𝗀 𝗁 𝗈 𝗌 𝗍 | | 𝗌 𝗍 𝖾 𝗏 𝖾 𝗋 𝗈 𝗀 𝖾 𝗋 𝗌

𝗈 𝗇 𝖾 𝗁 𝗎 𝗇 𝖽 𝗋 𝖾 𝖽 𝗌 𝗂 𝗑

✩ 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟦, 𝗆𝖺𝖽𝗋𝗂𝗉𝗈𝗈𝗋, 𝗂𝗇𝖽𝗈𝗇𝖾𝗌𝗂𝖺 ✩

MARTA WAS PISSED, BUT FOR once, she was keeping it to herself. Steve had called, but she couldn't talk to him, not in Madripoor. Marta was wearing an all black suit, mask covering her mouth. It's what she wore during Hydra training and the mission she went on, according to what Bucky remembered. His metal arm was on full display, her hair braided as it usually was. Sam was somehow even less than thrilled with the role he would be playing, though.

        "We have to do something about this. I'm the only one who looks like a pimp." Sam said, fixing the eccentric jacket he was wearing.

        "Only an American would assume a fashion-forward black man looks like a pimp. You look exactly like the man you're supposed to be playing. The sophisticated, charming African rake named Conrad Mack, aka the Smiling Tiger." Zemo handed Sam his phone, a picture of Conrad Mack on it.

        Sam rolled his eyes. "He even has a bad nickname. Hell, he does look like me, though." he shrugged.

        Zemo sniffed the air. "You smell this?" he asked, Marta trying to prepare herself to become the person she had forced away.

        "Yeah, what is that? Acid?" Sam wondered.

        "Madripoor. No matter what happens, we have to stay in character. Our lives depend on it. There's no margin for error," Zemo corrected, a black car slowing down as it approached them. "High Town's that way. Not a bad place if you wanna visit, but Low Town's the other way." Marta and Bucky entered the backseat of the car, Marta sitting in the middle seat, annoyed.

        "Let me guess. We don't have any friends in High Town." Sam spoke as he joined the soldiers in the back of the car.

        As the car drove deeper into the city, Marta noticed that they were being surrounded by motorcyclists, all of them strapped with weapons. She glanced at Bucky, and he could tell she was nervous. They both were. The car drove under a graffitied bridge, and Zemo led the three across a scaffolding walkway. The city was lit up with neon lights and signs, and Marta was far from comfortable. They ended up in a bar, people with guns everywhere. The bar was stuffy and tight, and Marta didn't enjoy frolicking with that crowd. "Here we are." Zemo said quietly.

        He held the useless activator up as a warning to the person Marta was playing. She remained stoic and emotionless. "Готов подчиниться, Зимний Солдат?" (Ready to comply, Winter Soldier?) Zemo asked Bucky loudly, so others could hear.

        "Is that the Winter Soldier?" a man asked as they moved through the bar.

        "With the Ghost?" another man questioned. Marta wanted to touch her wedding ring to ground herself, but she had taken it off, along with her necklaces. They couldn't risk anything.

        They walked up to the bar. "Hello, gentlemen, ma'am. Wasn't expecting you, Smiling Tiger." the bartender focused on Sam, who simply nodded, aiming to stay silent the entire evening.

        "His plans changed. We have business to do with Selby." Zemo told the bartender, Marta's gaze strictly on the old activator that lay on the bartop.

        The bartender didn't answer and instead looked at Sam again. "The usual?" he asked, and Sam nodded. Marta, Sam and Bucky watched as the bartender took a snake from a jar and slit its belly open on the bar. Maybe it was the fact that Marta had three children now, but the way the snake was so carelessly wasted upset her.

        Zemo kept up appearances. "Smiling Tiger, your favorite." he said to Sam, who looked as if he would throw up.

       Marta looked away, the snake's body lying lifeless on the bar. "I love these." Sam said in a deep voice, lifting the glass.