Revenge Turned Sweet

Chapter 8: Zemo

I rinse the mug out in the sink and put it in the dishwasher as I mull over the idea that maybe those who did make it through the battle actually have normal lives now, that they chose not to be Avengers anymore.

"See, Bucky," Sam's voice startles me and I flip around, grasping the sink behind me. "That's how you clean up your dishes." He gestures to the sink and then the dish washer and I smile as James rolls his eyes at Sam's theatrics.

"Took you guys long enough." My eyes glance over to James whose eyes are already on me. Dressed similar to the night I was recruited, with a black leather jacket over a black t-shirt, black fitted jeans, black boots, and black leather gloves covering both of his hands.

I force my eyes away and back to Sam, it's odd seeing them in normal clothes and not their 'superhero' suits. Sam wears a light brown pleaded jacket with a grey shirt underneath, and blue jeans. A stark contrast to what James is wearing. I tap my phone to see it's quarter to eight and quirk a brow at them. "I thought missions were 'first thing', Sam," I quip, taking my seat back at the island.

He waves me off as he walks into the kitchen. "Some of us actually sleep," he jokes as he grabs the bag of coffee grounds out of the cupboard. "Where did all this tea come from?" He looks to me and I shrug. "Do you drink tea?" He asks and I nod at him. "But, you didn't buy it?" I shake my head and fold my hands over the counter.

My eyes wander over to James, still standing in the entrance to the kitchen with his arms crossed over his chest. "I was out last night, figured I'd grab a few things," he mumbles. I eye him as he walks to grab a mug from the cupboard, filling it with black coffee as Sam pours milk into his own.

"Thank you," I say to James and he nods his head slightly at me. After finishing their coffee and arguing over how the dishes are put into the dishwasher (which I had to intervene in), we're finally making our way down to the hanger.

The idea of flying doesn't put a pit in my stomach anymore now that I've done it twice. Though I'm living off of four hours of sleep, I'm in a slightly positive mood. We walk onto the plane, taking our usual places. James on one side, Sam on the other, and me in the middle. I pull my dress down, after it shuffled up my legs upon sitting on the crate, and spot James eyeing me as I do so.

"You look nice, Nadya," Sam's voice breaks me out of my trance.

I nod my head and smile at him. "Thank you." A blush creeps its way onto my cheeks so I quickly change the subject. "How long till we're in Berlin?" I question while swinging my legs beneath me, hitting my bag with my heels.

"About nine hours, give or take." He shrugs and pulls his phone out of his pocket.

A laugh escapes me. "I could get us there much quicker," I offer while wiggling my fingers in the air.

"Never, ever again," Sam says defensively, making me laugh.

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After arriving at the German prison, I shiver in the cool air. It's very ominous looking. An officer leads us into the building and down a maze of stairwells and hallways. From the inside, it looks like a normal prison, but from the outside it looks entirely different. White cinderblock walls encase us with natural light creeping in through small windows etched into the walls with bars covering them. The officer stops in front of a door to a cell, telling us this is Zemo's.

"Tell me why we're here, again?" I ask, speaking to both of them.

Sam glances at me, his expression unreadable. "Zemo might have information we need about the serum, maybe where it came from."

I chew on my lip and mull over the information. From the way they're acting, I've pictured Zemo as some kind of monster. Terrifying yet cunning at the same time.

"I'm gonna go in alone," James states making me swing my head towards him in surprise.

"Why?" Sam asks in an offended tone.

"You're an Avenger," James responds to Sam, "you know how he feels about that." Sam argues with this notion, pressing the situation further into an argument. "Trust me. I got it," James grits out.

I watch him walk down the corridor leading to Zemo's cell and I chew on my lip. "Was that a good idea?" I ask Sam, not looking away from James' fading silhouette.

"Bucky can handle him now," he reassures me but that doesn't ease the relentless noise of my heart thudding in my ears.

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Two hours later, we're walking through a large dark room. James made us leave quickly and brought us to some storage looking facility. He didn't say much on the way here but he's saying plenty now.

"What?" I exclaim, directing my flash light to the man speed walking around the many obstacles in the room.

"What are you talking about? You wanna break Zemo out of jail?" Sam's voice echoes as he swings his flashlight around. "Where the hell are we, Buck? Have you lost your mind?"

They argue, swinging their flashlights in each others eyes as James keeps leading us further into this room. I groan as I almost trip over a toolbox on the ground. "Again, where are we?" I ask James but he ignores me, looking like he has a destination in mind.

"Zemo's just going to mess with our minds. Especially yours. No offense," Sam says in an exasperated tone.

James flicks on what looks like an oversized light switch and I wince at the sound of a generator coming to life. We all turn the flashlights off as the room floods with light, showing what looks like a garage.

"Offense," He retorts and goes on to explain why breaking Zemo out is a good idea, and that he can help us. They continue arguing while I look around the garage, only hearing half the conversation about James 'walking Sam through a hypothetical'.

I freeze my movements when I hear a door clicking shut. I turn towards the tarp covered doorway and see a shadow coming through it. I look towards James. "You didn't-"

Sam begins frantically stringing curse words and threats to James, stalking towards the man who walked through the tarp while I'm trying to figure out if he's the Zemo they've been arguing about. He's in an officer's uniform, looking unfazed by all the arguing going on between the two men. "If I may-" He begins to say and my head jerks back when I hear his accent, Sokovian, I think.

"No!" Sam and James yell in unison and I purse my lips to force down a laugh.

I watch the man look down to the floor. "Apologies," he mutters.

I tilt my head at him and flashes of incomplete memories flood my mind. All the things he's done; breaking up the Avengers, turning James back into the Winter Soldier for his own benefit, bombing the UN. With every image flowing into my eyes it feels like my brain is being split open. My chest fills with rage, absolute and definite rage. I lift my hands and throw him against the wall, holding him there as I stalk up to him. He groans as his back hits the cement wall.

"Nadya, woah!" Sam exclaims, snapping out of his argument with James and trying to grab my arm.

I jerk it away, turning my head to James while keeping my hand in the air. "Was this really the best idea, James?" I spit. "After all he's done?" His eyes are locked on mine, not surprised by my action at all. I can't decipher any emotion hidden in his face.

"Nadya..." Sam says in a calm voice, "let him go."

"I-I really think I'm invaluable," Zemo grits out and I tighten my hand, making him grunt.

"Shut up!" Sam groans in a low voice and looks back to me. "Let him go. Don't stoop to his level." I ignore his words, focusing on the thoughts running through my head. "This isn't going to fix anything he's done, Nadya, let him go."

I push out a breath while looking to the ceiling, the embarrassment of my outburst going against my stubbornness. I lower my hand, hearing him fall to the ground and knock over some things on the way down, and I walk away. "I don't know why I expected more," I scoff, feeling the burning gaze of James' eyes on me as I walk to the other side of the garage, trying to cool myself down.

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