LATER THAT NIGHT the four men made it to Madripoor. They walked down the bridge, seeing the skyline of the city in the distance.
Zemo wore his usual attire while Bucky had a darker-colored vest and a shirt without sleeves to expose his vibranium arm. Sam wore a fashionable brownish-crimson suit with gold chains.
Y/N wore an armored vest with a single metal plate on his right shoulder while a rag draped over his left. His makeshift skull mask was on the top of his head ready for him to put on.
(A/N: Based on the look from Earth 1610 "Ultimate" Taskmaster)
"We have to do something about this. I'm the only one who looks like a pimp." Sam remarked.
"Only an American would assume a fashion-forward black man looks like a pimp." Zemo replied. "You look exactly like the man you're supposed to be playing. The sophisticated, charming African rake named Conrad Mack, aka the Smiling Tiger."
Zemo showed him a photo of the man. Sam let out a scoff as he looked at the picture.
"He even has a bad nickname. Hell, he does look like me though."
Y/N kept walking and staring ahead at the skyline as he spoke to Zemo. "Looks like you didn't fork up the funds for my attire."
"I'm sorry, I, unfortunately, do not have the materials or the time to conjure a vibranium suit." He said. "Besides, the skull should do the trick."
Sam glanced at Y/N and chuckled. "You look like you're straight outta Mad Max."
"All right, Smiling Tiger." He shot back with a laugh.
The quartet took a car into the town. They walked through a market and saw the destination Zemo was leading them to...the Brass Monkey Saloon.
Once they were inside they made it to the bar, passing by shady characters that stood around and sat at tables.
"Hello, gentlemen." The bartender greeted before looking at Sam. "Wasn't expecting you, Smiling Tiger."
"His plans changed." Zemo told him. "We have business to do with Selby."
"The usual?" He asked Sam, which he simply nodded despite not knowing what he was referring to.
The bartender took a dead snake out from under the counter and started cutting its heart out. He dropped the animal's organ into a shot glass filled with alcohol and put it on the counter in front of Sam.
Y/N decided to play along. "Ah, your favorite...Smiling Tiger."
"Oh, definitely. I love these." Sam replied after shooting a glare at Y/N.
Sam hesitated, but he took the shot anyway. He swallowed it as his colleagues looked away in disgust. Zemo on the other hand was fascinated.
Not long afterward, a bald man went up to Zemo and grabbed him by the shoulder. "I got word from on high. You ain't welcome here."
"I have no business with the Power Broker." Zemo told him. "But if he insists, he can either come and talk to me...or bring Selby for a chat."
The man glared at Zemo before walking away.
"Power Broker? Really?" Bucky asked.
"Every kingdom needs its king. Let's just pray we stay under his radar." Zemo said.
"Do you know the guy? Y/N asked.
"Only by reputation. In Madripoor he is judge, jury, and executioner."
As Zemo was speaking, he looked around and noticed a few men stepping towards them. He turned to Bucky and Y/N, speaking in Russian.
"Зимний солдат Таскмастер. Атака. (Winter Soldier. Taskmaster. Attack)."
Before one of the men could grab Zemo, Bucky took his arm and bent it. The man groaned as Bucky dragged him towards the middle of the room and slammed him into the floor.
Another man ran up to Bucky, but the Y/N quickly kicked him in the side launched him into a table. An attacker tried to go at Taskmaster, but Y/N evaded his punch and elbowed the man in the face. He grabbed him by the neck and punched him twice.
Zemo pushed a guy in Bucky's direction. The man tried to fight him, but the Winter Soldier dodged his hit and landed a right hook across the man's face. He finished him off by punching him with his vibranium arm and sending him into a column.
Meanwhile, Y/N was fighting two attackers at once. He quickly roundhouse kicked the man on his left before ducking under the hit of the other. He countered with an uppercut and sent him flying onto a table.
"Didn't take long for them long to go back to form." Zemo remarked as he looked at Sam.
Taskmaster and the Winter Soldier fought off a few more men that arrived. Bucky grasped the last man by the neck and pinned him against the counter.
The room got quiet. Y/N panted as he looked at Bucky. Suddenly, the sounds of cocking pistols by armed patrons were heard. Zemo figured that was enough.
"Молодцы, солдаты (Well done, soldiers)." Zemo told them.
The bartender, who had watched the whole fight unfold, spoke to the four. "Selby will see you know."
"Thank you." Zemo said and walked away.
Y/N pull up his skull mask and took a breath. Bucky let the man he was pinning to the bar finally fall to the floor.
"Y'all good?" Sam whispered.
Y/N nodded, but Bucky chose to not answer and followed Zemo. Sam glanced at Y/N, who shrugged, and the two followed him.
In a dark room, a lady sat on her couch as the four men walked in. A few guards with guns stood in each corner of the room.
"You should know, Baron." Selby said. "People don't just come into my bar and make demands."
"Not a demand. An offer." Zemo replied with a smile.
"A lot has changed since you were here last. By the way, I thought you were rotting away in a German prison. How did you escape?"
"People like us always find a way, don't we? I'm sure you've already figured out what I'm here for."
Selby pointed at Sam while she still had her eyes on Zemo. "You're taller than I'd heard, Smiling Tiger."
Sam didn't respond and simply nodded.
The woman continued. "What's the offer?"
"Tell us what you know about the super-soldier serum." Zemo got in between Bucky and Y/N. "And I give you one of them. With the code words for his activation."
"Why not both?" She asked.
"Well, we can always negotiate if you have more information to offer." He replied.
Selby smiled. "Now that's the Zemo I remember. I'm glad I decided not to kill you immediately. Yeah, you were right to come to me. Arrogant, but right."
Zemo nodded and walked back to his seat as Selby began to speak.
"The super-soldier serum is here in Madripoor. Dr. Wilfred Nagel is the man you wanna thank. Or...condemn, depending on what side of this you're on. The Power Broker had him working on the serum, but things didn't go as planned."
"Is Nagel still in Madripoor?" Zemo asked.
"Oh. The bread crumbs you can have for free but the bakery is gonna cost you, Baron." Selby got up from the sofa. "And before you can get all cute don't think you can find Nagel without me."
She walked up to the two soldiers and looked at them before fixating her eyes on Taskmaster. "You were my first choice, but maybe you'd like a friend." Selby looked at Zemo. "I'll give you Nagel's location if you give them both to me."
Before Zemo can reply, Sam's phone began to vibrate. It got Selby's attention, and the Baron shook his head in disappointment.
Sam took out his phone and saw that it was a call from his sister, Sarah.
"Answer it." Selby demanded. "On speaker."
A gunman got behind Sam as he held his phone. He took a moment before finally answering.
"Hello?"
"Hey, um, we need to talk about this situation. It's been driving me nuts."
"What situation exactly are you talking about?"
"Are you high? You know the situation is the only situation we have right now."
"What situation, Sarah? Say it."
"The damn boat. And watch your tone. Okay? I let you slide at the bank."
Sam let out a scoff. "The bank. Yeah. Laundered so much...they'll come around."
Y/N dropped his head and shook his head. Sam was never a good actor.
"If that was the case, then why'd they dog you out. Big Time?"
"Yeah, you damn right I'm Big Time. You'll see when I have that banker killed."
Sarah didn't hear his statement as voices were heard in the background during the call.
"Cass! What'd I tell you about the Cheerios? I don't have time for this! Sam, I'm sorry, I'll call you back."
His sister hung up the call, but Selby caught the name that was said.
"Sam? Who's Sam?" She glanced at each of the men and shouted at her guards. "Kill them!"
Suddenly, a bullet shot through the window and went through Selby's chest, killing her. She fell to the ground.
Sam used the distraction to disarm the guard behind him and punch him in the neck. The guard near Y/N raised his rifle, but he grabbed his arm and forced the man to shoot upwards. Y/N pulled the firearm out of his hands and hit him across the face with it. A gunman shot at Bucky, but he grabbed the nozzle of the gun and took it away as he landed a right hook at his jaw.
"They're going to pin this on us." Sam breathed out.
Zemo sighed. "We have a real problem now, so leave your weapons and follow my lead."
Zemo, Y/N, Bucky, and Sam strolled through the market as the devices of the Madripoor people nearby started to sound.
"This isn't good." Zemo told them.
Suddenly, a man on a bike shot at them with his submachine gun.
"Oh, shit!" Y/N shouted.
"Come on!" Bucky exclaimed.
The four started to run through the market as armed residents started to chase after them, also firing their weapons.
"I can't run in these heels!" Sam yelled.
They ran through a dark alleyway with the attackers still on their tails. Suddenly, they were shot down by a mysterious gunman at the window above.
"What the—?" Sam muttered.
"You seem to have a guardian angel." Zemo said.
"Well, this is too perfect." A voice called out.
They turned around and saw a woman come out of the shadows. She pulled off her hood and aimed her gun at Zemo.
"Drop it, Zemo."
"Sharon?" Y/N asked.
She ignored the man and walked closer to the criminal. "You cost me everything."
"Sharon, wait." Sam got in front of her. "Someone recreated the super-soldier serum and Zemo had a lead."
"That explains why you guys are here. And Selby's dead." She replied.
"So what are you doing here?" Bucky asked.
"I stole Steve's shield, remember? I also took the wings for your ass so that you could save his ass from his ass." She answered while pointing at Sam, then Bucky, then finally Zemo.
She lowered her gun as he continued. "I didn't have the Avengers to back me up. So I'm off the grid in Madripoor."
"Don't blow smoke. We were on the run, too." Sam interjected.
"Was. Is. Big difference. I don't speak to my family anymore. I can't. My own father doesn't even know where I am." She said, then looked at Y/N. "And you? Finally decided to stop by and visit your niece?"
Y/N didn't know what to say. Despite her being one of his only blood-related relatives, they never had the chance to talk since Peggy's death in 2016. The Civil War, being on the run, and the Blip being big factors.
Bucky decided to speak. "Sharon, we need your help. Please."
Sharon chuckled and shook her head.
"This isn't over. I have a place in High Town. You'll be safe there."
• • •
Y/N GOT OUT of his disguise and started putting on the black t-shirt that he acquired from one of Sharon's closets. Sam was nearby also putting on a different set of clothes.
Zemo was at the bar pouring himself a drink while Bucky at on the couch. Sharon walked into the room and placed a jacket on the seat nearby.
"Uh, Sharon..." Y/N started to speak.
"Look, if you're about to give some kind of apology, it's fine." She interjected.
"If I knew you weren't pardoned, I would've done something."
"Don't assume you have to prioritize me just because we're related. You shouldn't see me as your niece, and I sure as hell don't see you as my uncle. So let's squash this."
Y/N simply nodded and let out a sigh, putting on the jacket she left him by the chair.
Sam picked out a turtleneck from the closet, putting it on as he looked at the blonde. "What's going on, Sharon? You don't ever wanna come back home?"
"They'll lock me up if I step foot back in the States. Madripoor doesn't allow extradition."
"Like Y/N said, we would've called. But the chaos and everything..."
"Look, you know the whole hero thing is a joke, right?" She scoffed and looked at Y/N. "The way you gave up that shield, deep down, you must know it's all hypocrisy."
"Maybe not so deep down." Zemo added.
Y/N gave him a look and walked over to the couch where Bucky was sitting, taking a seat on the sofa beside it.
"People play hero...and the ones in charge still don't appreciate it. You did what you thought was right eight years ago, and where did that lead you? In hiding, like I am." She chuckled. "By the way, how is the new Cap?"
"Don't get me started." Bucky said.
"Please." She replied with a scoff. "You buy into all that stars and stripes bullshit. Before you were Zemo's pet psychopath you were Mr. America! Cap's best friend."
"Wow." Bucky looked Y/N. "Your niece is kinda awful."
Sam sat down near them, choosing to get straight to the point. "Karli Morgenthau and at least seven others have taken the serum."
"You guys really should steer clear of all of this for your own safety." Sharon advised.
"We know it's a risk, but we're not gonna leave until we find the one who cracked the code." Sam said.
Y/N leaned forward. "We got a name back at the saloon. Wilfred Nagel."
Sharon got up from her seat and went over to a set of bottles by the counter. She started pouring herself a drink.
"Nagel works for the Power Broker." She said.
"We need your help, Sharon. We can get your name cleared." Sam told her.
"You haggling with my life?"
Y/N turned to her. "Not like that."
"I don't buy that. You pretending like you can clear my name."
"Look, maybe you're right about this whole hypocrisy thing." Y/N got out of his seat and went up to Sharon. "But I'm willing to try if you are."
Sharon drank from her glass, listening to them.
"They cleared the bionic staring machine and he killed almost everybody he's met." Sam chimed in.
"I heard that." Bucky said.
Sharon looked at Y/N. "I don't trust charity."
"Fine. How about a deal, Agent?" He held out his hand. "You help us. We get your name cleared."
She looked at him for a while, until she ultimately agreed and shook his hand. She drank up the rest of the alcohol from her glass and started to walk away.
"Well, I sell to some pretty connected people. Lay low, blend in, enjoy the party. Try to stay out of trouble. I'll see what I can do."
Zemo held his glass and smirked. This was an event he was looking forward to.
"Trouble."
• • •
THE GROUP WALKED through the Madripoor docks, the supposed location of Wilfred Nagel. It's been a couple of hours since Sharon's party.
"Madripoor could give New York a run for its money." Sam remarked.
"They know how to party." Zemo replied.
"With that bounty on your head the longer you're in Madripoor the less likely you're ever leaving." Sharon told them before looking at her phone. "All right. He's in there. Container four-two-six-one."
She handed them earpieces and continued. "I'll keep an eye out while you guys talk to Nagel. But hurry. We're on borrowed time."
Sharon walked off and the four men entered one of the containers. Zemo felt the wall in the back of the space, where he pushed it and discovered a set of stairs. Sam, Bucky, and Y/N went in with their handguns raised as Zemo followed close behind.
They entered a lab and heard music playing from a record player. They pushed further in and saw a man at a table experimenting with chemicals in test tubes. Sam went up to the record player and stopped it.
Nagel turned around and was shocked to see him. Sam aimed his gun at the man.
"Dr. Nagel?" He asked.
"Who are you? What do you want?"
"We know you created the super-soldier serum."
"Get out of my lab." Nagel shot back as he started to walk away, but stopped upon seeing the three other men. Bucky and Y/N stared at the doctor as Sam got behind him.
"You know who they are, right?" Sam asked him. "HYDRA's Fist. Their Mimic." He forced Nagel to turn to Zemo. "This is Baron Zemo. I know you've heard of him, too, right?"
Nagel didn't respond. Sam pushed him forward and against the wall as he continued. "You seem like a pretty smart guy. So you better become conversational real quick."
"How about a counter proposal?" He asked. "Make me a better offer and I'll talk."
"Guys. We got company." Sharon informed through the comms. After a while, she spoke again. "Every bounty hunter in the city is here. We gotta go!"
Bucky immediately grabbed Nagel and dragged him to a seat. He sat him down and aimed his pistol at the man's head. Bucky shot the table behind him and scared Nagel.
"Okay. Okay." Nagel said, trembling. He started to explain.
"I was brought into HYDRA's Winter Soldier program to pick up their work after the five failed subjects in Siberia. When HYDRA fell, I was recruited by the CIA. They had blood samples from an American test subject with semi-stable traces of serum in his system."
Sam looked at Y/N, the two of them understand that the subject was Isaiah Bradley. Bucky glanced at them before looking down.
Nagel continued. "After much labor, I was able to isolate the necessary compounds on his blood. I was a god. I did what no other scientist since Erskine was able to do. But mine was going to be different. No clunky machines or jacked-up bodies." He looked at Y/N. "Much like the Lieutenant, mine was going to be subtle, optimized, perfect, as if it was already a part of the genetic code."
"How come we never heard of this?" Y/N asked.
"Because...before I was able to complete my work, I turned to dust." He replied. "Then when I returned, it was five years later, the program had been abandoned, so I came here. The Power Broker was more than happy to fund the recreation of my work."
"How many vials did you make?" Sam asked.
"Twenty." Nagel replied. "Karli Morgenthau stole those, so...I can only imagine what the Power Broker has planned for that poor girl."
"Where's Karli now?" Y/N asked.
"I don't know where she is. But a couple of days ago she called and asked if I could help someone named Donya Madani. Poor woman has tuberculosis. Typical of overpopulation in displacement camps like that."
"Well, what happened to her?" Sam inquired.
Nagel shrugged. "Not my pig. Not my farm."
"Is there any serum in this lab?" Bucky asked, but after Nagel glared and didn't give a response, he pressed the barrel of the gun into his head.
"No." He finally breathed out.
Bucky turned to his colleagues. "Now what?"
Nobody said anything. Sharon ran into the lab, panting after taking on several bounty hunters outside.
"Guys, we're seriously outta time here."
Suddenly, Zemo pulled out a pistol he had discreetly acquired and shot Nagel in the chest. The doctor fell off his chair and died shortly after.
"No!" Y/N shouted and grabbed Zemo's arm. With the help of Sam, they pinned the Sokovian to the wall where he dropped the gun.
"What did you do?" Sharon asked with widened eyes.
An explosion suddenly erupted in the lab as an RPG from outside hit the container they were in. The blast sent them to the floor as fire and smoke engulfed the room.
The alarm sounded. Y/N got up and looked around to see his friends getting to their feet as well.
"Anybody see Zemo?" Sam groaned.
Y/N noticed he was gone. He shook his head and cursed. "God damn it."
He helped Sam to his feet as Bucky pulled Sharon up. The four ran out of the lab and made it outside. They took cover behind debris and Y/N grabbed the pistol from his waistband.
"All right, wait for my signal!" Bucky shouted.
Sam didn't listen and moved ahead while firing at the bounty hunters. Bucky shook his head.
"Damn it."
They followed Sam, shooting at the men as they used the scattered parts of the blown-up container as cover.
"You seriously like living here?" Y/N asked Sharon.
Sharon fired her gun. "It's not terrible."
Bucky kept shooting until he was out of ammunition.
"I thought we were going left?"
"You went the wrong way!" Sam shouted back.
"I was clearing the way!"
"I came out first. You had to follow me."
"And where are we now?"
Y/N peeked out of cover and shot in the direction of a bounty hunter, but he went behind a container.
"Save the shouting matches for later!" He told Sam and Bucky.
Sam ignored his friend and kept yelling at Bucky. "I'm covering you!"
"This is a barricade!" He shot back.
"It's in every action movie!" Sam exclaimed.
Suddenly, a man at the top of a container walked to the edge and put on his purple mask. It was Zemo. He shot at a gas pipe and took out nearby bounty hunters. He dropped down and started to take them on close-quarters, easily defeating them.
With this, Zemo gave them time to move.
"Come on, let's go." Y/N told them.
They ran through the docks. They entered a container and exited through the other end. Seconds later, Zemo pulled up in a classic-looking sports car.
"Supercharged." He said with a smirk.
"You're going back to jail." Sam told him.
"Do you want to find Karli or not?" He asked.
Bucky agreed with the Sokovian. "He's right. We need him. And there's three of us, and at least 20 of them. Come on."
Bucky entered the passenger's side. Y/N sighed and entered the backseat, sitting behind Zemo. Sam kept glaring at the criminal.
"Fine. But if you try that shit again..."
"I wouldn't dream of it."
"Well, that was one hell of a reunion." Sharon remarked.
Y/N looked at Sharon. "Come back to the States with us. Trust me, we don't have to worry about Ross."
"It's funny that you assume I give a shit about what that old man thinks." She replied. "Just get me that pardon you guys promised me."
"Thanks for everything." Sam called out as she walked away, then sat in the seat behind Bucky.
He realized there wasn't much legroom for him, and he rolled his eyes upon realizing why.
"You're not gonna move your seat up, are you?" He asked Bucky.
"No."
• • •
ZEMO HAD A safe house in the city of Riga, Latvia. Y/N, Zemo, and Sam were inside while Bucky went out for a walk. While Zemo was settling in and Sam was by the bar, the young super-soldier was on a call with Natasha as he stood by the window.
"Yes, I've been sleeping. I wouldn't say well though."
"Why is that?"
"Because a bed isn't the same without you in it."
She chuckled. "That's probably the cutest thing I've heard you say."
"That's great. I've been trying to come up with that for the last three days."
"Well, once you're done with this, you won't have to worry about lonely nights for a while."
"Looking forward." He replied. "So you said you had something on the Flag-Smashers?"
"Yes. Aside from me pinpointing a few of the camps they're at...news came out about supply depot in Lithuania that burned down. Last night."
"Jesus. Any casualties?"
"Three. Along with eleven injured. They also have a list of demands. More attacks if they don't comply."
Y/N sighed. "They're escalating."
"Seems like it."
"Thanks, Tasha. I'll let the others know. Tell the kids I said hi and I love them, all right?"
"Береги себя, моя сияющая звезда. (Be safe, my shining star.)"
They ended the call and seconds later, Bucky walked into the room.
"Well, the Wakandans are here." He told them. "They want Zemo. I bought us some more time."
Y/N chuckled as he put his phone away. "Why don't we just give him to them now?"
"Were you followed?" Sam asked Bucky.
"No."
"How can you be so sure?" Zemo asked as he went over to the bar.
"Because I know when I'm being followed."
"How sweet of you to defend me, at least."
Sam looked at Zemo. "Hey, you shut it. No one's defending you. You killed Nagel."
"Do we really have to litigate what may or may not have happened?"
"You straight up shot the man. There's nothing to litigate." Y/N said.
Zemo simply shrugged and took a sip from his glass. Y/N shook his head and looked at friends.
"I called Nat. She told me that the Flag-Smashers bombed a supply depot."
"What? What's the damage?" Sam asked.
"Eleven injured, three dead. They have a list of demands and are promising more attacks if those demands aren't met."
"She's getting worse." Zemo spoke up then looked at the three. "I have the will to complete this mission. Do you?"
"She's just a kid." Y/N replied.
"You're seeing something in her that isn't there. You're clouded by it." He said. "She's a supremacist. The very concept of a Super Soldier will always trouble people. It's that warped aspiration that led to Nazis, to Ultron, to the Avengers."
"Hey, those are our friends you're talking about." Sam shot back.
"The Avengers, not the Nazis." Bucky interjected.
"Thanks for clearing that up." Y/N replied sarcastically.
Sam continued. "Okay, Karli is radicalized, but there has to be a peaceful way to stop her."
Zemo didn't like that. "The desire to become a superhuman cannot be separated from supremacist ideals. Anyone with that serum is inherently on that path. She will not stop. She will escalate until you kill her...or she kills you."
"Maybe you're wrong, Zemo." Bucky butted. "The serum never corrupted Steve."
"Touché. But there has never been another Steve Rogers, has there?" He countered before glancing at Y/N. "There hasn't been one as pure as him, despite there being one related by blood."
"Watch your mouth." Sam shot back in defense of his friend.
"What?" Zemo asked. "Even he believes it."
Y/N simply stared at Zemo as the baron walked over to the pantry. Bucky scoffed at his remark and went over to the couch.
"Maybe you're right." Bucky called out to Y/N. "We should give him to the Wakandans right now."
"And you'll give up your tour guide?" Zemo asked.
"Not like you've been much of one." Y/N shot back.
Sam shifted in his seat and faced them. "From my understanding, Donya is like a pillar of the community, right? When I was a kid, my TT passed away—"
"Your TT?" Bucky interjected.
"Yeah, my TT, yeah."
"Who is your TT?"
Sam exhaled. "Fine. When I was a kid, my aunt passed away and the entire neighborhood got together for a ceremony."
Bucky finally understood what TT meant and continued listening to Sam.
"It was like a week long. Maybe they're doing the same thing for Donya."
Bucky looked at each of them. He thought for a moment before nodding.
"It's worth a shot."
• • •
THE FOUR SPENT most of the day trying to gather information on where Donya's funeral would be. Zemo was the only one successful in doing so, but he tried to withhold the information. But after some convincing, and threats by Bucky, he ultimately revealed where it would be.
The quartet walked through the town, but suddenly spotted John Walker and Lemar Hoskins ahead.
"Karli Morgenthau is too dangerous for you guys to be pulling this shit." John exclaimed.
"Ah! How'd you find us now?" Bucky shouted back.
"Come on. You think three Avengers can walk around Latvia without drawing attention?" Lemar replied.
John walked up to them. "No more keeping us in the dark. You could start by telling us why you broke him out of prison."
"He did that himself, technically." Y/N said as he glanced at Zemo.
Walker scoffed. "This better be an unbelievable explanation!"
"Hey, take it easy before it gets weird." Sam told him.
"I know where Karli is." Zemo simply said before he continued walking with Bucky, Sam, and Y/N.
John got in front of them. "Well, where?"
"All we know is that it's a memorial." Y/N replied. "So, we're going to intercept her there."
"That means civilians. High risk of casualties." Lemar remarked.
"All right, good, we'll move fast. Take her by surprise." John said as he started to walk with them.
Y/N looked at John. "No. I wanna talk to her alone."
John disagreed with his plan. "I'm not losing her again."
"Look, the person closest to her died, she's vulnerable. Now is the best time to reason with her."
"What? No. Wait, no! Stop. I think we're way past reasoning with her unless you forgot she blew up a building with people still in it."
Lemar turned to Y/N. "You walk in there cold, they can overpower you and kill you."
"And if we choose to go in hot, something could go wrong and more people will die." He countered.
"You're gonna let him do this?" John looked at Sam and Bucky. "You're going to let your buddy walk into a room with this terrorist alone?"
"He's dealt with worse, Walker." Sam shot back. "And in case you forgot, he's a super-soldier too."
"Yeah, I know. But I still think this is a bad idea." John said.
"John." Lemar looked at his colleague. "If he can talk her down, it might be worth a try."
John looked at the men as he began to think. He ultimately decided to trust his best friend's instincts.
"We'll deal with you later." John told Zemo.
"I'm sure it will all come to an agreeable conclusion."
A little girl, who Zemo talked to earlier that day and gave him the location of the funeral, led them to the back of a building. They entered the boiler room and Zemo informed Y/N that the event was taking place down the hallway. He gave a nod to his colleagues and walked inside.
He made it a foyer that overlooked the ground floor. There he saw a crowd surrounding a casket in the middle of the room. Karli carried a little boy as she spoke to the people, but she hesitated for a moment after spotting the man watching above.
Karli gave the boy to a woman and continued speaking after composing herself.
"She taught me that we have to do each other. Because they won't. And we know who they are. They imposed struggle and hardship on us then labeled us as criminals for pushing back. But the struggle is what brings us all together. People who have nothing in common. For we are, after all, simply one world and one people."
Kari looked up at Y/N and gave her final statement to her group. "So live accordingly."
Each member said their goodbyes to Donya and placed flowers by her covered body. Y/N waited for everyone to leave before he walked downstairs to where Karli was.
"Saw your back there." Karli called out as he walked in. She turned around and faced the man.
"I came alone." He replied as he went up to her. "I just wanna talk."
"Bold of you."
"I'm sorry for your loss."
She shook her head. "Don't condescend to me. I'm not a child."
"I'm not condescending. I know what it's like...to lose someone." Y/N said, thinking back at his mother, Pietro, and Tony.
"No, you don't. Not like this." She replied, looking over at Donya's body.
"It doesn't have to be a war, Karli."
"They started a war as soon as they kicked us out of our new homes and onto the street. People all around the world need me. Millions of them."
"Right, I can't speak for millions, but I understand you. I understand your frustration...your helplessness."
Y/N stepped closer. Karli walked over to a nearby table and leaned against it.
"So you want me to stop because people are getting hurt, right?" She asked. "But, Y/N, what if I'm making the world a better place?"
"It's not a better place if you're killing people. It's just different."
"You're either brilliant or just hopelessly optimistic."
Y/N chuckled softly. "I think I get that from my father. So I'm a little bit of both."
"No, you can't be both." She replied as she sat down.
"There's this guy I know...he knows more about us super-soldiers than anyone else on the planet, he says..." Y/N sat down beside her. "You're a supremacist."
"Me?"
"Yes."
"That's ridiculous. Everything I do is to end supremacy. These corporations and the beasts who run them, they're the supremacists."
Y/N nodded. "So, let me ask you. You have more of the serum, right?"
"So?" Karli replied after a moment of thought.
"Are you going to increase your numbers? Grow your army?" He looked at Karli. "You're killing innocent people."
"They're not innocent." She countered. "They're roadblocks in my journey and I'd kill them again if I had to."
"Wow." Y/N said rather dramatically as he stood up.
"No, no. I didn't mean it like that." Karli got up as well. "You tricked me into sounding like—"
"Like what?" He interjected.
Karli sighed. "The people I'm fighting are trying to take people's homes, Y/N."
"I agree with your fight. I'm not your enemy. I just can't get with the way you're choosing to fight it." He glanced at Donya's body. "And I'm sure she wouldn't either."
Karli looked over at the corpse of her caretaker and sighed. She was taking in Y/N's words and a part of her was starting to agree with him. Suddenly, a voice called out.
"Karli Morgenthau, you're under arrest." John announced as he entered the room with Lemar. Bucky and Sam came in as well, having just attempted to stop them.
"So this is what that was?" Karli looked at Y/N, with genuine hurt in her eyes.
"No, wait—"
"Tricking me until your backup arrived?"
"I think you've had enough time to talk." John ordered Y/N back and walked up to Karli.
Before he can apprehend her, the teenager punched the shield he was holding. John flew backward into Y/N, knocking them both down. Bucky pushed Lemar off of him and chased after Karli. Sam tried to follow but was stopped by Hoskins.
Karli ran off with Bucky chasing after her.
Y/N cursed as he got up. He grabbed Lemar by the shoulders and threw him off of Sam. He helped his friend up and the two ran off to help Bucky.
They traversed the hallways and went up a set of stairs. Sometime after, they met up with Bucky.
"I lost her." Bucky said in between pants.
"This place is a damn maze." Sam remarked.
They kept searching the area. Suddenly, gunshots were heard in the basement. They ran downstairs to investigate, and there they saw John Walker. He stood above shattered vials of the serum and an unconscious Zemo nearby. He had broken out of the handcuffs they had put on him in the boiler room.
Lemar walked in moments later. John seemed to have pocketed something discreetly, but the men in the room didn't notice. Sam exhaled as he looked around.
"What did we miss?"