Chapter 40

The sound of a scuffle stops the meet and greet from continuing. Dugan, Steve, and Bucky all turn around to look at what's happening. She doesn't need to glance because she's felt it all before it happened and she can guess what and why it happened. Still, for courtesy's sake, she follows her gaze to where she can see a couple of men pointing at some HYDRA people and making them walk forward to where they are.

'That monster sneaked some of the Nazis with us! What do you have to say to that, huh?!"

She tilts her head, irritated. Luckily, Steve steps forward before she can decide if throwing the dude around would take the brownie points she managed to gain. "I wouldn't call 'monster' to the being more powerful than us who has been helpful so far. Though, I would also like to know why these people are here?"

Well, this time she can say the truth.

'I think you confused my intentions, gentlemen. I helped the ones being brainwashed because, as a Psychic being, I was disgusted by the act of changing someone else's mind. I attacked the ones you call Nazi because I could feel the malice in them. When I found out about the explosives, I helped the ones that weren't brainwashed, which are all of you.' She's surprised to find she feels her words coming firm. She doesn't want to join in a war for power, but she wouldn't mind doing so if it is to help others.

And only to help others.

She looks at the HYDRA people, moving slightly closer as she inspects their minds. 'How do you think I was able to pick you up in the middle of the night without knowing who was the 'Nazi' and who wasn't? I simply chose the ones whose minds weren't filled with any determined fanaticism. Was I wrong?'

The men stay silent, before one of them moves forward and crosses his arms, spitting on the ground. "How do we not know you're not lying? They're all evil, y'know."

How cliché.

'I wouldn't know about it. If you want me to be more through, I would need to scan deeply the mind of everyone to see who is really 'evil'.' She tilts her head, giving a brief scan to his mind. 'Though I should let you know that I think all rational and emotional beings should have free will. And for me, a form of evil is when one imposes their free will onto others without consent, like what I see you doing in some of your memories, Mr. Nigel Schultz… Am I right?'

She sees him swallow nervously while some of the others glance at him. "They're the ones who are doing atrocities left and right—not us!"

Glancing at the HYDRA people, she gives them a quick scan. They're guilty, true, but… 'The people you have here, were they the ones to do the atrocities? I'm not saying that you should not condemn them, but I think you should take a look at your side, too. After all, war does not determine who is right, Mr. Schultz, only who is left.'

She looks at Steve and Dungan, both. 'Where do I leave you, gentlemen?'

They share a glance before Steve takes out a map, a different one from the one she gave him, and opens it. He then takes out a compass and they start discussing the fastest way to go to their base camp. She takes a glance at the map, at the place that's been circled, considers where the HYDRA facility was and the other map she gave Steve, before pointing in a direction.

'If you want to go to that circled place, that's the direction.' They look at where she's pointing, check once again on the map and nod.

"Everyone, we need to go there!"

'Do you want me to take you there or do you prefer walking?' At seeing their green faces, she adds, 'I'll take you slowly and carefully.'

"As high as before?" Bucky asks.

'If you don't want to eat some leaves, then yes. But I'll go calmly as there are no bombs behind us ready to explode.'

They seem to consider it. Some European looking guy with a pencil-thin mustache walks forward. "I don't know about you guys, but I haven't eaten well in a week. I'm tired of just standing."

She can't help but eye smile at his accent. 'Are you British, Mr.?'

He raises an eyebrow. "James Montgomery Falsworth and yes, I am. You seem to know so much about our little world, Mister…?

She does a curtsy which must look weird in this form. 'You can call me Miss Lilith. And to answer your question, I've been in Italy for a while and I've picked up some of their knowledge about the rest of this world.'

An Asian looking man is the next to speak, "Isn't Italy part of the Axis Powers?"

Shit. Is Italy still allied with Germany?

Luckily, Steve Rogers is quick to smooth things over. "Actually, a month ago they passed to the Allies side."

"That doesn't mean that, er, lady Lilith hadn't been there before it joined the Allies," A French guy is quick to add, looking as tired as Tony before his morning coffee.

She tilts her head, deciding to go for honesty without revealing the whole truth. 'I was in a relatively peaceful place and only knew about this war because of what I read.' She shakes her head. 'Not that I need to explain myself, I only came to help. Do you want it, or should I go?'

Steve steps forward. "We'll be glad to have you. I am not feeling tired, but I can guess at the treatment the others received." He looks around, seeing the same as her: tired faces all around. "Would you be able to carry us all?"

She nods. 'Not a problem.'

Nodding, Duncan is the one to speak next. "Should stop a kilometer away from the base, too. We don't want to make the higher-ups nervous, do we?"

"I don't know, I would love to see their faces when they see us," James, the British guy, says.

"Yeah, because nothing wrong could happen when trigger happy men watch people floating alongside a creature not seen before," an Asian-looking guy says, his voice a perfect deadpan. "They're going to freak out enough when they see… 'Lilith'."

He introduces himself as Jim Morita. She nods at him. 'You're right, Mister Morita.'

Steve looks up at her in concern. "Are you okay with being seen by others?"

A dark-skinned man with an American accent is quick to add, "Yeah, you show like that and you'll be all over the news. I've found out military people gossip harder than Ma's old friends."

Aw. She can feel the concern of most towards her and it's kind of cute to see these beefy men worrying about herself especially after they've seen what's she's able to do.

She's ready to reassure them, but Bucky, who has been thinking this whole time this whole time while looking at her, finally speaks, "Can you change into that other form? The human one?"

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