Good evening all!
Been so busy, I haven't had much time to write. But how exciting is FATWS? Last episode this week and I'm not sure I'm ready.
Massive thank you to AliceCullen3, winchesters1983, kyro232, tuckerjnp1, WiseGirlDivergence46 and steampunkcreates for your reviews.
Welcome to ElianaFrayt, Danielle89, buttonsXD, Sasame2, NenasMama, Gryffindorjedi41, X DANDYLION X, ecparty, kilalanara, kisk5575 and kinky-kitsune for joining our adventure.
Enjoy
xo
Chapter 44
Cake
Sam and Bucky walked out of the private airfield, looking around for their ride. They were now in Berlin, on their way to the high security facility that was holding their last chance for information regarding the new Super Soldiers.
"You think they'll be here?" Sam asked, looking down the quiet road doubtfully.
"Have they ever let us down before?" Bucky replied, putting his bag onto the ground as he looked both ways down the road.
Sam considered his words for a minute, slinging his bag over his shoulder. He was about to answer when he spotted a black sedan speeding around the corner. They both turned to watch as the car sped towards them, cocking their heads to one side to watch.
The car came to a screeching stop in front of them, the window rolling down to reveal the driver. "Fancy seeing you guys on this side of the world. Again." Lex winked at them, as Bucky and Sam glanced sideways at each other. She looked between the two expectantly. "Come on, I got a cake in the oven."
After a very quick and very turbulent car ride, Sam and Bucky found themselves walking through the front door of a rather lavish apartment in downtown Berlin.
"How is it that you're basically living large in a city that houses the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre?" Sam asked admiring the high ceilings and styled living room.
"With great skill," she responded with a devilish smile, before walking towards the kitchen. Sam smelt the tell tale scent of something freshly baked as she opened the oven, his mouth beginning to water. "Like I said last time, Europe hasn't been as well organized in fixing things after the blip, its easier to avoid the authorities here than you would imagine." She pulled out a steaming chocolate cake from the oven, putting it onto the stove top to cool.
Sam noticed her glance at Bucky, a knowing look in her eye as their gazes met. Bucky looked to the cake and then back to her, a small smile on his face and he quickly looked away.
"So, how's your intel digging been going?" Sam asked, making himself at home on the lounge, looking over to the kitchen where Lex was making herself busy, while Bucky moved to lean against the kitchen counter.
"Like you, I've got nothing. Everyone has shut me out since your little stunt in Munich exposed me. Not that I'm complaining, the little break has been nice," she explained as she began pouring drinks.
Sam watched with interest as Lex filled cups with lemonade, cut the freshly baked cake into three slices, putting them onto plates and placing it all onto a tray. She motioned to Bucky with a nod of her head for him to move into the lounge area, picking up the tray and walking it over, placing it onto the coffee table and handing the food and drinks out.
Sam watched as Bucky sat onto a lounge across from him, Lex sitting down next to him, a small gap between them. He looked with interest at Bucky's reaction, as he seemed apprehensive, throwing furtive glances at her as he picked up his spoon to eat his cake.
"Care to explain to me what you guys are doing here now?" she asked as she settled back into her seat across from Sam.
"Zemo," Sam and Bucky said in unison, before putting a spoonful of cake into their mouths.
Lex looked between them with raised eyebrows. "You're joking."
"No," Sam answered, looking down at the warm cake on his plate in awe. "This cake is amazing, by the way, did you make it from scratch?"
"Yes," Lex replied, before looking at them in bewilderment. "You guys are that desperate, you're going to the guy who literally tried to kill us?" she motioned to Bucky and herself. "Because of the fact we are Super Soldiers?"
"Exactly," Sam responded, savouring the rich chocolate flavour of the moist cake he was eating. The female Super Soldier really was multi-talented. "Is that a hint of coffee that I taste?" He looked over to Bucky, seeing his expression seem to be content, his eyes seemed to be staring off into space as if he was remembering something from his past. It was a different expression than he was used to seeing, usually memories left him looking broody and staring angrily. He wondered what memory he was seeing.
"Espresso, to be exact." She sighed, putting down her half-eaten cake and looking to Bucky beside her. "I'm assuming this was your idea? It has a dumb idea written all over it."
Bucky coughed slightly, choking on a mouthful of cake, making Sam chuckle and almost choke on his own cake. "I resent that remark," he retorted in between choking, Lex chuckling and patting him on the back.
Sam smiled slyly as he looked between the pair. He would love to know what was going on between the two, he was definitely going to have to chat to one or the other at some stage, because whatever was happening seemed juicy.
Lex looked back to Sam, and he was quick to school his expression. "So, when should we get going?"
He smirked in response, looking back to Bucky, who nodded back in acknowledgement.
Bucky, Lex and Sam walked down the corridor of the secure facility, following behind the guard. The guard slowed to a stop, motioning to a door at the end of the corridor. "He's just through that corridor."
Bucky nodded to the guard, looking towards the door. "Give us a sec," he said to the head guard, who nodded and moved to stand by the door to wait. Bucky looked back to Lex and then Sam. "I'm gonna go in alone."
Sam looked at Bucky with a bewildered expression. "Why?"
He looked back at Sam pointedly. "Because you're an Avenger. You know how he feels about that."
Sam looked away for a moment, clearly annoyed with the reasoning, before glancing back at Bucky. "It's not like you two were known for frolickin' in the sun together. What about Lex? At least take her with you."
"Uh…not that I'm against the idea, but do I get a say in this?" Lex asked. "Personally, I don't think I've got anything to offer to the situation. He knew nothing about me other than I was there with Steve, Bucky and Tony, and I took their side. He seemed to only realise I was a super soldier after we arrived in Siberia," she explained, motioning to Bucky with her thumb. It was a good point.
Bucky narrowed his eyes at Sam. "He was obsessed with HYDRA. We have a history together." He looked at Sam with determination. "Trust me. I got it." Before Sam could argue further, Bucky began to walk towards the waiting guard.
The guard swiped his ID, leading Bucky down the corridor. He was lying if he said he was to say he wasn't anxious. The last time he sat face to face with Helmut Zemo, he was activated as the Winter Soldier. Although he knew that Shuri had removed the programming from his mind, it did nothing to stop that little bit of doubt floating around in his head that maybe he was just lucky during all those tests that Shuri had run on him.
The head guard led him down the corridor, before coming to a stop before another door. He pulled a phone out of his pocket, pressing a number and holding the phone to his ear. "Direktor Schlogl 61… 72."
The door buzzed, and the Director pushed open the door, looking back to Bucky as he opened the door for him. Bucky clenched his jaw, nodding to him before entering through the door. He slowly walked towards the security window, peering down at the man within as the door closed behind him.
He saw Zemo's silhouette sitting on the bed before him. "Longing…Rusted…Seventeen"
Bucky clenched his jaw again, taking a deep breath before he spoke. "Those days are over."
Zemo smiled malevolently at Bucky, leaning forward so his face was flooded with light. "I know. I just wanted to see how the new you reacts to the old words." Zemo stood, walking towards the window to stand before Bucky, analysing Bucky's face for a moment. "Something is still in there. At least you were not conscious for most of your imprisonment."
"That time wasn't exactly a picnic," Bucky murmured in return.
Zemo looked away, beginning to turn away from Bucky, a rueful look on his face. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry. It was never personal. You were simply a means to a necessary end."
Bucky grimaced. If only that was a new notion to him. Ever since he fell from the train in World War 2, that had been his life. Until now. "Someone recreated the super-soldier serum. I need to find out who."
Zemo looked up at Bucky with a serious expression on his face. Bucky could see this was news to Zemo, although it didn't seem surprising to him either. Zemo walked back towards the window, looking at Bucky critically. "You are assuming HYDRA has something to do with this, which is why you came to me, which means you are desperate." Bucky stared back at Zemo, sensing that he had more to say. "Luckily for you, I know where to begin."
Lex and Sam followed behind Bucky as he led them into a garage in the dingier part of Berlin City. The garage was dark, Lex shining the torch she held around the garage, trying to avoid the machinery, tools and cars in the dark garage.
She pressed her lips into a thin line as she considered their current conversation. She wasn't getting involved currently, not really sure how she felt or even fit into whatever plan they were coming up with. To be honest, she wasn't even sure if there was a plan formulating, or if they were just arguing like they always seemed to.
"What are you talking about? You wanna break Zemo outta jail?" Sam demanded incredulously. "Where are we, Buck? Have you lost your mind?"
"We have no leads, no moves, nothing," Bucky said as he led them further into the garage.
"What we have is one of the most dangerous men in the world behind bars," Sam retorted in exasperation.
"We also have eight Super Soldiers that are loose," Bucky countered.
"Zemo's gonna mess with our minds. Especially yours. No offense." Lex raised her eyebrows at Sam's words, looking to Bucky expectantly as they stopped.
Bucky glared at Sam, before turning and reaching up to a power box, flicking a switch. The garage was lit up, lights shining brightly down onto the room, making Lex wince from the sudden brightness. "Offense." Bucky walked back towards Sam, a resolute look on his face. "Super Soldiers go against everything he believes in. He is crazy, but he still has a code."
"Yeah, and I've been on the wrong side of that code and so have you," Sam replied incredulously. "He blew up the UN, he killed King T'Chaka and framed you for it. Did you forget that? You think the Wakandans forgot about it? It's a rhetorical question. They didn't." Sam paused, and Lex looked to Bucky. He looked grim, but determined. Clearly, what Sam was saying Bucky had already thought about. "I know why this matters to you, but it's pushing you off the deep end. And what about Lex?"
"What about Lex?" she asked raising her eyebrows expectantly, mildly surprised to be brought into the conversation.
"If it wasn't for Zemo, you wouldn't be on the run now, you could still be living low key in Bucharest," Sam answered pointedly.
She cocked her head to one side, considering his words. She glanced over at Bucky, seeing him staring at her. She pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes at him, watching as he licked his bottom lip. He was anxious about what she had to say, and she had to do her best not to smirk.
"True, if it wasn't for Zemo, I wouldn't have been dragged out of Bucharest, ended up in Wakanda for a civil war, made friends with multiple different people who have come from different backgrounds to defend the world, heck, the universe, or made friends who have become my family. Not to mention, the thrill of being able to fight again, that sucks." She smiled warmly at Bucky, seeing him give a small chuckle. A small smile staying on his lips as he looked down. Lex looked back to Sam. "Yeah, life sucks with you guys in it, you know?"
Sam looked at her with a dead pan expression, making her wink at him. He sighed.
"Sam, we don't know how they're gettin' the serum. We don't even know how many of them there are. Let me just walk you through a hypothetical. Can I?"
"Oh, hypothetical, he says," Lex said expectantly, looking at Bucky with raised eyebrows. Hypotheticals were rarely hypothetical.
Sam looked from Lex to Bucky, fixing him with a suspicious stare. "What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything," Bucky replied simply, but Lex knew that look on his face.
"Oh, shit," Lex murmured, her eyes wide as she stared at Bucky. Sam looked at Lex, then back to Bucky.
"The weakest point in any system isn't the software or the hardware, it's the meatware. The human element. Now, in this lockup, it's nine to one, prisoners to guards. And if two prisoners start fighting, then the protocol says four guards have to respond," Bucky began to explain.
"So, why would two prisoners randomly start fighting at that moment?" Sam demanded.
"Humans," Lex answered easily, drawing Sam's attention to her. She looked back at him as she found a steel girder to lean against. "We're basic creatures. Food, territory or threats. Doesn't take much," she explained flatly. It was true. Humans had evolved from apes, after all.
Bucky shrugged. "Who knows? What she said. There could be many reasons…But the point is, these things escalate. Lockdown procedures would have to be initiated, and with all those bodies flying around left and right, wouldn't be hard to slip down a hallway or two. And if the fire alarm got tripped while the prisoners were being separated…"
Lex was starting to follow what Bucky was putting down. And she knew where this hypothetical was going. "…someone could use the chaos to their advantage," she murmured, putting a hand to her mouth thoughtfully. Bucky looked at her, his expression neutral. She met his gaze, keeping her own expression clear.
Sam looked between Bucky and Lex incredulously. "I don't like how casual you're bein' about this. This is unnatural, and you!" he pointed at Lex. "You're not supposed to be supporting this." She smirked and shrugged, not responding beyond that. Sam looked back to Bucky, seemingly exasperated by the situation. "Are you… And where are we, man?" Sam asked, sounding flustered.
Lex heard footsteps approaching from behind her, whipping her head around and drawing a handgun from her back, pointing it towards the doorway.
Sam and Bucky looked up at Lex in surprise, before looking to the doorway as they too heard the footsteps approaching.
"Whoa. Whoa, whoa!" Sam exclaimed, as Zemo stepped through the plastic screen and into the light of the garage.
Bucky quickly moved to stop Sam as he moved to rush Zemo. "No, listen."
"What are you doin' here?" Sam demanded angrily.
Lex kept her handgun trained on Zemo, her eyes never leaving his as he slowed his approach towards her.
"Ah, lady Super Soldier, so nice to see you again," Zemo greeted smoothly.
Lex's eye twitched slightly at his greeting, annoyed as he acted as if he hadn't tried to kill her at some point. "Steady there, Zemo. I'll have you stop so I can check you over, if you don't mind."
"Of course, of course," he responded, stopping and raising his hands. She moved towards him, ignoring Bucky and Sam as they continued to argue behind her.
"I didn't tell 'cause I knew you wouldn't let this happen."
"What did you do?"
"We need him."
Lex reached Zemo in a few strides, releasing one hand from her weapon and beginning to run her hands across Zemo's body, seeking to find any weapons. She found an ID card, a few pieces of gum and some coins.
"Travelling light?"
"Oh, they belonged to the original owner of these garments," Zemo replied lightly, a small grin on his face as he answered, making her narrow her eyes at him. She stepped behind him, pushing him towards Sam and Bucky.
"You're going back to prison!" Sam shouted.
"If I may…" Zemo began, looking to appease Sam's rage.
"No!" Bucky and Sam shouted in response, cutting him off.
Zemo grimaced, looking sideways as Lex stopped beside him, her weapon still aimed at him. "Apologies."
"You're better off letting them have it out before you try and say anything. These two have a love/hate relationship," Lex explained, sighing as she continued watching them.
"When Steve refused to sign the Sokovia Accords, you backed him. You broke the law, and you stuck your neck out for me," Bucky implored, looking grimly at Sam. "I'm asking you to do it again."
"I really think I'm invaluable…" Zemo spoke up again, earning a tap to the head from Lex's handgun. He looked to her indignantly, and she shook her head pointedly.
"Shut up." Sam looked to Lex, who simply looked back at him indifferently. She saw no threat having Zemo near them at the moment, but the second he stepped out of line and she felt threatened by him, she would deal with him. He looked back to Bucky, who raised his eyebrows expectantly. "Okay. If we do this, you don't make a move without our permission."
Zemo considered Sam for a moment, looking to Lex who still held her handgun aimed at his head, her expression neutral. He seemed to consider her, looking between her and her gun. "Fair," he said looking back to Sam and Bucky.
Bucky and Sam looked at Lex, Sam giving her a small nod. She flicked the safety on, putting her gun away. Sam looked back to Bucky, before speaking again. "Okay, Zemo, where do we start?"
Bucky, Lex and Sam followed Zemo as he led them into an underground garage, which was filled with cars from different eras. The trio began inspecting the cars, Bucky looked over an original T-Ford, while Lex casually inspected a vintage Rolls Royce.
"So, our first move is grand theft auto?" Sam asked annoyance evident in his question, watching Zemo carefully as he moved to a car, opening the boot to reveal weapons.
"These are mine," Zemo explained, moving to another vehicle. "Collected by family over the generations." He opened the vehicle, pulling out a coat and some clothes. Bucky narrowed his eyes as he watched him stoop down to pick something up out of the car, but couldn't quite see what it was. "I spent years hunting people HYDRA recruited to recreate the serum. Because once it's out there, someone can create an army of people… like the Avengers. I ended the Winter Soldier program once before." Bucky cringed slightly at the mention of the Winter Soldier program, glancing over to Lex, seeing her raise an eyebrow in his direction, but no other response was visible to the mention of the program. "I have no intention to leave my work unfinished. To do this, we'll have to scale a ladder of lowlifes." Zemo stood up, packing a bag and picking up a thick coat before turning and walking away from the car.
"Well, join the party," Sam said, watching as he walked away. "We've already started." They began to follow him as he left the building.
"First stop is a woman named Selby. Mid-level fence I still have a line on. From there, we climb."
"Madripoor?" Lex asked, the surprise evident in her voice. Bucky looked at her, seeing the grin forming on her face as she looked at Zemo. "I should run home and pack some things then."
"No time, I should have something suitable for you there," Zemo replied, looking her body up and down. Although there was no malice in his expression towards her, Bucky couldn't help but step in front of her, glaring at Zemo. He raised his eyebrows in amusement, smirking slightly.
Bucky looked back to Lex, to see her frowning back at him, before looking past him at Zemo. "We'll see," she muttered.
Zemo motioned to a black sedan. "Come, we have a flight to catch."
They arrived at a private airfield, a plane waiting on the tarmac outside one of the hangars. Lex stepped out of the sedan, looking around the airfield. She recognized the location, she had used it once or twice in her time, apparently it had been upgraded. Bucky and Sam got out after her, followed by Zemo. He moved to the front and led them across the tarmac.
"So, all this time you've been rich?" Sam asked as they approached the aircraft.
"I'm a Baron, Sam," Zemo replied as he slipped on his thick overcoat. "My family was royalty until your friends destroyed my country."
Sam looked to Lex and Bucky, with his eyebrow raised and frowning. Lex gave a short nod, she was well aware of Zemo's family history. After the fight with Tony, when she had been recovering in Wakanda before she headed out on her 'self-discovery tour', she had found herself with some spare time on her hands and conducted some research on the man behind her current banishment. She had discovered that Zemo's family was a long line of German royalty, although his side of the family later relocated to Sokovia, still maintaining their allegiance to the German throne. It was one of the more interesting things she had researched in her down time, unlike the weird rabbit holes she adventured down on occasion, such as discovering that there was more than one 'fat controller' in the Thomas the Tank Engine series. One of whom wasn't actually fat.
Zemo greeted the butler waiting at the aircraft, taking the butler's hand in his and leaning forward, the pair kissing cheeks in the traditional European way, before stepping back and speaking in Russian to him. "It's good to see you." Zemo looked back towards the trio, motioning for them to get onto the plane, climbing the stairs himself.
"Welcome, gentlemen, and fair lady," the butler greeted in English, with a wave of his hand. Sam stopped behind Lex as she looked around.
She looked back to the butler. "Lady? Me," she asked with raised eyebrows. The old butler smiled kindly at her. "Oooh, no no, you must be talking about him." She pointed at Sam, who frowned.
"HEY!"
Zemo chuckled, motioning for them to enter the plane as he continued walking up the stairs.
The butler looked to them, also motioning towards the staircare. "Please."
"Thank you," Sam mumbled, as Lex led the way onto the aircraft, Bucky behind her.
They found their seats, Zemo sitting on one side, offering the seat in front of him to Lex. "If I must have you three on the plane with me, I should at least have the easiest on the eyes across from me," he said as she stopped and looked at him suspiciously.
"Flattery will not make me hit you any softer," she scoffed, but took the seat offered to her, while Sam and Bucky moved to sit on the other side of the aisle.
Zemo chuckled slightly. "I have seen you fight, and I have no doubt you hit very hard indeed." She glanced across at Bucky, seeing him staring at Zemo icily. Her gaze moved to Sam, who raised an eyebrow subtly towards her, she winked as Zemo looked out the window, letting him know she was fine.
After take-off, the butler returned, holding a glass of champagne. "Apologies if that's a little warm, the fridge is out. But I will see if there is some good food in the galley."
Zemo took the glass gratefully. "If it doesn't pass the smell test… give it to them," Zemo replied slyly in Sokovian, making the butler chuckle quietly as he moved to turn around.
"Actually, they'll have water, thank you," Lex interrupted, also speaking fluent Sokovian, looking pointedly at Zemo. He looked at her in mild surprise. "As will I," she added in English. Zemo smiled at her, looking to his butler and nodding.
The butler chuckled, looking warmly from Lex to Zemo, smiling as he turned away. "It's good to have you back, sir."
Zemo looked at Lex with calculating eyes, considering her. She smirked, not taking her eyes off him, refusing to let him intimidate her. She was stronger than him, faster than him, and apparently he had already under estimated her once in thinking her language repertoire didn't include small European nations. He took a drink from his champagne flute, smiling as he savoured the drink. "You don't know what it's like to be locked up." He looked around at the three of them. "Oh, that's right. You do."
"Why don't you tell us about where we're going?" Sam said, looking annoyed as he rolled his eyes and looked back to Bucky.
Zemo lifted a book up, flicking through the pages. "I'm sorry. I was just fascinated by this." Lexus cocked her head and looked at the book, recognizing a small, red notebook she had seen Steve with once or twice. "I don't know what to call it, but this part seems to be important. Who is Nakajima?"
Bucky launched himself across the aisle towards Zemo, even catching Lex by surprise and making her jump to her feet, as he snatched at the notebook. Sam grabbed Bucky roughly, pulling him back and forcing him back into his seat.
"If you touch that again, I'll kill you," Bucky shouted, glaring at Zemo. Lex raised her eyebrows at Bucky, wondering why the notebook was so important to him. Surely, it couldn't just be because it was Steve's?
Zemo smiled sardonically at Bucky. "I'm sorry. I understand that list of names. People you've wronged as the Winter Soldier." Lex looked at Bucky in surprise, seeing him clench his jaw as he glared back at Zemo. She felt a pang of sympathy for Bucky, as he looked away, guilt racking his features.
"Don't push it."
Sam was looking at the notebook as Bucky carefully tucked it into his pocket, before a look of recognition swept across his expression. "I've seen that book. It was Steve's when he came out of the ice. I told him about Trouble Man. He wrote it in that book. Did you hear it? What'd you think?"
"I like '40s music, so…" Bucky trailed off, sounding grumpy. Lex couldn't help but smile at him, he was cute when he was moody.
"You didn't like it?" Sam asked indignantly.
Bucky sighed, looking annoyed again. "I liked it," he said in an offhand manner.
"It is a masterpiece, James. Complete. Comprehensive. It captures the African-American experience," Zemo spoke up, drawing everyone's attention to him. Lex looked from Zemo to Sam, to see him looking back at her with a look of disbelief, making Lex try her hardest not to giggle. To be fair, she hadn't been expecting such a passionate review of the album either.
"He's out of line, but he's right," Sam said, looking back to Bucky. "It's great. Everybody loves Marvin Gaye, right, Lex?"
She shrugged. "He's pretty good, I'm more of a Hendrix fan, myself," she answered easily, wiggling her fingers as if she was playing an air guitar.
Sam looked at her with raised eyebrows, looking impressed. "You know, I can see that," he replied, pointing at her with a big grin on his face. He looked back to Bucky. "Come on, man."
"I like Marvin Gaye," Bucky retorted defensively.
"Steve adored Marvin Gaye," Sam said, smiling thoughtfully as if he was remembering a conversation with Steve. The mood sombered slightly as the trio all remembered Steve.
Zemo broke the silence. "You must have really looked up to Steve," Zemo said, looking at Sam, although it certainly sounded like he was saying it to them all. "But I realized something when I met him. The danger with people like him, America's Super Soldiers, is that we put them on pedestals."
All three glared at him. "Watch your step, Zemo," Sam warned.
"They become symbols. Icons. And then we start to forget about their flaws. From there, cities fly, innocent people die. Movements are formed, wars are fought." Lex frowned, looking to Sam and Bucky, to see both gripping their seats tight with their hands and glaring at Zemo. Zemo's gaze drifted to Bucky. "You remember that, right? As a young soldier sent to Germany to stop a mad icon. Do we want to live in a world full of people like the Red Skull?"
Lex couldn't help but consider his words. Maybe it was because she had lived through so many eras, experienced life as a civilian through many wars, and traversed through many cities, seeing the world from a third person's view, but what Zemo said, actually made sense to her.
She looked over to Bucky, to see him looking darkly at Zemo. She had never bothered to fight during the Nazi war, she preferred to keep a low profile, working hard to avoid the people hunting her. Bucky, however, had seen it all, it was where he had been captured by HYDRA.
She looked back to Zemo, raising her eyebrows as he also met her gaze.
"That is why we're going to Madripoor." Lex began to smile.
"What's up with Madripoor?" Sam asked, drawing Zemo's attention to him. "You talk about it like it's Skull Island."
Bucky shifted in his seat looking uncomfortable. "It's an island nation in the Indonesian archipelago. It was a pirate sanctuary back in the 1800s."
"It's a great holiday destination," Lex added, stretching her arms up and then resting them behind her head. Bucky looked at her, furrowing his brow and looking at her with an expression of concern. "People go to Bali or Phuket to escape it all, I go to Madripoor."
Zemo smiled at Lex with an amused expression. "It's kept its lawless ways. But we cannot exactly walk in as ourselves," Zemo explained. He looked back to Bucky. "James, you will have to become someone you claim is gone."
Lex frowned then, sitting up straight again. "You've got to be kidding?" she hissed. "You can't make him do that."
"There is no other way in," Zemo responded easily.
"Lex, it's fine," Bucky replied, waving his hand at her. "I got it."
"No way, you're finally free of that, you shouldn't have to go back to that dark place," she retorted, glaring at Zemo. Her eyes never left him. "Think of something else," she spat.
He smirked, leaning forward. "While I still need James to perform, it is you who will play the most vital role in our performance." Her glare soon changed to one of interest, watching Zemo curiously as his smirk changed to a grin.
xo
Krayzee