Bucky
The sound of the gun scattering across the floor filled his ears as he heard Niko's voice. "Your move Barnes"
Bucky took a breath and he looked at Hill, she was right next to him. Her eyes were calm, but he knew she was worried, but they'd gotten out of worse things. He saw her eyes blink and then she gave him a nod. Bucky reached and he pulled a knife out and he held it ready. Hill looked to their right and Bucky jumped up out of the cover of the console and he saw Magnus move. Bucky barely blinked when he moved his metal arm out and punched Magnus in the face as he ran right into his fist.
Bucky saw Niko and he didn't have a gun, Bucky ran and he jumped. Niko reached down and grabbed a knife out of his boot and he went to throw it. Hill fire and the bullet went through Niko's hand. He dropped the knife and he exclaimed in pain. Bucky landed and rolled forward. He came up and he brought the knife forward. Niko turned and he caught his hand and stopped the knife from going into his throat. Niko pulled Bucky to the right and Bucky lost grip and he stumbled away. Niko turned and another bullet hit him, but this time in the vest. Niko moved toward Hill, his wound on his hand healing quickly. Hill fired and one bullet hit Niko in the shoulder and she went to squeeze off another shot, but Magnus kicked her into the wall.
Bucky saw Hill smack into the wall and Niko and Magnus converging on her. Bucky flipped the knife around and he threw the knife and it went right into Niko's back. Niko stopped and a gurgled yell escaped his throat and he reached back and pulled the knife out. Hill fired at Magnus and he quickly dodged and ran away from her firing. She got up and slammed another mag into her pistol and she watched as Niko punched Bucky and she went to aim, but she caught Magnus in her peripheral and she turned her gun towards him.
Bucky heard more gunfire and then a loud smack as Hill kicked Magnus in the chest to get him away. Bucky reached around and flipped Niko. He hit the floor and turned toward Bucky, he pulled out a knife and swung at him. Bucky dodged the slash and he sidestepped and he blocked the next slash and he head butted Niko. Niko reeled back and he grunted in pain. Bucky pulled out another knife and they both stood before each other, knives ready. Niko moved in and Bucky dodged the stab and he swung his leg up and hit Niko in the chest. Niko stumbled back and recovered, throwing the knife. Bucky raised his metal arm up and the knife scrapped against it and flew to the side.
Niko lunged forward and caught Bucky around the waist and they smacked into the floor. Bucky's head snapped back and thumped against the floor, he felt his nerves tighten and he blinked and he saw Niko's fist coming down. Bucky moved his head and he put his mouth on Niko's forearm and sunk his teeth into it. Niko's scream came to his ears and Bucky bit harder and harder till he tasted blood in his mouth. Niko punched Bucky off of his arm and he backed off, he looked at his forearm and as the bite wound healed.
Bucky was up and he was ready. They both went for each other. Hill dodged Magnus's punch and he got caught by the next. She hit the wall and Magnus grabbed her by the throat. Hill's hands shot to his wrist and she looked into his goggled eyes. She blinked and she suddenly saw Bucky. Magnus tightened his grip and she felt her heart jump in a panic and she brought the gun up and fired. Magnus loosened his grip and let go of Hill's throat. She began to cough as her lungs were able to breathe. He looked down and her gun was against his gut and he felt something warm running down his lower back.
Niko looked over as Magnus had a large exit wound on his lower back and Hill fired again. Magnus fell back and he hit the floor. His eyes stared up at the ceiling and he reached up and pulled his goggles off. Niko punched Bucky and he grabbed a knife and sliced Bucky across the chest. His vest blocked the blade, but at the very end of the slice it cut his skin. Bucky kicked Niko in the leg and made him fall to the floor. Niko looked up and Bucky's foot hit him in the face, sending him backward and into the floor.
Magnus looked at Hill and he put his hands into fists and he was suddenly up and Hill reacted and Magnus grabbed her arm and he yanked it up and her wrist snapped. She yelled and the gun dropped. Magnus let go of her wrist and he punched her in the face.
Bucky ran across the room and he vaulted over the console and he tackled Magnus. They clattered against the floor and Bucky punched Magnus in the chest and he grabbed him by the throat and threw him across the room. Magnus hit the console and rolled off and clapped against the floor. Bucky turned and he heard a gun go off. It was like everything stopped, he felt something warm and he felt his arm burn as a bullet went across the skin, grazing it.
Hill grabbed her gun off the floor and he fired at Niko, the one with the gun. She hit him in the shoulder and he turned and fired at her. The bullet missed, but only because Bucky jumped over the console and tackled Niko to the floor, making his arm shift and the bullet went into the wall. Bucky leaned up and Niko punched him in the face. Bucky got to his feet and Niko did the same. Hill fired another bullet at Niko.
Magnus stood behind Hill and he grabbed her. Hill's shit missed and he turned her around and he punched her in the face. Hill stumbled back and she blocked the second attack, Magnus moved and he dodged her punch and he kicked her in the gut. Bucky went to help, but Niko slashed with a knife. Bucky dodged it and went to disarm him.
Hill moved back as Magnus kept coming. She had her broken wrist close to her chest and she ducked a kick. Magnus disappeared and reappeared next to her, she moved her arm and he caught it. She head butted him and he reeled back. He pulled off his mask and he gritted his teeth and he ran forward.
Hill moved and barley dodged it, Magnus saw her gun and he dodged the first bullet. He got close and she fired again. He grabbed her other wrist and he shoved her up against the wall. She smacked against it and bounced off of it slightly and Magnus moved, catching and slamming her into the wall. Hill felt all the air leave her and Magnus moved.
Bucky had a hand grab him and he was thrown back and he slid across the floor and hit a console. He looked, Niko was smiling and he walked toward Hill. She slid down the wall and sat on the floor, her lungs focused on getting air. Bucky went to move, but Magnus grabbed him and pulled him up to his feet and he kicked him in the leg and made him fall to his knees. Bucky felt a pistol touch the back of his head. Hill looked up at Niko and he grabbed her gun and he held it in his hand. He reached down and he grabbed her by her collar and yanked her across the floor. Bucky watched as Niko pulled Hill toward him and he yanked her forward and she slid in front of Bucky. She looked up at him and her nose was leaking blood.
Niko grabbed her and pulled her up to her knees. He smiled "The two love birds"
Bucky and Hill looked at each other and Niko looked at Hill's gun in his hand. "One bullet left, what to do" he said softly
Bucky looked up at Niko "Use it on yourself, I know that's part of the plan"
"But it's too soon, Barnes. I haven't killed you yet."
Hill felt tears coming to her eyes.
Steve
His legs moved against the odd feeling that moving backwards gave you. His legs worked differently, he had his eyes on Sean. Steve had the hologram shield up and he kept his eyes on Sean as he stomped toward them, shield raised and he had a pistol in his other hand, firing it occasionally. Steve stared into his determined eyes. Clint was dragging Allen, Steve was last in their line. Natasha quickly took out two of Niko's men who tried to cut them off. She kicked one in the face and she turned to the other and she drove her hand into his throat and shocked him.
Steve put his eyes back on Sean, who was still charging forward. Allen aimed his rifle and he fired it at Sean, the bullet hit the shield and hit the floor, flattened. Allen fired again, with the same result. Steve glanced back and Natasha shot two more men and he looked back at Sean. They wouldn't be able to get away with Sean on their heels. "We're not going to get very far" Steve said
"We'll deal with it" Clint said through his strained face as he kept dragging Allen at a steady pace.
"Get Allen to Quinjet, I'll buy you, sometime"
"I'm not leaving you alone on a Helicarrier again" Natasha exclaimed from the front.
"You're not leaving me, Allen will bleed out at this rate. Plus, I need to get back to Bucky and Hill."
Natasha was silent for a brief moment and knew better than to argue. "Come on Clint" she said.
Steve stopped moving and Clint quickly pulled Allen to his feet and held him up. Allen helped with the weak ability to stand and walk. Once they were safe, Steve stared down the hallway, Sean was coming. He lowered his hologram shield. Sean stopped his menacing stomp. He tossed the pistol away and he rolled his shoulders. "Time to make sure you stay dead"
Steve took a deep breath and Sean made the first move. Sprinting forward, Steve glanced at the wall and he quickly threw the hologram shield and it hit the wall and bounced off and went right for Sean. Which he ducked and dodged. Steve only smirked as the shield hit the wall and then hit another and came right back to him. But first it hit Sean in the back, sending him forward. Steve brought his foot up and he pushed against Sean's chest as he flew forward. Steve brought the hologram back and he swung it down at Sean's face. Sean brought up the shield and blocked it and he swung his leg. Steve backed off, dodging the leg swipe.
Sean got to his feet and he stomped forward, his heart racing from the adrenaline pumping through his veins. Steve stood, waiting for Sean to make a move. And he did, Steve blocked his arm with the hologram shield and he countered with a fist to the face. Sean quickly retaliated and he swung his fist forward. Steve dodged it and he jabbed him in the ribs and went to kick Sean's leg. Sean moved one of his legs back as Steve's foot hit the floor. Sean yelled and tackled him to the floor. Steve brought up the hologram shield as Sean brought the shield down toward his throat.
The metal hit the hologram and it glanced off and Sean was wide open. Steve punched him in the face and he brought his leg up and hit him in the back of the head. Sean leaned forward and Steve got to his knees and he grabbed Sean by the throat. Sean felt Steve's tight grip and he went to grab his arm. Steve yanked his hand way from Sean's throat, knowing that if Sean got a hold of him, his arm would get broken. Sean swung the shield and Steve fell back onto his back as the shield missed his face by an inch. Steve rolled himself backwards and landed on his feet and stood.
He quickly had to counter Sean's next movement. He felt the shield hit him in the chest. Steve flew back and he landed on the floor. He groaned as he looked at Sean as he walked toward him, smiling. Steve laid there on the floor, waiting. Sean stood over him, Steve faked the look of being hurt and exhausted. Sean knelt down. "I want to see the life leave those blue eyes"
Steve winced as his chest ached a little, he didn't have to fake that. Sean held the edges of the shield in both hands and he raised it above his head. Steve waited, as Sean began to bring the shield down, aimed at Steve's throat. Steve quickly reached back and pulled out a knife and he drove it into Sean's ribs. The blade hit Sean's skin like a wall then it went right into his flesh. Sean dropped the shield and it hit the floor next to Steve's head. Sean stared down at Steve and he yanked the knife out of his ribs and he punched him in the throat. Sean feel back and he hit the floor. His hands on his side as blood flowed from the wound.
Steve got to his feet and he put the knife away. "Titanium" Steve said.
Sean looked up at him, his mouth wide open, breathing in shrill breaths. Steve grabbed his shield and he raised it up. Sean stared up at him and Steve gritted his teeth and he went to bring it down. He should kill him, he needed to kill him. But Steve stopped and he kept the shield up above his head. Sean looked up at him, confused. Steve took a deep breath "I know you can hear me Sean, it still isn't too late. Think of what Jacob would want"
He left it at that and he walked away from Sean, he slid the shield onto his left arm and he headed toward the bridge. Steve hoped he didn't come to regret not ending it.
Sean stared up at the ceiling and he could already feel the wound starting to heal. He looked at his hand, his blood coated it. He took a deep breath and he thought about Jacob, then something came out and shoved Jacob away and punched Sean in the face. Anti-Cap looked down at him. "Do that again, I'll make sure you stay away"
Sean looked up at Anti-Cap and he shifted his eyes away, afraid of himself. Anti-Cap smiled and nodded "Like I said Sean, let me take it from here"
Natasha
Her finger squeezed the trigger and she fired the pistol with two consecutive shots, taking down two men. She looked back at Clint, Allen was leaning against him, his hand on his wound, blood running down his uniform and to his boots. "Come on, the Hangar is just up ahead"
Allen chuckled "I know I always belittled you Barton"
"Not now Allen" Clint said
"I just wanted to say, a rifle is still better"
Clint shook his head "At least dying doesn't take away your sense of humor"
Allen chuckled and it turned into a cough. Natasha looked back at them "Just here" she said as they came to the Hangar doors. The three of them went through the doors and they watched as Niko's men walked into Quinjets and flew out of the Behemoth. The Hangar was huge, rows and rows of Quinjets and countless men walking into them.
They slowed their pace and Natasha led them over to a large stack of crates. The knelt down and Clint set Allen down. Natasha kept her eyes on the Quinjets and she saw one that was close. And a team a good distance away from it. She looked back at Clint "We need to stop that team before they get onto that Quinjet."
Clint nodded "Allen you good"
"For now" he said, blood at the side of his mouth and his skin glistening with sweat. Clint nodded, he gave Natasha a look "Let's do this"
Natasha and Clint both looked out from their cover and studied the group of five men. Clint chuckled "This'll be easy"
"Let's just not screw it up" Natasha said
"When did I ever screw anything up?" Clint asked
Natasha frowned and gave his a look, her eyebrow raised. Clint sighed "That was one time"
The team of Niko's men made their way to the Quinjet that would take them down to the city. One glanced over to the left and he could have sworn he saw something, but no one else noticed, so he dismissed it. They got to the Quinjet, a pilot was preparing for takeoff when an arrow hit him in the head. The pilot slumped in his seat. They all turned and Clint stood and fired two arrows. They went right into the chests of the two in the farther back. The remained three went to fire at the archer when Natasha rolled out in front of them and she threw three Widow Bites. They all shook violently as they fell to the ground. Natasha walked up the ramp as they passed out from the length of the shock. Clint came up the ramp with Allen coughing. Natasha pulled the pilot out of the seat and she let him hit the floor with a thud.
Clint set Allen down and buckled him in. Allen looked at him "We doing any flips?"
"Maybe, just don't die Allen" Clint said tightening the straps. Allen chuckled "Just don't make me"
Clint walked over to the seat. He slid into it and locked himself in. He flipped switches. "We'll fly around to the bridge, Bucky made a helluva hole in that thing."
Natasha nodded and she walked over to Allen and grabbed his rifle. Allen looked at her, but she just dismissed him as she walked over to the ramp. She grabbed a handle and held on as Clint brought the Quinjet to life. Clint pulled on the controls and the Quinjet came off the ground. He aimed the Quinjet and he hit the throttle and they flew out of the Behemoth and Clint banked to the right, missing Tony as he flew past. "Stark, have FRIDAY mark this Quinjet as friendly"
"Already done" FRIDAY said
Clint nodded and brought the Quinjet around when one of Niko's men started firing at them. Clint had to stave off going toward the bridge. He sighed "Shit, well gotta shake this guy off"
Rhodey flew passed and he aimed and fired at the Quinjet and it exploded. Clint smirked "Rhodes"
"I'll guide you in" Rhodey said
"Guiding will have to wait, we have a new wave of Quinjets launching"
Clint engaged the weapon systems "I guess we have to clear things up before we pick up Steve and the others"
Natasha nodded and she didn't like it, but kept that to herself.
Bucky
The pistol pressed harder into the back of his head. Hill and Bucky were both on their knees, facing each other. Magnus held a pistol to Bucky's head, making sure to blow his brains out if he moved. Hill had blood running down the side of her face and her wrist was pressed against her chest. Niko stood between the two of them to the right. Hill's gun in his hand. Bucky looked up at him, Niko stared right at him. "Very risky of you Barnes, flying into the Bridge."
Bucky shrugged "I told you I was coming"
Niko chuckled "You should have stayed away"
"You would have tried to kill him either way" Hill said
Niko turned his eyes onto Hill "Very clever, but I knew I could draw him out"
"And the Avengers along with him" Hill added
Niko knelt down and looked at Hill "It's all part of the plan"
Hill glared at him and she spit in his face. Niko blinked and he wiped her spit from his face. "I see you don't have a tight leash on your bitch here" Niko said to Bucky.
"I hate leashes" Bucky said
Niko smirked and nodded. He turned to Hill and slapped her across the face. He stood and he look at Bucky and smiled. "Better not make me angry Barnes. Who knows who I could shoot?"
Bucky felt his heart jump, his eyes shifted to Hill. Hers to his. Niko looked ta Magnus "If he tried to do anything, shoot him"
Magnus nodded and cocked the pistol. Bucky took a breath "How'd you find him huh?"
"The Maximoff twin, well it was simple. I stole his body"
Hill shifted on her knees and Niko chuckled "You don't understand Enhancement, or what it should really be called. You don't understand Mutation."
Bucky knew he needed to buy time "Enlighten me then"
Niko raised his eyebrows "I know what you're doing Barnes, it's smart. Buying time" Niko knelt down and looked at Bucky. Their faces inches apart. "But it won't save you"
Bucky's upper lip twitched and Niko smiled "You want to kill me, if you could you would. I'm so close, but so far away"
"You don't walk away this time Niko" Bucky said
"I think I will"
"Then we'll keep coming for you till we get you" Hill said "We'll never stop hunting you, you won't be able to take a shit in peace"
Niko laughed "I like her, I see why you fucked her"
Bucky put both his hands into fists. Niko smiled at him "Ooh, am I crossing a boundary?"
"Even if you kill me, you won't make it a month" Bucky said
"I think I would, I've made it months with even you looking for me"
"You never had every Government looking for you"
"Neither have you" Niko said
Bucky gritted his teeth and Niko stood. He looked out the large hole in the bridge, a cool breeze brushed against his face. He watched as his Quinjets attacked the city below. He looked at Bucky again "You know Barnes, nothing will be the same. Once they see what I did, when contingency plans aren't planned for what I did, they will be now. And everyone will know that the Avengers couldn't stop me from killing people"
"I guess they couldn't. But I'm going to stop you"
Niko made a soft humming sound "That's cute, but I don't think so"
Bucky looked at Hill and Niko took a breath "I guess we might as well get on with it"
Bucky frowned and Niko knelt down and aimed his pistol at him. "I have you right where I want you, just press the trigger and a bullet goes through your head."
Hill's eyes widened and Niko looked at her "Don't worry Maria, I'll still be here if you want to have fun"
Hill glared at him, Niko put his hand on her face. She tried to move away, but he reached back and grabbed her hair and pulled her close. He pointed the gun at her face. Bucky felt his heart climb up to his throat, he wanted to kill him he wanted to choke the life from his eyes. Niko chuckled "Pietro's mutation is special, he can heal faster than normal you just didn't give him the chance to"
Niko inched closer to Hill, she reviled from his greasy hair and horrible breath. Niko laughed "Don't worry, you'll still be pleased with me. I can do better than him"
Bucky glanced up and he saw Magnus frowning. Niko let go of Hill's hair and turned back to Bucky, turning the gun to him as well. Bucky let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He felt better with the gun pointed at him than Hill. Niko took a breath "I dreamed of this moment for so long" Niko raised the gun and he put it on Bucky's forehead. "I've wanted to kill you since that night, when they dragged me out of bed and stuck a needle into me. Since they made me what I am. I was put into a cryo tube and frozen. But I was conscience the entire time, and I never aged. I can still feel the cold. And it's all your fault"
Bucky pressed his forehead against the pistol "Go ahead, do it" Bucky said
Niko smirked "I finally have you at my mercy" Niko put his finger on the trigger and he began to increase the pressure. Bucky looked at Hill and he closed his eyes. Niko brought the trigger back farther and farther, closer to letting a bullet go off into Bucky's head. His heart was hammering with anticipation. Niko smiled and he just had to squeeze a little harder and then there would be a bang, a flash and Bucky would be on the floor, dead.
Niko suddenly let go of the rigger and it went back to where it began. He took the pistol away from Bucky's head and Bucky's eyes opened. Niko took a deep breath "But first, I promised you something"
Bucky frowned and Niko turned the gun and he aimed at Hill. Bucky went to move as his heart jumped. Magnus grabbed him and held him back. Niko chuckled "I promised you I'd kill everyone you loved"
Bucky looked at Hill and she stared right at him. Bucky went to move and Niko pulled the trigger. The sound was deafening, everything stopped moving and Bucky watched as the bullet went into Hill's chest and blew out her back. Magnus kicked Bucky to the floor and he kept his eyes on Hill as she fell to her side. Blood flowing out her back and trickling out her mouth. "NO!" Bucky felt himself scream.
Niko laughed and a shield hit him in the chest, eh fell back and hit the floor. Magnus turned and Steve came down toward him. He moved and grabbed Niko and left the bridge. Steve landed and he looked around for any other targets. He looked at Bucky and he stopped and felt his heart drop.
Bucky quickly crawled over to Hill and he pulled her up into his arms. He was breathing heavily and Hill looked at him. Bucky looked at her wound and he could feel her blood pouring out of her back. "No, no, no, no" Bucky kept saying over and over. Hill struggled to breathe as she stared up at him.
Bucky put his hand on the side of her face and he felt tears burning in his eyes as he held her close. "Maria" he said, his voice feeling different. He began to rub his thumb against her cheek "Maria" he choked.
She stared up at him "I'm sorry" she said
Bucky shook his head "No, you have nothing to be sorry about"
Hill blinked slowly and Bucky shook her "Maria, keep your eyes open"
"Bucky?" she said
Bucky nodded "I'm right here, I'm right here" he said his voice breaking.
She raised her hand and he took it and gripped it tightly. "I'm happy I met you" she said
Bucky felt his heart breaking and he held back a sob. "You're the only reason I'm here"
Hill smiled softly "I love you" she said softly
Bucky gritted his teeth and his vision blurred from all the tears "I love you" he said in whisper and she nodded and her eyes drifted away and they Bucky saw her stare. Her eyes stared up at him blankly. He took in a forced breath "Maria?" he asked
There was nothing but silence. Steve was knelt next to him. Bucky held her limp hand in his hand. He brought it to his mouth and kissed it. He almost sobbed right there, but he looked at her and he closed her eyes. He held back a choked sob and he pulled her close and he put his face into her neck and he sobbed. He held back the yell he wanted to let out of him. Bucky felt Steve's hand on his shoulder and Bucky felt even worse. He sobbed into Hill's neck and the only thing he could think about was all the times she comforted him.
Bucky felt Steve's hand leave and he heard a Quinjet humming next to them. Bucky pulled away from Hill's neck and he looked at her beautiful face. He closed his eyes and he felt the burning need enter him. He looked up at Steve and he saw that Steve's eyes were full of tears too. He put his metal hand into a fist. He was going to kill Niko, but first he needed to get Hill out of this place.
The next hour was a blur, from getting into the Quinjet, from everyone's reaction, Bucky just held Hill in his arms the entire time, Niko's men had stopped the attack and Bucky knew that Niko accomplished what he wanted to and he was moving on. Steve was having an agreement with Ross over the comms and Bucky just kept his eyes on Hill, and the burning thought of killing Niko seeping into him.
Bucky heard the report that the Behemoth was moving on and that they were heading back to the Facility. They had two wounded and one dead. Bucky just held Hill close, her warmth was fading away and Bucky held back his emotions, he held them in. He was going to make sure that Hill was taken care of, then he was going to kill Niko. Alone if he had to.
Steve
He smacked the disconnect button and he looked at Natasha "Ross wants us to assist with the cleanup"
"Niko is on the move" Natasha said
"I told him that, and that we are going to take care of this"
"What did he say?" Natasha asked
"He made the remark that we show up when bad things happen, then leave after it, not helping to clean up"
"Niko needs to be stopped now, Ross can screw off for all I care. He killed Hill"
"I know, I said that and Ross just hung up on me. So I take that as I'm going after Niko."
Natasha crossed her arms "Everything went wrong today, things won't be good with the Government after this"
"We'll get through it" Steve said
Natasha nodded, she looked at Bucky; he still had Hill in his arms. She took a deep breath "We don't hold back" she said
Steve nodded "Clint, get us back to the Facility. Allen you doing okay?"
"Just lost some blood, I'll be right as rain"
"Just take it easy" Steve said
Allen nodded, Steve talked into the comms "How's Vision?"
"He's fine, just…a little smashed" Morse's voice said
"We go back to the Facility to regroup and then we plan out a strategy. We're not going to jump into going after Niko with Hill on our minds. We need to be efficient"
"I agree, but damn" Morse said
"I know, but we want to get this done without any more casualties, of any kind"
Steve turned back to Natasha and they stared at each other. No words, they didn't need to speak. Steve pulled her into an embrace and he closed his eyes. He wanted to stop them all, this had been going on too long. It was time to end this.
