Lovers In Crime (A Winter Soldier Fan-Fiction)

Chapter Five

. . .  WITH THE AVENGERS - STEVE. . . 

 "Steve. There's something you gotta see" Sam informs Steve. 

News anchor #4: "A bomb hidden in a news van . .  . . . ripped through the UN building in Vienna. More than 70 people have been injured. At least 12 are dead, including Wakanda's King T'Chaka. Officials have released a video of a suspect who they have identified as James Buchanan Barnes, the Winter Soldier. The infamous HYDRA agent, linked to numerous acts of terrorism and political assassinations."

 "I have to go to work." finish on the phone call, briefly looking at the TV and then at Steve. Steve phones Natasha. He's standing on the street in a cap and dark glasses.

"Yeah?"

 "You alright?" 

"Ah, yeah, thanks. I got lucky.......I know how much Barnes means to you. I really do. Stay home. You'll only make this worse. For all of us. Please." 

"Are you saying you'll arrest me?" 

"No. Someone will. If you interfere. That's how it works now." 

"If he's this far gone, Nat, I should be the one to bring him in." 

"Why?"

"Because I'm the one least likely to die trying....Not far away Steve ends the call.

"Shit." 

Steve approaches Sam sitting at the counter of a coffee shop. "She tell you to stay out of it? Sam also in a cap and shades. "Might have a point."

"He'd do it for me." Steve says mater-of-factly. 

"1945, maybe. I just want to make sure we considered all our options. The people that shoot at you usually wind up shooting at me."  Sharon arrives by Steve.

"Tips have been pouring in since that footage went public. Everybody thinks the Winter soldier goes to their gym. Most of it's noise. Except for this." She slides Steve a file "My boss expects a briefing, pretty much now . . . so that's all the head start you're gonna get." 

"Thank you."

"And you're gonna have to hurry. We have orders to shoot on sight." 

. . . END OF AVENGERS - STEVE POV. . . 

 . . . NORMAL POV. . . 

Zemo sits in a hotel room. He reads from Karpov's red book. "Возвращение на Родину. Возвращение на Родину. Один. Один. Грузовой вагон... Грузовой вагон." Грузов- (Homecoming. One. One. Fright Car.) 

"Whats the words mean?...you slump down on the hotel bed.

"You don't know what's in here?" he asks slowly turning to you. 

"No, wasn't allowed to see." You sat up shrugging then your face contorts with concern "you're not going to hurt him are you? That book what does it do?" 

"Oh course not" he rests the book on his lap "but in the wrong hands... this book turns Barnes back into the Winter Soldier.." he watches your face. 

"Can't we burn it?" 

"Not yet, it has lots of information in here, what they did, it could help him." You nod slowly. 

"Ok" Just then there is a knocking a the door. Putting a finger to his lips he tells you to keep quiet. You look nervously as the bathroom. Zemo had informed you he was talking the place of an undercover Hydra agent so you could both sneak into Shield and save Bucky. He puts the book in a drawer and goes to the door. He reaches for a gun tucked in the back of his trouser and cocks it.