Chapter 2
Zemo sat quietly in his small cell on the raft. It had almost been a month since his arrival and the conditions although decent for a prison, weren't much to his liking. It was marginally bigger than his last cell he had been in before James had helped break him out. However, the food was not any better, at least on the mainland the food was… well fresh. They would have often brough fresh fruit to them and he heavily enjoyed the plums he got there on occasion. Yet here, well he knew he was on something akin to a floating vessel of sorts.
He heard the one of the guards call it the raft when he'd first arrived when the Dora Milaje had brought him in., he had been honestly astonished they brought him here of all places and not back to Wakanda to face some kind of punishment there however word was that king T'Challa had been incredibly sick, and no one much knew exactly what was going on anymore in Wakanda. Only certain few had ever seen the described beauty of that country, James having lived there and recovered there wouldn't often speak of it, but he had slipped a few times and mentioned different aspects of its immense beauty and powerful nation.
Of the few pleasures he had been granted while here at the raft, the books had been his favorite next to the small radio. He wasn't sure what network it picked up, as he was sure they where out in the middle the Atlantic Ocean somewhere the accent and dialect of the radio announcer was so distinct. But they were evidently off the east coast. The station wasn't one to air much news. But played a lot of country songs. He didn't much enjoy the music in all honesty, but the guards here didn't much like to strike up conversations and he knew from experience that solitude and isolation made the mind do funny things. He had seen it happen to many times and all to often to anyone who would let the mind slip.
So, he would turn the tiny radio on and listen while he read. Presently he'd been given The Lord of the Rings books. Old copies by the looks of it. Read over and over. He wondered who it had belong to before they end up in his possession as the books had been well loved it seemed. Some of the pages had been marked upon, certain passaged highlighted, dog eared to mark off certain parts. It had certainly been studied front to back and then some. Whomever had owned it knew these books intimately. He had at first been disgusted someone would deface such a beautiful thing, but as he continued, he realised it was much the same he did with people really. Nevertheless, in his notes being mental. These where just as precise and eloquently marked down, studied and a deep understanding.
A tray of food had just been delivered for his afternoon meal. A bowl of white creamy substance, bread, some fruit in a cup, and a glass of blue liquid.
"oh! this looks absolutely attractive" he called after the guard who was making rounds dropping off meals. He came to know of 3 other individuals on this vessel with himself. He did not know them by name or by face. They all had cells on the same side of the semi circle and couldn't see them in any reflections and all had been sound proofed unless they turned off the mechanism and field that acted as a second barrier to the large bars of the cell.
He thought it over the top for security, but he knew that this facility had once held the all-powerful Wanda Maximoff. Word was no one had seen her in since the blip had everyone brought back.
He got up and turned on his radio to listen to something while he ate the slop they had brought him. It was better to eat it while it was hot, he had learned very quickly. Once it became cold it was near impossible to eat. The radio buzzed to life as he carefully spooned the chowder of sorts to his lips.
The announcers were talking about some news down the coast again. They had been talking a lot about the events of New York and the after math of it all. He had even herd one day that Captain America was signing contracts with the US government after the events with miss Morgenthau. He had known that man Sam Wilson would do great things, but signing government contracts, those most certainly wouldn't end well.
"And that metal armed man stole a quinjet you say… and made it all the way up to Canada without his new star-spangled friend?"
That caught his attention. The spoon full of chowder he had almost brought to his lips fell away as he gently rested his hand down, put the tray off to the side, got up and turned the radio up quickly before returning to his cot sitting very intently on the edge, actively listening.
"Oh yes Todd you herd that right. There has been radio chatter from fisherman all up the coast having spotted some strange jet they have never seen before roaming out towards sable island."
"Well, the DFO must be on top of that now!"
The two radio announcers talked about the department of fisheries and oceans for a bit. This place called sable island was a small national park reserve. A tiny islands home to wild horses and lots of marine life swarmed the area supposedly. What a strange thing to concentrate on when it sounded like James was on the loose by himself.
"Well, none of the animals have been harmed and it looks like the man and the stolen jet have decided to leave that area alone for now"
"good riddance, Todd, we really don't need a mess up this way again."
The two radio hosts continued to prattle on about environmental nonsense and so he left it going while resuming to eat. It had since grown cold, and he sneered to himself over it. Such little hope. He hoped hearing news about James up the east coast meant he was going to attempt another break out. How joyous would that be he thought inwardly to himself. But James had been the one to hand him over to Ayo and the Dora Milaje in the first place and they put him here, so why the sudden change of heart?
His thoughts and meal where quickly interrupted with a flicker in the lights and then sudden darkness. Only red emergency lights lit up. He set the tray of food on the floor and slowly got up and turned the radio off instantly.
Everything was so quiet. No sirens, a few guards raced past. But all was unnervingly silent.
And then it hit him.
James was acting without mister Wilson.
He had stolen a quinjet.
He was searching the east coast
He was looking for him…
No, he was hunting him. Stalking up and down the coast.
James hadn't been coming to rescue him. He had, had a change of heart. But not in the way he wanted.
Back when James had followed him back to the Sokovian monument and held the Gun to his head. He had accepted his fate then. To be reunited with is wife and child in the afterlife finally. But when he had dropped all the bullets from his metal hand. It had happened to him in slow motion. He wasn't ready to go back. But he had truly forgiven James at the time and it had seemed James had also forgiven him for what he had done.
However now. It seemed James had changed what he felt in his heart. Because now he was standing in front of his cell. A wild crazed look in his eyes.
A look he recognized so quickly it shook him to his core. Looking at the man in front of him. No this wasn't James.
It was the winter soldier.
Sam had just gotten up to talk to Sussey and the co pilot in the cockpit when the coms got a buzz of activity.
"Sir, its director ross. The raft is being attacked. Its James"
"fucking hell" he swore under his breath. He was glad he had already suited up and had the shield on his back. "Major, have we been given coordinates"
"not accurate, sir, but we can get you close"
"No need. Let me see" he went to the navigator and the sodar system. The blips on the screen where enough for him. "open the back doors"
"Sir?"
"I said open the back door god damnit man we don't have time for this"
And so, the back cargo ramp opened, and he walked out the back. The wings flung open, and the thrusters booted up. He input the sodar coordinates into his navigation system and linked in with the rest of his current team
"Major Sussey, do you copy"
"Roger Captain, we got you." Came back quickly over his coms
"You're not going to be able to keep up with me Major."
"No shit capt. We will tail you if you need to fall back"
"Thank you, radio me if something else comes through the communications"
He took off full force forward towards the target. Through the angry clouds and patters of rain rolling off his goggles. It wasn't hard to miss the raft when he came up on it. He remembered leaving it with Steve the first time. He had never wanted to visit this place again, yet here we were.
The hangar doors had already been blown wide open, so diving in and landing in the chopper bay was easy enough, and there was the stolen quinjet to his right. Well Bucky was certainly here. There where guards strewn all over the place. Some looking to be in better condition than others.
"Sussey, call it in. we are gonna need an extraction and medic. Lots of downed guys" he carefully made his way over to the closest guard and knelt down to check for a pulse "they aren't dead."
So bucky wasn't here for guards. He hurt them to get them out of the way. That's when he heard the distinct sound of gun fire and metal ricochet.
He raced forward bringing the shield to his forearm for protection. He didn't remember much about leaving the raft or coming to it. Steve and the gang had all left relatively quickly the first time and when he was brought in it wasn't like he was given a welcome tour.
It was easy enough though to make his way through, the trail of unconscious guard bodies gave him a pretty decent path to follow.
He could hear the screaming up ahead; it was the sound of frustration. But he recognized Bucky's yelling quickly.
A loud crash up ahead and banging of his metal arm.
"BUCKY!' he yelled out as he rounded the corner his heart skipped a beat.
This guy wasn't Bucky, but at the same time it was.
He was in a black vest, masked face gun holstered to his hip, another riffle on his back, it brought Sam back to his fight with him in Washington with Steve and Natasha. Everything except the short hair told him he was up against the winter soldier and not Bucky his friend and in the cell in front of his. Fists pulling at the cell, was a very frightened ZEMO.
"what the hell man?! Zemo? Really?!"
There was no answer from whoever stood in front of him. Just another fist thrown towards the bars. And with one last full body pull he watched the man in front of him rip the bars off Zemo's cell. He threw the bars towards him and began to stalk forward reaching for one of the guns at his side.
"can't let ya do that Buck" he rushed forward and threw the shield at his friend who reached out instinctively and grabbed it mid air. He turned his attention towards him and then looked back at Zemo then back to himself. "Buck listen you don't have to do this man! He aint worth your time. You're past this!" still nothing back but he had to keep trying.
"Its not going to work, talking to him I mean" Zemo had finally piped up sneaking out behind Bucky kneeling to one of the guards and grabbing the gun from the fallen guards' hands.
"What do you mean talking to him wont work!" Bucky was now coming after him. All the bullets in the clip emptied into the shield and now switching to hand to hand and grabbing a knife from his other side.
"He is activated, this isn't your James."
"What do you me this aint Bucky?!"
"Someone has found a way to activate him"
The Baron was now digging in the guards' pockets looking for something.
"Your James can not hear you, only the soldat. Whoever activated him has sent him on a mission"
Sam was fighting the winter soldier again he thought.
Well fuck me.
"You Activated him once! How do we stop him!" Sam screamed over his shoulder to Zemo
"Yes, but the book never stated how to deactivate him. He had to finish his mission."
Sam wasn't sure how Zemo was being so calm and collected while he was taking an ass whooping over here.
"Солдат" Zemo finally said blurted out. Was that Russian?
"Да сэр?"
This time Bucky finally answered. Well shit.
"Mission report"
"Target the Baron Helmut Zemo"
Sam wasn't exactly happy to hear Bucky say those words.
"Sam how did you stop him in DC!" now Zemo sounded a little distressed, as a knife was finally thrown his way and only able to doge it so well. The knife connected with his leg and he let out a pained cry.
"Steve did that!"
"Well Steven Rodgers isn't here now; you are Captain America"
"Come on man there has to be something you know about his activation process to make him stop"
Sam threw the shield at Bucky again this time catching him in the head throwing the soldier off balance. Bouncing if off him and catching the shield again, Bucky was once again concentrated on Sam rather than Zemo giving the Baron only moments to think.
And just as Bucky was about to get the upper hand on him, he looked to Zemo one last time. Praying he would think of anything.
"Я люблю тебя"
The words came from his mouth with a tenderness he wouldn't have expected given the situation. However, whatever he had said made Bucky completely stop, and freeze like a statue. The fraction of a second it took Sam to realise Bucky had stopped gave him the upper hand and crashed the shield so hard into his friends' head that he crumpled to the floor.
Zemo got up and made his way carefully over to stand beside Sam.
"What now Captain?"
"We get you both the hell out of here"
"Lead the way."
Chapter notes:
Thank you for those who are joining me on my first story I've written in a couple of years. I am a huge marvel fan and putting so much extra research into this story. Let me tell you. Everything from ranks in the US military, flight times, time differences. I am trying to make this story as good as I can. Most chapters will be around 2k-3k words and I plan to try and get 1 chapter out ever day or 2 except on weekends.
Reviews are extremely welcome as I would absolutely love to know where you think this story is going. And through overall thoughts.
Thank you for joining me!
