Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Steve and Sharon were in a car with Everett driving them into Avengers Compound, where Natasha and Bucky were already waiting for them as Steve and Sharon went out and they smiled at each other.
"Hey." Steve said.
"Long time no see." Bucky said as they hugged each other, then did the same with Sharon and Natasha, who hugged each other as well.
"I thought you retired." Natasha said, turning to Steve.
"I thought Captain Rogers should be at least aware of the threat we are facing." Everett explained as he approached and they nodded.
"The Flag-Smashers, I read their manifesto on the Internet and saw the news footage." Steve said and they nodded.
"But they're unfortunately not our only concern." Sharon said.
"What do you mean?" Sam asked.
Steve then showed Natasha, Sam and Bucky the tablet with a footage of a tall muscular Caucasian man in Russian countryside armed to the teeth firing around with a large machine gun and throwing grenades, shooting down civilians and soldiers and even throwing cars with his bare hands, much to their shock, with the man proudly holding an American flag in his other hand as he pinned it onto the pile of rubble.
"Bozhe moi…" Natasha whispered.
"What the hell…" Bucky trailed off.
"Tony Masters. Former Special Forces. Dishonorably discharged after he disobeyed direct orders, when they were after Taliban eight years ago, it was supposed to be a silent recon, but once the mission went south and they aborted the mission, Masters decided to blow up their camp, going against the command. It worked, but there were dozens of civilian casualties as collateral damage. He then became an extremist and one of CIA's most wanted. He believes he's fighting for America, but all he does is needlessly spilling blood, not caring who gets hurt in the way. And get this, he participated in Bio-Tech Force Enhancement Project with Thunderbolt Ross and Emil Blonsky." Sharon said and the pieces fell together for them.
"He used to work with Ross." Sam realized.
"Explains the enhanced strength." Natasha nodded.
"He went off the grid after Harlem." Sharon explained. "Recently he appeared in Rumekistan."
"The country with which we were at war with in the '90s." Steve remembered.
"He's reopening the conflict by decimating cities and planting American flags in the rubble." Sharon said. "We've been keeping a lid on it and blacking out all news channels from the country, but sooner or later it'll pop and if the world finds out that an American Super Soldier is sacking a foreign nation…"
"…we get an international incident." Sam finished.
"The best way to do it is if Captain America is there to take the madman down. Show him that he doesn't represent the best interests of our country." Sharon said, turning to Steve. "I'm not asking you to fight him, Steve. But above anything else, he's a patriot. Extremist patriot, but if our soldiers try to engage him, it'll be a bloodbath. But Captain America might have a shot at talking him down."
"We've got two fishes to fry." Sam groaned.
"I can handle Masters." Steve said, turning to Sam and Bucky.
"We'll handle the Flag-Smashers, Steve." Sam nodded.
"Don't worry. We got this." Bucky assured.
"And I've got their back, just in case." Natasha said.
Both groups nodded at each other but their eyes were silently telling the other to be careful before they went their separate ways.
"So, how do you want to do this?" Sharon asked.
"Well, he's a patriot. A misguided one." Steve said. "But…"
"…you think you can reason with him because you are Captain America?" Sharon finished and Steve nodded.
"If nothing else, the least I can do is get him to stop in his track and hesitate." Steve said and Sharon nodded, seeing his logic.
"It is admirable that someone is dedicated to their cause but take it too far and belief turns into fanaticism and it blinds them to the fact that they hurt the very people they want to fight for." Sharon said.
"Exactly." Steve nodded.
"Steve, I need to know… are you sure about this?" Sharon inquired and Steve sighed.
"He's misguided and doesn't realize that he's hurting innocent people with his powers." Steve said. "I hope I don't have to fight a fellow American soldier, but…"
"…he might not give you a choice. Steve, remember he has Super Soldier serum in him. Be careful." Sharon said as she held his hand.
"I will." Steve assured as they kissed briefly before entering the plane.
"Did you consider calling anyone else for this?" Bucky asked.
"Rhodey is U.S. military soldier, involving him would cause international incident, Clint is retired, Wanda has been off-the-grid since Thanos, no one has been able to get in touch with her." Natasha said before looking at both of them. "Any leads?"
Sam pulled his phone out of his pocket to show a man wearing a black mask with a red palm of a hand on its face in the Switzerland town that had been ambushed by Flag-Smashers. "This guy. His connections with rebel organizations all over Eastern and Central Europe and he's strong. Too strong."
"I saw that hand before." Natasha said as she took a closer look at the mask. "The Flag-Smashers. The ones who released that manifesto on the Internet about how things were better during the Blip."
"Yeah." Sam nodded, about to walk off. "Now, Redwing traced them to a building somewhere outside of Munich, so that's where I'm going."
"Well, I don't trust Redwing." Bucky grumbled as they followed Sam.
"Hold on a minute." Natasha interrupted.
"You don't have to trust Redwing. But I'm gonna go see if he's right, because I think they might be a part of the Big Three." Sam asked.
"What Big Three?" Natasha and Bucky asked in unison.
"The Big Three." Sam drawled.
"What Big Three?" Bucky repeated his and Natasha's question, both of them still confused.
"Androids, aliens and wizards." Sam said.
"That's not a thing." Bucky shook his head.
"Oh, that's definitely a thing." Sam insisted.
"No, it's not." Bucky said.
"Every time we fight, we fight one of the three." Sam pointed out.
"So who are we fighting now? Gandalf?" Bucky asked sarcastically and Sam looked in surprise.
"How do you know about Gandalf?" Sam asked.
"I read 'The Hobbit' in 1937, when it first came out." Bucky said.
"And I binged all three Lord of the Rings movies one time, when I had nothing to do." Natasha said.
"So you see my point?" Sam asked.
"No. I don't. There are no wizards." Bucky said.
"Doctor Strange." Sam said.
"Is a sorcerer." Bucky pointed out.
"Aah!" Sam chuckled. "A sorcerer is a wizard without a hat."
"And Loki is also a wizard. He was able to conjure illusions and brainwash Clint." Natasha reminded.
Bucky turned to Natasha with feigned offense. "Whose side are you on?"
"I'm with Sam on this one. Wizards are real." Natasha said and Bucky rolled his eyes.
"Look, that's not the point. These guys aren't magical, alright? They use brute force, just like you. The incredibly annoying guy in front of me with the staring problem." Sam said.
"We're coming with you." Bucky said as he and Natasha followed Sam to the plane.
"No, you're not." Sam said.
Later, Rumekistan
A platoon of soldiers was on the run from the gunfire, but they were being shot down mercilessly by gunfire from a minigun, the bullet holes piercing walls, rubble, metal of all the wreckages of cars, helicopters, planes and military vehicles around.
"Run!"
"What is that monster?!"
"He's unstoppable!"
A tall muscular man with wearing a military jacket and a bulletproof vest with an U.S. flag colored on it was carrying a minigun in his hands, shooting down the soldiers.
"Because of you, Americans are ashamed of themselves! Ashamed of our men!" Masters said.
"Well, I'm an American…"
Masters looked up and his eyes widened as he saw a circular object with American colors flying to him before the metal slammed into his face, sending him to the ground as Captain America landed on his feet, holding his shield.
"…and you sure as hell don't speak for me." Steve finished.
Masters got up as he spat out blood and glared at Steve. "Captain America. I admire your work. However, with all due respect, stay out of my way!"
Steve raised his shield as Masters aimed the minigun at him and fired but Steve deflected the bullets and Masters dodged as some of the bullets grazed him, though the wounds healed within seconds. Steve raised his shield as Masters swung his minigun at him and a loud 'clang' went off as the minigun's turret impacted with Steve's vibranium shield, sending him flying to nearby rubble as Steve grunted. Nowhere as bad as getting hit by the Hulk, but damn, even with Super Soldier serum in him, Steve was sure he had some of his ribs cracked at least, even though they would heal quickly.
"The wrong side won this war." Masters growled as he approached a nearby rundown building.
Steve got up on his feet, the sheer willpower helping him ignore the pain as he recovered from the attack and saw Masters march towards the building.
A group of soldiers was in the building covering behind furniture, shouting orders at each other as they prepared weapons and as Masters entered, they fired but Masters, despite his bulky size quickly dodged before resuming firing, the bullets piercing concrete, wooden tables, sending splinters and small pieces of rubbles flying everywhere and blood spattering as soldiers were getting brutally and mercilessly gunned down.
"No!" Steve yelled as he got up. He had to stop that madman quickly, otherwise more people would die at the hands of a misguided soul who was wearing Steve's flag on his chest.
"You foreign scum make us look bad. You're just a blight on the face of the Earth that needs to be wiped out." Masters spat before he pulled out a grenade and after taking out the pin, threw it.
Steve knew he had to act quickly. He threw his shield, knocking the grenade away from its trajectory as it exploded, with the soldiers taking cover, Masters staggering back and the shield clattering to the floor. Masters turned to Steve, glaring in betrayal.
"You fight against your own troops? For this scum?" Masters snarled.
"The war you're fighting is over! We won, Masters!" Steve yelled, trying to reach the patriot in him as he picked up his shield.
"And for what?" Masters snarled. "For shiny golden trinkets and break bread with the enemy?! The peace you believe in doesn't exist! Hydra had grown within S.H.I.E.L.D. right under their noses! You fought for peace and how did they repay you? With the Accords shattering the Avengers and billions of people turning into dust! I believed in you and they let you down. If you want to make a difference, you need to force it! This country is one of many that needs to change!"
Steve looked at him in sympathy. The man looked like a warped version of Steve. He'd had a lot of anger building up upon learning about Hydra infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D. and other governments and the Sokovia Accords but he had never let that anger fully drive his actions, unlike with Tony, when he had learned the truth about Bucky's death. Masters had been pushed over the edge by the fallout of all of it and he was a man who had lost everything and was lashing out at the world. But Steve knew he was not evil… just misguided and disillusioned and needed the right direction.
"You can't make these changes yourself unless you see that the first change that needs to happen first is in you, Masters." Steve said gently, as he put his shield on his back. "I'm a man out of his time who spent years trying to find my place where I didn't belong. It took me a long time, but I finally found what I'd been looking for, even though part of me desired to be back in the 40s. But I accepted that the world had changed and that I have to change too in some ways, otherwise I'll spend the rest of my life trapped in a cycle, in one and the same struggle."
Masters seemed to contemplate and Steve thought he was reaching him as he slowly approached and reached with his hand… only for Masters to knock Steve back.
Same time, Munich, Germany
Sam and Bucky were in a plane above highway in Munich, staring at each other, when Torres entered. "One minute to drop-off, Sam."
Both Sam and Bucky continued their staring contest for a few moments before they heard the door open as they got up and picked up their comms, when Natasha entered.
"Well, are you guys done bickering or are you looking for more ways to cockfight?" Natasha asked and Sam and Bucky looked a little sheepish, but their backs were towards Natasha, so she didn't see their embarrassed reactions.
"So what's our plan?" Bucky inquired.
"Recon." Natasha said, while Sam was putting a comm to his ear.
"30 seconds!" Torres yelled.
"Enjoy your ride, Buck." Sam said.
"No, you can't call me that." Bucky protested.
"Don't you and Steve call him that?" Sam pointed out, turning to Natasha.
"Steve knew me longer and he had a plan." Bucky corrected.
"I call him 'Bucky' or 'James.'" Natasha said.
"15 seconds to drop." Torres called.
"I have a plan." Sam said as he walked to the door and Natasha laughed in amusement.
"Really?" Bucky asked skeptically as he got up. "What is it?"
Sam jumped out of the plane as he deployed his wings and Natasha scoffed. "Figures."
"Great." Bucky groaned as he looked around. "Where's the chute?"
"We're at 200 feet. It's too low for a chute." Torres said.
"I don't need it anyway." Bucky said as he walked to the door.
"Bucky, are you sure? We can always land somewhere safe." Natasha said.
Bucky sighed before nodding. "Yeah." He ripped off the sleeve on his jacket to reveal his vibranium arm before he jumped off the plane, yelling.
"Idiot." Natasha rolled her eyes and shook her head as she turned to Torres. "Just find a place to lower the plane." She then approached the nearby sheet and pulled to reveal a motorbike and Torres realized what was her plan.
Bucky was screaming as he hit the tree branches and grunted as he hit the ground.
"I have all of that on camera. You know that, right?" Sam asked as Redwing flew above Bucky.
"Get out of my face, Sam, or I'll break it." Bucky grumbled as Redwing was hovering inches above his face.
"Kids, behave, we're on a mission." Natasha reminded as she drove the bike down the road.
"OK, head north. Come on." Sam said.
Bucky followed Redwing to the abandoned ruined warehouse as Natasha drove nearby and parked her bike before she and Bucky entered, looking around.
Rumekistan
Steve staggered on his feet as he turned to the soldiers. "Run! Find cover!"
"It won't matter if they do, sir."
Steve turned to face Masters who aimed his minigun at him.
"It just won't matter." Masters sneered.
Steve raised his shield as Masters fired at him as the bullets ricocheted. Masters ran at Steve, roaring as he attempted to hit Steve with the minigun but Steve raised his shield and there was a loud metallic 'clang', while Steve felt the ground at his feet crack and his bones tremor. Even though Steve had enhanced healing and durability, Masters was much stronger, so it still hurt. Steve ducked as Masters swung the minigun at him and hit Masters in the groin with the shield and Masters grunted before hitting Steve in the face but Steve stood his ground as they traded blows before Masters grabbed Steve's shield and bashed him in the face, dazing him before Masters grabbed Steve and slammed him down as Steve crashed through the roof and broke through another floor as the wooden panes below him cracked and Steve groaned, sure he had some ribs cracked, even though he was sure they would heal fast.
Masters jumped down as he aimed his minigun at Steve's face, about to finish it. "Nothing personal, Captain. I'm just following orders."
"You're a patriot, Masters. A good soldier, but your orders are bunk. Why else do you think I'm here to stop you?" Steve pointed out, trying to reach Masters. Sure, he was a fanatic, but he was also a patriot. Steve could use that.
Masters stopped and Steve could see the conflict in his eyes as he staggered on his feet and Masters stepped back.
"But patriotism taken too far becomes fanaticism, no matter who you are or where you're from." Steve said as he looked Masters in the eye. "My parents were immigrants from Ireland. Back in their time, their people were looked down upon by the Americans. Branded as filthy foreigners. Discriminated against. Took a long time for your people to get past their prejudices. You know my story. I was scrawny, frail, weak and they wouldn't let me enlist, even though I wanted to fight for the same thing my people, your people fought for back then. To see our children grow strong. To ensure peace and safety for our families and loved ones. The Germans, the Nazis, Hydra, they fought for control. Domination. While we opposed them and won."
Masters considered for a moment and though he still looked angry, Steve's words seemed to simmer it down.
"Our soldiers should've come home as heroes. But what did we get? Fear. Hate. Condemnation and judgement, all because we gave our lives to give our people freedom." Masters sneered. "Why fight for people who will betray them in the end? Those who made it home were despised by the thankless people they fought for, to protect them, sacrificed their lives for nothing. Their losses were for nothing!"
"You know nothing about loss! We didn't have it any easier or better!" Steve countered. "War is hell! Reopening those wounds, killing those innocents, it doesn't honor them! It just perpetuates the cycle! All you did was fueling the war you fought to stop! You destroy their homes, murder their children, leave a new generation of broken families and you wonder why they hate us?"
Masters aimed his minigun at Steve but his hands trembled. "I… All I wanted was to serve my country, sir…"
"I know. But this isn't the way, Masters." Steve said. "There's been enough death. You can make your own choice. Either continue the cycle… or stand down and break it."
"It's not that simple, sir." Masters said.
"It never is. But sometimes, if you want to make a real change, a change of heart is a good start." Steve said as he reached his hand.
Masters considered for a moment as Steve saw the conflict in his eyes. After a minute, Masters dropped his minigun and stretched his arms in surrender, ready to be restrained, while Sharon and some operatives drove in.
Unknowing to them, a drone with a camera was observing them.
Germany
Bucky had entered the rundown factory with Natasha as Redwing flew around Bucky, who waved around in annoyance to shoo the drone away.
"Oh-ho-ho. Don't hurt him." Sam said.
"Manners, boys." Natasha grumbled, refraining herself from rolling her eyes at their constant bickering.
Sam looked at the live feed from Redwing on his device on his wrist. "They're in there."
They saw a live feed of two men carrying large crates with no effort.
"Where's the guy?" Bucky asked.
"I don't know. I think they're smuggling weapons, though." Sam said.
"Well, I think you could be right." Bucky said sarcastically.
"Assumption is the mother of all failures, guys, we should check the crates close up to be sure but before that, we need to scour around to be sure what we're walking into." Natasha said and Bucky nodded as he turned to the people carrying the crates.
"Good point." Bucky said.
"Let me see what Redwing sees." Sam said as Redwing flew above, zooming in on the people carrying the crates. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven."
"Carrying these effortlessly. You thinking what I'm thinking?" Natasha asked as they looked at each other, all of them coming to the same conclusion.
"Super Soldiers." Bucky, Sam and Natasha said at once.
"Which means that direct confrontation is out of question." Bucky realized. He was sure he could handle them alone and while he trusted in Sam's and Natasha's skills, the odds weren't in their favor.
"Alright, let's move." One of the people said as they entered the trucks and were about to drive away.
Sam then noticed another person crouching in the back of the second truck on his display. "There's an eighth person. I think they have a hostage."
"We can't let them get away." Natasha said as she ran to her bike.
Bucky ran to catch up with the trucks, while Sam deployed his wings and flew after the trucks. Thanks to his Super Soldier enhancements, Bucky was able to quickly catch up with them as he jumped onto the back of one of trucks and opened the container and entered, looking at the crates loaded up inside. "They're stealing medicine. Vaccines."
A girl with curly red hair and freckled face peeked out from behind one of the crates before hiding upon seeing Bucky.
"Hi." Bucky said.
The girl walked out, looking at Bucky uncertainly.
"Bucky, do you copy, what's going on?" Natasha asked over the comms.
"Found the hostage." Bucky said before turning to the girl again. "You OK?"
The girl's lips slowly curved into a sinister smirk and Bucky then realized she was no hostage but before he could react, he was kicked out of the container and crashed against the window of the truck behind him as he held onto the edge of the cab. "Shit."
The girl put on a mask with a Flag-Smasher logo onto it as Natasha got a clear sight of her.
"It's not a hostage, it's the Flag-Smashers!" Natasha realized.
Bucky grunted as he was pulled up by two more Flag-Smashers, while the red-haired girl jumped up, with the two Flag-Smashers restraining Bucky and the girl punching him in the face.
Natasha swore in Russian before she typed in autopilot for her bike and raised her arm, firing a grapnel hook and rappelling up to the truck.
Using the Flag-Smashers' distraction to his advantage, Bucky shook his holders off and pushed one back before kicking the other one, knocking him down. The girl was about to engage Natasha, when she heard a whooshing noise and looked up to see Redwing deploying his turret and opening fire before the girl jumped up, caught Redwing and smashed it against her knee, destroying the drone.
"I always wanted to do that." Bucky said.
Natasha refrained herself from rolling her eyes, despite that she herself was often annoyed by Redwing before she saw two more Flag-Smashers climb up and she dodged as they engaged her, while Sam flew in, kicking the red-haired girl down.
"Nice of you to drop in, Sam!" Natasha said sarcastically before she found herself surrounded front and back, while two other Flag-Smashers had Sam pinned down.
One of the Flag-Smashers who had taken on Torres was about to pound on Sam, when a metaling 'clang' went off, knocking the Flag-Smasher down as a circular shield hit him and bounced up as a man in a chopper caught it, dressed in a suit similar to Captain America, only it was black instead of blue.
"Steve?" Bucky asked in shock, since Steve was supposed to be in Rumekistan with Sharon.
The man dressed as Captain America jumped down, knocking the red-haired girl down with his shield. The girl got up, when a black man in blue suit rappelled down and kicked her off the container as she was hanging on the edge. The fake Cap then threw his shield, knocking down one of the Flag-Smashers who had Sam pinned down before the shield ricocheted and knocked down one of the Flag-Smashers surrounding Natasha. Using their opening, Sam shook and kicked off the other Flag-Smasher and Natasha threw one of her disks at the Flag-Smasher as it exploded in small cloud of smoke, blinding him and Natasha used the opening to kick him off the truck.
The fake Cap's partner then rappelled down next to him as they bumped their arms brotherly.
"Sam, Natasha, John Walker, U.S. Agent." The man introduced himself.
"Lemar Hoskins." The other man introduced himself.
"Looks like you guys could use some help." Walker said.
The Flag-Smashers had climbed back up on the trucks and reacting, Walker threw his shield as it ricocheted off two Flag-Smashers, knocking them down. Sam tried to fly up but the Flag-Smashers grabbed him by his feet before Bucky jumped in and knocked one of the Flag-Smashers off the truck. Natasha jumped and wrapped her legs around the other Flag-Smashers and threw him off the truck. Another Flag-Smasher rushed at her but she dodged, while Sam flew up as the Flag-Smasher crashed through the traffic sign before Sam flew down but the Flag-Smasher rammed into him as he was knocked out of the truck and was forced to fly away.
Bucky, Natasha, Walker and Lemar began trading blows with the Flag-Smashers, while Sam tried to fly back to the scene before one of the Flag-Smashers overpowered Lemar and grabbed him in chokehold. Trying to help, Natasha slid between their legs and kicked the Flag-Smasher in the knees as he grunted, loosening his grip but as she got up, the Flag-Smasher threw Lemar as they fell off the truck. Reacting quickly, Natasha fired her grapnel as it hooked itself onto a traffic sign above as she and Lemar were holding on.
Distracted by Natasha's predicament, Bucky lost focus on the fight and was kicked off the truck before he grabbed onto the edge of the other truck and slid down, ripping off the plating of the container with his metallic arm as he held onto the lower part before one of the Flag-Smashers climbed down, trying to kick Bucky's metallic arm off before Sam flew next to Bucky.
"That little girl kicked your ass." Sam teased and Bucky snarled in frustration before the Flag-Smasher climbed down, trying to kick his arm off.
Walker continued trading blows with the ginger-haired Flag-Smasher before she kicked him as he held onto the edge.
Sam saw an opening and flying, grabbed Bucky, flying under the truck and both crashed into the field at the side, holding each other and rolling as Bucky ended on top and Sam on the bottom.
Walker climbed up, enraged by them trying to kill his partner. "That was a bad idea."
Walker attempted to punch the ginger-haired Flag-Smasher but she blocked his punch and kicked him as he crashed against the car behind them before the Flag-Smashers vanished from his sight.
Bucky, Natasha and Sam were walking down the road.
"Sorry about Redwing." Bucky said.
"No, you're not." Sam retorted.
"He really isn't." Natasha nodded as Sam noticed the brooding look on Bucky's face.
"What's going on in that big cyborg brain of yours?" Sam asked.
"It's computing." Bucky said sarcastically and Natasha chuckled, while Sam laughed.
"You know what, I can actually see it. I can see the gears turning. Oh, they're malfunctioning, shutting down. Yep, they're on fire." Sam said.
SMACK!
"Ow!" Sam grunted, holding himself by his head as Natasha glared at him.
"I swear, I'm almost seventy years younger than one of you and just seven years younger than the other and I'm more mature than both of you combined." Natasha sneered.
"Gee, sorry, Mom." Sam said, looking a bit sheepish.
Bucky let out a chuckle but it quickly vanished from his face as he saw Natasha's eyes narrowing at him, with her being tired of them bickering. Trying to move past the issue, Bucky refocused. "We gotta figure out where that serum is coming from."
"Yeah, and how in the hell after eighty years are there eight Super Soldiers running loose?"
They heard honking and turned to see a jeep pass by them, with Walker and Lemar in the back.
"So that didn't go as planned, huh?" Walker asked as he opened the door and Natasha, Sam and Bucky looked at each other, then shrugged. They did try to help them out during the mission, even though it most likely would not have gone as planned even without their interference as they got on.
"Let me guess, Joint Counter Terrorist Center?" Natasha asked and Walker nodded.
"They sent us to help apprehend these Flag-Smashers." Walker confirmed.
"Sharon did mention they'd send someone to take them down." Bucky remembered.
"Yeah, we used to work together before she blipped. After that, I rejoined the Army before your Avengers friends saved the world and restored things and then the Flag-Smashers happened and here I am." Walker said. "At least we know what we're up against now, huh? And we're pretty sure it's one of the Big Three, so…"
"Aliens, androids and wizards?" Sam asked.
"Not this again." Natasha grumbled, rolling her eyes. "It's neither one of those, it's Super Soldiers. The real question is, where did they get the serum?"
"Shit. Super Soldiers, for real?" Lemar asked.
"Yeah." Sam nodded.
"Wow. Alright. Then we gotta work together." Walker said.
Natasha then eyed Walker's suit. "Your suit is very similar to Steve's."
"Same with the shield." Bucky said.
"Oh, yeah, right." Walker said, gesturing at his shield and suit. "Captain America has always been my role model. When I got the job offer, I based my gear and suit on him. And I've met Steve few times, when he was visiting veterans center. Some of my friends were recovering from overseas and I happened to cross paths with him every now and then."
They nodded in understanding.
"OK, so we've got eight Super Soldiers on bulk supply run. Why?" Walker wondered.
"They say their mission is to get things back to the way it was during the Blip." Sam said.
"Which was in some ways better, in some ways worse." Natasha added, personally going through it.
"That serum doesn't exactly have a great track record. No offense." Walker said, turning to Bucky, who shrugged, not offended.
"Well, we need to find out where are they heading next." Natasha said.
"How'd you track them here, the Flag-Smashers?" Sam asked.
"Uh, no, we didn't track them. We tracked you." Lemar corrected, turning to Sam. "Through Redwing."
"You hacked my tech?" Sam demanded incredulously.
"Sorry. It's not exactly hacking. It's government property." Walker pointed out before gesturing around as he chuckled. "Kind of the government."
"He's got a point there." Natasha said.
Walker then noticed Bucky staring at him. "Does he always just stare like that?"
"You get used to it." Sam said, while Natasha shook her head in amusement.
"OK, look, things have gotten kind of…" Walker trailed off.
"Chaotic." Lemar said and Walker nodded.
"Yeah, the GRC, they're doing the best they can to get things smoothly up and running post-Blip." Walker said.
"Reactivating citizenship, social security, healthcare, basically just managing resources for the refugees who were displaced by the return." Lemar said.
"Yeah, we already knew that, thanks." Natasha drawled.
"So, why exactly are you two here?" Sam added.
"Well, they provide the resources and we keep things stable." Lemar said.
"They were going to ask Captain Rogers first to help keep the peace and order, but he said he'd retired, when we began building a task force and when the Flag-Smashers popped up, they picked me to take them down. I even designed my suit and shield with him as an inspiration." Walker said, gesturing at his gear.
"U.S. Agent?" Bucky inquired.
"Wasn't my idea but not a bad codename, right?" Walker asked. "If you guys, if you could join us, we could—"
"No." Bucky said immediately.
"I got mad respect for y'all, but you were getting your asses kicked 'til we showed up." Lemar said.
"Lemar Hoskins, right?" Natasha asked.
"Yeah." Lemar nodded.
"Look, I see a guy hanging out of a helicopter in tactical gear, I need a lot more than Lemar Hoskins." Sam said.
"I'm Battlestar." Lemar said. "John's partner."
"Battlestar?" Bucky asked.
Natasha sighed. "Look, we appreciate the offer, but, we're going to have to decline. It's nothing against you, we respect what you're trying to do, but the government has burned us before. The Senate Subcommittee tried to arrest me after the Hydra uprising and the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. Bruce was a fugitive for five years because of General Ross. Then there was the whole mess with the Sokovia Accords before they were overturned."
Bucky then turned to the driver. "Stop the car!"
The car stopped as Bucky was about to exit, when Natasha grabbed him by his arm, causing for him to stop and she looked at him pleadingly. "Come on. I know you don't like it, but this is uncalled for."
Bucky sighed before he got down and was about to walk off.
"Look, I… I get it, OK? I get the attitude, I do." Walker said as Bucky stopped. "I know what it looks like, I get it, Bucky. I know what this is supposed to look like, but I have nothing but respect for you guys and Steve and I'm… I'm not trying to be Steve." He turned to Sam. "I'm not trying to replace Steve. I'm just trying to do my best by doing what he would've done in this situation. That's it."
"Maybe not." Sam said as Walker turned to him. "But you know what this looks like, so you already have an idea how are people going to look at this. It's nothing against you, Walker, I believe that you're not trying to replace Steve, but the people, they see the suit, they see the shield, the blue eyes, they see another Captain America. But there's only one Captain America. I believe your intentions are genuine and well-meant and I'm not trying to be disrespectful towards you, but you gotta see how the government is trying to spin this out. As far as you are concerned, I'm trying to keep an open mind, but after what had happened with Ross and the Accords, I don't trust the ones behind the table anymore. And neither should you. Sooner or later, they'll find a way to screw you over just like they screwed us all at a certain point, I just hope you're not too naïve to see it."
Sam then got out, while Walker stared with a contemplative look on his face. He wasn't offended, but their words left him with a lot to think about before he turned to the driver. "Let's go." He ordered as the car drove off, while Walker looked at the landscape contemplatively, pondering on Sam's words.
Elsewhere
Karli and the Flag-Smashers had driven to a rundown quarter of the town, when Karli was in the garage and that was when the red-haired woman Karli had met the other day entered, wearing a red dress, her voice having hints of a German accent.
"You made quite a mess earlier today." The woman said.
"We shouldn't be seen together." Karli said.
"I've learned from the best how to be a ghost." The woman revealed confidently.
"We had a setback, Sin." Karli said.
"The Winter Soldier, the Falcon and the pale imitation of Captain America, I've heard." Sin said, surprising Karli. "I have my ways and I have eyes and ears on many places."
"You promised me and my friends that we could put things to how they were during the Blip. I won't disappoint you." Karli said.
"I'm not disappointed." Sin said, sounding calm but the cold look in her eyes unnerved Karli. "But you don't want to know how I process disappointment."
Even though Karli had Super-Soldier enhancements, she still was terrified by what Sin could do.
"I don't want them dead. Do not confront them unless it will be absolutely necessary." Sin said. "But let me make myself as clear as I can." She grabbed Karli by her throat as Karli choked, while Sin lifted her effortlessly in the air. "If… If… you dispose of Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers or anyone of their comrades without my permission, you will wish you had never survived the serum I had given you. They are not going to die until I deem their lives forfeit myself. Is. That. Clear?"
Karli nodded fearfully before Sin dropped Karli on the ground and gasped for air, while Sin walked off.
Sharon and Steve were in Quinjet, which was flying on autopilot, while they were talking with Sam and Bucky and Natasha via holographic communication, with the trio in another Quinjet.
"John Walker? I met him, when visiting wounded vets, seemed like a good man." Steve remembered.
"He is." Sharon confirmed.
"And these Flag-Smashers all have Super Soldier serum in them?" Steve asked.
"Yeah. It might be closest to Erskine's original formula, they didn't mutate unlike Blonsky." Natasha said.
"They weren't mentally unstable unlike the Winter Soldiers either, if you don't count them trying to beat the hell out of us, though they didn't look bulkier like you either after you got it." Bucky added.
"How did they even get their hands on the serum? The Winter Soldiers in Siberia are dead, they couldn't have tried Banner's version or the one that created Abomination, the Centipede Project had been shut down after we took down Hydra and if they were using Extremis virus, we'd know, they would've been glowing and exploding. I don't think we have any real clues." Sharon said.
Then they noticed the haunted look in Bucky's eyes.
"Natasha?" Steve asked.
"That…" Bucky said hesitantly. "…might not be entirely true."
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Steve asked and Bucky nodded.
Later, Baltimore, Maryland
Bucky, Natasha and Sam walked down the neighborhood before they approached the old house with a NO TRESPASSING sign on the door, meaning it was still being well-maintained to a degree.
Bucky knocked on the door and a moment later it opened as they saw a young Afro-American teenage boy at the doorstep.
"We're here to see Isaiah." Bucky said.
"Nobody named Isaiah lives here." The boy said.
"Look, we just wanna talk to him." Bucky said.
"You must not hear what I just said." The boy denied. "You ain't getting in this house. Y'all can leave now."
"Tell him the guy from the bar in Goyang is here. He's gonna know what that means." Bucky said.
The boy eyed Sam, Natasha and Bucky for a few moments before relenting. "All right, wait here."
He closed the door as Sam and Natasha turned to Bucky.
"Nice kid." Sam said.
"How exactly do you know that guy?" Natasha inquired.
"I used to." Bucky revealed after a moment of hesitation. "We had a skirmish during the Korean War."
A moment later the boy opened the door and let them in. "Today's your lucky day. He said he wants to see for himself."
They entered the kitchen and saw an elderly Afro-American man, clearly worn out and tired.
"Isaiah." Bucky greeted.
"Look at you." Isaiah said calmly.
Bucky made the introductions. "This is, uh, Sam and Natasha. Sam, Nat, this is Isaiah. He was a hero. One of the ones that Hydra feared the most. Like Steve. We met in '51."
"If by met, you mean I whupped your ass, then, yeah." Isaiah said, looking at him in contempt.
"Hold on, you beat the Winter Soldier?" Natasha inquired.
"That's not exactly how it went down. He got lucky, nothing more." Bucky said. He had been beaten, but barely, it wasn't one-sided.
"We heard whispers he was on the peninsula, but everyone they sent after him, never came back. So the U.S. military dropped me behind the line to go deal with him. I took half that metal arm in that fight in Goyang. but I see he's managed to grow it back." Isaiah said with condescending tone. "Rogers didn't mention you were coming. Why are you here?"
"We need your help." Natasha said.
"I'm retired." Isaiah said.
"Isaiah, the reason we're here is because there's more of us out there. You, me and Steve." Bucky said and Isaiah swallowed whatever anger he had, his lips quivering.
"You, me and Captain." Isaiah repeated.
"And we need to know how." Bucky said.
"I'm not gonna talk about that anymore." Isaiah clenched his jaw and grabbed the tobacco box and threw it into the wall as it embedded itself in it, shocking Sam and Natasha. There was only one explanation for an old man like him to have that kind of strength.
Isaiah marched towards them and eyed them. "You know what they did to me for being a hero?" He pointed at himself resentfully. "They put my ass in jail for 30 years." His voice was quivering from the anger and trauma over what he had been through. "People running tests, taking my blood, coming into my cell!" He pointed at Bucky accusingly. "Doesn't matter that Steve thought I was a hero. Even your people weren't done with me."
"Isaiah—" Sam began.
"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" Isaiah exploded as they backed away involuntarily, realizing it would be unwise to agitate him further.
"Let's go, man, let's go." The boy said, accompanying Sam, Bucky and Natasha outside.
"Tell Steve that I thank him for the flowers." Isaiah said before the door closed.
"Why didn't you tell me about Isaiah? How could nobody bring him up?" Sam demanded angrily as they walked down the street.
"Did Steve know about him this entire time?" Natasha demanded, not angry, but trying to understand as they walked down the street.
"He didn't at first. I never told anyone, but Steve and Sharon had done a lot of digging and found out about him eventually, when they were after Hydra. Steve wanted to go meet the man who was betrayed by his country for doing the right thing." Bucky said. "He felt like he owed Isaiah for what they'd done to him, they've been visiting him regularly to help him, but he hasn't full gotten over for what they did to him."
"I can see that." Natasha nodded, seeing how haunted Bucky and Isaiah seemed to be.
Elsewhere
Steve and Sharon had exited the plane after landing back in the United States at the airport and were walking towards the terminal, when they saw the news article on Sharon's tablet.
"CAPTAIN AMERICA STOPS A DERANGED PATRIOT"
"Well, good to know that the press isn't giving me a bad name, unlike in Lagos." Steve said.
"Some people may not be so happy about it." Sharon said as they received a call on the tablet and saw the image of Secretary of State Thunderbolt Ross and both of them sighed.
Sharon pressed 'ANSWER' and a moment later they saw a live feed of Ross in his office.
"Do you realize the political shitstorm you might've created, Rogers?" Ross snarled.
"What I did was trying to stop a madman from murdering innocent people on foreign soil, regardless if it was one of our own country or not." Steve said.
"Some people are seeing this as supporting conflict, which isn't what Captain America is supposed to stand for." Ross pointed out, while Sharon glared.
"You're just looking for ammunition to use against us again." Sharon sneered. "But I should remind you that the Sokovia Accords were repealed after the Blip was reversed, since you saw how they eventually forced the Avengers to disband, which is how Thanos won, not to mention S.W.O.R.D. attempting to turn Vision, a sentient A.I. into a weapon, which was a clear violation of the Accords, considering Ultron."
"You think just because the world was wrong means that you're always right?" Ross asked, glaring. "Whether you like it or not, your actions reflect on how the people you fight for look like. If I were you, I'd think very carefully what side am I on."
"I'm on the same side I've always been on, Secretary. The question is, whose side are you on? Since I've never had a reason to believe we're on the same side ever since you first entered the Avengers Compound." Steve said and if Ross was not having a video call with Steve, he would have punched Steve.
"If I were you, I'd think about what choices I'm making that could impact the people I'm supposed to represent." Ross said before the channel turned off.
"Ass." Sharon muttered and Steve chuckled, while she chuckled back. "What, no complaining about my language?"
"I'm not arguing there this time." Steve said. "You think Ross was behind Masters?"
"Wouldn't surprise me, but even if that was true, we can't prove that. He would've covered his tracks and gotten rid of any proof of his involvement. Besides, they were doing psych eval on Masters, no one will take his testimony seriously enough." Sharon said before she saw the worried look on Steve's face.
"No one reads articles anymore, they read headlines, Sharon. What do you think people will see when they find out that Captain America fought one of his own soldiers?" Steve asked.
"That you were doing what was right. You always do." Sharon said, holding his hand.
"I'm just worried some people may not see it that way." Steve sighed. "People with power will always find a way to spin things around."
Sharon nodded, wondering if Ross would involve himself into this somehow.
Baltimore, Maryland
Sam, Natasha and Bucky were walking down the airport, when they saw Walker and Lemar waiting for them at the customs.
"Gentlemen. Miss Romanoff. Good to see you again." Walker greeted as they looked at him neutrally. "Look, if we divide ourselves, we don't stand a chance, you guys know that."
Bucky sighed, while Natasha looked like if she was thinking and Sam decided to get down to business. "So what do you got?"
"Well, the leader's name's Karli Morgenthau." Walker said. "We've been targeting civilians who've been helping Karli move from place to place."
"They geotagged a location, then scrambled the signal." Lemar said. "But our satellites have found their symbol popping up in various displaced communities all across Central and Eastern Europe."
"And we think that she's taking the medicine she just stole to one of these camps." Walker explained.
"There's hundreds of those all over the planet. It's like looking a needle in a haystack." Natasha said.
"Where is she now, Walker? Do you know?" Bucky inquired.
"No, we don't know, Bucky." Walker said, his voice rising slightly. "It's only a matter of time before we find out."
"Easy. Let's not fight." Natasha said, holding Bucky by his arm and Bucky sighed. He knew that Walker and Lemar were just doing their job and Walker was already under enough pressure from the government trying to make him the next Captain America, given that Steve had retired and was preoccupied with other matters.
"Take it easy, look, Walker and Nat are right. It is imperative that we find them and stop them." Sam said, trying to act as a peacemaker. "But you guys have rules of engagement and all kind of authorizations you have to get. We're free agents. We're more flexible. So it wouldn't make sense for us to work with you. Look, I have nothing against either of you, you're both good men trying to do your jobs."
Walker and Lemar smiled in appreciation.
"But, and don't take this personally, we don't trust the government, especially considering Ross chasing Banner and the mess with the Accords. Look, we can share intel, work together, communicate and so on, but we can't work with you. Not officially." Sam said.
"It can't really look like we work together side-by-side, since then your superiors will find a way to tie our hands, so that we'd listen, which isn't something we can afford." Natasha added and Walker seemed to be considering their points before nodding.
"Fair enough. I guess I can see where you're coming from. Can't say I'm not disappointed that you're not joining us, but, hey, no hard feelings, right?" Walker said, smiling.
Sam, Bucky and Natasha nodded in appreciation, glad that Walker wasn't taking this personally before they shook hands with Walker and Lemar.
Bratislava, Slovakia
Karli and the Flag-Smashers were loading the crates with medicine onto a plane, when one of them got an alert on his phone and turned to the others in alarm. "Damn it! We gotta move out now. They found us."
"How much time do we have?" Karli asked.
"None. It's Viper's men." The Flag-Smasher said, startling Karli.
"Everybody, grab what you can." Karli ordered as several cars were driving towards the airport
"I can give you time. I'll hold them off." One of the Flag-Smashers volunteered.
"Thank you." Karli said, hugging him.
"One world. One people." The Flag-Smasher said as he ran off.
Karli's men were finishing loading up the crates, when the Flag-Smasher put on his mask and pushed the utility pole as it toppled down on the road, blocking the cars. Men exited the cars as the Flag-Smasher went to confront them, while they started firing at him. As he was killed, Karli and the rest made their escape.
Elsewhere
Natasha, Bucky and Sam were on their plane as Bucky stared outside.
"So, what are you thinking?" Sam asked.
"When Isaiah said 'My people'—" Bucky began.
"Oh, don't take that to heart, that's not what he meant." Sam assured.
"No, he meant Hydra." Bucky said and Sam and Natasha stopped, while they realized what was his plan, staring at Bucky as if he was stupid. "Hydra used to be my people. They took his blood too."
Sam scoffed. "Not a chance."
"Walker doesn't have any good leads right now." Bucky pointed out.
"James, please, tell me you're not actually considering it." Natasha begged.
"He knows all of Hydra's secrets. Don't you remember Siberia?" Bucky reminded.
"So you're just gonna go sit in a room with this guy?" Sam asked incredulously.
"Y-yes." Bucky said hesitantly as they stopped and both Sam and Natasha sighed.
Natasha also muttered something in Russian and shook her head before she looked Bucky in the eye. "I can't believe we're actually doing this."
Sam sighed as they stopped. "OK then. We're gonna go see Zemo."
Berlin, Germany
A prisoner was sitting on his cot, his face hidden in the shadow before he lifted his head to reveal the face of Helmut Zemo.
As much as it was fun to see Bucky and Sam bicker, these two get an ego boost and at many points rush in half-cocked, which just shows the extent of their character assassination.
Tony Masters is Taskmaster in comics, but if MCU can get away with making Taskmaster someone else and Arrow making Vigilante someone else (do not get me started on both cases), I thought it'd be fun to have a different spin on him here, since I was basing him on Nuke from comics, for those who don't know, Nuke was basically an unstable American soldier, who participated in Weapon Plus program, part of Weapon X that turned Logan into Wolverine and turned Nuke into a cyborg with physical enhancements and amplified his mental instability. Imagine Masters being played by Marc Blucas, which is ironic, since Buffyverse wiki claims that due to Riley's physical enhancements thanks to the government drugs enhancing his physique he could be a tribute to Captain America, but those familiar with Buffyverse already know how hilarious and pathetic that already is, LOL.
Those familiar with comics know that Sin (Sinthea Schmidt) is daughter of Red Skull, but here she's his granddaughter for it to be chronologically accurate within the context of the universe and timeline of MCU and imagine she is played by Lena Headey. I'm partly inspired by the comics and Stand and Ward and Queen's fic 'Attack on two earths' and she is Karli's benefactor rather than the Power Broker, since the Power Broker twist with Sharon in FATWS seriously pissed me and many others off due to how MCU did Sharon dirty overall. While MCU already used Madame Hydra (Viper) with Aida using the moniker in Framework in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., I'm using my own creative liberties with Madame Hydra and Sin, mixing their comic book counterparts into one character with some creative liberties, but I'll be making her closer to Madame Hydra in comics.
Secretary Ross is (unfortunately) around too, but given that the Sokovia Accords were confirmed overturned in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (asides from that, let's pretend the show does not exist), right now he has limited power over the Avengers but he will still be a pain in the ass.
As you can see, Steve and Sharon and Sam and Bucky have different problems to tackle, but both are connected. Right now they are chasing their own problems but it will come to a clash later, with Walker and Lemar in the mix and as in Aragorn's fic, I'm trying to treat Walker better than what the show did.
So, what do you guys think?
Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this so far.