NEW YORK, 2024 - FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER
The conference erupts into chaos as the Flag Smashers deftly execute the initial phase of their plan to smoke out the building. Sam Wilson seizes the shield, now in his possession, and forcefully smashes open the nearest window, soaring into the building with a resounding crash landing.
"Bucky, Avery, what's happening on your end?" he commands through the comms, scanning his surroundings.
Barnes and Walker remain at street level on the fair side of the conference building. The pandemonium from the east side hasn't reached them yet, and without the comms, Avery and Bucky would be oblivious to the unfolding events at Sam's location. "Nothing. It's quiet," she responds, casting a concerned glance at Bucky, who is also surveying the area as they brace for the impending chaos.
"I still haven't spotted Karli, but the Flag Smashers are smoking everyone out," Wilson explains as he advances toward one of the Smashers, prepared to engage in combat.
"Do you need backup?" she inquires, shifting eastward and compelling Bucky to follow.
"Ave, you're staying put right here," Bucky warns, earning a frown from her.
"Bucky's right, Walker. Don't go disappearing, not now," Sam interjects amid his skirmish, incapacitating his opponent with the shield.
"I was only offering to help with this damn chaos... I thought we've moved past this." She responds to Sam however, her gaze is on Bucky.
Barnes halts as they step into the building, a visible conflict etched on his brow and his jaw tightly clenched. After a moment, he releases a sigh and scans the surroundings. "Alright, fine. There's a Flag Smasher approaching from our right, Ave. I'll conduct a sweep of the floor," he instructs before proceeding to carry out his plan. Avery watches, not entirely impressed, but she heads toward the adversary, poised for the impending confrontation.
As Barnes diligently sweeps the area, Avery narrows her focus on the approaching Flag Smasher. The atmosphere is charged with tension, and her senses are heightened. The adversary, clad in the distinctive Flag Smasher attire, moves confidently towards her.
Avery adopts a defensive stance, her training kicking in. She gauges the Flag Smasher's movements, anticipating the confrontation that is about to unfold. The chaos of the conference swirls around them, but in this moment, it's just Avery and her opponent.
Barnes, amidst his systematic sweep, maintains a vigilant eye on the unfolding events, his movements deliberate and calculated. Swiftly traversing the upper level, he encounters a woman dressed in professional black attire. She approaches him, holding out a phone. "Mr. Barnes, I have Sharon Carter on the line; she needs to speak with you," she announces, earning a perplexed yet irritable expression from Bucky. After a moment of hesitation, he takes the phone, placing it to his ear.
"Sharon? This better be good. What's with the shadiness?" he questions, pacing slowly down the hall.
Sharon Carter remains concealed in the darkened corners of the underground car park below the building, a silent observer to the next phase of the Flag Smashers' plan. The getaway vehicles for those in power are prepared, armed with explosives, ready to be set into motion.
"We have about thirty seconds here, Barnes, so keep quiet and listen. Where's Avery?" Sharon communicates through the earpiece connected to their call.
"Why'd you want to know?" His response is direct, carrying a hint of suspicion.
"Because she can't be trusted, Bucky," Sharon snaps quietly, the urgency in her voice underscoring the gravity of the situation.
His features darken, a mixture of suspicion and concern etching across his face. Even as his eyes diligently scan the surroundings for potential threats, he demands, "And neither can I, Sharon. So, you better start telling me what the fuck you know."
Carter sighs, shifting her position in the dimly lit underground car park as the first few getaway vehicles drive off. "Do you not think a lot of this has gone too smoothly for you and Sam?" she questions. "The plane in Munich, Madripoor, Zemo's escape, meeting Avery in general? Take this from someone who truly knows her, Barnes... She's the Walker you and Sam should be worried about." Sharon's tone is weighted with gravitas, accentuating the seriousness of her revelation.
Bucky's jaw tightens, his lips forming a firm line as Sharon implies a deeper truth about Avery's involvement. The call abruptly ends, Sharon hanging up, and Bucky holds the phone in his hand for a moment. Gripping it tightly, he crushes it with force. "Avery!" he shouts, the urgency resonating through the building, and he swiftly darts away.
Sharon Carter hastily makes her way towards the exit of the underground car park, confident that her part of the plan is executed. She observes Bucky running forward but remains concealed, assured that she's not within his line of sight. As he rushes towards the nearest motorbike, prepared to hotwire it, Sharon knows he's on the hunt for Avery, who once again, in the midst of these events, has managed to vanish.
"Sam, Avery has gone, again! And for the last damn time," Bucky declares as the engine roars to life. He doesn't wait for a reply, immediately hopping onto the bike and speeding away.
Sharon observes the scene, maintaining her brisk pace, a proud smile forming on her lips. Her mission is considered a success, and the intricate threads of the unfolding drama weave an even more complex tapestry of alliances and betrayals.
THIRTY MINUTES LATER
The intense night presses on, the craziness escalating to the point of making national headlines. Following a tense rescue mission for vehicles rigged with explosives, Bucky and Sam emerge as heroes, joined unexpectedly by John Walker, who has thrown himself into the midst of the madness. His mission: to locate and neutralize Avery, who, he believes, is entangled in the Power Broker's affairs.
"I'm telling you, Ave practically admitted it to me! She's caught up in this Power Broker mess. She's involved!" John reiterates passionately to Sam and Bucky. The trio navigates through an abandoned building, their urgent footsteps echoing as they hunt down Karli and a few Flag Smashers who have managed to escape since their earlier confrontation outside.
"Yes, Walker, I think both Bucky and I are becoming quite aware of Avery's involvement. Thanks!" Sam retorts, taking the lead in their run.
"I don't care what her involvement is; finding her first is my only concern. Sam, you find Karli," Bucky states from behind, veering left to pursue his own agenda. Wilson nods in acknowledgment, understanding Bucky's decision to disband their group. John Walker hesitates for a moment but ultimately follows Bucky, sharing the same goal of locating Avery.
"Bucky, I want the same as you here. We need to find my-"
"Yes, Walker, I know. Just keep quiet and keep moving."
"I don't take orders from-" John's words are abruptly cut short. again.
"Shut it!" Bucky orders, uninterested in any further discussion as they sprint through the structure of the abandoned building site. The pursuit continues, the characters driven by their individual motivations.
***
Meanwhile, Karli Morgenthau silently maneuvers through the same building, now finding herself alone as she pauses to revaluate her plans.
"Drop your weapon, Karli. I said drop it," Sharon Carter emerges from the shadows, both women locking eyes with guns drawn, a tense standoff ensuing.
"I'm disappointed in you," Karli states, her tone tinged with frustration as their meticulously crafted plans begin to unravel.
"That's what I was going to say," Sharon retorts, a snarky edge to her tone. "You betrayed me... I thought you and I made a great team Karli, taking that serum from me, was a big mistake." Carter reveals. The true nature of both women now coming to light.
"From you?" Karli looks on incredulously. "You may be the Power Broker, but how much power does the Power Broker really have without their super soldiers?" She taunts, and Sharon's eyes narrow.
"Perhaps you should ask her, Morgenthau." Avery Walker enters the tense standoff, a gun now in her hand, though it hangs lazily at her side, showing no immediate intent to use it. Her gaze flickers to Sharon, but her focus remains on Karli, whose eyes widen in surprise.
"I was starting to wonder when you would make your grand entrance, Walker," Sharon mutters bitterly, rolling her eyes.
"And I was beginning to wonder where it was when you decided to betray me, Carter," Avery retorts quickly, her eyes burning into Sharon as her grip on the gun twitches.
"I suppose the moment was when you lied about the Power Broker," Sharon shrugs, offering her justification.
"Well, I wasn't lying when I said the Power Broker wouldn't be too pleased with this outcome," Avery implies, gesturing her gun between both Karli and Sharon.
"You're not the Power Broker? She is!" Karli speaks up, her eyes on Sharon, but her gun now pointed at Avery.
"I was as surprised as you are, Karli," Carter sighs, a hint of genuine hurt appearing in her eyes.
A heavy silence envelops them, uncertainty hanging in the air as each woman contemplates their next move. However, Karli breaks the quiet, her voice carrying a defeated tone, "So you were pretending in Madripoor?"
"Carter was only following orders. Orders that the Power Broker wanted in Madripoor," Avery shrugs, her interest piqued in the unfolding discussion.
"Why did you not tell me you were the Power Broker from the start, Avery? I thought you trusted me, just as I trusted you! We were a team!" Sharon snaps, her anger and hurt evident in her expression.
"You've just proven why I never told you, Sharon!" Avery fires back, both women now fully focused on each other, temporarily forgetting Karli. "The second you figured it out, you sold me out to Bucky—the very moment you could!" Her voice echoes through the room, revealing her awareness of Carter's earlier betrayal when she informed Barnes that Avery could not be trusted. Karli watches on, caught in the confusion of the unfolding drama.
"I was angry!" Carter quips, her hand gripping tighter on her half-lowered weapon, her finger dangerously hovering over the trigger.
"And now, so am I!" Walker matches the intensity in her words, and Sharon sighs deeply, shaking her head. Her eyes briefly drift to Karli.
"Sorry you have to see this, Karli..." She murmurs before raising her gun and pulling the trigger, her aim right on Avery. The hit is successful. Walker looks down, her gun falling from her grip as she sees the blood now pooling from her stomach, the bullet entering and exiting through her flesh. She falls back, and both Karli and Sharon look on in horror.
Carter hesitates briefly but then runs for it, leaving Karli and Avery alone in the aftermath of the shocking event. The room is heavy with the weight of betrayal and violence, leaving each woman to grapple with the consequences of their choices in this tangled web of alliances and deceit.