Maya Stark

Chapter 71: Sokovia

Walking through the streets of Riga, my urge to kill Zemo grew.

'I heard of what became of Sokovia. Cannibalized by its neighbors before the land was cleared of rubble, erased from the map. I don't suppose any of you bothered visiting the memorial?' He looked at me and I kept my eyes forward, jaw locked. 'Of course not. Why would you? We are here.'

'I'm gonna go for a walk,' Bucky said.

'You good?' Sam asked.

'Yeah. I'll see you guys in a bit.'

I hesitate, looking back at Bucky. He holds my gaze for a second.

'Maya,' Sam called from the house. 'Come on, let the man take a walk.'

'I'll be fine,' Bucky assured, though he gave me a strange look.

I nod slightly and walk into the house. I took in the weird, yet warmly decorated house. Though, I can't really talk with some of the places I grew up in. Zemo took a shower and Sam changed. I moved over to the counter, staring at my phone, my thumb hovering over the call button on Peter's name.

'Why are you staring at your phone like you want to burn it in your hand?' Sam asked, sitting on the stool across from where I was standing.

I turn off my phone and set it on the table. 'Just... trying to figure out if I should call someone.' I shrug. 'It's nothing. We have more important things to worry about.'

'Who?' Sam asks.

'Uhm, Parker,' I said. 'Er, Spiderman? The one with the webs. You've fought him before.'

'Oh, the spider guy,' Sam says, nodding. 'And why are you ignoring him?'

'I'm not ignoring him, per say,' I said. 'We talked before I came to see you.'

'You can't cut everyone out, Maya. The poor kid's probably worried,' he said, sighing.

'I'll do it later,' I said, looking down at my hands.

I knew Sam wanted to say something, but Zemo came out of the bathroom and Bucky walked through the door.

'Well,' Bucky said, taking off his jacket, 'the Wakandans are here. They want Zemo. Bought us some more time.'

'Were you followed?' Sam asked.

'No,' said Bucky, standing next to me.

'How can you be sure?' Zemo asked.

'Because I know when I'm being followed.'

'It was sweet of you to defend me at least.'

'Hey, you shut it. No one's defending you,' Sam said. 'You shot Nagel.'

'Do we really have to litigate what may or may not have happened?'

'There's nothing to litigate,' I said with a scoff. 'You straight up shot the man. I watched you lift the gun up. If I had acted faster, I would have made you shoot yourself in the foot. One can only dream.'

'Sam,' Bucky said. I look at him.

'What?' Sam asked.

'Karli bombed a GRC supply dept.'

'What?' I ask, straightening.

'What's the damage?' Sam asked.

'Eleven injured, three dead,' said Bucky. 'They have a list of demands and are promising more attacks if those demands aren't met in full.'

Sam sighs. I can see the dread going through him, a feeling I'm familiar with.

'She's getting worse,' Zemo said. 'I have the will to complete this mission. Do the three of you?'

'She's just a kid,' Sam said.

'You're seeing something in her that isn't there. You're clouded by it. She's a supremacist. The very concept of a Super Soldier will always trouble people. It's that warped aspiration that led to Nazis, to Ultron, to the Avengers.'

'Hey, those are our friends you're talking about.'

'The Avengers, not the Nazis,' Bucky said.

'They're my family,' I said, ignoring Bucky and glaring at Zemo. 'And you know, we lost someone during that whole Ultron thing too.'

'Right, your father was the one to make Ultron, was he not? With your help, yes?' Zemo said.

I stiffened. 'I understood why he wanted it. So did Bruce, who also helped by the way. That was enough reason for me at fourteen.'

'Of course, and it ended up ruining a whole city and you lost one of your precious little fighters. Who was it? The Maximoff boy?'

I took a step forward, but Bucky caught my arm. I blinked at Zemo, who was looking very smug. I looked at Bucky who gave me a stern look. A look that said: "I get it, but we still need him. Kill him later." I took a deep breath before turning and walking over to the couch. My hand wrapped around my necklace and I focused on trying to slow my pulse. The moon charm was digging into my palm.

'Okay,' Sam started slowly, looking away from me. 'So, Karli is radicalized, but there has to be a peaceful way to stop her.'

'The desire to become a superhuman cannot be separated from supremacist ideals,' Zemo said. 'Anyone with that serum is inherently on that path. She will not stop. She will escalate until you kill her. Or she kills you.'

'Maybe you're wrong, Zemo,' Bucky said. 'The serum never corrupted Steve.'

'Touché,' Zemo said. 'But there has never been another Steve Rogers, has there?'

'Let's give him to the Wakandans right now,' I said, still tense. Bucky walked over and sat in a chair to my right.

'And you'll give up your tour guide?'

'Yes,' said Bucky.

'From my understanding,' Sam cut in, 'Donya is like a pillar of the community, right? So, when I was a kid, my TT passed away.'

'Your...' Bucky hesitates. 'Your TT?'

'Yeah, my TT, yeah,' Sam said with a shrug.

'Who is your TT?' Bucky asked.

'Fine. When I was a kid, my aunt passed away and the entire neighborhood got together for a ceremony. It was like a week long. Maybe they're doing the same thing for Donya.'

'Worth a shot,' I muttered.

'Your TT would be proud,' Zemo said. 'Turkish delight.' Zemo tossed a candy to Sam. 'Irresistible.'

It'll be a miracle if Zemo lasted to the end of this mission. It'll be a miracle if I did.