Heels clicked along concrete as y/n walked across a bridge that led to the city of Madripoor. She sighed uncomfortably and pulled at the tight material of her dress. Zemo had given her an outfit that her allias would wear, she still had no idea who the woman was, but she needed to wear smaller heels.
The strange, unlikely group continued on their path along the bridge. It was illuminated by neon blue lights. Y/n turned her head to Bucky who was walking alongside her and she felt her heart clench in pain.
Zemo had given him an outfit that was similar to his winter soldier suit. The jacket was brown and had a black strap across his chest. His jaw was clenched and there was a pained look in his eyes that was breaking her heart and making her want to kill Zemo where he stands.
Y/n glanced down at her feet, the 6 inch heels were very inconvenient. Before she was taken by HYDRA, and taken in by the Avengers, y/n didn't often wear heels. She hardly knew how to walk in them. Which led to a two week long lesson in wearing heels because they are useful for being undercover citrusy of Natasha Romanoff.
"We have to fix this. I'm the only one who looks like a pimp." Sam said in annoyance. Y/n glanced over at him, his suit was red and yellow, he looked good in it.
"Only an American would assume a fashion-forward black man looks like a pimp. You look exactly like the man you're supposed to be playing." Zemo pulled out his phone from his pocket. "The sophisticated, charming African rake named Conrad MacK, aka the smiling tiger."
He showed the picture of the man two Sam. "He even has a bad nickname." Sam complained. "Hell, he does look like me, though."
"And who am I then?" Y/n asked him as she pulled on her dress for the hundredth time.
"You are a secret agent for HYDRA, at least, she used to be. Scarlet O'Brian. Often known as midnight." Zemo explained as he showed her a picture of a woman in the same dress that she was wearing.
"A HYDRA agent?" She scoffed. "Well, that's ironic. And you thought your nickname was bad." Y/n said to Sam who snickered at her.
"Do you smell that?" Zemo asked
"Yeah, what is that? Acid?" Sam asked
"Madripoor." Zemo said
"I don't even want to know why it smells like that." Y/n muttered as she stuck close to Bucky's side
"No matter what happens, we have to stay in character. Our lives depend on it. There's no margin for error. That means that you two can't behave...like that." Zemo said, gesturing between y/n and Bucky.
"We know." Y/n stated
"It's just that, scarlet does not have a relationship with the winter soldier. But she has had one with me." Zemo stated
"I'm sorry, what?" Bucky asked through clenched teeth
"We aren't together anymore, so we don't have to pretend to be together. But I thought you should know." Zemo explained
"Right." Y/n nodded
"I should hope not." Bucky spat out.
"Don't worry, James. I'm not going to touch her." Zemo said
"I'll break your hand if you do." Bucky said to him.
A black car pulled up in front of them, and the group began to walk towards it.
"High town's that way. Not a bad place if you wanna visit, But low town is the other way." Zemo said as they approached the car.
Bucky opened the right passenger door and gestured for y/n to slide in first, she gave him a grateful smile before she stepped into the car and shuffled along.
"Let me guess. We don't have any friends in High town." Sam said
Sam looked into the back and shook his head. "This ain't gonna work."
Y/n glanced over at him, he had opened the side door that she was sitting at so she slid across the seat again and sat in the middle. Giving Sam enough room to get in the back, sandwiching her in the middle.
Y/n placed her hand on Bucky's and intertwined their fingers together. He squeezed her hand gently and she squeezed back, trying to comfort him in any way she could.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Y/n sighed quietly to herself as another person bashed into her shoulder. The part of town they were walking through was unbelievably crowded, people bustled around them in party outfits with guns.
Y/n put on a facade of someone who belonged in a place like that, something that Natasha had taught her. She changed her expression and the way she walked as the crowd continued to push past.
Neon lights illuminated the area around them as people handed over money in sligh deals and sold apparently expensive items. Y/n fought the urge to flinch as the lights shone brightly and pierced her eyes painfully.
They walked past a sight that was neon red and had an arrow pointing in the direction that they seemed to be walking in. Princess bar. Another neon sign came into brows, it was a massive, purple monkey that hung above the entryway.
"Here we are." Zemo said as they walked into an extremely crowded bar.
As they pushed their way through the crowd, zemo said a phrase in Russian to Bucky that y/n unfortunately recognised. "Ready to comply? Winter soldier?"
Y/n clenched her fist by her side as she fought off her rising anger. But she quickly shook it off and pushed down her feelings. She couldn't compromise the mission if they wanted to get the information they came for.
"Is that the winter soldier?" A man in the crowd asked. Okay, maybe it wasn't a good idea for her to come on this mission.
The group continued to push through the crowd until they came up to the bar. "Hello, gentlemen, ma'am. Wasn't expecting you, smiling tiger." He greeted them.
"His plans changed. We have business to do with Selby." Zemo said
"The usual?" The bartender asked Sam. He nodded to the man who proceeded to eye them with suspicion and confusion before he turned and walked towards the shelf of drinks.
Y/n widened her eyes and turned her head away to look out at the crowd as the bartender brought back a snake and began to cut it open with a small knife. That is something she didn't want to see.
"Ah. Smiling tiger, your favorite." Zemo said
"I love these." Y/n heard Sam say. She didn't even want to look at what he had been given.
"Cheers, Conrad." Zemo said
A bald man with a beard suddenly approached the group, y/n subtly backed away and stood closer to Bucky as the man became uncomfortably close.
"I got word from on high. You ain't welcome here." The man said to Zemo
"I have no business with the power broker. But if he insists, he can either come and talk to me...or." Zemo gestured to Bucky
"New haircut?" The man asked
"Or bring Selby for a Chat." Zemo added
The man began to walk away from them and Zemo turned back to the bar with a sigh of relief.
"A power broker? Really?" Bucky asked him
"Every kingdom needs its king. Let's just pray we stay under his radar." Zemo said
"Do you know him?" Sam asked him
"Only by reputation. In Madripoor he is judge, jury and executioner." Zemo replied
Zemo then turned to Bucky and spoke to him in Russian. "Winter soldier." Y/n managed to make out.
Bucky gave him a slight nod just as a man approached them. He walked up to Zemo and placed his hand heavily on Zemo's shoulder.
Bucky immediately took action and took hold of the man's hand. He twisted his arm and walked away from the bar, all while dragging the man.
He had an angry expression on his face, he was trying to mask himself as being emotionless, like the winter soldier. But y/n could read him too well.
He then flipped the man on his back, he landed heavily on the ground of the bar and groaned in pain.
People surrounded them and watched as Bucky continued to fight. Some people had their phones out and were recording the incident. Y/n narrowed her eyes at them and used her powers to switch off their phones. The people looked at their phones in confusion.
She knew it was risky, but it was more risky for people to film Bucky acting as the winter soldier as they would more than likely post it on social media. It was the last thing Bucky needed.
Another man threw his fist forward but Bucky quickly dodged it and kicked the man in his chest. He went flying across the room and toppled into a man who was standing behind them.
Bucky spun and kicked the leg of a table, he broke it and caused it to fall down. He then kicked a man in the chest, knocking him to the ground.
Zemo pushed another man towards Bucky, he collided with him and he quickly punched him, causing him to fall to the ground. He continued to fight people viciously, his moves were violent and precise as he beat up anyone who challenged him.
"Didn't take much for him to fall back into form." Zemo muttered quietly to Sam and y/n.
Y/n clenched her fist at her side. "Watch it. Zemo." She muttered.
He only smirked at her as Bucky held a man by his throat and slammed him into the bar. The noise of a gun clicking caught y/n's eye as she noticed several people preparing their weapons.
Y/n felt concern and fear pierce her heart as she looked at the several guns that people were wielding. She couldn't let them shoot Bucky, but if she stopped them and exposed herself for being an Avenger, their plan would be ruined: and they'd be in a lot more trouble.
Sam reached out and grabbed Bucky's arm, his concern for his friend overriding the mission.
Y/n tried hard to keep herself under control. She clenched her fists by her side tightly and tried to keep her powers from appearing.
"Stay in character or the whole bar turns on us." Zemo warned Sam quickly
Zemo then turned to Bucky and spoke to him in Russian again.
"Selby will see you now." The man behind the bar said to them
Bucky slowly released his grasp on the man and allowed him to slide off of the table.
"You good?" Sam asked him
Y/n watched him with furrowed brows as he nodded sharply to Sam and turned to follow Zemo out of the room.
Y/n and Sam shared a look before they both turned and walked after Zemo and Bucky.
Her heart ached as she walked through the crowds of people towards the room where they would be meeting Selby.
They walked into another section of a bar where a woman was sitting on a sofa with her back to them.
"You should know, Barom. People don't just come into my bar and make demands." Shelby addressed Zemo.
"Not a demand, An offer." demo said as he sat down on the sofa across from her.
"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?" Selby asked
"People like us always find a way, don't we?" Zemo replied with a shrug
"I'm sure you've already figured out what I'm here for." Zemo said
"You're taller than I'd heard, smiling Tiger." Selby said to Sam. She then made a purring noise at him. Y/n fought back the urge to scrunch her face up.
"And you, Midnight. Well, you're just as stunning as I believed you'd be." Selby said. Y/n gave the woman a fake smile.
"What's the offer?" Selby asked Zemo
"Tell us what you know about the super-soldier serum." Zemo stood up from his seat and walked over to Bucky. "And I give you him, along with the code words to control him, of course."
Zemo raised his hand to Bucky's face and held onto his chin. "He will do anything you want."
Y/n clenched her fists and tried to keep her expression neutral, she couldn't give herself away.
"Now that's the Zemo I remember. I'm glad I decided not to kill you immediately." Selby grinned. "Yeah, you were right to come to me."
"Arrogant, but right." Zemo said as he walked back over to the sofa and took a seat.
"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 has him working on the serum, but...things didn't go as planned." Selby told them
"Is Nagel still in Madripoor?" Zemo asked
"Oh. The bread crumbs you can have for free, but the bakery is gonna cost you, Baron. And before you get all cute, don't think you can find Nagel without me." Selby said
All of a sudden, a phone began to vibrate. Y/n glanced over to where the sound was coming from and saw Sam pulling his phone out of his jacket pocket. Come on, always put your phone on silent when you're undercover.
Sam glanced down at his phone and looked quickly up at Selby.
"Answer it. On speaker." She said to him
A man walked up behind him with his hands wrapped around his gun. Sam glanced around with worry in his eyes as he reluctantly picked up the phone call.
"Hello?" Sam answered
"Hey, um, we need to talk about this situation. It's been drivin' me nuts." A woman's voice said
"What situation exactly are you talkin' about?" Sam asked, trying to play it cool.
"Are you high?" The woman asked. "You know the situation, it's the only situation me and you have."
Y/n tried not to react as Selby walked around her, she eyed her up and down with a smirk before she moved on to Bucky. She examined him as well, circling around him with calculated eyes.
"What situation, Sarah? Say it." Sam said
"The damn boat. And watch your tone, okay? I let you slide at the bank." Sarah replied.
Sam scoffed. "The bank. Yeah. Laundered so much...yeah, they'll come around."
"If that was the case, then why'd they dog you out, big time?" Sarah asked
"Yeah, you damn right I'm big time. You'll see when I have that banker killed." Sam said
"Cass! What'd I Tell Uli about the cheerios! I don't have time for this! Sam, I'm sorry. I'll call you back." Sarah said before she hung up the phone. Y/n's heart dropped, their cover was blown. Shit.
"Sam?" Selby asked in confusion. "Who's Sam? Kill them!"
A gunshot went off and y/n flinched as Selby fell to the ground. Someone has shot her.
Sam immediately turned and fought the larger man who was standing behind them. Y/n spun around and saw a man running towards her with his gun raised.
He shot a few times but y/n held her hand out and redirected the bullets, they flew back at him and hit him in the shoulder, causing him to collapse to the ground.
"They're gonna pin this on us." Sam said, referring to Selby. Y/n walked over to them, Bucky was aiming his gun at the corridor behind her, in case any more people came for them.
"We have a real problem now, so leave your weapons and follow my lead." Zemo told them.
Bucky and Sam reluctantly tossed their guns on the ground and nodded. Zemo looked at her with an expectant look.
"What?" Y/n asked exasperatedly. "I can't put my "weapon" down now can I?"
Zemo signed. "Just, follow my lead." He said before he walked past them and headed down the corridor.
Y/n sighed and walked after him, she stepped around the unconscious men as they exited the secluded section of the bar and headed back into the crowd.
They pushed through the bustling crowd once again as they tried to make their way to the exit. Y/n felt her heart pound in her chest with anticipation as they tried to escape.
The four of them managed to exit the bar and they began to walk back down the underground streets of Madripoor.
They tried their best to walk casually so they wouldn't seem suspicious or catch anyone's attention. All around them, peoples phones were chiming with a notification.
"This is not good." Zemo said
Suddenly, the neon lights behind them turned off and gunshots rang out from all around them.
Y/n automatically ducked and looked around for the danger. Several people were approaching them with all kinds of guns. This was definitely not good.
"Shit!" Sam yelled
"Come on!" Bucky said as the group took off running.
Y/n once again felt herself immensely grateful for Natasha, without her, she would not be running right now.
The three of them continued to run along the streets of Madripoor and bullets bit at their heels.
"I can't run in these heels!" Sam said
The noise of two motorbikes followed them down a dark alleyway as they continued to run. They were gaining on them, fast.
Y/n stopped dead in her tracks and turned around to face the two bikers. She raised her hands and knocked the bikes over onto their sides, causing the two men to skid along the ground.
Suddenly, another gun shot rang out. A man grunted and fell to the ground behind y/n, she turned her head and saw him lying on the ground. Another shot rang out from her other side and got another man who was pursuing them.
The two men who y/n had knocked down were also shot. Y/n walked over to Bucky and Sam and scanned the buildings around them, trying to see where the shots came from.
"You seem to have a guardian angel." Zemo said to them. Y/n pulled her eyes away from the buildings and glanced over at him.
"Well, this is too perfect." A familiar voice said. A woman stepped out of the shadows and pulled her hood down. It was Sharon Carter. "Drop it, Zemo."
Y/n felt her shoulders relax at the sight of an old friend.
"Sharon?" Bucky said
"You cost me everything." Sharon said with her gun aimed at Zemo
"Sharon, wait." Sam held his hand out to her. "Someone recreated the super-soldier serum and Zemo had a lead."
"Well, that explains why you guys are here. And Selby's dead." Sharon said
"So what are you doing here?" Bucky asked her
"I stole Steve's shield, remember? I also took the wings for your ass. So that you could save his ass from his ass." Sharon gestured between Bucky and Zemo. "Unlike you I didn't have the avengers to back me up. So I'm off the grid in Madripoor."
"Hey, don't blow that smoke at me. I was on the run, too." Sam said
"Was. Is. Big difference. I don't speak to my family anymore. I can't. My own father doesn't know where I am." Sharon said
"Listen...Sharon, we need your help."
Bucky asked her
Sharon only laughed in response.
"Please." Bucky asked again
"This isn't over. I have a place in high town. You'll be safe there." She said
"Thank you, Sharon." Y/n said to her with a small smile. She nodded to her and walked past the group.
Y/n began to walk after her. Bucky came and stood by her side as they walked past the motorbikes that y/n had knocked down.
She glanced over at him and carefully wrapped her hand around his. "Are you okay?" She asked him quietly
"Yeah...I think so." Bucky nodded to her, he tried to muster up a smile which she reciprocated gently.
The pair walked hand in hand down the streets of Madripoor, following after Sharon with Sam shoving Zemo behind them. Y/n was in desperate need of sleep, and a flat pair of shoes. Hopefully Sharon could offer both.