Chapter 26: Arms

October 18, 2014

Cero, by definition, was a logical person. But when it came to her current mission, she really couldn't believe her luck.

She had enough faith in her skills that finding the Summer and Winter Soldiers was never really a question. There was a relatively high likelihood that they wouldn't kill her on sight, though admittedly that was banking on the fact that they'd walked away from Hydra without leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. Convincing them to come with her was going to be the tricky part.

She'd meant what she promised, of course. She was going to try her best to get them across the borders into a neutral country - Hydra called it the black map, and in Nought they called it the no fly zone. It was definitely within her power...assuming they didn't get caught or killed during this mission. She knew what people said about assuming.

"Makes an ass out of you and me." she muttered to herself, still zip tied in the backseat with Winter staring her down, casually flipping his knife between grips like he was one of those kids in the old movies flipping a quarter. Show off.

"What?" Summer asked from the driver's seat, glancing at her in the rearview mirror. Cero told herself she wasn't afraid of them, but her body didn't listen, a shiver going down her spine any time one of them looked at her directly. She'd met them once before years ago, on the border of Lithuania and Belarus. At the time they were still wearing masks, so she could see nothing but their cold, dead eyes staring back at her. There was a little more life in them now, but their gaze still wasn't exactly human.

"Nothing. Just thinking out loud. One of us has got to carry the conversation around here." she replied, putting just enough boredom and annoyance in her voice to cover up the fear. These two were killing people since before she was born, and still looked to be about her age. That didn't come without a cost, and if the rumors were true, they were still paying it off. "Wanna tell me a story? I bet you've got plenty of them."

"What's the mission?" Winter asked, ignoring her request. He must have asked it differently than usual, cause one corner of Summer's mouth barely twitched in what some statues would call amusement. It sounded the same to Cero.

"Extraction." she said simply. She didn't want to give too many details now; she was hoping that she could hide most of her plan until theirs was already underway, and she was also hoping that Winter and Summer were the kind of people who finished what they started. Seventy years of data said so, but she had to admit that she was currently working with outliers. "A group from a different faction took something of ours. I've been charged with getting it back."

"By yourself?" Summer said with another glance in the mirror. Her intonation was the same as everything else she said, but the way Winter changed the grip on his knife ever so slightly gave it away that they were suspicious. Cero didn't blame them, this was the most suspicious thing she'd ever done - and that was after being a spy for two decades.

"Technically this is supposed to be a recon mission." she said, continuing to evade the questions. Her success would depend on them buying in, and convincing the two of them would take every ounce of knowledge that she'd gathered over the years.

"You don't need us for recon." Winter said.

"You're right, I don't." she said defiantly. Obviously she was good at recon, that's how she was able to find them before anybody else. That, and a few well-placed, well-timed blocks of C-4. She thought maybe if she puffed her chest a little, challenged him a little, it would garner some respect. "But this mission is time-sensitive, so I didn't have time to deal with bureaucratic bullshit and red tape. I needed someone good, and I needed someone off the books."

"Everyone is looking for us." Summer pointed out, reminding her of what she'd said earlier. Dammit. Weren't they supposed to have memory issues?

"We're hardly off the books." Winter finished. For the hundredth time, Cero wondered if they shared a brain. Then, she wondered if it would make it easier or harder if you shared a brain with your partner. Then she remembered what she was supposed to be doing.

"Yea, you guys aren't exactly under the radar right now," she started, shifting a little in her seat. Her shoulders were starting to hurt from keeping her arms in one spot. "But you're pissed. And a little feral. Which is, like, exactly what I need right now."

"And no one else in Nought would help you?" It was posed as a question, but Summer somehow made it sound like a statement.

"No." Cero said, short and to the point. She hoped they couldn't tell how the question almost broke her, the one knife that could slip through the chink in her armor. If they noticed anything, they didn't comment, instead continuing their mild interrogation. "Just like with Hydra, Nought is all about power. And power requires a hierarchy. And unfortunately, I am alone at the bottom." That part was true, just not the entire truth. But they didn't need to know about Nul - she wasn't part of the mission.

"What are we extracting?" Winter said. Cero didn't like the way they volleyed questions at her, back and forth. It made her have to switch the tone of her answers with each one, which made her feel unbalanced. She was the mission leader, she was supposed to be commanding the conversation, and yet somehow she felt like they were a half step ahead of her - and laughing at her behind their hands.

The inevitable question. This is the one she was actually ready for. "Something valuable to Nought, that will affect how things play out should any future issues arise." she said. Perfect cryptic tone, perfect creepy smile. But all that was lost on them.

"Technology." Summer said, short and unimpressed. But also, wrong.

"No. Think a little more basic." she said. This answer was also part of her plan.

"Arms." Winter tried the next likely answer. Perfect.

"You could say that." she said airily. The two of them shared a look but didn't press further; they'd busted plenty of arms deals in their day, what was one more to grant them security for their freedom? "It's probably gonna end in a fire fight. But I've got resources. And weapons. I'm planning on making it out alive." she said. It was only fair to warn them, even if they were more likely to survive than her. She was dying to ask exactly what Hydra did to them, but the risk-reward ratio was not in her favor. Even if they actually remembered what happened, they probably didn't want to talk about it.

"We can handle a fire fight." Summer matched the airy tone she'd used just moments before. Anyone else, Cero would think that they were making fun of her. But something about the way Summer spoke was different, as if she were trying to learn the nuances of conversation again. It occurred to her that they probably were.

Damn. She knew they were fucked up, but didn't realize it was this bad.

The checkpoint at the Grecian border appeared in the distance, so Summer pulled onto a side street out of view and stopped the car. Cero grumbled that they could've gone a little closer, but neither of them saw fit to give her a response. They opened the trunk and put on their weapons and coverings with practice ease, two warriors ready to go into battle. Cero had no choice but to stand there, hands tied, until they remembered that she was a vital part of this operation too.

"Any chance I could oh, you know, regain use of these bad boys?" she said, dramatically waving the bound appendages. Summer and Winter shared another look - stupid fucking telepaths - before Winter moved to her. He was faster than she thought, getting in her personal bubble and pressing a knife to her throat.

"Betray us, and we will kill you." he said. His voice was soft and controlled, which was somehow worse than when he snapped at her back at the villa. She gulped audibly and willed herself to stay together.

"Trust me, I have too much riding on this to betray you." she said, her voice steadier than she thought it would be. He stayed there a second longer, analyzing her face for any trace of a lie, before slicing quickly with the knife. She closed her eyes, wondering if she couldn't feel her throat being cut because he'd moved so fast-

"We don't trust you." Winter said, walking away. She opened her eyes; she was not, in fact, bleeding out from her carotid artery. Her hands were now free, the cut zip tie dancing away in the wind.

"Littering is bad, you know." she said, quickly grabbing her things from the trunk of the car and jogging to catch up with them. Bastards, they didn't even know where they were going. She could have sworn she saw a smile on Winter's face, but it was gone with the wind, and soon they were just walking in silence.

It was easy enough to traverse the terrain; there weren't a ton of mountains to climb or bodies of water to hinder them. If anything, the lack of terrain made it more difficult, because there was nothing natural to hide them from view. Three people walking across a pasture weren't, in themselves, unusual. But three people dressed in dark clothing and carrying huge backpacks and weapons were a little on the conspicuous side. Summer and Winter kept Cero between them, though they periodically scanned in opposite directions. That's how it always was, with Summer keeping watch on Winter's weak side. Cero finally stopped rambling, letting them do one of the many jobs they were trained to do.

All of them were a little more at ease when the sun began its descent. The day before, Winter had noticed the colors that painted the sky when the sun set, and recognized that it was something pleasing, something beautiful. But yesterday, they were at the villa. Today, they were on a mission. He did not notice the colors or the clouds. He only noticed how the shadows elongated, how the sounds of nature changed, and how the world was shifting into its nighttime state.

Once past the border, it was easy enough to steal a car. This time he drove, with Cero in the passenger seat and Summer in the back, ready to make a move if anything were to go wrong. So far, he'd seen none of the usual signs of deceit - everything from her words to the way she carried herself said that she was telling the truth.

It didn't mean they trusted her. It just meant that the probability she wasn't leading them into a trap was slightly higher than the alternative.

Thessaloniki wasn't far from the border, barely an hour drive when adjusting for traffic regulations. They drove into the city proper and then through it, down to the southern edge. They turned off towards the water, the little car moving slowly through the winding streets towards the docks. Cero pulled out a cell phone, tapping the glass screen a few times until a map popped up, a little blue dot blinking in one spot. Winter eyed the phone, trying to determine if the technology Nought used was similar, or if they had something more advanced. He told himself he was making sure that she wasn't calling in Hydra handlers, but if he was honest, he was curious about the phone and how it worked.

"Here. Pull in here." Cero said, interrupting his thoughts. Now was not the time to wonder about technology. They had a mission to finish. Cero was completely different now, her movements quick and sure as she got her backpack and started down the street. Winter pulled a pistol from its holster, and Summer held her rifle at the ready, both of them keeping their eyes wide open as they followed her down the street. She did not move with the same grace as the ballerinas of the Red Room, or with the same harsh maneuvers that Winter often adopted if the situation didn't call for subtlety. She was light on her feet, like Summer, but something about it was noticeably different.

She scanned the nearby buildings before settling on one, scaling the side of it like a bug. Winter and Summer did not have the training for this and therefore were forced to use the fire escape, climbing up one of the posts in an effort to make as little noise as possible. By the time they made it onto the rooftop Cero had already set up most of her equipment: a scope, a scanner, and apparently some sort of automatic weapon. She attached the wires easily, thoughtlessly; this was as easy to her as fighting was to Summer and Winter. He gently touched his pocket, making sure the drive she gave him was still there and secure. It would not do to make it through all this and lose what information they had left.

"There's two on the roof, two on the ground, and one patrolling the street." she said after looking through the scope. Once she was out of the way, Summer moved to it, wanting to see the enemies for herself. Cero looked like she wanted to say something - she probably was not used to sharing equipment - but decided against it, allowing Summer to take count as well. The count was right, though Summer would never say so.

"Do we know how many inside?" she asked, pulling back from the scope. Cero had already moved on, looking at the screen of the scanner. Winter could see vague orange and yellow shapes on the screen and realized these ellipticals were people - large people, with broad shoulders and gun-shaped shadows in their arms. Her eyes moved as quickly as the scanner, different areas flashing on the screen.

"Looks like fifteen." she said. She spoke like it was an estimation, but they all knew that the count was exact. She broke down the scope and the scanner to impossibly compact packages, putting them back in her backpack. The gun she left, touching a few buttons before leaving it. She took out three tabs, handing one to each of them and tucking the third into her pocket. "Here. So Chiro knows not to shoot you. She's had my back many a time now."

Summer and Winter realized that the gun was set as a backup, and something stirred in them at the thought. She didn't have actual backup, just a mechanized reinforcement. At least when they were going through their worst missions they had each other. Cero took one last look towards the building before pulling out her phone, showing them a 3D model of where they were going.

"Okay, so the goods are stored on the top floor, which is where most of the guards are. It'll be easy enough to take out the sweep, but we'll have to get the roofers and the doormen at the same time, otherwise the whole thing is gonna go tits up. From there, I figure we continue to bottleneck them from both sides - you can't fight a war on two fronts." she said, showing the model of the building and the relative positions of their enemies. She paused, tapping the screen for a moment as she gathered her thoughts. "I know you two probably don't wanna split up, but I don't think I can handle this many without assistance. I don't have super whatever-the-fuck you guys have."

Winter looked to Summer, reading her expression. The plan was simple and sound enough, but Cero was right - they did not want to split up. Even the idea set off alarm bells in their heads and made it a little harder to breathe. Divide and conquer. It was one of the fundamentals of battle. Was this all still a ploy? Or was it their plan?

"Okay if you could have your conversation out loud, I'd really appreciate it." Cero cut in. She was getting impatient, and Winter couldn't help but glare her way. They were helping her, she had yet to hold up her end of the bargain. He pulled his knife again, but this time he did not bother threatening her with it. She could see it in his eyes, feel it in the way he carried himself. This time, she moved close to him. "I'm not tricking you, I swear."

"Better not." Summer said. Something green unfurled in her chest at the sight of their closeness, and she was glad to see that her pointed words put space between them again. Cero nodded, adjusting her belt.

"Shall we?" she asked. She didn't bother asking which of the soldiers would be going with her; she'd seen that look in many women's eyes before they realized she wasn't a threat. So instead she just hopped over the edge of the roof, using the edge of the fire escape to slide down. Winter and Summer followed, landing nearly silently on the concrete. Their steps were purposeful but quiet, mirroring the trail of the lone guard making his lazy rounds. Cero cut through an alley and, as soon as the man walked by, grabbed him and sank her knife into his throat. He let out a brief, gurgling cry that didn't go beyond the mouth of the alley before succumbing to death.

They crossed the street, going to the back side of the buildings. There was more cover here thanks to the shape of the buildings, trying to protect their faces from the waterfront. It was easy to run along the side unseen, Cero holding up her hand to signal they were at the right one. Winter pointed his first and second finger at the women before flicking his hand towards the door. They would go from the bottom up, while he would work from the top down. Summer nodded immediately, touching her chin with her middle finger and then twisting her hand towards him. Good luck. Cero glared for a moment but eventually agreed, though he could practically hear her grinding her teeth. They ducked in between the buildings to move to the front, and he wasted no time in holstering his weapon and jumping.

His metal hand sank into the brick wall with little resistance, giving him a firm hold to swing himself up further. He was not trying to be stealthy at this point, he wanted the men to hear him coming so that they would be distracted from what was going on below. Just as he planned, both roof gunmen were at the edge by the time he arrived, but neither of them expected a super soldier to come flying over the wall fist first. The metal slammed into the face of the first man, his bones crumbling under the force of the metal. The second man was a little quicker, pulling his gun up to shoot. But Winter was faster, ripping the gun from his hands and slamming his fist into his head. He felt a twinge of regret as the second man fell; they had not done anything against him, and they did not deserve to die. He didn't want to kill them. But he did want his freedom, and if he had to take a few more lives to ensure that he and Summer could walk, then he would bite the bullet and do it.

The men inside must not have heard him coming, because none of them were facing the door when he exited the stairwell from the roof. They were all looking in question towards the far door, where far away sounds of turmoil were echoing from the floors below. A surprise then.

The first man was easily dispatched, his neck breaking like a stick over a knee.

The second man turned to see what the noise was, and was met with a knife to the throat.

That slowed Winter down a bit, and the third man was able to turn his gun on him. Winter used the second man's body to catch the bullets, then kicked it hard at his comrade, slamming them both into the wall.

The fourth man opened fire, and Winter turned his body so that the metal arm was shielding most of it. He heard the gun jam, and took the opportunity to pull out his pistol, shooting the man between his wide, panicked eyes as he realized who he was dealing with. While he had his pistol out, he shot the third man, ensuring he would stay down.

The fifth man pulled out a large knife, turning it expertly in his hand. Winter, in a show of good faith, holstered his pistol. The man yelled and leapt towards him, knife brandished high in the air and striking down at a dangerous speed. Unfortunately, he was right handed, and his forearm shattered as Winter raised his left arm to block the knife. He yelled in pain and dropped the knife into Winter's waiting right hand, his scream dying as Winter jammed the knife into his windpipe.

Men six and seven tried to double team him, with six attacking from the front while seven came around the rear. Six landed a good hit to his ribs, enabling seven to grab him from behind, putting him in a firm chokehold. But Winter knew how to fight with limited oxygen, and kicked six so hard in the chest that it sent all of them backwards, slamming into the narrow walls of the hallway. Winter had a very hard head, and when the back of it hit seven in the face, it knocked him out cold. Six still held on to consciousness, but that was quickly remedied by a boot to the head.

The eighth man, the last one in the hall and by far the biggest, turned on Winter with a look of unbridled rage. This man had not been hired for his intelligence, he'd been hired for his size and his skill. He had half a foot and nearly fifty pounds on Winter, but that didn't worry him. He'd fought bigger before.

A feminine shout from below distracted him for a moment, and eight took the time to strike. His heavy fist slammed into Winter's chest, forcing the air from him and sending him back a few feet. The man said something in Greek, probably meant to be threatening and menacing, but Winter did not know Greek, and therefore did not feel intimidated in the slightest. His biggest concern was the cry from below - he knew the sounds Summer made when she was in pain. If Cero had somehow gotten her injured, then he would give the woman a quick death.

Eight sent a kick out towards him, and Winter was able to get his metal arm up in time to redirect his leg. The man followed the momentum, twisting so he could plant the first foot and kick out again with his other one. The man was a good fighter, but not good enough to be a challenge. Winter caught his ankle with the metal hand, the plates clicking and grinding as he gripped it hard enough to snap the tibia and fibula. The man screeched in pain, pulling his leg back. Unfortunately that sent his weight backwards, and out of habit he moved his injured leg to catch himself. That sent him to the ground with another yell, his ankle buckling underneath him like an accordian. Winter stepped over him, and the man reached for the pistol at his hip, pulling it out and emptying the entire cartridge with an animalistic scream. Of course, all the bullets bounced off Winter's hand and ricocheted into the walls, but he appreciated the last ditch effort. He pulled out his own pistol and without hesitation shot just once, the man going silent as the bullet hit his brain.

There was something about the eerie silence after a fight that was always soothing to Winter. The quiet meant victory, meant he was still alive, meant he wasn't going to get punished. Silence was good.

The door slammed open and he brought his pistol up immediately, but it wasn't anymore goons. Cero and Summer strode through the door, and his eyes instantly found the dark spot at Summer's waist, her fingers holding it stained red. He turned on Cero, anger that he hadn't felt in a long time rising up within him, but Summer cut him off.

"I'm fine. Through and through." she said. He looked to her, trying to gauge her level of injury. She held his gaze steadily, with no wince of pain or sign of distress. He turned back to Cero.

"Lucky." he stated, surprised at the malice in his own voice. He almost regretted it when he saw Cero's look of fear, almost apologized for it. He didn't want to be that man anymore. But he also couldn't show weakness. She needed to be afraid of them, otherwise she might back out on their deal.

"That's my middle name." she said, her voice high and tight. She cleared her throat, trying to bring back some semblance of confidence. "Let's get the stuff and go, yea?"

She went down the hall to the last door on the left, pulling out a lock pick and deftly using it. The lock clicked and she eagerly opened the door, swinging it wide so Winter and Summer could see exactly what they were extracting. He expected boxes of guns, maybe explosives. What he found was completely different.

"You said these were arms dealers." he said, his voice quiet and even.

"I mean, they have arms." Cero replied.

The room was filled with rusted wire beds, and on most of them sat young children. They were filthy and obviously malnourished, staring at them with wide, blinking eyes. Their heartbeats raised as one, and Winter could practically smell the fear coming off of them.

"You want us to help you bring them back to Nought?" Summer asked. This was not part of the deal. She knew they'd done missions like this before, and even helped train the kids that survived Hydra. She would not do that again.

"No." Cero said quickly. "I want you to help me get them out."

There was a beat of silence, in which many facts fell into place. "You're walking away." Summer said as the realization hit. Cero nodded.

"I figured if you two could do it, so could I." she replied, not looking at them. She took a deep breath. "But we can bond over that later. Right now, we gotta go."

She smiled at the kids and said something in Greek, gesturing for them to come with her. They had no belongings to grab, no essentials to stuff into their pockets. They had nothing except the clothes on their back. Winter suddenly felt fiercely protective of them, the emotion nearly knocking him back a step.

He no longer felt bad about killing the men on the roof.

Oh ho ho! Not gonna lie, I'm pretty proud of this chapter, even if writing action is really hard. I hope y'all enjoyed it!

I can't thank you enough for the support for this story. Seriously, any kind word I get adds to the fire to keep going. I'm having fun writing it, so I hope you're having fun reading it.

Hope y'all are staying safe! Please let me know what you thought!

Also, who would you cast as Cero?

-XM