renegades had crafted yet another bare boned plan, one that had a lot of outside variables and a low success rate. But it was all they had. The current variable they were dealing with was one that surprised and annoyed all of them: John Walker. It appeared the mission had failed before it truly started.

"Karli Morgenthau is too dangerous for you guys to be pulling this shit!" The new face of America's voice rang loudly across the street. The eyes of surrounding strangers had already lingered on the icon but more were drawn by the loudness of his voice.

"Ah! How'd you find us now?" Bucky called back as the four crossed the cobblestone road.

"Come on, man. You really think three Avengers - one being a wanted criminal - can walk around Latvia without drawing attention?" Lemar Hoskins, America's favorite sidekick, asked.

"I wonder who declared me a criminal," Iris jested, wanting nothing more than to push the man's buttons. Her remark earned a hateful glare from John before he addressed the group.

"No more keeping us in the dark," he commanded, attempting to exercise all authority that he could. "You could start by telling us why you broke him out of prison." The American pointed at the Sokovian with an accusing finger.

Iris stayed quiet for the remaining duration of the interaction, simply observing as she tended to do. She had a few more choice words to say to John Walker, all nasty, but chose to remain silent. As a declared enemy of the state, she was already on thin ice with him. Of course, he ultimately had no power over her as a mortal man with a metal shield was no match for a goddess who could control death.

She didn't want to necessarily kill him, just as she didn't want to necessarily kill anyone else during this lifetime. She had learned to be more than a mindless murder machine. And 'Avenger Kills Captain America' wasn't a headline she particularly wanted to read while running from American authorities for the rest of her life.

Iris silently vowed not to kill John Walker unless she deemed it absolutely necessary.

"He did that himself, technically," Barnes remarked.

"This better be an unbelievable explanation!" Walker was seething, hands waving in anger.

By now, the American hero duo had intersected the group of renegades. They six stood in the middle of the street, the altercation drawing even more attention to them.

"Hey, take it easy before it gets weird," Wilson stepped in, using his arm to keep Walker a distance from Zemo.

"I know where Karli is," Zemo finally spoke, moving to push past the man standing in his way.

John planted a hand on the man's chest, stopping him in his tracks,"Well, where?"

"All we know is, it's a memorial. So, we're gonna intercept her there," Sam explained.

Helmut no longer focused on the taller man who was trying to detain him. His gaze looked past John's shoulder and into the distance. Following his gaze, Iris noticed the girl with golden waves purposefully waiting up ahead. Iris deduced that the girl would be the one to lead the team to Donya Madani's funeral, lead them to the Flag Smashers, lead them to Karli Morgenthau. Helmut reached back to grab ahold of Iris' wrist and pushed past John. The four Americans followed close behind the two.

"That means civilians. High risk of casualties," Battlestar verbalized.

"All right, good, we'll move in fast. Take her by surprise," Walker announced, yet again trying to exercise as much authority as he could.

"No, I wanna talk to her alone," Wilson disagreed.

"I'm not losing her again."

"Look, the person closest to her died, she's vulnerable. If there's any time to reason with her, it's now."

"What? No. Wait, no! No! Stop. Hold on. Stop, okay?" Walker was spouting off commands as he jogged to the front of the group, cutting off Helmut and Iris who led them. He was losing what little authority he had managed to establish. He needed to get it back. He was Captain America! These people should be listening to him! "I think we're way past reasoning with her, unless you forgot the fact that she blew up a building with people still in it."

"Sam, you walk in there cold, she could kill you," Battlestar added, backing up his partner.

"If I go in hot and the op goes wrong, more people will die," Falcon fired back, refusing to submit.

"You're gonna let him do this? Are you gonna let your partner walk into a room with a Super Soldier alone?" Walker asked Barnes in attempt to guilt trip the man.

"He's dealt with worse. And he's not my partner. She is." Bucky pointed to Iris.

"Right, the enemy of the state," John rolled his eyes.

"You're the one who labeled me as such!" The woman snapped, daggers flying in the blonde's direction. "I have done more to protect this world than you have! So tell me, Captain America, what warrants me being labeled an enemy of the United States when I have been nothing but an ally!"

The man blinked, slightly taken aback by the woman's outburst. He hadn't been expecting her to behave in such a way. All the women in his life respected him and not once had they ever spoken to him in such a manner.

He quickly recovered, "Let's see. How many reasons can I list off the top of my head?" He held up his hand, beginning to lift a finger for each reason he gave her. "One, you threatened Captain America in Baltimore. Threatening the life of America's hero isn't exactly being an ally. Two, you aren't a citizen of the United States. Therefore, each time you were on American soil, you were there illegally. That's certainly an arrest-able offense. Third, there's security footage of you leaving the Berlin Correctional Facility with a certain international terrorist. It appears to me that you've helped him escape. That most definitely makes you an international threat."

"That's all utter bullshit and you know that!" She argued, arms crossed over her chest. "I think you're just scared of me." Her lips were upturned in a small smirk, knowing that's exactly why he had labeled her an enemy of the state.

She was a free agent far beyond his control. And when a man who thrived on being in control of everyone couldn't control someone, he did whatever he could to change that.

"When I arrest him," Walker pointed to Zemo, "I'm going to arrest you too." He was in her face now, neck bent at an angle in order to be eye level. He jammed his finger into her chest, "And there's nothing," he began to jab between each word to enunciate his, "you can do about it."

"We need to focus on Karli! I used to counsel soldiers dealing with trauma, okay? This is right in my wheelhouse," Sam quickly spoke, trying to divert John's attention from Iris. He knew she wouldn't hesitate to kill America's hero if pushed over the edge. All it would take was Iris grabbing ahold of the finger jammed into her chest and John would be dead.

"Yeah, I know. And I know those soldiers, which is why I know this is a bad idea." Walker backed away from the woman, seemingly quelled on the topic of Iris for the moment being.

"Wait, John. If he can talk her down, it might be worth a try," Lemar remarked after contemplating Sam's words.

John jerked his head back and forth, obviously having a hard time coming to terms that this would not go his way and he would once again not be in control. He scoffed, "We'll deal with you later."

"I'm sure it will all come to an agreeable conclusion. My associate is just up ahead."

led them to the back door of an abandoned industrial building. From the outside it looked vacant but the inside was full of milling refugees waiting to pay their respects to the pillar of their community.

The girl pointed towards the area full of refugees just beyond another door. "Karli's in there," Zemo translated the girl's gesture.

The child scampered off, likely to join her family before one of her own saw her with the outsiders, the enemies. Wilson began to walk the way the informant had disappeared. Zemo moved to follow but Walker grabbed ahold of his forearm and forced him against a piece of machinery. The Sokovian let out a groan of discomfort as his body was slammed against the metal, a soft thump filling the room with his grunt.

"Hey," Walker called to Wilson before he stepped over the threshold completely, "You got ten minutes." The blonde began to secure the terrorist to a pipe with handcuffs, "Then we're doing things my way."

"Aggressive," Zemo coyly toyed with Walker, finding amusement in the man's annoyance. "But I get it."

John grimaced before stalking to the other side of the room, taking a seat on the mountain of dried concrete next to Lemar. Iris took the open position next to Helmut, her back leaning against the uncomfortable metal of the machine.

"Do you think Sam's plan will work?" She asked, her voice low so no one could overhear the conversation.

"Do you?" He replied, looking down at her.

"I have faith in Sam, not so much Karli."

Sam Wilson had always been level headed for as long as Iris had known him. He was the definition of cool, calm, and collected. If anyone had the ability to talk Morgenthau down, it would be him. However, Karli Morgenthau was not in the correct mindset to be level headed. She was a young girl forced to grow up too fast after losing her friends and family. She was grieving, forever grieving.

People in a state of grief could hardy ever be reasoned with.

"I don't think a person experiencing grief can be reasoned with," she told him. "There are millions of people grieving and she's offering them a way out of the never ending sorrow. Karli is willing to be their martyr and they're willing to allow her. She's experiencing grief just as they are. None of them — especially her — can be reasoned with right now."

"And just like every other supremacist, Karli Morgenthau will never be able to be reasoned with. Not now, later, or any other time," he added.

John Walker's heavy breathing filled the room. He had securely fastened his helmet the moment after he sat down, preparing to ambush the Flag Smashers and take back control by any means necessary. He had been staring at his shield, studying the reflection that stared back. His reflection... the reflection of Captain America!

He rose to his feet, pacing back and forth as words tumbled from his mouth, "Uh-uh. No, no, no. This is a bad idea."

The others stayed motionless in their respective positions, only watching as Captain America began to grow more frantic. "It hasn't been ten minutes, John. Just sit tight."

"Don't do that. Don't patronize me."

"He knows what he's doing."

Walker stopped moving, eyes focused on the clock on the wall. Even if the proper amount of time had passed, the time for justice had long since past. Who was going to bring Karli Morgenthau and the other terrorists to justice? Him! Captain America!

"I'm goin' in," John asserted, striding confidently towards the entryway that led to his target. Bucky held out an arm, halting the man in his tracks. John took a single step back, sizing up the man in his way. "This is all really easy for you, isn't it? All that serum runnin' through your veins." Silence. "Barnes, your partner needs backup in there." More silence. "Do you really want his blood on your hands?"

Barnes gave Walker no response, no reaction. The blonde nodded before using his shield to forcefully push pass the super soldier blocking his path. Hoskins went through a flurry of emotions in a single second before hurriedly following after his partner who marched through the halls.

Bucky let out a loud exhale before motioning for his friend to follow him after the two men. The Necromancer pushed herself off the side of the metal machine, more than ready to follow after the White Wolf to stop Captain America and Battlestar. They were going ruin the plan, ruin everything. They were going to start a war.

Helmut's free hand grabbed ahold of her wrist, jerking her back. Her head snapped to look at him, confusion written on her features. "She's a supremacist," he asserted, not wanting the woman he loved to help the enemy.

She didn't understand.

He would make her understand.

"The desire to become superhuman cannot be separated from supremacist ideals!" He pressed, his grip tightening as he continued, "She's a Nazi in a different form! She's Ultron! An Avenger!"

She snatched her hand from his vice-like grip, "I'm an Avenger!" Her mind was reeling with confusion. She didn't know how she felt about the man in front of her, about his opinions or views. She had seldom questioned him in the years they had known one another, always trusted him. But now, she wasn't so sure. Maybe she should have questioned him long ago.

He shook his head in disagreement, "You aren't anything like them, vöglein. You never have been."

"Maybe not," she replied, massaging her tender wrist. "But I've been Karli. I've been that grieving girl."

"But you changed," he asserted again, refusing to view the situation in any other way. In his mind, Karli Morgenthau was a supremacist. Point blank period. She never could or would be anything else.

"So can she!"

"She won't stop until she's killed!" He fired back, his wrist straining against his metal restraint. He tried to grab ahold of the woman, force her to see his point of view. His efforts were futile for she had backed up just out of reach.

The glowing anger behind her irises extinguished as the final word left his lips. She won't stop until she's killed. The blaze of anger had been doused out by the wave of sadness that knocked her down, almost drowning her. The weight of his words sunk deep into her skin, the realization piercing her heart.

"And if I hadn't been stopped, hadn't changed? If we had met while I was still the emotionless proxy I once was? Would you have me killed too?" Helmut's jaw locked and unlocked as he tried to think of an answer. He didn't have one. "Funny," she grimly laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. "I vividly remember you being nothing more than a grieving man who made himself into a terrorist. You were vaguely a supremacist yourself. Yet I chose not to kill you even after all you did to my best friend."

"Maybe you should have."

Helmut instantly regretted his words. He immediately wished he had bit his tongue, remained composed as he usually did. But the idea of Iris empathizing with a supremacist who willingly took the serum irked him beyond belief. He felt betrayed.

"Maybe."

Iris almost instantly regretted her reply... almost. She almost immediately wished she had bit her tongue, remained silent as she usually did. But the idea of Helmut refusing to view the situation in any other way irked her. She felt betrayed.

after searching the endless maze that was the old manufacturing plant. Well, more like Karli found her. The Avenger had been searching a room on the lower level when she heard the moan of a heavy metal door forced to move and then a slam closely following it.

Karli rushed down the cement stairs two at a time, entirely focused on finding her prized possession. The possession that the Avengers were there to take. Only after rounding the bottom of the stairs did she see the Avenger that had already been in the room, the Avenger she hadn't outrun, the Avenger she had forgotten about.

"You again?" The leader of the Flag Smasher's mused, her voice confident while her eyes frantically searched the room. "Did you forget how I kicked your ass last time we fought?" Her eyes landed on a table, an open satchel revealing vials of blue liquid. "Perhaps you need a reminder." After successfully finding her target, she focused her attention on the Avenger, hoping the other woman hadn't noticed her eyes linger on the table too long.

"I'm not here to fight," Iris remarked, attention solely on Karli.

"Oh really? That's what Sam said too before Captain America came busting through the door. For being such a noble group of superheroes, you all sure do lie a lot."

"Karli! John Walker wants to arrest you and you're giving him every reason to! I know you're hurting but you need to stop!"

"You have no idea what I'm going through!" Morgenthau yelled, hands balling into fists by her side. "I'm so sick and tired of everyone trying to sympathize with me when they can't! You have no idea what it's like to grieve a family you can't even remember! To mourn a home that no longer exists!"

"I do!" The Avenger insisted, taking a small step towards the girl. Karli's nostrils flared slightly and her posture grew rigid but she made no attempts to thwart Iris' advancement. "I was ripped from my mother's arms when I was no more than a young child. It was so many lifetimes ago that I hardly remember her face, let alone her touch or voice. And as for my home? My planet was completely destroyed, a whole civilization left to become nothing more than premature space dust."

A grieving person could not be reasoned with. That was a fact. But perhaps if two people grieved together, no reasoning would have to be done. There would be only understanding.

The Flag Smasher looked away, averting her gaze to anywhere except the Avenger. She blinked a few times, forcing the welling tears to stay at bay. Her emotions were betraying her as her heart searched the deeper recesses of her mind a memory, anything, even a fragment.

"How do you live with it? Not remembering the good parts, only the bad?"

A lone tear slid down Iris' own cheek now. She used the sleeve of her black turtle neck to wipe it away, scared that if she didn't, she would completely fall apart herself. "I finally started to search for something else worth remembering."

"That's what I'm doing," Karli uttered, eyes still flitting around the open room. "These people are worth remembering. Everyone, including the GRC, has forgotten about them. But not me, not my friends. We have to make the rest of the world remember."

"And you can," Iris insisted, her hand finding Karli's. "But killing innocent people will make them remember for all the wrong reasons."

"Then how do I make them remember?"

"Certainly not by going down the path you're headed."

"The path I'm going down? You mean the path of saving peoples lives?" The Flag Smasher snapped, jerking away from the Avenger. "I'm saving the lives of the people who didn't forget me! The lives of the forgotten!" Her gaze returned to the woman, a new burst of energy soaring through her body. "Now get out of my way before you're nothing but a memory yourself!" With the super soldier serum circulating in her veins, the girl easily sent the woman flying backwards.