Winter's Soul (Part 2) 18+ Canon

Chapter 21

"How do you find out where the footage is?" James asked.

"I'm using their own system to find what I'm searching for," Liv said, typing on the small keypad in front of her.

James shrugged beside her.

"What? You think I'd secretly written software to hack them in a few days?" Casting him a quick glance, she realised he really thought that. "You have way too much trust in my hacking abilities."

"Wouldn't be the first time," James murmured, watching their surroundings.

"I don't want to get caught. And thanks to this, " Liv said, and held up the same small device that she had used on Sharon's door. "I can get any access code I need. I'll be out of their system before they even notice."

It took her a while before she found the footage that would prove Sam's innocence. A further search even provided her with the information they used to frame her company regarding the tax evasion.

After they got the keycards, they went back to the elevator and parted ways with Zemo. As soon as he found a way to destroy the serum and all additions, A.I.M. would know they were inside their lab.

"You done yet?" James urged, getting more nervous with every passing minute.

"Yes," Liv murmured. "This is insane. There is so much data on so many things... Look at this," she said, showing him a file containing the information on test subjects for the new serum.

"Yes, great," James hissed. "Let's get out of here."

"That's all the information they have on the experiments with the new serum," Liv said, going through them and suddenly stopping. "They even used children."

Before James could respond, Liv gasped a silent oh-oh.

"What?" James asked.

"They just threw me out. We should go," she said, holding up a flash drive.

They went from the server room into the hall, always watching out for guards and other employees walking down the halls. At the end of the hall, they were in the chatting of different people, echoed off the walls around the corner.

James grabbed Liv's arm and pushed her through a door into one of the rooms. Four desks with monitors stood in the center. None of them were occupied, but the computers were on. Whoever used those working spaces would be back very soon.

James's breath brushed over her neck, sending delicious shivers down her spine. Looking up at him, she saw that he also noticed how close they were.

"You know," she whispered, "Under different circumstances, this would be hot."

With a glint in his eyes, James whispered back, "You'll have to tell me everything about your little kinks once this is over."

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she whispered, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

The voices grew louder as the group passed the room they were in. Through a narrow window in the door, they caught a glimpse of the passing people. Both of them instantly recognized Valentina and John Walker, trailing after them, looking rather bored.

John's eyes flickered to the small window in the door. Liv gasped as she and James dug away from the window. Her heartbeat raced inside her chest. Did he see them? Both waited for what seemed like an eternity, but John didn't kick in the door.

James was the first to regain his composure and peaked outside.

"Come," he whispered and motioned for her to follow him into the hall again.

"I knew it was only a matter of time before you would show up, Bucky," John said suddenly behind them.

James spun around and shoved Liv behind him, shielding her from John.

"Go after Valentina," James said, watching John getting ready for a fight.

"Are you sure?" Liv asked, not taking her eyes off of John.

"Be a good girl and do for once what I'm asking you to do," James said. Grabbing the back of her neck, he pulled her in and kissed her.

"So cute," John said, watching them part ways. He wasn't interested in Liv all he saw was the super soldier in front of him.

Liv hurried down the hall, passing different conference rooms, some empty, some filled with people. When she rounded another corner, she spotted a small group and, in their middle, stood Valentina.

Before Liv could think of what her next move would look like, a loud explosion erupted above them, causing a quake. Zemo was fulfilling his part of the plan. Alarms flared off around her, shutting down the level she was on. That's when Valentina saw Liv.

"I guess you are the cause of this problem, Anastasia Volkoff," she said, coming to her feet. "Or should I call you Olivia Weiland?"

Liv now saw that they were her bodyguards. She took off her lab coat, bumped her bracelets together, and let her suit cover her body. She didn't care what Valentina called her; this would end one way or another.