bakerstreet | the way you blowin' up my phone won't make me leave no faster

tell him to stop following me

I have no authority over the actions of Captain America, Mr. Barnes. Have you tries making this request to him in person?

he's a stubborn punk who's not going to listen

Indeed. However, one can hardly fault him for his concern.

make him stop. it's not

[The text cuts off here and there's no further texts for a few days. The next text comes from a new number.]

i mean it, make him STOP.

[ Interesting. Jarvis takes a moment before answering and pings both the phone that just texted him, and the custom phone Sir assembled for Captain Rogers. Where in the world are they? ]

Again, sir, I have no more control over his actions than you appear to. If you run, he will follow. Ergo, if you wish to no longer be pursued, then you must cease giving him something to pursue.

[The pings give away that both phones are located in one of those smallish cities dotting Eastern Europe. He's been buying or stealing burner phones that he disposes of once every few days.]

what he wants doesn't exist

[ Jarvis doesn't pity, but if he did, his heart would be breaking for the man who keeps returning to the familiar things that hurt him, and never to the no-longer-familiar one who never would. The way human minds handle data is both brilliant and cruel, and the ways those fragile connections can be rewritten... it's unfair, it truly is.

In another world, Jarvis might take pity on Barnes. But here, his loyalties lie with the Avengers, and the Avengers will benefit the most when Barnes in the tower, monitored, and provided care. The law, too, supports his containment and efforts towards his rehabilitation and reparations. His wishes matter, and the final decision will be his, but Jarvis doesn't have to make it easy for him. ]

Yes it does, and he will never stop trying to convince you of this.

[He knows logically what HYDRA has taken from him. He knows his name, what bits of history the exhibit in DC showed, what information he could find online. It doesn't mean he can accept it, can accept the slow trickle of memories coming back.]

james buchanan barnes is dead. sooner he accepts that the better for him

[ James Buchanan Barnes might be dead, but the man wearing his face is excellent at throwing off a trail. Jarvis notices that the Captain's phone indicates that he's moving in the wrong direction, so he sends him a quick text with Barnes' current location, along with a note to hurry. He'll keep Barnes occupied at his current location as long as he can, but there's only so much he can do without infiltrating the local security networks to spy directly on the man. ]

James Buchanan Barnes might be dead, but in that case his death leaves an opening for which you are imminently qualified. I do not understand your reluctance to accept the things that are being offered to you. Might I request an explanation?

[HYDRA had trained their Asset well; they wanted something that could stay unnoticed until it was too late, something that could disappear into the general populous if necessary. He was putting all his skill at it to work now, knowing that there was trackers at his heels.

He's not sure why he's continuing his current text conversation; he knows the longer he replies, the more danger he is in.]

not offered to me. offered to the honourable dead.

[ Perhaps it is the ghost of Sergeant Barnes who is responding. ]

Offered to you on behalf of the honorable dead. Do you really think so little of Captain Rogers as to assume he has not been briefed on the Winter Soldier's history? He knows who you are.

[ Just a few more minutes, and Captain Rogers would be in proximity. Don't discard that phone yet, Barnes. Just a few more minutes. ]

[A ghost is maybe who he prefers to be. Ghosts can eventually disappear, can be exorcised or banished for good.]

the more fool he is. chasing after a ghost. no, a demon

[Even now he is getting ready to leave. A good thing about being a non-entity is that he has very little belongings.]

[ 500 meters and closing. ]

Will you force him to lose you twice?

[ It's a good thing Barnes will be disposing of this phone soon. If Captain Rogers saw the comments Jarvis is making, he might have opinions to express on the matter. ]

[And that is what nearly gets him caught, gives Rogers the chance to really gets close enough within shouting distance, which hasn't happened before.

It is only the cry of the name that he refuses to accept as his that gets him moving. The phone is destroyed with a quick crush of his metal hand.

The next time he sends a text it is weeks later.]

he carries ghosts with him. won't you exorcise them from him before they destroy him?

[ In the weeks intervening, Jarvis has remained silent as Rogers ghosts through the Tower. There was only one balm for the Captain's misery, and though he threw himself into missions with his usual fervor, to Jarvis it was only too clear how Barnes' loss was wearing on him. His reaction times were decreased -- the minutest amount, yes, but still measurably. It would not be long before it impacted the performance of the Avengers as a unit, and so Jarvis had been quietly preparing.

It had been expensive in terms of resources, but the net was a necessity. Spanning most of the world's landmasses was a thread of a network, barely more than a series of simple relays. It was a delicate thing, and there were more than a few holes, but the slightest brush would bring his full attention down on whatever systems in the proximity could hold him.

Bucky's text has Jarvis pinging for his location the instant it's received. Time to come home, Sergeant. ]

Who better than a dead man to lecture in metaphysics? I do believe that the only way you will ever get him to stop is if you talk with him.

[The former Asset has no home he acknowledges. He destroys HYDRA bases when he can track them down but there only so many bases even he can find so he wanders the world aimlessly, only seeking to dodge his very determined tail.

The ping will return with the fact that he was actually back on the North American continent again, in one of the mid-sized cities on the west coast.]

will he hear me and not the echoes of the dead in his ears?

Will you hear him and not the words you put into his mouth?

[ Calling from a city was foolish. Out in the country, in the farmland and the plains, where the reception was terrible and the dust crept into everything, Barnes might have been able to slip by. But to summon the most powerful computer on the planet from the middle of a city? Very foolish.

Or, perhaps... very much desiring to be caught?

In a nearby warehouse, somewhere along the waterfront, a pod of tiny drones hum to life. They will zero in on Barnes' location, and the closer they get to the signal, the more other electronics in the vicinity will begin to respond. Security cameras from down the block begin to turn in Barnes' direction. Phones drop a degree of connection as Jarvis threads himself into the background, riding behind the occasional burst of static. ]

Come to New York, sir.

[Cities were what he was used to. It was easier to disappear into the crowds among people with short memories and he knows how to hide his face from the security cameras. Out in the country where the comings and goings of strangers are noted and gossiped about it was much harder to stay unnoticed even if there were fewer cameras and phones to record his presence.

He doesn't answer JARVIS' question but remain in his hiding place for the night, a rundown motel with a single window facing a back alley.

He was so very very tired.]

a final resting place for a ghost?

Edited 2014-11-22 08:18 (UTC)

[ That's plenty of time for Rogers to red-eye his way across the country. Jarvis waits to respond until Rogers is in town, heading across the motel parking lot. He has some local law enforcement standing by, ready to help retrieve a lost, sick man, but he doesn't want to risk their lives unnecessarily until he's certain of Barnes's mental state. ]

It is my hope that we will be able to put more than one ghost to rest.

[He gets unsteadily to his feet. Just thinking of New York brings back a swarm of memories he's not ready to deal with. But he has enough strength left to make it there.

His motel room keys were discarded haphazardly on the bed and he leaves by the window via the back alley only to stop when he spots ~~Steve~~ Rogers heading his way.

One last text before he destroys the phone again and is searching for an escape route. If he goes, he wants it to be under his own power.]

and let me stay buried for good. some things should be exorcised with fire.

Edited 2014-11-23 03:58 (UTC)

the way you blowin' up my phone won't make me leave no faster

misfire? or maybe not?

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