Red (Helmut Zemo's Version)

Chapter Thirteen: Super Soldiers Should Not Exist

"They weren't even super soldiers," John mutters, staring at the floor, his face greying and emotionless. Lemar sighs and reaches a hand out to help him to his feet. Sam walks towards him, getting ready to say something but deciding against it and just continuing past them towards the bathroom, followed by Bucky. The two look at the drain cover for a few moments as John leaves with Lemar. "I can't believe he pulled an El Chapo" Sam says, disguising his fatigue and irritation with light humour. I stand motionlessly in the corner, my arms wrapped tight around me and my stomach feeling like it's going to vomit at a moment's notice. Bucky turns to look at me but I refuse to make eye contact. He sighs and begins to follow John, motioning for Sam and I to follow. I attach my dagger holster to my thigh and risk a look over at Zemo's jacket before shaking my head. "I'm just gonna stay here out of your way. Call me if you need me" Sam nods before following Bucky and leaving me in silence. I can't even cry anymore, so angry and hurt at so many things that my feelings have just blurred into nothingness.

I mope around the place for around an hour before I receive a call from Sam. "Look, I wouldn't have called if it wasn't urgent," he starts down the line "Karli's threatened my nephews and my sister. I need you to meet us at the rooftop above North Plaza. Now. I'll see you soon." He hangs up and I assemble all my things before hailing a cab to get me there quicker. I pay in cash and see Sam and Bucky enter, deciding to play it by ear and hide in the doorway to see what happens. No point going in all guns blazing to a fight I could never win. It starts with just regular conversation up until the point I hear the name John Walker and the fighting breaks out once more. It's honestly like that man is just a trigger word for every violent impulse in the world and the fact that he has such a punchable face makes it all the more prominent. I pull out my phone in time to receive a text from Sam informing me of the location I need to reach and punch in Zemo's number. It may be the longest shot in the history of longshots but the fear of having any more blood on my hands is too great to overcome my logic. As expected, the call rings out and I'm met with a gruff voicemail message. "Zemo I know you hate me and you're right to but I need you right now more than ever. I'll send you the location and please just get there. No one else needs to die." I end the call and begin to sprint, not really sure where to but hoping that signposts will prove useful. I hear Bucky coming up beside me and allow him to overtake, following his lead to the building. I can hear a glass roof smash up ahead and, running on raw adrenaline and anger, I head straight for it, pretending not to hear Bucky's frustrated grunt.

The two of us reach an entrance and instantly enter, making our way towards the first staircase we find. A soldier appears out of nowhere and launches Bucky against a wall before beginning to grapple with him, the two grunting and shoving and hitting repeatedly. Once Bucky gets the upper hand, he places an arm tightly around my waist and leaps over the bannister and down the stairs, placing me carefully on my feet as he lands. He continues to fight with the man, kicking him hard enough to penetrate the wall. "Stay there" he says, proud of his own little joke as he takes a hold of my hand and pulls me towards a different room. "Where's Sam?" I pant, my breathing heavy from all the running "I'm not built for this shit" I take a minute to catch my breath as he answers "I'm not sure. But come on. Doll. We've got to keep moving. You can do this. I know you can" He gives me a few more seconds to recover before we continue through the winding hallways, attempting to follow the sounds of grunting that get louder as we progress.

The moment we enter the room, a knife flies past, Bucky managing to catch it effortlessly with his bare hand. "Okay that was hot" I breathe and Bucky non-maliciously rolls his eyes before taking on a super soldier coming at him from his left, the ringing of steel against vibranium echoing through the room until Bucky is able to overpower him, flipping him over onto his back on the ground and dropping the knife by his head. I know almost instantaneously that John's taken the serum. His punches land hard and the crazy in his eyes burns a bit brighter. I am unable to do much other than watch, only really intervening when Bucky has too many coming at him and I need to play defense, giving the man room to play offence. Our little set-up seems to work rather well until Karli herself charges into the fight, throwing punches like she has something to prove. Which she does. She makes a beeline for John, knife raised and his torso open due to one of her soldier's superior strength or skill over him. A mere moment before she can reach him, Lemar bounds in and collides with her, sending them both almost sprawling over the floor. Without thinking, Karli lands a hit on him, his body flying backwards into a stone column with a deafening crack. Blood red liquid pools around the man's lips and he remains there, motionless. Silence erupts between us all and each and every person between those four walls turns, at once, to stare at the lifeless man. The shockwaves that ripple amongst us gives John a second to break free from the soldier's grip and, as he does, he begins a slow walk towards the body which turns into almost a sprint "Hey. Hey. Hey" he attempts to shake him out of the trance, feeling for a pulse and repeating his name with a desperation that's almost admirable. But he's too late and Lemar's limp body simply just slumps in response to everything Walker attempts.

Even Karli appears stunned, beginning to hyperventilate in the centre of the room before taking her chance to escape, followed by Bucky and John. Two of her men run in the other direction and, when John finally snaps out of it, his eyes are like those of a bull seeing red. He takes a short look at me before turning to the window behind him, smashing through it and landing on a rusted van that had parked close enough. May God help the flag smasher his eyes descend upon first. The man looks back at John with panic setting in to his every movement before he begins to run towards the town square with John careering after him. I cut my losses and climb out from the window, dropping to the ground with very little issue before taking off after them. Not even the fact he's in public succeeds to nullify John's yearning for vengeance and, in front of all the men, women and children of this Latvian town square, John pins the guy down, throwing the shield at his chest with any attempt to move. He places a foot square on his upper body and pushes him down against the stone while the man begs for his life to deaf ears. Frozen in horror, I can hear my voice screaming at him to stop but I cannot feel the words as they exit my lips. I can't tear my eyes away as he slams the shield down onto the man's face over and over and over again until there's nothing left. No one runs forward to help. No one does anything. So, as I hear Bucky and Sam gasp from behind me, I do the unthinkable and approach him, not expecting in the least what happens.

The moment I get close enough to place a hand on his bicep, I feel a pin-like prick in my side and, when I look down, I see an empty syringe clutched in his hand. "It was supposed to be for him." He whispers "But now he's dead so it doesn't fucking matter anymore. Let's see if your man will still love you now that you're the one thing he hates." He looks around, seeing but not registering the crowd. "Don't look now, princess. There he is. Maybe you should go ask him" He shoves me in a general direction before walking off, leaving the blood-soaked stones in his wake. A dull tingly sensation courses through my body and I clutch my side, frantically searching around me for a familiar face. I notice two, both walking towards me from opposite sides of the crowd.

Zemo reaches me first, taking me up in his arms and placing his own hand on my side. He came. He actually came. "Did he just-?" I nod, cutting him off and his arms tighten around him. When I feel his hand against my thigh an oh so familiar warmth flutters in my heart that he's going to pick me up and carry me away from this insufferable place. Until I taste the blood in my mouth and I hear Bucky cry out. My eyes drift down to Zemo's hand and then back up to his tear-filled eyes, my own dagger plunged into my chest. "Super soldiers should not exist" He whispers against my ear, his tears wetting my cheeks as everything begins to turn foggy. And then fades to black, the sobs of Bucky and Zemo ringing in my ears.