𝗙𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗 | bucky barnes

67: Riga

"Donya Madani. She's a refugee, yeah." A pause. "Okay. Call me if you get a hit." Another pause. "Thanks, Torres." Sam sighed and sat down in the seat just next to Catarina. They were on the plane back to the U.S., dependent on a lead that didn't even exist yet.

"You okay?" asked Bucky. He was using a cloth to shine his metal arm.

"Yeah," replied Sam, looking up at the ceiling of the plane. "Just thinking about all the shit Sharon had to go through. And Nagel referring to the 'American Test Subject' like Isaiah wasn't even a real person." He turned his chair. "Just makes me wonder how many people have to get steamrolled to make way for this hunk of metal."

Bucky still looked down at his hand. "Well, it depends on who you ask." He turned to Sam. "That hunk of metal saved a lot of lives."

"Yeah, I get that, alright," he said, nodding. He looked into Bucky's eyes. "Maybe I made a mistake."

"You did," said Bucky.

"Yeah," said Sam. "Maybe I shouldn't have put it in a museum. Maybe I should have destroyed it."

Cat spun her chair around and looked at Sam. Bucky tilted his head and looked at him on the brink of anger.

"Look, that shield represents a lot of things for a lot of people," said Bucky seriously. "Including me." He leaned forward. "The world is upside down and we need a new Cap, and it ain't gonna be Walker."

"You destroy that shield, Sam, and the world takes a whole 'nother turn," added Cat, as if he should have known. But then again, Cat didn't know what was inside Sam's head.

"And before you destroy it, I'll go and take it from him myself," said Bucky.

Sam looked from Bucky to Cat. She couldn't read his eyes— but she knew that he wanted to do what was right. He always had.

His phone vibrated in his pocket. He looked at them for another second, then picked it up. Zemo walked over and handed them each a plate of food. He then sat across from Bucky.

"Yeah, thanks. Good work," said Sam. Then he hung up, and turned to the group.

"They found Madani," said Sam gravely. "Dead." He didn't look at them. "She died in Riga, a city near the Baltic Sea."

"I have a place we can go," commented Zemo. "I, for one, am looking forward to coming face to face with Karli." He leaned back on his seat. "Oeznik," he called, "we're changing the course."

Bucky looked from Catarina to Sam, then down at the floor. He almost looked tired. Catarina was, too.

She fell asleep on the plane as it changed course and headed toward Riga, Latvia. She didn't know it, but her chair was turned just enough that when she finally went into her slumber, her head leaned over to touch Bucky's shoulder. He looked at her, then realized she was sleeping. He smiled slightly and let her stay there. When she woke, they didn't say anything to each other.

They landed and Zemo led them into the city, taking them toward a place where they could stay. They walked through the streets mindlessly following Zemo's every move. None of them had ever been to this city before.

"I heard what became of Sokovia," said Zemo, as they walked along a stone sidewalk surrounded by tall, beige buildings. It was a quiet city. Few people walked the streets, and there weren't many cars. "Cannibalized by its neighbors before the land was even cleared of rubble. Erased from the map." He looked around at them as they walked. "I don't suppose any of you bothered visiting the memorial?"

Everyone stayed quiet. Cat felt bad.

"Of course not. Why would you?" commented Zemo. "We are here." Zemo began walking up to a black door adorned with metal details. it was a building that was beige, just like all the others in town. It was next to a small cafe with its name, Nestandarta Kafejnica, written on the forest green awnings outside.

Cat looked at Bucky. He walked nervously, staring from side to side at the surroundings as if he were searching for something. He looked at her, and she scrunched her brows, communicating, "What's up?"

Bucky looked her in the eyes. His wide, staring eyes only said, "Just follow along." Cat nodded once, and the two stoped walking as Sam and Zemo continued toward Zemo's apartment.

"We're gonna go on a walk," said Bucky loudly, so Sam and Zemo could hear. They turned around.

"You guys good?" he asked, looking between them.

"Yeah," replied Cat, with a half smile that told Sam he didn't need to worry.

"We'll see you guys in a bit," said Bucky, putting his hands into his pockets and turning around. Sam and Zemo went inside.

"What?" asked Cat. Once Bucky saw that Sam and Zemo were gone, he turned back and picked up something on the floor. Cat heard a soft beeping. Bucky held a small metal bead up to her. She looked at the markings on it. It was a Kimoyo bead.

Cat raised her brows in surprise.

Bucky nodded ahead and put the kimoyo bead down. Cat walked next to him. Both were wary as they went— they looked around at people to make sure they weren't being followed. They crossed the street, and Cat saw another one sitting on the moulding of one of the buildings. She made a grabbing motion with her hand and used her power to take the beeping metal bead into her hand from some feet away. She stopped held it up for Bucky to see. He looked at it, then she turned around and continued walking. He followed next to her.

Cat looked forward and walked into a wide alley between two buildings.  No one was there.  Cat eyed the windows and roofs above as Bucky turned and looked the way they came from, them back to where they headed toward.

Bucky and Cat glanced at each other, then back around the alley.

"You dropped something," said Bucky loudly, holding up the Kimoyo bead between two fingers. They walked a couple more steps forward before turning around and looking back once again.  Cat felt a funny feeling— she felt as if there was someone behind her.  Bucky, however, was already ahead of her.  He was already turned around.

"I was wondering when you were gonna show up," he said. Cat turned as he said the words. She almost wasn't surprised to see Ayo, one of the Dora Milaje, dressed in all black with a Wakandan flair of jewelry and fabric cuts. There was indeed a Kimoyo bead bracelet around her wrist.

"I'm here for Zemo," she said, in Wakandan. Her face almost demanded it.

Cat and Bucky glanced at each other. Then they looked back at her.

a.n.

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