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WHAT MATTERS THE MOST

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Czarina's expectation didn't fail. As soon as the GRC hostages were secured, the remaining Flagsmashers immediately went to attack them. Karli hurls a metal pole towards their spot but Bucky catches it right in time.

This time they faced off the extremist group with Sam. They are no longer outnumbered, with four against four remaining members of the group.

"You of all people bought into that bullshit?" Karli says at Sam with disgust as his eyes trail at the shield he's holding.

"I'm trying something different. Maybe you should do the same." The captain replies with no qualms.

Before the two groups can even engage in another fight, shots are fired on the spot they are standing on. But it wasn't bullets that rained on them but tear gas bombs. The surrounding spectators panic as soon as the smoke hits and they start running away on different directions. Amidst the thick fog, only Sam's team and the Flagsmashers remain.

Czarina presses a button on the upper collar of her suit and a nanotech mask immediately crawls upward, covering the lower half of her face.

"This way." Sam leads the path headed to the tunnels.

The strong smell of acid and rot greet the group as soon as they step inside the underground area. Their steps are calculated and precise, eyes peeled under the dim lights for any movement on the snaking hallways ahead of them.

"Hey, Sharon. We're underground. We entered the tunnel on William. Heading south." Bucky informs the woman of their location via comms.

"Looks like they split up." Sam informs them, his heat vision scanning the trail of footprints on the ground. "Here." He gestures at another narrow pathway in their right.

The other three follow through and split away from the man to head in another direction.

"I got it." Bucky tells his partner

The youngest among the four trails behind the two men in front of her. It must have been Karli who split and the other three are together. That means there's a possibility that...

"Wait!" She whispers, halting her steps from going further on the maze-like pathway.

Her companions abruptly stop to look back at her. Walker looks slightly annoyed but Bucky takes a few steps back to check on his daughter.

"You okay? Why?" He brings his hand on her arm.

"If it's the other three we're after, I may have an easier way," she reaches for something in the chest of her vest. A single Kimoyo bead tucked in the pocket. Bucky's eyes narrow at the sight of the device.

"What's this exactly?" Walker points at it, he sounds unimpressed.

"I tagged one of the Flagsmashers earlier when we were fighting. I just don't know which one and if it stayed with them." She tells the other two. During the fight on the bridge, she slips a tracking chip on a Flagsmasher but she cannot remember at that moment. If it's still there, then it directly sends a signal to the Kimoyo bead she has. They just need to activate the bead and pin down the exact location.

"I need a phone that has a full signal. It was a manual tracking so it's reliant on telecom."

"But we're underground." Walker points out.

"Then get to work."

Czarina wasted no time and started climbing to the ledges around the place to get into a higher area even by the tunnels. She needs a three bar at least and she can work with that. Bucky and Walker follow her lead and do the same.

"Come on, come on." She whispers as she raises her phone upwards, standing on one of the high ledges. She moves on the nearby ledges in hopes she'll catch a rogue signal.

"Here!" Bucky calls out, a few meters away from where his daughter is. He's by an overhead level, holding up his phone. The girl immediately rushes to her father's side and takes his phone.

A shifty three bars is displayed on the screen.

"This will do." She says and activates the Kimoyo bead. It whirs to life, purple shine emitting from the device. Czarina connects it to the phone and enters her code on the device to sync the information from the bead. The screen starts to display a blurry map of the place they are currently at.

"Come on." The girl mutters and heads to a ledge a little higher from where she's standing. The map gets a bit clearer. She keeps her hand in one place as the data is being transferred on the phone, a much detailed layout of the tunnels appears and the IP address of the tracking device finally shows.

It's loading for a precise location.

"Is this gonna take longer?" Walker asks from the lower level, he sounds like a grovelling child.

Czarina didn't have the chance to talk back when multiple shots rang followed by a scream nearby. The girl almost dropped the phone she's holding.

"Czarina, we have to move!" Bucky calls out to her. He has started to climb down.

"Wait!"

"We have to go!"

The girl remains in her place, not risking losing the signal. And then the device pings. She looks at the exact location of the movement of the tracking device.

14th Street. Union Square subway tunnel.

"They are northbound from here, look for the maintenance walkway then turn right. That's halfway between 14th and 23rd Street stations." She shouts the general direction to the men on the lower ground.

The two soldiers practically leaped towards the route she gave them. Czarina jumps down from the ledge she's in until she reaches the ground, running after her companions. "Tell the soldiers outside we're bringing them the suspects!" She shouts from behind as the three of them run towards the splitting hallways.

Bucky spoke on his comms, informing the authorities outside their status and location inside.

Czarina keeps her eyes on the phone screen on her hand to see the movement of the pin. They're getting close to them. She runs past the two men, their pace is getting less quicker than her.

She starts to see multiple movements on the other end of the hallway they are heading to. The whispers grew louder and in no time they have located the three Flagsmashers. None of them took notice of her presence, since they are too preoccupied with deciding which way to take.

Czarina slowly emerges from the shadows, in her hand are three electric disks. She throws it in the swift motion towards the three individuals. Electricity cackles from the tiny device but it's enough to shock the Flagsmashers.

All three start to slightly seize from the surprise attack, they fall into their knees. Grunting from the pain of the voltage electrifying them.

"Stay down." Czarina draws her weapon above their heads.

Bucky and Walker soon join her side. Awe and satisfaction in their faces when they realized that the lone girl was able to subdue all three.

"Wow, you made that look so easy." Bucky comments, looking at her work.

As soon as the disks deactivate on their own and there's no current anymore, they pick up the three members and lead them to exit the tunnels. Outside awaits the battalion of troops deployed by the city.

The Flagsmashers were already weakened at that point that they no longer resisted the arrest. The leader of the troops nodded a thank you towards the three super soldiers. Even towards Walker. Some paramedic respondents in the area approached their trio to offer first aid. Mostly towards Czarina since she looked the youngest and smallest in the group. She thought of refusing help since she doesn't want to take away their attention from the other civilians in need of help.

But the medics insisted and Bucky agrees that she should get herself checked, or even just hydrate. They bring the girl outside the barricaded zone, among the lines of ambulances and makeshift tents. Some civilians are being attended for some injuries and smoke inhalation.

Czarina asked for a simple gatorade for hydration while a medic patch up her small cuts and bruises on her face. She undo her vest to breathe and rest for a moment. But she knows she can't fully calm down until he sees Sam get out of those tunnels.

"You should drink some." She offers up her bottle to Bucky, who's leaning against the ambulance she's sitting at.

"I'm good." The man only nods. "How about you? You still got your insides?"

"Yeah."

The ushering crowd around the area grew louder upon the appearance of a winged figure in the sky. Czarina stands up to get closer. Sam has returned.

He slowly descends on the center of the packed road. As he does, his image becomes clearer. On his arms is the unmoving body of the Flagsmashers leader, Karli Morganthaeu.

A small gasp leaves Czarina.

The captain walks towards the crowd, where a mix of armed authorities, medics, respondents and reporters have gathered. They shine their cameras and wave mics on the man. They have so many questions for him. About the Flagsmashers, his status as Captain America, the shield.

Czarina wants them to stop. It doesn't feel right they are haggling the man after what they just witnessed, all because they want to have a cover story for tonight.

Given her distance, she can fully hear what the people on the front lines are saying. But she sees that Sam has approached the high ranking senators of the GRC. They engage in a conversation, and it seems that Sam is in a disagreement of what they speak of.

"Look, I get it. But you have no idea how complicated this situation is." One of the senators declares in a dismissive manner. He starts to turn back from Sam.

"You're right," the man begins, the weight of his words pressing on everyone listening. He starts to speak about shared struggles and the newfound understanding of helplessness that the world has experienced. After the appearance of the Flagsmashers and their movement. He challenges the senators to remember that feeling when making decisions, urging them to think of the people affected, not just their own interests.

By the ambulance line, Czarina sits on the edge of the vehicle. Still holding the gatorade bottle in her hand. Bucky shifts his weight against the side of the ambulance, his arms crossed but his expression soft. They both listen in silence, their gazes fix on Sam.

"He's really doing it." The younger one mutters, her voice lace with awe.

Bucky nods, his eyes not leaving Sam. "Told you he'd make a hell of a Captain America."

Sam's voice rises as he speaks about the burden of carrying the shield as a Black man, the judgment and hate that come with it. And yet still having the unwavering belief that the world can do better. He calls out the politicians' power and their ability to make change with a single decision. The captain demands they use it wisely.

From where she sits, the girl can't help but feel a swell of pride. Despite the chaos, despite everything they'd just been through, Sam stands tall, unapologetic, and resolute.

"He's right, you know," she says, glancing up at her father. "People like Karli wouldn't exist if the world wasn't so broken."

Bucky sighs, his gaze gleaming as he watches Sam. "Yeah. And maybe now people will start listening."

Sam closes his speech, his voice echoing in the air: "The question you have to ask yourself is, How are you going to use it?"

The crowd is quiet, the weight of his words settling over them. Some nod in agreement, others look conflicted. But in that moment, Sam stands as more than just Captain America.

He's a symbol of hope.

Czarina let out a sigh of relief, a faint smile on her lips. "He's got this."

Bucky glances down at her. There's a faintest hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Yeah, he does."

She can only nod as Sam concludes his speech to the public.

The man is the most qualified to speak about these matters to the people. Not only because he led this mission or he's carrying the shield. But even without the suit, beyond the mantle of Captain America, Sam as an individual has taken the brunt of the problems of these systems in place.

His hesitation of taking the shield and the choice of giving it to the government. He doesn't believe that the majority will accept him as a symbol of their country.

Czarina will never be in his shoes, she may have her struggles in this country but it is different from what Sam speaks of.

But she knows what she can do. She can give her unfaltering support and solidarity, not just to Sam but the movements the common people are pushing for.

There are matters that are grounded in reality. In the daily lives of the common people. Ones that are beyond alien spaceships or wizards or robots. In her brief time of understanding how America operates she was able to get a grasp of how these problems predated the extraterrestrial threats.

Karli's ideals and goals grew beyond the fallout of the Blip. It was a fight for a dignified life, one that is respected and equal to those in the higher classes. And the woman committed acts against the same people she should be in solidarity with, because it's so easy to grow disillusioned when you are cornered. She may not fully understand the full picture yet, she still has much to learn.

But she is willing to. This is part of "doing good", she has to understand the collective fight of the people she aims to protect.

"Sorry, I was, uh, I was texting and so, all I heard was, um, "a Black guy in stars and stripes." Bucky teases as Sam joins them on the line behind the ambulance.

The two men shared a light chuckle as they walk shoulder to shoulder

"Nice job, Cap." Bucky's voice is filled with sincerity.

"Thanks." Sam replies with a smile. The three of them trudge towards the line of cars on the roadside. Sharon is leaning against the vehicle, she's pressing a bloodied cloth against her lower abdomen.

"Hey." Czarina immediately rushes to check the woman. The blood has gradually stopped but Sharon looks a little pale and the pained expression on her face calls for medical assistance.

"We gotta get you to a hospital." Sam suggests in deep concern.

"She's not gonna listen."

Sharon pants and shakes her head. "Not the worst thing that's happened to me all week."

"Told you." Bucky clicks his tongue. He's equally bothered as Czarina that Sharon refuses medical aid. But of course they are going to insist, they are not letting her walk around with a gunshot wound.

"Uh, Cap?" A man calls out from the crowd.

"I think he's talking to you," Sharon gestures at Sam. The older woman's breaths are starting to sound shallow and heavy. "Look, I'm sorry for how things ended down there. For what it's worth... suit looks good on you."

"Thanks." The captain chuckles on the compliment.

"All right, look, can we get out of here, please." Bucky starts to walk away from the spot along with the other two, while Sam goes to speak to the man who called out to him.

Czarina takes one last look at the crowd behind as his uncle flies up to the sky.

She can feel it again. The same fire that burned in her chest five years ago, back in the borders of Wakanda. When the alien army descended upon Earth as heroes and their former enemies stood as one. This moment may not be able to fully capture how her nerves sing and blood rushed into her battle charged veins, but she knows it's a familiar feeling. To fight for the need to protect instead of destroy.

And now everytime she fights, she aims that it will be for the same reason.

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They went back with Sam to Louisiana.

Czarina's heart was already leaping while they were on their way to her uncle's hometown. She can't wait to spend time with Sam's family again. To see Sarah, AJ and Cass. He missed that sweet woman and those energetic, lovely boys.

And the excitement didn't falter when they arrived there. They were immediately greeted with a hearty welcome from the people of the town. By the next day a big cookout for the entire community was hosted by lake docks, everyone was there. They brought their own families' recipes and main dishes to contribute to the huge buffet. There's a line of grills on the lakeside along with rows of tables and chairs set up to host the community. Lively music and chatter hang around the air.

Czarina finds herself dining on the table of individuals around her age. With AJ and Cass introducing her to the young adults around the town.

"Hey, Rei is like really strong. I bet none of you can beat her in arm wrestling." Cass boasts to the other people on the table they are dining with.

The girl just shook her head with a smile, dismissing the challenge. She can't indulge that comment, she doesn't want teenagers daring her in an arm wrestling match. They can get hurt with her strength.

"Come on, let's go!" One teenage boy gestures his arm at her.

"No, no!" She laughs, waving her hand. The crowd on the table groans from disappointment.

"Hey, maybe she's scared she's gonna lose!" One girl yells. That leads to overlapping voices from the two boys she's with and the other kids.

"Okay, okay!" Czarina cuts off to calm them down. "I can't go arm wrestling with any of you but maybe you can give me something really hard to open." She offers an alternative.

Mostly it's kids who look like they are deliberating the offer. And then the boy who offered to arm wrestle her put something else on the table.

A Pepsi in a glass bottle.

"Open this," the boy pushes it towards her. "But you can use your whole hand."

The blonde girl can only smirk at the challenge. Bet. The crowd on the table watched her every move intently, careful not to miss a single moment. With a single flick of her thumb and middle finger against the opening of the glass bottle, the metal cap flung to the air. Effortlessly opening the drink.

"I told you!" AJ taunts the other kids as the noise grows louder.

"How about this!" A much older teen holds out two empty large Fanta cans to Czarina. "Can you crush it?"

She reluctantly reached it. "Hey, don't do this at home okay? No one else does this, okay? Just me."

"We promise!" The group says in unison.

With an ease, Czarina crumpled the two large cans using only one hand. In no time it's reduced to a flatten, rolled up tins. Not a single scar or wound on her palm.

Cheers erupted from their table as the other adults nearby looked over them. But they just let them.

"You're like the Hulk but smaller and prettier." A girl comments out of awe.

Once children and teenagers started to converse with each other in overlapping voices. AJ and Cass cling to Czarina in a hug as she continues to entertain them with small feats of her strength and invincibility, as well stories from when she was away.

The day couldn't end there. She wants to stay in the moment forever. For the first time in a long time she feels unburdened and brave. Brave enough to be with other people without pretending so much. In this place, she can laugh, joke and talk to a crowd as if it's second nature to her.

And she can see her father shares the same sentiment. Happiness looks good at him. She thinks as she watches him laugh and talk to other adults around. With Sam always close to him. Though her uncle gets swarmed by crowds every now and then.

Her heart warmed seeing how much this town adores Sam. He's basically the life of the party here. His people look at him with admiration and love. She hopes that soon the rest of the world will share the same look every time they see Sam carry that shield.

Under the warm, afternoon sunset of Louisiana, Czarina stands with a heart and soul that feels a little more stronger. Her eyes admire the beauty of the river in the light of the dawn. She feels the presence of her father and uncle behind her. Bucky drapes his arm on his daughter's shoulder. While Czarina places her hand on Sam's to give him a gentle squeeze.

They didn't say anything to each other. The comfort of the silence shared between them was enough.