[17] The Pros and Cons of Breathing

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"Well, it depends on who you ask. That hunk of metal saved a lot of lives." Bucky said quietly, looking back to his hands.

"Yeah, I get that. All right." Sam muttered. "Maybe I made a mistake."

"You did."

"Yeah. Maybe I shouldn't have put it in a museum." Bucky nodded, finally in agreeance with his team mate. "I should have destroyed it."

Bucky sighed, shaking his head. He glanced at YN, his rage from earlier turning to sadness as he noticed her lackluster expression and the way her eyelids drooped over her bloodshot eyes. "Look, that shield represents a lotta things to a lotta people, including me and-" Sam watched Bucky fight himself, as if he was going to continue before he shook his head and left it. "The world is upside down, and we need a new Cap, and it ain't gonna be Walker." Sam huffed in partial agreeance. "So, before you destroy it, I'll take it from him myself."

Sam's phone vibrated in his pocket again, stopping their conversation immediately as he lifted it to his ear. Nodding he made a few comments before the phone was retracted and replaced back in his pants. "They found Madani... Dead. She died in Riga, a city near the Baltic Sea."

"I have a place we can go." Zemo piped up, catching the two men's attention. "I, for one, am looking forward to coming face to face with Karli." He motioned toward the butler who was standing by the cabin door. "Oeznik, we're changing the course."

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The car ride from the small landing strip to this mysterious hide out was silent, YN had pushed past both Sam and Bucky, opting to sit in the front by Zemo, much to Sam's confusion and Bucky's disappointment.

They parked a few feet from the entrance, and YN was out of the car and waiting with her hands in her pockets when Bucky sighed, making her glance at him quickly, still too embarrassed about her comment earlier to address his obvious discomfort.

"I heard what became of Sokovia." Zemo said, but YN was still too focused on Bucky to really hear what he was saying. "Cannibalized by its neighbors before the land was cleared of rubble, erased from the map. I don't suppose any of you bothered visiting the memorial? Of course not." He shook his head, earning a glare from Sam. "Why would you? We are here."

Bucky's teeth were clenched, YN could tell by the bulge by his jaw and the way his eyes narrowed. Something was off, YN could tell. The hairs on her neck stood on end as she her enhanced hearing picked up scattering in a nearby alley, confirming her thoughts that someone may have been tailing them, and she had an idea of whom it may be.

"I'm gonna go for a walk." Bucky murmured, making Sam frown as he hung back.

"You alright?" He asked, glancing at YN who hadn't responded to Bucky's comment, instead continued behind Zemo toward the rustic looking building.

"Yeah," Bucky nodded, cocking his head to the side. "I'll see you guys in a bit."

Sam nodded and jogged to catch up to his other two companions, watching YN's face as it sat in frown, her eyebrows pulled so tightly together it almost looked uncomfortable. They entered through a side door, and YN gasped at the beautiful room, her eyes widening at the sight before her.

"It is a beautiful place," Zemo sighed, already over by the bar. "A shame for the reasoning though." YN lowered her head, more guilt building in her chest over the events that had led to the destruction of Sokovia. "Do you ever think about it?"

The question was invasive, so much so that YN's whole body grew stiff in response, but it wasn't asked maliciously, Zemo's tone even and almost, apologetic. "About Sokovia or about Ultron?" YN whispered, lowering her body onto a classy looking sofa.

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