#The Power Broker | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

tfatwsiguess · 2 years

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Berlin, Germany

The next morning, you and Sam followed Bucky through a corridor in the Joint Counterterrorism Center residing in the capital of Germany. It was silent as a guard led you down to the baron, Helmut Zemo's, wing. It felt like you had to bypass a dozen sub levels and guards before you got to the right floor. But your mind wandered elsewhere as you followed through the halfway submersed prison.

You were a little concerned with the stakes of this situation, considering how hard a time Bucky's already had on this mission. Of course, yesterday was rough on all of you. And in more ways than one. But you had thought about it overnight. The way he had been the one to suggest going to talk to this guy despite it being the hardest to deal with for him especially. Whether that was nobility or instability, you were yet to be sure of.

"He is just through this corridor."

"Alright. Give us a minute." Buck nodded to the man in uniform before he left you all with a sub level clearance pass to get into the cell, then turned back to you both. "I'm gonna go in alone."

"What? Why?" Sam immediately questioned, while your eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Because he didn't know you," he turned from you to Sam, "and you're an Avenger."

"And you're a super soldier."

"Yeah, but he might be more inclined to help if it's only me."

"Why? 'Cause he used you as his weapon the last time you two met? Ya aren't exactly known for frolicking in the sun together."

"He was obsessed with Hydra. We have a history together." His blue crystalline eyes flicker between you and Sam as he tries to reassure. "Trust me. I got it."

To your right, Sam's head shook doubtfully. "He's gonna try to get in your head."

"Yeah, well, he can't do that anymore."

"That's not what I meant."

"I know what you meant."

Sam sighed, but you observed the soldier as they talked. Noticing his taut shoulders and gnawed lips and baggy eyes. You kept waiting, expecting to see any sign that too much of his past was being drenched up all at once in talking to this man. That it would become too difficult for him to handle. But he only ever responded with his insistence. So when he turned to you, you nodded firmly. "We'll wait out here."

His stare held with yours for a moment, still never giving away a single transparent thought to you that he didn't want to. He nodded gruffly before carrying himself through the corridor's doorway.

"Sam, with or without us, are you sure Bucky talking to Zemo at all is a good idea?" You finally asked, leaning your back against the opposite wall once Barnes was out of sight. "He's been kind of on edge..."

"That's his natural state." He responded shortly, arms crossed and eyes staring off distractedly as his back rested against the wall across you. When your eyebrow raised and he caught your gaze, he gave in. "He's still upset over the shield."

"Is that what happened with your couple's therapy yesterday? He brought up the shield?"

"Joint therapy... And, along with other things, yeah." Your head bobbed in confirmation, lips sealing. "What, you're not gonna ask about it?"

"Not if you don't want to talk about it..." you reasoned, stare lingering on him as he reflected your silent gaze right back. A grin tugged at the side of your lips. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Only if you're on my side," he cracked a smile.

Yours grew, and before you knew it you were beaming back at him. "Well of course I'm on your side, Samuel."

"Really?"

"Against the government jerks who gave away the shield, yeah. But I'm not against Bucky." You clarified.

His face fell into pouty disappointment. "Oh."

With a light chuckle, you straightened up from the wall. "I'm sure you made the choice that felt best for you. I'm just saying that with Bucky... I get it too. Fork what I know it's important to him for different reasons, ya know? You're both at different mercies with that thing."

"You think I shouldn't have given it up either, right?" Both his eyebrows raised, expectantly waiting for what everyone else has said, or, avoided saying to him out loud.

"Don't you?"

"Of course I do. But I certainly didn't think they'd turn around the next day and hand it to someone else either." Disappointment etched into his features. "I guess I should've seen that coming."

You shook your head at seeing his self scrutiny, all because of those lying government asshats. "Honestly, if the shield had stayed retired in the exhibit like you wanted, things wouldn't be as bad. But since those assholes lied to you just to give it to the next Steve-Rogers-look-alike, it's different. I mean I don't really know about this Walker guy."

"You're not the only one." Sam sent you a look, in accordance with you. He straightened away from the glaringly white wall. "Look, you can bet I wouldn't have given it up if I had known the GRC was gonna try to remake a new old Captain America. But I didn't, and it's done now. There's no point in bellyaching over it anymore."

He was confident as he said it, but it was still there. The subtle ache of resignation on his face. And you knew it wasn't yourself he wanted these words directed at.

"... I'm sorry." You said genuinely. And judging by the look on his face you guessed he hadn't received a lot of sympathy on the topic. "It's wrong. They shouldn't have taken advantage of you like that."

"Thank you... I can't really expect the tin can to understand that."

You smile a little, but shake your head. "Well all the robot jokes don't really help."

"It's how we communicate." A devious grin finally tugs at the corner of his mouth. "I just don't understand why he's making such a big deal out of something that has nothing to do with him."

"Is that what you said to him? Well no wonder he hates you!"

"There it is. I knew you were on his side."

"No, I just mean," you couldn't help the laugh that escaped. "I know he's giving you a hard time about your decision, even if it's not fair. But... look, if Steve was his best friend I get why it's so important. He's lost a lot. Including the last person he considered family. The one person he knew in this world." You thought back to what you realized the day you heard the news of Bucky's lost connection, shortly before his being pardoned. "He's just getting back to the modern world, which he doesn't know anything about. And clearly he's still adjusting. Even more than the rest of us. The shield is like, the one thing he has left that's familiar... I can understand that."

Sammy shifted again, those eyebrows scrunching in consideration of your point. "... You sure know how you feel after just meeting the guy."

Your eyes flick up to him, realizing how deep in thought you were over the circumstance. "... I listen and assess more than I talk." You shrug with a loose smile. "It's important skill."

He nodded slowly, taking in your input. "... How long did it take for you?" Sam knew bits of your past. Like your life without parents, emancipation, and entry into agent work, and that's about it. That's how you knew exactly what he was asking. "To adjust, after everything that happened in your past?"

You immediately thought back to mere months after you were reinstated in school as a teenager, around the same time Uncle Nick got you your own apartment and worked out your official emancipation. It took that long to even start to get back into a rhythm.

"Hm... I think the middle of high school was the only time in my life when almost everything felt normal, and mundane. Other than that it's kind of all chaos but, since then it's not so bad."

"It must've been hard, being on your own that young."

"Well, taking care of myself wasn't the hard part." The hard part was actually the constant paranoia for years to come, but you weren't going to say that. "After everything I kinda liked being alone. Having my own space to process. But, after all the years of solitude now I don't find others' company so bad." A smile comes to your face as you look across at Sam, his expressions mirroring the same back at you. "But, I still had help getting readjusted, and it made every bit of difference." Two faces came to mind. The ones who were such a big reason for you having the freedom you have today. It'd been too long since you'd seen them. "The point is, as much as people try to isolate themselves, you really can't get through the hard times without someone there to help you. Some kind of support. But isn't that exactly what Bucky's trying to do?"

Sam blinked.

Out of all the soldiers feeling out of place he's worked with, he hadn't stopped to think about Bucky's new life now. Not between all the chaos going on in his own life.

Before he had reached out to him, knowing that between Stark's funeral and saying goodbye to Steve, he was processing a lot. Otherwise, Sam had Sarah and the kids to worry about, to work out his own financials and personal post-blip reinstatement business to tend to. It was relentless work, but he realized how much easier it was for him, as someone who's already lived through today's world.

Maybe it was just harder to understand that with someone he had didn't have the best personal relationship with.

The silence that stretched as Sam was caught in his own head made you think about the weight of the topics and memories brought up.

"Yeah. That was a lot to bring up at 10 AM."

"Well don't try to take it back now," he teased with a tug at his lips, but you could see the thoughts spinning behind his eyes. You grinned before pointing a look at him, tilting your head. "Okay, maybe you have a point."

"Oh maybe I have a point?" You repeated, nodding.

"Alright, alright. Suddenly you're the counselor and I feel like the kid."

You chuckle and shake your head.

After that, it wasn't much longer before an alarm went off all around the compound. Red flashing lights blinked out of nowhere and sent the facility into high alert. You stepped away from wall, shooting a concerned look to Sam. Before either of you could bolt to the door Bucky had gone through, he reappeared out of it and headed down the corridor past you two, not stopping.

"We should get going!"

"Wha– how'd it go?" You asked. "What did he say?"

"Not here."

"You have any idea what's going on with these alarms?" Sam followed behind quickly, some accusation lacing his tone. "Maybe anything to do with our little visit?"

That question, Bucky never answered. Between the blaring sirens and his reluctance to say anything yet, neither of you asked anything else until you took an elevator up and finally exited the blaring compound.

"Bucky, stop." Sam finally stopped your group outside the door, an emergency exit that you probably weren't supposed to use rather than checking out with security at the main entrance; especially while the prison was going on lockdown. Turned out that visitor's card permitted a lot. "What happened?"

"Zemo said he knew where to start." He said vaguely, making you wait. "He wouldn't give me anything else."

Sam's head shook. "That's all you could get?"

"At the time," he answered, then continued down the valley towards the street.

You followed along again, squinting at the back of his head. "What do you mean 'at the time'?"

"We need to break Zemo out."

"Bucky, where the hell are we?" Sam demanded as you all made your way through an empty, darkened building.

It seemed like you had been walking for forever between small buildings and back alleys without getting answers. Until Bucky led you inside a small building that was too dark to see inside.

"And do you wanna explain what you mean by 'break Zemo out'?"

Sam had immediately done a double take and proceeded to harass Bucky with a string of questions like if he had lost his mind or if Zemo had, in fact, brainwashed him again during the brief time he was in there. You may have partially gotten through to him about Bucky, but clearly it wouldn't stop him from holding back now.

"We don't have any leads, any moves, anything."

"Well we got one of the most dangerous men in the world behind bars."

"And we also have eight super soldiers on the loose." Barnes rebutted, reaching some box you could barely make out on a pole in the middle of the floor.

"Look, Zemo's gonna mess with our minds, especially yours." Sam stressed, to which you nudged him for. "No offense."

Bucky turned a lever, finally illuminating the place. A car repair garage of all places. "Offense. Super soldiers go against everything he believes in. He may be crazy, but he still has a code."

"And I've been on the wrong side of that code. So have you! He blew up the UN meeting, killed King T'Chaka and framed you for it." Buck paced back over to you, clearly getting annoyed at all the chatter. "If word gets out that he's escaped who knows who's gonna come lookin' for him? Who knows what he'd do if he finds out Alex has her own powers?"

"What, you think he's gonna get trigger happy over a retractable glow stick?" Buck snapped irritably, to which your head tilts defensively at him. "Sorry– that frustration was at the wrong person..." He retracted, sending Sam a look before turning back again and switching up more lights.

"Look," Sam takes a breath, taking his time down a few noticed. "I get why this matters to you so much, but it's pushing you off the deep end."

"We don't know how they're getting the serum." Barnes counters easily. You watched him in the stretching silence as he so ambitiously argued for this case. "We don't even know how many of them there are right now."

Sam shook his head at the 100-year-old, turning away when he had no another attempts.

"You're really willing to risk it? After everything?" He looked to you, as it was the first you spoke in the matter while they argued. By now you were used to getting past the bickering to get to the rationalizations. That and, you were at a disadvantage when it came to comparable knowledge about this guy. "It is a big risk to let him out. Could we even keep him under control?"

"I know he's dangerous. But his speciality is mind games, and other than that, he's just another guy with basic training. He only becomes dangerous if we let him." You hear Sam scoff, and Bucky looks back to him. "Between the two of us and our secret weapon, it won't be a problem."

Sam laughs when Bucky gestures to you. "Oh, from glow stick to secret weapon, huh?"

"Okay– can we all stop saying glow stick?" You groan.

"Look, can I just walk you guys through a hypothetical? Let me walk you through it–"

"A hypothetical." Your eyebrow couldn't help but inch up doubtfully.

Sam turned back to him slowly. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything." He gave an unconvincing shrug.

None of you said anything, the awkwardest pause stretching after the blatant lie. You took a breath and went for it. "And, what is this hypothetical?"

"How to Break Someone Out of Jail 101."

"We're not breaking Zemo out! It's never gonna go the way you plan."

"Just let me break it down, okay? The weakest point in any system isn't the software, or the hardware. It's the meatware. The human element." He begins, voice gliding over the premise like butter. "In their lockup, it's nine to one, prisoners to guards. And if two prisoners start fighting, then the protocol says four guards have to respond."

"So why would two prisoners randomly start fighting at that moment?" Sam questioned before you could ask how he even knew these details from a single walk through the compound.

"Who knows? This place detains some of the most high level threat terrorists in the world. There could be many reasons. But the point is, things escalate. Lockdown procedures would have to be initiated, and with all those bodies flying around left and right, it wouldn't be hard to slip down a hallway or two." He continued, making a jailbreak from such a high security terrorism prison sound so effortless. "And if the fire alarm got tripped while the prisoners were being separated, they'd have to let the prisoners out to be accounted for. Someone could easily use the chaos to their advantage."

The beginning of the plan sounded well formulated enough, you couldn't deny; but it didn't seem like the first time he'd walked someone through it either. And getting Zemo out, in the "hypothetical" would only be one of the many problems that came with it. At this point, it was clear to both of you that he was up to something.

"I don't like how causal he's being about this..." You mumble.

"It's unnatural," Sam concurred. "What did you–" He cut himself off, finally looking around in frustration at the odd choice of location. "Where the hell are we, man?"

Just then, a door opened. You all looked towards the end of the room, where a silhouette moved behind an opaque tarp. A man in what looked to be a captain's hat walked closer, but from the other side what actually came was a familiar looking figure in a prison guard's uniform.

Your eyes narrowed as the man drew nearer in the dim lighting. "Did you actually..."

Your half-question was answered when you heard Sam utter, "Whoa."

You looked over the man standing before you in the flesh, a ways away from his cell. "Oh crap..."

"Whoa whoa whoa– What are you doing here?!" Wilson marched towards the newcomer, and Bucky was already holding him back.

"Well. That whole conversation was pointless." You stared at the man, and it was clear who he was. You never even had to dig him out of Bucky's past. The guy was all over the news right after Bucky was, when the police cleared his name and revealed Zemo as the murderer who framed the poor guy.

Wow, you thought to yourself, two highly acclaimed criminals in two days. Can't wait to slap this on my resume.

"Hold on, look! I didn't wanna tell you 'cause I knew you wouldn't let this happen..."

"What did you do?!"

"We need him, Sam–"

He didn't listen, throwing a finger to the Sokovian. "You're going back to jail!"

"Listen, Sam!"

The blond man raised his hand. "If I may–"

"NO!" Both barked at him, causing his mouth to clamp, and he nodded understandably. "Apologies..."

Bucky turned to Sam once he was finally calm enough to listen."When Steve refused to sign the Sokovia accords, you backed him. You broke the law and stuck your neck out for me. I'm asking you to do that again." His voice was low and gravelly as he really tried to level with Sam for the first time. You knew this was probably the closest he'd get to begging.

Although the speech wasn't even directed to you, and clearly there were no other choices anyway, it was hard enough to say no to that. You could see it on Sam's face too, but he still seemed well against the idea of working with Zemo. "... Okay. Ya know what? I think Alex should decide."

"Great idea." Bucky slid his hands off of his shoulders once he was certain Sam wouldn't lunge at the escapee, and both turned to you.

You sighed when their gazes set upon you, sensing a pattern. "Seriously?"

"You're the most reasonable between the three of us." Buck gestured between the two of them, then glanced back to Zemo, who was already sizing you up. "Your call."

Yep. There was definitely a pattern going.

You thought more over the new situation at hand. On the nay side, it's not like if you decided against this Zemo would ever let you take him back to prison so soon. Especially with the chance to take down a group of new age super soldiers. And even if you did, Bucky would be in serious trouble with some higher ups after bringing him right back. If he's not already, that is... Which reminded you how much he's risking with his pardon, too, by doing all of this. Those two points alone were enough for you to conclude that Bucky was either out of his mind, or just as desperate as Sam says to figure out this whole super soldier mess.

Above all else, it was clear you had no other choice now. Barnes knew exactly what he was doing letting this guy out before saying anything about it.

You took a breath and turned to Sam, knowing he wouldn't be happy. "He's already out..."

"What?" He groans in disbelief the same time Barnes throws his hands up, shouting, "Thank you!" Gesturing towards you with a glare to Sam, who clearly only suggested your decision under the impression that you would side with him.

"Are you serious?"

"I mean, he just got out we can't take him back now. And it's not like he's hurt anyone!" You immediately turned from Sam to the baron with deadly seriousness. "You haven't hurt anyone right?

"None other than the guard I took out to acquire this uniform."

"... You mean knocked out."

"Yes, of course." He amended through his thick accent, no hesitance.

"And then there was the walk over here where no one kept an eye on him–" Sam pointed out.

"I really think I'm invaluable."

"Shut up." Wilson silenced him again, rubbing his temple. "Okay... if we do this, you don't make a move without our permission."

"Fair." The stranger agreed, a little too reasonably than what felt right for you. You all shared a look, on your toes.

"Okay, Zemo... where do we start?"

Life sure was exciting in your line of work. One second this was only gonna be a duo mission with Sam, and the next second it turned to a trio with the infamous Winter Soldier himself. Someone who nearly killed you and sent you into hiding for years. And now, you're working with a real jail-breaking murderous criminal. Bucky surely caught you off guard with this decision.

You were at another garage now. Zemo's car garage with a ridiculous amount of vehicles for any one person or family to possess. The soldier and falcon didn't seem too worried about the baron digging around in his cars for minutes on end, but you kept a close eye on him as he was packing, even as he leaned out of eyesight into his car. You were the only agent here who hadn't interacted with Zemo firsthand before, and the disadvantage made you extra cautious. You made your choice, but knew Sam was so against it for a reason.

You saw his hand linger on some weird looking rubber mask, and you watched him take it, shoving it into his bag a little too quickly for something that should be harmless. Oh yeah. Dude's up to something.

As he packed and explained his search methods, you could see sneaky running through his veins; in his eyes and in his accent. You didn't have to watch the news coverage to know, it was an intuitive feeling you sensed in abundance. You were good at working with what you knew, even if it wasn't much. Your instincts weren't gonna let him out of sight, even to pack a post-jailbreak bag.

"I've ended The Winter Soldier program before. I have no intention of leaving that work unfinished. To do this we'll have to scale a ladder of low lives."

"How ironic," you mumble.

"First stop is a woman named Selby. Middle level on the ladder, we climb up from there."

"How long is this gonna take?" You asked as you three followed him out.

"The jet ride should be less than a day," he responded, only raising a second question instead of answering the first.

"Where are we going," Buck specified for you.

"Madripoor."

He seemed unimpressed. "Of course we are."

"Never heard of it."

It seemed Sam hadn't either, judging by his expression of thought when you looked over. "Unbelievable..." You hear him utter, then look over to see the sleek private jet awaiting outside. "You've been rich this whole time?"

"I am a baron, Sam. My family was royalty until your friends destroyed my country."

While that was a big piece of the puzzle for Zemo, it didn't explain how all this luxury was still here while he was being imprisoned. Like it was all just waiting for him to return.

Zemo took his seat across from you once on the jet, and Bucky to your right, Sam adjacent. The baron mutters something to the flight attendant in Sokovian, nodding to the boys, then glancing his eyes to you for a moment.

The white-haired geezer let out a laugh. That old man chuckle made it sound like he was close enough to Bucky's age. "Good to have you back, sir!" You rolled your eyes as he turned to hobble back to the front.

"He sounds like he's on the verge of death," you remarked in skepticism.

"Be kind. Oeznik is sensitive about his age and I insist on keeping my staff happy." He smiled diplomatically to you, as he pulled out his book titled 'Machiavelli' from his bag. The hint of smirk on his face made you feel like a cold hand was reaching up and tickling your spine.

"Why don't you tell us about where we're going?" Sam diverted, but Helmut waited before responding, eyes moving across a line of words.

"... I'm sorry. I was fascinated by this book." He was looking down at the pages, but pulling something else out from between the folds. Small and black from what you could see. "I'm not sure what to call it, but, this part seems important. Who is Nakajima?"

Bucky leapt out of his chair and had his metal hand around Zemo's throat in an instant. No one else even had a chance to move before the little journal was back in his other hand. "Touch this again and I'll kill you." He promised in a whisper, looking him in the eyes.

Zemo was stiff, but nodded. It was the first, and will probably be the only time you had seen him taken off guard. You wouldn't know what the significance of that journal is, but you knew Zemo should've been expecting such a reaction when he brought it up in such a slimy way.

The little book Bucky held nearly folded in his his tight grasp, causing your eyebrows to crease in peaked curiosity. Your eyes flickered from Bucky to Zemo as he released his hold, and sat back down with the notebook protectively in hand. Less than a minute on the plane and it seemed this master of mind games was already making it a priority to mess with his former victim.

Sam sat back once hands were no longer around throats, but Zemo kept going.

"I'm sorry. I understand, it's a list of names of people you've hurt as The Winter Soldier?"

At that revelation, you couldn't help but glance over to Bucky; to the book. Both your eyes caught one another's for a moment before you averted your gaze, and he looked out the window. "Don't push it."

"I recognize that journal. Steve used it when he came outta the ice." A smile came to Sam's face as he glanced at you, then back to Buck. "I told him about Trouble Man. He wrote it in there. Did ya listen to it? What'd ya think?"

"I like 40's music so."

You felt a ghost of smile trace your lips at the response. In an entirely new time he still managed to be an old soul. You looked to Sam, expecting a reaction.

"You didn't like it?"

"I liked it," he shrugged defensively.

"Oh but you didn't love it though..." He questioned, tone accusatory.

"Sam." You warned on Bucky's behalf as your grin spread, because you could tell how he was about to get.

"It is a masterpiece, James." Zemo weighed in. "Complete, comprehensive. The soundtrack truly captures the African-American experience."

Not completely aware, you shot him a look, but Sam was the first to speak.

"Wha– Okay, he's outta line, but, he's right. It's great... Alex tell him, didn't you love watching it?"

"Huh?"

"The movie, the soundtrack, didn't you love it?"

"... It's– it’s a movie?" You blinked.

And as deep disappointment bled into The Falcon's face all over again, you knew you said wrong thing. "Oh, my God."

"Uh oh," Zemo singsonged in a baritone voice, and didn't miss the narrowing glance he got from you.

"So you haven't heard it either."

"Well, no– not that particular Marvin Gaye album. The way you talked about it I thought you were only talking about songs."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing!" He shakes his head, looking up to the heavens.

"You forget she is much younger than you, Samuel."

"Now hold on, I wouldn't say 'much'–"

"You're making this as weird as you possibly can, aren't you?" You smiled thinly at the commenter.

"This isn't the point. Everybody loves Marvin Gaye!" Sam redirected, looking between the two of his partners.

"I like Marvin Gaye." Bucky countered, hardly fazed.

"Steve adored Marvin Gaye!"

"Sam, come on–"

"Nah I'll deal with you later," he shut you down before going right back to the irritated soldier cross from him. "My question is, how could you not love the soulful stylings of The Prince of Soul himself?"

You laugh incredulously as he went off on his tangent. Bucky just looked over at you instead of dignifying him with an answer. "I think we're in trouble."

"Yup. Should not have said that." You and Buck turn back to him simultaneously, and you whisper to Sam, "Am I uninvited to the cookout?"

Bucky cracked a smile, but Sam wasn't amused. Though he digressed while you laughed.

"You must have really looked up to Steven... But I realized something when I met him." The air became heavier as Zemo began. "The danger with people like him, America's super soldiers, is that we put them on pedestals–"

"Watch your step, Zemo."

"They become symbols. Icons. And then we start to forget about their flaws. From there, cities fly. Innocent people die... Wars are fought."

You cocked your head to the side at his dramatic speech. "I'm sorry, didn't you blow up a peaceful UN meeting? In fact, the very one that was meant to prevent stuff like what you just said from happening?"

"That particular sacrifice was not my finest moment." He conceded a little too casually. "Though I have no failures or regrets on the subject, I was still very much in grief."

"Oh! I didn't realize you were in grief." You stared at him blankly, deadpan. "Silly me."

"My point being, when there are idols, there is always a butterfly effect." His gaze zeroed in on the WWII veteran, who was tense again in his seat. "You know that, don't you? As a young soldier being sent to Germany to stop a madman? The question is, do we want to live in a world filled with people like The Red Skull? Certainly not. That is why we are going to Madripoor."

"Great. So what's up with Madripoor?" You ask, wanting to segue out of his sermon.

"Yeah, you guys talk about it like it's Skull Island."

"It's a place where pirates settled in the Indonesian archipelago in the 1800's," Bucky spoke up, his voice low and thick again, gaze still averted out the window.

"It has maintained its lawless ways since then. Think of it as a criminal safe haven where we can find the answers we need about the serum. But, we still cannot walk in there as ourselves."

Sam eyes the blond, just as the jet starts to take off. "So what are you thinking?"

"We go undercover of course. I know a place where we can get what is needed for your fake identities."

Madripoor, Indonesia. It was definitely beautiful from a distance, but you could imagine the facade of perfection chipping away the closer you four walked down the bridge. And your suspicions were only supported by the acidic smell.

Zemo practically gave you and Sam extreme makeovers. At least, yours were more extreme than his and Bucky's. Colorful accessories were added into your hair and around your ears and neck. Zemo insisted it would complete the cultural look.

You switched out your pants, top and jacket for... well, he practically got you the same semi-tactical fit you were wearing before, but much... brighter. And with many more patterns. It seemed he was going for a more African mixed with western fashion look that Sam was also sporting. Cultured but still modern, some of your prints matching with his suit. But luckily you didn't stand out as much as he did. It wasn't exactly subtle like you were used to, but strangely enough, you kinda liked it. For your undercover character anyway.

You couldn't help smiling to yourself as Sam fiddled with his colorful suit. "We gotta do something about this, I'm the only one who looks like a pimp!"

"Only an American would assume a fashion forward black man is a pimp."

"Nah. That suit, all the patterns and designs? Straight up pimp." You scoffed in amusement, tinged with some annoyance. "That was outta pocket by the way. Points for saying 'black' this time though."

"He looks exactly like who he's supposed to," Helmut digressed. "An African rake. Very charming, sophisticated."

"Well that's great. Ya know I've been working on my Wakandan accent lately," the pimp griped sarcastically.

"Ya know there are other African countries besides Wakanda, right?" Bucky remarked.

"I know you didn't just ask me that."

"Do not worry, he was raised here most of his life but has been traveling the globe for years now." Zemo cut back in, and handed Sam a phone with the picture pulled up. "His name is Conrad Mack, a.k.a., The Smiling Tiger. No accent required."

You looked down at your tiger print protective jacket. "Is that what's up with all these loud animal prints?"

"You need to look associated with him. You will be his body guard. He never travels here without one."

Sam looks to Bucky, who simply traded his hoody and jacket for a black leather one with a protective vest over it. "Why's he get to look normal?"

There was the slightest of teasing in Zemo's voice as he answered. "James will have to become someone he claims is gone."

His amusement was clear in his face, same with Bucky's apprehension. You shook your head, wondering if he was ever going to let up on the guy, especially considering he's the reason Zemo was even seeing daylight. You quickly changed subject before the psycho could do a deep dive into Bucky's past opportunities to use as method acting.

"What about you?" Your criminal had changed into what you had to admit was a nice ass coat. He certainly looked at home in it.

"I have an old contact to reconnect with. James will be my protection." A car comes up the otherwise empty, lit up bridge. "No matter what happens, we have to stay in character. There is no margin for error; our lives depend on it."

No one said anything else, but there was no doubt everyone was on their guard. You figured it should be easy enough for you, as a faceless bodyguard. They're more seen and not heard, and it would give you the opportunity to be extra cautious of your surroundings without seeming suspicious.

The car drives into town, six motorcyclists surrounding the car closely as it entered the city. It followed the sound of music and chattering dwellers until you finally got to your drop point. And Zemo was right, you all truly fit right in. Your cover would've been blown the second you walked in, had everyone been wearing their American sneakers and hoodies.

You couldn't help noticing all the different things going on: exchanges of unfamiliar currency, exotic animals, traffic flow in and out of bars. Ominous spray paintings about some 'power broker' all over every other brick wall, people standing around with full on rifles flashed about like it either was their life insurance or merely a fashion accessory. But you didn't stare or make eye contact with anyone as you all walked through, maintaining a stone face. You were here on business after all.

"Wasn't expecting you, Smiling Tiger."

You stood adjacent to Sam at the bar, letting yourself look over the room now. Brass knuckles on fingers, and guns in raggedy holsters. It was a room full of paranoids. The bartender was no exception.

"His plans changed. We have business with Selby." Zemo answered for him.

With a nod, the bartender turned back to your boss. "The usual?"

With his best pimp face, presumably, Sam gave a silent nod. You tried with everything in you not to make a face of disgust or laughter as Sam stared at his snake-gut tainted drink.

"Ah, yes. Your favorite, Smiling Tiger."

"Mm... I love these..." He stalled, staring at the shot glass in hand. He hesitated a little too long, but eventually downed it in one swift motion, barely maintaining character as his face twisted. You didn't miss the satisfied nod from Bucky either, and had to restrain your lips from tugging up.

As the bartender tended to other patrons, you watch as a bearded man walks through the crowd, up to Zemo. "Got word from on high. The Power Broker don't welcome you here. None of you."

"We have no business with The Power Broker. But if he insists, he can either come and talk to me..." At this, Zemo gestures to his own guard.

"Get a new haircut?" The thug sneered, to which the soldier only remained stoic faced, like a blank slate. If you hadn't just spent the last day with him, observing him, the hint of uneasiness coming through his eyes might've been invisible to you.

"Or, you can take us to Selby for a chat."

He must've not known what to do with that response, between being challenged with The Winter Soldier, and following his boss' orders. Cleverly, he walked away. For now.

You eyed the group he retreated to, seemingly all interested in the infamous celebrity brought along with the baron. "What was that about?" You muttered, voice low.

"Seriously." Buck added, eyes shifting about. "A power broker? Really?"

"Every kingdom needs its king. Let's just pray we stay off of his radar."

"You know him?" Sam leaned on the bar, trying to look comfortable, but even as you continue sizing up room while tuning into the convo, you noticed the taste in his mouth still making him grimace.

"No. Only by reputation. Here he is judge, jury, and executioner.

Another man, bigger than first one sent, made his way over towards the group now. You turned from the bar to face him, but Zemo turned his back to him, and muttered something in German to the super soldier at his side. By the look on Barnes' face directed at Zemo, you could something unpleasant was about to go down. Zemo didn't make a move as Thug Number Two grabbed his well-clothed shoulder.

That poor hand was hardly even full grip before Bucky twisted it into his hold and walked the man away from the bar. He moved out to the open floor as the guy squirmed in pain. People began onlooking, but Barnes was looking back to Zemo with a glare of masked reluctance. Like he was about to do something he'd regret.

Your eyebrows raise slightly as the tension became palpable with that single gaze, before the beat down could even begin. And you watched, captivated as he took the man down in a single motion, like it was as effortless as snapping a toothpick. More of this Power Broker's followers foolishly came after him, and your first instinct was to step in, but Barnes didn't give any of them a second to breathe. The way he blocked every blow and returned it tenfold, sending men flying back, was somehow so undeniably smooth.

Maybe it shouldn't have been the spectacle it was to you, but when you saw him before he wasn't fighting. Just blew up the car you were in. And you could tell even during the truck top fight he was holding back. Now, he had plenty of motivation not to. And it was way too mesmerizing not to stare as he let loose. Even with the level of skill he brought to a bar fight with a bunch of low life thugs, it was like he was freaking indestructible.

Men kept coming from every angle. The former assassin swiftly kicked a table leg off its side, sending another to the floor, and kicked one other guy from behind him far back into the crowd without even looking in his direction.

"Damn," you whispered beneath your breath.

Onlookers emitted ooh's of secondhand pain as they watched the fight, if you could call it that. Some people were recording, and for a moment you worried of the risk of word getting out that The Winter Soldier is back.

"Didn't take long for him to fall into form," Zemo smiled from aside Sam, whose concerned face morphed into a glare. But you didn't even register as you watched Bucky take six men down so effortlessly in one spot, in a span of thirty seconds, no sweat. You had become captivated, even though violence wasn't something you were typically drawn to like this... He was certainly impressive when he did it.

Your focus only came back when Bucky singlehandedly picked up the first man from off the floor by the neck, marched back to bar and slammed his back on the tabletop. He was held down in a merciless chokehold, unmoving. That's when everyone decided to square up with their guns. Clearly this Power Broker had a lot of loyalists.

You stepped forward in front of Sam, fingers twitching and ready to catch some bullets if need be. Sam placed a hand on Buck's arm, but it was unclear whether it was for the gangster's sake, or Bucky's.

"Stay in character or the whole bar turns on us," Zemo whispers quickly, as if every gun in the place wasn't already trained on you. Sam slowly stepped back, but you ignored him as your eyes scraped over every gun in the crowd. Your palm tingled, already feeling out the mass of weaponized metal in the room. Maybe The Smiling Tiger's bodyguard didn't have metal-bending superpowers, but you weren't about to let a wall of bullets take this team down.

Zemo's hand slapped proudly onto Bucky's back. "Gut erledigt, soldat."

You heard a desperate gasping for air, but Barnes doesn't let the man go until the bartender looks at him with wide eyes. "Selby will see you now..."

Metal plates moved as Bucky released, and the henchman finally fell to your feet, coughing and gasping. When you looked up, the shifting features on Bucky's face coiled a knot in your stomach. Before it had been scrunched in deadly focus; intense and menacing. Now, there was shame and mortification. Like he had just woken up from a nightmare. It all happened so fast, and as the adrenaline wore off, you could see he wasn't ready to see what it felt like to step back into that role again.

"Thank you." Zemo smiled, following behind, taking no notice of what he had so much fun bringing about.

But Sam only watched the man who was breathing heavily with wide eyes. "You good?"

He looked to Sam, snapping out of his trance. His mouth shut, masking his true expression again. With a quick nod, and a sniff almost too subtle to miss, he marched after the baron. It did nothing to curve his overwhelming emotions, nor your desire to make sure he would be okay. But you only moved once Sam followed him too, and they all walked out unharmed.

"You should know, Baron. People don't just come into my bar and make demands." A blonde woman was draped along a couch when you walked in. "I thought you were rotting away in a German prison. How did you escape?"

"People like us always find a way, don't we?" Zemo makes himself comfortable across from her. Bucky stays by his side while you follow "Conrad" across the room. "I'm sure you've already figured out what I'm here for."

"You're taller than I'd heard, Smiling Tiger." She waves a finger towards where you and Samuel settle above them. Again, Sam only gives a curt nod, causing her to emit some sort of flirtatious growl. Satisfaction sets in her face upon seeing yours and Sam's disturbed expressions. "What's the offer?"

"Tell us what you know about the super-soldier serum..." Zemo arises from his chair, striding towards James. "And I give you him."

Your jaw tightened shut. He was already at it again, and that shit-eating smile on his lips forced you to resist the urge to roll your eyes. Who cares if it was strategy at this point, he was clearly enjoying the opportunity to torture Bucky while he had no choice but to be unresponsive.

"Along with the code words to control him, of course." He rasped, circling the offering. Personal space was of no concern as his gloved fingers cupped the soldier's taut face, as if he were a prized weapon to auction off. "He will do anything you want."

You couldn't explain the bubble of anger that ignited wildly in your stomach. Your fists clenched in your stance when you saw Bucky's embarrassment slipping through, and Zemo eating up every bit of it. You had no idea where it came from, but you had to resist your sudden urge to cross the room and choke out that shit-faced psychopath while he gripped Bucky's chin, for inflicting and relishing in this so much.

"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." Satisfied when Selby's eyes rake over the soldier, Zemo leaves Bucky alone, sitting back down in comfort as if he hasn't just offered to trade a person for information.

The woman couldn't tell, but it was clear enough to you the distress all over Bucky's face of having to stomach that as if he weren't completely aware of it.

"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. The Power Broker had him working on the serum, but... things didn't go as planned."

"Is Nagel still in Madripoor?"

"Ah ah, Baron. The breadcrumbs you can have for free. The whole bakery's gonna cost ya. And before you get all cute, don't think for a second you can find Nagel without me."

The sound of a vibration stopped the conversation. Everyone's eyes shoot over to Sam's pocket. You didn't move. He grabbed the phone and glanced at Selby, looking like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Everything in your mind just screamed at him to play it off better than he was now. It felt like you were looking at a little Sam from thirty years ago being berated by his mother.

You heard boots click and felt Selby moving closer to where you and Sam stood. You turned to see her stop beside you, and Bucky who was quietly following over behind her, ready to act.

You actually decided to remain calm, unlike Sam, since a phone call in itself wasn't anything to be suspicious of. But the way this lady moved about with wolfish eyes still kept your defensive sights set on her. A phone call was normal, and as his bodyguard used to being at his side, you had to play it off better than he was doing now, while still staying ready at his side.

"Answer it. On speaker." She gestures toward the guard behind the two of you who stood ready with a gun in his hands. When he moved closer and readied his finger over the trigger, you turned to him before he got any closer to Sam, daring him to make a move. He looked over your smaller form and didn't seem the least bit threatened at all.

"Hello?"

"Hey, um, we need to talk about the situation. It's been driving me nuts."

"What situation are you talking about exactly?"

"... Are you high? You know what situation, it's the only situation you and I have."

Oh. Must be his sister.

"What situation, Sarah? Say it!"

"The damn boat! And watch your tone. I may have let you slide at the bank but–"

"Huh, yeah the bank. Laundered so much money," he laughed obnoxiously, and you wanted so badly to facepalm. Oh God, Sam. "They'll come around."

"If that was the case then why'd they dog you out, big time?"

"Damn right I'm big time." He boasted, haughty. You were praying he'd receive your telepathic messages to just hang up the damn phone. But he kept going, his gaze turning dark when he delivered a pretty dramatic line– and pretty well actually. "You'll see, when I have that banker killed."

Okay, Sam, there are those acting skillssss.

You turned your head to sneak a peek at Selby who was walking around the room as she listened. She was eyeing James up and down, and then wandered behind an alert Zemo, running her finger along the back of his chair.

"Cas! What did I say about the Cheerios?! I don't have time for this– Sam, I'm sorry, lemme call you back."

"Sam?"

You sighed heavily.

"Who's Sam? Kill them!"

The giant guard pulls up his gun, and you lunge forward, grabbing it from his hands and hitting the butt of it on the side of his head swiftly. When he crumpled you turned with the barrel pointed to her, but her body was already dropping after another shot already barreled through the window and into her chest.

Bucky didn't miss a beat and took out the second guard, grabbing his firearm, too. Everyone moved toward the entrance at once, away from windows.

"What the hell was that?"

Sam pressed his back to the door as he looked at Selby's bleeding body on the floor. "Too many people know we came to see her, they're gonna try to pin this on us."

"We have a real problem. We need to go, now. Leave your weapons and follow my lead." Zemo rubbed his gloved hands together, actually seeming nervous. But the three of you still followed him out through a back exit, into an alleyway back outside. The plan must've been to get out of the area before anyone discovered what had happened. After that spectacle Bucky– well, The Winter Soldier made in the bar, everyone knows who was last to see Selby.

The four of you walked quickly, but unanimously tried to seem anything but suspicious as people passed by. It was only a few seconds before phones were buzzing and chiming all over after that. People looked around, and you had some idea of what the message must have said. Next thing you knew, you heard gunshots all around you, and the rest of your team broke into a sprint. Even more rounds followed your footsteps, just missing the four moving targets.

You and Zemo split off down a different way, acting on the same impulse since the shots came from behind and the two of you were in the back.

"I can't run in these heels!"

Sam and Bucky had run off straight ahead, missing the bullets as far as you could tell.

Motorcycles are flanking on the left, and you both make a hard veer to run down a path on the right. Only more men appear riding from that direction, too. You scramble to change course at the speed you're fleeing, leading Zemo on your heels through the only course left. The two of you moved swiftly between the market tables, luckily losing the pursuers that were closing in on the left. There was another opening at the end of this road, but with the cyclists converging on you from every direction it could just as easily be a dead end.

It didn't stop you from evading the men by sprinting that way, but you only caught up with Sam and Bucky also running into the back alley with their own group of attackers riding after them as well. All four of you reunited at once, boxed in while shots began firing at your partners.

"Shit!" You slide to a stop and your hands fly up. Rounds of lead speed towards them, but the array of bullets stop and hover just a foot away from them before they can make any contact. Seconds later, when the gunman saw their pointless efforts and the firing stopped, you dropped your arms, the wall of lead clinking at their feet.

The sound of more motorcycles coming to a stop behind you and the baron, along with firearms being cocked, caused you to whip around. Quickly, you reached a hand up and yanked it back with a grunt, lurching every one of their scooters from underneath them, and watching the men hit the ground.

Bucky watched slack-jawed as you revealed even more powers, taking down multiple shooters so effortlessly. Zemo wasn't exactly keeping his cool from beside you either.

Your ears perked when once again, guns clicked from behind you. "Take her down!"

You spin around in irritation, ready to rip them from their hands, but you didn't have to bother. Some hidden sniper fires shots on your attackers before you can, and they drop lifelessly to the ground as well.

Your hands lowered slowly as the others looked all around the alley, the fiery green energy dissipating. It seemed like invisible snipers had been following you all since you stepped foot in this place.

"We seem to have a guardian angel," Zemo commented aloud, then stopped searching amongst the upper levels to narrow the disgusted shock in his eyes on you. "And you seem to have some explaining to do."

"Well this is just too perfect."

A voice and figure finally emerged from the shadows behind Barnes and Wilson. Once she stopped between the motionless bodies and unhooded herself, you saw it was...

Well, you were finally beat. You had no idea who she was.

"Sharon?" Bucky breathed out.

"Drop it, Zemo." That gun rested well in her hands, and she had it set on the rake.

He slowly set the weapon on the ground, and you realized you didn't even know when or where he got it from.

"Sharon, wait." Sam held his hand out as she kicked it away, well out of the baron's reach while still pointing hers at his forehead.

"I lost everything because of you."

Zemo straightened very slowly, his hands in the air. He backed away, putting himself between you and Sam, who spoke again. "Someone recreated the super soldier serum, and Zemo had a lead."

She laughed, looking up at the sky incredulously for a moment. "That explains why you guys are here. And why Selby's dead."

"We didn't kill anybody." He clarified.

"Then someone must have framed you for it to get a lot of money. Welcome to Madripoor."

"What are you doing here?" Bucky cut in from beside you.

"I stole the shield, remember? I also stole the wings for your ass so you could save his ass from his ass," she swung the gun about, pointing it aggressively from Sam, to Bucky then Zemo.

"Okay, easy." You warned when the others tensed with guilt.

This shifted her attention to you. "I didn't think I'd ever meet you though. Then again I never thought you'd end up anywhere near these guys. Now how did that happen?"

"What are you talking about?" You shook your head, confused as to why she looked over you with such familiarity.

With a huff, Sharon finally lowered her gun. "You're Alex. Nick Fury's precious little niece."

"Say what?" Sam looked from her to you, but you only stared at her in confusion.

"... How do you know that?" There were only two other people on this planet who should've known about you and your Uncle's relation, and one was dead now. Neither of them included this Sharon, but they both at least knew better than to just go around saying it.

"He enlisted me to watch over you after you got in that car crash–" Fuck, STOP TALKING. You screamed mentally before she would reveal one of the other secrets you were keeping. You couldn't help but glance at Bucky whose eyebrows were creased in confusion. "He wanted me to make sure you didn't get into any trouble or draw attention with those nifty powers of yours. Of course, that only lasted two years until I went off the grid after helping you guys get all your weapons back."

It took you a moment to realize she was talking about the in fighting between the Avengers that happened two years after you went into hiding, but suddenly pieces of the past were starting to make sense. She watched over you for the two years you were in hiding from The Winter Soldier. After you found out Nick was a secret agent but before you knew it was in SHIELD, or what SHIELD even was. Two of those three years of constant paranoia at least made sense. There was someone watching you... They were just sent by a friend, not an enemy.

"Wait. You're Nick Fury's niece?!" Sam backtracked, stepping out of line to face you now.

You looked to Sam and opened your mouth to say something, though you had no idea what it was. Honestly your head was still wrapping around this complete stranger not only knowing you and your uncle, but spying on you for two whole years.

It's not like you would deny the truth to Sam, but you weren't used to being forced into admitting it either.

"Don't take it personally, Fury's always been the need to know kinda guy. I guess it's still not something they're telling people." At that remark your head rolled to look at her, to which she shook her head and shrugged. "My bad."

"And the surprises keep coming." Zemo drawled. "This one's sneakier than I thought."

Bucky had become quiet, his cheeks sinking inward when his jaw clenched. Nick Fury was one of many names that always pulled him back into guilt-ridden thoughts when mentioned around him. Only now, that guilt suddenly extended to you. A detail you completely missed since your focus was on Sharon.

"You spied on me for two years?"

"Just doing my job."

And all that time you spent convincing yourself it was just paranoia. You rationalized there was no way they could be surveilling you after their demise. Sure, you knew there was always a possibility of a rat or two escaping, but your old connections bent over backwards to make sure they'd never go after anyone ever again. It took many years for you to finally convince yourself it was all in your head. And apparently it still was, all that time before the car wreck and going into hiding. Now after finding out there was someone watching you, you didn't know whether to be disappointed in yourself or not for forcing yourself to ignore instincts for the sake of blissful denial.

Sam looked back and forth between you and Sharon for clarity. "You're telling me that Nick Fury... is an uncle."

"They come in all shapes and sizes. There's a reason he enlisted me to keep tabs on you. That is, right up until big time terrorist here blew up the UN Sokovia Accords meeting." She answered rather casually. "But unlike these guys I didn't have The Avengers to back me up, so, I'm off the grid in Madripoor."

"Hey, don't blow that smoke at me, I was on the run, too."

"Yeah, was. Big difference. I haven't spoken to my family in years. I can't. My own father doesn't know where I am." Anguish dashed her eyes, causing Sam to back off.

"Look, Sharon..." Bucky spoke up again, more timid now. "We need your help." She laughed incredulously, and even though you didn't exactly like the idea, you became more distracted by the pleading expression breaking through the barrier of Bucky's features. "Please."

Sharon was looking up at the sky and shaking her head, as if she could see the cruel god so amused by her life. "This isn't over...” Her eyes cut at Zemo specifically. “I have a place in High Town where you can lay low for a while."

She didn't need any more discussion before turning away and walking down the alley. Bucky was the first to follow. There was a reflective silence as one by one, the group followed the third impromptu addition to the team. You don't miss her he glance Sam couldn't help giving you before pushing Zemo along ahead of him. It seemed that matter was dropped for now, but you knew you would have to acknowledge this later.

You just hoped she couldn't unbury anything else from your past.

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