╭─━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━─╮
AN UNEXPECTED REUNION
╰─━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━─╯
"Rei! Come on, wake up!" Sam nudged the girl by the shoulders. Czarina weakly lifted her arm at her chest. She's conscious but extremely light-headed due to her fall. "I got.. a vest.."
Her father immediately ripped her buttoned shirt open, everything was blurry when she scanned her surroundings. Selby and her guards are all down. But it won't be long before the others find out that their boss is dead. They need to go now.
"The vest caught it." Bucky exhaled in relief and lightly pressed his daughter's cheek. "Can you get up? We need to go."
"Yeah, yeah." Czarina gasped for air. The spot on her chest where the bullet hit ached badly but it was bearable to her. She stretched out her arms to Sam and Bucky to help her stand up. Blood rushed to her head, blacking out everything for a split second. "Woah." She swallowed as her whole body twitched.
"They’re gonna pin this on us." Sam worried, the both of them staring at Selby's body on the floor.
Zemo can only sigh heavily. "We have a real problem now, so leave your weapons and follow my lead."
They took the fire exit of the bar to get out, surprisingly there weren't any guards on the backdoor so it wasn't difficult to reach the streets unharmed. Well, except for Czarina. Her left arm hung around her dad's shoulder for support as they trailed after Zemo. They are fine for now, but they got a bigger problem after a crime boss was killed right in the same room they were in, so they might not be alive for the next few minutes if they don't get out of the area right away.
"We are so dead. Damn you Zemo. Izabel had a beef with the king." Czarina coughed, her ribs felt sore and so did her arms. All of the sudden chiming sounds popped up all over the place. "This is not good." Zemo outright admitted to them.
"No shit. I got a gunshot bruise in my chest and a bleeding shoulder."
As soon as they took a left turn on the street corner, gunshots fired from every possible direction. They all instinctively duck to avoid the indiscriminate firing. Czarina, with her hold tightening in her dad's neck, limped away with Sam and Bucky as fast as she could. Soon the civilians after them were joined by those masked, motorcycle riders. All of them circling the three like vultures.
"I can’t run in these heels!" Sam complained, finding it hard for him to keep up because of his footwear. They continue running until they reach the darker side of the street they are headed at. Before the two riders and a couple of individuals who are still tailing them get any closer, shots were fired from above.
The first one was hit right at the shoulder, then the other two fell instantly on the ground. Even the riders didn't have the chance to retaliate; they were also gunned down too. Czarina, Bucky, Sam and the newly appeared Zemo abruptly stop in their tracks. They all stood puzzled and confused about what just happened.
The streets are once again empty and they are the only ones left standing.
"You seem to have a guardian angel." Zemo took notice of the second time a perfectly timed shooting happened. For a place like Madripoor, this seems too good to be true. Czarina scanned their surroundings with wild eyes.
"Well, this is too perfect." A voice spoke from the dark. She jolted in her feet. A lone figure emerged from the shadows. Czarina's eyes widened on the recognition of the person in front of them.
"Drop it, Zemo." She warned steely. Pointing a gun right on the man's face. Zemo didn't hesitate to comply with the request and put down the weapon on the ground.
"Sharon?" Bucky sounded as confused and shocked as the rest of them right now. Sharon Carter. Former SHIELD agent and JCTC member. How could she forget her? She was around during the most crucial moments in Czarina's life. The Battle of Triskelion, her arrest by JCTC, the escape on Germany. She always seems to find the woman entangled in the Avengers affairs.
"You cost me everything." Sharon reminded them as she approached with a still loaded weapon.
"Sharon, wait." Sam tried, gesturing his hand at Sharon to stop. "Someone recreated the super-soldier serum and Zemo had a lead."
"That explains why you guys are here." The woman tilted her head. "And Selby’s dead."
Czarina stirred from her father's arm. The gunshot on her shoulder began to ache again along with the intense feeling of dizziness. She raised her head to get a clearer view of Sharon. The moment their eyes met, Sharon's expression morphed into an alerted one. Her gun clicked in an instant. "You're still with her?!" The woman exclaimed.
"Woah, woah. Easy, the government pardoned her for all that. Just like Bucky." Sam explained to her.
"What government?" Sharon asked, sounding genuinely confused. "What does Izabel Volkova have to do with the government? Why are you still with her?"
A brief silence reigned between all of them before Czarina broke it off with a dry chuckle. "Holy shit." Everything around her is getting more blurry every second. She just wants to get this reunion over as quickly as possible. "Is my disguise too uncanny? Can someone tell the poor woman I'm not the resident Russian bodyguard they all know."
"It's Czarina. We were undercover." Sam explained with a heavy sigh. "I was Smiling Tiger, she was Izabel. We have nothing to do with those people."
Sharon clenched her jaw as she examined the girl in front of her. It took more than a minute before she finally took away the weapon in Czarina's direction.
"So what are you doing here?" Bucky questioned her.
"I stole Steve’s shield, remember? I also took the wings for your ass," the woman shifted her gun point from Sam to Bucky as she recapped their rogue days. "So that you could save him from him. I didn’t have the Avengers to back me up. So I’m off the grid in Madripoor."
"Don’t blow smoke. I was on the run, too." Her uncle tried to reason out.
"Was. Is. Big difference." Sharon couldn't help but roll her eyes at them. "I don’t speak to my family anymore. I can’t. My own father doesn’t know where I am."
Bucky started to advance towards the ex agent while carrying the slumping weight of his daughter. "Listen… Sharon, we need your help." He glanced at Czarina's blood soaked shoulder.
Sharon let out an airy chuckle.
"Please."
A hint of pity surfaced at her eyes as she observed the battered state of the girl. "This isn’t over." Sharon warned them. "I have a place in Hightown . You’ll be safe there for a while."
━━━━━━━━━━
Sharon's mansion in Hightown is one of a kind. Though a high end place on that side is common, the woman has a better access to important resources on Madripoor. She owns a gallery club that specializes in classic and stolen artworks for black market. Which means she has clients and associates from higher places. Putting her among the top hierarchy of Madripoor's food chain.
It must have taken her quite some time to build an empire like that. But considering how long she's gone rogue and AWOL from SHIELD, it's enough years to be an established businessman in a crime world. Despite how comfortable and well-heeled Sharon's life is now Czarina knows it's not entirely something she wants. Guilt swelled on the girl's chest upon remembering how much she owed the woman when the Avengers went after them. And the payment she got? A forced exile on a pirate island for almost a decade.
"Does that hurt?" Sharon asked and stretched the forceps wider on the open wound, Czarina winced from the slight pricking pain. "Not really."
"Are you sure about this? We're not in a medical suite, we can just dress this and-"
"No, no. I need it removed from me, trust me I'll be better after it." Hesitation was evident on the older woman's face, she sighed heavily and shook her head before continuing what she's doing.
"Okay here we go...," she clamped the metal forceps on the bullet and scooped it out in a swift motion. It clanked on the stainless tray beside her, slightly dented and coated with blood. Czarina exhaled in relief, the heavy and numbing pain on the wound began to subdue.
"Okay, I'll stitch it up now-"
"No." The girl waved her hand to stop Sharon. "Just... leave it like this. Thank you."
Sharon's forehead curled, her eyes squinting towards the girl like she's observing a puzzle in front of her. "You know you can bleed to death from a gunshot wound, right?"
Czarina chuckled under her breath. "Yeah I know that." She started to stand up from the seat, her hands clamped a gauze against the shoulder wound. "I'm just what they say, 'built differently'."
Sharon could only shake her head and smile as she watched the girl pace around the room, looking at the hanged displays around them.
"Do you mind if I use the shower and snatch some clothes in your closet?" Czarina asked across the room. "I don't want to walk around Madripoor for the rest of mission looking like a murder victim."
"Yeah, sure. The bathroom is on the left from here. I'll just grab some clothes for you."
Most people's shower thoughts involve daydreaming, intrusive or silly thoughts and comebacks they wish they said in a past argument. Hers just kept drifting from radical supersoldiers, to the leader of a pirate country and possible black widow who looks like her. None of which she has a clear understanding of.
Czarina winced in discomfort as she rubbed off the dried blood on her shoulder. The bleeding has stopped due to the wound gradually closing up, though the outer layer of the skin is still fresh and open, it's good as a newly healed bullet injury. Which made her wonder if the Flagsmashers who took the serum had the same level of healing abilities. Her father always say she heals faster than any serum enhanced individual he met. Possibly because the variant she has is the combined formula of two major serums. Kudrin and Zola's.
Before she could fall any further in that rabbit hole, Czarina dismissed the thought. She quickly rinsed herself one last time to get out of the shower.
The pair of clothes Sharon lent her was much more comfortable compared to her previous outfit. A shirt with a black leather matched with slightly oversized cargo pants. She also ditched her wig, gray contacts and fake piercings that she used for her cover as Izabel.
As she was about to leave the room, Sharon appeared in surprise by the doorway. "Oh, you're done. That's good... I mean you look better now."
"Oh yeah, thanks for... everything." Czarina gestured at the clothes on her. "Is there something wrong?" She raised an eyebrow upon noticing a more intent stare from Sharon.
"No. No...," she shook her head. She was a bit hesitant to spill the words but she eventually did. "The person who shot you, did you see them? Or maybe know who's behind it?"
"It happened too fast. Next thing I know I was bleeding on the floor with Selby." Czarina released a heavy sigh as she remembered the whole thing. She has no proper recollection of the next few minutes until they made it out of the crossfire. Besides, the shooter was likely from afar so even if she remembers things it won't be as helpful as they hope.
"Why? Is there something wrong? Are they still after us?" Czarina questioned out of extreme concern.
"Oh, no. You're alright. I don't think they'll follow you around here." Sharon immediately reassured when she saw her slightly troubled reaction. "By the way. Your dad and Sam are waiting for you downstairs. They're still worried about the wound, so you might wanna tell them you're doing fine now."
After Sharon joined her in the living room to make sure she recovered enough from the gunshot wound, the woman made her way out of the mansion to gather more intel about the serum's source. It was in regards to Sam and Bucky's deal of helping Sharon get back a pardon from the US government. A trade the former SHIELD agent was quite doubtful to accept at first, given the history of her alliance with independent agents.
The four of them had been sitting in silence for the past few minutes, her father and uncle rested on the far, left side of the lounge couch while she's positioned on the opposite end. Not far across them Zemo has made himself comfortable on a lone chair, enjoying a bottle of whiskey from Sharon's collection. None of them has uttered a single word since their host left. This usually happens to Czarina during group thesis when the common friend on their circle leaves the room so the rest of them are rendered in an awkward position. It's funny how she's in a domestic setting; a college university. Or an extremely dangerous one; a covert mission. She isn't much different, Czarina remains unsociable and distant from people around her.
"The Powerbroker put a hit on Izabel." Czarina finally spoke to shatter the thick and mildly uncomfortable silence between them. The other three were quick to turn their heads at the girl.
"What?" Bucky's forehead furled in question.
"It's highly possible Izabel isn't on good terms with her. So when she-- I mean I did as her, step foot here again she immediately gained a kill order. That's what Selby was trying to tell me before we both got shot."
"I'm sorry but you're telling us you think Izabel was also a target?" Sam reiterated what she said. "The one you impersonated in an undercover mission also has eyes on her? How could you let this happen, Zemo?"
The three of them turned at the man in unison, their eyes holding a furious look on the discovery of what seems to be a sabotage attempt. Czarina had long thought about whether she'll bring it up, which will raise a possible suspicion towards their reluctant ally. But something tells her it would be better to let them be aware of her conversation with Selby. It could help them avoid more troubles while in Madripoor.
"Did you do this?" Bucky asked in a gruff and heavy voice as he stood from his seat to face Zemo.
A heavy sigh sounded from the other man, he pursed his lips and closed his eyes briefly before finally answering to their demands. "James, you must understand--"
"Don't tell me, tell her." He gestured at his daughter.
Zemo swallowed uncomfortably. "Czarina, I'm compelled to tell you that I wasn't fully aware of Izabel's situation when she left Madripoor. All I know is she's been in Conrad Mack's service for quite some time." He finds it troubling to meet Czarina's eyes while he speaks. But it comes off more as a shameful reaction rather than a guilty one. "She's his personal army, so I thought bringing her with him would avoid any suspicion. What happened at the Brass Monkey isn't my doing."
Czarina tilted her head to observe for any changes on Zemo's expression. Forcibly making the man meet her striking gaze. Though his head hung low, there's no trace of the usual smugness on his lips. He didn't try to out boast the rest of them this time.
"I'll give you the benefit of the doubt since you almost got killed too back there. Maybe you really didn't know either." The girl spilled her contemplation of fully accusing him. "But the next time I sense an attempt from you I'll make sure to throw you in a German gulag myself."
Zemo made a slight pout and nodded at Czarina's warning. "That's fair. I understand."
"Guys, Sharon just texted. She wants us to come down to the bar." Sam informed them, effectively disturbing the build up tension in the room. Bucky quickly signaled his kid to come along with him and Sam, who's almost by the door. As her uncle was about to open the door he turned his back at them and dropped a warning. "And Zemo, we are watching you."
Upbeat music played across the whole bar as the crowd cheered along the beat. The place is no longer how it was when they arrived awhile ago. It's now noisy, crowded and alive. While Sharon is busy entertaining the newly arrived auction customers, the four of them stay at the counter. Watching intently from the sidelines but still blended amongst the civilians discreetly. Czarina shoved herself in between her father and Sam to lessen possible interaction towards strangers. After the incident with Selby, even if they are in Hightown now, it's best to remain more vigilant than ever.
A few minutes later Sharon comes back at them with good news. "Hey guys I found him, come on."
"Here we go." Sam eyed Bucky and Czarina as they trail at the backdoor.
━━━━━━━━━━
The chilly morning air sweeps across the bay of Hightown docks. Effectively bringing shivers on Czarina's shoulder blades, the rancid stench of saltwater mixed with fumes crawled inside her nose.
"Madripoor could give New York a run for its money." Sam pointed out.
"They know how to party." Zemo agreed seemingly. The four of them are currently being led by Sharon through the maze of giant shipping containers.
"With that bounty on your head, the longer you’re in Madripoor, the less likely you’re ever leaving." The woman reminded them of their current situation. "All right. He’s in there. Container four-two-six-one."
"We'll watch while you guys talk to Nagel just like the plan. But hurry. We’re on borrowed time." Sharon looked over Czarina, before they left the woman's manor they had a quick plan of engagement. Since 90% of Madripoor's gangs and goons are after them the moment they set foot outside Sharon's area, she decided to pair with the woman as a lookout. Czarina will do just fine in fighting as she will in interrogation but they already got enough people to talk to Nagel.
"Czarina let's go." Sharon gestured at her as their team split into two, the other towards the container and the two of them behind the row of containers.
"Hey, Sharon. You sure this is the right one? It’s completely empty." Sam informed them at the comms.
"Positive. It has to be." Sharon answered with certainty. The other line went silent again as if they had found out the container wasn't empty as they thought at first. The two blondes concealed themselves behind the opposite container by left, weapons drawn out and eyes peeled for any sign of a different party.
"You sure you're alright with just the sticks?" Sharon nodded at the batons on Czarina's hands. Since she only borrowed it from the woman's weapon closet, the batons are unlike the usual ones she uses in field missions. It's non-electric and the more common type.
"Yeah, it can be pretty lethal in my hands, trust me." Czarina reassured her company.
Still skeptical about the girl's weapon choice, Sharon pulled a small pistol from her boot holster. "Here take this. Just in case." She extended the gun towards Czarina.
"You don't have to kill anyone with it, if that's what you're worried about. Just slightly injure them." Sharon winked at her.
Set of footsteps sounded from behind prompted the two to stand readily on their current positions. In front of them Czarina can clearly see three heavily armed men scouting the perimeter of the container where Nagel is.
"Guys we got company." Sharon whispered on the line. "You take the one on the left, I'll take the one on the right. Then we'll take the middle one."
Czarina nodded in understanding and two jumped up from their hiding place, they both took the two guys in the sides in surprise. Their batons easily battered their opposites, within two or three hits the both men were down. The last one attempted to use the rifle they were carrying but Czarina and Sharon were quick to turn on them, slamming both of their weapons against him. In a matter a minute all three are crumpled down at the floor, bruised and struggling to move.
"Every bounty hunter in the city is here. We gotta go!"
The two immediately step away from the spot but were startled by the sudden appearance of another group in front of them. They didn't have a moment to talk to each other instead they both jumped for an attack on the first thug they saw. Czarina went on against a taller and bulky man. She quickly went for his legs, hitting both with the batons. When his face leveled at Czarina's height her fist went right on it. He then proceeded to grab and pin the girl against a container wall but she repeatedly slammed his face with both batons. The man groaned in pain as blood trickled on his head, at last Czarina delivered a knee jab by the stomach that weakened the man enough to drop her.
She can see Sharon fighting a new guy in her peripheral vision which is good because it means they are taking down more men. Two others spotted and ran towards her screaming, the first raised their arm to grab her but she turned back at the man and got ahold of his arm. With both hands she twisted it and slammed the attacker against the ground. But then the second goon, who is a woman, got a hold of her by the back. Her arms now wrapped around Czarina's neck.
The girl threw her head backwards as hard as she could against the woman's face and stomped her left foot twice on the other's. It incapacitate the second attacker for a bit, helping Czarina fully escape their grasp. But the woman proceeds to pull a gun so Czarina sends a chokeslam by the neck.
More thugs and bounty hunters are coming after them, and this time Czarina decided to pull out the pistol. She fired two shots at the team by her left, injuring two gunmen. A buzz cut wearing girl appeared by her side holding a drawn out knife, Czarina dodge the quick slashes but she gained small cuts from it. She eventually saw an opening and slapped the knife upwards, Czarina almost missed it but she was able to get a hold of the knife midair. Without any second thoughts she jabs it deep at her enemy's bicep.
Traces of blood now splattered on her clothes and pants. She panted heavily as she looked around to search for Sharon. Her gaze spotted the woman by the left, front side of her spot. She's still in the middle of a fight where she has an upper hand. The younger blonde was about to run up to the older when her eyes caught a glimpse of a newly recovered thug who's about to throw a knife in Sharon's direction.
"Sharon watch out!" The younger one hollered but the words came unheard for the woman who's preoccupied with being in the enemy's grasp. Czarina was still a couple of steps away from Sharon to be able to push her out of the way. In a split second the other blonde dived in between Sharon's spot and where the knife came from. The girl went face to face with the woman who just slipped away from the bounty hunter's hold.
No blade sailed past over her head nor on the sides, it took a few seconds before Czarina turned around to face the one who threw the knife and fired a point blank at both shoulders of the man. He fell on solid concrete with a defeated yelp the same time Sharon's opposite lost their consciousness. Leaving the pair being the only ones left standing in the area of the fight.
"Czarina....," the older one slowly approached the girl who's still frozen in her place despite the fight being over. "Are you okay?"
She didn't have the chance to answer, instead she collapsed on her knees. There's a blunt pain by her right wing bone that's quickly spreading every second. Czarina kneeled on rough and cold ground with a heavy breathing.
"Oh my god." Panic stirred up on Sharon upon seeing the girl's weakened state. "What happened to you... You caught the knife?!"
"You.. were too far..." She answered meekly, her breathing becoming more thready.
"God I thought you just stopped it by shooting at him." Sharon gulped uneasily while observing the half buried knife on the girl's back. She's finding it harder to stay calm as each second passes without being able to help Czarina.
"Okay just stay still. And don't move for the love of god. We don't know how deep the knife has gone."
It wasn't a new thing for the girl to have blades or metals sticking out in her skin. She had plenty of experience similar to this back when she's still an enemy soldier. And most of it was during crucial moments of the mission so knows she can't afford to be sitting still on the ground, waiting for a medic to take care of her. They are more coming after them, they have to go back to Nagel's lab and escape with the rest.
"I'm pulling it out. I've done it a lot of times." She looked up at Sharon. "I need you to guide my hand on the handle."
Sharon's eyes widened and frantically shook her head in disapproval. "No, no, no. We'll find a way to bring you to the lab, there has to be a first aid kit there. But we're not taking the blade out."
"We're out of time! They're coming for us!" Raising her voice only caused her to feel more discomfort from a stab wound. Czarina winced in pain but remained insistent on the decision.
"Please we don't have enough time. It'll be quick, please." She pleaded at Sharon. Pure hesitation plastered on the other's face but she got down on her knees and held Czarina's right hand to guide it towards the handle of the knife. When the girl finally had a good and tight grip on it she pulled it out as swiftly as possible.
A short but pained scream escaped her lips. "Fuck." She spat and threw the blade at the ground. Her stomach did a slight somersault that prompted Czarina to retch and threw up before she could fully stand up.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. Let's go."
Sharon eagerly assisted her by putting the girl's arms against her shoulders. Together the two limped towards the shipment container where the others were residing.
"Guys, we’re seriously outta time here!"
The woman was heard right away and three others looked over their shoulders. Eyes widened in horror and shock, Bucky rushed towards his daughter. "What happened to her?!" He demanded with an obvious hint of anger in his voice.
"She caught a knife in the back for me." The older blonde confessed with reluctance. "I'm sorry."
In the midst of the troubling situations that had overlapped a gunshot rang inside the room, startling the four of them. Nagel's body laid on the floor bloodied and lifeless with hole shot right in his forehead.
"What did you do?" Sharon stared in horror at Zemo who's now holding a gun. Before any of them could even say another word a powerful blast hit the room, setting half of the place on fire while the rest of them tumbled down to the ground. Shards of glass pierce on her clothes as well as smaller debris of the fallen metal wall, the impact made her stab wound completely numb. She could no longer feel it stinging.
Red and orange colors swirl above Czarina's eyes. Smoke has covered most of the room so she could not see clearly who fell by her side, but she can hear pained groans in between the blaring alarms. She thrust her elbows against the solid floor to try and get up.
"Czarina!" Bucky exclaimed and grabbed her by the arms. "We need something to fix you."
"No. We need to get out of here. My stab wound can wait, those bounty hunters won't."
Nearby the girl's spot they saw both Sam and Sharon struggling in their back from the fall they took. The other two hurriedly rushed to the side to aid their friends.
"Come on. We're getting out of here." Czarina pulled Sharon by the shoulder.
Bottle of chemicals lined up in racks shook against each other along with gas tanks that were left plugged in the room. Surely in any moment the whole place is gonna blow up completely. They still can't see Zemo anywhere, he just disappeared after shooting their only lead on the Flag Smashers. Hopefully what Nagel said is the only thing they need to track down those supersoldiers or else they are in a dead end.
Just as they stepped out of the outer room the container behind them exploded once more. Which leads them to a giant black and gray cloud of smoke on their way outside. Czarina trailed behind her father, creeping up on the sides of the torn up containment walls.
"All right! Wait for my signal!" Bucky announced. But they didn't, the rest of the team immediately engaged in the exchange of gunfire. They gradually made their way on the right side of the opening each time they took down a bounty hunter.
There's still smoke everywhere that made it difficult to have a clear shot on the enemy. At the same time Czarina was running out of bullets so she had to make sure it wouldn't go to waste by randomly firing at the air. When she said she's gonna take a vacation to New York with her dad this wasn't exactly the situation she promised on the joint statement of her and Attorney Walters. She could only imagine the height of papers the two of them will have to face when the court learns how she's spending her semester break.
"Damn it!" Sam exclaimed. "And you like living here?"
"It’s not terrible." Sharon could only answer as she took shots and cover simultaneously.
Czarina fired two close shots at the nearby gunman at nine o'clock. She proceeded to fire a few more at the others on the top of the containers, it took down a couple or more but that was it. She had run out of ammo.
"Ah!" Her father groaned in irritation as his gun emptied too, the two ran back behind the barricade surrounding them. "I thought we were going left?!" Bucky demanded Sam.
"You went the wrong way!" Her uncle countered back.
"I was clearing the way!"
"I came out first. You were supposed to follow me!"
"And where are we now?"
Czarina waved her hand between the two arguing men. "Hey, hey, we're still in the middle of a gunfight!"
"I’m out!" Sharon retreated back with them.
Their trapped situation wasn't enough to stop the pair from arguing who's fault the botched plan was. "This is a barricade!'" Bucky exclaimed once more.
"It’s in every action movie!"
The argument only stopped when the water tank resting on the middle of the battlefield exploded in half. Freezing water and fire burst above them which effectively took down other bounty hunters circling the team. From the distance Zemo climbed down from a container and started fighting the thugs who were left standing. The four of them could only watch afar as he takes down the rest of their enemies by himself.
"Go." Bucky pulled his daughter by the arm to get out of their hiding spot.
"Come on. Let’s go!"
Gunshots echoed all over the place as they ran in the endless line of shipping containers, they all turned left where there were less gunshots being fired but the others were still able to catch up with them. Czarina was the first one to enter the empty container that Sam opened, Sharon followed next but Bucky was still busy fighting off the men who followed them.
"Buck!" Sam shouted and pulled back the man inside by the collar. "Let’s go!"
Inside the four of them stood in complete darkness. No one wasted their strength into talking, instead they took the moment to catch their breath. Fortunately for Czarina she still can't feel anything on her stab wound. She would really prefer for it to start hurting once they come back to Zemo's plane since there she can finally have the first aid she needs.
Moments later the gunshots began to fade and noises outside had gone silent. "I think we can go out now." The girl suggested. Bucky turned the heavy lock behind the door using his metal arm and pushed back. As soon as they stepped out the container they watched out for a sudden gunner or hunter to appear but there was nothing. It was finally clear outside.
A convertible pulled in front of them, tires screeching loudly against the cemented ground. "Supercharged." Zemo greeted them as he flashed a wry smile.
"You’re going back to jail." Sam declared without any hesitation.
"Do you want to find Karli or not?" The Baron bargained in challenge.
"He’s right. We need him." Bucky agreed and climbed up the front seat beside Zemo. "And there’s two of us, and at least 20 of them."
Czarina followed her father's lead and sat down at the backseat with Sam by her right side. "Fine. But if you try that shit again…,"
"I wouldn’t dream of it."
The girl only rolled her eyes on Zemo's answer, after what he just did she couldn't imagine he'll have limitations on doing things his own way.
"Well, that was one hell of a reunion." Sharon sighed heavily, slamming closed their car's door.
"Come back to the States with us." Sam tried to offer the woman.
"I told you I can’t. Just get me that pardon you promised me." The ex agent refused eagerly. "Hey Rina, take care. Thanks for having my back." She spoke to them one last time as she walked away.
"Thanks for everything too." Czarina shouted back. Suddenly a piercing pain shot on her back. "Ow!" The girl yelped, catching the attention of the three men in the car. "I think the adrenaline's running down!"
"Zemo, come on, she needs first aid." Sam demanded in an instant at Zemo. The car's engine fired up as Czarina started to feel dizzy. "You’re not gonna move your seat up, are you?"
"No." Bucky answered Sam in a slack tone. Oh good, they're still on it. The girl thought to herself. At least I'll be entertained by a petty fight throughout the ride.
┏━════════════━┓
ASHA'S NOTES !
┗━════════════━┛
So it turns out that books don't write themselves. I thought if I daydream 24/7 of writing it, it'll automatically direct in the docs and ta-da newly written chapter. But seriously god I feel so bad abandoning my boy 😭 like the last time it was updated was early January, it's been four long months. I'm so sorry for any readers out there, if I still have those, who keep on expecting updates only to be failed by me over and over again. I don't want to promise anything anymore but I'll try to be more responsible on updates. Thank you all so much for waiting and keeping up with my bs. Because truthfully I miss the feeling of writing and publishing chapters. Please please don't be shy to drop your comments, it really helps in my writing motivation and inspiration!