Ava and Barnes continued moving east, sticking to what they had done since they got there. Barnes would go into town and steal a car, food and Ava would wait on the road, out of sight of anyone. As far as anyone was concerned, a man alone was stealing those vehicles. When they reached San Ignacio, they stopped that. They had left a trail that was clear just enough to make them think Barnes (without looking too obvious) continued moving east.

What they really did was hide between the boxes of products of a farmer's truck that was moving west. They continued moving in a similar fashion until they reached La Paz.

There, they went to the airfield, where cargo planes took off and arrived.

They stayed in a blind spot on the side of one of the hangars, Ava had already received a text with the next departing planes and their destinations, a courtesy of Bubbles.

" In five hours a plane leaves for Turkey, Ankara. " She said. " Unless we want to wait for a couple of days, it's our best shot. "

" It's taking what? " Asked Bucky.

" Four companies are paying for the trip. Two of them send smaller to medium-sized packages to civilian clients. So the contents are random. " She said, reading over the list on her phone. " There are at least five packages that are big enough for us to smuggle inside. "

" What? " He asked. " You mean go inside the craters? "

" Yes. " She said.

" I don't think there's enough free room in crater to fit both of us. " He said.

" You would be surprised. " She said.

" Is that from experience? " He asked.

" Yes. " She said. " We get in one of those craters, from three to four hours before they ship it, no one sees us in and they had already been examined by the workers. "

" Three hours? That will be... uncomfortable. " He said.

" Yes, it will be. " She said. " If you cannot handle the confined space with me, say it now. Though that would be extremely unprofessional, if I may say so. "

" Unprofessional? " He asked. " I would say it is inappropriate to be crammed in a box with a 15-year-old girl. "

" I would retort that it is indeed unprofessional not to be able to carry out a mission in the most efficient of ways because you cannot handle to be in close proximity to another soldier. " She said.

" A kid. Steve's kid. "

" A soldier, Hydra assassin. " She retorted. " Now, can you handle to do your job or not? "

" You are very bossy. You know that? " He asked, then shaking his head. " Fine. Let's find ourselves a box. "


Nine had been avoiding Steve, he was in no mood for talks that would go nowhere. Steve didn't seem to insistent in being around him either. The soldier had that expression when he had a lot on his mind.

Nine was counting the minutes for Ava to arrive. With Barnes. That gave him a lot to think about too. Like what to do then. What answers did he want.

When he got the call and the time frame for arrival, he actually smiled.


Barnes was an efficient partner. He knew what he was doing, was an experienced enhanced assassin with soldier training, for that Ava was thankful. But after so long working with Nine, to have someone so completely out of sync with her by her side, it was in the least annoying.

Aggravating was more like it.

Not to mention that she had grown used to having him for backup. It was something The Maternity Gamma training made sure she could do without. But if she could choose, she would have Nine as a partner instead of someone else.

It was a relief when they were finally in the jungles of Wakanda and she heard that familiar voice.

" You're late. "

She wasn't surprised he was there, she felt a presence around them. And if it was her, she would have waited there too, not in the safe house.

" No, I'm not. " She retorted, smirking and looking at the tree branch he was hiding on.

He jumped to the ground, looking her and Barnes over.

" You're not early, for you that's late. " He said, narrowing his eyes millimetrically and raising an eyebrow almost imperceptibly. She could translate the look, he had noticed how tired she was.

She of course was hiding that from Barnes, but Nine knew her and her limits enough to tell she needed rest, bad.

" Hi. " Said Barnes, looking at Nine with a look that showed how unprepared for a confrontation he was. But he wouldn't need to worry about that, Nine wouldn't do that there, not until he and Ava had a chance to talk.

" Barnes. " Said Nine. " Well, let's go. "

Ava and Barnes followed Nine in silence, until they left the forest and reached a town. They followed a path where they wouldn't be seen until they reached a large modern looking building that was T'Challa's 'palace'.

Only at the doors of said building they allowed themselves to be seen. Not surprisingly, two minutes later, as they left an elevator to a wide living space with wide windows, Steve was running out of a hall, looking as if he had been drawing, given the graphite smudge on his hand.

He looked very relieved to see them.

" Thank God. " He said, after a fast visual inspection that showed him that Barnes and Ava were unharmed. He walked over to them and hugged Ava, before turning to Barnes and placing a hand on his shoulder for a moment. " How was the travel? " He asked with a smile to Barnes.

Barnes looked at Ava then at Steve.

" Interesting to say the least. " Answered Barnes.

" Yes, we are all caught up, Steve. " Said Ava, moving around them towards the hall where Nine was moving, the one Steve had come out from. " Now if you will excuse me. "

" What are you doing now? " Asked Steve.

Nine had mentioned Steve figuring out his role in Zemo's death over their last call, and even if he didn't, it would be hard to miss the suspicious tone on Steve's voice.

" Even I require sleep eventually. " She answered.

" Oh. " He answered, she had her back to him but she could guess the expression he had after she said that. " I think T'Challa already had one room prepared for you. I'll take you- "

" Got it. " Interrupted Nine as he disappeared down the hall, Ava right after him.

" Alright, what do I need to know? " She asked as they were far enough away not to be heard. Steve had stayed in the living room with Barnes.

As Nine led her to his room he described the main details of the structure of the building, escape routes and personnel. It was all too rushed, but she really did spend a lot of time awake and it would be better to sleep now. They had more to do when she woke up.

It was also better not to waste time clearing a new room when Nine's was already good to go (there was no scenario where he didn't clear it).

She went straight to the bathroom, he closed the door of the bedroom behind them. She dropped the backpack on a chair on the way to the bathroom, then taking her clothes off and entering the shower.

" Anything important you noticed about him? " Asked Nine, entering the bathroom as she turned on the water.

" Nothing that is any different from what we already observed. " She said. " He did ask several times about you and Marina. How you 'feel' about him, About being created and raised by HYDRA. If you have any dislike or hate for him. "

" That behavior... is too insecure. "

" It was one of the alternatives. " She said, getting beneath the water. " Steve and Natasha had a period of adaptation after learning of my existence too. "

" But they never deviated from their psychological profile. " He said.

" No, they didn't. " She said.

They stayed in silence from a few minutes.

" I took longer to sleep. " He then said.

" What? " She asked.

" These last days here. It took 20% more time for me to fall asleep than usual. " He said.

She wiped out the soap from her eyes, looking at him, who looked back with a curious expression.

" Any ideas to why? " She asked.

He took a moment holding her gaze, leaning against the bathroom wall.

" I have some theories. " He said.

She could see his brain running over all the options of the things he could say and what the consequences would be.

" The one that is the most likely is that, I got used to having you near for backup. " He said, after a long moment of silence.

She looked at him, considering his words, considering the way she herself thought about Nine's absence from her side. She hadn't tried to sleep, to know if she would have the same effect. But she did spend time thinking about the fact that he wasn't there with her and she would have wanted him there.

How out of norm did their relationship have to get for the Gammas to feel that way. For them to even voice such things. It was against training. It could be used against them, as all weaknesses.

" It is very odd. " Said Nine.

" Yes. " She agreed.

They continued in their staring for a moment.

" I... found aggravating to have a partner that could not anticipate my movements, thoughts and intentions. " She said, offering her own experience. " I found myself spending more time than it would be normal wishing that the situation permitted you to be there with me instead of Barnes. "

" Wishing? " Questioned Nine. The word was not one that experiments used, Alphas and Gammas specially. Betas as scientists, responsible for creating new things and uncovering new boundaries, had to 'wish' for things that were not exactly true, in a certain way, though they still didn't use it.

" The closest word I could find. " She said.

" How much more time did you spent thinking about it? " He asked.

" 300% of the time necessary to acknowledge that your presence would be preferable. " She said.

He looked at her with a skeptical expression and one raised eyebrow.

" Barnes was not a great conversationalist. " She said.

" Like you ever cared for that. " He said, smirking.

" Just because I don't care, does not mean I didn't notice. " She said, smirking. " Or you are saying that you believe there are things I missed about reading a person? "

He chuckled, shaking his head.

" What am I thinking? You would never miss anything that I noticed. After all, you're better than me. "

" That's what I like about you. You never forget that. " She said, following in on his joking tone.

She broke their staring contest, going back to taking her shower.

" You think that Steve will have the mind to reprehend us on this with all that's going on? " He asked, meaning the older soldier's orders not to be in the room while the other was on the shower. It really bothered the man while they were on the Avengers' base.

Natasha didn't mind, but it most likely had to do with her Red Room training. The older woman loved telling Steve 'relax soldier' or 'let them be grandpa'.

As if he was waiting for Nine to ask that question, a knock came to the door of the bedroom, they hearing it but not moving.

" Ava. " Called Steve.

" We'll find out. " She said, smiling. Natasha was right, sometimes, annoying Steve was fun. And for her luck, she wouldn't even loose any time in doing it, she could do it as she went by the routine she had planned.

Nine smiled too.


Steve sighed loudly, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Why, WHY did they continued pushing his limits? He wondered if all parents of teenagers felt that way or Ava was just too goddamned similar to her mother and just liked pushing people's buttons?

He stood with his back turned to the open bathroom door. He had shown Barnes which room he would be using, then taking him to an office where T'Challa was, the king wanted to talk to his friend. After that, he went to the room next to his, where Ava would be staying and finding it empty, he went to the next probable location, Nine's room.

And of course, even after he told them that he didn't like that Maternity inherited habit of being naked of other people as if it was normal, that's exactly what his daughter was doing.

He could practically hear Natasha next to him, with that smirk of her's, saying 'just relax, soldier. They're not hurting anybody'. He knew she was messing with him, he still didn't like two teenagers naked under his roof. Even if it wasn't his roof, technically. Specially if one of those teenagers was his daughter, whom he was very painfully trying to teach normal social rules.

" NINE! " He called, for the second time. Second time! The kid was doing it on purpose. " This is not a good time to test me! "

" Yes, Steve? " Asked the boy, leaving the bathroom with that impassive expression of his. A toothbrush on his mouth.

" Nice try, you stay here until Ava is out of the shower and with clothes on. " He said.

" You know, Natasha said that we shouldn't feel forced to be uncomfortable if we- " Started Nine.

" Nice try, but I'm not Natasha. " Interrupted Steve. " My roof, my daughter, my rules. "

" Technically- " Started the boy.

" Not your roof. " Said Ava, from the inside, the water being turned off. " And the daughter argument does not work so well in this situation. "

" Ava I am so not in the mood for your 'experiments don't have familial bonds talk', right now. " He said, turning away towards the bedroom door quickly as Ava left the bathroom, only relaxing when he noticed from the corner of his eye that she had a towel around herself.

" I meant that Natasha holds 50% of this so called 'parental rights' you claim to exist in our relationship. " Said the girl, rubbing her short hair with another towel. " And she has no problem with it. I believe her exact words were: ' Don't mind Steve. Do what you and Nine are both comfortable with. ' She meant that on the specif aspect of nudity, of course. "

" I am having a word with your mother. " He said, annoyed. " But stop distracting me with other things, this is not what I came to talk about. "

" Given the subject is nudity, I assumed it wasn't. You don't like blushing, makes you feel like you're loosing your authority. " She said, smirking.

He sighed, ignoring the smirk on Nine's face next to him, even as the boy brushed his teeth.

" Ignoring how much you look like your mother. We need to talk about what you're doing. This plan of yours and in how much danger you're placing yourselves. Nine was full of injuries after trying to stop Tony. " He said.

He had to turn around to the wall quickly when he saw that Ava was moving to the cabinet with clothes, meaning she was going to change. As he did so, he placed his hand on Nine's shoulder, turning the boy with him.

" At this moment, all I am doing is sleeping. Any planning for the future is not specific enough to make any actual moves. " She said. " And I don't believe any combat will be necessary, only political manipulation. "

" And that will be what? " He asked.

" First, we need intel. " She said. " This Accords situation include a lot of people. And we'll require to have every single one of them down, to know whom can be moved to our side. "

" Without knowing that they are being moved? " He asked. " Or that there even your side to begin with? "

" It would be ideal. " Answered Nine.

" But nothing ever is. " Said Steve.

" Yes, but we work with what we can get. " Said Ava.

" You do realize you are talking about hundreds, if not thousands of people. " Said Steve.

" True. " Said Nine.

" But how many of them are of actual relevance? " Asked Ava.

" Still a lot of people. " Said Steve.

" Yes. " Said Ava.

" But there are many of us. " Said Nine.

Steve remembered that Ava and Nine weren't the only ones. There were about 100 kids born in the Maternity. A lot of them in a base the UN set up, but still the ones that weren't there, were scattered all over the world.

It was an army. That worried him.

" These kids are all trying to adapt to normal living. You two are just too stubborn to be normal, but they have a chance. " Said Steve.

Nine looked away from the wall in front of them to look at Ava. Certainly to share one of their looks that have an entire talk.

" Eyes ahead. " Said Steve, getting an eye roll from Nine and most definitely from Ava too, even if he couldn't see it.

" Steve you do realize that after the Accords were signed, the security of the base where the other experiments are, was tripled? " Asked Ava.

" And the other ones, the ones who were adopted by their donors, are either being watched by their agents or having them visit for 'follow-ups'? " Asked Nine.

" How-? "

" We already have people collecting intel on that. " Said Ava, her voice closer until she was next to him, adjusting the dark gray t-shirt she was wearing, white boxer shorts. " This happened hours after the accords were signed. We all know bureaucracy is not this fast. "

" They were planning on it before. " Said Steve. " Even before this whole Bucky thing and the bombing. "

" Yes. " Said Nine, they all turning to each other now that they were all dressed. " Not to mention that nothing was still decided from the criminal charges of the people we have killed. 165 victims is not something they will forget. "

" And that is just Nine. " Said Ava. " Did you also know that Secretary Ross is the one responsible for putting into place Banner's study on how to replicate the super soldier serum? It was a government funded military study. "

" What? " Asked Steve, surprised, he hadn't learned that. True he didn't look it up, but now he realized that it was very important, given Ross' role in the Accords.

" Do you really think that he had just forgotten about having super-soldiers working for him? " Asked Nine.

This really was troubling.

" Good, you realize that what are doing is necessary. It's good to know we are all on the same page. " Said Ava. " I will sleep now. When I am rested, we are having the talk you want. "

" Your room in down the hall. " Said Steve, as Ava went to the chair with the backpack she had been using.

" This one has already been checked. " She said. " I don't need to waste my time. "

Not even time to check the room (of course she would want to do it before sleeping, she was just as paranoid as Nine), she had to be really exhausted, even if hiding well.

" Sure. " He said. " I'll talk to you later then. "

Nine went to the bathroom, to finish brushing his teeth, Ava got a gun and a knife from the backpack and went to the bed.

" Really? " Asked Steve. This was too much.

" Yes. " She said, lying down, putting the gun under the pillow, the knife between the mattress and the frame of the bed.

He thought about discussing her paranoia now, but if she was on the level of admitting she was exhausted, she had to rest, bad.

" Alright, sleep tight. " He said, leaving the room and signaling Nine to follow him when the boy left the bathroom.