A/N I know, I know, it has been a long minute. I promise I'm still here... :) My inspiration was cut off and I've been busily chipping away at college stuff and my own personal book (which has hit 180 pages! It's also higher quality than the Eagle) This story will always have a special place in my heart, which is why I'm here with another chapter, however, I'm wondering if I should take down the Falcon & Winter Soldier chapters and just post the ending that I had originally written for this fanfic. if anyone has thoughts, let me know. Otherwise, I'm not sure the Eagle will get to the end of Falcon & Winter Soldier in a reasonable amount of time. Thanks so much for your continued support, love y'all! P.S. I have a youtube channel now, go check it out! (two actually, a gaming and a writing one, both will be linked in my bio :)
Aubrey perched precariously on the edge of a graffitied rooftop, painfully aware that her figure would be easy to spot in the hazy moonlight. Bucky, Sam, and Zemo were below her, in one of the many nondescript, trash-ridden alleyways in Madripoor. The echo of motorcycles and the screaming noise of bullets still echoed in her ears. Aubrey's hands shook with anticipation as she deftly fingered one of her knives, keen ears picking up on Zemo's whispered speech.
"You seem to have a guardian angel."
A slight movement just below her feet caught Aubrey's attention as an achingly familiar voice rang through the alley, smug laughter mixed in…
"Well, this is just too perfect.-" Sharon Carter strode from the shadows, pulling a mask off the bottom portion of her face, a gun aimed straight at Zemo's heart."-Drop it Zemo."
"Sharon?" Bucky started to step forward, sounding surprised, but the gun swiveled and he paused, eyes just barely flickering up to Aubrey's face.
"You cost me everything-" Sharon's voice only trembled for a moment before she steeled her face, expression going blank. She didn't stop, continuing forward, only pausing as Sam spoke.
"Sharon, stop. Someone recreated the super-soldier serum and Zemo had a lead."
"That explains why you guys are here and Selby's dead."
Aubrey felt every muscle in her back pull taut as the gun came closer to Bucky's chest.
"So what are you doing here?" Bucky, ever the tactical idiot barged forward with his words, clearly missing the malice in her tone.
"I stole Steve's shield, remember?" Waving the gun from one person to another, Sharon's face twisted. "-I also took the wings for your ass, so that you could save his ass, from him…Unlike you, I didn't have the Avengers to back me up, so I'm off the grid in Madripoor.
The movement of the weapon sent nervousness through Aubrey's veins, yet she stilled at the look Bucky flashed her way.
"Hey, don't blow that smoke at me, I was on the run too." Sam cut in.
"Was. Is. Big difference. I don't speak to my family anymore, I can't. My own father doesn't know where I am."
There. That is the reason for her aggression, for the pain I can hear laced with the accusations.
Aubrey knew it was why Sharon was being so cautious with people she'd known forever.
"Listen, Sharon, we need your help…please"
Aubrey ignored the chuckle she gave, focusing on her next words.
"This isn't over….I have a place in High Town where you should be safe there for a while."
Yet she still had the gun aimed at Bucky.
Shifting, Aubrey's skin tingled with anticipation as her wings materialized. One moment she was on the rooftop, eavesdropping as the midnight breeze caressed her cheeks, the next she was behind Sharon, knife poised to strike, the smell of city enveloping her senses.
"Good thing you've decided to help us, so you better lower your gun before I move my knife." Aubrey hissed the words, hoping they would have the effect she wanted. Sharon stiffened under the knife, yet laughed with what sounded like glee.
"I should've known you would be waiting around here somewhere. You're lucky none of my men decided you too were a danger."
"They would have had to have seen me first, if anything, you're lucky I haven't taken the chance to do some target practice. Now lower your gun."
Slowly, the gun went back to its holster at her side and it was only when Sharon had strapped it in place that Aubrey lowered her knife, tucking it back into her armor before striding over to Bucky's side.
Their uneasy agreement wasn't as trustworthy as she would have liked, but a small part of her relished the dark look Sharon gave her before motioning towards a car that was pulling up.
"Lay low, blend in and enjoy the party. Try to stay out of trouble and I'll see what I can find."
That was what Sharon had left them with after hurling insults at each of them, especially Bucky, attempting to tear down what Cap had meant to him.
Aubrey didn't trust her one bit, something about her insanely large house, expansive collection of stolen world artifacts…and the way with which Sharon eyed them sent bells ringing.
Now Aubrey's skull was pounding, heart beating as music pulsed around the room. Strobe lights flashed, and the closeness and heat of so many others made her want to vomit.
The masses jumped with the music, holding hands and drinks in the air as they seemed to move as one beast. She'd found a small refuge at one of the many bars, tucked in a corner. With an overly fancy glass of only fruit punch and 7-up in one hand, Aubrey's eyes scanned the room as she fiddled with her dress with her other hand. It definitely wasn't something she would have chosen for herself. The black and silver-flecked dress was form-fitting and reached just above her knees. The neckline was more questionable than Aubrey would've liked and her arms were covered with a see-through lace that glinted in the dim light. It did have a belt, which allowed her to stay armed with at least a few knives. But the rest of her arsenal was supposedly upstairs with the rest of their gear. Eyes scanning the room, Aubrey strained to pinpoint Bucky amongst the madness. She'd already found Zemo once, he seemed to be the only one out of the three of them actually enjoying the party. As she looked, her gloved hand carefully fingered her belt. It made her feel slightly safer and less anxious knowing that several throwing stars were nestled behind the belt. All around her, Aubrey knew that money was being passed from collector to collector, priceless original works of art were being auctioned and bartered for. She couldn't have cared less what happened to the art, she just wanted to find Bucky.
"Shoulda realized I was lookin in the wrong spots, thought maybe you'd be with Sam or Zemo but they're both in the masses." Bucky seemed to materialize out of nowhere, yet she didn't jump at his voice. Some small part of her had sensed his approach and picked it out of the blaring noise around them. The gravelly tone was comforting as he came to stand beside her shoulder. Aubrey turned, letting out a breath she hadn't known she was holding.
"I don't think I've hated being somewhere this much in a while…It's…nauseating."
His chilled eyes darkened with understanding and his mouth opened to say something but another voice cut him off, Sam.
"Come on you two, Sharon has found him…"
"I'll keep an eye out while you talk to Nagel, but hurry, you're on borrowed time." Sharon's voice crackled through the commlink in Aubrey's ear. She shifted, rolling her shoulders as the figures beneath separated. Sharon hurried off as the other three opened the door to the shipping container that Sharon had pointed them to. The shipping yard seemed desolate, populated only by the seagulls and pigeons that had nested on forgotten containers. Sharon had pointed them towards container 4261 and although everything had checked out with her so far, Aubrey couldn't help the residual uneasiness she had whenever Sharon spoke.
"Do you want me in there with you or out here?" She was seated on the edge of a container that was stacked upon three others. The lack of cover only fed the uneasiness in the air. She was torn as to whether it was better to go in with them or keep watch. Sharon had promised to keep watch but Aubrey knew she didn't trust her enough to let her do it alone. The door of container 4261 squealed angrily as Sam pulled it open, cautiously scanning the inside.
"You'd be better out here-" Zemo started, but Bucky had begun speaking at the same time and his voice overpowered Zemo's.
"Come in with us, Brie, I'd feel better knowing you're with us…besides…you deserve to speak to him too."
The trained, tactical part of Aubrey knew it was better to stay watching, just as Zemo said…but deep down she wanted….needed to see and speak to the man who had figured out how to recreate the serum that had ruined both her and Bucky's lives. Before she could stop herself, Aubrey glided to the ground, the nanotech in her wings breaking down and slipping back into her bloodstream. The container doors swung all the way open and they stepped inside…to find it empty.
Aubrey felt her brow furrow as she paced further into the darkened container. Although it seemed empty, something felt off about it. The air seemed to move more than it should. As she neared the back wall of the container, Aubrey's eyes found their way to the corners of the wall. Zemo, who was beside her, seemed to figure out the exact moment she did. Her hands shot out and braced against the wall, pushing. The rusted metal groaned and creaked before giving way to her force and clicking before sliding inward and opening.
She heard the soft exhale from Bucky and flashed him a cautiously optimistic look as they headed into the darkness.
Concrete stairs gave way to a metal-encased hallway and the realization came to her mind that the lab was in shipping containers. They hadn't gone down into the earth but up into connecting containers. Metal-covered walls, glass beakers, and various other scientific tools were dotted around the workshop. Music drifted through the air as Aubrey followed Zemo, Sam, and Bucky. They had their guns out, leading the way around corners and following the music to the source. The acrid smell of chemicals hit her senses and Aubrey's mind flashed, she did everything in her power to wipe the reemerging memories from her mind. Almost without communication, Aubrey split off from Bucky, Sam, and Zemo as they continued closer to where a scruffy-looking man was stooped over a desk. Silently, she stepped into a narrow spot between a stack of aluminum boxes and the wall. From where she now crouched, Aubrey could see the man's side profile and when she met Zemo's eyes, he reached for the record player and lifted the arm, causing the music to come to an abrupt stop.
The man unfolded himself and turned, surprise written into his features as fear flashed in his eyes.
"Dr. Nagel?" Sam lowered his gun slightly. The man straightened his darkened coat before smoothing his rumpled shirt and scraggly hair.
"Who are you? What do you want?" the hostility in his tone made it apparent that he hadn't been expecting visitors
"We know you created the super soldier serum." Sam halted as the man pushed past them, growling
"Get out of my lab."
Rising from a crouch, Aubrey wove between the shelving units and stacked materials. The man was headed towards where Bucky was waiting. The moment Nagel's eyes lit on Bucky, he paused and Aubrey saw from her spot in the shadows that he took a gulping breath, hands clasping in front of him as Sam spoke over his shoulder.
"You know who he is, right? And that is Baron Zemo, I bet you've heard of him too, right? You seem like a pretty smart guy, so you better become conversational real quick." Sam's words had morphed into threats as the scientist backed away from them, yet when he spoke, the arrogance in the words made Aubrey's blood boil.
"How about a counter proposal? Make me a better offer and I'll talk." Finally, she got a good look at his face, before she could stop herself, Aubrey stepped out from behind the shelving, face pulled into a snarl. Something dark and unpredictable rose from the depths of her memories….something Aubrey thought had been long locked away… it was vengeful and angry…and it recognized this man just as he recognized her. She did not know this man….but something about him seemed familiar…something she couldn't put her finger on…
And as she came further into the light, Dr. Nagel's eyes flickered to her face. Bucky shifted but stayed silent as Aubrey's hand shot out, grabbing a hold of Nagel's arm and dragging him to a chair. The part of her that recognized him wanted..needed to know where he had come from and as her gun clicked from its holster, and the safety came off, Aubrey pointed it at his skull, hissing.
"Talk."
Nagel's mouth pointed up in a wicked grin as he began to talk.
"Seems my father made a greater impact than he knew. Yes, I recreated the super soldier serum…but my father was the one who had helped Hydra develop the subject for the Eagle project. I was brought into Hydra's Winter Solider program to pick up where their work left off. After the Eagle was successful, they tried to recreate it with the five failed test subjects in Siberia. However, the serum they had used on the Eagle had been the last. When Hydra fell, I was recruited by the CIA. They had blood samples from an American test subject with semi-stable traces of serum in his system.-" Nagel paused, sucking in a breath and Aubrey swallowed down the rage that rose, warming her chest before zinging through her veins.
Isaiah…Nagel was talking about Isaiah... He was the super soldier that Bucky had introduced them to…It seemed that all at once, super soldiers were coming out of the woodwork.
Her mind wanted to grab hold of what Nagel had said about his father, but she wouldn't let it….Aubrey knew she couldn't let the rage take hold, not when she pointed a gun at his head. With an uneasy swallow, she stabilized her wavering hand. Bucky's eyes were hot on her face but she ignored him, choosing instead to focus on Nagel.
"-After much labor, I was able to isolate the necessary compounds in his blood.-"
"Guys, we have company. Your time is running short." Sharon's voice suddenly cut through their commlinks, sounding out of breath. They didn't respond, as Nagel didn't need to know but Aubrey met Sam's eyes and he gave an imperceptible nod.
Nagel's face lifted and his cold, unwavering gaze latched onto Aubrey's as he continued.
"I was a god. I did what no other scientist since Erskin had been able to do, but mine was going to be different. No clunky machines or jacked-up bodies. Mine was going to be subtle and optimized…mine was going to rival the Eagles. Hydra got too comfortable with the Eagle, too sure of her use and too sure that they could change Eagle's upgrades when and wherever they wanted..with no care for the metal in the serum. That was their flaw…mine was going to be perfect. A balance of what the others had lacked. ." the pride welling up in his words made nausea roll through Aubrey's stomach as Sam stepped forward.
"How have we never heard of this?"
"Because before I was able to complete my work, I turned to dust. Then when I returned, it was five years later. The program had been abandoned, so I came here. The Power Broker was more than happy to fund the recreation of my work. "
"How many vials did you make?" Sam seemed to be the only one who wanted to ask questions.
"Twenty.-" Nagel murmured, face twisting. "- and Karli Morgenthau stole those, so I can only imagine what the Power Broker has planned for that poor girl."
"Where is Karli now?" Aubrey was surprised to hear her own voice.
"I don't know where she a couple of days ago she called and asked if I could help someone named Donya Madani. The poor woman has tuberculosis. Typical of overpopulation in displacement camps like that. "
"What happened to her?"
Nagel met Sam's eyes now, shaking his head with a crazed chuckle. "Not my pig, not my farm."
Bucky shook his head but Aubrey didn't hear his next question, her head swiveled at the sound of pounding footsteps coming from the entrance. She guessed the gait moments before Sharon Carter bounded in, bloodied and out of breath.
"Guys, we're seriously out of time here."
Aubrey flashed a look at Nagel and lowered her gun, clicking the safety back on.
A gunshot popped, reverberating through the room.
Burgundy sludge splattered with sickening noises, landing on Aubrey as Nagel tipped backward.
Before she'd even realized what had happened, Sam had slammed Zemo against a wall.
Bucky shouted, launching at Aubrey.
And the world exploded, leaving only smoke and ash.
Aubrey's body was flung but she was mostly protected from the debris as Bucky had somehow sensed the explosion coming and shielded her. The floor was hard and unforgiving as they all landed and red began to flash through the now-dark room. Smoke lingered in the air as an alarm blared. Aubrey's vision blurred in and out of focus as flames began to dance through the room, feeding on the wealth of chemicals and noxious gas. A hand grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. Aubrey blinked once more and her gaze finally began to clear. A high-pitched squeal was reverberating through her mind and it took Aubrey a moment to realize it was coming from the lab. It was going to blow, again. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sam grab Sharon and pull her towards where Bucky was leading them, Zemo nowhere to be found. This time they expected the second explosion. The walls of the containers flew open, letting in air from the outside world.
"Wait for-" Bucky began. Sam had ignored the command and lept out from behind the ruined walls, shooting at the black-clad men across the alleys. Fire shot up around them as their guns fired on the men. It didn't take long for them to be pushed into a corner. It was obvious that they were surrounded. Sam and Sharon worked on one side, using debris as a cover while Bucky worked alongside Aubrey. Her arrows hit their marks and their enemies began to fall, yet more replenished the fallen. Bucky cursed to himself as his gun clicked but no bullet emerged.
"I thought we were gonna go left!" he ducked behind Aubrey, crouching and yelling at Sam.
"You went the wrong way!" Sam matched Bucky's tone and she bit back a sigh. They weren't going to get anywhere with their arguing.
"I was clearing the way." Bucky grappled for another round for his gun as Sam's ran out of bullets.
"I came out first. You were supposed to follow me"
"And where are we now?!" Bucky took a step forward, face hard. Aubrey could sense his anger from her spot and knew that if this went any further, it wouldn't end well for any of them.
"This is not the time-" she started, notching another arrow.
"I'm out too!" Sharon pulled back and Aubrey let the arrow fly before doing the same. Sam was screaming something about action movies. Her eyes wandered through the shipping yard, searching for something…anything that could help them.
And then a black-clad figure, with a purple mask, lept from the top of a container, taking out three men. Heat erupted once more as he shot at several of the pipelines. They burst into flames and they all seemed to figure it out at once.
Zemo.
Tires screeched as they rushed away from the scene and Zemo, who had moments before been behind them, was now speeding towards them in a car. It came to a screeching stop and Sam growled at him.
"You're going back to jail."
Zemo shrugged. "Do you want to find Karli or not?"
"He's right, we need him, Sam-." Aubrey stepped forward, hand wiping ash from her eyes. "-There's three of us and thirty of them."
Sam looked like he wanted to fight it but instead mumbled discontentedly to himself as he slid into the back of the car beside Aubrey.
Sharon stepped forward, closing the door. "Well, that was a heck of a reunion."
"Come back to the states with us." Sam tried.
"I can't, just get that pardon you promised." with that, she turned and strode away. Aubrey watched her go, still wondering why she felt so hostile toward the woman.
The car began to move and she crossed her legs on the tan seat, puffing a breath out of her lips, not caring that soot and dried blood was crumbling from her clothes to the immaculate care.
"You're not gonna move your seat up, are you?" Sam mumbled, sounding regretful.
"No." Bucky shook his head as Zemo sped out of the shipping yard.
That was how they found themselves back on Zemo's private jet, headed towards Riga, the place where Donya Madani had died...and perhaps the place where they would finally meet Karli again.