[ CW: SEXUAL CONTENT ]

strode through the dimmed corridor, the graffitied walls were lit in a sickly green glow from the faltering lights above. Their mission had come to another dead end because the suspected cafe owner refused to give up the location of Karli Morgenthau and the other Flag Smashers.

"It's a waste of time, man. We ain't gonna find 'em," Lemar declared, a couple of steps behind his partner.

"You heard anything back from anybody at Langley?"

Hoskins checked the phone tucked into a pocket on his uniform. There was a notification from Langley but not about the terrorists.

"Nah, nothing about Morgenthau. But they managed to dig up a few things about the girl."

"Good. I need to know everything I can about her. If she's as powerful as Bucky and Sam claim she is, I need to know her every move. It's dangerous to have someone like her working as a free agent. If it comes down to it, I'm going to need her on our side." Walker changed subjects, "Karli must be funneling something from someone I can't see."

The men exited the building, their conversation continuing. Hoskins stood still and spoke calmly to his friend while Walker paced back and forth methodically. Lamar chose to talk about Karli and not bring up the fact that the mystery woman seemed loyal to the other two men.

"Listen, she's giving displaced people shelter and medicine."

"I know."

"That kinda thing creates loyalty, man. I know you want this. I get it. But we've literally tried everything we can here. So has Langley, and we keep drawin' blanks."

Walker scoffed, taking a moment to think about his next words. "So we bet on someone who's got a better hand."

tile flooring blended into the white cement walls which blended into the white ceiling. The sterile environment was only offset by the blue paint trim and the occasional blue tile surrounded by white ones. Rows of square windows lined the hallway providing natural light. Three shadows crawled across the floor as they made their way through the facility.

Bucky dismissed the guard and turned to face Sam, "I'm gonna go in alone."

Sam looked the super soldier up and down, "Why?"

"You're an Avenger. You know how he feels about that."

"It's not like you two were known for frolickin' in the sun together," Wilson deadpanned.

"He was obsessed with HYDRA. We have a history together. Trust me. I got it."

Sam kept his hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans as they watched Bucky stalk off, gloved hands in fists as he made his way further into the facility. Iris stayed close to her remaining friend, arms crossed over her chest.

She hadn't mentioned her extended past with Zemo because she wasn't ready to reveal the secrets she had kept. She wasn't sure how Bucky or Sam would react but she knew the truth wouldn't be welcomed with open arms.

"Well, there goes White Panther. Off to save the day once more."

"Sam!" She smacked his arm playfully, "He told us it was White Wolf. Put some respect on his name."

coffee later, Barnes was joining his two friends outside of the detention center. With a blank face, he told them they needed to head towards a new location, a location that would give them information.

"Send me the address. I'll meet you there," Iris said, throwing her empty cellophane into the nearest garbage bin. "I have to take care of something while we're in Berlin. There's a loose end I didn't get the chance to tie up before I disappeared."

Sam raised his eyebrows while Bucky remained unphased, "A loose end to tie up? What the hell did you do as a JCTC agent between your team-ups with us?"

She smiled coyly, "Secret agent stuff."

With the two men satisfied with the plan to meet up at the location in an hour, Iris was left alone in front of the Berlin Correctional Facility. After re-entering the building and finding out the cell number she needed, all she had to do was flash her old Joint Counter Terrorist Centre badge a few times. The dissolution of the agency had been kept under wraps by the government and none of the facility employees knew better.

"What are you talking about? You wanna break Zemo outta jail? Where are we, Buck? Have you lost your mind?"

"We have no leads, no moves, nothing."

"What we have is one of the most dangerous men in the world behind bars."

"We also have eight Super Soldiers that are loose."

The security advisor dispatched a guard to lead the woman to cell 2187. She silently followed behind the designated guard, going over what she could possibly say to Zemo in her head.

"Zemo's gonna mess with our minds. Especially yours. No offense."

"Offense. Super Soldiers go against everything he believes in. He is crazy, but he still has a code."

"I've been on the wrong side of that code and so have you. He blew up the UN, he killed King T'Chaka and framed you for it. Did you forget that? You think the Wakandans forgot about it? It's a rhetorical question. They didn't. I know why this matters to you, but it's pushing you off the deep end."

"We don't know how they're gettin' the serum. We don't even know how many of them there are. Let me just walk you through a hypothetical. Can I?"

"What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything."

The uniformed man led her up a flight of metal stairs that happened to be in the center of a leisure area. The inmates stared at her, eyes hungry as their gazes roamed her body. It had been a while since they had seen any woman besides those who worked for the prison.

"The weakest point in any system isn't the software, the hardware, it's the meatware. The human element. Now, in this lockup, it's nine to one, prisoners to guards. And if two prisoners start fighting, then the protocol says four guards have to respond."

"So why would two prisoners randomly start fighting at that moment?"

"Who knows? There could be many reasons..."

Halfway up the stairs, all chaos broke loose. She heard the sound of a skull being cracked against a wooden table and looked down to see the start of a fight. The whole population was beginning to be infected by the itch of violence. They scratched it.

"But the point is, these things escalate."

The buzzer of the security system began to blare throughout the facility; the prison was going into lockdown. Amidst the disarray, the assigned guard was separated from the woman he had been leading. With no armed guard by her side, Iris was seen as an easy target to strike at.

A heavily built man lunged for the brunette, his thick fingers wrapping around her wrist. "Komm her, hübsch," he crooned, a sick grin on his face.

"Fucking pig!" After kicking his shin with the heel of her combat boot, prying his fingers off of her wrist, and twisting his hand until she heard a snap, the woman left the man writhing in pain. He held his broken hand close to his chest, nursing the limb.

"Lockdown procedures would have to be initiated, and with all those bodies flying around left and right, wouldn't be hard to slip down a hallway or two."

Iris managed to locate the nearest bathroom and locked the main door before having to break any more bones. She was quite aware of the surreality of her situation. Those men hadn't touched a woman in god knows how long and some would stop at nothing to do so since the opportunity had so nicely presented itself.

Her attention piqued when the sound of shuffling entered her ears. She hadn't cared to check the stalls before locking the door. She had been too busy trying to put distance between herself and the inmates. Iris cursed in her native tongue, berating herself for being so stupid.

"That's a language I've certainly never heard and I'm a well-traveled man. Vöglein, you have a habit of flying where you aren't supposed to."

She let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding as the stall door opened and Helmut Zemo walked out. The woman opened her mouth to speak but no words formed on her tongue. She didn't have to explain why she was standing in front of him. Forever an intelligent man, Zemo has already connected the dots that she was working with the man who had come to see him.

"Did your Winter Soldier send you to babysit?" He quipped, tilting his head ever so slightly.

Her brows furrowed in confusion before she connected her own dots. The fight and lockdown had all been a ruse to allow the Sokovian to escape.

Iris shook her head no, finally finding words, "No. I stayed behind to come to speak to you, to explain why I stopped writing. But I got caught up in the fight going on downstairs."

Zemo's eyes visibly softened as her explanation and the muscles in his jaw slowly unclenched as he readjusted his entire stature.

She hadn't forgotten about him. There was a reason she had stopped writing.

"Come here." A whispered invitation. He opened his arms for her and she happily closed the distance between the two of them. It was the hug he longed to give when she cried in front of him so long ago. Six years ago there had been glass separating them. Now, there was nothing.

"Are you hurt?" He inquired, pulling away briefly to search her for any wounds.

She shook her head no but despite her answer, he saw the hint of bruises beginning to form around her wrist. He gently rubbed his thumb over her skin, "Don't lie to me, vöglein."

"I took care of it," she muttered, mind clouded as she watched him gingerly bring her wrist to his lips. "He is in much more pain than I am." He hummed in approval as his lips ghosted her skin.

"Das ist mein mädchen." He paused to savor the moment for a second longer. "You have quite a bit of explaining to do but first we must get out of her."

He let go of her arm and she nodded before tightening her ponytail, "I'm assuming you have a plan?" Her eyes flicked up and down to emphasize the guard uniform he was wearing.

"Don't I always?"

Zemo exited the bathroom first, scanning his surroundings before allowing Iris to enter the hallway. He easily led her through the chaos, keeping her close to him.

By the time they were nearing the outer wings of the facility, the more heavily armed guards were entering the center. Zemo opened the door and stepped to the side, bringing her with him, as the special team swarmed through the entry point. To them, he was simply a guard escorting a visitor to safety.

"Come," he said. His hand remained on her lower back as he guided her further from the epicenter of the chaos.

"And if the fire alarm got tripped while the prisoners were being separated...

Iris watched Zemo with a questioning look as he pulled the fire alarm in the hallway. He turned to look at her, "James' suggestion."

"...someone could use the chaos to their advantage."

The man ushered her into another hallway in order to hide from the inmates and guards who were evacuating the facility under the pretense of a fire. He stayed close to the door, watching through the square window as the others passed. She stayed close to him, her body inches away from his as she waited behind him.

"It's clear," he declared, turning his neck to address her. "Let's go."

"Wait!"

His hand froze where it was, fingers wrapped around the metal door handle. He turned back around, eyebrows furrowed, "What vöglein? Are you alright?"

For six years the two of them had been parallel lines; two desolate souls yearning for the other but unable to meet. But now, they had finally intersected again. Her soul had managed to grab onto his. She didn't know what would happen to them outside the door, didn't know if she would be forced to let go again, forced to become parallel again. All she knew for certain was that in that room, behind that door, they were at an intersection, an entanglement of their souls.

"I-" she hesitated, still not knowing exactly what to say. He turned his whole body to completely face her, eyes searching hers for an answer. "Zemo..."

His eyes found an answer in her own and he smiled softly at her, "I know." His face slowly became neutral but his Sokovian accent still carried a tone of empathy, "There are so many things I want to say and do but right now, we must go."

"I don't like how casual you're bein' about this. This is unnatural. Are you... And where are we, man?"

Iris's phone buzzed, drawing her attention to the device shoved in her back pocket. Zemo stopped walking when he realized he only heard his footsteps resonating through the hall. Her heart rate quickened as she read the notification once and then again. She looked up from the phone and urged him to continue down the hall and through the door. He hesitated but did as she wished.

Hearing quite a bit of commotion, the woman decided to call the sorcerer later, and continued down the hallway. Finally making it to the main room, she found her two friends fighting while the newly escaped convict watched.

"If we do this, you don't make a move without our permission," Sam reluctantly decided.

"Fair," Zemo replied, nodding his head a little.

The sound of Iris's footsteps made all three men turn to look at her. Sam grabbed onto Bucky's arm, shaking him slightly. "Buck, why is Iris walking in the same way he did?" Sam turned to look at the man accusingly, "Did you use Iris as part of your little prison break plan! You know damn well she'll kill herself using her powers!"

Barnes maneuvered his arm out of Wilson's grip, "Why the hell would I do that, Sam? I would never willingly put her in harm's way. And for the last time, you can't call me that." He strode towards Iris, a stern look on his face, "Iris, want to explain what's going on?"

"I'm fine James," she insisted. "I went to talk to Zemo on my own but got a little caught up in your master plan."

"Zemo? Why the fuck would you need to talk to Zemo? You said you had a loose end to tie up!" Sam piped from behind them.

Bucky placed his hands firmly on her shoulders, his eyes boring into her own. She felt him scolding her through the stare. "Stop putting yourself in dangerous situations I can't get you out of."

"Buck, I promise I'm okay!" She pressed, trying to stand her ground against his gaze, "Not only can I take care of myself but Zemo was there."

"Oh yeah, the terrorist!" Sam continued in the background, throwing his hands in the air, "Because we fucking trust the terrorist!"

"I do," the woman stated matter of factly. "He had plenty of opportunities to kill me before the Blip and he didn't."

Wilson resigned with a sigh, "We'll talk about this later, Iris." He turned to address the quiet man, "Okay, Zemo, where do we start?"

made two pitstops before their final destination. They first stopped at an estate belonging to Zemo so he could collect a few more supplies than those he had gathered at the garage. Taking safety precautions, they left for their second stop with the man carrying his belonging in another duffel bag. They were currently at Iris' old apartment she had rented during her time of living in Berlin. While she was gone, Venture graciously continued to pay the rent and occasionally rotated the necessary supplies, hoping his friend would one day return.

The four entered the apartment after locating the key Iris had kept hidden around the property. A wave of nostalgia rolled over her as she stepped over the threshold, eyes settling over the familiar space that was no longer just a fragment of the past.

"It looks the exact same; like time froze here while the world crumbled around it," Bucky observed.

"You've been here?" Sam inquired, glancing at Bucky before continuing to take in his surroundings.

"While I was living in Burachest, Iris happened to be doing a solo mission. She was severely outnumbered and they left her unconscious body in an alleyway with several bullet wounds. They assumed she was dead. Of course, back then, a woman who could manipulate death wasn't capable of dying that easily. I happened to find her and helped her recover. Within two weeks, she was fully healed, and couldn't exactly lie about how her body was able to heal so rapidly. One thing led to another and now she's family."

"That's the debt you had to repay," Sam concluded, recalling the civil war between the Avengers and her reason for being on their side.

"I told you I knew where my loyalties lied."

Her best friend gave her a closed-lip smile but she saw the glint of adoration in his brown eyes. He ran a hand through his cropped hair, "Sam and I will go down the street and grab dinner. We'll stay here for the night and leave first thing tomorrow morning." Sam opened his mouth to say something but Bucky cut him off, "Zemo, if you so much as touch one hair on her head, I'll kill you. If you try anything, it'll be the last thing you ever do."

"I wouldn't dream of it," the Sokovian replied, hands held submissively in the air.

"Doll, call me if you need anything."

With some reluctance from Wilson, the woman was left alone with terrorist. They stood in silence for a few seconds, neither knowing quite what to say. Zemo stood awkwardly next to the fridge, not wanting to impose himself anywhere she wouldn't like him to.

"Come here." She echoed his words from earlier in the day, extending an invitation she didn't feel she should have to give him as she thought it had already been implied. She assumed he would understand the apartment was open to him as well and there was no need to skirt the perimeter. "It's okay, I promise."

"Apologies, vöglein. I just don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"I've known you for years and not once have you made me uncomfortable, Zemo. Besides, we both know I could kill you in an instant if you ever did." He was standing closer to her now, his duffel bag still slung over his uniformed shoulder. "You're more than welcome to take a shower and freshen up. I know a man of your stature has missed the simple luxury of adequate water pressure."

He gave her a half-lopsided smile, amusement apparent in his irises, "You always had quite the mouth on you. You never filtered any of your thoughts with me, telling me all of your assumptions about men such as myself. However, I can't recall a time you've ever been wrong."

"Neither can I," she agreed, a smirk on her lips.