War Torn || Civil War

Chapter Twenty-Three: On My Watch

"What's that?"

"I turn myself over to the Soviets."

Peggy scoffs and walks away, running a hand over her face. "You really have lost your bloody mind, Emma."

"It makes as much sense as your rash plan," I reply, gesturing sharply with my hand. "I turn myself over and distract them. Then you can break in while their security is low and their soldiers are occupied by the woman they hate so much. You can get Amelia and the others out."

"They know there are two of us," she states. "They'll be looking for me."

I shake my head. "Not if we make an explosion here at the base. I'll wander into their camp and state that you were killed in the blast."

Peggy turns on her heel, placing her hands on her hips. "And what about you? This is a kamikaze mission and you know it."

I mirror her body language. "All right, for one, I can't die. Two, I've broken out of worse compounds than this. And three, it's our only viable option. At least this way, I can give you all a chance to get away."

Peggy shakes her head. "I won't leave you there. Imagine what they'd do to you, an immortal with Erskine's serum in your bloodstream, if they actually captured you. What kind of monsters they could create. Steve's blood sample caused enough problems. No, I won't let you."

"You have a better idea?" Peggy sighs, her glare hardening as she realizes I'm right. "They won't kill me," I reassure her with a small smile. "I'll keep them busy, maybe take a few communists out along the way, and then join you with the escapees. Maybe we can even blow up the base, ensure that the problem is solved for good."

Peggy huffs, nodding her head. "We still need an exit strategy. That glorified row-boat isn't going to cut it."

I turn back to the computer, pulling up one of the old satellite feeds of the Soviet warehouse. I point to the south side of the compound, to an area outside the building. "They have boats there," I reply. "At least half a dozen, maybe more. And they're closer to the river so we can just hop onto the boats and sail away."

Peggy leans away from the monitor, taking a deep breath before looking at me. "This is insane, you realize this, right?"

I look back at the screen, seeing the immense size of the warehouse, how many heat signatures are inside, how fortified it is. "I'm starting to, yes."

"It will be dark soon," she adds, turning for the door. "If you're still set on doing this, we need to get what weapons we can and make a plan. If we can infiltrate before sundown, we have a better chance of escape. If we can get out around dawn, they'll never be able to catch us."

"You do this a lot?" I chuckle.

"Only when they force my hand," she replies, glancing at me over her shoulder. "Come along, Barnes."

I salute playfully and follow after her. "Yes, Ma'am."

···········

Less than an hour later, Peggy and I have created a near flawless plan. I say near flawless because every plan is perfect until you start to act on it. The bad guys always have a way of not going by the script.

What we have is simple: After creating a controlled explosion at the Manaus base, I will turn myself over to the Soviets and let their attention go solely to me. This will give Peggy the chance to sneak inside, grab Amelia and the other SHIELD agents, get whoever else they have prisoner there, and get to the boats. Meanwhile, I will occupy the Soviet's attention for as long as I can, hopefully getting close enough to Somodorov to take him out and blow up the warehouse. After that, I take a boat and get the bloody hell out of there.