"Schmidt's working with powers beyond our capabilities," Howard told everyone sitting at the war room table. "He gets across the Atlantic, he will wipe out the entire eastern seaboard in an hour."
All the Howling Commandos listened as Col Phillips described the final Hydra base being underground in the Alps.
"So what are we supposed to do?" Morita asked. "It's not like we can knock on the front door."
"Why not?" Steve asked and all heads swiveled toward him. "That's exactly what we're going to do."
Liv and Bucky crashed through the secret lair's windows with Falsworth, their guns drawn. They started firing while Falsworth tossed Steve his shield.
While Steve chased after Schmidt, Liv and Bucky made their way, back to back, toward the plane pad in hopes they could get there quick enough to disable the bombs.
Their path blocked by an army of Hydra soldiers, Bucky pushed Liv against the wall to hide them while he tried to come up with a plan. Liv grabbed his jacket.
"Pick off the two closest to us and let's steal their uniforms. What better way to walk through the crowd and get on the plane than dressed as one of them?" she whispered.
"And that's why I love you," Bucky said with a smirk. "You're the smartest gal I've ever met." Liv rolled her eyes but smiled.
The deed done, they quickly donned the Hydra uniforms and slowly moved toward the plane so as to not draw attention to themselves.
They had barely made it up the plane's stairs when gunfire erupted.
"Hide!" Bucky hissed, pulling Liv down with him behind some crates.
They peeked over the crates to see Schmidt board and head for the cockpit.
As the plane barreled down the runway and lifted off, Bucky glanced at Liv as his mind whirled about what to do next. He pulled off his helmet and peeled off the uniform; she did the same.
He motioned for her to follow him and they stealthily inched toward the bombs when they suddenly saw Steve appear on the catwalk. Both were relieved to see him.
Steve locked eyes with Bucky and pointed at the bomb labeled New York. Bucky nodded and headed straight for it when several Hydra pilots ran into the bay. Liv immediately raised her pistol as Steve battled with his shield, deflecting knife swipes.
Bucky disabled the New York bomb while Liv worked to switch off the others.
"I'm going after Schmidt," Steve yelled to them and they waved him on.
Moments later the plane took a nose dive. Liv and Bucky tumbled and tried to find purchase as the plane dropped altitude.
When the plane leveled out, Bucky hurried to Liv, grabbed her hand to help her up, and they rushed toward the cockpit.
They got there in time to witness a bright flash of light and Schmidt's disappearance.
Steve took the pilot seat and radioed Peggy. Bucky and Liv stood behind him.
"There's not going to be a safe landing. But I can try to force it down," Steve explained. "I gotta put her in the water."
Tears welling in her eyes, Liv squeezed Bucky's hand as Steve told Peggy this was his choice.
Liv knew they were going to die and she'd never see her cousin again. She'd never be able to say yes and marry Bucky. She would never ride a horse again. She bit her lip to keep from sobbing.
Steve aimed the plane for the ice as he promised Peggy he would have the band play something slow.
Bucky pulled Liv to him in a tight embrace right before the plane made impact and they all blacked out.
Liv opened her eyes and blinked at the sunlight coming through the window.
Am I dead? she wondered.
She realized she was laying in a bed, dressed in a nightgown. She lifted her hands and looked at them before turning her head to see she was in a hospital ward.
Steve was in the next bed over, asleep.
We made it, she told herself, faintly smiling as she laid back on the pillow. We didn't die in a plane crash. We … wait, where's Bucky?
"Where's Bucky?" she frantically asked, her voice rusty. She struggled to sit up, her limbs feeling like jelly. She wrestled with the sheets, pushing them off and swinging her legs over the side.
"Steve," she tried to say a little more loudly.
"Hmmm," he sleepily murmured, rolling onto his side.
"Steve," she said again, forcing her legs to work so she could get out of bed.
He cracked open an eye and glanced at her.
"Where's Bucky?" Liv hoarsely asked.
His brain finally awake, Steve sat up and looked around.
"I dunno know. Where are we?" he said, noticing the rest of the room was eerily empty, devoid of sound.
Liv managed to stand, ignoring the fact she was barefoot, and she shuffled (more like stumbled) toward what looked like an entry point. Steve came alongside her, sliding an arm around her waist to help keep her upright.
Panic began to rise in Liv's chest when she spotted Bucky's jacket hanging over a chair near the door. It was splattered with blood. Her gasp startled Steve, who halted and followed her gaze.
She moved out of the Steve's grasp, gingerly lifting the jacket off the chair. She buried her face in it and crumpled to the ground.
"Bucky!" she screamed.
A/N: In case you're wondering how Liv survived the plane crash, she has a little bit of super soldier serum flowing through her bloodstream. How, you might ask? As with any "disease" you can get a "virus" through needles or sexual transmission. Since she slept with both Steve and Bucky, she was "infected" by both, giving her immune system a bit of a boost. Remember, this is science fiction :) One more chapter to go ... be kind enough to leave a review, would ya? Any ideas for a sequel are welcome too.
