'She cannot go into Madripoor wearing that,' Zemo told Sam and Bucky, Clara standing beside them with her arms folded, an angry look on her face. She was still wearing her S.H.I.E.L.D.-made uniform. It wasn't as though there was a S.H.I.E.L.D. emblem anywhere on the clothing, but apparently the look of it was enough for Zemo to have concerns over Clara seeming out of place. 'People will find it suspicious.' 

Clara had managed to get Sam and Bucky to agree not to tell Zemo of her abilities, though it didn't take much convincing. They both knew the dangers of telling the man anything about Clara, and as much as they told her she was safe no matter whether Zemo discovered the secret or not, they knew it was better not to risk it. After all, they'd need Zemo's help tracking down the Flag Smashers, and him turning against them would be less than ideal. 

They were half-way down a bridge leading to the island nation, and Zemo had stopped as a black car approached them. 'It's not my outfit that's going to be drawing unwanted attention,' Clara commented, flashing a glance towards Sam, and then towards Bucky. 'And you're doing a good job at flaunting the Winter Soldier, too. I highly doubt anyone will even notice me.' 

'She has a point,' Sam gestured to himself. 'I look like a pimp.'

'Only an American would assume a fashion-forward Black man looks like a pimp,' Zemo said. 'You look exactly like the man you're supposed to be playing; the sophisticated, charming, African rake named Conrad Mack, aka the Smiling Tiger.'

'He even has a bad nickname,' Sam commented with distain, before looking down at the phone Zemo handed him, an image of Mack on the screen. 'Hell, he does look like me, though.' 

'No matter what happens, we have to stay in character,' Zemo told them. 'Our lives depend on it. There's no margin for error. Come on.' He opened the front passenger-side door of the black car as it stopped in front of them. 

They all took there seats inside the low vehicle, Bucky and Clara staring at each other as they waited for the other to take the middle seat. 'Really?' Sam sighed. 'Just get in the damn car.' 

Bucky still didn't relent, and neither did Clara. Because this was no longer just a matter of who was put in the middle seat, this was now a battle of wills. Two of the most stubborn individuals now face-to-face in a tense contest formed solely to assess the resolve of both Clara Wilson and Bucky Barnes. 

Clara narrowed her eyes. Bucky lifted his chin. Sam rolled his eyes. 

'Get in the car, now!' Sam ordered. 

'Fine!' Bucky and Clara groaned at the same time, both breaking eye contact, both stepping towards the open door at once. 

'Seriously?' Clara folded her arms crossly, Bucky sending a blast of air through his nose. 

'You have an impressive amount of patience,' Zemo told Sam, out of earshot of the two acting like children. 'Who is the girl?'

'Clara,' Sam answered, keeping the reply short. 

'I know her name,' he said, turning to look over his shoulder at Sam. 'I want to know who she is, and why you are working with a child.' 

'She's capable, S.H.I.E.L.D. trained, she knows a thing or two about the Flag Smashers, and she wants to stop them as much as we do,' Sam listed off a few of the reasons he allowed Clara to join them, watching as Zemo turned back to look out of the windscreen.

The man didn't say anything as he focused on the road they were about to head down, the car rocking slightly as Clara climbed in, and then Bucky. 'High Town's that way,' Zemo told them, gesturing to the right side of the island. 'It's not a bad place if you want to visit, but Low Town's the other way.'

'Let me guess, we don't have any friends in High Town,' Sam said, shuffling in his seat as the three of them squeezed in the back. 

The car pulled into an steady pace, heading across the empty bridge and into the city proper. As they entered the city it began to rain, thunder ricocheting between the buildings, and heavy droplets of rain hammering onto the pavement. 

Clara twisted in her seat as half a dozen motorbikes approached the car from behind, moving to surround them, before veering off in a different direction just a few moments later. Not long after, they reached the furthest point they could in the car, the streets becoming too narrow, and too busy for the vehicle. 

They travelled winding walkways, Zemo leading them further and further through the busy streets. They passed night clubs and street bars, food trucks and restaurants, and all the while were watched by locals as they made their black market trades. 

Every person they saw was carrying a weapon of some kind, whether they held them in plain sight or not. 'In here,' Zemo told them. Clara hesitated for a moment, thinking that if she needed to do anything in there - anything inhuman, that is, there would be no hiding it from Zemo, not with how busy it was. 

'I'll wait out here!' Clara called after them, nearly forgetting to avoid using their real names. 

They turned back to face her, only just hearing her over the din of their surroundings. 'You sure?' Sam asked her. She nodded. Sam seemed to trust she knew what she was doing, Bucky too, it was only Zemo that scowled in response. 

He couldn't argue there though, not with a few people already turning to listen in. 'Go,' she nodded towards the entrance. 'I'll find you on the way out.' 

They headed inside, leaving her in the street with a few curious eyes looking her way. For a second, she wondered if that was a mistake, and she felt the urge to run in after Sam and Bucky. But she couldn't; not only would that likely blow their cover by drawing more attention, but it wouldn't exactly work to prove the whole "I can handle myself" thing she had claimed to be true.

It was busy here, and sneaking out of view would take some serious manoveouring, Clara thought, starting away from the Brass Monkey Saloon. She noticed the set of footsteps following her as she rounded a corner. Though most noises were covered by the pattering of rain water, the heavy boots splashing in the puddles were harder to hide. 

Beyond the main walkway was a maze of dark alleyways, the lights not reaching the winding, narrow backstreets. She didn't look over her shoulders, focusing on the path ahead and avoiding any rubble threatening to trip her up. Clara picked up her pace as the footsteps following her did the same, and she turned another corner, almost walking head first into a wall. 

She grimaced, quickly looking left and right before figuring it was now or never, and she disappeared from view. A moment later, a hooded figure appeared in the opening to the dead-end, the face under the hood masked in shadows.

Clara held her breath as they looked over the small space. Her heart beating steadily as she stood stock-still, her eyes fixed on the face obscured under the gloom.

After what felt like a long time - but was in reality only a few short seconds, they backed away, turning to leave the way they came. Clara let out the breath she was holding in a sigh of relief, and she too headed back that way until she once again reached the saloon. 

Please comment and vote - It lets me know a you're enjoying it!