8-1-0-9

Chpt. 14

"What are you talking about?" Sam snapped at Bucky, their flashlights moving around the dark room, looking a lot like a garage of some sorts. Of course, I could see rather well in the dark, and I knew the Soldier had enhanced eyesight a little lesser than mine, but I suppose the devices are more for the bird boy's comfort. "You wanna break Zemo out of jail? Where the hell are we, Buck? Have you lost your mind?"

I followed behind them as Bucky assumingly searched for a light switch. "We have no leads, no moves, nothing," he argued back.

Sam scoffed. "Yeah, what we have is one of the most dangerous men in the world behind bars." I made a face. He couldn't be that dangerous. I mean, I was stronger than the Winter Soldier, the deadliest assassin on the planet. Allegedly.

"And we also have eight super-soldiers that are loose."

"Wouldn't that be nine?" I asked, my arms crossed over my chest and one of my bracelets moving between my fingers, the gentle buzz they brought being a somewhat soothing sensation in the back of my neck. "Consider all the components of the equation."

Both men pointed their lights at me, Bucky aiming his toward to ground and Sam accidentally blinding me for half a second. They were both frowning. "You're currently helping us. So, eight and a half," Sam muttered, shaking his head. "Look, Zemo's gonna mess with our minds.. Especially yours. And you," he added in my direction. "No offence."

James had found the electrical box and pulled down on a lever, florescent lights flickering above us and illuminating the room after a small clang and buzz of the electricity. I shivered. "Offence," he deadpanned after turning off his flashlight. "Super-soldiers go against everything he believes in." He got right up in Sam's face as if to prove a point. "He is crazy, but he still has a code."

The latter man sighed, casting me that same glance he keeps using, and at this point I figured it must be a default look. "I've been on the wrong side of that code, Buck, and so have you." His demeanor shifted to stronger frustration when the Asset walked away a few paces. "He blew up the UN, he killed King T'Chaka and framed you for it. Did you forget that?" He accused, staring at Bucky when he faced the two of us again. "You think the Wakandans forgot about it? It's a rhetorical question. They didn't," he spat.

Now I was more intrigued of this man. I remember hearing something about royalty getting attacked when I was on the Raft, though I only heard it through snippets from the guards. To hear it in person and confirm it, it did come as a bit of a shock. I faced the Soldier with mild surprise, and his jaw visibly clenched when our eyes met. I could see the remorse, for an action he seemly didn't even do, still swimming in those sky irises.

"I know why this matters to you," Sam continued a little more calmly. "But, c'mon it's pushing you off the deep end."

"Sam, we don't know how they're getting the serum. We don't even know- Actually," Bucky quickly stopped, turning his attention to me. "Gale, how many super-soldiers are there besides you?"

I let out a breath through my nose, lifting a shoulder into a shrug. "Just the eight. But it's been long enough that Karli could've expanded. I'm not even sure if there were only the eight available doses or if there are more.

Bucky huffed slightly, pushing a gloved hand through his hair as he stared at the ground. I had the sudden urge to apologize for being practically useless, but I knew it wasn't entirely my fault for being left in the dark. I tried not being suspicious of Karli's actions, and now I regret having let me guard down. Sam turned away on his heel, putting his hands to his hips with a quiet groan of frustration.

"Look, let me just walk you through a hypothetical. Can I walk you through a hypothetical?" The Soldier asked, and my curiosity peeked.

"What did you do," Sam said slowly, facing Bucky again.