Phoenix stood against a building, waiting for her human companions to show up. The sun had set hours ago and she was beginning to wonder where they were. Madripoor spread out before her across a bridge over the water. She didn't like the feel of the place. It felt...wrong. Lawless. Dangerous. The sound of voices made her look the side and she peered out from around the corner to see Bucky, Sam, and Zemo heading in her direction. She cocked an eyebrow at the gaudy suit Sam was wearing. Bucky looked normal. Well, as normal as a human with a metal arm could be. Zemo was...Zemo, long, fur-lined trench coat and all. She didn't care. She stepped into view, causing the men to jump a little. "How did you get here?" Zemo asked. "Not important. I don't like the feel of that city," Phoenix said, brushing off his question.
"I don't blame you there. Madripoor has a sordid history," Sam responded before looking at Bucky. "We can't take her in there, Bucky. Looking like that, she'll be mauled," he said. "For once, I agree. But I have no ideas about what to do with her," Bucky said before giving Zemo a look. "And don't get any ideas about suggesting her cover should be as your escort," he said. Zemo just gave him a dry look. "It was the furthest thing from my mind. I agree with Sam that this is no place for a lady. Especially one as exotic as her," he said.
Phoenix tapped her foot. She had no idea what they were talking about but Madripoor was a den of wolves and this was a place where her own safety took top priority in her own mind. To her surprise, Zemo was the one to address her. "What do you suggest, princess?" he asked. Rubbing her temples, she started wracking her brain. "Can you stop calling me that? It's annoying. The best I can come up with is following you at a distance. Out of sight," she shrugged, unsure. "How do you propose you do that? We'll be in a car," Zemo pointed out. She gave him a knowing smirk. "I have my ways. My ways are need-to-know and you don't need to know. Just trust me," she said. Zemo looked a bit suspicious but he let it lie. "You sure about this?" Bucky asked. She just nodded before going around him to push him forward. "You've known me long enough by now to know that I'm the epitome of subtle when the situation calls for it. If I play my cards right, no one but you three will know I'm there. If things get dicey for me, I'll do what I do best," she said.
The men watched as she went back around the building she had appeared from and exchanged a look. "Your princess is either very brave or very foolish. But I suspect she has a trick or two up her sleeve. Come, gentlemen, we have a job to do and we can't be worrying about what she's up to," said Zemo, starting the walk across the overpass. With no other option, Sam and Bucky followed. They didn't notice Phoenix watching them from a distance, back in her true form. She waited for them to enter the car and drive off before she opened the Road and stepped in.
Throughout the journey to Lowtown, Phoenix stepped out of the Road momentarily to wait for the car carrying her friends to pass before vanishing into thin air once more. Several times, it seemed as she had been noticed by Zemo but she was moving at a fast enough clip in and out of the Road, there was no way for him to be sure. She wasn't overly worried about him questioning it because of it. When she stepped out of the Road into a dark alley, she saw her friends exiting the car in front of a very shady bar. She shifted back into her human form and just stayed put in the darkness. Her senses were high alert as she watched humans go about their business. The city was loud and the lights were almost too much for her. It didn't take long for her flight instinct to kick in but she resolutely stayed where she was at.
Sudden voices behind her made Phoenix whirl around. A pair of drunk humans were coming her way but they hadn't noticed her yet. "Hey, strange creature! Up here!" came a voice. Phoenix looked up to see a cat on the fire escape above her. Wasting no time, the shifted chimera jumped and grabbed the bar, pulling herself up. The drunk humans passed beneath her, their slurred words indicating she had been spotted but was being passed off as a trick of the alcohol. Phoenix looked down at the cat, a calico shorthair. "How did you know I'm not human?" she asked. The cat just purred. "I can smell it. Plus you understand me. I don't know what you are or where you came from but this is a dangerous place. What are you doing here?" asked the cat. The chimera explained everything. Animals, unlike people, were inherently trustworthy and it's not like the cat could actually tell anyone.
The cat meowed a little as she listened to the tale. "I see. You're following a trio of humans around and now you're just waiting for them to come out. I wish I could do more to help but as you can see, I'm just a cat. The most I could do was give you a place to hide while you wait," she said. "You have my thanks. Can I stay up here until my friends come back?" Phoenix asked. "Just as long as you make tracks when they do. You're not one of them but the shape you take makes this a dangerous place for you. I have no doubt that you could handle yourself in a fight but you strike me as the kind of animal who prefers to fight only if necessary. Since this is a place you're not familiar with, fleeing will be difficult," the cat explained. Phoenix just gave her a shrug to indicate she was aware of the danger. With a twitch of the tail, the cat jumped off the escape to the top of a dumpster and vanished into the dark.
It wasn't too long after that that things started getting hairy. Phoenix heard a gunshot and it seemed chaos was coming down on the bar. She looked towards the doors to see her friends leaving. It was obvious to her they were trying not to arouse suspicion. Coming to street level, Phoenix shifted back to her true form and opened the Road. She came out into another alley and gunshots were ringing out. Suddenly, the ones shooting at her friends dropped like flies. Phoenix waited for a second to see what was happening. A hooded figure approached, aiming a gun at Zemo. The hood came off to reveal a blonde woman. Phoenix couldn't make out what she and her friends were saying but it was plain she really hated Zemo.
Once the woman lowered her gun, Phoenix took that as her cue and stepped from the shadows. Her sudden appearance caused the woman to turn the gun at her. The shifter just held her hands up in a gesture she understood to be the humans' way of showing nonaggression. "Whoa, Sharon. It's okay. She's with us," Bucky said, getting between her and Phoenix, holding his metal hand up. Sharon looked the chimera up and down. "Sorry, force of habit when people suddenly appear out of nowhere. Good job on showing you were unarmed," she complimented. "My apologies. I'm Phoenix," Phoenix responded, slowly closing the distance. "How do you know these guys?" Sharon asked. "I've known Bucky for a while now. Met Sam recently. Have the displeasure of being in Zemo's company," Phoenix said, with a sly smile. "Very funny, princess," the man in question snarked under his breath.
"Phoenix, meet Sharon Carter. She, uh, knew Steve back when he was living in DC," Bucky introduced. The two gave another nod to each other before Sharon led them all to a car. This time, Phoenix rode with them, wedged between Sam and Zemo. To her credit, she found the ride to be not unpleasant but she much preferred walking or running places or using the Road if necessary. Sharon took them to Hightown and into a nice penthouse. Phoenix just took in the sights she saw. There was a lot of artwork and other artifacts. She didn't contribute to the conversation of the four humans up until Sharon told them she was putting on a party.
She joined Phoenix on the couch. "I like your hair. Never seen anyone go crazy with striping it," she said. "Thanks. I wouldn't have it any other way," Phoenix responded. She looked at the blonde and brushed some hair back. "You say you're having a party? I'm not big on parties...or big crowds of people. Is there someplace you can put me?" she asked. Sharon gave Bucky a look. "You have this cute girl hanging out with you and she doesn't like parties?" she teased. The White Wolf just gave her a sour look, not taking the jest. "Trust me, being around guys who may not keep their hands off her isn't a good idea," he said. "Afraid she might get into trouble?" Sharon asked. "More afraid of what she'd do to them. She's not the best when it comes to physical contact and if someone gets pushy, she might break heads. You're better off just hiding her in a room if you want to maintain some semblance of order," he explained. Sharon looked at Phoenix again. "I must say you don't look particularly dangerous but I know better than to take things at face value," she said.
Phoenix just shrugged. "Shame. I was hoping to see how well the princess dances," Zemo piped up. The chimera shot him a look. "Sometimes I think you like testing your luck with me," she said. The Baron just smirked. Sharon looked between the two before standing up. "Anyway, I'd prefer it if neither of you started throwing hands. Phoenix, come with me. I'll put you in the guest room. No one goes there but if it makes you feel safer, the door has a lock so that should keep you out of the way and unbothered," she said. Phoenix followed her up the stairs, leaving the men in the living room.
Stopping in front of a door, Sharon opened it and led her guest inside. "Sorry, there's not a lot in here. I generally don't have overnight guests," she said. Phoenix looked around. There was a couch, bookshelf, and bed. Pretty spartan but she wasn't high-maintenance. She was, after all, a wild animal at the end of the day. "It's no trouble. Thank you, Sharon," she said. "The party might last into the early morning but if you're able to get any sleep…," Sharon responded, trailing off. Phoenix looked back at her. "Why did Zemo call you princess?" the blonde asked, curiosity out on full display. "Just an annoying nickname he's been calling me since we met. One of these days, he's going to find himself with a broken jaw," the shifter shrugged.
Sharon looked out into the hall to make sure they were alone still. "Do you trust him?" she asked. "Not a chance. I just put up with him because Bucky and Sam are," Phoenix replied. "What exactly is the nature of your relationship with those two, Barnes in particular?" came the next question. The shifter was old enough to know interrogative questions but she chalked up to Sharon's cautious nature. "Just friends. I've just known Bucky the longest and I trust him the most. Sam is well on his way to being to that level. That's all," she replied. The former SHIELD agent could hear nothing but honesty in her words. For some reason, she felt like she just got scolded even if Phoenix's tone was neutral. "Sorry about that. I wasn't implying there was anything between you and Barnes. I was just making sure you're here because you want to be," she said. "I don't mind. Bucky is a good friend to me. We watch each other's backs. You can rest assured that I'm here entirely of my own volition," the other woman said.
Sharon left her alone then. Once the door was closed and locked, Phoenix sighed as she shifted back to her true form. As lightly as she could so her hooves didn't alert those in the house not in the know of her true nature, she went over to the window. She looked out over the city and allowed herself to relax. She liked Sharon already. She was a bit guarded but living in a place like this, who wouldn't be? Hightown, as the humans called this part of Madripoor, didn't bother her nearly as much as Lowtown did. Backing away from the window, the chimera brought herself down into a lying position against the wall and rested her head on the floor. She could hear Sharon's clients arriving and the music starting up. She closed her eyes and let sleep take her.
Hours later, after the party, Bucky made his way up to the room where Sharon had placed Phoenix. The door was locked but he had gotten the key from their hostess so he could check up on her. Unlocking the door, the White Wolf peered in. Good thing he was by himself. Phoenix was out like a light, back in her natural state. Her head shifted from one position to another and she gave a small nicker in her sleep as she took a deep breath. Smiling to himself, Bucky closed the door and re-locked it before heading back to the living room where he, Sam, and Zemo were planning to sleep. "How is she?" Sam asked when Bucky entered the room. "Dead to the world. Given the noise, I'm surprised she was able to fall asleep at all," he responded. Zemo was stretched out on one of the couches, eyes closed. "I'm going to follow her lead," he said. Bucky and Sam followed suit. All of them needed sleep for the next day. They had a lead on where the serum was likely coming from in Madripoor.
The following day, Phoenix regrouped with the others in the living room. "Sleep well, princess?" Zemo asked. "Call me that again and I'm breaking your face," Phoenix yawned, with no hint of any real malice. "Good morning to you, too," Sam chuckled. Sharon walked in a moment later and the humans gave Phoenix a rundown of what they learned the night before and the plan. Bucky turned to the only nonhuman in the room. "What do you plan to do?" he asked. "I'll give Sharon a hand in watching your six. Two sets of eyes are better than one, especially since you three are apparently being hunted. I'll be of better use to you in that capacity," she responded. The White Wolf nodded in agreement. With the plan in place, they all filed out and got into Sharon's car. Destination: the shipping yard.