Mobile - Zemo's Private Jet (October 2009)

[Kristi Lynne]

Zemo's Private Jet

Owned and operated by the royal Zemo Family, based out of an airfield near Sokovia in Eastern Europe.

[Kristi Lynne]

*** Sophie and Zemo enter from Sokovia - Helmut Zemo's House ***

So that was it, they were actually on their way to Spain. Taking a closer look at all the information she'd gathered so far had really only given Sophie a rough sketch of a plan for when they actually arrived. She was counting on Zemo to fill in the gaps with whatever knowledge and know-how he already possessed about HYDRA's operations. But the man was no more talkative today than he had been the night before. So that instead of refining her impression of her new partner, every minute that she continued to spend with him only raised more questions.

Like when he revealed that their drive to the airport would be in a 1968 Ford Mustang GT, identical to the one Steve McQueen drove in "Bullitt" (except for the color). Zemo casually dismissed her shock by saying that it was a hand-me-down from his father who was a great admirer of American cinema. And now that they were pulling up to a seemingly private hangar well removed from the central Sokovian airport, there was a small army of uniformed men prepping a sleek and shiny white jet and hurrying to remove their luggage from the trunk.

"Blimey," Sophie exhaled in awe. "Don't tell me this was another gift from your dad." Zemo merely smirked in response before shifting into park and exiting the car. One of the workers opened the passenger door for her, and she reluctantly left its luxurious leather interior. When the same worker began to remove a black, rectangular case from the backseat, she rushed to grab it out of his hands. "No, no, no. I've got this one, thank you," Sophie insisted, clutching the precious cargo.  She slung it over her shoulder along with a messenger bag of her own.

The worker shrugged his shoulders and walked away to find his next task. Sophie then observed who she assumed was the head minion approach Zemo with a cheerful expression and a kiss on each cheek. She recognized nothing in their subsequent dialogue apart from the general greetings and something that sounded distinctly like a title. When their conversation had ended and Zemo was walking past her in the direction of the plane, she inquired, "I'm sorry, did...did he just call you 'Baron' Zemo?"

[DarkSideCookie]

"I'm sorry, did...did he just call you 'Baron' Zemo?"

All her questions before, Zemo had only answered with a smirk, if even, but to this one, he would verbally react; In his economic way, though. "Yes," he said, giving her no more than a side glance before he moved on. He just didn't feel like he had to explain someone calling him baron while he was. Zemo had never made a secret of that but also didn't feel a need to talk about it without being asked.

[Kristi Lynne]

"Wait, what?!" Sophie uttered, after Zemo had casually confirmed his regal status and then just kept walking. She stood there in unmoving shock and confusion for a few moments, till she realized the crew were looking at her to get a move on. She gathered her bags and quickly ascended the short staircase leading up to the plane's door. Once inside, she was abruptly stopped again by the elegant interior of the cabin. Definitely an upgrade from flying coach or military transport. 

Since Zemo had already made himself comfortable, Sophie placed her bags on an empty chair near the back of the cabin and took the seat across from him. "Sorry, I just...was I supposed to curtsey? Call you 'Your Highness'?" she asked, genuinely afraid that she might have been offending him repeatedly over the last few days of their acquaintance. "I've never been on a private plane with royalty before so...I'm not sure what the protocols are. Granted, you don't seem like a man to stand on protocols."

[DarkSideCookie]

Zemo already sat comfortably in his seat, his legs crossed and his chin cupped in one of his hands, when Sophie caught up with him after her little shock about his title. Once again, he was showing no other reaction but an amused smirk at her words. It was funny indeed to see her getting all nervous about it.

"Sorry, I just...was I supposed to curtsey? Call you 'Your Highness'?""I've never been on a private plane with royalty before so...I'm not sure what the protocols are. Granted, you don't seem like a man to stand on protocols."

After all, he decided to not at all react to her questions and apologies, but instead to hand out to her one of the glasses filled with champagne, being offered on a plate by one of the workers. "Helps to relax," Zemo declared as he clinked his glass to hers, unsure whether he was alluding to the fact that he was a baron or the circumstance that they had a long flight ahead of them.

[Kristi Lynne]

"Helps to relax."

Sophie paused again, champagne glass in hand, her eyes squinting slightly as she studied him. She assumed that if he really had been offended by her behavior at some point, he would have said so. Perhaps 'baron' was just another mask he wore in addition to soldier, businessman, husband, and HYDRA hunter. Useful when needed, otherwise tossed aside.

"I simply can't get a read on you," Sophie declared with a defeated sigh, before taking a sip of her drink. "But I suppose that's not important, as long as we have the same goal." Zemo hadn't extended this coveted invitation to her because he needed a friend or a business partner. No, he needed another instrument in his arsenal to take down HYDRA, and she would do well to remember that. Whatever this was between them, it would never be deep conversations or an honest connection. She wasn't sure why the realization saddened her.

"So, have you been to Barcelona before?" she asked. "What sort of hotel are we staying in?"

[DarkSideCookie]

"I simply can't get a read on you,""But I suppose that's not important, as long as we have the same goal."

Unlike Sophie thought, Zemo saw indeed more in her than an instrument. Besides, he never had seen anyone on his side as an instrument. That was just not his way of treating people. Once again, of people on his side; People who seemed to share the same world view. He had been studying Sophie for a while now, and if he didn't see that in her, he wouldn't have invited her into this. But like so often, Zemo left her in the dark as for his thoughts. Instead, also like so often, his lips rose into another smirk before wordlessly taking a sip of his drink as well.

"So, have you been to Barcelona before?""What sort of hotel are we staying in?"

"Many times, yes," he answered with a slight nod, yet he would leave it at that, as long as she wasn't asking for further information. "You'll like it," Zemo dared to say about their hotel. "It also has a very good restaurant. Have you ever tried the Spanish cuisine?" he even added a question on his own. When it came to food, Zemo could actually become quite the talker.

[Kristi Lynne]

"Many times, yes. You'll like it. It also has a very good restaurant. Have you ever tried the Spanish cuisine?"

"Mmm, not anything particularly memorable," Sophie finally answered, her gaze cast up to the ceiling in thought. The plane had apparently finished prepping and was now taxiing to the runway. She would have to fight the urge to clutch the armrests when it accelerated for takeoff; flying was never her strong suit but she didn't want to appear any more nervous than she already did.

"I've had paella before. A bowl of gazpacho soup here and there," she added. "But let me guess -- that doesn't count because I didn't have the real thing." Her eyebrows flicked upward in a teasing gesture. If they had hit on a topic that Zemo actually felt like discussing, if he was willing to give more than a one-word answer, she welcomed the ensuing monologue.

[DarkSideCookie]

"Mmm, not anything particularly memorable,""I've had paella before. A bowl of gazpacho soup here and there,""But let me guess -- that doesn't count because I didn't have the real thing."

If Sophie thought that this already was the moment where she would be getting more words out of him, then she had got another thing coming. Instead of an answer, Zemo came up with just another smirk until he would, at least, answer back in his economic way. "Try and be amazed." He took another sip of the champagne in his hand.

After all, Zemo wanted to learn more about his new business partner, as well, so, for once, he added a question on his part, rather rhetorical, though. He was good at reading people, and the way Sophie held onto the champagne glass in her hands told him things she didn't say. "You aren't a fan of flying, are you?"

[Kristi Lynne]

"You aren't a fan of flying, are you?"

“I’m perfectly fine with flying," Sophie countered, in a less-than-convincing tone. "It’s the dying in a fiery crash part that I’m not fond of. Though I’m sure you have an excellent pilot.” She took another swig of champagne, followed by a deep breath meant to steel her nerves as the plane sped up and eventually left the ground with a sickening lurch. She closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to see the rapidly shrinking city below or the cloud bank that guaranteed turbulence on the way up. She wasn't certain it was safe to move until they'd finished the ascent and leveled off at cruising altitude. And then she found that her airborne surroundings were much smoother and quieter than she'd expected. One could certainly get used to that.

“I'm pretty sure you didn’t bring me along on this field trip for my opinions on food or avionics," Sophie assumed, once she felt comfortable enough to resume a conversation. And the sort of conversation she felt most comfortable with around him was that of a mission briefing, where finally she had the answers, or at least the majority of them. "So let's talk objectives: Finding and destroying that serum won't be easy. As you can imagine, security is pretty tight at FNCM. The situation with Zarif must have spooked them, though. There’s an international delegation visiting the company in two days, which means they'll be busy putting on a show to their shareholders. And with their attention elsewhere, I realized that it’s possible for us to hide in plain sight," Sophie said with a self-satisfied expression.

"Think about it: Who has access to every part of a building and yet no one gives them a second look?" she offered before pausing to let him think it over. "The cleaners. The lab contracts its custodial work with a local firm in Barcelona. We hijack their van, steal their uniforms, that’s our ticket inside. From there, the challenge will be finding the actual lab where they’re storing the super serum and any associated research. It won't be clearly marked on any blueprint or schematic.”

[DarkSideCookie]

Sophie received another smirk to her flying comment, but other than that, Zemo left it at that. Everyone had their fears, and nobody was to judge for that. He'd been just trying to converse anyway.

“I'm pretty sure you didn’t bring me along on this field trip for my opinions on food or avionics,""So let's talk objectives: Finding and destroying that serum won't be easy. As you can imagine, security is pretty tight at FNCM. The situation with Zarif must have spooked them, though. There’s an international delegation visiting the company in two days, which means they'll be busy putting on a show to their shareholders. And with their attention elsewhere, I realized that it’s possible for us to hide in plain sight,"

Zemo listened intently as he calmly took another sip from the champagne in his hands. Sometimes he wasn't able to figure her out. She would seek talks with him that had nothing to do with business, and then, all of a sudden, switch to just that, in an almost distant way. For some reason, it was refreshing to watch her doing so, though.

"Think about it: Who has access to every part of a building and yet no one gives them a second look?"

He used the pause she made, indeed, to ponder about it, coming to the same group of persons she would offer only a second later.

"The cleaners. The lab contracts its custodial work with a local firm in Barcelona. We hijack their van, steal their uniforms, that’s our ticket inside. From there, the challenge will be finding the actual lab where they’re storing the super serum and any associated research. It won't be clearly marked on any blueprint or schematic.”

For another moment, Zemo just watched her in silence, the glass in his hand half raised to his lips when he let it sink back. "I knew you would make a good partner," he suddenly said instead of reacting to her unfolded plan, then taking himself some more time as he took another sip of champagne, yet giving her a look as if to silently say I'm all ears.

[Kristi Lynne]

"I knew you would make a good partner."

"Um, thanks," Sophie muttered softly, struck by what she had to assume was a genuine compliment. She’d known Zemo long enough to know that he didn’t hand those out as easily as he did Turkish delights. From allowing her into his home, and then into the confidence of his anti-HYDRA efforts, she’d been trying desperately to prove that she deserved that trust. And maybe she was starting to believe that she did. Still, there was a long way between a plan and the successful execution of it.

“But do hold your applause, Your Excellency. That part only gets us in the building.” Sophie took one more sip of champagne before setting the glass aside. She walked back to retrieve the laptop from her bag and then returned to her seat, propping it open on her lap. “Once we find the lab itself, we have to find a way to either extract the samples or destroy them on-site without anyone catching on. And it's not going to be easy to pull off anything with this audience."

With a series of keyboard clicks, Sophie opened a file on the laptop and then handed it over to Zemo. "This is the lab's guest list," she explained. "I started working up a profile on each one when I thought that they might be our way in. It’s the usual assortment of HYDRA adherents – spies, scientists, military contractors. Anyone with a vested interest in the successful creation of an army of super soldiers.” Sophie studied her fellow passenger for his reaction, wondering if he'd run across anyone from this rogues' gallery in his past. "Do you see any familiar faces?" 

[DarkSideCookie]

"Um, thanks,"“But do hold your applause, Your Excellency. That part only gets us in the building.”

Zemo had to smirk at the title she added to her words. He watched in silence as she rose from her seat and came back with the laptop in her hands. It seemed that she already had a high percentage of a plan. Zemo was still impressed yet wouldn't give his partner another compliment too soon; Not because she wouldn't deserve it, but because he was even more economical about that than about words in general.

“Once we find the lab itself, we have to find a way to either extract the samples or destroy them on-site without anyone catching on. And it's not going to be easy to pull off anything with this audience.""This is the lab's guest list,""I started working up a profile on each one when I thought that they might be our way in. It’s the usual assortment of HYDRA adherents – spies, scientists, military contractors. Anyone with a vested interest in the successful creation of an army of super soldiers.”"Do you see any familiar faces?"

A reaction could be read from his face long before Sophie had asked. Yes, he saw indeed familiar faces in there. His only reaction was a nod, though, silently leaning back in his seat and giving her a look that seemed to guess her plan yet allowed her to go on without any interruptions from his side.

[Kristi Lynne]

A curt nod from Zemo seemed to confirm her assumption. She only worried that one of the guests would recognize him as well, and the mission would be over before it started. But she felt safe in assuming Zemo would not have been that careless in the past.

"Right, so, we get inside, we find the lab, we secure or destroy the samples how?" Sophie continued voicing her questions aloud. "We can't just pull the fire alarm and clear the building; that would be a little too obvious. But perhaps we could clear a part of the building. A lab is likely to have all sorts of sensors to monitor things, right? Air quality, temperature, hazardous waste disposal. If we can trick the system into thinking there's something wrong, it'll prompt an evacuation," she hypothesized, "and then we'd have the place to ourselves. For a couple of minutes, at least. I'm pretty sure I can tap into the video surveillance and record enough of a loop to make sure no one sees what we're doing in real time." 

Sophie paused to lean back in her chair and retrieve her glass for another sip of champagne. Not in a celebratory way, as there was still a big difference between plan and reality, but feeling like she was giving her new partner more than enough to work with. "Everything I read about the Project Centipede samples says they're still fairly unstable," she advised him. "If they go above a certain temperature, the solution separates and is no longer viable for human transplant. So we turn off the fridge, all their stock goes bad. Got anything in your Sokovian bag of tricks to make that happen?" she inquired.

[DarkSideCookie]

As soon as Sophie had finished with her considerations for her part, Zemo took another pause to ponder about the last percentage of the plan, adding for his part. Then he lowered the glass in his hands to the table in front of him before, finally, saying something as well. "On the guest list," Zemo started right off with completing her thoughts, "there is a German biologist. Professor Harald Vogt." While he advised, his finger pointed at the screen in front of her. "I've done research about that man in the past." Without feeling a need to explain that further, Zemo went on explaining for their mission at hand. "It shouldn't be a problem for me to act as him after some more reading into biology, just in case." He smirked before adding: "And as for the last ten percent of our plan... Just leave it to me."

[Kristi Lynne]

"On the guest list, there is a German biologist. Professor Harald Vogt. I've done research about that man in the past. It shouldn't be a problem for me to act as him after some more reading into biology, just in case. And as for the last ten percent of our plan... Just leave it to me."

"Oh, really? You're going to impersonate a highly-respected, Oxford-educated biologist after just some light reading?" Sophie scoffed, to which Zemo only replied with his usual self-assured smirk. "I mean, if you can pull it off, getting you on the VIP tour would get us direct access to the lab we're looking for." 

She took back the laptop to take a closer look at this professor he'd mentioned. The two men were around the same age, same coloring, negotiable weight difference, but Vogt had glasses and shorter hair. Certainly not drastic differences that couldn't be easily overcome. And if he was already on Zemo's HYDRA-hunting radar, he probably wasn't a very nice person anyway and deserved to have his identity co-opted.

"Let's see what Harald's travel plans are, shall we?" Sophie handed the laptop back to Zemo and dug out her cell phone as she walked toward the back of the cabin. "Do you get a signal up here? Oh, you do! Quite a good one actually." She peeked back over Zemo's shoulder at the monitor to make sure she had the correct phone number for Vogt's office before dialing. While still close enough, she tabbed over to one of Vogt's published articles on sickle cell anemia in Ghana and emphatically pointed toward the screen, as if to say 'enjoy this light reading.'

“Good morning, how are you?" she greeted once the call was finally answered. She felt no need to disguise her own accent; given the large British expat community in Spain, an English accent wouldn't rouse suspicion. "This is Clara. I’m calling on behalf of FNCM. We are so excited to have Professor Vogt join us for the conference this week. ... Of course! Listen, we have prepared a prospectus for the attendees, I’d love to send it over to his hotel before the meeting. Can you just confirm that he’s staying at the Hotel Majestic?" she asked. It was a reasonable guess as that was the closest and most expensive hotel on offer to the attendees. "Oh, he’s at the Monument? ... So sorry, I must have written it down wrong. Thank you so much, you're a lifesaver! ... Uh-huh, you too! Danke schoen!”

Sophie ended the call and resumed her seat. "Feel like making a stop at the Monument Hotel?" she inquired.

[DarkSideCookie]

"Let's see what Harald's travel plans are, shall we?"

Zemo gave a nod to that, wordlessly receiving the laptop. He was just going to go into more research when Sophie's conversation with herself, or rather with her phone, was turning his attention away from it for another moment, on his face a slight smirk. As soon as she turned her attention back to him, peeking over his shoulder to search for some information on the monitor, Zemo quickly busied himself with typing something into the search engine. That was before Sophie tapped over to another site, one that showed one of Vogt's published articles. He wouldn't let that show upon his features, but it was slightly irking him that she was aware of him being a total noob when it came to computer stuff. To hide his looks, Zemo rose one hand to his chin, appearing as if he was already reading the article over while, out of the corner of his eyes, catching that playful spite upon hers.

While Sophie did her call, Zemo tried to concentrate on the light reading but instead rather listened to the conversation she had. Once again, a smirk was forming around his lips. Sophie was smart, quick with a plan, and, as it seemed, well at improvising. When she finished the call, Zemo immediately dedicated himself back to the article, having read not even one sentence yet.

"Feel like making a stop at the Monument Hotel?"

"Good job," he said, once again unusually complimentary. But he meant it. However, this time, before she could have reacted to that, he was adding more words. "Let's have a look at the check-in times," Zemo said, his eyes still aimed at the monitor while starting to type the name of the hotel into the search engine, not bothering at all to ditch the article for that.

[Kristi Lynne]

"Good job. Let's have a look at the check-in times."

"Right," Sophie said with a nod, before returning to her drink and looking out the plane window, still seeing only rolling fields of white clouds below. "I don't suppose you'd tell me why you were previously looking into this professor, would you?" she mused. When she turned her gaze back to him, she saw that his attention was still focused on the screen. "No, I didn't think so. He's kinda' cute, though. Shame he's evil and all."

Sophie took another drink and a deep breath, satisfied that their plan was now more of less in place. But there was an issue she'd been avoiding, even with Zarif who she had no doubt deserved to die horribly as he'd done the same to so many others. This wasn't a state-sanctioned operation by either of their governments, and thus it would be easy to cross lines that were blurry to begin with. Any lethal action she had taken in the past was done on orders and justified and had rarely caused her to lose sleep. But she was not in uniform now, and neither was he.

"Do you think we could discuss the...rules of engagement?" she asked hesitantly. "Look, I know about EKO Scorpion, whether you can admit to being a member or not, and I know there's a reason it's called a 'kill squad.' But I think that, given the need to keep this operation on the down-low, we should seek to incur as few casualties as possible. Agreed?”

[DarkSideCookie]

"I don't suppose you'd tell me why you were previously looking into this professor, would you?"

Of course, Zemo heard her question, even though still focused on the screen in front of him. He was quite good at multitasking, especially without making anyone notice; Like a superpower that he would never reveal, for you never knew when that could become an advantage. However, Zemo didn't see a reason to answer her question.

"No, I didn't think so. He's kinda' cute, though. Shame he's evil and all."

This time, due to the mentioned reason, he didn't react at all, not even with his usual way of silently smirking. Eventually, there came another question, hesitantly asked, that made him turn his attention away from the screen, after all.

"Do you think we could discuss the...rules of engagement?""Look, I know about EKO Scorpion, whether you can admit to being a member or not, and I know there's a reason it's called a 'kill squad.' But I think that, given the need to keep this operation on the down-low, we should seek to incur as few casualties as possible. Agreed?”

"Agreed," Zemo replied in his economical way with words and emotions before he added more to that, a question of his own even. "What kind of person do you take me for?" he asked smirking, after all, actually interested in the answer. He wouldn't hesitate to put up with casualties, so she surely was right about such an assumption, yet never if those weren't for a greater purpose that would justify it.

[Kristi Lynne]

"Agreed. What kind of person do you take me for?"


“I don’t know," Sophie replied earnestly, as he seemed to be looking for an honest answer. "The kind of person who saved my life, took me into his home and his family when he had no good reason to do so. A man who could easily sit back and enjoy the advantages of his family name, and yet chooses to put on a uniform and risk his life for his country." There were so many other questions and assumptions that ran through her mind ever since that fateful night. But there were bigger concerns at hand once this flight ended. Perhaps there would be another time for such discussions.

"It's just ... you keep surprising me, Zemo," she declared. Wondering if that explained the fear and fascination she felt in his presence. "I’m not the sort who likes surprises. They’re not always pleasant, are they?”

[DarkSideCookie]

“I don’t know,""The kind of person who saved my life, took me into his home and his family when he had no good reason to do so. A man who could easily sit back and enjoy the advantages of his family name, and yet chooses to put on a uniform and risk his life for his country."

At that, Zemo made a face that silently said accurate. When he had saved her life, he actually hadn't been aware of a good reason himself; Maybe because Zemo - despite all the cruel things he had done and will continue doing in the future - was a philanthrope. He still believed in the good of people, just not in all of them. And he had seen Sophie as part of those who he would call good. Zemo could tell her that, but why should he? Instead, he remained silent, as usual.

"It's just ... you keep surprising me, Zemo,""I’m not the sort who likes surprises. They’re not always pleasant, are they?”

"You think so? That's odd because I took you for someone who loves surprises," he answered ironically, giving her another smirk.

[Kristi Lynne]

"You think so? That's odd because I took you for someone who loves surprises."

"I know, right? I feel like I've been a complete open book in the week that we've known each other. You might even know me better than my own mother," Sophie offered in jest, well aware that it had taken a while for her to even trust him enough to give him her real name. And longer than that for her to learn that he was a baron in addition to being a lieutenant. This entire situation was a surprise, to say the least, but apart from the enduring pain in her leg it had not been altogether unpleasant.

"Pardon me, sir," a member of the crew interrupted, walking back from the cockpit. "There's a call from your wife. Shall I patch it through to your cell?"

"You should take that," Sophie said hastily, making the decision for him. "It might have to do with the baby. Anyway, there's still some prep work I need to do before we land." She took back possession of the laptop and walked back to the couch, stretching out her legs and trying to focus on the screen and not the temptation to eavesdrop.

[DarkSideCookie]

Zemo smirked at her words. He liked her sense of humor.

Just when he was going to ask for more champagne for the two of them, one of the crew members interrupted for a different matter.

"Pardon me, sir,""There's a call from your wife. Shall I patch it through to your cell?"

Usually, there weren't a lot of emotions to read from his features, yet when the man said the word wife, a small line of worry was visible there, after all. It was Sophie then who spoke out loud what his worry was about.

"You should take that,""It might have to do with the baby. Anyway, there's still some prep work I need to do before we land."

Zemo silently nodded in reply before giving one to the crew member as well, confirming to take the call on his cell.

Zemo's features were changing back to his usual once he heard Helen's voice, not at all afraid or scared. He threw a glance over at Sophie, who had busied herself with the laptop again, then turned his full attention back to the phone call. Every now and then, a slight smile appeared on his lips, yet Zemo did his best to keep their conversation short and sober; Not just because they were on their way to a mission here, and so this was business, but also because he wanted to keep the lies to a very minimum. The more time she got to ask questions, the more of those he had to give.


*** Zemo and Sophie exit to Barcelona, Spain ***

[Kristi Lynne]

*** Zemo and Sophie enter from Barcelona - FNCM Laboratories ***

After a thankfully uneventful flight and landing in London, Zemo was quick to depart the plane. Sophie assumed he had to deal with the details of moving onto his next destination in Sokovia. She gathered up her bags and cast a wistful glance around the cabin, doubtful that she'd ever see it again. For a few days, she’d been a guest in a completely different world. One of mansions and luxury cars and private jets and hotel personnel that treated you like you mattered. One in which the bad guys could be punished without having to navigate layers of bureaucratic red tape. For a few days, she was a hero at Zemo’s side. And now it would all go away.

Sophie thanked the pilots on her way out and proceeded down the stairs to the tarmac, where Zemo met her at the bottom. “Well, that was fun. We should do it again sometime," she said, in as casual of a tone as she could muster.  "Goodbye, Baron,” she said, holding out her hand for a departing shake.

[DarkSideCookie]

Zemo was long out of the jet and waiting at the bottom when Sophie walked down the stairs. Well, maybe not that long, but he liked to give the picture of one who would have. His wife often took it amiss on him, this silent look like you always have to wait for the women...

“Well, that was fun. We should do it again sometime,""Goodbye, Baron,”

Zemo looked down at her hand for a moment, then back up at her before actually shaking it, yet only slightly. He smirked a little at her sudden and short-spoken words of farewell. "Re-entering the everyday world already?"

[Kristi Lynne]

"Re-entering the everyday world already?"

"Well, not all of us are Sokovian royalty. Some of us have to work for a living," Sophie replied, with a quick grin that soon faded to a more somber expression. "But I meant what I said back in that bunker behind the bookcase. Zemo, I owe you more than I can ever repay. Whenever you need it, you can count on my help," she declared. "I'm guessing you know how to find me."

[DarkSideCookie]

"Well, not all of us are Sokovian royalty. Some of us have to work for a living,"

Fair enough. Zemo liked her ready tongue and probably will even start missing it after only this little while. As soon as her face turned more serious again, his did as well.

"But I meant what I said back in that bunker behind the bookcase. Zemo, I owe you more than I can ever repay. Whenever you need it, you can count on my help,""I'm guessing you know how to find me."

"And I'm guessing you know I'll seek you out for your help again," he replied with a slight smirk. He'd never been a good team player, but he never had a team partner like her either. Sophie was smart, competent, and even funny. Not that the latter would be of importance for their kind of jobs, but it was a nice variation for sure.

[Kristi Lynne]

"And I'm guessing you know I'll seek you out for your help again."

I'm hoping so, Sophie replied inwardly, not quite ready to leave his company. "Well, Winona and I are at your service," she asserted, patting the gun bag slung across her shoulder. "Give Helen my regards. Tell her that Birdie is very grateful for her kindness in my time of need." 

Sophie looked across the hangar to see a sleek, black Range Rover being loaded with her bags. "Is that my ride?" she asked. A thoughtful, perhaps a tad presumptuous, gesture that was still better than a pricey cab with a chatty driver.

[DarkSideCookie]

"Well, Winona and I are at your service,""Give Helen my regards. Tell her that Birdie is very grateful for her kindness in my time of need."

Zemo had to smirk at both remarks, still amused by the nickname he'd given her. However, along with that amusement, there was also a warm feeling coming with it. Birdie sounded nice, funny, and snazzy, just like her. Zemo wouldn't go so far as to add cute to mentioned adjectives, at least not consciously. He just shouldn't. "I will."

"Is that my ride?"

"Would you have preferred the Mustang?" he asked with another smirk as if Sophie's words had come from disappointment, which Zemo knew was not the case.

[Kristi Lynne]

"Would you have preferred the Mustang?"

A tempted smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "Hmm, maybe next time," Sophie mused. "This one seems to have a bit more trunk space." She adjusted the bag strap on her shoulder again, told herself to stop procrastinating and accept that this strange yet exciting chapter in her life was at its end. "Till we meet again, Your Excellency," she concluded before finally turning on her heels and heading for the waiting car. 

The driver scurried to hold the door open, and Sophie tossed her bags in and then climbed up into the seat. Once the door was shut and the driver was back in his seat starting up the ignition, she risked one last glance at Zemo. He would be going home to his family, to his country, and despite what he said, she doubted if she would ever see him again. But maybe that was for the best. She held up her hand in a departing wave as the car left the hangar.