novi grad, sokovia

2015

The spring air was slightly cool enough to make Kalina shiver, but the rising sun felt relieving on her skin, as she sat at a cafe table outside one of the old, main squares in Novi Grad. The buildings surrounding her still appeared worn down and bruised, obviously affected by the war-torn history of the region. Businesses has attempted to clean their exteriors and present a more modern touch, but broken rubble and old grey brick still painted a picture of old world Soviet influence. She patiently waited for Anastasia to arrive, as she wrote notes in her event calendar and questioned her schedule for the upcoming week.

Snow lightly painted the ground, some not melted from the winter. May in Sokovia was technically considered a spring month, but to Kalina it felt winter enough today. She lightly pulled her jacket up over her shoulders more, to cut any breeze that may hinder the warmth of the morning sun. Light cloud cover lingered behind the mountains enveloping the city, and it was dissipating as the sun began to crest the peaks.

Sipping on a latte that had obviously been brewed with some mineral water, over Sokovia's second-world, contaminated tap, she sighed and looked out at the street in front of her. Cars were driving in true Novi Grad fashion, aggressive and with purpose. Everyone had a place to be, and they were never where they intended on time.

Kalina missed it still, Sokovia was truly home, and no matter where she lived, she could never replace the country that her roots were buried deep in. The country had begun to tear itself apart, in protest and riot, and Kalina no longer felt the sense of warmth and hospitality from the homeland. The people were hurt, and she felt their pain. Military invasions, political protests, and air raids had impacted the country for nearly two decades, and while it was easy to hide behind rose colored glasses, Kalina had decided to no longer shield herself from the community.

Returning to Novi Grad for a short visit, she intended to lay a vision before Anastasia, of helping the citizens in any way she could. Anastasia's husband, Mikael, was now a member of the Office of the Sokovian President, and Kalina wanted to design her vision informally before bringing it to the hands of officials.

It was a lot, but her heart broke for her brothers and sisters, and having left to Paris to start a life of her own, she felt a moral obligation tugging at her chest to support the home she loved so dearly. Kalina's primary focus was to establish a fund to monetarily assist families whose personal businesses had either gone under due to the crash of the Sokovian Dollar, or had been destroyed in the air raids of years prior, and could not manage to get to their feet again.

She was a businesswoman, and this was her specialty. If she could convince private Sokovian stakeholders to contribute, for the good of the country, it would not cost the government a dime. Shaking her head, she rolled her eyes. The last organization she wanted to deal with was the Sokovian government. Feeling like they had already failed the citizens, Kalina harbored a small bit of resentment toward the officials sworn to protect them. She was blessed, but knew many families who were not so fortunate.

Shuffling a few documents in a folder, she glanced to her phone screen, which did not populate any new notifications. Anastasia must be running late, much like the other Sokovians on the road. She chuckled to herself and sipped the latte once more, watching the traffic become more frustrated in the morning rush.

A group of teens at a nearby table laughed vibrantly, likely catching morning coffee together before heading to the university downtown. Kalina missed the days she had no responsibility and sat at the local cafes drinking and laughing about a term paper or a group project. When she was younger, she felt so invincible and free, like nothing mattered other than waking up in the morning and completing her school work. She silently envied the group as she sat alone at her own table.

Now, life had grown busy, and she constantly sought to add new items to her list of to-dos, to keep herself occupied and her mind from wandering. Maybe I'm simply a glutton for punishment, she thought to herself, looking at the event calendar before her.

Cars began to honk at each other, traffic seeming to slow down to a halt in the road. A man rolled his window down and yelled an angry Sokovian swear at the driver in front of him. The laughter from the teens halted abruptly, and was drowned out by the sudden commotion in the street, as drivers began to exit their cars in a dazed manner. Kalina looked at the table of teens, who were suddenly no longer seated there, their cups still steaming with hot liquid in the cool morning air.

Patrons in the cafe peered through windows, before starting to exit the building slowly. Kalina rose to her feet, looking at the crowd begin to form in the road. People had begun to walk the opposite way down the streets that their cars were previously driving.

"Is everything alright?" Kalina stopped a woman nearby who had stepped out of the cafe.

"I'm not sure. Something is just telling me to leave." The woman's eyes fixated on the crowd, not making eye contact with Kalina. She frowned and placed a hand on her chest. "You need to go."

Letting the woman step away, her heart began to race. The crowd grew larger and moved more quickly away from the center of the city. Kalina swept up her books and papers and placed them in the oversized tote hanging off her chair. As soon as she grabbed her phone off the table, the urge to run overwhelmed her body. Not being able to place where the anxiety had suddenly spurned from, she moved with haste to the crowd of Sokovians.

No sooner than she joined her people, a thunderous sound crashed through the sky above the buildings, as if a tiny jet plane had rushed overhead. Glancing upward, she could only catch a glimpse of what appeared to be a blur of red and gold in the sky. It looked to be heading toward the center of their city, to a church that had stood proud in Novi Grad for as long as she could remember.

Kalina was pushed and bumped by others in the crowd, as she tried to dial Anastasia. The phone rang once before immediately going to voicemail.

"Anastasia, I don't know what is going on in downtown, but I'm leaving the cafe. I'll meet with you as soon as I can get out of the city, but please stay away." She looked around at the crowd she had blended into, and cut off the call.

A man in a uniform wearing a brightly colored circle on his back was waving to the crowd, shouting and prompting the citizens to leave the city immediately. The sun was beginning to rise to higher in the sky, and the reflection off his backpack blinded Kalina. Her confusion turned to realization, as the backpack appeared more as a shield, and she recognized the man as someone who they called Captain America.

Captain America. The Americans. The Avengers. They must be in Novi Grad, but why? Kalina's racing heart skipped a few beats as she was shoved by a man and his adolescent daughter running down the street. A young woman with dark brown hair was yelling to passers by in fluent Sokovian, guiding people down the streets in obvious haste. Kalina, desperate and confused, reached out to her.

"What do you know...?" Her Sokovian was shaky and panicked, as she lightly grabbed the woman's upper arm, the material of her red jacket rubbed in Kalina's hands, sticking like a poorly made faux leather. The woman made eye contact with her, visibly distressed and exhausted. Placing her own hand over Kalina's, she comforted her with urgency. The crowd seemed to slow down around them for a brief moment in time, and the gesture became intimate.

"Please... trust me... Go." The voice of the woman was soothing, genuine concern expressed in her eyes. Kalina nodded without hesitation, and squeezed the other brunette's hand before departing the area. Whatever the woman knew that they could not see, her selfless compassion for the Sokovians around her reminded Kalina of her admiration for her country.

Small planes began soaring in the skies overhead, only, they were not planes, they were people. Bodies made of some sort of metal were both in the sky and rising from the ground. The people's screams resounded in Kalina's ears as she picked up her feet and began to run down the street, away from the robot-like beings. She clutched her tote at her side, damning herself for wearing heels.

Whatever was occurring before their eyes, they would surely come out stronger for, Kalina reassured herself as she ran.

This was Sokovia. This was her home.

-----

the outskirts of novi grad

"Don't worry, they are fighting in the city. We're miles from harm." Helmut looked into Heike's eyes, attempting to reassure her, wiping a tear from her cheek as she held their son, Carl, in her arms. At nearly two and half years old, the only thing the toddler cared about in this moment was seeing Iron Man fly by their vehicle on the way to the Zemo estate from the inner city. Helmut had smiled peacefully watching his son point and giggle at the sky, unaware of the looming danger in Novi Grad.

Heike stood in the drive of the estate as Heinrich Zemo stepped out to rush them inside. Helmut leaned in to kiss his wife's forehead with marked hesitation, before nodding toward his father. "It will be alright, stay here. Stay safe. I will be back for you as soon as the dust settles."

Nearing the end of Helmut's EKO Scorpion commitment, his team was abruptly called to Novi Grad on this morning to aide in the clearing on the city. His unit had received intelligence on the hostile threats in the area, and was enroute to retrieve their commander, Colonel Zemo, in order to brief him on the way. They would arrive to the estate at any minute, and Helmut wanted to ensure his family was safe before rushing away to whatever faced their team at the capital.

He smiled at Carl, who clutched a small toy while in his mother's arms. Sounds of the city echoed in the countryside as the mountains sang an eerie tune, foreshadowing the events that would occur. "You be a strong boy, my little sun. It will all be over soon."

Helmut leaned in to kiss his sons forehead, as the young boy giggled unaware of the situation. He flew a bright colored airplane in his tiny hands, showing it to Heike, whose eyes were now filled with tears. The man looked to his father and nodded once more, indicating it was time to move inside as the low rumble of trucks crested the hills near the estate.

"Father will be here, I will ensure I clear the city and find your family." Helmut pressed Heike's shoulder toward his father, prompting them to retreat. He could see the dark, olive green trucks shadow the horizon. Their cargo areas covered by tied down tarps, in typical military fashion, to transport the teams into the city. He would change into uniform and don his weapon as he was briefed.

"Helmut, I love you. Be safe." Heike turned into the arms of Heinrich, who led the woman and her son into the estate. Wait staff surrounded them, ensuring their belongings had been retrieved from the chauffeur vehicle and that they were safely secured in the home.

Without acknowledging Heike's affection, Helmut stoically turned to receive three large vehicles as they pulled up to the drive. A few men stepped out of the back of the lead truck to let down a short ladder that would allow him to hoist himself into the cargo area. As he stepped into the back, he barked for his uniform. The men on the ground climbed back into the rusted truck bed and clicked the tailgate closed to keep the teammates inside. The truck engine's low rumble angrily growled at the men, as it started to accelerate off of the property.

Helmut threw off his suit jacket and undid his tie. The estate grew smaller in the distance as the truck sped down the road hastily toward the city. As he unbuttoned his undershirt and replaced it with his uniform top, he looked at the man seated directly across from him. "What are we expecting?"

As the trucks roared into the city, the chaos had already increased. Sokovians were running down the street screaming and crying. Parents were yelling to their children to hurry up as they rushed for cover. Robotic men resembling the Iron Man flew through the air, terrorizing the citizens and destroying property.

Paper, building scraps, and dust and debris swirled in the mid morning sky, as rubble settled from the fallout of explosions heard nearby. Helmut ushered his men out of the trucks, and directed them down different paths, yelling over the screams and noise of the iron mens' attacks. The citizens around them shoved each other out of the way, and order was no longer an option.

He held his rifle close to his body and took a group of men with him, simply trying to stave off the assailants and protect the Sokovians around him from their destruction. Racing through the crowds, he knew their ultimate mission was to protect the people and destroy the enemy. The Avengers had arrived in the city, and were already fighting off the powerful flying men.

Helmut fired off his gun, yelling commands to the men around him, pushing Sokovians away from harm, and sweating in the heat of adrenaline. The energy in the city was distressful and hurried, as more iron men appeared on the horizons. The fight would never end like this.

A large green man barreled down the road in a fit of rage, throwing the metal beings into the ground as he moved. The colonel pushed a woman and her child out of the way of the over sized man's path. Helmut watched as the green man demolished a building as he jumped to attack more of the android beings.

In the distance, gunfire from weaponry that was attached to one of the robots rang against the walls of the structures. It did not sound like bullets, but a collection of energy condensed and fired, like a laser of destruction. The sweat dripped down his face as he continued to fire his gun in retort to the power of their machinery.

One of the EKO Scorpion team mates cried out in agony, as he was hit with a powerful blast. Helmut turned to yell at his other men to recover the injured, when suddenly the ground beneath him began to quake. He looked at his feet, now able to see the tremors, as they grew more aggressive. Looking up, unsure of what was occurring, it appeared that blocks away the earth began to rise.

Sokovians ran toward him, still evacuating the area, as he stood in sudden awe and shock. Without a doubt that it appeared a portion of the city was rising into the sky, he immediately changed his priority, and started ushering citizens away from the breaking ground. The faces blurred before him, as he tried to drown out the chaos of the men flying overhead to get his people to safety. The sounds began to muffle as the earth on front of them was torn apart.

Heart racing out of his skin, Helmut shouted toward people that were falling behind, and attempted to help an elderly family down the street with haste. He called to his men in the area to aide the hurt and disabled out of the road. Being shoved by a man who was running away, Helmut turned his attention back to the rising city, seeing Iron Man fly near the levitating chunk of earth. Screams from above of citizens still stuck on the rock rang down to the city below.

The chaos on the street intensified as other Sokovians realized what was happening behind them, watching Novi Grad rise into the sky. The Avengers were in full battle in the air, and Helmut felt helpless on the ground, small and insignificant to do anything. Still, he was determined to protect his home, and ushered a man around the corner of the street. Children were crying and a young boy ran down the street alone, a woman screaming for him nearby to hurry.

Helmut turned back toward the city center, but was rushed into by a woman in distress, her bare feet bleeding and scraped from running in the rubble. He grabbed her shoulders, stabilizing her, as she pushed away, head down looking toward the next street corner.

"I'm sorry-" she choked anxiously and rushed out of his grasp, continuing to race away from the city flying above them, her brunette hair disheveled and blowing behind her as she ran. He let her go and returned to directing others to safety. The lingering smell of the woman, lilac and vanilla bean, hung in the air.

As Sokovians around him ran for safety, Helmut knew that all he could do now was protect the home he loved from the destruction that lie ahead.

-----

Kalina's heels cut sharply into her ankles as she ran the street with the crowd of Sokovians. The robotic men threatened to destroy anyone that got in their way, seeking only to demolish their surroundings and cause mass panic. The screams of the people surrounded her, as children became separated from their parents, and people trampled over each other. Pushing and shoving had become acceptable in this situation, and it was every man and woman for themselves.

She cried in fear, trying desperately to see through her tears. The pain in her feet was unbearable, and she slowed down, dodging other runners, to defeatedly remove her shoes. She would run barefoot if she had to, but she would make it out of this city. The ground began to shutter beneath her feet, and she felt the rubble on her toes begin to shake. Turning around, she watched as the city behind her began to take flight into the sky. She watched as cars began to sink into the ground only a block away from her, and screeches of the Sokovians falling into the abyss pierced her soul.

Wasting no time, she threw her shoes to the ground and ran away from the crumbling earth. She was terrified to look behind her, her face becoming streaked in tears as she sprinted as fast as she could. She was not the most athletic woman, and struggled often to catch her breath, but she maintained her health well enough to stay agile in this dangerous moment.

Kalina weaved around other people who were slower, wishing she could do anything else but run away in fear. She felt horror at what was happening to her city, and felt like a liability to others trying to get out. Determined to get out alive, she kept pushing herself, her bare feet starting to blister and bleed from the ground below her. She could feel blood pricking the skin from small cuts, but the adrenaline buried any pain she felt. The only feeling coursing through her veins was fear and an inherent desire to live.

She kept her eyes on the ground, careful to avoid anything sharp that could have cut her feet more. Rounding the corner of the block, she was met with a hard thud from running into another, which sent her back. Strong hands grabbed her shoulders in comfort and steadiness, but she needed to get away.

"I'm sorry-" she felt squeak out of her throat. Without looking to the body, she moved out of their way and rushed toward her original path, in pursuit of safety. She felt a rush of air whisk by her face as one of the iron men flew briskly overhead.

The city looming behind her was now high in the sky, and cries of the citizens trapped on the massive rock echoed on the mountains around the part of Novi Grad that remained in tact. A large aircraft roared overhead into her vision, appearing to position itself to the edge of the rock. Kalina couldn't stop her tears, the pessimism starting to settle in as she dodged building debris that crashed to the ground around her.

I am going to die here, she thought to herself, her vision blurred by dust. I will die here, and I will die alone.

She screeched, avoiding a metal being that dipped to the ground in front of her, threatening to shoot its laser arms at her. Quickly turning into an alleyway, she ran away from the figure along with several other citizens. The dark block between buildings was narrow, slowing the movement of those that were racing between the walls. Sounds of the rubble moving off the top of the structure caused Kalina to look up. She saw the debris begin to tumble into the alley, threatening to block their exit, and she quickly deliberated her two choices: run and get crushed or slow down and become blocked in.

Choosing to run, she picked up the pace, trying to weave between small pieces that hit the ground first. The exit of the alley was in near sight, and if she could just reach the end, she could move farther out of the city. Some of the others that chose to run along side her called out in terror. Feet from the alley opening, she heard debris crash behind her and the screams of a few unlucky Sokovians who became trapped in the fall.

Choosing not to look back, Kalina broke out into a sprint again down the street. She could see the shadow of the airborne Novi Grad beginning to cover parts of the city below. Loud crashes coming from above in the center of the city, as well as around her, no longer startled the woman as she continued to rush away from the crater.

A sudden cry of a woman's voice resonated in the air nearly deafening her. Kalina couldn't see where the sound emitted, but felt the pain behind the sound: something horrible had happened. The aircraft in the sky began to roar away behind her, and she could feel the rumble of the propulsion in the ground below her, only the ship wasn't causing these new tremors.

Cries from the fellow Sokovians around her began to roar louder, and she caught a glimpse of a few pointing to the sky. Coming to a jog, she turned her head to follow the fingers of the others. A flaming ball of fire appeared in the sky above the clouds, lighting the atmosphere like a meteor. A supersonic sound shook the mountains and echoed into the valley.

No sooner than Kalina saw the city of Novi Grad begin to fall to the ground, it exploded midair, sending large chunks of land hurtling down. The objective was no longer to run away, but to run for cover. Civilians scattered around her, desperately seeking to get into buildings to avoid the impact of the city crashing around them.

Moving toward an old apartment complex that had already seen destruction, Kalina ducked her head as fragments of the city started to hit the ground around her. She reached the door of the building and rushed in with several others, seeking shelter in an open apartment. Rushing to the bathroom, hoping to shield herself from the danger, the building walls shuttered with the impact of a piece of the falling city.

An ominous rumble precluded the sound of the apartment as is began to cave in. Kalina hid in the bathroom with four other Sokovians, crying and holding each other close. The walls shook with immense force as any light from the outside sun disappeared into darkness.

This is the end, Kalina cried to herself, clutching to a man in the darkness. I am free.

Siren cries rang heavy in the air, as what once was Novi Grad sat a desolated memory in the valley of Sokovia. The darkness of the night was making any rescue and recovery efforts nearly impossible. Screams and howls of loved ones lost hung in the sky, and shouts from civilians looking for their families reverberated around the city.

The city was unrecognizable, a large crater had been established in the center and the remainder of the ground was covered in litter and debris from the explosion. The iron men that once threatened to harm the Sokovians now lay defeated in the rubble, no longer able to terrorize the city. An overwhelming sense of desperation lingered over the city, to find family and friends, to be free of the wreckage, to find a home that no longer existed.

Kalina's body lay on the ground, covered in dust and blood. She lay face up to the sky on top of a pile of bricks, still holding onto a man's jacket. As she opened her eyes to the screeches of the police and rescue teams, she looked up to the stars in a completely clear, cold spring sky. Lights from the city were near to non-existent, as it had seemed most of the power grid had been blown out. It made the stars much clearer and easier to see.

She blinked the dirt from her eyes, her tear stained face was now grimy and her matted hair splayed around her in the building material that remained of the apartment complex. Flashlights flickered every so often across the bodies, and Kalina could see temporary lighting had been placed in the area, illuminating what they could of the destruction in the streets.

The night was eerily quiet aside from the helpless cries from the people. There was no fighting, there were no metal androids flying around disturbing the peace, and there were no Avengers.

Kalina struggled to pull herself up from where she lay awkwardly, but could not sit up, her body sore with muscle failure. The man whose jacket she held was no longer in her sight as he was before the building tumbled down. She could see what appeared to be arms sticking out from the rubble nearby, and choked back tears.

Pushing heavy bricks off her body, she attempted to dislodge a stuck foot from the wreckage, held in place by the building wall that was crushing her ankle. She had managed to finally sit upright against another piece of debris, and croaked out a shout, her voice lost in the cries of others. Managing to lift her arms shakily, she waved them around in the air attempting to acquire help. It was futile, there were so many others needing to be tended to, and so few able bodied people to help.

She cried, mustering all her might, as she placed her free bare foot against the sheet of concrete and brick covering her other, and began to push, pulling her foot out at the same time. The pain was excruciating and hot tears flooded her eyes as she bit her lip. Letting out a desperate scream, she managed to release her foot from its prison. It was crushed, and she was certain it had been broken somehow.

Looking around her, Kalina looked for anyone else nearby that showed signs of life. The ground was still, a graveyard of her Sokovian family lay in the wreckage of Novi Grad. Her heart rose in her throat as a lump that she struggled to choke down. As she pulled herself up to standing, she tested the weight of her body on her foot. It burned a white hot pain in several places, but she could manage to fight through the discomfort, afraid to lay among the deceased for long.

As she hobbled out of the destruction, a police officer, just as disheveled as she, ran to her side to help her into the street. She willingly accepted his help and steadied herself on the flat ground as another woman came into their sight, blood pouring from a gash in her forehead. Kalina pushed the police officer toward the woman, declaring hers a much more serious injury. As the man rushed away, she attempted to walk on her own, unsure of what she should do.

There were no ambulances nearby, no cars could drive through the streets she found herself in in their current state anyway. The sirens were distant, but rang so close in the silent night. The injured and survivors would have to figure out their own next steps to recover themselves and reach the emergency stations. She looked out into the dark street at the despair and demolition of her city. People clutched their deceased loved ones, and families attempted to find life.

Kalina's heart now sank into her stomach as she cautiously walked down the street. The city lay in ruin before her eyes. How many people had succumb to the destruction of Novi Grad? Where were the Avengers, so hasty to come into the city to fight but just as quick to leave once the damage was done? Who was there to help the Sokovians now?

Her home was destroyed, Novi Grad was everything to Sokovia: its political capital, the source of its major businesses and banks, its very essence of history and tradition. Now it had been completely obliterated and its citizens were in despair.

Kalina cried silently to herself, no longer able to put weight on her feet. She leaned over and sat down on the ground, curling her knees to her chest and placing her face into her hands. She sobbed, feeling guilty for surviving as well as utterly helpless.

Everything she once knew and loved was now lost in a memory.