Maya Stark

Chapter 72: He's a master criminal

I was annoyed. But what's new? We follow Zemo around the place, getting the tour.

'Shame what's become of this place,' Zemo said. 'When I was young, we used to come here for fabulous dinners and parties. I knew nothing of the politics at the time, of course, but I remember it being beautiful.'

'Maya and I are gonna take a look around upstairs,' Sam said. 'See what you can find out here.' He looks at Bucky. 'And keep an eye on him.'

'Why can't I keep an eye on him and Bucky go with you?' I ask, glaring at Zemo.

'Because you'll kill him,' said Sam. 'Let's go.'

I nod, knowing he's probably right, and follow Sam upstairs. I look down the hallway at two men walking down as Sam goes into the, what looks like a work room, on the other side.

'Hey, kid,' Sam said, as I went to follow him. 'Excuse me. You heard of Donya Madani?'

'Um, no,' the lady said, standing up. 'Sorry, no.'

She left, much like the other four people that used to be in the room. I looked on the table at a box of sewing stuff. There was a handprint with the Earth as the palm. I tilt it backwards slightly to get a better look and nudge Sam. He looks at the mark, sighs, and then we continue forward into the place. We kept striking out as we went into rooms. We would walk in, Sam would try to talk to them, they would leave quickly and quietly. It was weird. That is, until we entered a room that resembled a classroom. There was a man talking to a little boy quietly and then two more kids working on something quietly.

'Excuse me?' Sam said, making the man look up. 'Do you know a woman by the name of Donya Madani? She was a refugee here.'

The man stood up. 'We're not refugees, for we have nothing to seek refuge from. We're internationally-displaced persons, for what it's worth, and we don't trust outsiders.' He whispered something to the little boy, who then got up and left.

'No, I understand,' Sam said, stepping forward. I stayed near the door. 'We're not from here but have a pretty good track record of helping out.'

'I know what happens when people say they're going to help out. Nothing. The Global Repatriation Council promised to send more teachers, supplies. That was six months ago.'

'Well, what's your name? Maybe I can make a call.'

'I know who you are.' The man ushered a little girl out. 'But I can't trust you. I'm sorry.' He picked up the last little boy and left the room. Sam looked back at me.

Back downstairs, Zemo was giving out candy and talking to a group of kids. Sam and I walked up and stood next to Bucky.

'This is starting to feel like a dead end,' Sam said.

'The hell is he doing?' Bucky returned.

I scoffed. 'Really?' They both looked at me and I rolled my eyes. 'He's smart, as much as I physically hate saying it. Master criminal and all that bullshit. He's giving the kids candy, making them trust him, he's getting information. Kids are the easiest to trust.' Zemo starts walking back to us. 'Or you know, he's just being... polite.'

Zemo shrugs at our gazes. 'Cute kids.'

I look at Bucky and Sam and smirk. 'We're all having a jolly good time, aren't we?' I turn swiftly and follow Zemo back to the house. I don't think Bucky or Sam appreciated the sarcasm.