Author's Note: And with this comes the end of Supremacy. I loved writing this one and I hope you all enjoyed it. The story continues in Die, Fall, Rise. Looking forward for you to read it.
Peter
Morning…
Summer was going to be over in a month, and he was using most of his time doing his favorite thing. He was sitting at the top of a building as the sun was on its way up toward the top of the sky. He took a deep breath, the air was its normal smell. Peter had spent the past three days not even thinking about the Avengers, and just focused on New York. He could feel the level of stress was lower, but it got high in different ways.
Peter still thought back to Grand Central Station, a nightmare here and there. But he was moving past it. Yet, the image of the young boy's scream getting snuffed out by the fact that his webbing cut off the air to his lungs. Peter tried not to think about it too much, but sometimes he spent half the night staring up at the ceiling. Eventually falling asleep because his eyes refused to stay open. Then morning came and Peter was able to have normal morning routines, like brushing his teeth and having breakfast. But then it was out into the world and back to thinking about it in the back of his mind.
Peter usually let a good mugging keep it from his thoughts, strange to actually feel some joy whenever someone was in trouble. He may need to work on that. But this morning was different, he was meeting Matt for breakfast. And he had an hour before he had to be at the diner, so what could he get himself involved in, in the meantime? The possibilities were endless in New York.
So he spent the good hour swinging around the city and occasionally get shouted at from someone below. He smiled as he heard all the nice comments, a few bad ones, but he didn't care. He was having the time of his life. It wasn't till five minutes till he had to be at the diner when something happened. He was looking at his watch as he heard the police scanner. Peter looked in the direction and he sighed a she fired a web and swung toward it, breakfast may need a rain check.
Matt
He sat at the booth for a good half an hour as he waited for Peter to show up. His fingers lightly tapped the table, he could smell everything; the guy behind him hadn't showered that morning. He did his best not to smell that. He heard the waitress coming over to him, he decided that Peter wasn't coming and he wasn't about to tell her to wait again. He was hungry, he'd take a raincheck; Peter probably got hung up on something.
Matt smiled as the waitress came around with a fresh pot of coffee, which he gratefully accepted. He ordered his meal and he sat there and waited for his food. He would keep checking to see if Peter was still coming, but he never showed, and by the time the food had arrived. He forgot about Peter and just enjoyed his breakfast. He was eating his egg when he heard the door open and he sniffed. He stopped chewing his egg and he froze. He swallowed and he took another sniff, he knew that smell.
He heard the clicking of boots and then someone was standing at his booth. "That seat taken?"
Matt looked up toward the voice "Jessica?"
"Well aren't you perceptive" Jess said as she sat down on the other side of the booth.
Matt set his fork down "I thought you went back to L.A.?"
"I did, for a while"
Matt wasn't going to say he was upset that she was there, he was actually happy, but the reasoning behind why she left was pretty sound. Jess spoke again as she saw that his right eyebrow was split open and his lip was also bruised slightly.
"Were you involved in what happened three nights ago?"
"A bit" he said
Jess raised her eyebrows "Oh, actually I came here because of that"
"Did you?" Matt asked
"Yeah, I wanted to make sure you were okay"
Matt smiled and held back a chuckle "You do know that I can handle myself"
Jess sighed "Yes, I know what you can clear a room without people noticing you"
Matt smirked "You make me sound like I'm a ninja"
"A blind one" Jess said teasingly
Matt nodded "Yeah, Jess, why are you really here?"
Jess took a moment to speak, her finger was lightly tapping the table. Matt noticed her heart was racing. He could hear her heart thumping in his ears, he wondered if something was wrong a she waited for her to speak. Jess stopped tapping her finger and she took a deep breath. Her heart rate slowed slightly, but then went back up. She's trying to calm herself, or trying to lie to me. He decided on the first one.
"Well, last time we were together…" she began to say
He remembered that night very well, how could he not. He was able to see for that night, her long black hair, and her green eyes. Her smooth pale skin. Matt cleared his throat slightly as he tried to pay attention to the moment. "Well, I left that morning"
"Yeah, and you were keeping Otto out of New York, getting him to follow you"
"Yes, Otto. Well I lost him, but it felt odd. He wouldn't just looking for me."
Matt frowned "So you think he was called away for something?"
"Not sure" she said lowering her voice "but Hydra doesn't just give up on things"
"Well they are a Nazi death cult"
"They're just Nazis Matthew"
"Take for what you will"
"Anyway, since he stopped looking for me, I thought that maybe…" she said, but stopped.
Matt took a breath, he had a few ideas on what she wanted. But he didn't dare say any incase he was wrong. "Well since out partnership went quite well"
"Besides that fact of being tortured" he said with a smirk.
"Yes, there was that, but before…"
"You want to work together again" he said
Jess shifted in her seat slightly "Well, and other things" she said.
Matt felt her foot rub up his leg, he smirked slightly "Well Miss Drew, I think that can be arranged"
Jess smiled at him "Well, since I'm here." She said and waved at the waitress. "I might as well have breakfast"
Matt just smiled and grabbed his fork as the waitress came over, the pleasantries were exchanged and he took a bite of his egg and chewed as Jess got a cup of coffee poured for her. Jess's leg rubbed his leg again and he raised his eyebrows and he smiled. He wondered how this would be, but he figured he just take it one day at a time.
Baron Zemo
The room was quiet, and he sat at his desk. His hands were resting under his chin and he was waiting. He spent a long time waiting. He had been keeping his eye on what has been happening between Niko Constantin and the Avengers. He helped when he could, but he mostly wanted to be unknown. It wasn't time for him to reveal himself, there was still much to do before he could do that. So he waited, he was a patient man after all.
Zemo checked his watch and then stared back at the door as he kept waiting. His mind floated from one thing to another. He wasn't too surprised when he heard that Niko had been killed. Or the other two as well, all though he wished he could have talked to Yelena Belova, before Clint Barton snapped her neck. Yet he wasn't sorry that he never did, just the things she could have told him, he always welcomed more Intel. His father used to say that the more Intel you have, the better off you are. But he already had Intel coming right to him, so he didn't mind.
Another thirty minutes went by as he had his eyes closed and was thinking about all the things he had yet to do. When the door opened. His eyes opened and he looked at Otto Vermis as he entered the room. He held a file in his hands, and it was a large one. Zemo could feel his heart jumping as he approached. Otto placed the file onto Zemo's desk and he stood there and gave him a firm nod. "Baron"
"Thank you Otto"
Otto took a moment to speak, his eyes seemed to be reading the situation "With all due respect Sir, why did you take me off my detail?"
Zemo grabbed the file and didn't look at him as he spoke "We have more important business than a serum that is already gone."
"I have tried to get that serum…"
"For a very long time" Zemo said, finally looking up at him. "I know, but it is time to stop looking for ways to make the perfect soldier. We have men and we are gaining more"
"Regular men won't stand up against the Avengers Baron"
"It's not about standing up to them, the strongest doesn't have to be a brute."
"Baron, you know you have my loyalty. But Hydra…"
"Needs to be reborn" Zemo said he took a breath "I was not a part of Hydra, my father and my grandfather were. I stayed out of it, although now I am tired of the same thing over and over. The old Hydra will soon be where it should be, in the past"
"But, Sir, changing everything…"
"Armin Zola did changed the game once they infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. And his iteration has been an inspiration, but I seek something better. Something stronger."
"What Baron?"
Zemo looked back at the file "A Government"
Otto frowned slightly and sighed "I'll await your orders"
"You do that" Zemo said as he was far more interested in the file than Otto's quarrels.
Otto gave little bow and walked away and left him alone in the office. Finally peace and quiet.
He looked at the name on the file and smiled. James Buchannan Barnes, the Winter Soldier.
All the things he will learn, Zemo couldn't wait. Niko had the full copy of all of his ops and kills. It was an Intel goldmine and Zemo wasn't about to let it go to waste.
