Chapter 19 - Excellent Question

Clint looked up when the door to the conference room opened. Magnus, Arne and Fenris entered, joining the group. Then, Katta and Barnes followed. Katta's lip was busted and sweat covered her face, but other than that, she seemed to be alright.

Erik sat next to Natasha, murmuring things into her ear, while Tony played around with the switches on the wall, dimming the light. "Lame," he mumbled. "Where are the buttons that do the cool stuff?"

Fury cautiously got up and eyed Magnus, who nodded and took a seat. Since this wasn't one of his usual S.H.I.E.L.D institutions, he wanted to be at least a bit diplomatic. Who knows where else the Harlovsen had placed their popular bombs.

"Alright. Now that we are all here and mostly unharmed - and mostly showered," his eyes flickered to Barnes and Katta, "it's time to talk about the next steps." He tapped his fingers on the desk, enjoying the security of this routine movement.

Thor leaned back in his chair. The only clothes large enough for him had been a pair of grey joggers and a red shirt, that looked like it came right out of the lost and found box. Everybody else was decently clothed, thanks to the rather large collection of Harlovsen disguise clothes.

"I'm sure my brother thinks that he has destroyed our every possibility to hide away." Thor began pacing. Magnus raised a remote control and started the screen at the end of the room.

"The reason we knew that Loki would come was the radiation he somehow emits. It only made sense then, that we followed the tracks of radiance through New York. There are a few remnants, but it is the strongest right here." He zoomed in, and Katta recognized Doctor Strange's house.

"That means he already is close to the time stone," Steve remarked, rubbing his temples. Magnus nodded, sipping from a cup of coffee.

"Let me just summarise the situation for us," Tony interrupted. "We have an evil god who turned around super assassins and looks for a stone that does what exactly?" he asked.

Fury huffed. "With the stone, he can control time, which would theoretically even allow him to go back in time and replay the New York Battle."

Katta ground her teeth. This was officially a worst-case situation.

"But that is...how comes that...why didn't we know that Loki is free. Why isn't he in the Asgardian cells, Thor?" Clint asked.

"He is a master of deception. And very powerful. If I had to guess how often he played dead and then came back." Thor sighed.

Tony snipped his fingers to gain everybody's attention. "So that Loki is in New York now, how do we proceed, minding that–"

"Excellent question," a voice interrupted the discussion. Katta turned her head the same time the others did and cursed. It was Doctor Stephen Strange. Erik had pulled out a knife, ready to throw, while Fenris had opted for a gun. From Magnus's stance, Katta knew that his finger was hovering over the alarm button under his desk.

"What is it with you, Harlovsen's and those knives?" Strange tilted his head and looked at Katta. She just shrugged. This whole situation was tiring her out and if this all wasn't coming to reason anytime soon, she would need a strong whisky.

"Doctor Stephen Strange," he introduced himself to the people in the room. "Thank you for following my instructions, Miss Harlovsen," he then addressed Katta. She nodded in return, leaning back on her chair. She had no clock, but by now it must have been a few hours past midnight. The urge to sleep was gnawing on her.

"I don't even ask how you know about this place," Magnus uttered.

Strange waved of. "That is one of the advantages of being a master of the mystical might."

"A master of the mystical might," Tony scoffed, looking at Natasha. She quirked a brow in return to shut him up. Strange looked at him but didn't react. Instead, he started to explain.

"At the moment, Loki is sweeping the Sanctum Sanctorum for the stone with his henchmen. It won't take him long to realize that neither I nor the stone is there, and we all know that he isn't one of the most patient beings."

"And what is your plan, doctor?" Fury asked, peering through the room.

"I have a plan, attack." Tony raised his hands, impatient.

"Hush, Stark," Katta said, nodding at Strange to continue. He looked at her in surprise but said nothing in return.

"This time, I agree with Mister Stark. I think the best strategy is to attack him when he doesn't expect us to." Strange said.

"See, even the wizard thinks I'm genius," Tony smirked.

"Fine. I assume you could use your magic thing to get us back to New York after we suited up?" Fenris asked. Strange nodded.

"We're leaving tomorrow. The night is almost over, and we all need to rest for a bit before the fight if that is in your interest." Steve said, looking around.

"We'd need to part you to our rooms," Magnus said, quickly counting the people present.

"I won't stay for I need to inform the other Sanctum Sanctorums," Strange said. "I'll be back at 8:00 a.m. Be ready." In a fluid movement of his hands, he was gone in green light.

"Fenris and Magnus will share a room. Erik and I," Arne said. "Then we have five more rooms."

"I take the god," Tony smirked.

"Wanna be my room buddy?" Clint asked Natasha. "Sure thing," she smiled, walking over to him.

"Bucky and I take one," Steve sighed.

"That means Fury can have his own," Magnus nodded towards Fury, who seemed more than relieved to sleep alone. "And you as well, Katta."

She only nodded, too exhausted to contradict. "Come on," she waved to Barnes and Steve. "You get the room next to mine." She got up and left. After a few minutes of silent walk, Katta opened a door, revealing a room with a bed and a couch. "Here it is. If you need anything, I'm next door. Don't touch any of Olaf's stuff."

"Thank you, Katta," Steve said.

"Are we on first names now, Steve?" She playfully quirked a brow before moving on to her room.

Katta opened the door and directly walked into the attached bathroom. She stripped and turned on the shower. Soon, the water was warm enough for her to step under the stream, letting the water rinse her body, washing away the dirt.

"Fuck, yeah," she sighed. Her shoulder still ached, but all that was left from the shot wound was a thin, white scar. Stepping in front of the mirror, Katta examined her appearance. She looked exhausted and tired; her cheekbones were a bit more sunken in than elsewhen. A few days off. Yes, that sounded like a good thing to do once all of this was over. She would find a sunny spot, sip cocktails and have a back massage.

Changing into leggings and an oversized shirt, Katta laid down on her bed, thoughts racing through her head. She didn't dare to turn off the light and sleep, knowing that after today, nightmares about H.Y.D.R.A would plague her as soon as she closed her eyes.

〰〰〰

Bucky looked over at Steve. He laid in the bed, already had dozen off. Bucky had tried to do the same, but his mind wouldn't allow him to drift away. It was pointless. Maybe, a little walk would help him calm down. As quiet as he could, he stood up from the couch and shuffled into jeans and a shirt, peering at Steve to see if he stirred. How nice it would be to have such a deep slumber.

Bucky closed the door behind him and took off. He didn't even walk a few metres until he noticed that light shone from under Katta's door. She seemed awake as well. Hesitatingly, he stood in front of her door, reasoning if he should knock, when the door opened, revealing the small woman. She blinked up at him, sighing.

"You're really awful at sneaking around," she stated, motioning him to enter. Her room was mostly bare, with very few framed pictures on her desk.

She followed his look and pointed at one photo that showed a tall man with similar features to the other Harlovsen's. "That's Vikar," she mumbled. Bucky remembered his name. Clint had mentioned him once or twice. He'd been her older brother and died during the mission Katta had met Clint. Bucky took another frame and looked at the picture. It showed a younger Katta, standing next to a man with dark hair and a slight beard. He'd casually wrapped his arm around Katta, who smiled at him widely. Both wore H.Y.D.R.A uniforms.

"Christoph," she said, a hint of sorrow in her voice.

It was the man, she'd told him about back on their way to the conference room. The man she'd executed on H.Y.D.R.A's command.

"I've never seen you smile like that," Bucky said, pointing at the photography. Katta chuckled dryly.

"Recently, there's not been a lot of things to smile about, Barnes."

Katta averted her gaze and tried to dodge his eyes. It seemed like he could directly see into the depths of her soul. Suddenly, she remembered how good she'd felt in his arms, held tightly to his chest. She'd felt safe. For the first time in years. Since she'd been with Christoph. Silent tears started streaming down her face while she thought about how all good had been taken away from her the moment she had joined H.Y.D.R.A.

"Sorry," she stammered, quickly wiping the tears away as memories of her past crossed her mind. She felt dumb, crying like a little girl. Barnes placed the frame back on the desk and came closer.

"It is fine to grieve," he said. Carefully, he pulled her into his arms. She leaned closer, finally allowing her tears to fall free.

"I never griefed. For my family and friends. When I regained consciousness all of them had passed. All I have left is Steve. I never griefed myself, my life, my stolen years. I never mourned the lost opportunity to live and it's eating me alive. I can feel it."

Bucky looked down at Katta, who sobbed into his shirt, suddenly so vulnerable. All the internal ache that made her suffer. He understood it. Now that he was so close, he noticed scars he'd never seen before.

After a few minutes, Katta had calmed down and pulled away from his grip. She looked to the ground, not wanting to see his face. It had felt good to pour out all her feelings, but now it threatened to become awkward.

"We should try to sleep," he said. "Tomorrow's gonna be a hard day and we should be on our best."

Katta nodded. She turned around and grabbed a hairbrush out of the bathroom. When she came back, Barnes still stood in the middle of her room, make-shift glancing around.

"I could stay if you don't want to be alone. I often get nightmares after I've been confronted with–," He shrugged. Katta thankful breathed out and nodded. "This would be good."

She brushed through her hair and put it in a quick braid. Katta looked over to Barnes, who laid down on the carpet, turning to his side. She slightly chuckled and bent over him. "What exactly do you think you're doing?" she asked.

"Well, Uhm–" he stammered, looking up.

"Come on, Barnes. It's not like we're children, and you'll definitely not spend your only bit of sleep on the floor."

Katta patted on the bed and moved over until she laid close to the wall, looking at the ceiling. A few seconds later, she felt the mattress to her left sink under his weight as he silently climbed into the bed. He stirred a bit and then, Katta felt him grab her hand. His hand felt calloused and rough. Katta intertwined her fingers with his and sighed.

"Not a word to anybody about this. I have enough terror at the moment." She heard him chuckle deeply and soon her eyes yielded to the tiredness and she sunk into a dreamless sleep, comforted by his slow and even breath.

When Bucky woke up by the alarm, he noticed Katta lying in front of him, her face snuggled in his chest. His metal hand lay loosely around her waist, as she deeply breathed in and out. Her hair had loosened from the braid, falling into her face. She looked the most relaxed, Bucky had ever seen her. That was no miracle after all. Still, it felt – warm. There was no other word to describe it.

He carefully pulled his arm away, trying to make no sound. All of a sudden, Katta jolted up, looking around, panicking until her eyes narrowed on Bucky and her features relaxed.

"Shit, Barnes. You scared the hell out of me," she sighed before slowly sitting up, stretching, causing her bones to crack.

"I should go before Steve wonders where I am," Bucky said, getting up as well. He stretched his tired limbs and walked towards the door. He looked over his shoulder, seeing Katta grabbing a few clothes out of a drawer.

"See you," he mumbled.

She looked up and smiled shortly. "Thank you, Barnes."