at Bucky, but due to his Super Soldier abilities and peripheral vision, he caught it with his human hand. Karli went to run at him but was hit with the Shield as were the other Flag Smashers that surrounded us as Sam gracefully landed by us.

Karli removed her mask as she stood, looking at Sam with betrayal and disgust. "You of all people bought into that bullshit?"

"I'm trying something different. Maybe you should do the same." Sam calmly responded but still with a hint of order in his tone.

Explosions went off around us as small bombs dropped by our feet, smoke filling the air. My eyes darted around, losing my sight in the foggy clouds.

"This way." Sam instructed for me, Bucky and John to follow after him in a run.

"Hey Sharon, we're underground." Bucky spoke through his ear piece as we entered a construction building with tar-pooling sheets covering various objects. "We entered the tunnel on William. Heading south."

"Looks like they split up. here." Sam said as we came to a diversion in the path.

John immediately went one direction, Bucky telling us he'd got it before following after Walker. I stayed with Sam, jogging down the other path together, my hand still over the stab wound that was still pouring blood.

Sam had stopped for a moment, so I took this as some time to rest by leaning myself against the wall, hand on my wound and my chest heaving up and down as my head became light. My eyes felt weak and my head hung low as my back was hunched.

Two gunshots made Sam's head snap in their direction, my head also shooting up, looking from him to where his eyes had settled.

I followed him around the corner, slightly falling behind. I stopped when I saw Karli pointing a gun at Sharon who lay on the floor with a bullet wound already on her torso, cut through her top.

"Sam, stay back." Karli warned.

Sam slowly inched closer, "so what's next huh? You kill ten this time then what, a hundred? Where does it end? Please, let me help me."

Karli squinted her eyes at him, shaking her head, "don't try and manipulate me."

Karli readied the gun, Sharon begging for her life. Sam then flew forward into Karli, knocking her down followed by me rushing to Sharon's side as the two fought.

I pulled Sharon's body to rest against me, an arm wrapped around her shoulders and the other pressing against my wound as my eyes looked at hers. We could hear Karli ordering Sam to fight back it somewhat seemed like begging. Their shouts were also accompanied by screams and grunts, thuds and crashes.

Karli then picked up her gun, aiming at Sam who slowly stood up again. My eyes went wide as I let go of Sharon, beginning to rush over to Sam and Karli but with a struggle.

A gun shot went off and suddenly jolted to a stop in shock, waiting for Sam's body to drop. But it never did, instead it was Karli's as Sharon walked closer with her gun up, firing again and then again at the young girl.

Sam cradled the girl's head in his arms and Sharon lay herself against a pillar. I was still stood in one spot watching Sam and Karli with saddened eyes and sinking feeling in my gut.

Karli sobbed quietly, letting her eyes flutter shut until her hand went limp and all signs of life in her had left.

꧁꧂

Sam and I landed amongst cop cars, ambulances and a crowd, Sam carrying Karli's body in both arms. Immediately, two doctors rushed over to me, escorting me to one of the ambulance vehicles and straight away began working on my stab wound.

Karli was laid onto a gurney, and Bucky and John stood between two ambulances. Multiple reporters asked different questions about everything that had just taken place whilst Sam made his way to the members of the GRC.

"Sam, thank you so much." One lady said. "From all of us."

"Sincerely." The senator added, "you did your part in dealing with those terrorists, now we'll do ours."

"Are you still going forward with resetting the borders?" Sam asked them.

"Our peacekeeping troops will begin relocating people soon." Another lady told him. "The terrorists only set us back a bit."

"Stop calling them terrorists."

"What else would we call them?" The senator queried.

"Your peacekeeping troops carrying weapons are forcing millions of people in it settlements around the world, right? What do you think those people are gonna call you?" Sam questioned, making me peer over the doctor's shoulder.

"These labels, 'terrorists', 'refugee', 'thug', they're often used to get around the question, why?" Sam continued.

"Those settlements that happened five years ago, do you think it is fair for governments to have to support them?" The lady asked.

"Yes." Sam replied.

"And the people who reappeared only to find someone else living in their family home, they just end up homeless?" The senator also asked. "Look, I get it. But you have no idea how complicated this situation is."

Just as the Senator began to walk away from Sam, Sam spoke up. "You know what? You're right. And that's a good thing. We finally have a common struggle now. Think about that. For once, all the people who've been begging, and I mean, literally begging for you to feel how hard any given day is...now you know."

" How did it feel to be helpless? Now if you could remember what it was like to be helpless and face a force so powerful it could erase half the planet, you would know that you're about to have the exact same impact. This isn't about easy decisions, Senator."

"You just don't understand." The Senator slightly stuttered.

Sam scoffed, "I'm a black man carrying the Stars and Stripes. What don't I understand? Every time I pick this thing up, I know there are millions of people who are gonna hate me for it. Even now, here....I feel it. The stares, the judgment. And there's nothing I can do to change it. Yet, I'm still here. No super serum, no blond hair, or blue eyes. The only power I have is that I believe we can do better. "

"We can't demand that people step up if we don't meet them halfway. Look, you control the banks. Shit, you can move borders! You can knock down a forest with an email, you can feed a million people with a phone call. But the question is, who's in the room when you make those decisions? Is it the people you're gonna impact? Or is it just more people like you?"

"I mean, this girl died trying to stop you, and no one has stopped for one second to ask why. You've gotta do better Senator. You've gotta step up. Because if you don't, the next Karli will. And you don't wanna see 2.0. People believed in her cause so much that they helped her defy the strongest governments in the world. Why do you think that is? Look, you people have just as much power as an insane God or a misguided teenager. The question you have to ask yourself is, how are you going to use it?"

Sam walked away, him and John sharing a nod before Sam joined Bucky. The two of them, after having a brief talk, joined me once the two doctors had finished and left. Bucky gave me a hand to get out the vehicle and he kept a supportive hand on me once I was on flat ground again.

"How you holding up?" Sam asked me kindly.

"I'm okay, all things considered." I then placed a friendly hand on his shoulder. "Good job, Captain." Sam smiled, as did Bucky before the three of us walked towards the main road that was empty apart from discarded cars.