Chapter Two; A Brave New World

It took Sarah and Bucky not 24 hours to find Sam after the announcement of the new Captain America, and that was only because it took Sarah six to convince him to just go to Sam instead of hunting down John Walker. She couldn't deny the fact that she had been tempted too, but considering they were both sitting on fresh pardons - maybe they should play it a bit close to the chest.

They stood at an air force base, waiting for Sam to come out of the meeting he was in. Bucky was tense, for lack of a better word. Sarah knew that all of this was hitting him just a bit harder, and she knew why.

He shouldn't have given up the damn shield. She thought.

"You shouldn't have given up the shield." Bucky parroted, making her look up quickly from the ground to figure out who he was talking to.

Sam came trotting down the stairs, eyebrows raised at the pair. "Good to see ya'll, too." He brushed past them, shoulder ghosting past Sarah's thinking they would leave it at that.

Well, they certainly didn't travel all this way just to say one sentence to the man, so they followed after.

"This is wrong." Sarah vocalized, glancing around at the military personnel around her. The government was once a staple in Sarah's life, but now it was just another battle.

"Hey, look, I'm working. Okay, Yogi and Boo Boo? This outrage is going to have to wait." Sam glanced behind at them before turning back around, never faltering a step.

Sarah's eyebrows pulled together. "The bears?" She said more to herself than anything.

"You're saying you didn't know this was going to happen?" Bucky demanded, quickening his stride. Sarah could see him clenching his metal fist, refraining from reaching out and grabbing Sam.

"How would I have known that was going to happen? You think it didn't break my heart to see them walk out there and call him the new Captain America?" Sam replied.

Sarah clenched her jaw. She liked Sam, truly. He had been a good and loyal companion whenever they needed him. Steve giving him the shield was a surprise, but not as big as she would've thought. She figured he was going to take up the mantle, considering his affinity for helping the helpless. Or maybe even just keep it at home as a symbol. Certainly not turn it over like some relic. It was one of the last pieces that made her think it had all been real, not some elaborate dream. And he just gave it away.

"This isn't what Steve wanted." Sarah piped up from Bucky's other side, trying to catch Sam's eye.

The aforementioned man just rolled his eyes at her. "Oh my god. So what do you want me to do? Call America and tell them I changed my mind?"

Bucky looked to Sarah to see her nodding. "That's a good start."

Sam scoffed, looking over the both of them. "This is a really heart warming reunion, but I have to go now."

Sarah reached out and grasped his arm, pulling him back. "You shouldn't have given up the shield, Sam. You didn't even talk to us about it, we had to find out seeing Walker on the news. You must know how hard that hit?" She was pleading with him, trying to get him to understand their point.

"You should've never let it out of your sight." Bucky said.

Sam looked to him then, pulling Sarah's hand off of his arm and pointing at Bucky. "This is what ya'll aren't going to do, okay? You're not going to come here in both of your overextended lives and tell me about my rights. It's over, you two. I have bigger fish to fry right now."

Bucky and Sarah's eyes met, communicating silently before bringing their attention back to Sam. "Is there something we can help with?" Sarah spoke first.

"Hey, don't offer us up so easily." Bucky protested but Sarah shot him a glare. The shield was important, yes. Was she hurt? Yes. If the world needed saving, would she drop everything and help despite having lost basically everything? Of course.

Sam sighed and pulled out his phone, showing them a photo of a man with a mask on.

"Why does everyone wear gaudy masks now?" Sarah inquired.

Sam chuckled, explaining. "He has connections with rebel organizations all over Eastern and Central Europe, and he's strong. Too strong."

"Like.. us, strong?" Sarah asked hesitantly.

"And?" Bucky spoke at the same time.

"Yeah, you strong. Definitely. He's been connected to this online group called the Flag Smashers. Redwing managed to trace them to somewhere outside of Munich, so I'm heading there now."

"We'll come with you." Sarah didn't even stop to think about it. She may be upset with Sam, but a whole group of super soldiers running around unchecked? She was basically a leading expert on how terrible these serums could be.

"Now, hold on." Bucky interrupted. "I don't trust the little flying thing to give me accurate intel."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "We don't have to trust Redwing to trust Sam, James. Plus technology is way too advanced now either way, I'm sure it's accurate."

"I don't remember even agreeing for you two to come, but backup might be helpful. I think this is part of the big three." Sam said.

Bucky scrunched his brow, cocking his head at Sam. "Uhm, what's the big three?"

"The big three." Sam replied.

"What big three?" Bucky was bordering on annoyance but Sarah was entertained by the three.

Sam glanced between them and pressed his lips together. "Androids, aliens and wizards."

Sarah laughed a small sound, shaking her head. "That's a thing?"

Bucky shook his as well. "That's definitely not a thing."

"Oh, it's a thing guys." Sam protested.

"When have we ever fought a wizard? Who're you going off to fight? Gandalf?"

Sam looked taken aback. "How do you know Gandalf?"
Bucky tried not to look offended. "I read The Hobbit in 1937 when it first came out." Sam looked dumbstruck.

"We still haven't gotten a chance to watch the movies though." Sarah added. "How long's the flight? Got one of those fancy DVR things?"

Sam shook his head. "We're not watching The Hobbit on the flight. But you guys see my point then?"
"No." Sarah and Bucky harmonized.

"There are no wizards." Bucky said.

"Doctor Strange?" Sam asked them.

"He's a sorcerer." Sarah insisted.

"Aha!" Sams hand came up, gesturing at her. "A sorcerer is just a wizard without a hat. Magical creatures 101."

"Okay, let me know when you start your next semester at Hogwarts." Sarah quipped.

"Look, this isn't the point. These guys aren't magical, they use brute force just like you two. The incredibly annoying duo that look much too stoic 100% of the time." Sam started to walk away then.

Bucky looked at Sarah momentarily before following after him. "We're coming with you."

"No, you're not." Sam argued.

Yes, they were. The plane was decently sized, meant for more than just the three that sat in the seats. Bucky and Sarah sat on one side, a seat separating them with Sam across. Bucky and Sam had been having some perverted staring contest nearly the entire flight, but Sarah was too caught up in her own head.

She usually didn't have this much trouble concentrating, but ever since Thanos any progress she had made with her mental was absolutely obliterated. That tended to happen when everything you loved is ripped from you for the second time in your life.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Sam's little helper coming from the cockpit. "One minute to the drop, Sam."

Sarah's eyes trailed him as he walked across the cargo area, Bucky and Sam apparently still waiting to see who blinked first. "Can you guys maybe drop the macho act?" When they didn't reply, she tried an alternate route. "What's our plan?"

They both ignored her, Sam going to the pile of equipment next to him with Bucky following. "What's our plan, Sam?" Bucky said again. Apparently he had heard her. He grabbed her an earwig as well, handing it to her and sitting back down.

She glanced between the two men as she installed her communication device, waiting for a reply.

None came.

"No plan, then." Bucky said. "Perfect."

"30 seconds!" The voice came from the jump door.

"Enjoy the ride, Sarah." Sam was staring at Bucky again. "Buck."

Bucky shook his head. "Don't call me that."

Sam looked offended. "Steve called you that? Sarah calls you that?"
"Sarah calls me any name under the sun and she's allowed to because she's pretty. Sam knew me longer, and at least he had a plan." Bucky replied and Sarah bit back her laugh.

"Fifteen seconds to drop!" Torres called out.

"I have a plan." Sam said, before jumping out of the door.

Bucky and Sarah looked at each other for a moment before both standing, going to look around the compartment.

"Where are the shoots, Torres?" Sarah asked with a polite smile.

"We're at 200 feet, it's too low for a shoot." He said with a shrug.

Sarah heard Bucky sigh and they both moved to the drop door. "Thankfully, they're not fully necessary."

"Are you two… sure about that?"

Bucky ripped off the sleeve covering his metal arm. "Yeah, we're sure." With that, they both took the leap.

Sarah aimed for the largest tree, wrapping her arms around the top of the trunk and swinging herself sideways, using the momentum to carry her halfway down another tree. She repeated the process, occasionally busting her arm on a loose branch until she landed in a crouch next to a sprawled out Bucky.

"Hard landing?" She asked with a smile.

Bucky just groaned.

"I have all of that on camera, you know that right?" Came Sam's voice from his little robot redwing, flying around above their heads.

"Get that thing out of my face before I break it." Bucky all but growled.

Sarah stood up straight and stuck a hand out, pulling her companion to his feet.

"Head north you two, lets go."

Sarah and Bucky walked up on what looked like an old factory made of stone. If she hadn't been so entrenched in checking their surroundings, she would've thought that this was a beautiful place. They found Sam inside, using Redwing to do a scan.

"They're in there." Sam gestured his head to the left, the other closed off part of the warehouse.

"Where's the guy?" Sarah asked, pulling her hair back into a ponytail. As a fighter, you're always told to keep it short but she couldn't part with the blonde locks even if she tried,

"I haven't seen him, but I think they're smuggling weapons." Sam replied.

"Well, I think you could be right." Bucky. Ever the sarcastic.

"There's only one way to find out." Sarah says after she gets her hair up, pointing to their left. "That's a clear path in, let's go."

Sam reaches out and stops her from moving forward. "We aren't assassins."

The woman smirks, thinking. Speak for yourself.

"We'll see you inside." Bucky gives Sam a less than polite smile. "Or not." With that Sarah and Bucky start down the long hallway, careful to stick to the shadows.

"Look at you two go. Bucky spends a bit of time in Wakanda and turns into the White Panther?" Sams voice crackles over the comms.

Sarah smothers a laugh while Bucky looks annoyed. "It's actually White Wolf." She responds as he shoots her a glare.

"Huh?"

Sarah and her compatriot come to a stop, the former pulling on Bucky's arm to drag him flush against a rack. She slowly peeks over the side, observing the people loading the cargo. One entry, the other sealed by a large door. Looks like only two people escorting fairly large packages.

"We're already in here which means we're way ahead of you. Looks like two people, get here and lets move in." Bucky instructs.

"Get here, huh?" Sam's voice is right next to him.

Sarah laughs for real this time. "Did you just sneak up on two of the most highly trained fighters this side of the Atlantic?"

Sam grins. "What can I say? I'm smooth baby."

Bucky groans. "Alright, alright. I make two people. Easy peasy, let's go handle this." He starts toward the group but both Sarah and Sam grab him by an arm.

"Wait." Sarah insists.

"I have a vibranium arm." As if they could ever forget. "I can take them, lets go." He jostles their hands off of him.

"And she's a super solider, and I can fly. Who gives a damn? Wait. I want to see where they're going." Sam ordered.

"C'mon man, there's only two!" Bucky persists. This was seriously like being with a bunch of high schoolers.

"Oh. Oh? You only see two. Let's see what Redwing sees." Sam says, pulling up his screen.

It was Sarah's turn to roll her eyes.

"1…2….3-"

"Okay, we get it." Bucky interrupts.

"4….5..6…7"

"Okay, fine 7. Now let's go." It was at this point that Sam accidentally knocks something off of the shelf when he reaches for Bucky again, making a loud ting as it bounces of the ground.

"Shit." Sarah breathed, ducking down while trying to maintain visual. The people standing across the warehouse from them all pause for a moment before continuing. Definitely super soldiers then.

Sam pulls his screen back up, using Redwing to scan the contents of the truck before they have a chance to leave. Sarah steals a curious glance and sees something that unsettles her. An eighth person, curled up in the bed of the truck.

"There's an eighth person." Sam says, making Bucky look over.

"They have a hostage." Sarah finishes, locking eyes with her friends before they all take off. Sam engages his wings and takes to the sky while Sarah and Bucky rely on their enhanced genetics to propel them forward. It doesn't take them long to catch up and they jump, grabbing hold of the metal bars on the back of the cargo truck.

Are we seriously doing this? Sarah thinks to herself while she unhatches the door, throwing herself into the truck. Her senses are on high alert, Bucky climbing to the top of the truck outside while trying to stay out of site.

The back is filled with what looks like medicine? Boxes that say to keep frozen, things she'd see in a medical transport. "They're stealing medicine." She announces over their comm channel. "Vaccines, it looks like."

She's interrupted in her perusal by the flash of a face farther down in the truck. Sarah's stance widens, attempting to be ready for an assault without scaring this.. What looked to be a child? Not a child, but a young girl. Pale and red haired, probably in her late teens or early 20's. Is this the hostage? Why is she free roaming around their supplies?

"Hi." Sarah calls out, somewhat uncertain and the girl steps farther out of her hiding place, curious gaze looking her over.

"What's going on in there, S?" Bucky's voice demands in her ear, but she ignores him. Staying focused on the girl in front of her.

The girl hasn't responded to her greeting. Something about this wasn't sitting right with Sarah. "Are you okay?"

The girl stared at her a moment longer before an eerie smile crawled onto her face. Oh shit, Sarah thought. Not a hostage.

The girl reacted before Sarah could, giving her a firm kick to the chest and sending her flying into the windshield of the other truck behind them. She groaned at the impact, reaching a hand up to hold herself aloft. Turns out she didn't need to hold on, though, because two hands were soon roughly pulling her over the top of the truck. The strange girl jumped out of the other vehicle, landing in front of her while the other two grappled at her arms.

Am I honest to god about to fight a bunch of super soldiers on top of a moving truck?

"Sarah!" Bucky called, launching himself off of the other vehicle and tackling the red hair girl, nearly sending them both over the edge.

Sarah tried to make quick work of the men holding her back, but it had been a while since her last fight. Especially with an enhanced. She kicked out at ones shin, throwing off his balance before she threw her weight that way, knocking all three of them down. She rolled quickly, sending another kick to the others stomach before getting back to her feet.

Bucky was laid out behind her, having taken a nasty kick to the neck. Sarah had enough time to see the enhanced girl rip Redwing from the air, breaking him in half.

"I've always wanted to do that." Bucky said breathlessly, pulling himself back up.

Sarah was quickly distracted by the other two who had gotten to their feet, one throwing a well timed punched to her side. She ground her teeth, turning and grabbing the man around the shoulder, doing a flip and throwing him back to the ground. She landed on the balls of her feet, swiping her leg out and knocking the other man down before hitting him firmly in the temple, attempting to knock him out. She looked over just in time to see Bucky grappling with the girl, and two other men holding Sam down on the opposite truck, the man they'd been studying standing over him poised to attack.

Sarah kicked the first man in the chest as he went to stand up and turned hurriedly toward her friend, getting ready to make the leap when a familiar shield came out of nowhere, knocking the assailant back a few feet.

Sarah looked up at the helicopter overhead in time to see John Walker and his partner jump down, joining in on the fight.

She kicked one of the men clear off of the roof of the truck, looking around at the new arrivals but Captain America's gaze was on Sam.
"Sam! John Walker, Captain America." The little salute he gave made her want to vomit.

"Lemar Hoskins." His friend announced.

Were we really doing introductions right now?

The red haired girl pulled herself back on top the truck, pushing at Walker while he wasn't looking.

Son of a bitch. Sarah thought, throwing herself onto the other truck and intercepting the girl with a punch. The man running up to help his friend was laid out by the shield and Sarah ducked to avoid being hit with it, giving red hair a chance to land a kick to her chest that sent her flying off the side of the truck, rolling harshly onto the grass on the side of the road.

"Sarah!" She heard Sam call out to her, and she forced herself to her knees, watching the rest unfold. Bucky was thrown shortly after her, and Sam pulled him away from being squashed by the tires, landing in the field a few meters up from her.

Twenty minutes later they were all banged up, and walking down the quiet Bavarian back road. Sarah took her ponytail out and shook her hair out, attempting to dislodge the dirt that had caked itself there. Maybe a bit of blood too. Sam and Bucky talked beside her.

"Those were all Super Soldiers, Sam. We have to figure out where that serums coming from." Bucky announced.

"Agreed, and how after 80 years there are eight Super Soldiers runnin' loose?"

Sarah heard a jeep approaching them and glanced over her shoulder before groaning. "Fuck me." She said, mostly to herself. The jeep honked as it pulled to a stop a few yards in front of them, none of the trio breaking their stride.

Walker wore a smile on his face, throwing the door to the back of the jeep open. "That didn't go as planned, huh?"

"Nice ice breaker." Sarah bit. She had meant to think it, but there was no way she was being civil with this Boy-Next-Door.

John had the driver go along side them as they continued walking. "Well, at least we know what we're dealing with now. We're pretty sure it's one of the big three."

When did this 'Big Three' thing become a thing? Sarah thought spitefully.

"There's no such thing as Wizards" Bucky demanded, keeping his gaze down.

"Okay," Walker replied. "So it's aliens or androids."

"Or Super Soldiers." Sarah said.

"Super Soldiers for real?" Hoskins said from his seat across from his friend.
"Yeah." Sam confirmed. Sarah was proud of them for not being cordial, honestly.

"Wow." Walker began. "Then we have our work cut out for us, better that we all work together."

Bucky's response was immediate. "That's not happening."

"I would honestly rather fight Thanos again." Sarah added, at least Walker had the presence of mind to look offended.

"Look, I know what you guys probably think of me-"

"Just because you have the shield doesn't make you Captain America." Bucky insisted.

"I've done the work, okay?" Walker replied.

Sarah snorted, looking over to meet his gaze. "Have you ever jumped on a grenade?"

Walker smiled again, nodding. "Four times actually! It's this thing I do with my helmet, the helmet's reinforced. Anyway, it's 20 miles to the airport, let me give you guys a ride."

Sarah looked at her companions and they all seemed to agree it was the easier route, even if it was the more annoying one. Just shoot her now and put her out of her misery, please.

They all climbed in, the trio sitting across from Hoskins and Walker when the latter decided to talk shop.

"So we've got eight Super Soldiers on a bulk supply run." Fake Cap looked between the

three of them. "Why?"

Sam chose to speak up for the first time since they got in. "They said they were trying to get things back to the way it was during the blip. I'm thinking they're just trying to help, in their own twisted way."

Bucky laughed, stretching his legs out. "A hilarious way of showing it."
"Well, that serum doesn't have a great track record, does it?" Walker's eyes bugged as if he'd forgotten who he was talking to. "I mean, no offense! You guys are heroes."

"That means so much coming from you." Sarah's sarcasm was palpable.

Bucky's flare was unflinching as he focused on Walker's face, Sarah could only assume he was imagining letting the Soldier take control and wiping his face on the concrete.

"Does he always stare like that?" Walker asked, looking to Sam.

"You get used to it." Sam replied.

Walker cleared his throat, nervousness showing through. "You know, things have gotten kind of uh,"

"Chaotic." His friend offered.

"Yes, exactly. But the GRC are doing everything they can to get things working post blip. Reactivating citizenships, social security, healthcare. Just trying to get people set up with the resources they need.

"The Global Repatriation Council does all of that, I get it. Why exactly are you two here?" Sam asked.

Ergo; what are you doing swinging that shield anywhere near me? Sarah kept that, and the urge to just take it and run to herself. Thought she was sure Bucky would aid in her escape.

"Well violent revolutionaries aren't good for anyones cause." Was this guy serious?

"Usually said by those with the resources." Sam countered. Sarah knew she liked him for a reason.

"Well, we do have resources. So I think if we joined together-"

Bucky interrupted Walker again. "No."

"Look," Hoskin's began. "I have mad respect for ya'll but you were kind of getting your asses kicked until we showed up."

Sarah could feel her temper flaring, fists clenched at her sides. "And you both getting Sparta kicked off of those trucks was you handling the situation?"

"Who are you, again?" Bucky asked Hoskins.

"Lemar Hoskins."

"Yeah, I see a dude hanging out of a chopper in battlegear, I need more than a name." Sam said plainly.

Lemar smiled, seemingly elated to talk about himself. "I'm Battlestar." He said proudly. "John's partner."

"Battlestar?" Bucky repeated, tone rising.

Sarah shook her head, incredulous. Her codename was Vixen. She didn't choose it for herself, and didn't use it unless she absolutely had to. Most of the Avengers despised the use of codenames, but the public took well to them. Deemed them heroes. Now there's this random guy, running around with some silly name with the Fake Captain America, pretending he was worth a damn?

"Stop the car." She demanded, promptly hopping over the edge as it rolled to a stop.

"Look, I get it okay? I get the attitude." Bucky followed her out of the jeep as Walker spoke. "You didn't think the shield was going to end up here, I get it Vix. I really do."

Sarah stopped dead in her tracks, blood running hot. "The fuck did you just call me?" She demanded. Using a nickname for her? Steve's nickname?

Walker looked surprised. "I'm sorry.. It's just what Cap would call you. I'm not trying to replace Steve, I'm really not. But America needed a new hero, and I stepped up to be that."

Sarah stared at him, gaze deadly as her two friends flanked her sides. "Don't tell me you're not trying to replace my brother when you're clearly the Dollar Tree version. I don't give a fuck if you have that shield, as long as you walk around with that entitlement you will never be a hero. And you're certainly not Steve Rogers."

Sarah stalked off then, Bucky and Sam following behind her ignoring Walkers calls to them.

This day couldn't get any worse.