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Chapter Text

When the debris and concrete dust had settled, they all trooped into the tower together. Valentina walked around, congratulating them all and seemingly immune to the fourth degree she was getting. She ushered John into a side room.

“Are you feeling okay?” She asked.

“Okay?” He said, stupefied. What did this viper care? It couldn’t even be about the brand, because, well, he was still on the team after royally embarrassing the US government.

“Well, you did get the super bootleg version of the serum, if you don’t mind me saying…real black market stuff. Not Red Room, not even Hydra. And out there…well.”

“Seemed to work for the fucking Flagsmashers.” John shifted uncomfortably, his arms feeling suddenly awkward. Like, he knew he wasn’t half the super soldier Steve Rogers - or even Bucky was, but he could still do the work.

Valentina’s eyes were pretty intense. Staring into his. His cheek twitched, irritated.

“That terrorist you killed, Nico. He shouldn’t have been able to hold you down. You were the peak of humanity before the serum, which only made you more of what you were! You almost beat Bucky Barnes-”

How the fuck did she know that? He opened his mouth to ask, but he already felt kind of on the wrong foot, and he didn’t want to look stupider. She knew he’d lost. Humiliation burned in his chest.

“And the Flagsmashers beat him.” She said. “While you couldn’t even hold up a piece of concrete.”

She let the moment sit. He tried not to let his feelings show. He thought he’d been pretty heroic, actually, but yeah, he hadn’t anticipated it being that heavy. Hurting him that badly. He thought of Ava, rushing forward to help him, even though she couldn’t do much…then the fear afterwards when he realised he could not let it crush him, and crush her too. Only when Alexei joined did it become bearable.

“Right.” He said, his mouth dry. “What’s your point, Val?”

Was she about to kick him off the team? Jesus. His heart began to thunder, double-time. What the fuck would he do? Lose the only friends he’d had since Lemar…lose the gig? And no one would even care, because the public only saw someone who murdered an innocent man. Fuck, the press must have had a field day.

“We have a theory.” She said. “Simple, really. The reason Karli Morganthau was so strong - and the other Flagsmashers - was because they were double-dosing. The serum you have, it wears off - that’s why you’re weak. It needs updates, like a vaccine.”

That stung more than he’d ever want to admit.

“So…do I have to break into some place and steal more? Is that why you’re spinning this?” Honestly, he hoped so. Worst case, Zemo had managed to destroy all of it, and John was doomed to shrivel back into nothingness. That idea reminded him of standing in front of that elevator shaft, the swoop of his stomach when he realised that in walking forward in the dream, he’d been stepping towards his doom.

It probably wouldn’t have killed him.

But he couldn’t have powers that fluctuated. He couldn’t be unable to trust himself. Not again.

“No need.” Valentina said. “We had some synthesised. We have everything on the Flagsmashers. Come with me, John. We’d hate to lose you now.”

He shrugged, and followed her through the Avenger’s tower. It was still insane to be there. To walk the same halls Steve Rogers once did.

Yelena was lounging in the common area, reading a magazine. Ava was probably in her room. Bob was…nowhere to be seen. Bucky was fiddling with his arm.

“Where are you two slouching off to?” Yelena said, peering over the magazine with suspicion.

John couldn’t tell her. Yeah, he injected himself with some chemical because he was a sore loser (that wasn’t the whole reason but she’d pounce on the idea that he felt inferior, however he put it). He stuttered for a few seconds, before settling on telling them Valentina had a job for him.

“Not going to tarnish our reputation already, Walker?” Bucky said. He tried to find John’s eyes, but he avoided them.

“It’s legal.” He said finally. It probably was.

He followed her downstairs and into a car waiting out front. Slightly embarrassing that she knew he’d say yes. Well, probably why she’d recruited him to begin with. He was willing to do whatever it took to keep helping people.

It was then he really thought that she’d killed him. She’d offered him a clean slate, and then she’d tried to kill him. She’d thrown him away too.

How sad.

But things change, he thought, and now she was trying to help. He peered at the driver, a man with a flat-cap, and nodded stiffly. The seats were really uncomfortable.

The drive took until darkness. They’d long since left civilisation. But that was expected. She’d gotten in enough trouble for Sentry - of course, making more super-soldier serum was off the books and off the beaten track for good measure. Must be a bitch of a commute.

They pulled up to a drab building that reminded him of every military barracks he’d ever stayed in. He shuddered. In the Void he’d been back in Afghanistan, beating on some guy tied to the ceiling, looking for information on blowing up some tower. Then he’d been cradling Lemar’s body. Jumping out of the window. Then yelling at his wife over nothing, as he did nothing…

He shuddered, pushing the feelings down. He was a good soldier. And he would continue to be one. He cared about the country.

He got out of the car and followed her into the lobby. Armed men gathered around, along with scientists. To be expected. He put his soldiers back. They would probably be excited to see the living product of what they were working for. He smiled at them, like he practiced in the mirror all the time. They didn’t smile back.

Some weird song was playing in the lobby. An uneasy feeling spread down his spine. He slowed.

“Speaking of the Flagsmashers.” Val said, “We’re getting worried about them again. We think after this, they might make a move to seize Bob.”

“Of course. With a power like his, they could actually return the world to during the Blip.” He said numbly. “Even throwing half the world into Hell…”

“As if they’d care.” Val chuckled. Right. At least she didn’t try to soften what they were, like Sam Wilson tried to even when Morganthau was trying to kill him. Of course, John had tried to kill him to…god, maybe this man’s forgiveness was all he could depend on.

He’d need to be able to protect Bob. If he was going against the Flagsmashers again…

“So I’ll need multiple doses too?” He followed her through a door. Inside was a small bare room with a bare mattress shoved up against it and a concrete bench. There was a door on the other side.

This was weird.

“Yes.” She said.

He walked towards the other door.

It was rusted shut. It hadn’t been opened in a while…

He turned around. The soldiers had filed behind him. John settled himself ready to fight, but he knew he was hopeless, if Val had dosed them all too.

“What the fuck.” He spat. Was she putting him down like a dog or something? But that didn’t make any sense!

“I’m sorry, John.” She said forlornly. “But you are the most susceptible.”

Chapter Text

"Do you think he’d try and kill us if we followed him?” Yelena said idly. Walker had been gone for…an hour, maybe more. Not long enough to do anything. But still, she felt like something was wrong.

“Yes.” Bucky said.

“Nonsense!” Alexei crowed. “We are team, now. No privacy anymore. Good for us.”

Ava groaned, trying to cook them all some dinner. She was so tired she kept accidentally phasing through things, but Bucky had spent 70 years either in ice or killing people, Yelena had only recently emerged from brainwashing, Antonia had only recently emerged from brainwashing, John was AWOL, and Alexei was Alexei, so cooking had fallen on her. Another half an hour lapsed before she said;

“Well, dinner will be done soon. He’s gonna miss it.”

“He’s probably camped in a wet field somewhere, spying on someone.” Bucky said. “Regretting his existence, but fine.”

They ate dinner. They sat and watched a film. Those of them that could get drunk - i.e, Ava alone - had some celebratory drinks. They sat in the darkness, exhausted, but sleepless.

“He’ll be back in the morning.” Yelena said.

At some point, they all must have fallen asleep. They woke up sore and aching from the fights and the awkward spot, and stared blearily at each other from the light streaming in the giant window. Yelena patted fruitlessly at her hair, and then wandered off to find a shower. As she came out, she remembered that John Walker was on some strange mission. It irritated her. They were supposed to be a team, but he was still letting Valentina order him around. They owned her now. He should know that.

She dressed and went to return to the kitchen, when she heard a noise from the room she was passing. Only a faint one.

“Ava?” She murmured, opening it.

It was dark within, the blinds only partly open. Walker sat on the floor. Next to him was a small suitcase, which seemed weird. Why would he bring the mission back with him? It wasn’t like the tower would get raided for contraband, but as if it was actually legal.

“Walker?” She said softly.

Maybe it was a fancy new gun. He was obsessed with them. She remembered her and Ava teasing him about it. He was a little slow, but eventually came to his senses.

He looked up at her. His hand rested lightly on the case, as if he’d been about to open it. Or hide it.

He looked at her, and something was weird. Something in his eyes. She’d seen him intense - when he’d come at her to kill her. She’d seen him…

Yes, it was like that. The video of him killing that man. Eerily blank.

“John?” She said, and wondered if he’d come at her. Was this some kind of PTSD episode? What should she… well, Bucky knew him before. Maybe he could help. She called for him, and Bucky appeared at the door. She only turned her head for a second, but when she did Walker pulled open the case and pulled a syringe out. As Bucky entered the room he started looking for a vein, as if they weren’t there.

“The Hell are you doing?” Bucky said sharply. None of Walker’s usual expressions were on his face when he looked at Bucky.

“What I have to.” He said, finally. “The Flagsmasher serum is defective. I have to top it up. Thought I’d do it in here so Bob wouldn’t see.”

That was surprisingly thoughtful. It might have meant more if he said it like a human being would. Oh, it wasn’t far off. But it wasn’t right, either.

“That’s nonsense.” Bucky said. “Once you have serum, you have it forever. Valentina is feeding you a crock of-”

Walker pressed down on the plunger.

“Don’t just ignore us!” Yelena snapped.

“What?” Walker said, more normally.

“You just stabbed yourself!”

“Stabbed myself?” He looked down, uncomprehendingly. “Stabbed myself…No, I don’t get it” He was putting the empty syringe back in the box, and shut it. “Leave me alone, alright? I know you’d rather I be off this team, but that’s just not going to happen.” He stood box in hand. “You’re both being so weird.”

“We’re being weird?” Yelena spluttered.

“We don’t want you off this team.” Bucky said.

“Then why are you trying to weaken me?” He said. “I don’t have vibranium like Captain America. It’s this or nothing. Even Widows get their own serum.”

He stood, and staggered a little, before moving towards the door. Yelena entertained the idea of ripping the box out of his hands, but for what purpose? God, he was so infuriating, acting like she was lucky for being a Widow. He had no idea. Judging by Bucky’s furious glare, he was thinking something similar.

“You haven’t changed at all.” Bucky said.

Whatever that serum was, it was making him more of what he was. A prick. But she had to find out, anyway. Stark had a fancy lab somewhere, but they didn’t have any genius scientists to…

Ava. She- didn’t she figure out a bunch of quantum shit or something trying to heal herself? How different was chemistry, really? Biology.

But Walker had already brushed past them and down the hallway. She’d have to steal it later and find out what the fuck Valentina’s plans were.

Chapter Text

She didn’t get a chance for nearly a month. There weren't a lot of times where the team was split up properly. He did shopping runs and chores on schedule - mostly - but that didn’t give her much time.

She was lying awake one night, considering trying while he was asleep. Red Room training versus a guy who probably slept light as a feather because, ex-military? She’d probably be successful, but still.

She heard footsteps outside of her room. Speak of the devil. Probably getting up to get some water or something. He was consciously trying to creep.

Rather unlike him.

She shoved her feet into her slippers and peered out of her doorway into the corridor. It was empty, framed with shadows. The dull light of Walker’s phone screen was vanishing at the other end as he used it to see. They technically could have slept on separate floors, but with Bob - oh, who was she kidding, all of them - they decided to bunch up. For safety. She rolled her eyes. They were a bunch of softies.

Tiredness tugged at her eyes, but she left her door open and followed him, silent as Ghost would be. Tony Stark wasn’t one for creaky floorboards, even if she’d been the type to step on them. She peered round the corridor to the elevator just as the doors began to slide shut. She blinked in surprise. Walker was dressed in his US Agent costume, ugly shield on his arm, gun in the holster. Probably had knives too. He was going on an another mission. In the middle of the night.

The bastard. They were supposed to be a team.

Moreover, they were supposed to be free of Valentina’s scheming. So what the fuck was he doing?

She dithered for a second, and then dashed back up the corridor. She thought about it, and then thought waking Bucky up, a poor sleeper and somewhat jumpy, would end in her death, so she went to Ava’s room. For a second she thought of her Dad, and then unthought the next second.

“Hey,” She whispered, “Hey, Ava.” Louder.

The other woman woke up quickly, staring blearily as Yelena turned on a lamp. She covered her eyes. “Fucking hell, what? It’s like 1am.”

“It’s Walker.”

“Trust me, I don’t care.”

“He’s left.”

“Good!”

Yelena rolled her eyes. “On some sort of mission. I’m going to spy on him. You’re gonna search his room for the serum.”

For a moment it looked like she’d refuse. Then she got up. “I’m only doing this in case I find something embarrassing.” She said.

She was a liar, Yelena thought. She returned to her room and dressed, and then she pulled out her tablet. Walker’s shield was bugged. He didn’t appear to know that.

Amateur.

He’d shared once that he’d put trackers on Bucky and Sam when he’d been Captain America - you seriously think civilians in Latvia recognised you while a couple beat cops in America didn’t? Come on. - so, it was fair dos. Yelena had her widow bites. She hoped Walker wasn’t going anywhere particularly dangerous. If he was he’d die. He wasn’t very clever.

She took one of the motorbikes in the garage. Walker must have had a car pick him up, because nothing else was missing. Definitely Valentina. Unless she was going to be nastily surprised.

The cool air of the morning woke her up a bit. Lots of it. Walker seemed to travel a long way before he stopped. Finally they stopped at a reasonably run-down area, far away from any other buildings. Yelena didn’t really know where she was, but she saw the building and knew she was in the right place. It looked the kind of nondescript that was shady as fuck. Some sort of lab…whatever. She was here to spy. She parked some distance away.

Sneaking up to the actual building was going to be pretty difficult unless no one was looking out of the window. It was pretty early in the morning, so maybe…well, scientists didn’t sleep, but it was dark as hell in plenty of spots. Explained why Valentina had been a sneaky bitch and sent Walker in overnight.

Then she saw him.

He was crouched behind some kind of tank, peering at the building. He didn’t see her. She considered signalling him, but she actually wanted to see how it played out. She watched him feel around the tank until he found something. Then he walked up to a door and used a keycard. It slid open. Nice. Well, Yelena had other plans. Someone had opened a window two floors up, and it was calling her name. She’d lose him briefly, but he was hardly subtle.

She grappled her way up and slipped inside. The smell of chemicals greeted her, the low murmur of voices all around, the barely-working flourescents. She saw a sign for security, and followed the arrow, keeping to the wall. She found a booth, and paused. Two men inside, glued to the screens. It was light work to creep up behind them and hide behind one of the desks. She pulled a weapon, but she wasn’t worried. She peered at the screen, trying to see Walker. No rush. He was probably on a combat mission - what else was a super soldier for - so she’d j just have to follow the shouting.

She could see labs, as she’d suspected. Scientists milling about, but a skeleton crew. The door creaked open, and a third man entered, carrying two mugs of coffee. He peered closer to the grainy screens.

“Is that the black Captain America?” He said.

One man looked at him like he’d grown a second head. “Sam Wilson? He’s a bit late”

“It’s just Captain America.” The other said crossly. “You just say Captain America. He’s just- Don’t be racist.”

“No, his suit is black.” The guy said.

“Oh, US Agent? Yeah, he’s alright, he works for Val.”

Man three put one hand on a shoulder each of the other two, and squeezed them tightly. Both men winced.

“We don’t anymore! Remember?”

“Oh, god fucking damn-it.” One said, and he went for an alarm. Yelena hesitated maybe a second and flung herself out of her hiding spot. The first guy went down quickly, and - well, they all went down quickly. He better be fucking grateful. She saw him dragging unconscious men around, fiddling with their bindings. Then he started to look around the lab. She took note of where he was and slipped out, creeping through corridors. She pilfered a lab coat from a door. There. She could be another shitty scientist doing more shitty illegal experimentation. Why should Walker get all of the action?

When she opened the door to the lab he was in, she didn’t immediately see him. She heard him. He was hunting through documents and pieces of lab equipment, probably worth thousands of dollars, with increasing ferocity. She stood there, hands on her hips. He lost patience and slammed his hands forward, sweeping the lot onto the floor with a ringing crash that was probably going to bring the whole building down on them.

He looked up, and she heard him breathe in sharply. Sponged on the wall was a red handprint. Too big to be a person, more of a logo.

Walker picked up his shield and slammed it into the hand so hard the wall cracked, burying the thing in bricks.

Uncalled for. But Yelena knew the symbol. It had been plastered over the news reports of Walker’s dramatic fall from grace. A flair for the dramatic clearly hadn’t left him.

Walker’s gaze flicked around the room, and she ducked, suddenly unaware of how he’d react. He was fuming, that was obvious. He went to yank the shield out of the wall. It didn’t budge. He dropped his hands to his sides, then planted one foot on the wall, grabbed it, and yanked as hard as he could.

It came out very suddenly. The momebtum knocked him straight on his back.

Yelena walked up and peered at him. “I’ve already texted everyone a video.” She said, grinning at him and waving her phone. He made a half-hearted grab at it, then pulled himself up.

“You followed me.”

“We’re meant to stick together.”

He stared at the cracked wall. “This is personal.”

“This is personal.” She said. “This is bad PR. Can’t see you going after the same guys you crashed out over last time.”

He scoffed, and began trampling the stuff he’d thrown on the floor. It started to smoke, but he ignored it.

“What’s your mission?” She said. Was this more OXE? Gathered around the lab were computers, all dead, their wires pulled out and their screens dented.

He just shrugged. “Stop them.” 

“Well, good job.” She murmured, and began to look around. Yeah - lots of broken computers, some kind of chemical manufacturing, maybe more serum? The government was always trying to do that. At least they had tenacity in the face of failure after failure. Then she guessed the Flagsmashers swooped in and took everything at the point of success. That was pretty bad. Explained why Walker had gone ballistic and ruined the rest of the lackey’s livelihoods. Poor suckers. Equally, she supposed, it could have been the Flagsmashers trying to slow down the government efforts with whatever they’d stolen.

Yelena picked up a camera from the table, turning it over in her hand. If it had images on it, might help somehow… At least he’d had the foresight to leave something untouched.

“Hey, Walker,” She said, and when he turned around, she snapped a few pictures of him as well. It was team bonding! The flash went off and blinded him. He pulled a stupid face, so she snapped a few shots of him with that too.

“That could have been a gun!” She raised an eyebrow. “Some kind of weapon, anyway.”

“Crybaby.”

Finally Walker picked up his taco shield and went over to free the hostages. He said little to them, just encouraging that they seek medical attention and follow evacuation procedures or something like that.

“The car will pick us up. Wanna go out the window?”

“Duh.”

Chapter Text

Yelena returned the motorbike to the garage. Walker had gone inside, probably to shower and go to sleep, and her bed was definitely calling to her. She adjusted her bag around her shoulder, containing the camera. Now they had two things to investigate. Providing Ava had been successful.

Ava was waiting in her room. She held up the little suitcase. Yelena nearly jumped - but she didn’t - when Bucky peeled himself off the wall to join them.

“He’ll notice it’s missing pretty sharpish,” Ava drawled, “So this better be a quick science experiment.”

“I’ve got something too.” Yelena said. “A camera, I think. I found it at the lab - oh, yeah, that’s where Walker went, to wreck a Flagsmasher lab. I think they were trying to make serum again.”

“Well then it was fucking stupid for him to go alone.” Bucky snapped. “If they’d grabbed him, they’d have all the serum they needed. Why would he be so stupid?”

“It’s Walker.” The women said in sync.

“Let me see that.” Ava said, gesturing at the camera. “In case it’s some kind of quantum thing. I don’t think it is a camera. Maybe some sort of torch?” She flashed it at the wall. It didn’t just flash once, but ran in a weird sequence. “Yeah, one of the ones with weird settings.”

Bucky frowned at it. He clicked the button. It flashed at nothing. He gripped it in his metal arm and crushed the casing enough to peel it off like a boiled egg. Inside was a funny coloured bulb and pieces of machinery.

“It looks like a tiny projector.” Ava said.

“I think it is.” Bucky said. “Sam was telling me that this guy, Samuel Sterns, developed a technology that could imbue commands on light and hypnotise people when they heard a music cue.”

“Is he trying to discredit us?” Ava said. “That’s stupid as hell.”

“No, they did something like that in the red room. Showed us Snow White over and over, because, you know, the witch in that disguised herself to kill her target, and they played images too quick for us to consciously see but we’d pick up subconsciously, telling us to obey, glorify, kill. Stuff like that. But this is ridiculous. How does it connect the song to - unless it’s playing audio subliminally?”

“It has to be magic, right?” Ava murmured. “Wizard shit.” She lifted it up, peering at the bulb.

“Well, Shuri was telling me that there are actual sirens underwater that can sing and people would just walk off ships. They took some kind of herb, I think. Maybe it's some adaptation of that, but why the light?”

“Maybe the bulb is painted in the juice of the herb?”

“No, it worked through any device. It was just a random song, too.”

They peered at it in a circle.

“If we can’t figure out how it works, we can’t counter it. I thought it died with Sterns being imprisoned again, but of course they couldn’t let power like that go.”

“Oh, shit.” Yelena said. “I shot Walker with it.”

“In the-”

“In the face.”

Bucky gritted his teeth. “Okay, so it would have definitely hypnotised him. Shut up, I’m trying to remember what the cue song was. I think once they’ve been activated they become normal again, I’d have to check with Isaiah…”

Ava and Yelena glanced at the door, as if expecting Walker to march in at any moment.

“Mr Blue Sky.” Bucky said. “Yeah, Ava, cue that up, come on…”

Walker was asleep. Not for long. Ava pressed play. Youtube played an ad at top volume. Walker flew up like he’d been shot. Ava staggered backwards.

“What the fuck are you guys doing?”

She lifted the phone up, and blasted Mr Blue Sky at him. After the chorus had passed and nothing happened, he groaned, turned over, and put the pillow back over his head. It was lucky it was such a chirpy song, really. Funny choice for a trigger song. She supposed it would have been interesting when it started talking about Mr Night, but nothing.

“Must have been defective.” She said.

“You’re all defective.” He said. “Get the fuck out.”

Turned out that a pillow thrown by a super soldier was still a pretty deadly weapon. They retreated.

-

“It's probably a chip.” Antonia said over breakfast the next day. “The light and sound communicates with a chip that seizes control.”

“That would explain it.” Yelena said, poking at her wheaties. Another American war crime, she felt. “Walker isn't chipped.”

Ava sniggered.

“I'd be surprised.” Antonia said. “If the director would let him run free.”

They exchanged glances. Sometimes she could be a little paranoid from her years of being controlled.

“You're probably all chipped.”

“If I hear that word one more time…Bucky, you look like you've swallowed a mouse.”

“Sam isn't really speaking to me. I'm wondering if it's worth the fallout to tell him that Isaiah might have something in his-” Antonia tapped her head, “his brain."

"Back of the neck."

“You probably should.” Yelena said. "I heard one of the ex-widows was Ross' head of security, but I didn't get all the widows free before I got blipped, and it was impossible to track them afterwards. Someone could have picked up the strings."

“There's no doubt.” He looked down mournfully. “Try not to cause any major international incidents and make my life harder.” He pulled his arm from under the table and attached it to his shoulder.

Valentina walked in. He groaned and sat back down.

“How is Shuri doing?” Ava said, to his surprise. “Its got to be a tough blow for Wakanda, the discovery of Adamantium. For centuries they've held the monopoly on the most powerful substance and technology, but its toppled. What will they do?”

“The queen fears war.” Bucky said. “Its inevitable, I think. A war with new weapons, unlike anything we've seen. Wakanda might have to close its borders for good. Namor is fairly happy. He thinks the surface world is about to blow itself up and take care of the problem”

Walker entered the kitchen, peered at them all, and then made two coffees. He sat opposite Antonia - outside of stabbing range, at least - and peered grumpily at them all.

“Maybe I could get an adamantium shield.” He said, passing the second coffee to Valentina. She laughed in his face.

“They're not going to give adamantium to a second-rate Captain America.”

He blinked. “But I'm an Avenger now.”

She stirred her coffee. Yelena was seized with the desire to spit in it. She bet she could reach. “No, you're not. No one really believes that. You're placeholders.”

“Well, then.” Yelena said, “What stops us from turning you in?”

“That's simple. He won't let you.”

She looked at Walker. Antonia stabbed a butter knife into the table with such force the veins on her hands bulged. Valentina flinched.

“He's been killing for me.” She said. “If I go to jail, he's going next to me.”

Yelena and Ava peered at Walker. He'd gone pale, though his face showed little distress.

“And these guys haven't?” He said, contemptuously. Ava shook her head. Yelena had killed people under Valentina, but not on her orders. On her own discretion. But of course Walker was military, couldn't lace his own boots without orders from high-up.

“Who have you been killing?” Bob asked in a small voice. Walker flinched.

“Failed Sentries.” He said stiffly. “They were dying. Horribly. So I killed them,” He made a vague gesture like shooting a gun, “Got rid of them. Easy work for a super-soldier to dig a dozen graves. Which means, Val, no one would know where to look for you.”

“Would you have killed me?” Bob said. Yelena frowned. She remembered, actually, thinking that if Bob wanted to die, he'd best do it through Walker.

Walker looked at him. He opened his mouth. There was no good answer. “Yes. If you'd been dangerous, I would have. I'd met people like you.”

“I am dangerous.” Bob muttered.

“No, we've got you.” Yelena said firmly. She reached across and held his hand. Walker turned back to Valentina, trembling slightly.

“I'd get immunity in exchange for testimony.”

“Right. Because last time you were in a courtroom, it went so well for you. They didn't listen then, so why would they listen now? And say I go away. What would you do then? Not an Avenger. Certainly not a Captain. Your career is ashes. Your wife has left you. Your son will despise you. The public would hate you even more than they do now. The government wouldn't hire you after two catastrophic failures in a row. Face it, John. It's me, or a bullet.”

Walker's hand snapped across the space in a moment, seizing Valentina by the throat. She gasped, and tried to get away, but his grip was like iron.

“Walker-” Yelena yelled.

Walker squeezed his eyes shut. His head twitched. Then they sprang open again.

Valentina’s eyes bulged out of her head. She began hitting his wrists, but he didn't seem to feel it.

Abruptly he dropped her. She crashed to the floor, choking. Yelena ate a soggy spoonful of wheaties. Antonia buttered her toast.

Valentina stood up slowly.

“Told you.” She said.

“Enough!” Ava yelled. “Tell us why you're here, bitch, or get out!”

Valentina smoothed down her hair. “I have a mission…” She outlined a rescue op. Hardly an Avengers level threat, but they were hardly the heroes for that.

Ava surprised her. As Valentina droned on, she put one hand on Walker's, probably keeping him from leaping over the table and flinging the woman out of the windows.

That would be mega fun for at least an hour. It would bring her warm joy for years.

Valentina handed Walker a new briefcase, a little timidly.

“Dose up.” She said. “You'll be sticking around.”

Chapter Text

Yelena almost felt guilty that they were using Walker sulking in his room to examine the serum, but not that guilty.

“It does make you wonder,” Ava said shortly, “What powers any of us would have manifested under the Sentry serum. Bob’s is based on him being bipolar, but what would my version of that be? What would Walker be like?”

They all took a moment to shudder.

“Well, he was pretty unstable when I worked with him.” Bucky said, “Er, worked with him might be an exaggeration. One of the first things he said to us was “I’m sort of the government,” which is the last thing you want to hear from a superhero. Although Sam was considering reforming the Avengers under Thaddeus fucking Ross before he hulked out and de Fontaine beat him to the punch, so I don’t think anyone really knows what they’re doing. Anyway. He’s impatient. Serious rage issues.”

“Yeah, I see the impatience.” Yelena chuckled.

“We already know.” Bucky said. “We already know what someone that unstable can do. The effect of that kind of power on someone like him.”

They’d all seen the video. It was unavoidable for a while. Walker, screaming incoherently as he blugeoned a man to death. Bucky knew even more. It had never been made public knowledge, the fight that had gone down between him, Sam, and Walker. It wasn’t quite true that he regretted it. If they hadn’t, John Walker would have tracked down Karli and the others with the vibranium shield, and probably killed as many as he could have before they got him. Instead, he’d shown up with a flimsy homemade one, and the Flagsmashers, Karli included, had been spared. Well, until they met Zemo. At least, that was what he’d told himself. But at the time he’d probably cared more about not letting the shield become the weapon of vicious revenge. Sam had tried to talk Walker down, but he’d chosen to kill that man and he would have killed others.

Walker had gone crazy in that fight. Him grinning as he raised the shield to kill Sam was burned on the back of Bucky’s eyelids sometimes. He’d started the fight, and if he’d gotten Sam killed for it…killed with the fucking shield as well-

Bucky had seen that kind of crazed anger before, in Tony Stark. Lurking underneath Walker’s skin, a few emotional blows away, was a monster. He had no doubt that if Walker could have killed both of them in that fight, he would have. He’d walk away without a hint of regret. It was self-defence. He’d seen that in his eyes, before he knocked the light out of them.

None of it had been fair. The government had only seen the polished, good, soldier, and not what he actually was. Or they hadn’t wanted to look. What looks perfect often isn’t, especially in someone like Walker, who’d never known failure and misery, and did not cope well with either. But Sam, who was perfect, had been cast aside - or rather, he’d cast himself aside - just because he didn’t look the part. Ugh. Valentina had even dyed Bob’s hair blonde to make him a “classic hero”. He probably had a lot in common with Bob. The image of a perfect hero, too unstable to control.

Lot of differences, too. Bob hurt people in passivity. Walker hurt people on purpose.

But that was the point.

Yelena, Ava, they had to find out who they were. Beyond “being better”, they simply had to be for the first time in their lives. Yelena had to be the light, the leader Alexei was always crowing about her being. Ava could be who her surrogate father, Bill Foster, believed she was. Bucky was himself again. The Winter Soldier lurked in his dreams, but not in his life. Like Ava, he’d become that to escape indescribable agony. Now they were free, and they had to see hope in that.

Even if Sam went all the way in making them being “Avengers” illegal, the Thunderbolts could really pull through. He’d smooth things over. They could all be a team, like Walker said - he knew they made a good one, after all.

“We’ll be fine.” He made himself smile. “As long as no one gets killed in front of him.”

Ava huffed. “We’ll try.”

He remembered Walker struggling under that concrete. Cracking under the weight of the title. He couldn’t leave Sam to bear that alone.

Ava pottered about, calibrating this and that, setting machines to run.

“They’re gonna take a while.” She said. “We should probably have a look at this mission Valentina wants us to do.”

-

The scent of cleaning chemicals and the blare of strobe lighting assaulted Sam's body as he strode through the hospital doors. He was out of surgery. Joaquin's words rang in his ears. He was stable. Would wake up soon.

It did nothing against his fear.

Three adult men with multiple gun-shot wounds. Joaquin, still recovering from his fall, heard people whispering that the Avengers - or rather, Avengerz, or Bvengers, for clarity and copyright dodging purposes - were there. And that meant Bucky had been shot.

He looked so unlike himself, lying there, staring groggily at the ceiling. His hair was longer now, but at least that meant none of the bullets had lodged in his skull. Sam could see bandages poking out from the sheets.

He huffed a sigh of relief and collapsed in a chair by Bucky's bedside. All their troubles in the last year melted away. He would be alright. He stared at the rise and fall of his chest. He would be alright. He peered at the monitor, at the line of his heartbeat, as his eyes blurred.

“...Sam? You're here?”

“You got shot, Buck.” He said. “Of course I'm here.”

The man looked blearily around them as if it hadn't quite registered. They were pumping him full of morphine, at a dose that would have long since killed a lesser man, and Sam just hoped it was easing the pain just a bit before the serum burned it out. One point in his mental tally of serum-or-not-serum - no pain meds.

“That…actually doesn't happen very often.” He picked at the threads of his blanket. “God damn it. I bet they got away. I hate having to circle back to things.”

“Nope!” Yelena said, sweeping into the room. “Ava and I took them out after you three dropped like sacks of concrete.”

“Three?” Sam said. Yelena stared at him, and then she straightened up.

“Captain America.” She said coldly. “Isn't this going to damage your court case? Conflict of interest?”

Sam laughed. “Some things are more important. Just make sure this doesn’t get back to Jen.”

She turned to Bucky. “John is out of surgery. Alexei is still in there, but the nurse won't tell me anything.”

“We were arguing about- what was it? Tacos?”

“Walker wanted spaghetti.” Yelena rolled her eyes.

“The bad guys come around the corner and open fire.” Bucky filled in.

“You have a metal arm.” Sam said. “I know John has a shield, because he's a walking copyright infringement…”

Yelena’s face twitched. She stared at Bucky, and finally her face softened into genuine appreciation.

“They couldn’t cover all of us. So, they got shot.”

Bucky looked up at her, matching the fondness, the worry, in her face. Though Yelena was the leader of the team, and she’d proven herself capable of it - though there were definitely things for her to learn - he was still like the parent, or the mentor, of her and the rest of the group. He could see when they were struggling.

“Could you give us a minute?” He said to Sam. It pained him to see the man go - as nice as he was walking away - but Sam would understand. He had his own team, afterall. Sam nodded, kissed his knuckles, nodded to Yelena, and went outside.

Then he paused, slightly at a loss. He briefly considered going to see John, for politeness’ sake (he wasn’t acquainted with Alexei Shostakov) - temporary insanity, perhaps. They hadn’t really spoken for nearly three years, since the last attack by the Flagsmashers. Since then, the movement had been quiet, and the refugees had been settled in the countries they chose rather than being forcibly deported. Rather than things going back to “normal”, they’d improved.

His feelings about the man were still complicated. And underdeveloped, as he hadn’t had much cause to think of him until the ill-fated announcement. But John had helped against the Flagsmashers, and given up his own revenge to save politicians - the “right thing”, though arguably…not. Sam respected that John at least tried to save people, even if they personally hadn’t gotten along. He had to chill out though, seriously.

Sometimes, Sam was so furious with him that he couldn’t breathe. Sometimes he felt like he was still living under the man’s bloodstained shadow. As if Steve’s wasn’t enough. Sometimes he could feel the threat of failure like a knife in his throat, like people remembered John Walker and judged every blow he made in every fight. Like they were waiting for him to turn out just like him. Their stares burned into him all the time. Inheriting a spoiled title as a man America wasn’t exactly accepting of made everything he was already dealing with a hundred times worse. But he tried, and like with Ross - sometimes Sam had to work with people he didn’t necessarily like.

It might be awkward, but probably…they should probably talk.

After all, if anyone understood the spine-cracking pressure of Captain America, it was him. Even if it was an incomplete comparison - Walker was white, after all, and hated for something he’d done rather than what he was - it was better than facing it completely alone. Even if only to remind himself how far he had to fall.

…Oh, never mind. He had visitors. Sam went to the lobby instead, where the Ghost - Ava Starr, another victim of Hydra’s great evil, like Bucky, sat, with Yelena’s live-in boyfriend, Bob. Maintaining a relationship with a non-civilian was a superhuman feat in itself. Sam was lucky his sister was even as understanding as she was.

God, he missed her. And her boys.

“Wait,” Ava was saying, “Who's sitting with John? Are we the worst friends in the world?”

“No,” Sam said, heading for the vending machine. “The Hoskins are with him.”

“Who?”

He poked a few dollars into the slot. “Lemar's family.”

“I don't know who that is.”

Sam paused and turned around. “He's never mentioned Lemar?”

They shook their heads, mystified. John didn't talk much about his life before the Thunderbolts, though they all knew he had an ex-wife that left him because he screwed up. Sam frowned.

Just then, a black woman emerged from John's room to use the bathroom. She came out again and looked at them all - Sam, Ava, and Bob, in turn.

“You John's friends?”

She sat next to them. Sam sat down too, feeling he ought to mediate.

“I'm Talia Hoskins. Lemar was my older brother.”

Ava nodded, feeling this wasn't the time to mention she had no idea who that was.

“Sam Wilson.” She said, fiddling with the cuff of her jumpers. “You were there that day.”

He nodded.

“John told us that the man he killed was the one that killed Lemar.” She said. Sam breathed in sharply, and she looked up. “But I've known him since he was a boy, and he never was much of a liar. And anyway, the news reports all said he was innocent. So I've got to ask you, Sam. Did John Walker kill my brother?”

For a long second, Sam had no idea what to say. He stared at this woman. It…he hadn't really had to think about how Lemar had a family, a life outside of appearing in John's star-spangled shadow. He was suddenly reminded of visiting Riley's parents after he…fell. He swallowed, feeling suddenly smaller. Younger.

“The man John killed…” He drummed his fingers on the chair. “The group lured John and Lemar there to kidnap your brother and kill John. The leader threatened my sister, so Bucky and I were elsewhere. The man John killed restrained him while the leader attempted to stab him in the chest. Lemar managed to free himself and, with no hesitation, risked his own life by tackling John's attacker. They both fell, and got up again. The group leader then hit Lemar away, and he…”

“Go on.” She said, intensely. Her eyes were full of tears, but she remained brave.

“He hit a concrete pillar, and unfortunately, he…it killed him. John ran to him, but he was already gone. The leader fled left, and the man John would kill fled right. Bucky and I gave chase, but we lost them. John lost it. He jumped out of a third floor window onto the street. When he saw the man who had been restraining him, he chased him down. Witnesses saw the man fling a concrete bin at him to slow him down long enough to escape, but John continued pursuit. He knocked him down in the square…and the rest you know.”

“He was always such a good soldier.” Talia said slowly. “Too good. He'd never…make such an obvious mistake…”

“All of that went out of the window when Lemar died.” Sam said. “If you believe nothing else, believe that John loved him past the point of reason.”

“But an innocent man had to pay for that.” Talia said.

“He likely joined because he was inspired by Karli helping the refugees.” Sam said. “We don't know how he felt about the depot bombing, if you remember that-”

Talia laughed bitterly. “You think i haven't obsessed over every piece of this case I could? Except the stuff no one was in the room for, but a liar, Captain fucking America, and a bunch of dead super-soldiers.”

“But we know he agreed to John's murder, and Lemar's kidnapping, though they didn't want him hurt. Even Morganthau didn't mean for him to die.”

“So my brother died for nothing.” She said. “He died because Walker couldn't get out of a simple hold.”

She buried her face in her hands.

“He was right.” She said, disbelievingly, and laughed again. “It was more peaceful to think that guy killed him and John killed that guy.”

That was the truth of it, really. Even in war, people didn’t die heroic deaths, or go out in a blaze of self-sacrifice. People like Riley…like Lemar…they just died. Meaninglessly. As Karli had said - Lemar’s death didn’t mean anything, except to John himself, to his weeping sister - to the devastated people they left behind.

Ava fished some tissues from the pocket of her suit and offered them to Talia, who accepted. Bob and Ava looked completely stricken, though that might have been awkwardness.

“The girl who hit him.” She said. “What happened to her?”

“She was just a kid.” Sam said quickly. “And she truly didn’t mean to hurt your brother.”

Talia looked at him, grief burning in her eyes. “Did he try to kill her?”

Sam nodded. He’d gotten the rundown from Bucky, as long as the guy had been there. Karli setting a van on fire, distracting Bucky long enough to escape with the other hostages, and how John showing up had prevented it. He’d taken on the six remaining super-soldiers with a toy shield and no plan, and blind rage could only get him so far before Bucky had to save him from getting his skull caved in by a pole. He’d tried to pull the truck back up, but Karli had pulled him off it and they’d fallen together.

Then Bucky had told him, with some dry amusement, that John had been too busy gawking at Sam to think straight. Karli had recovered and lobbed a knife at Bucky’s head, and if she’d lobbed it at John, he probably would have died. Sam had saved them both, of course, and Karli fled. And…well.

Yes, John had tried to kill a nineteen year old girl who’d known only loneliness and suffering in her life until the Blip, only to have everything ripped away from her when everyone came back, cast back onto the streets, and seeing the same beasts - corporations, nations - abandon kids just like her to die.

Karli, like Steve, had only ever wanted to help people, who stood against the bullies of the GRC - of which John Walker was one - and like Steve she’d only had the chance to do so when she got the serum. Like Steve she’d been an orphan, alone from a young age, abandoned and mistreated by society, living in poverty. Like Steve she’d had the drive to help and rescue those who needed it, whatever the people around her said. She’d led people, inspired people. In another world, she could have been Captain America. But not this one. In this one she’d travelled a dark path, and he’d been unable to pull her from it. How cruel that she’d been lost to it when John Walker had managed to turn around, even after breaking that dream with the bloody shield. Why couldn’t they both have?

Why couldn’t he have saved her? Steve had saved Bucky. Steve had saved Wanda. If Sharon had just waited a few moments, her bullet would have bounced off his vibranium suit, and he might have been able to reach her, finally. Once her anger was spent. But he couldn’t exactly blame Sharon for acting to save a friend’s life.

So once again, there was no one to blame for this pain.

Bitter grief turned his stomach. She’d just been a desperate kid forced in a dark corner, and she’d died in his arms, apologising, before he could break through to an angry, terrified child. She’d died apologising. She’d apologised to Walker, too, but he’d tried to kill her anyway.

But staring at one of the people she’d hurt made the truth turn to ashes within him. There was no world at all where violence was right. Even though he couldn’t argue against her fighting for the right thing - like bringing vaccines to refugees or overthrowing the tyranny of the GRC’s governance - he hated that it had to be violent. Violence always left collateral damage, and no hero had figured out how to live with it yet.

“Yes.” He said. He glanced at Ava and Bob to garner their reactions. But they should know, too, in case Walker had lied to them. In case they didn’t understand who they were living with. They did both look angry.

Walker might be trying to be better, but it would take a lot to erase what he’d done.

“She was a kid.” He said again. Even though he knew the weight of the world was with him - that they’d turned against Walker for what he’d done and tried to do despite the government’s cover-up attempts, and the Void incident in New York barely changed that, he had to make her understand. Because she’d died, and no one had seemed to care.

“That doesn’t really make me feel better.” She said, hollowly. She looked up and at the door, where John was probably talking with the rest of her family, and her face was torn with indecision. “I have to tell them.”

“You don’t-” Have to now was on Sam’s lips, but she brushed him off and went back into the room. Sam glanced at Bob and Ava. Things had gotten excruciatingly awkard. He was extremely grateful when a more cheerful-looking Yelena came out of Bucky’s room, and he could return.

Yelena caught sight of their faces, and her mood evaporated.

“What?” She said. “Was he badmouthing the team?”

“No.” Bob said slowly. “He was telling us about- you know, Walker murdered that guy? He was telling us some details about it, and it’s so much worse than we thought.”

They shared it with Yelena. Her face darkened considerably.

“We have to seriously consider whether we want someone like him on our team.” Ava said. “The public already hates us. If he goes wild even once, that’s it for all of us.”

They heard a muffled shriek from Walker’s room, the sound of crashing furniture. A moment later, Mrs Hoskins was being yanked out of the room by her daughter and husband as she tried in vain to get back into the room. Finally all fight seemed to leave her, and she collapsed, sobbing, against the wall. “My boy-” She was wailing- “Never worthy- my boys-”

Yelena grabbed Ava’s hand and squeezed as they all stared, shocked, at the display. They managed to get her to stand and half carry her, still weeping, down the corridor and out of the hospital.

“He has to go.” Yelena said. “My dad might take a bit of convincing, but Bucky has probably been looking for the excuse. If Walker won’t go, Bucky can make him. He can’t take on all of us together.”

“Especially not me.” Bob said grimly. If it took risking the Void to keep them all safe, so be it.

Yelena thought of the moments where John had been nice…the fruit in the desert, coming back for them in the vault, holding up the slab of concrete…but compared to what he was capable of…the bad outweighed the good. The knowledge of it sat in her stomach like a stone.

She had killed many people who had begged for their lives - those that had seen her coming, that was. But never by her own will. She couldn’t imagine what kind of person could do something like that. She thought they all had something in common, that they’d all done terrible things. But she’d been wrong.

Maybe there were some things you couldn’t come back from. He should be rotting in jail, and she couldn’t believe he wasn’t. She folded her hands in her lap, feeling completely cold and hollow. They had one hell of a fight ahead.

-

“And, yeah, Val has been feeding him serum,” Bucky sighed. “You’d think, given the last guy turned into The Void, he’d think twice, but the Lord did not bless him with braincells.”

Just then, Ava walked in, holding her phone. Her eyes were wild.

“It’s not serum.” She managed. She was too out of breath to say anything further and leaned forward, bracing her hands on her knees. She was actively phasing in and out as she said it, so her words cut like a bad connection. “It’s bloody radioactive.”

Sam shot out of his seat.

“No.” He said. “Oh god, no. It’s gamma, isn’t it?”

She nodded.

“Well, how much has he taken?” Bucky said. “Maybe it hasn’t done anything-”

But Ava was already shaking her head. “Enough for a lethal dose. I don’t know how much radiation super-soldiers can withstand, but- oh god, we’ve all been exposed-” They’d all been poking around with the ‘serum’. “Who would have done this?”

Bucky and Sam made eye contact.

“Valentina.” They said grimly. But why?

Sam shut his eyes, accepting fate. “I’ve never had a problem with you guys. It’s always been her. She’s a viper, a snake. She’s pure evil. I can’t have her with her own hit squad. Even if you don’t think she’s manipulating you, she’s got you where she wants. She’s too smart. And Walker? He’s always been an easy mark.”

“We’ll just have to not piss him off.” Bucky said.

“Have you met him?!”

Yelena practically knocked the door off its hinges.

“He’s gone.” She said. “His bed’s empty. He kicked the IV through two walls. He’s gone.”

Chapter Text

Ava's teeth were chattering. At least they were solid enough to chatter.

One of her teammates might be rampaging over the country as a Hulk. John had gone, and she… she…

She didn't know what to think.

She believed in them. She believed in the Avengers, even if the public didn't. But she also knew that if aliens invaded in fifteen particular countries, she'd be unable to help without being arrested on sight for treason, espionage - for assassinations. There probably wasn't a country in the world that wouldn't jail Yelena or Bucky for some crime on their soil, if not for Bucky's pardon and…actually, she wasn't sure whether Yelena had some kind of legal protection for what Dreykov made her do.

But none of them had protection for what they'd done under Valentina. Yelena had opened up to her one night about starting contract work, putting her skills to use, on the advice of a rich ex-widow from Natasha's generation (before the chemical control). But it was soul-crushing work, and like her sister, she'd been looking for a way out. But it hadn't come from a guy not taking the shot. It had come from them.

Ava didn't want to admit how alone she was. Bill was there, yes, but he couldn't support both of them and a childhood spent in a lab and then a glass cube left her with few options. Then Valentina was there. Perfect timing. Picking up the strays, the rubbish.

Like Bucky had said to Walker - they'd made their choices. But how many choices had they had?

Even when they were nominally free…they were still nothing more than their handlers had made them. They were still weapons. Walker had…well, he'd misfired. They'd trained him, conditioned him, pointed him in the direction of the threat…until he'd snapped. Until he'd gone after the wrong target.

Then they covered their arses and shunted him to another handler, so they could still cash in on that investment, still twist that conditioning and make themselves look good.

It'd happened to Ava. It'd happened to Alexei. It'd probably happened to Bucky, by Zemo.

They were assets.

And at the same time, they were disposable. Waiting for the day they lost and got shot in the head. Whether John wanted to admit it or not, they were all cheap mercenaries to be used up.

Yeah, Walker might be a liability, Ava thought. He might be bad press. The public remembering what he did - or Sam giving a press conference - could derail the whole operation and rip them apart. But she'd come back for him. One last time.

Sam hadn't given a press conference. He hadn't taken shots at any of their pasts. He'd tried to take the name, but he didn't get personal.

“Bucky,” She said, sat by his bedside, “Do you hate Walker? For what he did?”

“No.” He said. “I stopped hating him years ago.”

“How could he do something like that?” She said softly. She knew she'd done some terrible things. Desperate things. She'd almost…well, she'd almost used Cassie to get what she wanted, had to be talked out of it. What might she have done if Bill wasn’t there? She’d been in agony, facing death...she might have done anything to make it stop. “He'll be the death of all of us.”

Her hands were shaking.

She couldn't be alone again. Have nothing again. Be a murderer again. See the look in Bill's face when he was trying so hard not to be disappointed but she knew nothing else. None of them could bear to live in the dark again. He might have reason to believe in her again, and-

“Ava!” Bucky was saying, “Ava, come on, breathe with me, come on, in for four, out for four…”

It took her some time, but she was able to follow his instructions, and her breathing slowed. She rubbed her eyes hard enough to see sparks, suddenly exhausted.

“They would hate you too.” Bucky said. “The public just barely accepts mind control. They'll never understand why you did what you did when you worked for SHIELD.”

“Hydra.” She said quietly. She swallowed. Walker had chosen to do what he did. To kill that man. To give in to that rage. But Ava had shot a woman in the head because she was told to. What was worse? A broken weapon? Or her, one that…well. One that was being used by fucking Valentina, of all the pathetic…

“I'm not reminding you of those times because I think you can't escape it.” He said. “But I'm going after Walker, and so is Sam. We'll save him from himself again”

Just like he saved them.

“I'm doing this.” She said. “Then we're…talking, to our fearless director.”

-

Yelena was sitting in Kate Bishop’s dingy little kitchen.

The woman had money, for Pete’s sake. Alas. She still only had one fork. Yelena was sadly eating macaroni with her fingers. Finally she heard the door click, and then Kate dropped whatever she was holding. So dramatic.

“So you are alive!!!”

Well, just about. Sinking into a depression meant she hadn’t really wanted to see her, or really, anyone. She felt bad about it, sure, but it couldn’t be helped.

Kate Bishop swept her into a hug that smelled like horses - she was learning to shoot from horseback, the overachiever - and strawberries. Yelena patted her on the back awkwardly.

“Okay,” She said, “Okay, this is a serious visit, Kate Bishop. Unhand me.”

And so they sat, together, staring across the table at a pot of congealed macaroni, just like before.

She found herself completely lost for words. Really, she should be out looking for John, but her feet had taken her here instead.

“So, you’re an Avenger now.” Kate ventured. “That’s…good, for you. You’ve come a long way from not even knowing what they were. I’m proud.”

She raised an eyebrow, fiddling with the handle of the saucepan. “That can't be true.”

“Is this about the Red Room? Yelena. Both Natasha and Clint were literal spies and assassins before they became Avengers, and Clint returned to it afterwards. If they did background checks, Tony Stark never would have been picked, if not for his personality alone, his war profiteering - and for Ultron. The Hulk was pretty dangerous, even if that wasn’t his fault. Steve Rogers seemed like a pretty good apple, but nobody is actually perfect. Wanda joined a terrorist organisation to kill Tony Stark and no one blinked. It’s power that qualifies you for the Avengers. Everything else is hashed out later. I saw you in New York. You saved people. None of the OGs felt like they were heroes, but that isn’t for them to decide. It's for the people they inspire.”

Yelena let her words sink in for a moment. She’d known it, once. The Avengers had once disgusted her. Even Natasha, her sister - the killer little girls unknowingly called their hero. Before she sacrificed herself to save the universe and bookended the argument. She’d been so sure she was right, that she knew the truth about Clint - the Ronin. Who’d torn his way through the underworld on the behest of people like Kingpin, not caring where his orders were coming from. Left a lot of collateral damage behind, and she hadn't been able to accept that. Walker had left a lot of damage in his wake by nature of being what he was, of his very public failure. It was messing her up again.

She’d once thought that it was what a person did that made them. Not what people mistakenly believed about them. But none of that taught her what to do when a person did things that were heroic and evil. None of that taught her what redemption really took. And now John Walker was an Avenger - now he had that same power that she hadn’t thought Hawkeye deserved.

“How did you forgive him?” She whispered.

“Huh?”

“He was your hero.” She said. “You found out that he murdered dozens of people. How did you get over that?”

Kate nibbled on a bit of cold pasta. “They were criminals.”

“So was your mother.” Yelena said. “Would you have been so quick to brush it aside if he’d killed her? How can you be sure that every person he killed deserved death? Did he even care?”

“Okay,” She sighed, “Okay, um, maybe I’d be a lot less understanding, even if my mum is a murderer too. What is this really about, Yelena?”

What it was really about was how she’d been fine with herself as a cheap mercenary, hating the heroes in the limelight, pretending that their darker sides didn’t exist, pretending they could ever be forgiven. She knew better. At least she didn’t pretend.

But what she'd done with her life made her so damn unhappy. Now she was the same as them. She had to be forgiven. And if Clint Barton and Natasha Romanova could be Avengers when they were elite government black-ops, so could she. So could they.

Surely.

“John Walker.” She said softly. Kate nodded.

“Yeah, I remember that. Guy picked the wrong Avenger to idolise, Jesus. I hear he’s on your team? God, imagine if Hawkeye gave me his bow and some poser nicked it and then- oh, no wait. Can’t possibly be worse than the original. Everyone deals with grief differently, I suppose.”

“He didn’t steal it.” Yelena said automatically. “The government gave it to him.”

“I saw. Him following Steve’s career as an Avenger, saying the guy gave him hope - I dunno. I recognised myself.”

She found her mouth curling into a smile. “Did you have the posters on your wall too?”

Kate’s jaw dropped. “There’s no way.”

“What little boy doesn’t love the Howling Commandos, apparently,” Yelena said, “I still think Americans are super weird, but he’s an extra weird American, trust me. We’ve all been threatened with death if we ever tell Bucky. Which, I guess, he might actually do.”

She stared out of Kate’s window, into the encroaching dusk, the distant lights of New York’s buildings. She thought that he was out there now, probably cold and scared and miserable.

Can we be liars? She thought. Can I lie for him? Can children ever look at him again and feel safe - at her?

The blood they had collectively spilled felt like it could drown the world. But Alexei had been right about macaroni being good for you, and he had been right so far that there was no higher calling than saving people. She could take or leave the glory, but the rest of it…

“I think,” Kate said, reasonably, “That he did what he was trained to do. I think he made a mistake, but I think that’s behind him.”

Yelena threw her hands up in exasperation. “Mine won’t even admit he made a mistake, though! He won’t even say what he did was wrong.”

Pointed by idiots at the wrong targets and unable to see that he was going wrong, or worse, too furious to care and itching to hurt someone.

“Well, that’s none of your business.” Kate said. “Yes, I trust that Clint investigated the criminals he killed, and yeah, he spared your sister when it counted, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t do it. And I still spent Christmas with him and his family.”

Yelena had allowed the guilt to remain one step away from her. Yeah, she saw all the people she’d killed when she closed her eyes, and John probably did too. But she’d…well, did she really trust Dreykov to decide who should die? She knew she couldn’t trust Valentina. It was pretty Machiavellian, even though she knew the type of people on either radar were unlikely to be good people.

‘Innocence’ was such a difficult concept to nail down, she thought irritably. So subjective.

“Thank you, Kate Bishop.” She said, “I’ll visit you, I promise.”

She left by the window, for old times’ sake.

-

Yelena returned to the ice rink. The tree was long gone, and it was flooded with people who gave her odd looks. She probably was a bit frazzled, given the day she’d had. As she stared at her, her memories almost seemed imposed. The bodies of the tracksuit mafia, sprawled around. Clint, trying to get her to listen. To believe.

Tears filled her eyes.

If he hadn’t whistled…if he hadn’t proven that he knew her sister…

It’s not the same, she thought. It isn’t. She hadn’t believed him. She’d gone after the man directly responsible alone. But she had disregarded anything that said otherwise. She’d believed Valentina, thought he was trying to wiggle out of the blame like he had the Ronin, hanging up the suit and returning to his life. At least he’d had the sense to go on his killing spree with a mask and a different name. She’d been after the man who’d killed her sister with his own hands, while Walker knowingly killed a man he knew hadn’t done it.

She understood how his pleas of innocence could make a man snap - it had made her snap, broken her chippy facade, like killing him was a normal, expected thing in between sightseeing. That’s what had made her really break. The pretending.

But he knew. He knew the man wasn’t lying, and had beaten him to death anyway.

But now she was here again…

Maybe there wasn’t such a gulf between killing a man you thought was lying and killing a man you knew wasn’t. It came from the same agonised place.

If she had done it, what would she say to herself afterwards? That he’d deserved it? That he’d lived a rough life, that he’d killed a lot of people, and then got killed?

That he wasn’t innocent?

“Alright, Walker,” She said, “Alright, that’s enough time to mope.”

He might have been trained to disappear by the US military, but she was the goddamn White Widow.

-

She psyched herself up. The hollowness felt a little less sharp - the light within her a little brighter. She was outside a nice little redbrick house with a green gutter and flower boxes in the window, beside a dozen others on a dozen streets that looked more or less the same.

For a single mother once married to one of the most notorious men in the country, Olivia Walker had done fairly well for herself.

Yelena knocked on the door. A few seconds passed, and a beautiful woman came to the door, carrying a toddler on her hip. He was fiddling with a bunch of bricks. Yelena got a smile, but no recognition.

“Sorry to bother you,” She said. Man, that kid was cute. About the age she’d been when she’d joined Alexei, Melina and Natasha in Ohio. “I’m Yelena Belova, and I work with your ex-husband. I was just wondering if he’d been to see you, because, well, you might know where he is.” Hopefully in her living room, under a couple of blankets with a perfectly normal heart rate, recovering from the fall-out. Er, literal radioactive fallout this time.

“He’s missing?” Olivia said. “Oh, my god. No, he hasn’t been here.”

Yelena peeked sideways, expecting to see John Walker looking at her through the curtains. Nothing.

What she did hear, however, was the TV blaring. Heard the news bulletin roll in. A giant monster was rampaging through the city. The Falcon had attempted to engage, but it wasn’t slowing down.

Yelena closed her eyes.

-

Sam came out in his white suit. Alexei, though recently in surgery, suited up too. Ava was rarely out of hers. Alexei had brought Walker's shield with him.

Bob looked at it.

“Are we sure seeing that isn't going to make him mad at me?”

“He likes his bent shield.” Yelena said. “He's attached to the damn thing, somehow.”

As Sam was the only one with the ability to fly, they took a helicopter to where Walker was. The airspace was pretty crowded - news helicopters circling, the army attempting to form a perimeter to barrage a moving target. In the dust and rubble, leaning out of the helicopter, the team got their first glimpse. Half-glimpse, before he lobbed a car at them and they had to swerve away.

He was blue. And, best they could tell, armoured.

The helicopter pilot began swearing viciously. Hails of bullets were bouncing off Walker, but Yelena could see them setting up to fire missiles.

“Can you see him?” Sam was yelling. Could she see the lumbering giant? But no, he meant Joaquin, who wouldn’t know self-preservation if it kicked him in the head.

Sweet guy, really. Yelena hadn’t talked to him much, but he was funny, so.

Walker seemed to be okay ignoring the bullets, the helicopters swerving ahead, and he seemed just as okay ignoring the Falcon. The guy was about the size of his head, so. But Yelena would deal pretty swiftly with a bird dive-bombing her eye.

Sam was sweating.

“I’m going down there.” He said. “Redwing, get ready.”

“What happened to having a plan?” Bucky yelled.

“My plan is to yank Joaquin out of the fire and regroup!” And then he was gone.

But Walker slammed his hand together to clear the smoke and threw Sam away. He fluttered between two buildings and landed in a balcony.

Walker looked dead at Joaquin, lifted a hand up, and caught him by the wing like a bug. He lifted him up to eye level.

Okay, Yelena thought, so, not completely out of it, because he hasn’t crushed the guy yet. Joaquin fired between two plates of John’s armour, and he twitched, snarling. He shook Joaquin, but he wasn’t looking at him. He was looking up.

Then he lifted his arm to throw him.

Yelena saw an arrow fly through the air and slam into the wing. A blue one. Fitting.

And then Joaquin was giant too, a head taller than Walker was. Pym particles. Yelena saw Kate wave at the helicopter and then duck into a building.

-

The creature's fist slammed into Joaquin’s stomach, ripping the air violently from his throat. He felt himself flip, felt sure his head would slam into one of the buildings, but he caught himself. The wings barely did it.

It ran at him, and rammed a heel into his chest. Joaquin went down hard. He rolled and threw himself back up. He flew upwards, and tried to do a spin kick like Sam taught him, but it dodged out of reach and followed it with a jab. Joaquin parried it, but not the elbow thrust that followed. It whacked him in the throat.

He fired a line at the monster, grabbed it by the leg, and yanked him off his feet with the now-giant thrusters - practically rockets, now. It carved lines deep into the tarmac as it rolled, until it hooked a leg around a tree and tore the line free. His thoughts were racing with how he could neutralise this thing and he nearly crashed at the broken momentum.

“Can he win?” Ava said.

Bucky shook his head. “He beat the last guy who wore these wings. And he was a damn sight sharper.”

Joaquin slammed one wing into the ground and shielded himself with the other. The monster pummelled it. He fiddled for his comms to trigger an ear-shattering frequency, but the creature slammed a foot into the earth, shattering the road, and tore out his wing. He rocked back on his heels as it roundhouse kicked him in the chest.

Oh boy, he was rocking back on consciousness itself. That was the last thing he thought before a car slammed into his face. Jesus. Plant the wings, like Sam said, plant the wings and let them take the force.

But the metal was fracturing under the assault.

It was no big deal if they broke, right? He’d fixed them once, he could fix them again. But if he lost Sam's trust, who knew if the man would ever let him fly again?

The thought strengthening him, he fired off another electro-bolt. It hurt the thing, for sure. For a moment it was immobilised, and he charged close, hitting it in the face, the eyes, the stomach as many times as he could in those moments. The creature stumbled back, a little dazed from the combined attack, Joaquin tried to press his advantage. If he could get it pinned…

He could see the trucks rolling in, fixed with speakers, could see they’d gotten close enough to work, and he nodded.

His helmet blocked the awful noise that erupted around them. The creature shrieked, clutching its ears, and turned away, turned towards the source. Joaquin surged forward, and locked his arms around its chest, intertwining his fingers to get a good grip. Armour plates dug into the padding of his suit, but he didn’t let go.

He had it. Just in time, too, because he could feel the wooziness that came with being this big setting in. It was hard work. Even through the deafening helmet, the sound was jarring. The creature was struggling, hard, trying to rip itself free.

Joaquin heard a crackle as his comms were hacked.

“It’s me,” Sam said, “Listen, Joaquin, it’s a hulk. That’s a person.”

Through a dry mouth he said, “What person?”

Silence. For a second he thought they’d cut out.

“We need to try and talk them down.” Sam said. And why not? It had worked last time. After a fashion.

“Well, I need to know something about them to do that.” He said. God. His vision was going blurry. “Someone needs to- someone…”

The hulk managed to drag him forward enough to kick down a pole, and threw them both forward, nicking its own side and impaling both of them on the ledge. Joaquin’s hands went slack; he felt himself slump sideways. The wound, blue-blooded, began to heal instantly. Joaquin was not so lucky.

Pain burned over his entire chest, and only by seizing the broken-off piece did he block the next hit. It dented, almost broke in half again. Joaquin felt a bead of sweat run down his jaw. He reached into his utility belt and shrunk himself away, disappearing under the nearest car and cutting a way through the floor to slither inside. With a great crash, the creature swiped through the second floor of the building on top of him. The world disappeared. It roared again in frustration and began searching for him.

The creature’s hand pressed down on the rubbled over his chest, and he could feel the ribs grating at just that pressure. It began tearing it apart, reducing it to dust around him, and he coughed and spluttered, wriggling free. Blood was dripping down his chest and leg, and he put his hand on the wound, pressing as hard as he could stand. He couldn't catch a breath. His legs were still pinned down. He couldn't even flip his wings out. They thrummed, caught halfway. Whirred. If he could extend them just right-

The creature’s eye appeared at the window.

Chapter Text

Yelena hopped out of the chopper before it landed. She knew the cameras were all on them - the New Avengers, here to deal with a threat. In a way that was becoming less and less novel.

She took the shield from Alexei, and held it out before her. John didn’t appear to have realised they were there yet, still hunting for Joaquin in the rubble. He was quickly losing patience, that was clear. She could see Sam creeping from the other side, to spirit him out of harm’s way when John was distracted.

John lifted his head, like a dog recognising a scent. Yelena froze, despite herself. Bucky lifted up a hand.

“What did Natasha used to do?” She hissed. “For Bruce?”

“The sun’s getting real low.” Bucky said. “I think that was specific to him, though.”

“Why didn’t we have a plan before we got down here?” Ava said.

“Don’t look at me.” Bucky said. “I know a lot about calming this guy down when he can talk. There’s a whole lot actually listening and not putting words in his mouth. When he’s this…hmm.”

John left where he’d put Joaquin alone, and began to walk away. He stopped at one of the cars he’d smashed up, the ones with the speakers, and kicked it. Even as a hulk, his form was pretty good. All those years of football must have paid off.

Sam snuck in, and pulled Joaquin into his arms, flying away to where the ambulances were waiting as rescue teams began to arrive. They'd need to get John to calm down before they could work though, and the team felt the ticking clock.

Yelena had faced the Void, because she knew Bob was in there. And John was in there, somewhere. Her teammate, who she had come to trust these last few months. Who'd somehow become friends with both her and her dad. Who cooked for them and sang dumb karaoke with them and remembered their Chinese orders even though they ordered enough for like, an army. Who was the best guy to have during stake-outs. The second best guy to watch your back.

“Walker!” She yelled.

He turned and she met his bloodshot eyes. She could see traces of John's face, but it was mutated.

The words dried up in her mouth. Guilt flared within her, and anything she could say felt incredibly disingenuous. After all, she'd considered abandoning him just a few hours ago. She'd betrayed him, even if she hadn't gone through with it. It would take time to build things up again. But she felt like a liar.

The fall out of the Hoskins finding out about Lemar's death would make anyone lose it. All that old pain would come rushing back.

But she'd expect pain. Sadness. All that grief to resurface. Not rage. But it was Walker. Anger was how he covered up being hurt. Sometimes he just got mad, though she didn't think this was one of those times.

Yelena wasn't an angry person, not really. She shoved her feelings down or drank them away, and then when she got her team she cried over hot chocolate with them.

This armoured brute, smashing everything in sight…he'd always been so much more than that.

And he trusted them.

Trusted Ghost to get them out of the vault until the last second. Trusted her to get the lights back on until it was too late. And every time he was angry when they failed him because every time he trusted them. He trusted Bucky to save them on the road, even with their history. If anyone could understand her horror when Bob had been stolen, had ‘betrayed’ her, it was him.

And she'd betrayed him in a moment because she didn't recognise him for a second. And in revenge, the universe had taken her friend again and twisted him into nothing but the darkest parts of himself.

This was his Void. And hers was choking her. Guilt. Shame. Loss.

How did she share this one?

“Yelena!” Sam called, landing back. “You've got-”

Walker twitched. Then he charged.

Yelena tried to dodge, but he wasn't going for her.

“Oh, you're kidding me, John!” Sam yelled, and dived upwards. Too slow.

But Bob was there, superhumanly fast. Walker's fist slammed into him, and he tanked the hit just like the bullets. The shockwave shattered the glass on the surrounding buildings. Yelena saw the black seep over his fingers - sink into Walker's armour.

He reeled backwards.

He flexed his arms, and roared. She clawed at her ears, gasping, they all did, and Walker turned and ran.

They followed Walker at a safe distance, with their convoy. He leapt straight up, covering blocks in a single jump, crashing onto brickwork and through buildings. God, most construction workers in New York must be millionaires.

He was going somewhere, that much was obvious. It was Bucky who recognised it first.

“Is that the-?”

It was.

With a great, resounding roar, amidst the screams of the first people he met, Walker crashed through the doors - and walls - of the Senate building - and vanished inside.

-

It was easy to track him inside. They followed the trail of destruction. He’d blitzed straight through most of the rooms, upturning tables, bathrooms, brickwork, statues, ugly plants and fancy arches. He left people cowering in his wake, wounded and terrified, stuck under the debris. Alexei stopped to start helping people, pulling bricks off and reassuring politicians that they were being saved by the Red Guardian and the New Avengers. Minus one important member.

“Stay right behind me, Bob!” Yelena yelled. He nodded. He was really hoping it wouldn’t come down to having to put John in the Void, but if they couldn’t stop him, they didn’t know what he’d do next. They came to the back of the building, where Walker had torn a hole through the ceiling and leapt up to the second floor. Of course, those on the second floor were currently tearing down the stairs, covering their heads. Yelena pulled out a grapple, prepared to zoom up after him, when he slammed down from the ceiling, right into the middle of the crowd trying to get out of the door. He carelessly knocked them aside like bowling pins, and several of them went flying. He’d landed on at least one guy.

He swung his head around. They were running, scattering in every direction. Yelena and Bucky began to run through the crowd towards him-

John grabbed someone. His hand closed around their chest like he was grabbing a bottle. The man appeared dazed - blood running down his nose and onto his white collar.

“Oh, shit.” Bucky said. “That’s the guy who fired him.”

How much of Walker was in there? Enough that he’d sought this guy out specifically - but the human Walker had saved this man’s life. He’d never look to hurt him.

This was the guy who had given him the shield in the first place. Had accepted it from Sam. Had been behind the Patch Act, the one Sam had given his speech to about doing better. John had tried to save him before, tried to pull the truck he was in up before it plummeted off a ledge. Or maybe he’d been in the one Karli set on fire. Now Walker was squeezing him to death.

Well, fair enough, really, Bucky thought. He did seem to be behind everything. If John was really trapped reliving that time of his life, if that was what had set him off - it made sense that he’d go after him. The bad news was that Bucky himself might be next.

They'd gotten over it. Bucky had gotten over it seeing that Flagsmasher tear a concrete pole out of the ground to batter Walker with. Seeing him on the ground with a flimsy shield between them - he'd gotten over it.

He remembered, after the Flagsmashers were dealt with, that Walker very tentatively, as if Bucky might initiate a takedown at the daring, patting him on the back. Jesus, he’d broken the guy’s arm days before, and he let it be water under the bridge. Walker overstepped in good and bad ways - getting Bucky out of jail, trying to arrest Karli early - but his heart was in the right place. The same place as Sam’s, really - getting Karli to stop hurting people. And Bucky couldn’t actually fault him for wanting Zemo back in jail. There was a hero in there - there always had been.

Bucky should have blamed the government before he blamed the mascot. But even Karli Morganthau got blindsided by that sort of thing - ‘No, Sam I won’t kill you, you’re just a tool of the regime. Now step aside as I rush to murder the poster boy for being a tool for The Regime.’

There was an alternate universe, Bucky thought, where Sam took up the shield immediately. Where it was him Karli tried to kill. Where Bucky might have failed to protect him, like John failed Lemar. Where Bucky had been in John’s place. Where he never met John, and he went on his special forces mission to Chile or whatever. Where Lemar lived longer.

Perhaps it was incredibly selfish, but Bucky would rather live in this world.

John had blamed Bucky, once. On the anniversary. He’d been in a pretty bad state. Tried to explain that if Bucky had just worked with him, if they’d just done what he said and co-ordinated to take down Karli, they’d have taken her off the streets and Lemar never would have died. If he’d seen Karli coming for John, done something to get that guy off him, if either of them had gotten in her way before Lemar did…and he was right. But Bucky had been looking in the wrong direction.

As far as pointing fingers went, the senator wasn’t a bad move.

But before Walker could finish him off, Red Guardian dropped from the ceiling and onto his head. He wrapped his legs around his neck, and began pummelling his head, trying to get him in the eyes and nose. Bucky winced. Alexei might be…loud, and particular, but he could throw a punch. Walker ripped him sideways by the foot, and threw him. He slammed against the bricks, hard enough to break through it, and rolled onto all fours. Yelena screamed, and rushed at him. Damn it! Yelena was the guy Walker probably had the greatest bond with, and Bucky was precisely the opposite. Oh well, they were out of options, unless they wanted to Void the guy, as Ava and Antonia were managing evacuations downstairs.

Gripping the shield in both hands, he approached Walker.

“Hey,” He said, and the guy looked at him, at least, “Come on, John. This guy really isn’t worth it.” He was praying that the senator didn’t put two and two together and make four. That would be awkward.

John growled at him.

“It’s me. It’s Bucky. I know you, remember. We’re a team.” God, Sam was much better at this. “Like you wanted. But I need this guy,” He wiggled the shield about. “Not that guy. Think you can come back?”

He did not.

Bucky heard the Senator’s bones crack as John squeezed his fist shut. He dropped the limp body onto the fancy floor. His head hit it first, and John flinched. Bucky tried to see if he was still wiggling, but John charged him. Bucky flung his arm up to block, and physically felt the impact shatter what felt like every bone in his side. John slammed him, palm flat, into one of the only intact walls. Bucky’s ears rang as his head collided with the wall. God, this was so much worse than the last time Walker slammed him into a wall.

One more hit, and John might have him. He couldn’t let him do that. He tried to shove him away, but even his vibranium arm couldn’t do it, and he had no strength in the other side of his body.

“Damn it, John!” He yelled. “You really like me, or don't you remember? You've- always- liked me- to an irritating–”

He was spared only by John dropping him and abruptly spinning around. Tanks had rolled up to the open door, and they began to rain fire on him. He threw his hand up to cover his face, and ducked behind a pillar for cover. They turned the guns, and the pillar began to chip away. Bucky saw them part ways for a tank with a proper gun on top - likely to fire missiles. Bucky was torn between not wanting to see him hurt - and recognising that he could probably walk off a missile strike, if he was anything like Bruce or Ross. Then the people in the tanks would be the ones who got hurt.

Damn it! Sam had been able to injure Ross with his vibranium wings, and the vibranium in his suit could withstand a lot of force. But he…

They had to stop.

But luckily, it seemed someone else had the same idea. He saw the spray of orange sparks first, forming itself around Wong, sorcerer supreme, who frantically waved at them to stop. They did, for about two seconds, and another portal formed beside Walker.

For a moment, he thought it might be Bruce.

Instead, a gigantic lizard-like creature charged through the portal, a smaller green woman sat on his shoulders, her arms up in the air. He threw her in a flying kick, and she collided with Walker’s head, staggering him. The Abomination tackled him like he was playing rugby, and both of them rolled over and over until they slammed into one of the tanks.

Then Sam was there, and Bucky felt himself being pulled gently onto a stretcher. He could already feel his bones and skin knitting themselves together, but it was going to take a minute. He winced.

“Joaquin?” He asked.

“You can get the bed next to him,” Sam said, and yeah, Bucky would rather just kick the bucket then and there.

Sam caught sight of the senator. Damn, he probably knew his name. Then he shook the moment of quiet horror off and went back to action.

Chapter Text

“What is happening here?” Yelena spluttered. They’d produced two more hulks from thin air, and Walker was fighting off attacks from two directions. The big one appeared to be trying and pin Walker down like he was going to slap handcuffs on him, with limited effect. “How are there suddenly two more?”

She heard Sam’s wings engage, and then he was in front of her, to defend her.

“Better stay back, I think,” He said.

“Are you the new Captain America?” The Abomination asked, seemingly not out of breath at all as he traded blows with Walker. When Sam nodded, he said, “I was going to be Captain America once.”

“That’s nice.” Then he did a double take. “What?”

“Oh yeah, Thaddeus Ross sent me after Bruce Banner to try and capture him. Thought I was the hero. I hear Ross is a Hulk now - and in jail. He deserves it. Didn’t tell me or my men a damn thing about what we were going after, so he wiped my squad out. That’s what the brass do, after all. Get us all killed. I imagine it was much the same for that guy, so I can't blame him that much.” He gestured at the dead Senator. “I got dosed with serum, like Rogers.”

Sam had been pre-emptively rolling his eyes at the five-hundredth government employee trying to recreate Erskine’s formula, but he realised the implication was much more serious.

“Wait, Ross had a - and this was the side effect?” He flapped around the Abomination, aghast at the sight. Valentina had fed Walker the line about his serum, so it made sense…

Blonsky shook his head. “I mean, it really fucking hurt. But beyond a boiling rage and single-minded desire to kill Bruce Banner and prove myself over him? Nothing too major. Don’t tell my parole officer, but that might just have been me. Bruce's blood did this to me - combined with the serum.”

He wrapped Walker into a headlock, attempting to suffocate him.

“Ross had a working serum in the early 2000s and never used it again?”

“I probably scared him off by rampaging through Harlem. I don’t think anyone told him that it was Bruce’s blood that unleashed the Abomination, not the serum. So, what’s this guy’s deal?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” Sam shook his head. Every day he became gladder that he hadn’t taken the serum. Maybe if they saw him succeed without it enough times, they’d stop ruining people’s lives trying to measure up to that Steve. Redwing zoomed out from behind him, zapping Walker with his lasers. They couldn't pierce Walker's skin, like they hadn't with Ross’, and he didn't even bother to swat at them. He roared in the Abomination's face, his claws digging into the muscles of his shoulder. Sam caught a glimpse of white fangs, as he went for the throat. They snapped shut on air.

“How did you put it?” She-Hulk said, arching a kick with extraordinary flexibility to knock Walker's jaw aside, “‘A highly decorated soldier, sent in to neutralise a threat, under direct orders from the government, went on an unsanctioned rampage that ended with a dozen civilian deaths…pot, meet the kettle. What?” He seemed kind of annoyed that she knew more than him. “I run the superhuman law division. I keep an eye on these kinds of things."

Sam grabbed Yelena, unfurling his wings and flying both of them out of reach as Walker kicked Blonsky in their direction. Walker leapt upwards and landed on him, and tried battering him with little effect. She-Hulk wrapped a chain around his neck and tried to pull him backwards, but he barely seemed to notice.

Holding Walker's jaw shut, Blonsky asked, “How many civilians did this guy get?”

Sam opened his mouth, and then glanced sideways at Yelena. Yeah, the guy hadn't been part of an official military, but he'd been trained by the Power-Broker and had the serum, which meant that he couldn't be disarmed. Sam had taken out a few mooks in his day that hadn't been in the military, but had been coming at him with guns - hardly civilian deaths. He told the Abomination that.

Blonsky’s eyes went wide. “He took out a supersoldier?”

Sam nodded.

“How?” He said. “Banner whacked me into a tree so hard it broke every bone in my body, and I fixed them all within the same day. What kind of rubbish passes for serum these days?”

“He had a vibranium shield.” Sam said. Blonsky seemed to be legitimately asking for an answer, so he wracked his brains. “The serum was distilled from the blood of Isaiah Bradley, who got it in the 40s? 50s? Anyway, it can’t have been that weak, because Isaiah was able to beat the Winter Soldier, unless it was seriously diluted by the time it got to Walker. I mean, he couldn’t overpower Bucky, so…”

Walker cracked a wooden table over his head like a bat and slammed Blonsky up against one of the arches. His head slammed against it and he wobbled.

“Is that all you got?” He hopped up and kicked him away with two feet. Walker flew a good sixty feet backwards, over and over. He slammed through some pillars, crushing them to dust. He seized one and got up.

“That doesn’t make sense.” Jen said. “But then, neither does the three of them getting whooped by a nineteen year old who’d only been fighting for six months, but sacrifices must be made for plot. Anyway.” She turned back to Sam, settling into a guarded stance. “Isaiah showed no negative effects, right? Did Karli?”

Sam considered it. Yeah, Karli had set off that bomb, seemingly out of the blue, jarring with most of her earlier actions, but the other Flagsmashers had taken the same serum and hadn’t done anything that rash. Well, beyond attempted murder. And kidnapping and setting fire to twenty-odd politicians. But he couldn’t prove it was the serum that made her that way, even though it would coincide with her running from Madripoor to be a revolutionary. Sadly, they couldn’t call in the Power-Broker to testify whether the serum massively changed her personality.

“I didn’t know her before.”

“We probably can’t prove it.” Jen admitted. “And the grief and stress he was under anyway muddies the waters.”

He had been under a lot of pressure. And unlike Sam, he hadn’t taken time to go home and clear his head, pushing himself to the breaking point instead.

“Well, Ross did say it made them unstable.” Blonsky said, dodging as Walker swung the pillar at him. “But he didn’t really elaborate.”

“So a good enough lawyer might suggest that he meant ‘unstable’, as in, they were getting sick and dying - because you did get sick - rather than mentally unstable. We could call him in as a witness, but getting a Hulk to testify for a twenty year old conversation isn’t great, and I doubt I can subpoena the records for such an old and classified program…” He smacked her into the ground, but she continued muttering legal jargon to herself. “It’s more than instability. If it influences you to make reckless, stupid decisions - a jury isn’t gonna listen to that. They just say you chose it.”

Jen wrapped herself round a bannister and tried to kick Walker in the head, but he saw her coming and threw a wrist between them. He jabbed her in the stomach and she was batted away. She got up, gasping, and leaned against the wall by Sam and Yelena, looking a shade greener.

Stupid decisions, Sam thought. Like going after a guy that beat you again and again. Like walking into a trap without government backup. Like even getting up to fight again just after being subjected to the excruciating agony of the serum, before you’d adapted to it.

“Okay, so we’re probably going to have more luck trying to prove the guy was a threat than that Walker was under the influence. They’ll just say the serum’s been refined in twenty years since Blonsky got it, and we can’t properly link Isaiah’s serum with Ross’. Did the guy surrender before Walker killed him?”

“Well, he put his hands up.” Sam said.

“Eh, I can say that was a defensive gesture. Did he say ‘I surrender’?”

“He said ‘it wasn’t me’.”

“No, then.”

“Well, from one soldier to another,” Blonsky said. They were swinging chandeliers at each other with the spray of shattering glass. “Walker had every right to continue engaging. Even a severely injured supersoldier can do some serious damage, as I’m sure your friend Bucky can tell you. Was he injured?”

Sam didn’t like to think of that. Bucky, severely injured, his handlers not caring, as he dragged himself through a mission because no one treated him like a human. Even after Isaiah got to him…it made him sad and angry at the same time.

“No, but Walker had his boot on his chest.”

Blonsky laughed. “A supersoldier’s one weakness! A boot! Wait, one of the top fighters in the world, dosed up on serum, with one of the toughest weapons around in his hands, and a personal reason to want him dead, did no damage before he executed him? Wow. He’s a disgrace to the serum. Now, if I was chasing the scumbag who killed my man…er, before the spiritual awakening… I would have made him suffer, but that’s besides the point.”

“He was supposed to arrest them!”

“How?” Blonsky said. “Did he have transport? Somewhere to hold them? Something to safely restrain them, beyond permanent retirement? Like we have this hulk inhibitor bracelet that will calm him right down if he would just- stop- wiggling-” He was bear-hugging him, but John had grabbed a piece of sharp rubble and he had to let go quickly.

He actually hadn’t. Even when he’d walked in to stop Karli when Sam was talking to her, it was unclear how he intended to do so. He hadn’t even pulled his gun, and he hadn’t had the serum, and he hadn’t had rope or anything. It was weird.

“So they gave him no way to stop the guy except permanent death or debilitating injury? Yeah, he had the shield, but has the shield ever put down a supersoldier opponent for any length of time?”

No. It hadn’t. Steve had never really hurt Bucky, though Sam now knew that was possible. Though, he’d seen both of them fling it hard enough to break concrete. And yet, as hard as he’d flung it at Bucky in that warehouse, it hadn’t put Bucky down; electrocution had. It was hurting his brain. Bucky had put a few supersoldiers out of the fight, knocking one out and throwing the other’s own knife, but Walker didn’t have that kind of luck.

But Nat had to launch a literal RPG at Bucky to get him to run. He’d been evenly matched with Steve. Man, all this time he’d been telling himself that Walker killed an unarmed combatant - as he’d had the shield and the man had nothing - but…well, he’d had to use it pretty damn specifically to put his enemy down.

He pulled it off his back. Stared at the sharp edges.

“We’ve already established that’s not a permanent solution.” Jen said. “Blunt force trauma doesn’t exist in this franchise (until it does). And they didn’t give him anything else. Were the government trying to kill him, or were the writers trying to save on the props budget?”

Sam did not hear that bit, of course. He did think Jen was a strange one, but she was a good enough lawyer that he overlooked that.

“Wow.” Jen said. “Just how badly did this guy fumble giving his testimony to not get away with this one?”

“Oh, they didn’t let him give it.” Yelena said. “He told us. They just decided what was gonna happen.”

“Man,” Blonsky said, “The government can go and fuck themselves.” He looked around the destroyed Senate, and with a bit of vindictiveness, broke off a piece of the ceiling to lob at Walker.

“They what!” Jennifer yelled, completely aghast. “That is an utter violation of due process! That settles it. Once we’ve dealt with this hulk matter, I’m getting him off. I’ll get his pension, rank and medals back.”

Yelena laughed. Jen flipped her hair. “Clearing his name. But, you know, I wouldn’t mind…”

“He’s divorced.” Sam said. Wait, no, that sounded like he was encouraging this. Walker was a walking red flag. Or a red, white, and blue one, technically.

“Oh, what medals has he got?” Blonsky said. “You know, there isn’t a military award they haven’t given me, except for-”

“Three medals of honour.” Jen said, and Blonsky began to splutter in absolute incoherence.

“Three?” He gasped, in such a state of shock he let Walker go. He saluted him, and got pummelled for his trouble. He seemed pretty happy about it, though. “Oh, my god. Do you know what kind of ballsy self-sacrificing shit you have to pull off to get even one? And he survived getting three? Does God just really really like him?”

Sam had worked with veterans for years. It'd been a calling for him, after losing Riley had wrecked him - that kind of pain wasn't something many understood. After he'd clawed himself out, he knew he had to help others do the same.

But for the first time, he saw it from the other side.

He'd tried, he told himself. He tried to get John to give the shield up without a fight, tried to get him to understand that he wasn't really in trouble, that even though he'd cracked, they'd overlook it.

Except, he worked with veterans. He knew the government treated them like shit when the mental strain of the job finally caught up to them. When they were no longer useful. And Walker was tougher than most. Decades of service. He'd held out a long time, against a lot. The things he must have seen, done, in war. What Sam had seen…

Sam should have seen that Walker wasn't a bad guy, that he was finally fraying. Instead, he'd let Bucky drag him into a fight. God! He'd beaten up a man in the depths of a mental breakdown, broken his arm, while his best friend's body still cooled. He tried to imagine being jumped an hour after losing Riley.

Yeah. Yeah, maybe he'd be just like John then. No one knows how much they could take until it broke them.

Sickness flooded him. Guilt, shame.

And now Sam watched him fight. Fight with all the rage, the military precision, the ruthlessness drilled into him. This wasn't his fault. He'd put it as kindly as he could to the Hoskins, couldn't bring himself to lie. Put it as fairly as he could. He turned to Yelena. She was looking at him with wide eyes, brimming with loss, with pain. His own feelings mirrored on her face.

“How did you talk Ross down?” Yelena asked.

“He was trying to reconcile with his daughter, Betty, so I took him somewhere that reminded him of that. He'd been trying to be better. Someone was trying to goad him into throwing it all away and taking what he wanted by force. Be that person again. Destroy people’s memories of him, so all they ever saw was that monster. The Hulk was just the symbol of that. But he didn’t want to be that person anymore, and deep down he still knew that.”

So what did Valentina want people to see when they looked at John? And why?

“It’s less that John is trying to change,” Yelena said, “But that he seems to have two sides. Sometimes he’s really nice. I think he wants to be nice. But he gets defensive so quickly. Violent. And I don’t know why that is.”

She stared at the blue scales, glittering in the sunlight, interlocked with one another to leave only the tiniest vulnerabilities. Humour and flippancy were her shields - and John, ironically, showed how deeply things got to him by showing his teeth.

“All his skill didn't help him against the Dora Milaje.” Sam said. “The serum didn’t help him keep Lemar safe. Hearing Mrs Hoskins blame him for her son’s death…when he’s like this, maybe he feels he’s finally strong enough.”

Walker had the upper hand again, and was prowling after Blonsky. It sent a chill down Sam's spine, as it had before - when Walker had kicked that guy down the stairs and chased him into a trap.

Even Karli had run from him, in the end.

His team was in good hands.

Then they heard it. A rumbling, getting louder by the second. His comm shrieked into life with a wave of static, and he cringed.

“--OUT OF THERE, NOW, SAM-”

But there was no time.

He heard the whistling as the missile dropped. He wrapped his arms around Yelena, cloaking them both in his wings and shielding her head by his chest as he activated his own helmet.

The force of the explosion, in a dizzying wave of blinding light, threw both of them like a hamster ball. Buried them in the roof. They hung there, over the fire. His eyes blurred, but he couldn't miss the vibrant purple of his wings, buzzing with the force they'd absorbed. Jen was human again, out cold. The Abomination was pretty hurt, and he scooped her out and stumbled from the wreckage, the smoke, coughing. Sam's ears were ringing but he heard him yelling at the soldiers in the perimeter outside.

“Yelena.” He croaked, as she began stirring gently. “Yelena!” He checked her for head wounds, for broken bones, but she seemed to have weathered the blast.

John wasn't so lucky. He'd disappeared under the rubble. Sam stared at every moving speck, breathing loud in his helmet. Any second, he could jump out, and as the only living things in the building, they'd be the targets. He tried to yank his wings out, but he was stuck like a fly on a web.

He flinched as if it were a gunshot when he heard the soft crunch of footsteps.

Valentina walked into the building, in her high heels, barely even wobbling. She waved at them, and looked about, stooping to where Walker's armour stuck out from where he'd been buried.

She patted it gently. His finger twitched.

Chapter Text

Yelena patted desperately on Sam’s arm; still wedged in the ceiling, he had no choice but to let her go. She rolled out of a perfect fall, unhurt.

She charged up her widow bites, facing her now thoroughly former boss. She completely saw her for what she was - a hideous bitch who chewed people up, used what she could, and moved on to the next. Yelena had perhaps underestimated her; she thought she’d tried to kill them all in the vault because she was scared. She thought her pathetic.

“You did this to him.” She said. “It’ll be your last mistake.”

“Well, I’m not sure that’s true.” Valentina said. “You can try to calm him down, turn him human again.” She spread her arms, towards the special forces men coming through the doors, eyeing the situation. “But then they’ll know who he is.”

Yelena considered it. After all, chances were, they knew anyway. They could count. They knew he was the only member of the Thunderbolts missing.

And she hated that he wasn’t…that Valentina wasn’t saying he was human anymore. He still was, to her.

The armour was a shield, literally. And staring at their witnesses, she knew John could never recover from this happening again. Not the death he’d caused, and not them knowing. Their only saving grace was a gesture from Sam, which kept them back and out of earshot.

“And could he forgive you?” She asked. “What’ll it cost you? Because I do believe you care about him, Yelena, and you’ll do everything you can to save him from me. But I also know you’re a bright girl, and it's dawning on you that I’m going to win.”

She heard the vibranium sliding against stone as Sam struggled to get free.

“That’ll never happen.” He said, so determinedly she almost believed it.

“It’s you he won’t forgive.” Yelena snapped. “He’ll see what you’ve done to him, and he’ll…” She made a descriptive gesture with her hand reminiscent of what had happened to the senator. Alexei and Ava had wanted to kill her before, and Yelena was slowly finding herself on their side.

Valentina merely shrugged. “Oh, I don’t think so. He doesn’t really have a history of blaming the right people, does he? If you turn him back now, he can kiss his career goodbye, pitiful as it is. He’ll have to come crawling back to me.”

“You have a lot in common, you know.” She said, surprising Yelena. Well, not really. She knew her and Walker shared some experiences. Broken families. Grief. Depression. Suicidal thoughts. All the fun stuff. Sometimes they were so similar it was as if they shared one soul. The best killers of Russia and America.

“So why not take me?” She said gruffly, wondering if she could do it - if she could sign herself and her team over to Valentina to save Walker. In a moment she knew she could. “Why not take- Bucky. We’re…if it's a killer you want, we’re better at it.”

“It is a killer I want.” She said candidly. “But you and Bucky…you’re too good. Too good at it, too good at heart. They made you perfect. But there’s a goodness in you they had to drown out, with chemicals, with brainwashing. There’s no light inside Johnny, here.” The nickname, so fakely affectionate, set Yelena’s teeth on edge. Her hands crept towards her baton, unconsciously. “I needed someone who failed. Pathologically. You don’t know what it's like to fail, do you, Yelena? Failures in the Red Room are simply killed off. But he knows nothing else, and himself most of all. And every time he fails, from now on - he feeds this monster.”

It was true. Yelena’s deepest shame had always been that she was the best - and in the Red Room, that meant she had to watch other people get hurt. That was as awful to her as being hurt herself, and they knew it. She had been forced to do terrible things. John had only fallen apart when he couldn’t do the terrible things he wanted. For a moment, doubt filled her again. But she’d let it out - she hadn’t held onto it. Hadn’t pushed it down, let it fester until it turned into something truly ugly.

And anyway, John knew what he was doing. He was a better team leader than her - she still had to learn how to do that. The Red Room pit Widows against each other too often for her to really understand camaraderie like he had in the army. They filled each other’s gaps. And she would not let him be lost to the darkest parts of himself. Yelena had been controlled and manipulated her entire life. She would save him.

“None of us are monsters.” She said, and she smiled as she did. In the corner of her eye, she could see Ava, wavering in and out of reality. Hiding. The stealth operative.

“You’re not.” Valentina said gently, almost…motherly. It made Yelena want to shoot her until she had no skin left on her skull, and the urge revolted her. “He is. Do you know how many people he’s killed? How many buildings he’s blown up with people still inside? Families destroyed, children radicalised, how much blood is on his hands? More than yours. More than any of you. John Walker is so rotten even that shield couldn’t purify him.”

Yelena found herself watching Sam’s face. He winced at the mention of the shield. She wondered if he thought that she was right. But he still wouldn’t let her get away with it, she knew.

“Well, we've all blown up a few buildings.” She said casually. Sam rolled his eyes.

“That was three years ago.” Sam said firmly, “When will you people move the fuck on?”

“It’s not as…over as you’d think,” She said, “I have brought his old enemies here to finish what was started. Sadly, these kinds of groups don’t just die out.”

Yelena saw John’s hand begin to twitch. Slowly, he pulled himself from the rubble. He loomed over Valentina, but her face betrayed no fear whatsoever.

“She’s using you, John!” Yelena yelled, “You don’t have to follow her orders-”

John reached for her, as if he would crush her like he did the senator.

“Hope not ever to see Heaven,” Valentina said abruptly, “I have come to lead you to the other shore.”

-

Old enemies? Sam was wondering. But surely not. He’d assumed all of the Flagsmashers had simply given up after Karli died and Zemo blew up the last of the supersoldiers, and they lost their muscle.

He felt dizzy. Had they managed to get their hands on the serum again, or- how had they managed to get their hands on weaponry this good? He watched in horror as the soldiers he’d half ignored in favour of the real threat pulled on their helmets, patterned with the hand and the world in deep crimson.

Yelena looked sideways at him, and he could see she was calculating whether he was going to be a friend or an enemy. He’d do what he thought was best, as he always did.

John was going to tear through these Flagsmashers like they were made of wet paper.

“Valentina!” One of them yelled through a megaphone- “You’ve been experimenting on human beings! Your illegal labs have decimated communities! You've bankrolled our cause to cover yourself, but we've found you out. This must stop!”

She checked her nails. “Did I? Wow, and here I was wondering why you were such vicious pains in my ass. So whiny! You want to topple a government. I want to topple a government. What's so bad about us working together? How did you get so corrupted, anyhow? Leadership troubles?”

Yelena tipped her head in begrudging acquiescence. If they’d picked up on Karli’s hatred of corporate greed, and…America…Sam could totally see why they’d be gunning for this woman. And once again, he found it difficult to argue. But arguing - de-escalating - it was the thing he knew he did best. Er, maybe not hanging from the ceiling. With a final burst of effort, he tore his wing free, landing on his feet. Yelena rolled her eyes.

He strode forward.

“Release him from the hypnotism, Valentina.” Sam demanded. “I think he should face this as himself.”

“Our Johnny is too much of a spring patriot for that.” She said, “He gets hurt by the American government once, and that’s it. Not like you, Sam. You get treated like shit by America all your life and you still kneel for the flag. A good dog.”

“Let your dog off the leash.” Yelena raged, shoving herself forward between Sam and Valentina. “I dare you. He's not a good soldier anymore and that's a good thing.”

Hadn't been one since he lost Lemar, lost himself.

Sam shook his head. He'd heard it all before. Every little insult. He just had to take it, because everyone was waiting for him to fail. And for what? Because he thought lives were valuable? Because he believed in redemption?

“Aren't you tired of being the peacemaker?” She said. “The therapist? Of being pushed around by this country, by the government - by your supposed friends?”

Yeah, Bucky's decision to join the New Avengers when he knew Sam was putting together his own team still stung, badly. And working for someone like her was pretty dire. He couldn't help but feel like they'd all compromised themselves, and for what? A shiny title? A nice tower to live in? Yeah, he was angry.

“How long will you stand to the side? Walk the line between? When will you fight, Sam?”

He'd fight her in a minute. But he let himself think about what she was saying.

Little did she know, he'd heard this all before. From Karli.

“You've got me all wrong.” He said. She thrived off manipulating people, but she was dead wrong about him.

He'd made his choice then, and he stood by it now.

“I've seen what violence can do. I was a paratrooper - I pulled soldiers out of the worst things you can imagine. I watched as they broke good men, and then used them broken.” He glared at her, and saw her smile falter for a second. “When I was a counsellor, I saw them die. Took care of a problem the Army didn’t care about.” And that was how they treated the cream of the crop, the closest to the dream. For those who didn't match up, it was so much worse. “I've seen what it does to everyone. To innocents, no matter how careful you are.” This time he addressed the Flagsmashers.

“You see us.” He said, behind his mask, his voice muffled. “But what have you done for us? You let her die!”

A protest was halfway up his throat before the last line. He'd convinced the senators to listen, to have some empathy, not to pass the Patch Act. But he guessed even if they were allowed to live in their chosen countries, that didn't mean they weren't treated like shit. Pushed around by governmental forces, by the CIA, by corporations. It didn't make their fight over.

“I couldn't save her.” He admitted. “And if you keep going down this path, I won't be able to save you.” Harsh, perhaps, but there had to be sense in him somewhere. Walker was a hulk, for the love of God.

“Oh Captain, my Captain.” Valentina said. “You have to save my life from these terrorists and assassins. I knew you'd come through.”

“Shut up!” He said.

“You can't do that!” The Flagsmasher spat. “Innocent people only die because They-” he made it a proper noun- “try to scare us into obedience. Well, she taught us not to be scared. We're not scared of your dog, de Fontaine. Not now, and not then. Not ever.”

“You don't have to be.” He said. “She's not getting away with it. She's going to jail.”

But he saw Yelena look doubtful. Well, he'd deal with her personal hit squad once he'd dealt with her personal hit…guy.

“Yeah, right.” The guy said. “He's bulletproof. Fire at will. One world!”

“One people!” Came the answering cry.

John twitched.

“Eternal fire, John.” Valentina said lazily. He roared, and the Flagsmashers began feeding armour-piercing rounds into his hide. A few slammed into his open mouth, and he cowered.

Grabbing his shield, Sam began to move. Do what he should have done three years ago.

He put himself between the Flagsmashers and Walker, one wing blocking their gunfire. Yelena ran too. They had the same destination but different priorities. Sam squared off against John, protecting the Flagsmashers at his back. It wasn’t an entirely selfish choice - if John battered a single one, it was over.

Yelena flung herself at the Flagsmashers, protecting John, as insane as that was. Antonia flung herself over the tank, burying her burning sword into the metal. She flung out her grappling hook, seizing another, running forward to loop herself round a pillar. The tank jerked forward and rammed into a wall. Yelena yanked the people out, kicking them unconscious. Valentina sighed theatrically.

Sam made a pretty terrible fly. You’d think a gigantic armoured blue hand would be easy to dodge, but John was fast. It collided with his ribs, and he felt the weird tingling itch as the vibranium suit absorbed the impact. His wings still shorted out. He dropped, smashing into a broken tank. He rolled off the hood, coughing. The shield fell off his back.

He went to grab it.

Walker’s foot slammed down on it. Sam’s face twisted as the reality that he’d just challenged another fucking hulk hit him.

Luckily he didn’t pay attention. Sam swerved, dodging a swipe, and managed to yank it in front of him just as Walker landed a hit. He flew straight through a wall. Tiny pieces of concrete slashed his face. He barelled straight through a Flagsmasher. Fuck. The guy was taken care of, at least.

This was pretty bad. This whole day was bad.

Great, he was getting the Bucky treatment. Walker went for the throat, pinching between two fingers, and swung him like a cat. Sam fired his thrusters, trying to slow himself down, shot like a cannonball.

Walker leapt at him, his arm yanked back to crush him like a bug in a single punch. Sam just managed to get a wing up between them, keeping him almost far away enough. He swiped the wing, but it glanced off Walker’s armour. Wrong angle.

Walker grabbed him by the foot.

“Fuck.” Sam said, and then he was flying head over heels. He manouvered himself easily with the wings, landing unhurt. But Walker wasn’t dumb. Even like this. Soon he’d be done with throwing him around and simply squash him like a bug.

And then they’d all die.

His wings had picked up a lot of energy from being thrown around, but he doubted it was enough. He stumbled, baiting Walker into a rush. If he could just get some distance, a moment to think, he had something like a plan-

Walker kicked him in the chest, knocked all the wind from his lungs. Felt like it knocked his lungs out, frankly. He engaged his helmet at the last second before he impacted the floor.

Distance. He had it. He tried to breathe.

But the guy was fast. He suddenly remembered Walker flinging Bucky away on the edge of the shield, then charging him. Like a cat with a mouse. His head was fucking pounding. The hand masks were blurring around him. His helmet was full of blood.

Too quick to fly. To do anything other than lunge out of the way.

Maybe it was the concussion, but a ghost of an idea struck him. An echo of what he’d once done.

He fired a grapple, locking onto Walker’s ankle. He couldn’t yank him off his feet, he knew that. But he had some power. Walker’s hand missed as he used the beast’s own momentum to pivot himself around. In his blindspot. Perfect. He leapt frantically, just where he couldn’t see, and when he turned quickly he caught the wire and stumbled.

And Sam was right where he wanted to be. Early. Luck. He almost didn’t react quickly enough. He gasped sharply. Only instinct, only years and years of using the wings helped. He was so precise.

He stabbed the ends of the wings into Walker’s eyes. He bellowed and clawed at them.

For just a moment, Walker was completely and utterly blind. But Sam couldn’t stop there, for all he didn’t want to get greedy. Every piece of energy he’d stored during the fight rocketed through the end of the wings and straight into Walker’s skull. Even the eyes of a hulk felt as tough as steel. They only had minutes, maybe, before he healed the damage, but for now-

He’d knocked the son of a bitch clean out. If only he had one of those bracelets, this could all be over.

And Walker fell. The explosion rocked the entire room. Sam dropped out of the sky, but Antonia caught him.

Yelena stood panting, hands on her knees. Her hair was slicked to her face with sweat. Flagsmashers were piled around her. Their guns and knives were strewn around, abandoned and unmoving.

“John-” Valentina said, her voice strangled.

They both sound round to look.

“Good to see you, Ava.” She managed.

“You didn't see me.” She said. “You never did.”

Ava had plunged one fist in her chest, intangible. A threat.

“Now, I'm not sure you have a heart, so the lungs will do.” She said, lowly. “Release my friend, or stop breathing.”

Valentina laughed nervously. “I know you can't hold it longer than a minute, Ava. Especially not with a broken mask.”

Indeed, it was. Blood was running down her face. But her eyes were grimly determined. Scary. All trace of doubt was long gone.

“Ava…” Sam said, uncertainly.

“So you'd better hurry up.” She whispered.

“It'll take longer than that.” She pleaded. “I'll die halfway through and he'll be stuck.”

Ava hesitated. The seconds ticked on. She pulled her hand back.

“Try anything-”

Valentina slammed a hidden button, and a burst of hypersonic noise crippled Ava; she grabbed her ears, staggering backwards. Her noise hurt Walker badly too. Valentina kicked her over and she fell. She straightened her blazer.

Stepped backwards into Antonia's sword against her throat and Yelena's gun against her temple.

“We're a team.” Yelena said. They could rely on each other when they made a mistake.

“Now, walk me through it. Don’t suppose you have a chemical antidote?” She shook her head, exasperated. Antonia drew blood. “Hope not ever to see Heaven. I have come to take you to the other shore…John.” She closed her eyes. He reached for her head. Valentina didn't move - she knew Yelena could shoot her with her eyes shut.

John patted Yelena ever so gently on the head. She huffed out a startled, relieved breath.

“You can't do it.” Valentina accused. “Guess wrong and you die. Guess wrong and he rampages. He'll turn the whole city to dust, after he pulls the spines out of every Flagsmasher here. You know he wants to. And you, Sam. He hates you. He envies you. You, who served to save people. You, who lost a friend and tried to help people. He lost a friend and-”

Yelena gagged her. Patted Sam on the arm.

“No one hates you.” She said sunnily. “I don't have to guess, Valentina. You might think no one can get through to John, but that's not true. I know what we have in common. You don't know which is you - your rage, your cruelty, or the part of you that tries to do good. And you think because you fail to do good that it must be the bad parts.” She held onto his hand as she said it, as comical as it looked.

“Valentina wants you to believe you're alone, you have no one.” Ava said angrily. “Because if you think you don’t deserve other people, you'll accept things you shouldn't.”

“You belong.” Antonia said, and her tone allowed no argument. “With us, you belong. We don't want you because you're strong-”

“Or because you're nice.” Ava said, wrinkling her nose.

“Even though you are nice sometimes.” Yelena said quickly. “You're one of us, Walker. We're not going anywhere. We've been through so much, so we're in this for life.”

And anything that killed them would have to take them all out at once.

Sam thought of someone else. A girl he'd known a lifetime ago. A girl who didn’t really trust anyone either. He felt a flicker of old, scarred-over grief. Loneliness. John had a team. A chance at redemption. He had no team and a ghost hanging over him. It hurt to look. Slowly he climbed to his feet. Yelena shot him an exhausted smile.

He would go home, he thought. See his sister. Joaquin had been pestering him to take him back to Delacroix, but the combination of his Falcon and his nephews made him shudder. Still, it would take Joaquin's mind off being benched as he healed.

And slowly, finally, the armour retreated. For a moment he stood as a blue hulk, and then the colour faded from his skin. He collapsed, shrinking back to himself - still annoyingly tall, but normal sized.

Yelena couldn't stop grinning. Even Ava showed her relief. They all felt like collapsing.

But they didn't get a moment to enjoy it. Because they were on the verge of interruption, as people rushed in to secure the building and take pictures and see what was happening. Yelena glanced up, panicked.

Sam flung out a wing, shielding John from the approaching crowds. He didn't even think twice about it. They received odd looks, but they dragged Valentina away. Ava wrapped him in a slightly torn curtain. She placed his shield on his chest, and he clutched it instinctively. Himself again. Even Sam found himself softening. Walker might be a bit out of shape, but that didn't mean he couldn't be loved, and Sam saw that he was. Ava, Antonia and Yelena collapsed into a three way hug with him.

The soldiers - real ones this time, he hoped, began to haul off the Flagsmashers. Sam shook his head, readying himself for one last round of arguing. Yelena fitted one of their masks over his face, for all the world as if he was just one of the fallen. He was dead to the world, presumably as the serum put his brain completely back together. He was still blind, but Ava and Antonia were talking to him in low whispers.

“What do we do about her?” Yelena said to Sam. He was pleased she was so easy to work with. The kind of person he hoped would be on his team one day.

“Jail.” He said flatly.

“How?” She said, “John did technically inject himself, even if- well, I think she hypnotised him into it. He won’t testify. We can’t, not when we’re so close to it, not when we’ve…overlooked it before.

Sam looked at the mask John wore and sighed deeply.

They were just beginning to wake up. He intercepted their leader, waving away the officers. They glanced over him, concern clear on their face at the state of him. It was beginning to feel pretty bad, but it wasn’t over yet.

“We’ll escape.” The guy said. “There are others, just like her. So many. The system is set up to coddle people like her. But there are so many of us.”

“What’s your name?” Sam said tiredly, and was blinked at, in surprise.

“...Guy.”

For real?

“No need for you to escape.” He said, “I’ll get you a nice deal if you give an impeachment committee all the details about what you’ve been doing with the taxpayer money she gave you.”

Guy looked past him. “I would, but the scary blonde is giving me one hell of a death glare.”

Sam was literally trying to get them all out of his mess. He shot Yelena a disbelieving look. She didn’t even pretend to be innocent.

“If Valentina goes away, we lose this team. She’s a necessary evil.” She said, “He won’t want to lose this team.”

“So you can let her live to avoid justice yourself, but I have to go to jail.” Guy sneered. “I see how this works. I won’t be a scapegoat.”

“But I stopped you.” Yelena said coldly. “So either you testify, or she goes free. If only you could have killed her, but you weren't good enough.”

“I won’t do it.” Guy said. He seemed pretty determined, despite knowing that he was fresh out of friends in high places. It was obstinately noble, Sam supposed. And when he went to jail, it might all come out anyway. “You do it!”

He could see them all struggling, and wracked his brains. Yelena was beginning to look a bit self-sacrificial. She thought she’d had Valentina under control, but she’d wiggled her way out with a stunt like this.

“If we end up alone there’s no one to protect us against people like her.” Yelena murmured. “She was so afraid of losing her influence now we know what love is supposed to look like that she tried to force us apart again. Back into that shitty life where we kill until we’re kiled. We weren’t even that close…”

“We won’t lose this team.” Ava said grimly. “Look what we’ve been through. The Vault. Losing Bob. We all chose to follow you into the Void, Yelena. And now Walker’s…everything. We all nearly abandoned him when we found out the truth. But we didn’t. If we can stay together through that, I don’t think there’s anything in the world that could tear us apart.”

Yelena nodded. "We'll testify. She's done for."

Chapter Text

John blinked to clear the sleep from his eyes.

He wasn't tired. He felt like he's been fed underneath a bulldozer, but it wasn't a physical thing. It was remembering that the Hoskins blamed him for their son's death.

He tried to remember how to calm himself down. But normally, that was Lemar - he could always do it. But Lemar was dead. Pain shot through him. He heard rustling beside him.

"Hey, John. How much do you remember?"

Yelena. Yelena, a light through the darkness, as always.

"Not much." He admitted. He remembered feeling like he was going to pop out of his skin after Mr Hoskins dragged his wife away from John. After that...it became a bit blurry.

"Well, the Flagsmashers came back." She said nonchalantly, chewing on skittles. Damn it, she knew the green ones were his favourite. At his glare, she popped one in his palm.

"Yeah, Valentina said they were after Bob." His eyes suddenly went wide, and he nearly choked on it. "Bob! Is he okay?"

"Yes." She said quickly. "They didn't want Bob. They wanted Valentina, for getting away with hurting Bob. She turned you into a Hulk to protect her."

She saw John turn kind of ashen under his bruises. "And how many did I...this time? Oh god. I'll- I'll leave the Tower, I promise, I-"

"We're way ahead of you." Yelena murmured. "When the truth came out about Valentina the public denounced all of us. Sam Wilson is rattling around the Tower with him and Joaquin now, until the next New York ending threat brings his team together."

John looked up and noticed his new surroundings for the first time.

They were in a singular room with wide windows and yellow decorations, a large lightning bolt in a yellow circle featured on the wall. Someone had spray painted 'Go Thunderbolts!' underneath it, the yellow paint running.

"We repainted it while you were asleep." Yelena said. "This was Captain America's place, he lent it to us. We're sleeping on the floors for now while we try and get a place. Little difficult for three foreigners with no money. Do you have money?" He shook his head, and winced. Valentina had paid him okay, and he could contribute something, but the housing market was in ashes. She sighed deeply. "I am thirty-five ish, Walker, I cannot be sleeping on the floor. And Alexei? He snores. All the time. He snores like a bear."

Despite himself, John giggled at that. Then he sobered slightly and said, "I'm thirty eight."

"Cannot be sleeping on the floor." She said. "...You didn't kill anyone, John."

He blinked at her, his eyes filling with tears; he quickly looked away. She covered his hand with hers. "Are you ready to see the others?"

More than ready. He actually found he missed them terribly. Ava's snark. Bob's bluntness. Bucky's exhausted protectiveness. It had only been a couple of days since he'd seen them.

"I didn't kill any of them." He whispered, as if that meant he was allowed.

"Come on, then."

Their medical bay was...basically a cupboard, so he could see them all when she helped them hobble out. It was a single room now, with a set of TV screens on one wall - Bob was gaming on it.

Ava was sparring on the other side of the room, phasing and reappearing to slash at a couple of rolling targets. Three gym mats were laid on the floor. Just as she got the hang of it, Antonia lunged out from behind the weapon's rack and the two engaged.

Bucky was in the kitchen, boiling something one-handed over the stove. John found himself gritting his teeth. All of them living in such close quarters would take a lot of goodwill, but the idea of returning to living by himself was unbearable. Bucky's arm was still bound up, and John felt a stab of guilt. He did kind of remember their fight. He remembered seeing him as an enemy, at the thought left him nauseated. It had once been true.

Bucky poured whatever he'd been stirring into a few mugs, and rifled through the cupboards to find some marshmallows. He pushed it towards John and Yelena with a startling degree of precision.

"Glad you're up, John." He said. The man took the mug, slightly befuddled.

"Bucky, I...can't believe you are."

"Not the first time you've tried to kill me, John." Bucky said. "Granted, I barely noticed the first time, so. This is your freebie."

The cocoa was slightly bitter, but it worked incredibly with the sweet marshmallows.

"I'll get you next time." He said, and dared to smile at him. "Thank you, Buck."

Bucky levelled the saucepan at him. "Nope. Only Sam gets to call me that."

John nodded, and let Yelena lead him away to where Bob was. He was playing some shooter game. John offered him some tactics; Bob took off his headset and grinned at him.

"You're okay!"

"We're both okay." John said seriously. He supposed they had some things in common now.

"Valentina's gone." Bob said. "She's going to jail. Its over. She can't control you, or any of us, anymore."

John squeezed his shoulder. The woman who'd exploited all of them was where she belonged.

"And- you protected Yelena from me." John said. "She won't say it, so thank you."

Bob looked awkward, and John knew he was weighing his guilt over hurting John and helping Yelena. It was why he'd said it - to absolve him. John couldn't bear it if he'd hurt Yelena. He really was grateful. Every step reminded him of the inhibitor on his ankle that kept them all safe.

He squeezed Bob's shoulder. "We'll play together sometime."

"Oh no," Bob said, "You were army, you'll thrash me..."

John found himself daring to laugh walking away. It was amazing. Without Valentina hanging over them, they were just...well, almost a family.

Alexei was being surprisingly domestic, probably taking up a quarter of their space by himself. He was making them all custom suits.

"Ah, John!" He said. "Our battle was legendary! Sit, sit, I will tell you the tale. Sadly I had to let you win, or I would have made sure to break a few important bones when we took her in."

"He was there, dad." Yelena groaned. John sat. Alexei launched into a highly embellished, highly fictional version of events, which sounded way cooler. John wished he could have actually met the Abomination, as he'd admired Emil Blonsky's military history. But hearing Alexei spin it made John feel better. Less like a comic book villain and more like a friend who'd been tricked.

They were all still here, he thought. In a moment Ava might call him over to spar together, and he'd have a real challenge winning. And Antonia might take him aside and talk to him about mind control. These people had stayed, and he hoped they'd carry on.

Alexei was bringing their suits on very nicely. Eventually they turned off the big lights and snuggled up over a meal he cooked. They argued over the TV. They slept on the floor, feet practically touching, It was like being surrounded by his army squad again.

He wondered what had happened to them. They'd been there for his trial, but once they were redeployed they didn't keep in touch. But he had a new squad now. More than that.

The past would always be with him.

But he'd faced his greatest enemies again and he'd been saved this time. He knew what he was, now, and...and it was someone people stuck around for.

He stared in the darkness, at the blinking red light on the dashboard. Around six am, Yelena stirred, and peered at it.

"Does no one contact us at decent times?" She muttered, and turned on the screen - waking everyone else. They gathered around in their pajamas.

"So people still...want us to be heroes?" John muttered. Yelena looked at him sideways.

"Right...so, Wilson Fisk has taken over as mayor of New York. He's announced that vigilantism is illegal, and he's looking for a team of vigilantes," She sneered, "To carry out the law and keep the peace. I think we should put in our resumes, yes?"

"I will get the suits!" Alexei announced. "I have sewn wires into them so we can catch this crooked man-" He rushed off.

"We've taken down one corrupt politician." Ava said. "I'm starting a new hobby."

John stared at Fisk's face on the screen. The Kingpin. Another piece of cancer rotting the system that was so badly twisted it had twisted him too. Once he'd been that rot, but now the pathway was clear. He began scanning files, making plans. His shield was where he'd left it, by the bed in the medical bay. He fixed it on his wrist.

This time, they wouldn't have to go through so much before taking him down. This time they'd be quick. A strike he'd never know was coming, bald as he was.

Justice. Like lightning.