The Long Journey Home

14: We are all in darkness looking for the light

[ Chapter notes: TFATWS 1x05 ]

          Torres spends the first few hours of the flight switching between frowning at your phone and frowning at the device he has it connected to. After announcing with chipper delight that you were - all set - he'd handed it back to you, promptly stowing his device and the associated cords before stretching back in his seat and falling asleep. It's a marvel, considering how very LOUD it is.

          Rather than taking a standard airline and various connections for the journey from Riga to New York, the three of you had been escorted to a waiting military plane. It was barely noon when you'd taken off. Both Sam and Torres had assured you that you'd get used to the drone of the plane's engines, possibly even to the point of ignoring it before the flight was over. You -- highly doubt that. You frown in Torres' direction again, wondering just how he's managed to filter out the roar of his environment and relax to the point of falling asleep within minutes of reclining.

          "Here." When you look over Sam is holding his hand out in your direction. He wiggles his fingers when you give him a questioning tilt of your head, "Your phone. Hand it over."

          You do as he asks, glancing back at Torres to check -- nope, still asleep even though Sam had been talking louder than normal to be heard over the engines. Everything sort of blends together at some point, maybe. Returning your focus to Sam, you lean to try to see what he's doing -- tapping and sliding his finger over the screen of the device.

          "Thought so." Sam hands your phone back to you, also stealing a glance at Torres, "Just wanted to double check. Sleeping Beauty added in our contacts for you."

          "Mm." You flip through, trying to settle on how it feels to have that bit of trust you were hoping would be extended your way. Is it really trust, or trying to keep tabs? The original excuse -- to mollify Walker -- no longer holds. The request hasn't specifically been made, but is the assumption that if Zemo does try to reach out to you, that you'll let them know so they can apprehend him? Then again, the first thing you'd assured them of was that Zemo wouldn't be lured into a trap with you as bait, wouldn't reach out to you and become snared. You were tied to him, but not tightly enough to warrant inclusion in whatever he's got planned, not tightly enough to take you with him when he decided to run.