Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Joint Counter Terrorism HQ, Virginia
After their flight back to the U.S., Steve and Sharon met with Ross in the meeting room. Even though there was no love lost between them, Ross came to develop grudging respect and admit he had been wrong regarding the Accords after the final battle with Thanos and the Snap being reversed as Ross showed on TV the news bulletin of Steve fighting Masters.
"So, Captain America fights a fellow patriot on a foreign soil, known for being anti-American." Ross said.
"Are you trying to brand me as a traitor to my own country, Mr. Secretary? Because this is not what happened, despite how you may try to spin this. Masters was not my fault, neither was what had happened in New York, D.C. and Sokovia, even though you tried to guilt trip us into blaming ourselves." Steve said.
"Oh, I'm not guilt-tripping you into anything, Captain Rogers." Ross said, turning to Steve and Sharon. "On the contrary, I respect what you tried to do. As always, you fight for what is right. And you stopped a misguided man from doing the wrong thing that would turn our country into something it's not, which is admirable."
"If you're not here to berate us, get to the point." Sharon said.
"Half of people admire what you tried to do, however, another half sees this as you inciting and fueling further conflict instead of fighting for peace, the tensions in Rumekistan are bigger than before due to your involvement." Ross said.
"Masters wasn't fighting for peace either, he did the exact thing you accuse me of, all I did was trying to mitigate the damage." Steve said as he got up and neared Ross, his voice calm but the anger was clear in his eyes. "And before you accuse me of disregarding foreign borders, remember that no one supports the Accords anymore as it is because of them that the Avengers had been divided and that Thanos had won and the Accords have been repealed after we beat Thanos. Besides, you don't get to accuse me of something you did when hunting Banner."
Ross glared and fumed but regained his composure. "I respect what you were doing, Captain Rogers and I find it admirable. However, I have to wonder, how long can Steve Rogers stand on his feet and fight before he gives? How many battles have you won, despite the changes you've faced? Hydra. Battle of New York. The Winter Soldier. Ultron. Thanos. Now Super-Soldiers. There's only so much even you can take."
"So now you care about my well-being?" Steve scoffed.
"I care about what's best for this world and you." Ross said, though Steve and Sharon saw through his words instantly. They knew that Ross wanted Walker to replace Steve and while Steve and Sharon respected him as a soldier, it was a cold day in Hell before they would trust Ross. "Just think about what I said is all I'm saying."
Steve considered, choosing his next words carefully. "Maybe one day I'll have to hang up my helmet and pass the shield onto a worthy successor. But the world still needs me."
"Perhaps." Ross said as he got up and walked off.
Berlin, Germany
A prison guard was accompanying Sam, Natasha and Bucky down the hallway before they stopped.
"He's just through that corridor." The guard said.
"Alright. Give us a sec." Bucky said and the guard nodded as he walked off. "I'm gonna go in alone."
"Why?" Sam asked.
"Because you two are Avengers, you know how he feels about that." Bucky pointed out.
"James, I trust you, but are you sure you won't let him get under your skin?" Natasha inquired worriedly.
"He was obsessed with Hydra. We have a history together. Trust me. I got it." Bucky assured before he followed the guard through the door and the security checkpoint before the guard let Bucky into the cell after saying the passcode.
Bucky faced Zemo, who was behind a glass sitting on his cot, his face covered in shadow.
"Longing. Rusted. Seventeen." Zemo said in Russian as he got up on his feet.
"Those days are over." Bucky said, unfazed by those words.
"I know. I just wanted to see how the new you reacts to the old words." Zemo said as he neared the glass, eying Bucky. "Something is still in there. At least you were not conscious for most of your imprisonment."
"That time wasn't exactly picnic." Bucky said.
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry." Zemo said, pacing around his cell. "It was never personal. You were simply a means to a necessary end."
"Someone recreated the Super Soldier serum." Bucky said and Zemo looked at him in surprise. "I need to find out who."
Intrigued, Zemo neared the glass. "You are assuming Hydra had something to do with it, which is why you came to me. Which means you are desperate. Lucky for you, I know where to begin."
Bucky, Sam and Natasha walked into a car repair shop with flashlights.
"What are you talking about, you wanna break Zemo out of jail? Where the hell are we, Buck? Have you lost your mind?" Sam demanded.
"I don't like this idea either, but do you have a better one? We have no leads, no moves, nothing." Natasha pointed out.
"What we have is one of the most dangerous men in the world behind bars." Sam said.
"And we also have eight Super Soldiers that are loose." Bucky reminded.
"Zemo's gonna mess with our minds. Especially yours. No offense." Sam said.
"Offense." Bucky sneered as he turned on the lights and turned off his flashlight.
"He despises the idea of Super Soldiers and he'll do whatever it takes to stop them, even if it means working with us." Natasha said, seeing the logic in Bucky's idea.
"He is crazy, but he still has a code." Bucky pointed out.
"And I've been on the wrong side of that code, guys, and so have you." Sam reminded. "He blew up the U.N., he killed King T'Chaka and framed you for it. Did you forget that? You think the Wakandans forgot about it?"
Bucky sighed, glaring at Sam. "I didn't forget. Don't think that just because I'm doing whatever it takes to stop the Flag-Smashers that it means I'm losing the sight of what I'm fighting for."
"Besides, I understand why James is doing this and that's why you and I are here to make sure he doesn't go off the deep end." Natasha pointed out.
"We don't know how are they getting the serum. We don't even know how many of them they are." Bucky said and Sam turned around, looking frustrated. "Look, let me just walk you through a hypothetical. Can I walk you through a hypothetical?"
Sam suddenly felt a pit of dread form in his stomach as he slowly turned around to face Bucky. "What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything." Bucky shrugged.
"What's the book you're reading?" Bucky asked, gesturing to the book in Zemo's cell on the desk.
"Machiavelli." Zemo said as he picked up the book.
"The weakest point in any system isn't the software or the hardware, it's the meatware. The human element." Natasha explained.
"Now, in this lockup, it's nine to one, prisoners to guards. And if two prisoners start fighting, then the protocol says four guards have to respond." Bucky said.
"So why would two prisoners randomly start fighting at that moment?" Sam questioned.
"Who knows?" Bucky shrugged. "There could be many reasons…"
Bucky walked down the cell block before dropping a note on a nearby desk where two prisoners were playing checkers. One prisoner unrolled the note and read the message written on it in German.
'He will kill you tonight. Kill him first.'
The prisoner looked at the one in front of him and next thing everyone else knew, his face was slammed on the desk and a fight broke out, with the two prisoners fighting and the others cheering before an alarm blared.
"Point is, these things escalate." Bucky said.
"Lockdown protocols will initiate, things get out of hand quickly and in the chaos it would be easy for some prisoner to slip out unnoticed." Natasha said.
"And if the fire alarm got tripped while the prisoners were being separated, someone could use the chaos to their advantage." Bucky finished.
Zemo's cell was opened as he walked out into the corridor and held a guard in chokehold, dragging him into the bathroom, knocking him out and putting on his clothes before he used his disguise and access card to sneak past the guards out the cell block and triggered the fire alarm, forcing the inmates and guards to run down the corridors, while Zemo hid in a nearby solitary confinement cell and waited for the evacuation protocols to be over and for the corridors to be empty before he casually walked out of the prison.
"I don't like how you're casual you're being about this. This is unnatural. Are you in—" Sam paused as he looked around. "And where are we, man?"
They heard a door open before Zemo disguised as a guard walked into the view, shocking Sam.
"Whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa…" Sam said.
"Sam, wait." Natasha said as she and Bucky stepped up in front of Sam.
"What are you doing here?" Sam demanded.
"We didn't want to tell you because we knew you wouldn't let this happen, OK?" Bucky said.
"What did you do?!" Sam snapped.
"Sam, calm down. We need him." Natasha pointed out.
"You're going back to prison!" Sam yelled, whirling at Zemo.
"If I may—" Zemo began.
"No!" Sam, Bucky and Natasha shouted at once.
"Apologies." Zemo nodded.
"Sam, come on. You had Steve's back, when he refused to sign the Sokovia Accords." Natasha reminded.
"You broke the law and you stuck your neck out for me. I'm asking you to do it again." Bucky pleaded.
"I really think I'm invaluable—" Zemo said.
"Shut up." Sam growled, glaring at Zemo before he considered for a moment and then sighed, shaking his head. "OK." He turned to Zemo. "If we do this, you don't make a move without our permission."
"And if you try to cross us, I will make you wish you'd stayed in your cell." Natasha said with her eyes narrowed.
"Fair." Zemo nodded.
"OK, Zemo. Where do we start?" Sam asked and Zemo smirked.
They entered a garage as Zemo turned on the lights.
"So our first move is grand theft auto?" Sam asked sarcastically as he looked around at the vintage cars.
"These are mine. Collected by family over the generations." Zemo said as he opened a trunk of one of the cars, picking some things. "I spent years hunting people Hydra recruited to recreate the serum." He opened the car door and picked a purple leather coat. "Because once it's out there, someone can create an army of people like the Avengers." He then noticed a purple mask on the seat and put it into his bag. "I ended the Winter Soldier program once. I have no intention to leave my work unfinished. To do this, we'll have to scale a ladder of lowlifes."
"Well, join the party, we've already started." Sam drawled.
"First stop is a woman named Selby." Zemo said as they followed him. "Mid-level fence I still have a line on. From there, we climb."
Virginia
Steve and Sharon were in the café, talking as they sat at the table.
"I almost crossed a line with Masters, Sharon." Steve said.
"What matters is that you knew where the line was and didn't cross it." Sharon said and Steve sighed.
"I know. Honestly, it's just… this was exactly what Erskine was worried about. He once said that the Super Soldier serum doesn't just enhance your physique. It amplifies your emotions. Good becomes great. Bad becomes worse. And Masters…" Steve trailed off and Sharon nodded in understanding.
"But you stopped him. That's what matters." Sharon said.
"But it just makes me wonder… there was a time, when I believed that we are supposed to follow orders, no matter the cost. Then I saw Fury stocking up weapons powered up by Tesseract like Hydra did. He justified it by preparing for threats like Loki and the Chitauri, but I thought it just was making him no better than the Red Skull. That the ends justifying the means makes him just like Thanos. And that I fight for a righteous cause." Steve said.
"You don't think that anymore?" Sharon asked.
"Half the people think I'm defending extremists and fighting my fellow countrymen. The other half knows I'm doing the right thing, no matter what. So now I'm wondering, what's the right thing now?" Steve asked and Sharon sighed.
"Only you can answer that question, Steve. The way I see it, a madman was trying to hurt innocent people and we stopped him. Nothing else matters. War isn't only about defending your country and taking out the enemy. It's about having the heart in the fight, know what and who you really fight for. As long as you know the stakes, there shouldn't be any room for doubt in your mind." Sharon said and Steve considered, knowing she was right before Sharon got a call on the phone and answered. "Yeah? Wait. What?!" She groaned and sighed. "I see. Yeah. We're on our way there."
Sharon hung up as Steve looked at her worriedly.
"What is it?" Steve asked.
"That was Everett. Someone incited a riot in prison in Berlin and Helmut Zemo escaped custody. Coincidentally, Bucky was the last visitor he had and the riot began shortly after he left, Zemo snuck out in the chaos dressed as a guard." Sharon said.
"What?!" Steve demanded as he shot up from the seat. "Don't tell me Bucky helped him break out."
"I don't know, but it's a bit convenient." Sharon said and Steve sighed. He knew Bucky enough and considering that Super Soldiers were involved, it would have made sense if Hydra had something to do with it and Zemo had studied Hydra.
"What the hell is he thinking?" Steve muttered.
"They can't pin it on Bucky and Sam and Nat, but if Ross catches wind of them together with Zemo, they're in big trouble. Everett's keeping it quiet from him for as long as he can, but it's only a matter of time before Ross finds out." Sharon said.
"Any idea where they are now?" Steve inquired.
"I have my suspicions where they are heading." Sharon said after a moment.
The Lighthouse, S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Sir, I told you everything I remember." Masters said, with Alphonso 'Mack' Mackenzie sitting across him.
"I know. I appreciate your cooperation." Mack said, holding Masters by his shoulder. "We'll make sure you get a fair trial." He then walked off.
Agent Melinda May then approached Masters. "We'll make sure you're remembered as a patriot who fought for his country, not as a fanatic. I read your file. You should know, you saved some friends of mine."
"I did?" Masters asked.
"1st Bevy. When S.H.I.E.L.D. was dissolved, some of my former colleagues enlisted. They were ambushed in Afghanistan on one mission. You saved them." May said and Masters nodded.
"I see." Masters nodded. "That's all I wanted to do. When I was a kid, I saw a newsreel with an interview with Steve Rogers, one of the last ones before their final attack on Hydra in 1945, the one where he and Valkyrie fell into ice with the Tesseract during his final fight with the Red Skull. What he said there kept me going. 'Aiding our troops is why I became a soldier. More than even defeating my enemy—my job is to protect our troops and bolster morale. They're the ones who will win this war, Captain America is just support.'"
"And you can be, too. You just need to realize this isn't the way." May said and Masters looked like if he was thinking. "But I just need to ask you… who got you to Rumekistan in the first place. A Super Soldier like you to sneak past our radar and cause trouble in foreign country, almost causing international incident? How come we missed this?"
Masters looked like if he was struggling to remember. "Someone… promised me to be able to fight for my country. I don't remember…"
"Don't fight it too much. Deep breaths." May said as she sat across him and holding him by his shoulders, now knowing what she had to do. "Close your eyes. Focus. Look deep into your memory."
Masters complied as he took deep breaths, clutching his head.
Tony Masters was punching a bag before it flew off the chain, with a hole in it and sand pouring out before a red-haired woman approached him.
"Mr. Masters?" The woman asked.
"Who are you?" Masters asked, turning to her. "Does Secretary Ross have another mission for me?"
"I'm not here on Ross's behalf. But I do work for government. I have a question for you, soldier. How would you like to serve your country? We know about the experiments Ross performed on you but the program had been shut down before the Blip. We can help you exploit your potential." The woman said and Masters considered.
"When?" Masters asked, contemplating the offer.
"We don't need to subject him to the same level of conditioning as the Winter Soldier. Focus the machine on the amygdala in his brain. Remove his inhibitions." Sin said, while Masters was restrained to a chair with electric pads placed on the temples of his head, like how they had subjected the Winter Soldier to the brainwashing.
"Madame, if we do this, it will damage his rage control. He'll be uncontrollable." The scientist said and Sin smirked.
"That's exactly what I'm counting on." Sin said.
The scientist, reluctantly, programmed the machine as electricity pulsed through the pads, shocking Masters's brain as he screamed in pain.
Elsewhere
At the airstrip, Bucky, Natasha and Sam looked in surprise to see a jet, with an old man waiting at the stairs leading to the plane.
"So all this time you've been rich?" Sam asked in surprise.
"I'm a baron, Sam. My family was royalty until your friends destroyed my country." Zemo said.
"Blame Tony and Ultron. The rest of us were just trying to clean up the mess." Natasha said.
"Fair enough." Zemo shrugged before greeting the old man in Russian. "Hello, Oeznik."
"Welcome, gentlemen and madam." Oeznik greeted.
"Old friend." Zemo said as he and Oeznik hugged and kissed each other on their cheeks and they entered the plane.
Natasha discreetly pulled out her phone and wrote a message.
'MADRIPOOR'
Natasha pressed 'SEND' before walking into the plane.
They sat down in the plane as Oeznik handed Zemo a glass of champagne. "Apologies if that's a little warm, the fridge is out. But I will see if there is some good food in the galley."
"If it doesn't pass the smell test, give it to them." Zemo said in Sokovian and Oeznik laughed.
"It's good to have you back, sir." Oeznik said, chuckling before he walked in.
Natasha narrowed her eyes at Zemo. "Don't think we're going to play your games. You screw with us one bit—"
Zemo nodded and sighed before taking a sip from his glass. "You don't know what it's like to be locked in a cell. Oh." He turned to Sam. "That's right. You do."
"Why don't you tell us where we're going?" Sam demanded.
"I'm sorry. I was just fascinated by this." Zemo said, reading from a book, that turned out to be Bucky's list. "I don't know what to call it, but this part seems to be important. Who is Nakajima?"
Next thing he knew, Bucky shot out of his seat and grabbed Zemo by his throat. "If you touch that again, I'll kill you."
Bucky then felt a hand on his shoulder. "James. Easy." Natasha cautioned.
Bucky relaxed as he sat back down and took the book.
"I'm sorry. I understand that list of names." Zemo said, realizing what was on the list due to Bucky's reaction. "People you've wronged as the Winter Soldier."
"Don't push it." Bucky warned.
"I've seen that book. It was Steve's when he came out of the ice." Sam remembered. "I told him about Trouble Man. He wrote it in that book. Did you hear it? What'd you think?"
"I like '40s music, so…" Bucky shrugged.
"You didn't like it?" Sam demanded, looking offended.
"I liked it." Bucky said.
"It is a masterpiece, James. Complete. Comprehensive. It captures the African-American experience." Zemo noted as Sam looked at him in shock before turning to Bucky.
"He's out of line, but he's right. It's great. Everybody loves Marvin Gaye." Sam said.
"'Love' might be a strong word." Natasha shrugged. "I mean, it's good music, but… one of many."
"I like Marvin Gaye." Bucky shrugged. He had nothing against Marvin Gaye, it just wasn't Bucky's most favorite genre.
"Steve adores Marvin Gaye." Sam said.
"You must really look up to Steve." Zemo said upon mentioning Steve. They turned to him as he continued. "But I realized something when I met him. The danger with people like him, America's Super Soldiers, is that we put them on pedestals."
"Watch your step, Zemo." Sam warned.
"They become symbols. Icons." Zemo continued as if he had not been interrupted. "And then we start to forget about their flaws. From there, cities fly, innocent people die. Movements are formed, wars are fought. You remember that, right?" He asked, turning to Bucky. "As a young soldier sent to Germany to stop a mad icon. Do we want to live in a world full of people like the Red Skull?" He then finally smiled. "That is why we're going to Madripoor."
"What's up with Madripoor? You guys talk about it like it's Skull Island." Sam said.
"It's an island nation in the Indonesian archipelago. It was a pirate sanctuary back in the 1800s." Bucky said.
"No extradition treaty there." Natasha commented. "You know Tortuga from 'Pirates of the Caribbean'?" Sam nodded. "That's Tortuga in real life. A safe haven for every type of lowlife you can think of. A scumbag paradise."
"It's kept its lawless ways. But we cannot exactly walk in as ourselves." Zemo said, turning to Bucky. "James, you will have to become someone you claim is gone."
Bucky took a deep breath and clenched his fists, knowing exactly what Zemo meant by that as Natasha gave him a worried look.
"Madripoor. Of course they would head there." Sharon muttered as she and Steve sat across each other in another plane on the way there. "If you want to track a lowlife, that place is a good start."
"You seem familiar with that place." Steve said.
"It was my sanctuary after you broke your friends out of Raft with my help." Sharon said and Steve winced.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you." Steve said apologetically.
"You've already apologized, Steve." Sharon said.
"And it'll never be enough." Steve said as she held his hand.
"But in the end you came through after Thanos. You and your friends cleared my name." Sharon said.
"But I feel like I was too late." Steve said before she kissed his cheek.
"Sometimes it's not too late." Sharon said as he looked at her profoundly.
Neither one of them knew who made the first move, but then they laid down, adjusting the seat as she took of Steve's shirt, while Steve began reaching for her top at the waist, dropping the clothes on the floor as they kissed.
Madripoor
Bucky, Natasha, Sam and Zemo walked through Madripoor now, with Bucky wearing a suit similar to the Winter Soldier suit, Natasha wearing a blonde wig and red dress and Sam having a bright and shiny suit that he hated.
"We have to do something about this, 'cause I'm the only one who looks like a pimp." Sam grumbled.
"Get in the role, Sam." Natasha teased and Bucky chuckled.
"Only an American would assume a fashion-forward black man looks like a pimp. You look exactly like the man you're supposed to be playing." Zemo said as he pulled out his phone and showed Sam a photo of the man he was supposed to pose as. "The sophisticated, charming American named Conrad Mack, a.k.a. 'The Smiling Tiger.'"
"He even has a bad nickname." Sam grumbled before he took a look at the photo, surprised by the resemblance. "Hell, he does look like me, though."
Zemo sniffed the air. "You smell this?"
"Yeah, what is that? Acid?" Sam wondered.
"No. It's Madripoor." Natasha said.
"Remember, no matter what happens, we have to stay in character. Our lives depend on it. There's no margin for error." Zemo said as a car parked in front of them. "High Town's that way. Not a bad place if you wanna visit, but Low Town's the other way."
"Let me guess. We don't have any friends in High Town." Sam noted and Zemo shook his head with a smirk as they entered the car.
As they reached their destination, they walked down the street to see prostitutes, gamblers, bookmakers, mercenaries, black market trades and other illicit activities going on before they entered Princess Bar.
"Here we are." Zemo said before he spoke in Russian. "Ready to comply… Winter Soldier?"
Some of the guests looked around in surprise to see Bucky.
"Is that the Winter Soldier?" One of the guests asked in shock.
They approached the bar as the bartender greeted them. "Hello, gentlemen." He eyed Sam. "Wasn't expecting you, Smiling Tiger."
"His plans changed. We have business to do with Selby." Zemo said.
Unknowing to them, a woman in a hoodie was observing them before vanishing in the crowd.
"The usual?" The bartender asked, turning to Sam, who nodded. Then, to his shock, the bartender took out a snake, cut it open, and mixed its bodily fluids with the drink, before handing it to Sam, while Zemo got his drink too.
"Smiling Tiger, your favorite." Zemo said, warning Sam to stay in character.
Sam suppressed the urge to groan and vomit as the bartender handed him the drink and he picked it up. "I love these." He toasted as Zemo clinked his glass.
"Cheers, Conrad." Zemo said as he, Natasha and Sam drank.
Sam gave the bartender a thumbs up before a bearded man approached Zemo. "I got word from up high. You ain't welcome here."
"I have no business with Viper. But if she insists, she can either come and talk to me…" Zemo trailed off.
"New haircut?" The man asked, eying Bucky.
"Or bring Selby for a chat." Zemo finished, as if he had not been interrupted.
The man considered for a moment before walking off.
"Viper?" Bucky asked, the name sounding familiar for some reason.
"Every kingdom needs its ruler. Let's just pray we stay under her radar." Zemo said.
"Do you know her?" Sam asked.
"Only by reputation." Zemo said, looking around. "In Madripoor she is judge, jury and executioner."
"How do you know it's 'she'?" Natasha questioned.
"After the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. and their and Hydra's files were leaked… I found references about a woman in Hydra who goes by that name. There wasn't much to look at. From what I could piece, she was a close follower of the Red Skull's and Zola's work. She wasn't fanatical in their ideology, but she practically grew up in their ranks, making her way into their inner circle. Then she disappeared shortly before the remaining cells of Hydra were dismantled by S.H.I.E.L.D. and your government. She's been a ghost since then before… certain circles caught wind of her being in Madripoor." Zemo commented.
"Does 'Viper' mean anything to you?" Sam asked, turning to Bucky.
"Vaguely." Bucky said. "Heard some references to her, though I don't think I'd ever met her in person. From what I remember, they said she was obsessed with Red Skull." He was lost in thoughts. "Maybe if I saw her face…"
They looked around and saw a group of men surrounding them as Zemo turned to Bucky, speaking in Russian. "Winter Soldier. Attack."
A bearded man with a beanie placed his hand on Zemo's shoulder before Bucky grabbed it with his vibranium arm and twisted, cracking bones as the man cried out in pain, backing off before Bucky clotheslined his face with his vibranium arm, slamming him to the ground, while Zemo smirked.
The people were pulling out their phones and recording the scene as another man rushed at Bucky who blocked his punch and delivered swift punches before kicking him in the chest, sending him crashing onto another man. Another man jumped over the table but Bucky kicked the table leg as it toppled, causing for the man to fall down before Bucky kicked him, sending him sliding across the floor and shattering the chair. Zemo shoved another man towards Bucky as he drew a knife but Bucky grabbed his hand with the knife and stabbed another man in the leg with it in the leg before Bucky punched him in the face and threw him, knocking both men down. Another man engaged Bucky but he was sent crashing against the decorations.
Sam and Natasha looked worriedly at Bucky's brutality, since they had already seen how dangerous Bucky was as the Winter Soldier.
"Didn't take much for him to fall back into form." Zemo commented.
Bucky grabbed another man by his throat and pinned him to the counter before he heard guns cocking and Zemo, Natasha and Sam looked around. Sam grabbed Bucky but then he felt Natasha's hand on his other hand as she neared his ear.
"Stay in character or the whole bar turns on us." Natasha warned with low whisper.
Zemo gave a subtle nod before he turned to Bucky, speaking in Russian. "Well done, soldier."
"Selby will see you now." The bartender said.
"Thank you." Zemo nodded as Bucky let the man go.
"Are you alright?" Natasha asked.
Bucky exhaled sharply and gave a subtle nod as they followed Zemo.
The three walked into a room where around was cash in foreign currency, guns wrapped in plastic and a middle-aged woman with a boy cut and a purple leather coat sat on the couch. "You should know, Baron. People don't just come into my bar and make demands."
"Not a demand. An offer." Zemo said.
"A lot has changed since you were here last. By the way, I thought you were rotting away in a German prison. How did you escape?" Selby inquired.
"People like us always find a way, don't we?" Zemo shrugged as Natasha sat next to him, holding his hand, playing the part of his girlfriend. "I'm sure you've already figured out what I'm here for."
"You're taller than I'd heard, Smiling Tiger." Selby commented, looking at Sam doing a mocking purr before looking back at Zemo. "What's the offer?"
"Tell us what you know about the Super Soldier serum. And I give you him." Zemo said as he walked to Bucky the Winter Soldier, playing a little with his chin. "Along with the codewords to control him, of course. He will do anything you want."
Natasha looked worriedly at Bucky but schooled her expressions perfectly, hiding her fear behind a smile and an indifferent look in her eyes.
"Now that's the Zemo I remember. I'm glad I decided not to kill you immediately. Yeah, you were right to come to me. Arrogant, but right." Selby said and Zemo sat back down as she continued. "The Super Soldier serum is here in Madripoor. Dr. Wilfred Nagel is the man you wanna thank. Or… condemn, depending on what side of this you're on. Viper had him working on the serum, but… things didn't go as planned."
"Viper?" Natasha asked curiously as everyone turned to her and she pretended to yawn, sounding bored. "Aren't these kinds of nicknames cliché?"
"You wouldn't think that if you knew who she really is. Word is that her real name is Sin. Sinthea Schmidt." Selby said and Bucky kept his face from reacting in horror, while Sam, Zemo and Natasha looked in surprise, but suppressed the amount of shock as they raised their eyebrows.
"Schmidt? Like the Red Skull? Johann Schmidt?" Natasha asked curiously and let out a laugh and a scoff, shaking her head indifferently. "Please."
"She's his granddaughter. Hiding in the shadows for years. Like a ghost. Quietly amassing wealth and power to make her play after the likes of Alexander Pierce, Baron von Strucker, Gideon Malick, Daniel Whitehall and General Hale, patiently waiting. Like a viper… patiently waiting to strike at its prey." Selby said, shocking them with this piece of information but all of them schooled their expressions with indifferent looks.
"Are Sin and Nagel still in Madripoor?" Zemo inquired.
"Oh." Selby said mockingly, shaking her head. "The bread crumbs you can have for free, but the bakery is gonna cost you, Baron." She stood up and paced around. "And before you get all cute, don't think you can find Nagel without me."
Suddenly, they heard Sam's cellphone buzz as Zemo and Natasha looked at him in surprise as he pulled it out of his pocket and Zemo and Natasha shot him discreetly withering looks, while Bucky clenched his teeth and Natasha took a deep breath, both of them restraining themselves from coming there and smacking Sam themselves.
Sam took a look and saw his sister Sarah's name flashing on the screen
"Answer it. On speaker." Selby ordered as she gestured and Sam noticed a large man with a machine gun behind him.
Sam answered the call and turned on the speaker. "Hello?"
"Look, it's all set up, I just need your signature, can you come back and do it?" Sarah asked.
"Of course. Just iron out the details. I haven't forgotten about the deal, I'll be on my way back as soon as I can." Sam said.
"Cass! What did I tell you about the Cheerios? I don't have time for this." Sarah suddenly asked before turning her attention back to Sam. "Sam, I'm sorry. Look, let me call you back."
The call ended as Selby looked at Sam, eyes narrowed. "'Sam'? Who's Sam?" Realizing she had been set up, she turned to her men. "Kill them!"
Suddenly, the window cracked as a sniper bullet shot Selby in the chest and she fell down, dead.
Another man reacted but Sam disarmed him of his gun, while Natasha got up and slammed another man's face in the pillar, knocking him out before she took his gun, while Bucky grabbed the rifle of the last man and whacked him in the face, knocking him out.
"They're gonna pin this on us." Sam pointed out.
"We have a real problem now, so leave your weapons and follow my lead." Zemo said.
Sam, Natasha, Bucky and Zemo ran down the street as they saw everyone checking the alert on their phones and looking at them, realizing that a hit had been put on them.
"This is not good." Zemo said.
Suddenly, gunshots rang out and they ran off, with Zemo going into a side alley.
"Shit!" Sam cursed.
"Run!" Natasha ordered.
"I can't run in these heels!" Sam snapped.
"Then ditch them!" Natasha yelled as Sam noticed she was running barefoot.
They ran into another alley as they were being chased by two bikers before they noticed a gunshot from above, shooting down one thug and then shooting down the bikers as they looked around, wondering who was covering them.
"You seem to have a guardian angel." Zemo said.
"Well, this is too perfect."
They turned and saw Steve and Sharon approach, with Sharon aiming a gun at Zemo. "Drop it, Zemo." She ordered.
"What are you guys doing here?" Bucky asked.
"We wanted to make sure another Accords situation didn't happen, do you have any idea how much trouble you're in by breaking him out?" Steve demanded, glaring at Zemo.
"Guys, wait. Someone recreated the Super Soldier serum and Zemo had a lead." Sam explained.
"That explains why you guys are here." Sharon said.
"Look, we can talk about this later, right now we need a place to lay low." Steve said.
"I know one place." Natasha said.
They drove into a place in Hightown and entered an estate, where two guards were stationed at the entrance and they entered in to see various pieces of artwork exhibited around.
"Who does this place belong to, anyway?" Sharon asked.
"A black market dealer. I knew him back in my Red Room days. I'd use this place to lay low." Natasha said.
"Where is he now?" Steve asked.
"Which piece of him?" Natasha asked rhetorically and they all tensed, the implications clear. "I'm not the only one using this place, anyway, most of the time it's someone else's safehouse, she won't mind we're borrowing it."
"She?" Bucky inquired.
"An old acquaintance. Long story. She'll probably give me an earful for an unannounced visit but it's nothing new." Natasha said.
"Is that a real Monet?" Sharon asked, turning to one of the paintings.
"No, it's fake." Sam said in denial.
"No, it's real. This gallery is specialized in stolen artwork. Monet. Van Gogh. Classics." Zemo said.
"It's true. You know, half the artwork in museums like the Louvre is fake. Real stuff sits in places like this." Bucky said.
"OK, guys, I see what you're doing." Sam chuckled, pulling out his phone. "You're more worldly than good old Sam."
"Yeah? What does Google say?" Natasha drawled and Sam looked in shock.
"No shit." Sam said.
"Language." Steve said as everyone chuckled at their antics.
They entered the main hall as they changed their clothes.
"What brings you to Madripoor in the first place?" Steve asked.
"We got a lead on who was behind the Flag-Smashers. Red Skull's granddaughter." Sam said.
"Her name is…" Bucky began.
"…Sin." Steve and Sharon finished at the same time as they looked at each other in surprise.
"How do you know about Sin?" Natasha asked.
"Because there was another unstable Super Soldier. Sin got her hands on him and offered him to serve his country. She scrambled his mind like what Hydra did to Bucky and set him loose in Rumekistan to wreak havoc." Steve said.
"We went there to capture him. S.H.I.E.L.D. interrogated him and he was able to remember her name. Looks like she wants to unleash chaos with Super Soldiers." Sharon said.
"You think she's behind Flag-Smashers?" Sam asked.
"Well, given that she's Red Skull's granddaughter, it all adds up. Destabilizing governments, sabotaging their humanitarian relief efforts, it's exactly what they do, sowing chaos." Bucky said as everyone sighed in frustration.
"And here I thought we were done with Hydra permanently." Natasha muttered, rubbing her face in frustration.
"Well, do we have any leads how to find her?" Steve asked.
"Well, Karli Morgenthau and at least seven others have taken the serum." Sam said.
"And I think it's another one of those imperfect versions, but it seems closest to Erskine's original formula." Natasha said.
"We got a name. Wilfred Nagel." Bucky said.
"Nagel?" Sharon asked, everyone turning to her.
"You know him?" Steve asked and Sharon nodded.
"Not in person, but I know his work. He was recruited by the CIA, since they wanted him to recreate the Super Soldier serum. He disappeared during the Blip." Sharon said.
"Did they resume the project after the Blip?" Steve asked.
"I'll make some calls." Sharon said, pulling out her phone.
"I might know some people." Natasha offered and Sharon nodded in appreciation as they walked off.
"Wait, what are we supposed to do in the meantime?" Steve asked.
"Lay low, blend in, enjoy the party." Natasha said.
"Try to stay out of trouble. We'll see what we can find." Sharon said.
"Trouble." Zemo said jokingly.
Steve, Sam and Bucky walked down the dancefloor of the nightclub as they looked around, while the techno music was echoing throughout the room.
"You know, the music might be different, but this feels a little familiar." Bucky said as he and Steve chuckled.
"You mean that time we went on a double date and that girl you set me up with was looking the whole time at her feet so she wouldn't step on my toes?" Steve asked and Bucky laughed.
"If I'd known you being that little back then was an issue, I would've found you someone more your size." Bucky said.
"Where would you have looked for? The nursery?" Steve joked as both of them chuckled, while they saw Sam wandering around. "At least we're not the only ones figuring out how to blend in."
Then they saw Zemo dancing with a straight face and shaking his hand up and down, but looking smooth as Steve, Bucky and Sam stared, not believing their own eyes.
"How is he doing that with his face straight?" Steve asked.
"Hey. Guys." Sharon called as she and Natasha approached.
"We found him." Natasha said.
"Here we go." Sam said as they left.
I'm separating this episode into two chapters, since the word count was already big.
So, what do you guys think?
Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this so far.