in which keela blake reunites with an old lover of hers and dives head first into chaos.
fem!oc
tfatws
highest: #1 in thefalcon
: #2 in supersoldier
: #4 in tfatws
THE FOUR ADULTS walk out into the air field with the sun peaking out through the clouds and shining down on them, reflecting off of a pristine white private jet that can be seen resting before their eyes. An elderly man is already located at the bottom of the steps, ready to welcome them aboard and wish them safe travels on their adventure. The engine is already up and running as the powerful air blasts through the air surrounding them.
"All this time you've been rich?" Sam questions, eyes wide with amazement.
"I'm a Baron, Sam." Zemo states. "My family was royalty until your friends destroyed my country."
Zemo walks up to the man dressed formally in a black suit with white gloves, the pair speaking Russian to one another. They do a greeting of kisses on the cheek before smiling at one another, it being obvious that the elderly man is happy to see that Zemo is back and out of jail.
The other three remain silent as this takes place, unsure of what to do as they're putting their trust into Zemo and are just following his lead. Speaking of which, they notice him walking once again and they proceed to follow him up the stairs where they then enter the cabin of the aircraft. Each of them take the seats they silently declared as theirs, making themselves feel welcomed and comfortable — Bucky makes sure that Keela is sat beside him but opposite to Sam, meaning she's the furthest away from Zemo.
"Why don't you tell us about where we're going?" Sam suggests.
"I'm sorry. I was just fascinated by this." Zemo says, his eyes glued to a notebook in his hands. "I don't know what to call it, but this part seems to be important. Who is Nakajima?"
Bucky leaps out of his chair in an instant, lurching forwards where his hand forcefully wraps around Zemo's throat. Anger races through Bucky's body at the fact something so personal was said aloud like nothing, almost taunting him about his past as if it's some kind of joke. This takes the man by surprise, leaning back in his seat as he tries to swallow a lump in his throat but is stopped by his airways being trapped shut by the strangulation happening.
"If you touch that again, I'll kill you." Bucky threatens as he snatches the book back.
"I'm sorry." Zemo apologises once Bucky takes his seat once again. "I understand the list of names. People you've wronged as the Winter Soldier."
"Don't push it." Bucky warns.
"I've seen that book before." Sam states.
"Really? From where?" Keela asks.
"It was Steve's when he came out of the ice." Sam replies. "I told him about Trouble Man and he wrote it in that book. Did you hear it? What did you think?"
Bucky shrugs. "I like '40s music, so..."
"You didn't like it?" Sam questions, his voice slightly raised and sounding offended.
"I liked it." Bucky replies.
"It is a masterpiece, James." Zemo adds. "Complete. Comprehensive. It captures the African-American experience."
"He's out of line, but he's right." Sam agrees. "It's great! Everybody loves Marvin Gaye. Steve adored him."
"You talk about Steve a lot, you must've really looked up to him." Zemo says. "But I realised something when I met him. The danger with people like him, America's super-soldiers, is that we put on pedestals."
"Watch your step, Zemo." Keela warns.
"They become symbols, icons. And then we start to forget about their flaws. From there, cities fly and innocent people die. Movements are formed and wars are fought." Zemo continues. "You remember that right, James?"
Bucky remains silent, staring out of the window beside him.
"A young soldier flown away from his lover and over to Germany to stop a mad icon. Do we want to live in a world in a world full of people like the Red Skull? That is why we're going to Madripoor." Zemo concludes.
Lover... Keela and Bucky shift heads where their eyes lock onto one another, just like they have done many times. Neither of them say or do anything, a mixture of emotions swirling in the air around them. It's obvious to anyone that they miss what they used to have, wanting nothing more than to travel back in time and return to what they had in those moments.
"What's up with Madripoor?" Sam asks, grabbing their attention. "You guys talk about it like it's Skull Island."
"It's an island nation in the Indonesian archipelago. It was a pirate sanctuary back in the 1800s." Bucky explains.
"It's kept its lawless ways, but we cannot walk in as ourselves." Zemo informs. "James and Keela, you guys will have to become someone that you claim is gone."
Both of them fall silent in an instant, a swirling pool of discomfort swimming around in their stomachs. Keela begins to chew nervously at her bottom lip as she's reminded of the many killings she's done in the past, sinking lower in her seat as her brown eyes direct themselves over to the window. Bucky, although feeling the same way as her, catches onto her body language instantly and forgets about himself in an urge to help her.
"Why both of us?" Bucky asks.
"Because I will be able to get in my being myself because people know of me, and I also have a disguise for Sam. But you two? You guys are more known for the Winter Soldiers within you. You'll appear threatening and it'll therefore be easier to make deals." Zemo explains.
Silence again. Bucky feels a guilt in the pit of his stomach that he wasn't able to pull Keela out of this plan and work through it alone. He knows how dreadful the feeling can be and how it can be enough to make someone vomit, but also knowing that this is the only choice they have right now. Blue eyes travel over to where the brunette is located on the chair beside him, noticing how her gaze has been pulled away from the window and is on him.
"It's okay." Keela mouths.
Despite somehow putting the blame on himself for the situation she finds herself in, Bucky feels reassured by her two simple words.
