Shadows and Secrets (A MCU FanFic)

Chapter 25: Mission

trigger warning: mild language that may be offensive or upsetting to some readers

Sam's POV

    "Isn't Nat usually the one who does this?" Sam asked.

    "I've already briefed her on her own mission," Fury said, leaving no room for argument in his tone.

    "So," said Marjorie, "let me get this straight. You want Sam and I to go on a mission. Just the two of us. With no backup. Isn't that a little risky?"

    Marjorie pronounced risky weird. Like risk-KAY. She also said this in a way that was almost like she found the backup annoying.

    Sam wasn't sure how he felt about going on a mission with just Marjorie. He had never considered them as close friends.

    "It's a recon mission," explained Fury. "If all goes well, you should be able to get in and out without anyone noticing."

    "In and out of what?" asked Marjorie and Sam at the same time.

    "A facility posing as a bank in France. Rouge la Banque."

"You're kidding, right? Red the Bank? Lamest name ever."

Fury glared at Marjorie.

"You know French?" asked Sam.

"I know Google Translate."

Fury cleared his throat. "As I was saying, I need you two to place bugs in this man's office. Colville Yang Dennis."

Fury handed Sam a rather small file. "Colville Yang Dennis" seemed to be a 49 year old white male.

"Why him?" Marjorie asked. "What kind of facility are we taking? Who does this guy work for?"

Fury sighed. "That's what I want to find out."

"Wh—"

Fury cut her off. "You have a flight to Paris at one. This flight is nine hours, but there is a six hour time difference, so you should get there at four in the morning, CEST.

"However, Rouge la Banque does not open until seven, so you will have four hours at a hotel I booked to prepare for your mission.

"You will arrive at Rouge la Banque at eight, and one of you will request a meeting with Dennis, while the other places the bug. Your return flight takes off at nine thirty."

"What kind of bug?" asked Sam.

Fury handed him a standard ballpoint pen. "This is a high tech microphone that should evade most scanners. It actually works as a normal pen.

"One of you will place it in Dennis' office, in a non susceptible place. The other will be the distraction or backup; whichever is necessary.

"I expect you back at the tower by one tomorrow." Fury handed Sam a duffel bag and walked out the door without saying goodbye.

Rude.

Sam stared at Marjorie. Missions like this were common before the whole helicarrier-Hydra situation, but Sam didn't think he had ever been on a solo mission with Marjorie.

Actually, Sam had never really interacted with Marjorie one on one before. Sure, he would talk to her, but always in a group.

Sam's impression of her was that she was shy, but liked being part of a group. She never seemed to talk about her personal life.

Maybe that was why Marjorie and Bucky were close, they had drifted together as they were outsiders.

Sam knew that his description of Marjorie as an outsider would be uncommon, and maybe even rejected, but he was entitled to his own opinions. But he thought Marjorie was just a persona that she had made up to be a barrier from the outside world.

Of course, this was all speculation, and probably all bullshit. Sam really needed to get a grip, and stop thinking about weirdo dramatic character descriptions of actual people.

You don't describe real people like that, and you certainly shouldn't ship them. Only fictional characters. Nat had a real problem with the former.

"Sam," Marjorie said, waving her hand in front of his face. "Did you hear anything I just said?"

Sam snapped out of his reverie. "What? No, sorry."

Marjorie rolled her eyes and blew a stray curl off of her face. "I said, we should leave for the airport in about twenty, twenty five, minutes, so we should, like, get ready and get our stuff. For the trip."

"Oh. Yeah," Sam said awkwardly, still embarrassed from not hearing her.

~

Should I bring sunscreen? Just in case? he thought.

Sam tried to clear his head. He was going on a mission that would last less than a day, not a week long beach vacation.

But still...

Sam contemplated his dilemma. He knew that he would want it if he didn't have it, but that if he did have it, he wouldn't need or use it.

Sam sighed, and packed the sunscreen.

He then tried to shove Redwing in his already-stuffed bag. "Sorry about this," he said as he tried to zip the bag.

"You know, talking to inanimate objects is never a good sign."

Sam jumped, and then glared at Bucky, who had materialized out of nowhere in his ajar door. Sam's eyes narrowed. How did he do that?

"Everyone talks to inanimate objects, Bucky," Sam snapped.

Bucky looked unconvinced. "Sure they do."

Even though Sam and Bucky argued a lot, they were actually pretty close friends. Not that either would ever admit it.

"Do you have an actual reason for coming here, or just to comment about me talking to Redwing?"

Bucky shrugged. "You're going on a mission. I wanted to tell you good luck, I guess."

Sam blinked.

"Also, if anything happens to Marjorie, I'll kill you."

Sam nodded to himself. This was more on brand. "Yeah, right," he deadpanned, "Do you already have a method picked out, or does it depend on exactly what happens to Marjorie?"

Bucky rolled his eyes. "Both. I have several methods picked out for various scenarios." Sam could practically taste the sarcasm in the atmosphere.

"What happens if she gets a paper cut?"

"It depends on the type of paper, obviously. And, besides, telling you would ruin the element of surprise."

"We wouldn't want that."

"Certainly not." Bucky stepped to the side slightly, and Marjorie marched into Sam's room; armed with a large nondescript backpack, and a fluffy-looking hammerhead shark plushie. She was notably makeup-absent.

Marjorie bounced on the balls of her feet. "Are you ready?" She sounded like she had had way too much caffeine, though Sam didn't think she liked coffee.

"Just about." Sam shouldered his bag and got up.

"Okay!" Marjorie turned to Bucky. "See you soon," she said, kissing him on the cheek. Marjorie then teleported away.

Sam stared at Bucky, who was... blushing? Like, severely blushing. "What is going on between you two??"

"...It's nothing."

"Seriously, though, you guys are like joined at the hip these days. And you are super protective of her..." And Nat kept staring at them oddly earlier. And Marjorie is the only one who can touch Bucky without making him flinch. And she just kissed him... "How long have you been dating?"

Bucky continued to blush slightly. "... Not very long," he said unwillingly.

Sam smiled. "Okay. I hope it works out well. You two are made for each other."