Chapter 1
Zemo held his gun up to Karli, having awaited her to make her escape after everything went pear-shaped. The look of shock in the girl's eyes was present as he fired, hitting his mark in her abdomen. She instantly turned and ran for cover, Zemo chasing after her firing two more shots. He missed, but his determination wouldn't let him stop. He was close to finishing his mission and wouldn't let the opportunity slip from him.
Karli quickly ducked behind a table, knocking it over, causing the contents to fall to the floor and scatter. Zemo approached her as she peaked from the table before taking another shot, his eyes moving from her to the blue vials around him. He glanced from her to the vials, then back.
" Is this what I think it is?" Zemo asked sternly, aware he was sure what it was already.
He went to kneel and pick one of the vials up, observing it with evident hatred on his face. This was the serum. The serum he had worked so hard to destroy previously when he hunted down all of HYDRA. The serum Karli had now so graciously put in the palm of his hands. He gave the girl a smug smile, glad he could now finish what he had begun and end this attempt at a revolution. Without a second thought, he threw the vial down and began to destroy the rest. He stomped on them with vigorous intent, paying no mind to Karli, who made her exit. He needed to finish this first. He needed to ensure that no one would have the chance to abuse such power again.
" What the hell are you doing?!" he heard a familiar voice shout near him, turning to be grabbed by his collar suddenly and shoved to the wall.
He would be face to face to see the one and only John Walker, the new Captain America. Although, Zemo would never trash the name with this wannabe hero.
" I did what needed to be done," Zemo stated sharply, his expression blank and unreadable as he stared at the pure hatred emanating from Walker.
The two continued staring down until Walker's attention was taken off the man, looking to the side and the floor. Zemo's gaze followed, eyes widening at the last vial of super soldier serum lying there. Zemo mentally cursed himself for missing it before focusing on Walker, who looked enamored.
" Don't you dare try it, John," Zemo stated threateningly, only for Walker to simply glare back at him.
" Or what?" The man taunted back with a smirk, believing he had control of the situation.
With this, Zemo took a breath before going into action, using his foot to kick Walker's knee to force him off balance and release Zemo to compose himself. The single window allowed the man to elbow Walker in the face before reaching for the vial to destroy it before the other could get it. Before he could fully achieve it, however, John tackled him, ending up hitting the extensive pipe system in the room. Zemo was now on the defensive, dodging each attempted punch and the shield's hit.
" Damn you, you rat!" John grumbled as they fought, Zemo going on the offensive as he went to return the hits causing John to step back a bit, only for Zemo to be surprised as he was clocked and knocked to the floor. Zemo took a second, trying to recuperate his thoughts as he slowly got up just in time to see the serum in Walker's hands. He had removed the cover revealing the needle, preparing to inject it.
" No, you don't!" Zemo growled, going to interrupt the man by attempting a tackle of his own. Time seemed to slow down as he rammed Walker into the wall. The sudden movement caused Walker to end up injecting Zemo in the back with the serum, the man stumbling back a bit as he felt the serum work its way through his body. Zemo felt a bit displaced, giving Walker an opportunity as he used his shield to knock Zemo out cold. The man landed on his front, the syringe visible in his back as the others soon began to tumble into the room.
Bucky and Sam stood at the stairwell Karli had escaped from, staring at the scene below them as Lemar came in from one of the several hallways that led to this corridor.
"what did we miss?" Sam asked as they looked through the room, the two men's eyes landing on Zemo and the vial stuck to his back.
The two came down and went to look over Zemo. He seemed alright for the most part; Bucky would pull the syringe from Zemo's back.
" What was in this?" Bucky asked Sam as he stood, the two looking around at the mess of glass and blue liquid on the floor.
It took the two a second before they came to the same conclusion—the serum.
" uh oh," Sam mumbled as they both looked down at their current companion. The one man who hated super-soldiers and the serum the most was now infected with its powers and himself a super-soldier.
This made Bucky instantly turn to Walker, glaring at him, saying," Did you do this?? How the hell did this happen??"
He walked up to Walker, about to grab him, until Sam held his shoulder back to rein him in.
" Whoa, whoa, whoa, Bucky, let's calm down!" Sam told his friend before glaring at John," You deserve an explanation on why that stuff is in him."
Walker was unsure how to go about this situation. He couldn't tell them he was after the serum himself, and Zemo had interrupted him. He had to make something up.
" He was after Karli, and i saw him start destroying the serums. He saw me approaching and we had a scuffle. I found one and he attacked me. When we fought, it somehow got in him." Walker stated, doing his best to lie by omission so the other two wouldn't catch on.
The two men looked suspicious of Walker but decided to focus more on their primary asset, who was currently down and out.
" We're done here," Sam stated as Bucky went to pick up Zemo, carrying him bridal style as it was the easiest way.
The two would head out, not wanting to spend time listening to a word he said, much less be in his presence.
As the two walked back to the safe house, both men were heavy-hearted. The silence was palpable, and they knew they would have to bring this up one way or another, so Sam decided to start them off.
" How are we gonna tell him?" Sam asked, a look of concern on his face as they walked.
" Tell him what?"
Sam looked at Bucky, surprised by the response, scoffing before saying," That he has the serum running in him now?? The one thing he despises? The one reason he even came to help us in the first place? What do you think this will do to a man like Zemo?"
Bucky would pause, looking down at the resting man in his arms and thinking it over. What would this do to Zemo? From what they've seen of him, he has simply been acting out for a single goal, which he had partly succeeded in but now suffers as the one thing he hated. He didn't want the serum. It was forced on him in a sense. Just like it was forced on himself. Bucky shook the thoughts off. Thinking about them being similar gave them some connection, one that Bucky did not need right now in the middle of this mission.
" We'll figure it out later. Let's, focus on getting him back up." Bucky stated, gesturing to the sleeping body in his arms.
Sam would calm a bit at his friend's words, going to give a slight nod and muttering in agreement as they made their way back to the safe house. Inside, the two men would get Zemo settled onto the couch. Bucky would take the liberty of helping the Baron out of the jacket and onto the sofa carefully while Sam would go and lie a towel on his head. The man would have one hell of a headache when he woke up.
The two men went their separate ways for now, Sam on his laptop while Bucky was out to do some patrolling and speak to Walker.
It didn't take long before Zemo awoken, his arms and legs cringing at being in the darkness as he slowly tried to sit up, only for the pain to keep him on his back. One of the first things he realized was that everything felt a bit... more. The world was a bit louder, and he could feel something different with him. He didn't enjoy knowing that.
" Morning, sleepyhead." Sam mused from where he sat," Get some beauty sleep?"
" If having an overwhelming headache count as rest, then perhaps i did." Zemo shot back, grumbling a bit as he adjusted himself," If you could, can i get some of the whiskey kept in the cabinet?"
Sam looked over to Zemo, taking a second as he was about to retort before remembering what he saw. He could hold off on the remarks for a bit.
" Sure." He sighed, going to pour out some whiskey in a glass cup before going to hand it to Zemo. He laid the bottle on the table in case the man wanted more, and the two sat silently.
Zemo took a bit to remember what had happened. He had destroyed the serums; John Walker entered the scene, a fight, the last of the serum, and finally passed out. As he realized why everything felt more to him, he worked on trying to keep himself steady. The man grumbled, making Sam perk up and glance over to Zemo.
" You okay there, Zemo?" Sam asked with some concern, finding himself slightly disgusted at the notion of his tone.
Zemo stayed silent for a while, his expression grim, before saying," I'm fine... Sam. Just fine."
It was clear Zemo did not want to bring up what had happened, the man seeming stiff as he lay there. Zemo couldn't work with the silence that filled them after that. Despite the silence, everything felt so loud. He winced for a second before trying to keep his expression neutral.
Look at you, becoming what you always hated. What a cruel irony.
The man shook his head a bit at the thought. Where had it come from? He decidedly didn't want to be left with his thoughts and his disgust at the moment, so he decided to switch his focus on the only other person here with him, Sam.
" Were you ever offered it?"
"What?"
" The serum."
" no."
There was a moment of silence before Zemo continued.
" If you had been, hypothetically, that is, would you have taken it?"
" No."
The resolute of Sam's voice made Zemo smirk just a tiny bit. This solidified Sam in his mind. He was a good man. A little over-optimistic, but overall he was a kind heart—one different from himself and Bucky.
" No hesitation. That's impressive." The man complimented him before slowly removing the towel with a groan. The pain gradually subsided, thankfully. The man was thankful for the alcoholic beverage helping soothe it, albeit not much.
He glanced at Sam the best he could from his position before attempting to reason with Sam about their person of interest.
" Sam, you can't hold out hope for Karli." This got a slight eye roll from Sam," No matter what you saw in her, she's gone, and we cannot allow that she and her acolytes become yet another faction of gods amongst real people. Super Soldiers cannot be allowed to exist."
" Isn't that how gods talk?" Sam pointed out, Zemo now pondering at Sam's words," And if that's how you feel, what about Bucky?"
What about Bucky? That was a question that lingered in the Baron's mind. Throughout this trip, Zemo learned much about the ex-Winter Soldier and his falcon friend on their little escapade, and as much as the three would like to believe nothing had been formed, something was there. A bond they created. One that was especially growing stronger between the Baron and Super Soldier. Before, he would have believed that Bucky would have deserved the same fate as the other soldiers, but now? Especially knowing his past. Zemo would think of Bucky as the exception. Another outlier in one of his several cases.
" Speaking of which, what about you?" Sam brought up, making the man completely freeze, his expression turning from pondering to blank.
The Baron would sit up at this, look to the floorboards beneath his feet as he thought. What of him? He was now an unwilling participant in being a Super Soldier, but still one nonetheless. This made the man give a low scoff. How much further could he stoop? He had already fallen so low since the fall of his country and the destruction of his family, and now his morals were slowly being chipped away by this situation. He tilted his head to the side a bit, still lost on an answer to Sam. Zemo closed his eyes for a moment. Everything was too loud in his head. Sam looked at Zemo, trying to read the man's eyes, seeing some lost look in them, making Sam feel a little bad for him.
Look how he pities you. Weak.
Zemo shook his head once more, trying to keep his thoughts at bay. They were becoming dangerous very quickly.
Bucky would then enter the room, interrupting them all with a grim look as he took off his jacket and headed straight for the cabinets.
" Something's not right with Walker." He stated as he got himself a glass of some strong alcohol.
Sam huffed at this, a smirk appearing on his face saying," You don't say?"
" Well, i know crazy when i see one." Bucky replied, sipping from his poured glass," Because I'm crazy."
" can't argue with that," Sam hummed, Bucky's eyes slowly moving to the Baron, sitting up and looking at him.
" You alright there, Zemo?" The man asked, with a curious expression and, what Zemo thought to be, was a hint of concern.
Zemo turned to look at his lap as he played with his hands to take the tension off him, saying with a small smile looking back to Bucky," I'm fine, James."
" You sure? You don't want to talk about it?" James offered, his voice softening as all their attention went to Zemo.
Usually, the man would revel in it, but here, with his current... situation. He felt vulnerable, and he despised it. In full honesty, after everything they had been through, he thought of it. He believed it would relieve him of some of his thoughts, but he knew his place here. He was simply an asset for them to use until his time was up. He didn't need to give them anything because once they finished here, they wouldn't be seeing each other again.
Hiding as always.
He grumbled a bit, trying to blink away the voice. Why was it so loud? Hell, why was everything so loud?? Everything felt like too damn much, so he decided to try and downplay it. They didn't truly need him, and he didn't need to rely on them.
" I understand the worry you two must have for me, and i must say i do appreciate it." He began as he glanced between the two with a polite smile, attempting to divert their concern for him," However, there is no need. I feel fine."
Before they could continue, the door was kicked in, drawing all their attention to John Walker and his friend, Zemo wincing a bit at the abrupt nature of the volume.
" All right. That's it. Let's go." Walker stated, clearly upset," I'm now ordering you to turn him over."
Bucky glanced at Zemo, who had a stern expression, going to pick up both his glass and the bottle before moving to a more secluded side of the room. Everything now truly did feel loud, the man wincing a bit as he made his way to the small dining table to try to avoid Walker's sight. Bucky would follow Zemo's figure, noticing his small movements and expressions. It was clear Zemo was not feeling okay, and clearly, this little... commotion was not helping them. He understood that Zemo must have felt overwhelmed, along with some sort of side effect from the serum. He had begun to try and go to Zemo to try and help him through it, only to perk up at Walker.
" should i put down the shield? Make it fair?" John taunted, going to place the said shield down before a spear suddenly separated the two.
This made Bucky stop what he was doing, realizing it was the Dora Milaje now following suit. The day just kept getting better and better. Zemo looked from Bucky and then over to Ayo, who stood firm behind Walker, speaking to Bucky. This had Zemo riled up a bit, taking a sip of his whiskey to soothe himself. Bucky sighed at this, knowing he would have to talk to Ayo about Zemo to find a way to help the man. Zemo leaned his weight on the table a bit, still cautiously watching Ayo and Walker with bated breath waiting to see when the chaos would break loose.
" Look, i think we got off on the wrong foot." Walker attempted to please, only to set off a chain of events resulting in him getting beaten down by the women.
The three men would watch as John got his ass kicked, Bucky and the Baron finding it amusing. Bucky would sigh at the results, Sam looking tired. Zemo's eyes followed their every move, keeping up with everything as he felt his anxiety heighten all of a sudden. He felt extremely antsy, and it bothered him.
" We should do something," Sam stated to Bucky, the Baron now being able to hear them easily despite their distance and the commotion thanks to the serum.
" looking strong, John." Bucky teased, getting a slight smirk from Zemo, who took another sip from his whiskey before putting it down.
Bucky would glimpse the smirk, smirking himself as he was drawn to how the Baron reacted to his little quip.
" Bucky," Sam stated, getting upset. The man sighed before muttering a 'fine' and went to attempt to stop Ayo and her team from practically killing John.
Zemo looked a bit concerned as the two men joined the fight. He felt unsure of it all and contemplated helping. His two companions had done a lot for him, and in return, he hoped to be able to do the same, but this situation made him feel a bit out of it to help. Not to mention he was in no headspace to help. He opted to take his leave, going to sneak his way out through the bathroom, planning to find his way back to the two later. He would move the tub and found it extremely easy, making the man cringe a bit when he thought about his strength. As he looked to the tunnel, right as he was about to head down, he found his coat folded neatly set aside. This made the man smile a bit as he took it before making his way out.
Bucky grunted as he attempted to ward off Ayo's attack, trying to reason with her as he grabbed her spear to stop her. In return, however, she did some techniques resulting in his arm coming off.
<< Bast damn you, James>> she stated sternly to him before checking the bathroom where Zemo had disappeared, only for him to be gone.
With Zemo gone, the women began to take their leave.
" Did you know they could do that?" Sam asked as he slowly got up.
" No..." Bucky sighed as he put his arm back on before going to chase after Ayo," Ayo, wait! Can we please talk this out?!"
Ayo would turn, an unamused look on her face as she faced Bucky as he approached her with a slightly desperate expression.
" Listen, I know what Zemo did, and I know you and all of Wakanda want him to pay for his crimes," James began," But right now, Zemo is unstable due to the serum running in his blood, and his mind is not in the right place with it. Taking him back right now would be a death sentence for him, and you know it. Just... Give me some time with him. Let me talk to him and see if I can help him. It's partly my fault he's like this."
Ayo would take a moment to think of his request. Bucky was unable to read her as she thought thoroughly. She would soon look to Bucky, causing the man to straighten up.
" That man ruined our country and destroyed our honor." She began, stating the most present facts about the man they wished to have back in custody," You may be correct on his current situation. However, our people want justice. We will be searching for him. If you wish to find a solution, i suggest looking higher. Perhaps they would give you an offer that you may work with."
She would then be off with her group, leaving Bucky to sigh softly in relief at her response. He would head back to Sam, giving him a slight smile.
" You alright?" Bucky asked, concerned about how Sam came out from the scuffle.
" yea, just peachy," Sam sighed, glaring at Walker and Lemar as they went to see the little escape hole Zemo had left through," Can't believe he pulled an El Chapo."
" I can..." Bucky sighed as he stared at him," Say, Sam... I need your help with something."
" Besides looking for the fancy rat?" Sam jabbed, shaking his head in exhaustion," What you need?"
" I... I need your help with getting Wakanda off of Zemo for a bit."
" Bucky, no, no, no-"
" Come on, Sam. I just need you to put in a good word with me, please. You saw how Zemo was before this happened. He's not okay, and currently, he's out there with no guidance on how to deal with the powers he never asked for."
" And what? When we hand him over, they can deal with him. We have enough on our plate as is, and we don't need an unstable terrorist whose morals are busted because of his superpowers joining us."
" Sam. This is my fault and- And i can't just leave him like this. He's my responsibility Sam, and I'm probably the only person here who can even try to help him through this. I'm pleading with you, Sam. Please, just help me with getting a good word in. I'll do everything else."
Sam had a complex expression, a mix of anger and uncertainty. He really didn't want to stick his neck out for their criminal companion, but he couldn't really deny Bucky. Not to mention he did have a point. Since the man woke up, Zemo was clearly out of it, and leaving him alone was definitely a bad decision with no guidance on how to navigate his struggles. He could do this for Bucky.
" Yea, yea, alright. I can talk to them with you." Sam sighs, gaining a small smile from Bucky.
" Thanks. I owe you." Bucky thanked, going to a firm hand grab with Sam.
" Don't worry about it." Sam hummed," We're partners, as much as I hate to admit it."
"Let's go look for Zemo to see if he hasn't gone far before everything." Bucky nodded, heading out with Sam to search for Zemo.
After some time of searching, however, Sam got a call. Bucky was able to hear it with his super hearing, his concern covered by his anger and determination to help his friend.
Sam would hang up, the stress and worry written all over his face saying," Karli wants to meet. She left a contact number."
He would receive a notification and a text, looking at it before going back to Bucky.
" She said to come alone."
" I'm coming with you," Bucky responded, leaving no room for argument.
They both knew Zemo was a high priority as well, but this was more pressing. They would simply hope Zemo could forgive them as they went to meet with Karli.