Star Mistress: Civil War

Internal Exploding

Steve walked Sharon back to her hotel after Peggy's funeral.

"My mom tried to talk me out of enlisting, but, um..." Sharon trailed off. "Not Aunt Peggy. She bought me my first knife holster."

"Very practical," Steve told her.

"And stylish," Sharon told him.

They reached the elevator.

Sharon hit the elevator call button.

"CIA has you stationed over here now?" Steve asked.

"In Berlin, joint terrorist and task force," Sharon answered.

Steve nodded. "Right. Sounds fun."

"I know, right?" Sharon asked.

Steve smiled a small smile. "I've been meaning to ask you. When you were spying on me from across the hall..."

"You mean when I was doing my job?" Sharon asked.

Steve nodded. "Did Peggy know?"

Sharon sighed. "She kept so many secrets. I didn't want her to have one from you." Steve nodded understandingly. The elevator reached them. "Thanks for walking me back."

"Sure," Steve told her.

Sharon and Steve looked at each other for a moment.

Bree walked closer. "Steve." They looked at her. "There's something you got to see."

        ✯     

Bree, Steve and Sharon were in a room, watching the news.

The news was a broadcast of the bombing at the UN. "A bomb hidden in a news van blast through the UN building in Vienna. Who's coordinating? More than 70 people have been injured. At least 12 are dead. Including Wakanda's King, T'Chaka. Officials have released a video of a suspect, whom they've identified as Alec Anders, Dark Shadow. The infamous Hydra agent, linked to numerous acts of terrorism and political assassinations, alongside James Buchanan Barnes, The Winter Soldier."

Sharon stepped up between Steve and Bree, sighing. "I have to go to work."

        ✯     

Everyone was outside of the UN building.

Firefighters were putting out the remaining fires.

A helicopter flew overhead.

Sharon led a soldier along. "Call MI6. See if we can get micro forensics to hurry this up. We need the whole team here in two hours, or it's not worth it."

T'Challa was sitting on a bench, gazing off numbly into space.

Natasha slowly walked toward him, sitting down. "I'm very sorry." 

T'Challa was holding his father's ring. "In my culture, death... is not the end. It's more of a... stepping off point. You reach out with both hands and bask... in segment. They lead you into the green valley where you can run forever."

"That sounds very peaceful," Natasha told him.

"My father thought so," T'Challa told her. He put the ring on his finger. "I am not my father."

"T'Challa, the task force will decide who brings in Anders and Barnes," Natasha told him. 

T'Challa stood. "Don't bother, Ms. Romanoff. I'll kill them myself."