Laying Low

You all walk into a building with paintings and statues.

Sam: Looks like breaking all those laws is treating you well.

Sharon: I thought if I had to hustle, might as well enjoy the life of a real hustler. You know how much I'll get for a real Monet.

Sam: Deactivate your hustle mode. You make real Monets.

Zemo: No, she means real. This gallery specializes in stolen artworks. Monet. Van Gogh. Classics.

Bucky: It's true. You know, half the artworks in museums like the Lourve are fake. Real stuff sits in places like this. 

Sam: Okay, guys, I see what you're doing. You're more worldly than good old Sam.

You: Yeah, what does google say.

Sam: No shit.

Sharon: You guys need to get changed. I'm hosting clients in an hour. 

You are now wearing this. And the same boots as before.

Sam: What's going on Sharon? You don't ever want to come back home?

Sharon: They'll lock me up if I step foot back in the states. Madripoor doesn't allow extradition.

Sam: Look, I'm sorry I didn't call. But after The Blip and the chaos, I just...

Sharon: You know the whole thing is a joke, right. Just like the way you gave up that shield, deep down you know it was wrong.

You: He knows. And not so deep down.

You are sitting on the couch across from Bucky drinking a bottle of Gin.

Sharon: By the way, how is the new Cap?

Bucky: Don't get me started.

Sharon: Please. You bye into all that stars and stripes bullshit. Before you were his pet psychopath, you were Mr. America! Cap's best friend. 

Bucky: Wow, she's kind of awful now.

You: Come on, hasn't she always.

Sam: Karli Morganthou and 7 others have taken the serum.

Sharon: You guys should really steer clear all of this is for your own safety.

Sam: We know it's a risk, but we won't leave until we find the one who cracked the code.

You: We got a name, Wilfred Nagel.

Sharon: Nagel works for the Power Broker.

Sam: We need your help Sharon, I can get your name cleared.

Sharon: You handling with my life?

Sam: Not like that.

Sharon: I don't buy that. You pretending you can clear my name.

Sam: Okay, maybe it is hypocrisy. Maybe you're right. What happened to you. But I'm willing to try if you are. They cleared the bionic staring machine and the stubborn, hot sword girl, and they killed almost everyone they met.

Bucky: We heard that.

Sharon: I don't trust charity.

Sam: Alright a deal then. You help us out and I'll get your name cleared.

Sharon: Well I sell to some pretty connected people. Lay low, blend in, and enjoy the party. Try to stay out of trouble. I'll see what I can find.

Zemo: Trouble.

You all walk into the party and you walk over to get a cocktail. Then you walk to where everyone's dancing and you join them. You're holding your glass in the air, Bucky spots you and walks over to you. He pulls you to the side where Sam is.

Bucky: What's that?

You: A cocktail, why?

Bucky: No, no, no. You just had a whole bottle of Gin, and we can't have you drunk for our mission.

He takes it out of your hands and you whine like a 5-year-old. He puts the glass down and you go back and dance without your drink.

Sharon: Hey, guys, I found him. 

Sam: Here we go.

-Container Area-

Sharon: Container 4-2-6-1. I'll keep an eye out while you guys talk to Nagel. But hurry. We're on borrowed time.

She gives everyone earpieces and you all put them in and Sharon walks off.

Sam: Hey, Sharon, you sure this is the right one? It's empty.

Sharon: Positive. It has to be.

You walk in first then Sam, Zemo, and then Bucky. Zemo walks to the back wall and pushes it open discovering a secret staircase. You can hear music being played you look at every one. Sam and Bucky grab their guns and you take your swords. Sam walks up first, Zemo, Bucky then you, Bucky looks back at you and you nod at him. You are all holding your weapons ready to fight.

Sam looks over at you and Bucky. You and Bucky stop while Zemo and Sam keep walking towards the man.

Sam: Dr. Nagel?

Nagel: Who are you? What do you want?

Sam: We know you created the super-soldier serum.

Nagel: Get out of my lab.

Sam: Hey!

Nagel walks over to where you and Bucky are not knowing your presents. He gasps and stops when he sees you 2. You both stare at him intimidatingly.

Sam: You know who they are, right? This is Baron Zemo. I know you've heard of him too, right? You seem like a pretty smart guy. So you better become conversational real quick.

Nagel: How about a counter proposal? Make me a better offer and I'll talk.

(Through earpiece)Sharon: Guys we got compony.

You put one sword back into its holster and grab him by the forearm and pull him to a chair in the room and sit him in it.

You: I think the fact that you're in a room with 3 of the world's deadliest people is a good enough reason, don't you?

Sharon says something into the earpiece. You grab a knife out of

Bucky holds a gun up to his head and you take out a pocket knife from your boot and flip it in your hand, then look at it to Nagel and back the knife.

Nagel: I was brought into HYDR's Winter Soldier program to pick up their work, after the 5 failed test subjects in Siberia. When HYDRA fell, I was recut by the CIA. They had blood samples from an American test subject with semi-stable traces of serum in his system. After much labor, I was able to isolate the necessary compounds in his blood. I was a god. I did what no other scientists since Erskine was able to do.

You saw Zemo walk to a table but looked back to Nagel

Nagel: But mine was going to be different. No clunky machines or jacked-up bodies. Mine was going to be subtle, optimized, perfect.

Sam: How have we never heard of this?

Nagel: Because... Before I was able to finish my work, I was turned to dust. Then I returned, it was 5 years later, the program had been abandoned, so I came here. The Power Broker was more than happy to fund the recreation of my work.

Sam: How many vials did you make?

Nagel: 20. Karli Morganthou stole those, so... I can only imagine what the Power Broker has planned for that poor girl.

You: Where's Karli now?

Nagel: I don't know where she is. But a couple of days ago, she called and asked if I could help someone named Donya Madani. The poor woman has tuberculosis. Typical of overpopulated in displacement camps like that.

Sam: Well, what happened to her?

Nagel: Not my pig. Not my farm.

Bucky: Is there any serum in this lab?

He doesn't respond, so you put the pocket knife on his neck it slightly poking his skin.

Nagel: No.

Bucky: Now what?

You pull the knife away and stand next to Bucky. Sharon runs into the room.

Sharon: Guys we're seriously out of time.

Zemo shoots Nagel.

 Sam: No!

Sam pushes his shoulder against a wall and Sharon holds the arm with the gun.

You: What did you do?

One wall of the container blows up and everyone falls to the ground you falling next to him.. Zemo runs out while everyone groans in pain.

Sam: Anyone seen Zemo?

Bucky gets up then helps you stand up. He then helps Sharon and you help Sam.

Bucky: Let's go.

You all make it out just before the container blows up.

Bucky: All right! Wait for my signal! Damn it.

Everyone else has guns but you, so you do what you can and throw little pocket knives at people.

You: And you like living here?

Sharon: It's not terrible.

Bucky: Ah! I thought we were going to go left?

Sam: You went the wrong way!

Bucky: I was clearing the way.

Sam: I came out first. You had to follow me.

Bucky: And where are we now?

You: Guys, nows not the time!

Sharon: I'm out!

Bucky: This is a barricade.

Sam: It's in every action movie!

A gas pipe blows up in front of you and you all crouch behind stuff. You all try and make out who is shooting all the people.

Bucky: Go.

Sharon: Come on. Let's go.

You and Sam follow Bucky and Sharon. People are shooting at you 4 while you run. When a bullet goes past your head, Sharon and Sam go into the closest container while you grab your swords and Bucky grabs a pole.

Sam: Buck! Y/n!

You stab one and Bucky throws the pole through the other person's shoulder.

Sam: Let's go.

He pulls you and Bucky inside and closes the door behind you. Bucky punches open the back wall of the container and then a car pulls up with Zemo in it.

Zemo: Supercharged.

Sam: You're going back to jail.

Zemo: Do you want to find Karli or not?

Bucky: He's right. We need him. There is 3 of us and at least 20 of them.

Sam: Fine. But if you try any of that stuff again...

Zemo: I wouldn't dream of it.

Sharon: Well, that was one reunion.

Sam: Come back to the States with us.

Sharon: I can't. Just get me that pardon you promised me.

Sam: Thanks for everything.

You sit in the middle and Sam in the back with you, while Bucky sits in the passenger seat.

Sam: You're not going to move your seat up, are you?

Bucky: No.

You giggle and Zemo drives off.

-On Zemo's Plane-

(On the phone)Sam: Donya Madani. She's a refugee, yeah.

Torres: Okay, I'm on it.

Sam: Okay. Call me if you get a hit.

Torres: I will.

Sam: Thanks, Torres.

He hangs up. Bucky is whipping his hand with a cloth, and you are trying to redo your hair without a brush.

You: Ah!

Bucky: What.

You: My hair...ow.

Bucky: Come here.

You stand up and sit by his feet. You give him your elastic. 3 minutes later you go the bathroom to look at your hair, you come out with a shocked expression. 

You: When did you learn how to do a waterfall.

Bucky: You remember that little girl at HYDRA?

You: Yeah. The girl with memory loss. Tiffany.

Bucky: Yeah. Well, every day when we trained together she would come 10 minutes early with her hair down so I taught myself how to do it.

You: Thank you, Bucky.

He nods.

Sam: Hey, I was just thinking about everything Sharon had to go through. And Nagel referring to the American test subject like Isaiah wasn't even a real person. Just makes me wonder how many people have to get steamrolled to make way for this real hunk of metal.

Bucky: Well, it depends on who you ask. That hunk of metal saved lots of lives.

Sam: Yeah, I get that. All right. Maybe I made a mistake.

You: You did.

Sam: Yeah. Maybe I shouldn't have put it in a museum. I should have destroyed it.

Bucky: Look, that shield represents a lotta thing to a lotta people, including us. The world is upside down, and we need a new Cap, and it ain't going to be Walker. So before you go and destroy it. I'll take it from him myself.

You: We, we will.

Sam's phone rings you can't hear who it is or what he is saying be you assume it's Torres, then Sam finishes the call within 30 seconds.

Sam: They found Madani... Dead. She died in Riga, a city near the Baltic sea.

Zemo: I have a place we can go. I, for one, am looking forward to coming face to face with Karli. Oesnik, we're changing the course

-Riga-

Zemo: I heard what became of Sokovia. Cannibalized by its neighbors before the land was cleared of rubble, erased from the map. I don't suppose any of you bothered to visit the memorial?

You all stay silent.

Zemo: Of course not. Why would you? We are here.

Bucky: I'm gonna go on a walk.

You: You okay?

Bucky: Yeah, I'll see you guys in a bit.

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WORD COUNT:   2134

(Thank you all for reading my story!!)

- Charlie Rogers