Captain America: Civil War | Shattering Relations | Conflicts and Revenge

Vienna, Austria

It took over an hour but finally, the blaze inside the United Nations building was starting to subside. The firemen managed to centralize and contain the flames within a corner of the building. They were currently using the extended top part of the fire engine to hosing down the remnants with more water. The entire side of the building was essentially demolished and covered in black char. All the windows were busted out, leaving only the frame and some flaying rebar.

There was a rescue helicopter lifting from the roof as they collected the people who managed to make it up there. Parts of the stairway had been inaccesible and luckily, they were able to make it out alive just in time. The fire alarm had been initiated immediately after the explosion so everyone, barring the injured and dead who needed assistance, was able to get out in a more-or-less orderly fashion.

Another helicopter was busy rushing those in need of immediate medical attention to the nearest hospital straight away to avoid any loss of life.

The Joint Terrorism Task Force had arrived at the scene not too long ago and immediately got started on their job. There were Agents scattered across the grounds and doing all sorts of things. Leading the initiative was Sharon Carter who arrived on the scene first and later Myra Johnston who followed closely behind. They were supervising the efforts to make sure everything went as smoothly as possible while coordinating with local officials.

Everyone tried to stay away from them as much as possible, letting them work efficiently to mediate what happened as quickly as possible.

Natasha had been roaming around outside and out of everyone's way just staring at the building. She already heard the news on the exact details of what had happened … from the reporters themselves as they tried to get statements out of her. They knew of her connection to Avery Rogers … Winter. So, like the parasites they can sometimes be, they wanted her to say something on national television in regards to what happened here today.

Like hell would she do that.

Just as Bucky thought in his head – she didn't find any of this made sense either.

Something like this couldn't have been done by the Winter she knew. It certainly wasn't done by the Avery they've fought side by side with during the year she was with them. Nothing added up to a logical conclusion. If Avery had indeed returned back to the state Winter was before being found - she would have kept to the shadows again, not publicized herself as the murderer and terrorist her records suspect her to be.

Winter would have reclaimed her name as the fleeting ghost that conspired in the dark.

Natasha wandered passed the number of ambulances, still parked on the scene as a dozen paramedics attended to the minorly injured. A short while later; she suddenly noticed a particular person sitting on a bench by himself, one that she hasn't seen since before the explosion.

T'Challa … the Prince of Wakanda.

T'Challa was a well-built black man in his early thirties with a neatly trimmed beard and custom navy-blue suit. The man stared out into space as he fiddled with a black and silver ring. The base was a black vibranium metal and engraved on the piece of jewelry were the markings of his culture and heritage.

Natasha vaguely recalled him pulling it off his father's finger, just before the paramedics took the body away.

The two of them were a few of the lucky ones to get out of the explosion not too badly injured. T'Challa had multiple cuts along his face. He will probably have some bruising later on too, given the fact that he was thrown across the room by the force of the blast. Natasha was relatively unharmed, thanks to the desk she managed to pull herself and those beside her under. If it wasn't for the fact that T'Challa shouted at everyone to get down, it's more than likely there would have been a much higher death toll and injured list.

Natasha slowly made her way towards the bench where she noticed him sitting alone. She hesitated for a moment, wondering if it were wise for her to converse with someone that was very likely traumatized. Seeing her, a supposed friend of Avery Rogers, it might not be a good start to healing for him. Deciding to take the risk; she finally decided to take a seat on a bench just a little further away from him – she wanted him to have an ample amount of breathing space.

He didn't seem to notice her presence as she took a seat.

Her body was turned towards him and she observed his mentality for a few seconds.

"I'm very sorry." She finally told him in a soft voice.

T'Challa glanced over to her direction as she finished and there was an oddly blank look in his features. Inside … all he felt was numbness conjoined with a bottle of anger that was very close to overfilling. All he could see was his father dying in front of his eyes, again and again. Even though he felt rather against Natasha Romanov coming to speak with him – he couldn't muster up the energy to tell her to go away.

He's also heard the news on who committed this heinous crime, so he knew exactly who caused the explosion. The pent-up rage slowly built up inside of him a little further. He gradually looked away from her as a story came to mind … feeling as though if he told this story, maybe he'd feel a little bit better.

"In my culture," He began, his voice barely above a whisper. He didn't care all that much if the redheaded woman was able to hear him or not. "…death is not the end. It more of a stepping-off point." He paused, "You reach out with both hands and Bast and Sekmet, they lead you into the green veldt where you can run forever."

A scene from his childhood flashed across his eyes from the first he can remember his father telling him the story. It did give him a small amount of peace as he believed it could be true – but he was still itching to get revenge on the person who took his father away from him too soon before his time.

There was a moment of silence between them.

"That sounds very peaceful," Natasha commented lightly after processing his words. She sent him a small smile on her lips as a hope of giving him some comfort. He turned his head to her again and simply stared at her. He didn't have an inch of a smile on his face or light in his eyes, they were calculating and absolute.

She began to feel a little uneasy under his stare because she wanted to know what he's thinking.

"My father thought so," T'Challa remarked as he finally turned away again. He blindly placed his father's ring onto his right hand and stared back out into space. He could feel the bottle of rage finally capped its hold and the revenge he was thinking of smelled very sweet. His father was still dead and someone had to pay for that. Even though he wanted to cry for the loss … he had work to do. "I am not my father."

Natasha looked at him closely and noticed how his jaw tensed, including one of his fists.

"T'Challa," She tried to calm him down, sensing the shift in his behavior quite clearly, "The Task Force will decide who brings in Avery." As much as she wanted to - it wasn't likely she'll be on the team that does so. She didn't know what was going to happen but either way, she wasn't going to let anyone hurt her. Winter was still one of the closest things to family she has left.

"I understand that she is your friend, Ms. Romanoff," T'Challa returned with a dark undertone in his voice. He stood up from his seat and turned to where she sat, her eyes lifting to meet his. He stared down at her, his fists clenching with anger running through his body, "But don't bother … I will kill her myself and no one will stop me until I do."

Natasha could only watch as he moved past her and vanish from sight. She let out a long sigh and her shoulders dropped with a shake to her head. She didn't know what to do. She had signed the Accords so it wasn't like she could just jump head first. She now had to get approval in order to do so. In the back of her mind, a little voice was telling her had made the wrong decision signing those papers, even if some of the pros outweighed the cons.

Right now; she marked this as a major con.

She can just imagine Steve muttering to himself, 'I told you so'. Both he and Bucky warned them what would happen if they signed this deal. It would severely limit their choices … or they would end up with none at all. She knew bad things would happen if she decided to go MIA and neglect the terms of this deal.

Before she could even figure out what she was going to do next, the phone in her hand decided to ring. She glanced down at the machine and spotted a well-known number. She sighed again, "Yeah?" She answered with a tired note to her voice.

They've probably heard the news by now, she thought.

"Are you alright?" Steve's voice echoed through the receiver.

"Uh, yeah, thanks." Natasha nodded, not realizing she was being watched by two Avengers'. "I got lucky."

Steve glanced over his shoulder to watch the redhead across the way. She was only about ten meters away from him and yet she hasn't spotted them. She probably didn't even realize the possibility of them being here … not yet anyway. He was dressed in near enough the same get-up as the time they were running from Hydra and Winter. There was a dark cap on his head and he wore clothing that made him look like an everyday pedestrian. There were rounded blackout shades covering his eyes too.

Bucky was wearing similar clothing to Steve.

The last thing they wanted was to be recognized by the general public or an official.

Even though the American heroes had their normal everyday attire with them, they also brought all their uniforms and shields. They never go anywhere without their stuff, especially since anything could happen at any time. Everything was currently stashed in a rental car a few streets away.

Bucky was staring down at his phone as he pretended to play a game like a regular guy. Honestly, he was just browsing through Google Maps to see the street names surrounding them. He stuck close to Steve and kept his ears sharp so he could hear the entire conversation. He continued keeping his back toward Natasha, knowing she'd spot them easier if they were facing frontwards. They were semi-hiding behind a pole fixture just outside the café so it covered most of their bodies.

Sam arrived in Vienna not too long after they did since he was visiting an old friend in a neighboring country. He was only a short plane hop too. The man was currently inside the café next to them fueling up before they started getting to work. Steve and Bucky weren't all that hungry considering everything that's been going on.

They just wanted to make sure Natasha was okay before heading out.

Myra also mentioned she'd try and get word to them if any leads came across as legit. So far, they haven't heard anything but that doesn't mean there's nothing. They all knew Avery wasn't going to be an instant find. It's why they haven't been able to find her since she went missing 7 months ago. The Task Force was probably getting hundreds of leads right now about possible sightings and they had to confirm or deny if any of them are true.

Between them; Steve and Bucky were also hoping Natasha would assist them, considering she also had a connection to Ava … or Winter, as she used to be known. They still knew very little on what their relationship was, however, they did know the pair were fairly close back in those days.

On Natasha's end of the line, she made a pause when she heard an ambulance through the phone. It echoed in a way that told her it wasn't on her side. Her brows furrowed in confusion before suddenly realizing exactly why she heard sirens on his end. They were the same ones she could hear not too far from what she was. Her head turned up and her eyes scanned the vicinity … they were nearby. No way was it a coincidence that two ambulances turned on its sirens at the exact same time but on different continents.

"Steve," Natasha started, getting up from her spot. She kept her head down after she didn't spot them at first glance. It would look a little suspicious of her attempting to spot someone in the crowd. Without knowing; someone could potentially think she was talking to Avery right now instead … even if it wasn't true. "I know how much your sister means to you, truly I do. But please … please, don't do anything that's going to make things worse for all of us."

Steve shared a look with Bucky, who turned up to raise an eyebrow at the plea, "Are you saying you'll arrest us?" He doubted it, but he was curious to know.

"No." She truthfully told them both. "But someone will if you interfere … that's how it works now."

"If Ava really is this far gone, Nat, we should be the ones to bring her in."

There was a moment of silence.

"I know." Natasha quietly agreed after a small resigning sigh left her lips. Not only would Steve and Bucky make sure they didn't hurt her … too much. They're the only ones who could get through to her if there was something wrong after all. "You two are probably less likely to die trying too." If she couldn't go herself, they were the next best thing. They're probably the only ones of few she would trust not to kill Ava after what the news has been telling everyone.

She already had an inkling that the Task Force wasn't going to opt in to keeping Avery alive. So, even though there will be consequences, it would be worth getting punished if it means the woman is still alive by the end of the day. It did work in super-soldiers favor, considering they never signed up for the Accords – in other words, it gave them a shred of leniency.

"Be careful and hurry."

Natasha hung up the phone quickly and scanned the vicinity to make sure no one had been listening in on their conversation and her responses. Feeling satisfied, she sat back down on the bench and waited for someone to contact her on what was happening next. She expected the next person to be calling her was the Commander of the Task Force.

…

Steve slid the phone back into his jacket pocket as he and Bucky re-entered the busy café. They were able to pinpoint Sam straight away. The man was wearing his usual clothing with an added maroon cap and dark shades. He was at the front counter, sitting on a bar stool with a plate of food in front of him. He was munching through the remainder of it as they approached from the side.

Sam could feel someone come up beside him and he peered into the corner of his eye. He immediately recognized his two teammates/leaders. Bucky stopped right next to him while Steve was on his other side.

"She tell you to stay out of it?" Sam inquired as the bartender walked into the back. He glanced over to them slightly while he chewing through his mouthful. He wasn't all that great at reading people who were trying not to be but he was curious.

The three of them kept their voices down so the people around them weren't able to hear what they were saying.

"Not … exactly." Steve replied, his eyebrows still creased in bewilderment a little from the interaction with the spy. It was odd because if very much sounded like Natasha wanted them to break the Accords. (even though they never signed it) She was one of the ones who had been vehemently for them to sign and that it was the right thing to do. Maybe she's starting to realize what she did was wrong?

Sam peered over his sunglasses as surprise flashed in his eyes, "Really?" He exclaimed, just as perplexed as them, "I imagined her scolding you or something for what you're about to do."

"Yeah, me too." Bucky agreed, giving a small shrug to his right shoulder. "But I guess she doesn't want to see Ava hurt any more than us." He sent the redheaded woman a silent salute of respect.

"She just made the point to be careful and don't make matters worse for all of us," Steve added.

"Well, I'll be damned," Sam was honestly stunned by the sudden turn of events but he was glad nonetheless. He looked back over to them after swallowing his next bite, "But are you two sure about this though?" He reaffirmed, "Cause what we're about to walk into won't be very pretty."

"She'd have done it for us," Bucky confirmed.

Sam wanted to counteract that statement with a reminder that this woman wasn't the Avery Rogers they used to know, however, decided to stay silent instead. In reality; none of them really knew anymore. After knowing Ava/Winter for roughly a year; there was something about her that made him think her feelings were genuine for the two men standing beside him. It was just all the unknowns and uncertainties that got to him.

He was going to give the benefit of the doubt but with everything he knew of the woman's past – he was just a little unsure. He understood she was fighting demons none of them could begin to understand or imagine. He wondered after all this time if that's why she decided to stay hidden from the world. Like others; he hoped Hydra hadn't gotten a hold of her again and made her commit this crime. That could potentially be catastrophic for a number of reasons.

They were living one of them right now.

Also, despite everything, he did consider her a friend in need. He was willing to help his friends because that's the kind of man he was. He was also doing this to support Bucky and Steve - he knew they'll need all the help they can get.

"Okay." Sam accepted with a slight nod to his head.

The three of them never got the chance to say another word when a person decided to approach them, from Steve's side with a folder in hand. It was Myra. She had changed attire since the last time because she no longer wore the Task Force jacket she had on the plane. She was dressed down, which meant she didn't want anyone noticing her presence here next to them.

She didn't look their way and while they made an initial glance to her, they also followed in suit and stared out in front.

"Tips have been pouring in since that footage went public." Myra quietly informed them as she fiddled with the corners of the folder, placed on the counter in front of her. She couldn't help but feel a little jittery inside about doing this. She pushed it down and kept telling herself this was the right thing to do. She just prayed she didn't get caught handing over sensitive information to people her boss would call enemies to the objective.

She knew this whole ordeal probably wasn't going to go well anyway.

"Everybody thinks the Winter Soldier goes to their gym." She proceeded, "Most of its noise … except for this." She covertly slid the folder in front of Steve without making it too obvious. Luckily, they had chosen a café without any security cameras so what she was doing wouldn't be recorded. Unless someone was purposefully doing so behind their backs.

Steve did look down at the folder at first but decided to wait until they were out of sight and alone.

"My boss expects a briefing, pretty much now so … unfortunately, that's all I can help with." She said with a note of reluctance. She wasn't all that keen on going to a meeting where she'll have to lie to her boss's face, "It's a head start, at least."

"Thank you," Steve told her with relief in his veins, knowing they now had a solid lead to work on. He knew he was extremely lucky to have her in his life and he prayed she wouldn't get in trouble because of them for doing this.

"You're gonna have to hurry, though."

Myra didn't accept the thank you because she knew what she was doing was the right thing to do. There was also the fact that the worse news was yet to come and she hated to be the one to tell them this. She finally glanced over to them as the three men looked over to meet her eyes,

"I'm so sorry but Sam was right." She explained regretfully, "They've given orders to shoot on sight."

…

Berlin, Germany

In a small hotel room, just inside the city, sat an average-size woman with long dark hair pulled into a ponytail. She was sitting at a small, round table in the corner of her room with blood red book in hand. It was old with slightly discolored pages within. There was a shiny black star stapled on the cover. This book contained some of Hydra's most precious secrets in perfectly printed handwriting. Many she didn't care about but others … she was very much interested in.

In the background played the TV on a very low volume – it repeated the international news currently coming out of Vienna, Austria. A woman – Avery Lola Rogers, aka, The Winter Soldier, was now a wanted felon. The authorities were now asking the public to keep an eye out. To report anything suspicious that could very well be her whereabouts in the world.

The woman didn't know where Avery Lola Rogers was right now either but it was of no concern to her. She didn't need to anything right now. She was in the country she needed to be in and it would only be a matter of time before the next part of the plan commenced.

Katherine Morena was muttering to herself as she stared at the pages before her. The book was in another language, different from her own native tongue, Ukrainian. The book was written in Russian. She only knew the basics of the dialect so she was still figuring out what everything was saying, and how to correctly pronounce it. She's spent months translating this book after taking it from the hands of a former Hydra Commander. His body was probably long soiled by the time anyone made an effort to find him.

From what she could gather after translating most of the written material – everything on the two pages she was looking at contained everything she needed for now. It would serve her purpose which is exactly what she wanted.

Her original plan had been to just gather the evidence she needed and spark the tension she wanted but after what happened to her in Sokovia – she was going to do more. Every piece of pain in her life was because of her and now them. She wanted them all to the feel the pain she felt and the betrayal of the ones they cared about. None of them were going to come out of this unscathed if she has any say about it.

Revenge was sweet because it's already started.

Making Avery Lola Rogers a wanted target was just the tip of the iceberg. She knew not all of them would be affected by her plan, the Accords have done that quite nicely without aid, but the main conspirators would get what they deserved. Managing to get all of them would just be the icing on the cake. So far, the plan she created, barring a few minor details, was going as swimmingly as possible.

She was currently waiting in her hotel room waiting for a phone call.

"возвращение домой," Katherine uttered to herself. She needed her pronunciation to be exceptional, otherwise, it would not have the same effect. She was confused by the choice of random words because what she was saying held no sense. Although, on the other hand, it did. Hydra wouldn't have wanted just anyone to activate the weapon – only them. "один ... грузовой вагон." Homecoming. One. Freight Car.

There were scribbles jotted down the side, describing how they chose them and what they signified but she hasn't gotten that far. She didn't care about why they chose the words. All she cared about what how to use the words.

When a sudden round of knocking on the door sounded - it was enough to make her head snap up to attention. As far as she knew – there shouldn't be any visitors. She had no one left to speak of. Anyone who vaguely remembered her wouldn't know where she was to begin with.

She slowly placed the journal aside into the hidden drawer in the table. She kept her eyes on the door without breaking a blink and she got up from where she sat with caution in her posture. Her feet slowly made their way over to the door and her right hand hovered over the handgun tucked into the back of her pants.

The knocking resonated throughout the room again.

"Fräulein, ich habe dein Frühstück am Morgen!" An older woman's voice appeared through the door and the younger woman became physically relieved. The hand that was about to grab the handgun moved away from the defensive and began unlocking the chain bolted on her door.

Katherine drew on a delighted smile as she opened the door, finding a familiar old woman standing outside her door. She was holding the breakfast that was requested daily the day she arrived. There was a cart with her food on it and it smelled delicious. "Ich konnte es riechen, bevor ich die Tür öffnete."

"Drei Würste, Eiweiß und zwei Toaststücke." The woman beamed with a twinkle of delight in her eye. Katherine was probably the nicest guest she's had in a long while to serve.

Kathrine moved forwards to take the tray and insisted that she would be fine on her own. She sent the genuinely nice lady another smile before closing the door behind her as politely as possible. Being a nuisance would only make her stand out more.

And as nice as the woman was to be around – she could not be allowed to enter the room under any circumstance.

Especially when there was a bomb currently hiding in her closet and a dead woman in her bathtub.

Follow, Fav, and let me know what you thought!

Next Chapter – I've already got it semi-planned out and it'll be an original surrounding Ava. It'll span between a few hours before Steve and Bucky arrive. Translations are below!

Translations: German

"Fräulein, ich habe dein Frühstück am Morgen!" - Miss, I have your morning breakfast!

"Ich konnte es riechen, bevor ich die Tür öffnete." – I could smell it before I opened the door.

"Drei Würste, Eiweiß und zwei Toaststücke." – Three sausages, egg whites, and two pieces of toast