Winnie flops down on the couch and sighs.
"Penny for your thoughts."
"Sam, this whole thing is fucked up." Winnie rubs her temples.
"Well once this is all over, I'll leave you and Buck alone."
"No reason to. He hates me."
"Huh?"
" At Sharon's place. I confronted him and he brushed me off. I mean it was stupid to think that."
"Wait, you think Buck hates you because he wouldn't open up to you."
"Exactly, we've talked about stuff before."
"Stuff like feelings?"
"No. I'm pretty sure we're just going to stuff those down and then one day, we die."
"That's not healthy."
"Did you imagine us to have a healthy way of coping with our shit?"
"No, but once everything is over, try therapy."
"I'd screw it up."
"There's nothing to screw up."
"I'd screw up the therapist. There's a lot, Sam, none of it is great."
Zemo walks out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist and Bucky walks through the front door.
"Well the Wakandans are here. They want Zemo. Bought us some more time."
"Were you followed?"
"No."
"How can you be so sure?"
Winnie sits up from the couch.
"Because I know when I'm being followed."
"It was sweet of you to defend me at least."
"Hey, you shut it. No one's defending killed Nagel"
"Don't put too much stock in it." Winnie warns. "You mean to an end."
"You'd be bored without me." Zemo says to Winnie then adds " Do we really have to litigate what may or may not have happened."
"There's nothing to litigate. You straight shot a man."
"Point blank." Winnie adds.
"Sam."
"What?"
"Karli bombed a GRC supply depot."
"What? What's the damage?"
"Eleven injured, three dead. They have a list of demands and are promising more attacks if those demands aren't met."
"She's getting worse."
"Take it from the man that bombed the UN to know what worse is." Winnie muses.
"I accept the assistance but I can handle these two." Zemo pours himself a cup of tea. "I have the will to complete this mission. Do the three of you?"
"She's just a kid."
"You're seeing something in her that isn't there. You're clouded by it."
"Sam, she is a kid, but she's making some adult moves." Winnie adds. "But she has done more for the displaced than the GRC ever did."
"She's a supremacist. The very concept of a Super Soldier will always trouble people. It's that warped association that led to Nazis, to Ultron, to the Avengers."
"You're talking about our friends."
"The avengers, not the nazis."
"So, Karli is radicalized, but there has to be a peaceful way to stop her."
"It would have to be in some neutral location. I don't want any surprise attacks. Sam, you'd be the best choice."
"The desire to become a superhuman cannot be separated from supremacist ideals. Anyone with that serum is inherently on that path. She will not stop. She will escalate until you kill she kills you."
"Maybe you're wrong Zemo. The serum never corrupted Steve."
"Touche. But there has never been another Steve Rogers, has there?"
"One of a kind, a good man trained to be a soldier."
"Well, maybe we should give him to the Wakandans right now."
"And you'll give up your tour guide."
"Yes."
"From my understanding Donya is like a pillar of the community, right? So when I was a kid my TT passed away."
"Your TT?"
"Yeah, my TT, yeah."
"Who is your TT?"
"Fine, when I was a kid,my aunt passed away, and the entire neighborhood got together for a ceremony. It was like a week long. Maybe they're doing the same thing for Donya."
"We're not crashing a memorial."
"Worth a shot."
"Your TT would be proud of you." Zemo tosses a piece of candy towards Sam " Turkish Delight."
He gestures towards Winnie.
"No thank you. I've read The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, too many times to be taken in by perfume candy."
"Shame what's become of this place. When I was young, we used to come here for fabulous dinners and parties.I know nothing of the politics of the time, of I remember it being beautiful."
"I'll play you a song from the smallest violin, later, what we need is information." Winnie says from behind him.
"I'm gonna take a look what you can find down here. Keep an eye on him."Sam says leaving the group.
"I'll stay out of your way."
Winnie looks around seeing small groups of children playing. She softly smiles.
"You like children?" Zemo asks softly.
"Yeah so."
"Follow my lead."
Winnie rolls her eyes but takes Zemo's outstretched hand.
"Baa baa black sheep have you any wool."
Winnie sings with him.
"Yes sir, yes,sir, three bags full. One for my master, One for the dame." Zemo pulls out a bag of the same candy he had offered them, Turkish Delight.
"One for the little girl who lives down the lane." He sets up a table and pours out the candy.
"Turkish Delight. It was always my son's favorite."
Winnie kneels down so she's at the kids level.
"My old friend Donya passed away. Did you know her?"
"Yes."
"I would like to pay my last respects. Do you know where her funeral will be?"
Zemo motions for the child to whisper to him the location. She whispers then turns towards him again.
"Is there something else?" He asks.
"Your wife is pretty." She points towards Winnie.
Winnie smiles, keeping up the appearance.
Sam comes down and stands by Bucky.
"It's starting to feel like a dead end."
"The hell are they doing?"
"Do you see these men there?" Zemo asks the child softly.
"Zemo, darling." Winnie adds putting a hand on his shoulder.
"They are very bad, not to be trusted." Zemo adds to the children. "Donya is our little secret, okay."
Zemo and Winnie walk back to the two.
"Cute kids."
"Ass."
"Darling, there's children present."
"I don't like them, together." Bucky breaks the silence.
"I know Buck. I know."
"Well I got nothing. No one is talking about Donya."
"Yeah, it's because Karli is the only one fighting for them."
Winnie turns to Zemo.
"And she's not wrong."
"What do you mean?"
"For five years,people have been welcomed into countries that have kept them out using barbed wire. There were houses and jobs. Folks were happy to have people around to help them rebuild. It wasn't just one community coming together. It was the entire world coming together. And then boom. Just like that, it goes right back to the way it used to be. To them at least Karli is doing something."
"You really think her ends justify her means. Then she's no different than him, or anybody else we've fought.
"She's different. She's not motivated by the same things."
Zemo is making cherry blossom tea and brings it over.
"That little girl. What'd she tell you?"
"The funeral is this afternoon."
"You know the Dora's coming for you any fact they are probably lurking outside right talking."
"Leaving you to turn on me, once we get to Karli. I prefer to keep my leverage."
Bucky stands up and walks over to him. He grabs the tea pot and throws it against the wall.
"You wanna see what someone can do with leverage."
"Take it easy, don't engage him. He's just going to extort you and do that stupid little head tilt thing."
Zemo straightens.
"Let me make a call."
"Do you want some cherry blossom tea?
"No you go ahead."
Zemo turns towards Winnie.
"Uh sure, I'd love some."
Once Bucky leaves the room Winnie looks at Zemo.
"It's rude to stare."
"Infuriating Bucky isn't going to help you in the long run."
"You care a lot for him. Pity."
"Why?"
"Because he will always throw himself into the fight. He will never settle down, or help himself, because not so deep down, he knows he'll never lose the Winter Soldier side. You saw how easily he went back into believes that he's not worth the is that they say about old habits. Ah, they die hard."
"Pissing me off isn't helpful to you, either."
"Why does the truth anger you so?"
"Because I believe that Buck is stronger than everything he's been through."
"You have great expectations for James."
"I do."
"You think he is worth the effort."
"Yes."
"So tell him."
"Why would I trust you? Two seconds ago you were being a dick. Now I'm supposed to take your relationship advice."
"So you do want a relationship with him."
"I'm not talking to you, anymore."
"How sweet the silence will be." Zemo gives her a cup of tea.
"Fuck you."
"Karli Morgenthau is too dangerous for you guys to be pulling this shit." John and Lemar jog up to where the four are.
"What happened to tracking John?" Sam asks Winnie.
"Someone must have disabled it, it was working before."
"Ah! How'd you find us now?"
"Come on. You really think two Avengers can walk around Latvia without drawing attention?"
"No more keeping us in the dark."
"It was nice while it lasted." Winnie adds to Sam.
"And you.." John walks up to Winnie," Stop messing with my suit and my shield."
"Doesn't feel too good to get tracked by your own stuff, huh."
"You are interfering with the United States Government."
"What are you gonna do, kill me."
"Don't." Bucky grabs Winnie's arm and pulls her back.
"You could start by telling us why you broke him out of prison."
"He did that himself, technically."
"This better be an unbelievable explanation."
"Take it easy before it gets weird."
"Too late."
"I know where Karli is."
"Well, where?" John stops Zemo with a hand on his chest.
"All we know is, it's a memorial. So we're going to intercept her there."
"I still don't like the idea that we're crashing a memorial." Winnie adds.
"That means civilians. High risk of casualties." Lemar adds.
"Which means we need discretion, you two aren't exactly subtle." Winnie gestures between John and Lemar.
"All right, we'll move in fast. Take her by surprise." John says.
"Did he not hear me?" Winnie asks outloud.
"I want to talk to her alone." Sam nods at Winnie.
"I'm not losing her again."
"You won't, if you let Sam talk to her. This is his bread and butter."
"Look the person closest to her died, she's vulnerable. Now is the best time to reason with her."
"No wait stop! Hold on! I think we're way past reasoning with her,unless you forgot that she blew up a building with people still in it."
"So did Zemo, and he's here."
"Winifred, if you really lov…" Zemo starts and is muffled by Winnie's hand.
"Sam if you walk in there cold, she could kill you." Lemar reasons with Sam.
"If I go in hot and the op goes wrong, more people will die."
"You'll let him do this. You're gonna let your partner walk into a room with a Super Soldier alone."
"He's dealt with worse, and he's not my partner."
"I used to counsel soldiers dealing with trauma, okay. This is in my wheelhouse, like Winnie said."
"I know. And I know those soldiers, which is why I know this a bad idea."
"Wait John, if he can talk her down, it might be worth a try." Lemar reasons with John.
"We'll deal with you later." John says to Zemo.
"I'm sure it will come to an agreeable conclusion. My associate is just up ahead."
Zemo leads the way to the small girl he was talking to earlier.
"Hello my friend." Zemo gives her money," This is for your family. Can you show us the way?"
The child motions for Zemo and the group to follow her.
"What the hell?"
"Language." Winnie warns. " Come on John, there's a kid."
The child leads them to the building.
"Karli is in there."
"All right." Sam goes in alone.
Zemo is handcuffed to a pipe.
"Hey, you got ten minutes.
"Really?"
"Then we're doing things my way."
"Aggressive." Zemo comments. " But I get it."
"John, you okay?" Winnie asks as she watches him begin to pace.
"No, I'm not okay. I wasn't expecting to see Sam and Bucky, two avengers, an ex member of Shield, and a terrorist that bombed the UN."
"Okay, and neither did I when Bucky and I came out here. But we've done a pretty good job so far."
"A pretty good job? Really?"
"Yeah, actually with less resources than you have."
John waits and readjusts his cowl across his nose.
"John."
"Whatever it is Winnie, I'm not in the mood."
"I'm not trying to antagonize you, but you really don't seem okay. Take a few breaths. Sam's a good man and he knows how these things go."
Bucky looks up watching Winnie.
"I also know that you want to be a good man. You want to be the best Captain America, you can. And to do that you need a clear head, and some good people around, and a big ass heart."
"A big ass heart isn't going to help."
"I think it helped Steve."
"Well I'm not Steve."
"I know. No one is asking you to be Steve, John."
"She's right." Zemo adds.
"Good call, the terrorist agrees with you, Winnie."
"I'm trying to genuinely help you. Don't be a dick."
"You could have helped more by joining us. That tracker you put on my shield is still being dissected. Your modifications on old shield tech is incredible."
"Governments have agendas and blind spots. I'm not getting back in just to be told it's happening again."
"So what's next then, for you?" John asks.
"I don't know, but I'm sticking with Sam and Buck until the end of the line."
"Don't ever say that again!" Bucky snaps.
Winnie recoils hurt from his words and the silence grows.
She looks over when John begins pacing and talking to himself.
"Nope No, this is a bad plan."
"It hasn't been ten minutes. Just sit tight."
"Don't do that. Don't patronize me."
"He knows what he's doing."
"I'm going in." John walks up to Bucky. He stops John.
"This is all real easy for you, isn't it? All that serum runnin through your veins. Barnes, your partner needs backup in there."
"Lemar." Winnie nudges him and gestures to John," Has he always been this intense?"
"He's got a lot on his plate."
"Lemar no bullshitting me, is John okay?"
"Yeah, he'll be okay."
"Care to make a wager?"
"Sure. what's the bet?"
"If John snaps,you owe me, Bucky and Sam:Juicy Lucys, fries and malts once we're stateside."
"If he doesn't, you owe us a steak dinner. The works."
"Deal." Winnie puts out her hand for Lemar.
"Deal." Lemar shakes her hand.
"What about me?" Zemo asks.
"Malts aren't for terrorists." Winnie answers.
"Neither are steak dinners."
"Karli Morgenthau, you're under arrest." John calls out.
"This is what that was."
"No, wait."
"Tricking me until help came."
"We had enough time to talk."
"Nazi"
"Why don't you."
Karli shoves John and the shield against the table.
Winnie helps John back up, he shoves off of her.
Bucky goes after Karli as does Lamar.
Sam helps Winnie up and the two run through trying to find Karli.
"Shit."
"I lost her."
"So did we, and John's a dick."
"This place is a maze."
"Pretty smart move though. We need to find Karli before John or Zemo do."
Zemo finds Karli and shoots at her following her through the pipe room. He shoots twice more. To avoid him, Karli vaults over a table, her pouch of the serum vials falling to the floor with her. The blue vials litter the floor. Karli starts to crawl towards it but Zemo shoots once more. She finds cover behind the table.
"Is this what I think it is." Zemo asks. He picks one up.
"No no no." Karli starts.
He throws it to the ground, the glass vial shattering. Zemo stomps on them. Karli runs out seeing that Zemo is busy. The shield flies out of the air and knocks him out.
Sam, Bucky and Winnie run in to see John.
"You found Zemo, good." Winnie says.
"What did we miss?"
Back in Zemo's home he rests on the couch with a wash cloth on his head.
"Anything new from Sharon."
"No, just keep an eye on John."
"Were you ever offered it?" Zemo asks Sam.
"What?"
"The serum."
"No."
"If you had been, hypothetically, that is, would you have taken it?"
"No."
"No hesitation. That's impressive."
"Sam, you can't hold out hope for Karli. No matter what you saw in her, she's gone. And we cannot allow that she and her acolytes become yet another faction of gods amongst real people. Super soldiers cannot be allowed to exist."
"Isn't that how gods talk?"
"And if that's how you feel, what about Bucky."
"He never chose anything." Winnie asks.
Sam takes Zemo's silence for a chance to continue.
"Blood isn't always the solution."
Bucky comes back in.
"Somethings not right about Walker."
"Clocked that a mile away. I made a bet with Lemar."
" What kind of bet?"
"I think John is unstable. He's gonna snap at someone. And when he does we get cheeseburgers and malts."
"You can't make a bet like that. It's wrong."
"Lemar knows John better than I do. And he has faith in John. That should make us feel a little better."
"What does he get if John doesn't crack?"
"Him and John get a steak dinner."
"Steak dinner vs cheese burgers, the classic American battle." Zemo adds.
"Well get ready to eat a burger, Sam, I know a crazy when I see one. Because I am crazy."
"Can't argue with that."
"Shouldn't have given him the shield."
"I didn't give it."
"Well Steve definitely didn't."
"All right. That's it. Let's go. I'm now ordering you to turn him over."
"Hey, slow your roll."
"Shield or no shield, the only thing here you're running is your mouth. Now I have Katli and you overstepped. He's actually proven himself useful today. We're going to need all hands on deck for whatever's comin' next."
"How do you want the rest of this conversation to go, huh. Should I put down the shield, make it fair?"
"Malts here we come." Winnie adds sending a smirk over to Lemar.
John puts down the shield and a woman dressed in crimson, and gold armor throws a spear.
"Woah." Winnie looks from the woman, to Sam, to Bucky as if to ask if they saw that too.
More women in armor with spears come into the room.
"Are they the Dora Milaje?" Winnie asks Bucky.
He nods.
The lead woman speaks to Bucky in a language Winnie has never heard before. Even she knew that whatever they were here for wouldn't end well for Zemo.
"Release him to us now." The woman says.
"Hi, John Walker, Captain America." John introduces himself. "Well let's put down the pointy sticks and we can talk this though huh. "
"Now he wants peace." Winnie mocks.
"Not the time." Sam says shaking his head. "John, take it easy, You might want to fight Bucky before you tangle with the Dora Milaje."
"They don't have jurisdiction here."
"The Dora Milaje have jurisdiction wherever the Dora Milaje find themselves to be."
"Okay. Look I think we got off on the wrong foot." John claps her on the shoulder.
The woman looks at John's arm and then him. She hits him with a spear multiple times then kicks him away, hitting the spear in the wall and back to the ground. He uses the shield to deflect a spear aiming for him and continues fighting the women.
Zemo continues drinking his cocktail.
"We should do something."
"Yeah." Winnie pulls out a bag of popcorn from her backpack. She offers some to Sam. He takes a handful.
"Looking strong, John."
"Bucky." Sam warns.
"So the Dora Milaje is the Wakandan army?" Winnie asks the two guys as they watch the fight.
Bucky nods.
"The spears look beautifully made."
"Ayo." Bucky grabs the spear in the hands of one woman. " Let's talk about this."
Sam and Bucky enter the struggle.
" Guys!" Winnie yells.
"We're a little busy!" Sam yells back to Winnie.
Winnie chases Zemo, but he gets the door and locks it.
"You're a rat! You know that!" Winnie is banging on the door trying to break it.
Ayo taps Bucky's arm in a few places and it falls off. She walks off towards where Zemo locked the door.
"He's gone. Leave it." She tells another warrior holding the shield.
"Did you know they could do that?" Sam asks.
"No." Bucky puts back on his arm and rotates it. The vibranium shifts and hums as it moves back to place.
"You all right, man." Lemar asks helping John up.
"They weren't even super soldiers." John gets up.
"I can't believe he pulled an El Chapo."
"I can, come on."
"She said what? Hold on Hold on, I know. Listen pack an overnight bag and take the boys."
"What happened?"
"Karli called Sarah. She threatened my nephews." Sam turns back to his phone,"Okay. Go somewhere safe. Only pay in cash. All right? Let me know when you get there."
"Damn." Winnie's expression grows serious. " She can't keep this up."
"I know. I love you. I'll never let anything happen to these , bye."
"Karli wants to meet. She left a contact number. She said just me and Winnie."
"Me?" Winnie asks. " Why?"
"I didn't ask."
"I'm coming with you."
"Karli!" Sam yells out.
Winnie walks with him, rocket boots and other weapons up her sleeves ready.
Bucky follows.
"You called my 's how we're gonna play this."
"I would never hurt her. I wanted to understand you better. I see you two didn't come alone."
"You have to end this now."
"Karli there's nothing good that can come from this. Just stop this from escalating. Just stop." Winnie says.
"I don't want to hurt you."
"You don't have to hurt anyone."
"Sam, you're just a tool in the regimes. I want to destroy. You're not hiding behind a shield. If I were to kill you it'd be meaningless. I was going to ask you to join you, Winnie, you're not a tool, you're a free agent. You could join us. I saw the gadgets the first time we fought. Also you were the closest to downloading all of our mugshots before we started erasing our trail. We could use you."
"I can't do that Karli." Winnie shakes her head.
"Hey Sam," Sharon's voice says through Sam's gear. " Looks like new Cap is moving. Looks like he found them or maybe they found him."
"It's Walker."
Sam and Bucky jump down colliding with Karli.
" I'll send you the location. Go!"
Bucky runs off in search of John.
Winnie kicks on her rocket boots and takes a running leap off the building following Sam.
Sam comes in through the ceiling, Winnie follows through the large hole.
He and Winnie watch as John bends a metal pipe.
"What'd you do?
"They've got Lemar."
Sam and Winnie follow John.
Two super soldiers drop down from the ceiling. One takes on Sam, the other John.
John tosses the shield and hits one in the back and Sam lets his wings take the action.
"What's with all the knives?"
"Guns are hard to get in Europe. Knives are stylish." Winnie shoots one in the leg.
Bucky runs in and catches a knife.
Sam now has two super soldiers on him.
Bucky punches one
"You're welcome."
An electrified whip hits the other one and knocks them out.
"Sup." Winnie nods.
Karli, armed with a knife, sees her moment to kill John. She takes it and then is grappled by Lemar dropping her to the ground. They get up and Karli punches him into a pillar in the middle of the room.
John goes over to Lemar.
"Hey. Hey. Hey." John pats his face. "Lemar. Lemar. Lemar."
"Shit." Winnie says softly.
The Flag smashers and Karli flee.
Sam, Bucky, Winnie run after Karlie.
John jumps out of a window and slams onto the street below.
"Where is she?!" John yells running after the one of the flag smashers.
John knocks the man down beside cement stairs and hits him with the shield. People begin to watch.
"It wasn't me." The man pleads. "It wasn't me!"
John lifts his shield and brings it down several times. Onlookers take videos and scream.
Winnie leans her head on Bucky's shoulder closing her eyes, away from what just took place in broad daylight, in front of people.
"He snapped." Winnie whispers with tears in her eyes.