nineteen ✪ video & spam

[imfollowinghim]

[Bucky's taken a day, and he knows a few things:

1. He's an inmate here, so no weapons, limited boost from the serum, no warden areas and no asking the Admiral for any supplies.
2. People here are just as gullible and easy to fool as they had been on the normal Barge.
3. Steve is going to be a fucking problem.

So they'll still find out who he is eventually, but he's going to try to bide his time as long as possible. He's already seen himself mentioned as unaffected on Arthas' list, and he's not surprised, but he's also feeling more than a little self satisfied. He's done his homework.

He's in his cabin when he clicks on the video feed, wearing the blue Commandos jacket just like his counterpart usually seems to and smirks a little lazily at the camera.]

I know we're steal dealing with some pretty rough shit, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel good to be back in my right mind again. [He's seen the conversation with the Emperor. Pathetic.]

While we're still figuring out who's who, anyone who's interested and not currently a psycho: boot camp's starting up again first thing tomorrow. You guys all know what to expect by now.

Anyone got any questions, you know how to find me.

[He's going to need to figure out a way for someone to get him into the CES...]

[Spam, September 30 - October 3]

[This is a different part from what he's had to play before, but unlike his counterpart struggling to keep up a mask of indifference to the suffering of others, this Bucky's finding it incredibly easy to pretend like he cares about these people. He smiles, makes smalltalk, delicately probes for more information, and they just spill. There haven't been too many who have looked at him with anything but trust, and those who have viewed him with suspicion apparently haven't put two and two together yet.

So Bucky seemingly goes about life as usual, even if there's something maybe a little bit off about him. He's quick to brush it off as being bitter about his trip through the door, at losing a month to being out of his mind and terrified of everything, but it's still... a little odd.

Feel free to catch him in the dining hall, the gym, heading back to his room, or conveniently carrying too many things - books, usually, but sometimes equipment for boot camp - to be able to open the lock on a warden area by himself, and if you could grab the door, he'd really appreciate it, thanks. Boot camp starts up again, and is virtually identical to the routine that people had been running before Bucky had gotten too incoherent to continue, except sometimes his motivational barbs sound more like direct insults. But that's what a drill sergeant does, right?

The only thing that's really different is that he doesn't seem to be gravitationally pulled back into orbiting around Steve as much as he usually does. They don't not spend time together, but Bucky seems off on his own for most of the day, or talking with other people like nothing's wrong. Because it isn't. Everything's fine.]

[ooc: Tags will be coming from shieldcatchesyou! Steve is going to officially out him on Friday. :|b]

Comments

[americasdirtiest]

Boot camp?

[shieldcatchesyou]

[So, that would make you the Mikhail he knows, not whoever you are on this normal Barge. That's definitely interesting, especially now he's going to have to lie to someone who knows the real him, too.]

Yeah. Got the idea a couple weeks ago, figured it might be a good thing to get people ready for shit like this happening, you know?

[americasdirtiest]

[On the bright side -- for Bucky -- Mikhail doesn't know him well enough to know it's him, and he has no idea what the other Bucky is supposed to be like, so for the moment he's just as much in the dark as anyone else.]

Yessir. You the Sergeant Barnes from this ship?

[shieldcatchesyou]

Last time I checked. I guess you can't ever be sure.

[Badumching.]

Yeah, I'm him.

[americasdirtiest]

[He glances around the room he's broadcasting from -- Mickey's living room -- and looks a little glum.]

Apparently, you can.

[Because no way would he ever choose this place... even if he does like all the toys inside. He sighs and refocuses.]

Private Mikhail Milkovich, sir.

[velocette]

Is bootcamp about survival, or about team dynamics?

[He's been curious about it for a long time now; but there are many reasons that even the frantic draft of the late Vietnam War hadn't wanted him in the ranks, and those reasons apply here, too.]

[shieldcatchesyou]

Both. Can't have one without the other.

[That he doesn't even have to fake, or just borrow from the other Bucky. He went through Basic. He's been in the army since he was seventeen, and he knows how much you need to be able to trust the guy sitting next to you.]

[velocette]

[It sounds like the same thing he'd built his gang on, too. Except that being king of the thugs had taught him a few other lessons:]

Up to a point. When people, even good people, get frightened enough in just the right way, they're all just crabs in a bucket. And that's without anyone being actively malicious in order to regain a sense of control...

For some people the best survival tactic they can learn is how to rely on themselves. Especially now, don't you think?

[shieldcatchesyou]

That's normal people. I've been in the army for [He doesn't know how long the other Bucky has been, but he doesn't miss a beat.] years, and I've seen a hell of a lot of rough fighting. Guys in your unit, you can count on. Most don't crack, and the ones who do don't do it because they only give a shit about themselves.

[Unless someone offers them a better deal.]

[strangehistorian]

I think getting back to normal routines is just what we need.

[shieldcatchesyou]

Glad someone agrees with me.

[strangehistorian]

I am glad you're feeling better. I hope it doesn't come back when the rot gets worse...

[shieldcatchesyou]

That makes two of us.

Spam; Oct. 3

[punched_hitler]

[Steve wanted to believe that after the arena, after Bucky had suddenly become coherent again... things would be okay. That at least if everything went to hell in a handbasket, he'd have his best friend back by his side.

Steve might be optimistic, but he's not stupid. Things have gone to hell in that handbasket, in a way, because there are people all over the Barge who aren't who they're supposed to be. And Bucky's treating him... it's weird. Not exactly at arms' length, but not exactly the same, either. Part of him wants to write it off, and he's been trying to, since they got back. Bucky's got to be exhausted, and he doesn't need Steve mothering him. In a way, it's good, because he's not mothering Steve, either - because Steve is exhausted, too, more emotionally than physically, though, so it's not something he can just fix with more sleep. But Bucky definitely needs sleep, and space, and Steve is happy to give him those things. For a few days.

But now it's been those few days, and it's time to at least figure out what's wrong. Steve catches up to Bucky as they're leaving the CES after boot camp; they're not soaked today, just a little muddy, so they don't need to head right back for a shower. He bumps shoulders the way they always do, to get Bucky's attention.] Hey. Want some breakfast for lunch? [Given that breakfast was hours ago, by now, regardless of whether it's actually time for lunch or not.]

Spam; Oct. 3

[shieldcatchesyou]

[Okay, this is just really, really weird. Bucky doesn't flinch when Steve bumps his shoulder, but there's a fraction of a second where he just doesn't anticipate it, doesn't know how to react, and starts to look at Steve like he's lost his fucking mind.

(They'd never been friends. Steve had been useful to him because he could boss him around without getting questioned, and Bucky had been useful to Steve as protection, and then things had gotten switched around and now they're useful to each other because they're both committed to their jobs, so this? This is just weird. He doesn't know how to react to casual affection like this.)

But he recovers quickly, mouth stretching into a grin that hopefully doesn't look too out of place, and falls into step with him. He'd been planning on just going back to his room or something.]

Sure, pal. [Breakfast for lunch? Who does that? Apparently he does, on this Barge. Whatever.] How're you doing?

Spam; Oct. 3

[punched_hitler]

[Steve catches the - hesitation, is the best word he can come up with, and he's not sure what caused it. Even when Bucky was having one of those horrible flashbacks, he never made that kind of motion, never gave him that look - sure, he gave him plenty of looks, but none that said he was crazy like this.

It's just... it's not adding up, and there's this bad feeling settling in the pit of his stomach, and he'd only just thought it had finally, finally gone away.

The grin, at least, is Bucky's - maybe a little off, but so is everything about him, lately, and it's just one more checkmark on Steve's mental list and God, he wishes he could just write this off. But he's tried to. And he can't.

But he takes a breath, gives Bucky as easy a grin as he can, and tilts his head in the right direction to get them headed that way.] Me? I'm fine. Glad that's over - well. Relatively. [Because it's not over, there are people here from that other Barge, and...] I don't think it's really over. It can't be. Not with the - mix-up that happened, you know? It's the eye of the storm.

Spam; Oct. 3

[shieldcatchesyou]

[This Steve is strangely easier and more difficult to read than the one he knows: easier, because he wears his emotions a little more on his sleeve, and harder because he doesn't know what the correct responses are supposed to be. Should he push? Should he brush it off? Listening to their conversations over the network isn't enough to make this perfect, and he knows it. The more time he spends around Steve, the less chance he has of pulling this off.

Of course, because the other Bucky and him are so close, that's also true of the less time he spends with Steve.]

Give it a couple days, it'll work out, [He offers as he starts heading towards the general direction of the dining hall, glancing back to make sure Steve's following in a way it seems like the other him would do.]

I mean, c'mon, it can't be permanent, right? Shit like this always clears up eventually.

[Private]

[youwillgotohell]

[She is relieved to see him, because even though everyone is switched and turned around and she really oughtn't to trust anyone at their word, she trusts the show he puts on. Maybe it's because he was ill with her, maybe she's just eager to leave behind memories that were not hers - Morgana doesn't examine her reasons closely.]

So you aren't feeling any after effects, either?

[Private]

[shieldcatchesyou]

Nah, I feel fine. [Bucky smiles, glad to see her too, but for different reasons that are probably a lot more shallow.

Well, that, and the whole he totally sold you out within a couple weeks of knowing your counterpart, so.] Glad you're okay.

[Private]

[youwillgotohell]

[Probably. She's assuming it isn't him, though, and so that particular betrayal is far from her mind.]

So am I. But it's strange, isn't it? Going from feeling so....[She trails off, shakes her head and shrugs in the hope that he'll understand exactly what she means.] To feeling just like your old self again.

[Private]

[shieldcatchesyou]

It's just like a really bad flood. Had to end eventually.

[Nevermind that his counterpart had felt incredibly violated by the entire thing. He doesn't know about any of that.]

[video]

[notgonnabeopencasket]

Bootcamp, huh? Somebody else was telling me about that before. Back when I first got here.

Wasn't all that long, but after everything that just happened, feels almost like a year ago.

[video]

[shieldcatchesyou]

Tell me about it. I still can't believe I was sick for a month.

I'm Bucky.

[video]

[notgonnabeopencasket]

Gretel. So, sick for a month, huh?

[video]

[shieldcatchesyou]

If you wind up on that other Barge, don't go near the door to the bridge. Or stand near it.