(Wednesday, June 22, 2016)
(12:00 PM)

The capital/largest city of Romania shared many characteristics with London and, by extension, many European countries in general: unique architecture, delicious cuisine, and appealing music. Of course, being an European city meant that it would be one of the many that would receive the news of the Vienna International Centre bombing much faster. Taking a glance between the file Sharon passed on them and the apartment building the trio were standing in front of, Steve's mind trailed off to a particular conversation during the flight last night.

As Gwen got her equipment ready on the way to their destination, an alarm lightly chimed in for the Quinjet.

"Incoming call from Natasha Romanoff," F.R.I.D.A.Y. vocalized.

"Put her on speaker," Steve replied, taking neither his hands off the controls nor his eyes off the path.

A moment later, and Natasha's voice blared out.

"Steve?"

"Nat. You alright?"

"Ah... Yeah, thanks. I got lucky."

. . .

"I take it you want me to not go after him?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Listen, I know how much Barnes means to you, I really do. But...stay home. Stay out of this one. Please. You'll only make this worse. For all of us."

"Are you saying you'll arrest me?"

. . .

"No. But someone else will if you interfere. That's how it works now."

"If he's this far gone, Nat...then I should be the one to bring him in."

"Why?"

. . .

"Because I'm the one least likely to die trying."

With that, the call hung up and Steve sighed in melancholy while Sam looked on with amusement.

"She tell you to stay out of it? Because She may have a point."

"He'd do it for me."

"In 1945, maybe. I just want to make sure we considered all our options, because the people that shoot you usually wind up shooting at me too."

"And when it ends up coming down to that, I'll be the one who blocking the bullets."

"Ha. Let's hope so..."

Steve sighed to himself before turning to Sam and Gwen.

"Alright, I'll go inside and check the place out. Gwen, stay with Sam."

"But I'm wearing your uniform and wielding a sword," Gwen protested, "I could take him."

"Yeah, and I can fly while wielding two guns," Sam scoffed, "Who gives a shit? Now hang on."

Lightly grabbing her by the shoulders, Sam then took to the skies as he held on to Gwen, who yelped in fright at the sudden action. After circling around the sky for a while, the both of them landed on a building adjunct to the apartment complex but close enough to where they could intervene when they had to. Gwen hunched over and recaptured her breath as Sam rubbed her on the back.

"You know..." Gwen breathed out, "We could've just walked up or you could've just warned me."

"We need to be prepared. On our toes in the case of a sudden emergency," Sam chuckled, "And out of the two of us, which one can actually fly?"

"My powers are out of commission, Uncle Sam. Plus, I don't think transforming into a dragon is the best idea when missions like these require stealth."

"Believe me, you live in a world where aliens, androids, and maybe wizards exist. I doubt a living and fire-breathing dragon would catch anybody else off guard."

Before Gwen could retort to Sam, their ears perked up at the sound of sirens blared in the distance, prompting him to hand her an earpiece before taking off again. Slipping on the earpiece, she kept her guard up and both eyes out for any sign of incoming danger.

"Heads up, Cap. German Special Forces approaching from the South."

"Understood."

A split second of silence later...

"Do you know me?"

. . .

"You're Steve. I read about you in a museum."

Alright. Was this him? Was this Bucky? Was this James Buchanan Barnes?

"I know you're nervous. And you have plenty of reason to be...but you're lying."

The transmission switched back-and-forth between Steve, Sam, and Mr. Barnes. First Sam...

"They've set the perimeter."

Then Mr. Barnes...

"I wasn't in Vienna. I don't do that anymore."

Then Sam again...

"They're entering the building."

Then Steve...

"Well, the people who think you did are coming here now. And they're not planning on taking you alive."

It was then that Gwen remembered the German Special Forces. Glancing down, they indeed had surrounded the building and denied them any chance of a proper escape plan. While plainclothes officers escorted any occupants inside out, the armored cops travel upstairs presumably to where Mr. Barnes (and, by extension, Steve) were. Some of them even rappelled down the side of the building.

Then Mr. Barnes again...

"That's smart. Good strategy,"

Then Sam again...

"They're on the roof. We're compromised."

Then Steve again...

"This doesn't have to end in a fight, Buck."

Then Mr. Barnes again...

"It always ends in a fight."

Then Sam again...

"5 seconds."

Then Steve again...

"You pulled me from the river. Why?"

Then Mr. Barnes again...

"I don't know."

Then Sam again...

"3 seconds!"

Then Steve again...

"Yes, you do."

And finally, Sam.

"Breach! Breach! Breach!"

At that moment, after the building tension, all hell finally broke loose.

A pair of flashbang grenades were tossed inside in order to disorient Steve and Mr. Barnes. Steve knocked one away just as it detonated harmlessly away from them, while the other was kicked over to him by Mr. Barnes, prompting him to shield it with his shield as it again detonated.

Outside, a GSG-9 officer commanded his fellow cop to open the door ("Schieß die Tür auf!"), who responded by using the battering ram against the door.

Inside, Bucky shielded himself from another window attack with a mattress before noticing the door being slammed on. He hurled a nearby table at the door and caused it to barricade the hinges before another policeman crashed through the window, aiming his Heckler & Koch MP5A2 at him. Unfortunately, this particular policeman was standing on a rug, which Steve pulled from underneath and sent him flying as he opened fire. Another policeman swung in after him wielding a Heckler & Koch G36KV, which Steve grabbed just as Bucky kicked him outside to the balcony.

"Buck, stop!" Steve pleaded in the midst of battle, "You're gonna kill someone."

Bucky responded by slamming Steve before punching a hole in the floorboards, barely missing his head.

"I'm not gonna kill anyone..." Bucky reassured him before pulling out from under the floorboards a backpack, which he threw out the window as another policeman entered through the already shattered first window. Opening fire on Bucky with his G36C, Steve got up and shielded them both as yet another policemen entered. Bucky shoved Steve into the other officer, knocking them both over before using his metal hand to repel bullets from the first officer, whom he slammed into nearby shelves once he got close enough. Spotting another policeman once more armed with a Brügger & Thomet MP9, he quickly picked up a large cement brick and hurled it at him, knocking him unconscious before marching forward to the door.

Outside on the balcony, Steve disarmed the officer he was shoved into of his MP5A2 before Gwen radioed in.

"Steve? What's going on?"

"GSG-9 Officers. Stay there. We'll come to you."

Inside the apartment building but outside Bucky's, a cop breached the door with his Remington 870. Unfortunately for them, Bucky himself merely punched through the wall beside the door before doing battle with the cops waiting outside. Eventually, a cop crashed through a skylight and descended with a zip-wire, opening fire with his MP5A2. Bucky used his metal arm to shield himself from the rain of gunfire before grabbing him and throwing him into the wall. Spotting the battering ram and more of the police team hurrying up the stairwell, Bucky took it up and jumped on the unconscious zip-line cop, swinging down a level and slamming into a few officers, whom he beat with the battering ram.

As Steve exited the apartment, a recovering GSG-9 officer radioed his fellow policemen about the whereabouts of Bucky ("Der Verdächtige ist ausgebrochen! Er ist am östlichen Treppenschacht!") before Steve took the radio, crushed it with his bare hands, and jumped down a level to join Bucky, who kept whaling on the cops before tossing one of them over the railing, prompting Steve to catch him and shoot a weary look at his friend.

"Come on, man."

Bucky, in return, merely rolled his eyes in contempt.

"Guys? Do you copy?" Gwen nervously paced around and bit her bottom lip.

"Nope...but I do."

Gwen quickly turned around and drew her sword before her eyes widened. There she stood in her bluish-black uniform that zipped up the front with fingerless gloves and two belts, both serving a different purpose. On her left side, a Microtech Ultratech UTX-70 OTF was sheathed; on her right, a 3rd Generation Glock 17 and a SIG-Sauer P226R were holstered. On her nose bridge, a pair of black shades rested, covering her hazel eyes.

"Whoa! Don't bite, pitbull. It's just little ol' me: the one and only Kate Bishop."

"Kate? What are you doing here? How are you doing here?"

"Let's just say that private airlines are a big commodity here on our Earth... Whoa."

Suddenly, Kate's eyes widened at a sight behind Gwen, who turned around just in time to find Bucky in mid-flight, having jumped off a balcony, before tumbling onto the lower roof of the neighboring building, where his backpack had landed. Snatching it up and bolting forward, he was unexpectedly slammed into from behind and knocked down as a result. As Bucky once again got into a fighting stance to face his next opponent, he (and, by extension, Gwen and Kate) was caught off guard by his appearance. It was a muscular man clad entirely in a black lightweight suit with a full face mask with pointed ears, giving him the appearance of a black cat...specifically a black panther.

Extending his arms, sharp claws were extended, furthering the black panther (or cat) motif. He lunged at Bucky, attacking him with swift, sweeping slashes and senders. The Winter Soldier bravely fought back, but he was eventually surprisingly overpowered and kicked into a wall. His claw swiping was complimented by graceful spins as Bucky narrowly avoided them and grabbed a nearby scrap metal bar to defend himself. He was forced onto the ground as the metal bar was the only thing preventing the man's claws from reaching his face.

"Steve?" Gwen radioed the team leader, "Are you seeing this?"

Steve himself looked down at the ensuing fight as Falcon swooped down from the sky.

"Sam, southwest rooftop."

"Who the hell's the other guy?"

"I'm about to find out."

Steve leaped down from the same balcony Bucky leaped down from onto the same neighboring building as a chopper flew up. At the same time, the black panther effortlessly sliced the metal bar in half before lunging at Bucky with his claws, but Bucky grabbed his wrists. From the chopper, a soldier opened fire on the both of them with a FN M240D fitted with a DI Optical DCL-110 sight. The bullets intentionally missed the both of them by that much, but the ones that did get close enough harmlessly bounced off the black panther's armored suit.

"Sam," Steve rushed toward the scene.

"Got him," Sam flies down and, briefly retracting his wings, kicked the helicopter by the fin, shoving it off course before he swooped towards street level. Meanwhile, managing to break free from his attacker, Bucky snatched up and slung his bag on his back before taking off running and jumping down a level. The black panther jumped down after him and slid down the wall, using his claws for traction. The both of them landed at street level as Steve, Gwen, and Kate followed them down as well, the former landing rolling along the ground. The sidewalk was tore up by gunfire from the helicopter, which Bucky managed to evade by jumping down through an opening and landing in an underpass, straight into oncoming traffic. Steve, Gwen, Kate, and the black panther dropped down soon after and chase after Bucky. A Special Forces Vehicle eventually raced onto the scene.

"Stand down!" The GSG-9 officer driving the vehicle commanded, "Stand down!"

As the vehicle flashed its blue lights and closed in, Steve suddenly leaped onto the hood of the vehicle and cracked the windshield, causing the driver to hit the brake. Pulling him from the vehicle and kicking the windshield out, he beckoned to an arriving Gwen and Kate.

"Get in!"

The two girls boarded the backseat and buckled up their seatbelts as Steve drove off after Bucky and the black panther to continue the chase. The former sprinted over the roof of a speeding car, outpacing it and the latter, who was a few cars behind and keeping up his pace with Bucky. He eventually spotted the vehicle that contained Steve, Gwen, and Kate before leaping onto the back, causing the former to swerve from side to side and try to throw him off.

"Sam, I can't shake this guy."

"Right behind you."

Eventually, several more police cruisers joined the chase, one of which Steve side-swiped before driving onward. Reaching a fork in the road and facing more oncoming traffic, Bucky leapt over a barrier, which Steve drove through and prevented the pursuing police from pursuing the group further.

As a motorbike sped towards Bucky, he grabbed the handlebar and spun it around in mid-air, which threw the rider off to the side. Boarding the bike and speeding away, Steve drove off after him, the black panther still holding on to the back of the car. As they sped through another underpass, Sam flew in after them the same time the black panther leapt onto the front of Steve's vehicle and onto Bucky's motorbike. Bucky himself managed to catch him and attempt to fling him away, but in doing so, caused his commandeered cycle to lean down onto its side. Kicking the black panther away, Bucky straightened up and rode on.

But the black panther was undeterred. The minute Sam flew past him, he leapt up and latched onto his leg, which caused Sam to shout in surprise and attempt to kick him away. Meanwhile, Bucky threw up a sticky bomb upward, which blew up the roof of the underpass' end and brought down rubble in the process. Noticing this and knowing simultaneously that he had a decision to make, Sam hurled the black panther towards Bucky, whom the black panther threw off the motorbike and sent them both rolling down the road.

"Girls, get out!"

Swerving the vehicle through the rubble to where they could easily exit out, Steve, Gwen, and Kate all jumped out, the former throwing his shield at the black panther figure as he tried to attack Bucky one more. The shield was eventually caught by Gwen, who turned to and exchanged a look with Steve. The Captain himself, knowing that the police were coming this way, nodded at her and Kate to go while they had an opening.

Gwen herself knew that she did not want to leave her teammates behind, bringing back uncomfortable memories from her time on the Isle. Kate was the one who convinced to keep moving, going by a hunch that they would reunite with their teammates sooner or later. Whether or not the reunion would be amicable was entirely up to them.

Heading up the stairs just as War Machine and armed forces arrived, the former raised his hands and aimed his repulsors just as the latter group aimed their firearms.

"Stand down, now!"

Steve stood his ground beside Bucky as he faced the sleek and muscular black panther. The three of them had no other choice but to comply with their orders as they began to be handcuffed one by one.

"Congratulations, Cap... You're a criminal."

The black panther raised his hands in surrender, retracted his claws, and pulled off his mask to reveal his face. While his face was facing Steve and Bucky, the two girls could tell the person donning the suit was a dark-skinned, black-haired man. The looks of Steve and Rhodes were a combination of surprise and curiosity.

"Your Highness."

Your Highness... Is he a Prince? Or a King?

"Gwen, come on," Kate whispered to her, "We'll meet up with them again."

There was a hint of doubt in Kate's voice despite her effort to reassure her. Gwen nonetheless nodded in response and followed her up the stairs as their teammates were arrested by a fellow teammate.

Yeah... We'll definitely meet up with them again...hopefully...

As she gazed at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, she tenderly touched her face...which was downright disfigured.

Specifically, her current appearance looked as if her left side was substantially seared and her right side relatively revealed her similarly scorched skeleton.

The transformation is not yet complete...

Groaning and grunting in pain, she briefly closed her eyes and felt her entire body burn up, but opened them again as she witnessed her skin regenerate with an equal mix of horror, disgust, and fascination.

When the process was finished, she caressed her own face again and chuckled lightly despite herself.

...and neither are my powers. We still have a long, long way to go.

As she walked out of the motel bathroom, she walked over to a very large, unzipped duffel bag on the bed. Inside were many, many, many firearms. Picking up a simple Remington 870, her hands glowed and produced a flame, a flame that grew dangerously large and flowed through the shotgun, which transformed from its conventional appearance to a much more burnt-out but engraved type of weapon.

This was best known...as the Hellfire Shotgun.

As "Don't Fear The Reaper" played in the background, Alejandra Jones wrapped up the weapon in a blanket before setting it aside and gazing at a photo of another Ghost Rider.

"I'm coming for you, Robbie Reyes. I'm coming for you..."