Maya Stark

Chapter 55: A reinforced helmet is not the same thing

We walked slowly down a side road, or at least that's what I would call it. Nobody spoke and I tried not to think of the pain in my cheek. My arm was starting to feel a little bit better, but my cheek was not having it. It was throbbing and I could almost feel it swelling.

'Sorry about Redwing,' Bucky said, breaking the silence.

'No, you're not,' said Sam, shaking his head. It was quiet for another minute. 'What's going on in that big cyborg brain of yours?'

'It's computing,' Bucky said.

Sam laughs. 'You know what? I can actually see it. I can see the gears turning. Oh, they're malfunctioning, shutting down. Yes, they're on fire.' A smile pulled at my lips, which kind of surprised me.

'We gotta figure out where the serum's coming from.'

'Yeah,' I said. 'And how the hell after eighty years are there eight Super Soldiers running loose?'

I hear a car come from behind and it stars honking. Walker. I keep my eyes straight, trying to ignore him.

'So that didn't go as planned, huh?' Walker said as the car stops. He opens the door, but we just keep walking. I hear the door close, and the car moves slow enough so it could be kept in front of us, and Walker can still talk to us. 'Look, at least we know what we're up against now, huh? And we're pretty sure it's one of the Big Three, so...'

'Aliens, androids, or wizards,' Lemar said.

'There is no such thing as wizards,' Bucky said, scowling.

'Alright, then its aliens or androids—'

'Or Super Soldiers,' Sam said.

'Super Soldiers, for real?' asked Lemar.

'Yeah,' said Sam.

'Alright, well, then we gotta work together,' Walker said.

'That's not happening,' I said with a scoff.

'I think we stand a much better chance if we all just—'

'Just because you carry that shield, does not mean you're Captain America,' Bucky interrupted.

Walker pointed at him. 'Look, I've done the work, okay?'

'You ever jump on top of a grenade?' Bucky asked.

  'Yeah. Actually. Four times. It's a reinforced helmet. It's a long story, but any—look it's twenty miles to the airport. You guys need a ride.' The car stopped and the three of us stopped walking as Walker opened the door again. 'Get in.'

Bucky and Sam looked at each other. Bucky seemed to like walking better than getting in the car, but Sam moved towards it.

'Really?' I groaned.

'Twenty miles, Maya,' said Sam with a sigh.

I look at Bucky who simply nods and moves to the car like Sam. With a frustrated sigh I follow.