Who's that?
It’s evident that things have been rough. The strain is clear on each and every face.
Each week, they get what appears to be promising intel, and they chase it, only to end up beating some low-grade agents that Hydra probably doesn’t even know they have.
What agitates them the most, particularly Tony is that they have no idea what they’re looking for. The only certainty is that Hydra is plotting something significant, but they can’t seem to wrap their mind around it.
As they enter the meeting room, the frustration that hangs over each of them is palpable. Bucky takes a seat next to Steve, while Natasha secures the one on the opposite side. Her right cheek is bruised, and a greenish colour resembling the shape of a gun’s back is forming. She probably killed the guy who held the gun. Yet, there’s still no positive news.
Steve seems to zone out for a few minutes, coming back to reality with the sound of everyone discussing the events that transpired a few hours ago. But then he doesn’t bother to follow the conversation. It’s clear that they got nothing from today except some bruises and a few Hydra agents in custody.
“Sir, I found something that could be of interest,” announces JARVIS in his robotic British accent, jolting everyone out of their thoughts.
“Show me,” responds Stark, his tone a mix of concern and curiosity.
The entire screen at the end of the meeting room fills with footage from security cameras. The videos are from different places and on different dates. There’s footage from the Sokovia Building, Times Square, the Lagos facility, and more.
One thing is common in each frame: a woman.
JARVIS breaks the silence again. “She appears to be present at every location where you fought against Hydra. Her face is always hidden. She consistently stays at the edge of the battlefield, never intervening. I tried to search the Hydra database for similarities, but found no match.”
“Thank you, JARVIS,” Tony acknowledges, his tone now calmer.
“So what, we had a Hydra mouse tailing us all these years and none of us even noticed?!” The anger in Bucky’s voice is evident.
Nat intervenes, “We do not know if she’s Hydra. If she’s so skilled that we didn’t notice her shadowing us, they wouldn’t just let her sneak around without at least attempting to kill one of us.”
“But if she’s not with them, then who the hell is she?” Sam asks, sounding extremely weary.
“If we discovered her, so did Hydra. Perhaps she wasn’t there for us, but for them,” Steve suggests, even as his attention remains focused on the screen.
“Or maybe for both of us,” sighs Bucky.
“I guess we should bring in your long-standing Sokovian friend and ask him a few questions,” Tony suggests.
At those words, Bucky stands rigid, both his hands pressed against the glass table.
Clint, who has been silent until now, looks between the two, clearly confused. “Who?”
“Zemo,” Nat replies quietly as she exits the room.