fred suggests that they ignore Bucky’s idiotic behaviour and concentrate on getting him out. Only it’s hard.
V battalion never had that many contacts in Russia, and the few they did have are all either dead or in no position to help them. Fred tries a couple of friends in the state department, but they say as Bucky submitted willingly, there’s nothing they can do. He’s still yelling at some poor secretary whose evidently terrorised by this madman on the phone, when Roger walks in and presses the disconnect button.
“We’ve tried doing it the legal way and we can’t.” He said his voice icily calm. “It’s time to hand over to the young ones and let them do this their way. In other words,” He glanced at Fred. “We put together a team to bust the young idiot out.”
Fred wants to argue, but he looks at the black books scattered around the room like so many broken birds and agrees.