Obsession-Book Three (Steve Rogers)

10. RAGTAG

He says I know you, you know me
One thing I can tell you is you got to be free

-Come Together by the Beatles

After Bucky finished talking to Sophia, she sat still on the couch. She still hadn't spoken yet when Steve asked about the other Winter Soldiers. He was trying to give her time to process what she had just heard. "Who were they?"

"Their most elite death squad. More kills than anyone in HYDRA history. And that was before the serum."

"They all turn out like you?" Sam asked.

Bucky grimaced. "Worse."

Steve sighed. "The doctor, could he control them?"

"Enough."

"He said wanted to see an empire fall. It's the same message that was sent to Sophia."

"With these guys he could do it. They speak 30 languages, can hide in plain sight, infiltrate, assassinate, destabilize, they can take a whole country down in one night. You'd never see them coming." Bucky explained.

Sam steps up to Steve. "This would have been a lot easier a week ago."

"If we call Tony . . ."

"No, he won't believe us."

"Even if he did . . ."

"Who knows if the Accords would let him help."

"We're on our own."

"Maybe not. We could make a couple of calls."

Back at the UN

"36 hours. Barnes. Rogers. Taylor. Wilson." Secretary Ross says as he leaves the room.

"Thank you, sir." Tony slumps, exhaling. He looks at Natasha. "Always. 36 hours, jeez. Did you hear how he said Sophia's name?"

"Yeah I did. We'll work on that later. But we're seriously understaffed. Are you going to be ok going against your sister?"

"Oh, yeah." Nat shakes her head. "Are you going to be ok going against your ex?" he replies sarcastically. "It'd be great if we had a Hulk right about now."

Nat snorts. "You really think he'd be on our side?"

Tony shakes his head. "No."

"I have an idea."

"Me too. Where's yours?"

"Downstairs." Natasha raised an eyebrow. "Where's yours?"

"New York."

Natasha goes downstairs and waits next to a town car. A woman in a tight black dress comes up to her, T'Challa behind her. "Move, or you will be moved."

T'Challa chuckles, "As entertaining as that would be . . ."

Natasha asks, "You really think you can find him?"

"My resources are considerable."

"Yeah, it took the world 70 years to find Barnes . . . so you could probably do that in about half the time."

T'Challa looks at her curiously. "You know where they are."

"I know someone who does."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Steve drives a beat-up Beetle to an overpass. He looks in the mirror to check on Sophia. She is curled up in a ball, knees to her chest and her eyes closed. She is trying to be as far away from everyone as she possibly can. All the new information has her reeling, and she can't get out of her own head. Everyone lied, she thinks. But she understood. Bucky had been gaining his memories slowly. And this news would have been devastating to her no matter when it was told. She didn't blame him. That shocked her. Because she understood it wasn't him. HYDRA did this. But she wasn't ready to be present in the world just yet.