"Well, the Wakandans are here." Bucky sighed, walking in through the stained glass windowed door and into Zemo's home, "And they want Zemo. I bought us some more time."
I set the glass of scotch down on the glass table. I took a shallow breath and stood from the couch, "Are we surprised? No. The Wakandans watch your every move."
"Were you followed?" Sam chimed from the counter.
"No."
Zemo walked out of the bathroom, in a dark purple robe and damp hair. "How can you be so sure?"
I rose a brow, "He's an ex-assassin, he knows when he's being followed."
Zemo turned from the window, "It was sweet of you to defend me at least."
"Hey, you shut it. No one's defending you." Sam hissed.
"Do we really have to litigate what may or may not have happened?"
I shifted my gaze to where Bucky was scrolling through his phone, before back up at Zemo. "There's nothing to litigate. You straight shot the man and then turned the gun on me!"
"I didn't try to shoot you," he retorted, "It was simply a reflex, shoot any witnesses. Nothing personal."
"Well you better not pull that shit again because I for one would put a bullet right through your head and I don't even want to know what the bionic staring machine would do to you." Sam said, placing a hand on my shoulder.
It was nice to know that people had my back, that I wasn't completely alone anymore. I still don't trust Zemo though.
"Lucy." Bucky called my name as he looked up from his phone, "Karli bombed a GRC supply depot."
My eyes widened, "What? What's the damage?"
"Eleven injured, three dead." He sighed, "They're listing demands and are promising more attacks if those demands aren't met."
Zemo rose a brow, "She's getting worse." he walked over, "I have the will to complete this mission. Do the three of you?"
Sam shook his head, "She's just a kid."
"You're seeing something in here that isn't there. You're clouded by it." Zemo turned to me, "She's a supremacist. The very concept of Super Soldiers will always trouble people. It's that warped aspiration that led to the Nazis, to Ultron, to the Avengers."
I slammed my open palm down on the table, making Sam jump slightly as I glared at Zemo. "Careful where you step, you fucking dick. That's still Bucky and me that you're talking about there."
"Isn't it true though? Maybe not you but.... your captors were aspiring for you both to become great. And you fell short."
My eyes widened, "Fell short?! I was fucking brainwashed, and him even more so! You don't have the right to dehumanize us again when all we've ever had in our life is pain!" I yelled, my fist curling as I lunged at the man.
An arm wrapped around my upper waist and pulled me back. I gasped, falling into Bucky's chest and growling under my breath.
"Control yourself." He whispered in my ear, unraveling my hand from my fist and intertwining our fingers.
Sam narrowed his eyes, "They're our friends."
"The Avengers, not the Nazis." Bucky clarified as my body slowly relaxed into his touch.
"So, Karli is radicalized, but there has to be a peaceful way to stop her," Sam spoke, placing a hand on his chin.
Zemo shook his head, "The desire to become superhuman cannot be separated from supremacist ideals. Anyone with that serum is inherently on that path."
I looked down at that. Sure, he didn't mean it directly at Bucky and I save for our torture but... I'm still a ticking time bomb at least. I'm still very much a weapon that anyone could use to their advantage and that scares the hell out of me.
"Maybe you're wrong, Zemo." Bucky quipped. "The serum never corrupted Steve."
"But there's never been another Steve Rogers, has there?"
Bucky's muscles tensed under my touch. His hand held onto mine a little tighter, a small indication that the mention of his late best friend wasn't one he found comforting. I tilted my head to look into his eyes, my thumb rubbing the back of his gloved hand gently.
"Well, maybe we should give him to the Wakandans right now." I groaned, pulling Bucky with me to the couch.
"And you'll give up your tour guide?"
"Yes."
Sam rolled his eyes, "Okay, so from my understanding, Donya is like a pillar of the community, right?" He paused, "So when I was a kid, my TT passed away."
I furrowed my brows, though laughter was threatening to erupt from my throat as I covered my mouth. Bucky tilted his head back against the couch, "Your- Your TT?"
"Yeah, man. My TT."
"What the hell is a TT?" I laughed, though immediately covering my mouth.
"Aunt. When I was a kid, my aunt passed away. The entire neighborhood held a ceremony for her. It was like a week-long, so maybe they're doing the same thing for Donya."
Bucky shrugged, "Worth a shot."
"Your TT would be proud of you." Zemo poured himself a drink, holding up a wrapped piece of candy, "Turkish delight."
...
This place is more worn down than I had thought...
The white, tattered cobblestone lining the walls of the clearing was decrepit with age. The children playing and laughing with each other were wearing worn-out clothing with their hair messy. I furrowed my brows at the sight. It reminded me of what I used to see in New York.
Zemo seemed quite comfortable with his surroundings, talking about how he had been there before and was familiar with what a run-down GRC camp. I furrowed my brows a bit when the group split, Zemo humming a nursery tune with Turkish delight in his palms.
Bucky tried to get me to follow him to the other refugees yet, I couldn't keep my eyes off of Zemo.
The hell is he doing?
I drummed my fingertips against my outer thigh as Zemo knelt down beside a little girl, speaking some inaudible words to her. All I could do was stare.
After lackluster luck in finding out who Donya Madani is, Bucky stepped beside me, "You have a staring problem."
"You would too if you wanted to find out what Zemo was doing," I replied.
Sam walked out of the building behind us and moved next to Bucky, "I have a feeling this is a dead end."
"Yeah... what the hell is he doing?"
Zemo got to his feet, speaking quietly again to the children as if he truly didn't want us to hear. I nervously fiddled with the hilt of my knife in my holster, tapping my foot against the white cobblestone.
Zemo turned back to us once he handed his supply of candy to the eager kids. He smirked just slightly, walking back toward us. "Cute kids," he commented.
...
Empty-handed, we walked back into Zemo's apartment shortly after the failed search for Donya. I moved to the counter, grabbing the neck of a bottle of scotch and pouring myself a drink.
"Well, I got nothin'." Bucky mused. "Nobody's talkin' about Donya."
Sam nodded, "Yeah, it's because Karli is the only one fighting for them."
Bucky sighed heavily and sat back on the couch, Sam joining him not too long after. "For the last five years, people have been welcomed into countries that have kept them out using barbwire. There were more houses, jobs, and folks were happy to have the people around them help rebuild their lives."
I lifted my chin slightly to look at the two, closing the crystal bottle and taking a swig of the bronze liquid. "Yeah, so people started living off the system of 'woe is me', correct?"
"No. It wasn't just a community coming together, it was the entire world. Then boom, just like that everything goes back to the way it was, and the world is sent back into pandemonium." Sam responded. "To them, at least Karli's doing something."
"And you really think her ends justify her means?" Bucky asked. "Then, she's no different than him or anybody else we fought."
"She's different." Sam retorted, "She isn't motivated by the same things."
I joined the two men on the couch not long after their conversation. I fell back against the cushions and crossed my arms, staring at the stagnant glass in front of me. "But what if she is? People like her are unpredictable."
"And who's to say you're not?" Zemo walked over with a tray, setting it down on the table.
I narrowed my eyes at him, "That little girl. What'd she tell you?"
There was a moment of silence hanging between us all as Zemo debated on answering. Finally, he sat back down and folded his hands, "The funeral is this afternoon."
I cracked my knuckles against my thigh. Bucky's vibranium hand moved to my inner thigh, rubbing it gently as he kept his gaze focused on Zemo.
"You know the Dora's coming for you any minute now," Bucky spoke.
"In fact, they're probably lurking outside right now," I added. "Keep talking."
Zemo shook his head, "Leaving you to turn on me once we get to Karli. Hm... I prefer to keep my leverage."
Bucky's grip tightened on my thigh before releasing it. He got up slowly at first, walking around the table and right up in Zemo's face. I gulped a bit, my nails scratching at the couch as anxiety rose in my chest.
Bucky grabbed the crystal glass right out of Zemo's grip and threw it across the room. It struck the back wall, shattering into a million pieces and raining into the ground. The delicate pieces of glass reflected the colored light shining through the stained windows.
"You wanna see what someone can do with leverage?" Bucky growled, narrowing his eyes.
I wanted to stand, but I had to shut my legs tightly instead. I crossed them and looked away, biting down on my lower lip.
Holy hell, that was hot-
Sam got up instead, "Don't engage him. He's just gonna extort you and do that stupid head tilt thing." he moved past the two and motioned for me to stand, "Let me make a call."
Slowly, I stood up, walking over to the two. I grabbed Bucky's hand, making his fingers intertwine with mine as I looked into his eyes. I nodded, kissing the back of his hand gently and leading him away from Zemo.
"Calm down." I whispered in his ear, to which his body relaxed under my touch.
...
"Karli Morganthau is too dangerous for you guys to be pulling this shit!"
John's voice echoed throughout the street.. Bucky grabbed my hand, pulling me behind him as a shaky breath left my lips. The terror flooded within me from this man was unrequited.
"Ah! How'd you find us now?!" Bucky called across the street, holding out his arms as I trailed behind him.
Lamar rolled his eyes, "Come on, man. You think two Avengers and Walker's girlfriend can walk around Latvia without drawing attention?!"
"No more keeping us in the dark! And would you stop fucking stealing my girlfriend?!" John yelled, a shiver spreading up my spine throughout my entire body. "You can start by telling us who broke him out of prison!"
"He did that himself, technically." I chimed from behind Bucky.
"This better be an UNBELIEVABLE explanation!"
John strutted right toward me, fear rising in my chest as I gripped the back of Bucky's jacket. "Don't come any closer-"
Sam pressed a hand onto John's chest, "Take it easy before it gets weird."
Zemo looked between the five of us before back at John, "I know where Karli is."
He attempted to sate past John, but a gloved hand stopped him in his tracks. "Well, where?" John hissed, narrowing his eyes.
"All we know is that it's a memorial," Sam spoke, crossing his arms. "We're gonna intercept her there."
"All right, good. We'll move in fast, take her by surprise-"
"No, I wanna talk to her alone."
"I'm not losing her again. In fact, I'm not losing her or Lucille."
My eyes widened at the time, looking back at him. "What did you just call me?!"
A hand wrapped around my forearm, tugging me into cold and heavily armored arms. Bucky's eyes widened at that, "Hey!"
"We're way past reasoning with her. She blew up a building with people in it!" John yelled, his breath against my neck making me shiver and shrink down.
"Let me go..." I whispered.
Suddenly, the breathing moved to my ear instead. "Shut up. You know how these men have hurt you, and I won't let them do it again."
I grimaced, "Fine."
I shoved my elbow into his gut quickly, turning in his arms and kneeing him hard in the crotch. The arms released me, granting access right back into Bucky's hold as we continued down the cobblestone street.
"Bitch." He groaned under his breath, falling behind a bit.
"Yeah, you keep calling her that and see where it gets you. Because it won't be pretty." Bucky growled, holding my waist tightly as he held me to his side.
"John. If he can talk her down, it might be worth a try." Lamar finally gave in, looking over at his partner.
John looked at me, then Bucky, then to Sam. "Fine."
"Good boy. You know how to listen." I smirked a bit, walking with Bucky past them all.
"Oh, and you. I'll deal with you later!" He called out to me as I walked.
Zemo shrugged, "There's no catching that woman, just so you know, Walker. It'll all come to an agreeable conclusion, but I suggest you stop trying."
"She won't give up anytime soon, I'll tell you that much," Sam whispered, nudging the other.
A/N
why hello there beautiful people! here's another chapter for you, reintroducing our best friend mister Walker. I've come up with some fantastic plottwists that I can't wait to show you all.
this weekend ill be camping so, leave m some funny comments to come back to!
love, brooke <3