Maya Stark

Chapter 70: Maybe he should have destroyed it

I was happy to be back on the plane. The first thing I did was change. Nat's sweater comfortably hugged my body and I felt at peace. Sam was getting off the phone with Torres when I got back. I sat across from him as he stared out the window.

'You okay?' Bucky asked Sam, who looked slightly miserable.

'Yeah. Just thinking about all the shit Sharon had to go through. And Nagel referring to the American test subject like Isaiah wasn't even a real person. Just makes me wonder how many people have to get steamrolled to make way for this hunk of metal.'

'Well, it depends on who you ask,' Bucky said. 'The hunk of metal saved a lot of lives.'

'Yeah, I get that. Alright. Maybe I made a mistake.'

'You did.'

'Yeah. Maybe I shouldn't have put it in a museum. Maybe I should have destroyed it.'

I look at him, eyes wide. 'Sam, that shield meant a lot of things to a lot of people, including Bucky and me. It's not something you just destroy.'

I talked before I could really think about it. I still didn't know if I really meant it. It made me angry just really thinking about the shield. I was very conflicted and a part of me thought that maybe, just maybe, Sam should destroy the shield. Still, I had to get it back from Walker, no matter what.

'The world is upside down, and we need a new Cap, and it ain't gonna be Walker,' Bucky said. 'So, before you go and destroy it, I'm gonna take it from him myself.'

'Yeah,' I agreed, turning back towards the window. 'And I'm going to help him.'

Before Sam can say much else, his phone starts to ring. Torres coming back with information probably. Zemo comes out with food, and places it on a tray as the phone call ends.

'They found Madani... dead,' said Sam. 'She died in Riga, a city near the Baltic Sea.'

'I have a place we can go,' Zemo said. 'I, for one, am looking forward to coming face to face with Karli. Oeznik, we're changing the course.'

I finally look at my phone. I had a missed call from Pepper, which I was expecting. I had a text from Peter, just making sure I was okay. He said he didn't want to distract me too much, so I didn't have to respond, but he was just hoping I was doing a little better. I sighed and turned my attention back to Pepper, sending her a quick text so that she doesn't worry. I then look at Peter's contact again. I psyched myself out and put down the phone. I leaned against the window, watching the clouds pass. Before long, I was asleep.