Chapter Two
Soroya

"You sure you don't want to come?" I ask my brother as I once again am forced to part ways with him.

Alex nods, turning his head to look at Khari and Bucky embracing. "I need to be here for my husband."

I lean up and wrap my arms around his neck, feeling him wrap his big arms around me in return and lift me off the ground, squeezing me tightly.

"I'll let you know if we need anything." I mumble into his shoulder.

"You better."

"Try to behave yourself."

Alex scoffs as he sets me down, giving me a mocking look and tone. "Yes, Mom, I'll be a good boy. Run along now and go save the world."

Now that Bucky is done saying his goodbyes to Khari, he goes over to do the same with Alex, giving me a moment to hug onto my brother in law, mumbling into his shoulder: "Don't hesitate to call if anything goes wrong. Even if it's something small."

Khari pulls back from me and smiles, brushing his thumb over my cheek gently. "Don't worry about us. We are perfectly fine here, it's us that will be worrying. I'm sorry that we can't come along with you, but I need to be here for my people."

"And that's exactly why you are such an incredible general."

I hug Khari one more time before stepping away from him and going over to Everett, the last person to see us off. In his hand is a file, which he hands to me, explaining to me: "This is the list Ross told you about. It's every HYDRA officer, agent, and accomplice that hasn't been captured or has escaped capture."

The file is bigger than I had expected. "How many are there?"

"Forty six."

I feel my eyes widen. "Forty six? Looks like we're going to be gone longer than I thought."

"You'll have Wilson and Walker to help you, and if you ever need backup for an arrest, the CIA and local authorities will be at your disposal."

I reach forward and give him a tight embrace, whispering to him: "Promise me you'll try your hardest to keep the UN out of Wakandan affairs. They've ruined enough things, Wakanda can't be one of them."

He nods to me as he pulls away, serious and firm as he says: "I'll try my hardest. Wakanda's lucky to have a king as strong as T'Challa, he'll give the UN the fight of their lives."

"One he'll no doubt win." I say to him with a smile.

Bucky finishes off his goodbye with Alex with an embrace, and with that, the two of us walk towards the ship hand in hand. As we ascend the ramp, I hold the file up to him, and I smile at his reply:

"It's bigger than I thought it would be. How many?"

"Forty six."

His eyes widen. "Forty six?"

I nod, pressing the button to shut the door. "That was my reaction."

He and I make our way to the pilot and co-pilot seat, and as Bucky preps the ship for take off I open up the file. I recognize a lot of the names on the list. Some people I'm shocked they are still alive, others I'm not surprised at all. One name in particular makes me let out a laugh, prompting Bucky to ask:

"Who did you see?"

I look up from the file, shaking my head in amusement. "Caden Harvey."

"Who?"

"He wasn't apart of HYDRA, he was a man with many connections. He knew all the right people, could get you into the right room the moment you needed to be in it. He also was very good at making fake identities and helping someone disappear. He helped me get all of the people I was sent after to safety."

Realization goes over my husband's face. "I did always wonder how you helped those people disappear. Is Harvey our first target?"

"I think he can help us."

"How?"

"I wasn't the only HYDRA agent he helped. He might know where other agents are hiding."

Bucky nods, starting up the engine of the ship. "Why do you think he'll help us?"

"Because I can offer him a lesser sentence if he helps us. I can maybe even get him out of jail. I feel like I owe him that chance, I wouldn't have succeeded in helping those people without him."

"Do you know where he is?"

"Last time I saw him was just before HYDRA fell. He lived in Moscow back then, so hopefully he still does."

Bucky nods, pulling the ship off the ground and into the sky, saying to me with a smile; "Moscow it is."

-

On our way to Moscow we picked John and Sam up in New York. We had called them earlier and told them to dress in fight appropriate gear. Sam is wearing his Falcon uniform, which I had expected, but what I didn't expect was John to be wearing gear too. Apparently Ross has given him a new outfit. He's wearing a blue suit with red accents, a star just beneath his collarbone that morphs into the letter 'a'. This uniform looks just like Steve's, and this made more apparent because John has the shield strapped to his back.

Having to watch Sam give Steve's shield to John was hard to watch. I don't think I've ever seen Sam more angry, or Bucky. John didn't seem to notice, he was too distracted with finally holding Captain America's shield, the symbol of everything he's ever dreamed for himself. As much as I've grown to care for John, I still haven't changed how I feel. Seeing him with that shield is wrong, it isn't his. It's Sam's.

Sam and Bucky both were extremely quiet throughout the course of the journey here. Only now that we are finally standing outside Caden's home that they finally speak.

"You sure this is it?" Bucky asks me.

We are currently in the rundown portion of Moscow, right in front of an old tavern that's been abandoned for years. Caden turned it into a hideout of sorts, it helps him stay hidden, helps him keep out of jail.

I nod to him. "I'm sure. Trust me, the inside looks much nicer."

John looks at the tavern and shakes his head, disgust written on his face. "If he's lived in this shit hole this whole time how has he not gotten arrested?"

"Caden is very connected. He has friends in the criminal underworld, the mafia, the CIA, you name it. He's untouchable."

Sam shakes his head to himself, mumbling: "Should be a pleasant meeting then."

I approach the door to the tavern and knock on the door, staring up at the decaying wooden sign. Within it is a camera, which he uses to watch the people who approach his door. I've seen what happens when people who mean him harm come knocking at this tavern. Caden has many tricks up his sleeve.

"Caden, it's me," I say to the sign. "Come on, I know you're in there."

After maybe a minute and a half, the door of the tavern swings open automatically. I smile to myself and gesture with my hand for the others to follow me inside.

As I had said before, the tavern looks anything other than rundown on the inside. It's just as I remember it. The floors are a polished oak, the furniture is all made of authentic leather, but you can hardly see it under all the expensive rugs and blankets. His expensively decorated and furnished living area is only the beginning of Caden's hideout, the rest of it is underneath the tavern in the basement. There's a door on the other side of the brown leather loveseat that leads to this basement, and out of it comes the man himself.

Caden is a few years older than I am, maybe by ten years or so. Other than some streaks of grey in his beard and neatly cut hair, he looks the same. He still has that childish excitement in his eyes, the youthfulness that I've always admired about him. He extends his arms out wide as he sees me, his smile growing.

"Beasty, I've missed you." Caden says to me in Russian.

I smile back at him, accepting his embrace and saying to him genuinely: "It's good to see you again. It's been a long time."

"Ten years, I think. You've been a busy woman haven't you," He says with a grin. "I heard you're an Avenger now."

"I'm surprised you let me in if you knew that."

Caden waves that comment off, grinning widely. "If you were any other Avenger I would have shot you where you stood, but you're an old friend."

Caden's eyes travel behind me to the others, and this is when his expression turns less friendly. He glances back at me and asks: "Why is the Winter Soldier with you?"

"He's my husband."

Caden's eyes go wide in confusion. He goes over to one of his couches and sits down, looking between the two of us while still addressing me. "You used to tell me about how this guy tormented you and tortured you and yet you married him?"

"It's a long story, but he's not who you think he is. You can trust him, I promise."

"And your other two friends?"

"This is Sam Wilson and John Walker. They're all here helping me."

"Helping you with what?"

I come over to the couch across from him, sighing softly as I prepare to lay out the situation he's currently in. Bucky, Sam, and John stand behind the couch and watch Caden intently as I tell him:

"The United Nations has given me a list of HYDRA members who haven't been captured. The four of us have been put in charge of finding them all. You're on this list. But I can get you a lesser sentence, maybe even no prison time at all if you help me find the other HYDRA agents you worked with. I know I wasn't the only one, I know there were more. As you said, you and I are old friends. I wouldn't have saved anyone in HYDRA if it weren't for you, I may have even been found out as a traitor and killed. I owe you this chance, so please take it."

Caden thinks over what I've told him for a long moment. I know he has no wish fo sever his ties and connections with those other agents. In his eyes, every connection is valuable, he's a very loyal man. If you work with him then you have a business partner for life, it's another thing I've always admired about him. But Caden is also a survivor, something everyone in this room can relate to, which is why it's no surprise when he says:

"Alright. I'll help you."

I smile at him, gesturing to Bucky with my hand. He knows what I'm asking for, and silently takes out the list of HYDRA members and gives it to me. I give it over to Caden and watch as he reads through it, hoping some of his other business partners are listed there.

Caden looks up from the list and tells us: "I've had contact with several HYDRA agents throughout the years, but there's only a few I've kept in business with consistently enough to know where they are."

"Like who?"

"Like Conner Quinn. He's the only other agent I have worked with as much as I have with you."

I glance over at my shoulder to Bucky, giving him a knowing look. We both know who Conner Quinn is. We both know how dangerous he is.

John and Sam both see the looks on our faces, with the latter inquiring: "Who's Conner Quinn?"

"He's an agent. He was taken from Ireland as a kid and forced into HYDRA like I was. But he didn't have the pleasant upbringing I had, all he's ever known is HYDRA, he's very loyal to them. He had a reputation for stealing the jewelry of each of his victims. It was rumored he had a warehouse filled with jewels."

"A warehouse otherwise known as a vault in my house." Caden confesses.

I turn my attention back to him with knitted brows. "You are the one who keeps his trophies? In return for what? What did he give you in return?"

Caden never does any business without getting something in return, whether it be big or small. In this case I think it might be both. "Whenever he stole from his victims he gave me a piece of the jackpot as well. He's part of why I can afford such beautiful things to put in my house."

"What did you give him in return for helping you?" John asks me.

Caden answers John before I can. "A song. She has a beautiful voice, so I would exchange some passports and ID's for her victims for a song or two."

This seems to have confused him more, and apparently Bucky as well, because he asks: "Why would you be willing to risk crossing HYDRA when all you were getting was a song or two?"

"You married her, you should know that she is a unique woman. I had never met a HYDRA agent, or any agent for that matter, that wanted to get her victims to safety. She was interesting and happened to have a beautiful singing voice. That's enough to get me to invest in her business."

I add on by saying: "He appreciated my taste in old music."

"Alright so where is this Conner Quinn now?" Sam asks Caden.

"He came to me a few days ago and asked for information on the British Museum's security systems. I got him a layout. He told me he's planning a heist on Wednesday, but I don't know what time and I don't know what he's stealing."

"So Quinn has become a thief since HYDRA fell?"

Caden winks my way. "We can't all be Avengers."

"So you'll help us catch him, yes?" Bucky asks, crossing his arms.

Caden nods once. "Yes, but I don't do business here. Lets take this discussion down into my office."

He makes his way over towards the basement door, beckoning us towards him. The others hesitate for a second before following after him, with Bucky whispering to me as he reach the basement door: "Do you really think we can trust him?"

"We don't have a choice, Liebchen. But yes, I trust him."

Bucky smirks slightly as he points out: "I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who noticed how gifted you are at singing."

I feel myself blush, making me shake my head. "Don't start."