Live video feed played on Sam's wristguard. Redwing had a level of stealth that they couldn't accomplish, even with their training. It showed two men carrying large boxes towards a truck, other boxes of similar size and shape were stacked along the inside of one of the bigger warehouses.
"Where's the guy?" Bucky growled
"I don't know, but it looks like they're smuggling weapons though" Falcon murmured back, some of the malice gone from his voice.
"Well, I think you could be right, but there's only one way to find out. I see a path, I say we take it."
"We're not assassins," Falcon shot back. Aubry's spine straightened and she felt the air between them thicken as Bucky growled.
"I'll see you inside, or not." He stepped past Aubrey, heading towards the door. She shot Sam a look as he mumbled something about just joking.
"That was a cheap shot, Sam, and you know it." He tried to respond but Aubrey had already pushed past him, following in Buckys footsteps. She easily caught up with him as they crept into the larger warehouse. Clanging noises echoed every so often, coming from men who were loading boxes.
Carefully, she peeked through metal shelving, watching the men move. They had a certain air of strength that she only sensed around a few others. Sam's voice rung through their comms
"Look at you, all stealthy. Spend some time in Wakanda and you come out White Panther."
"Actually it's White Wolf,-" Bucky corrected. "-Alright, we're inside, which is way ahead of you. It's not great but very doable."
"I swear, I thought I was going on a mission with two grown men, but it looks like it's only children" Aubrey hissed into the commlink, trying to get them to focus. Not everything had to be a competition. Footsteps echoed softly behind them and she knew it was Sam. He pushed his way between Aubry and Bucky, grinning at Bucky's surprised look.
"Hello, how are you?"
"Buck-" Aubrey growled, but was cut off by Sam.
"Good, what did I miss? Nothing."
She tuned out their incessant arguing, focusing her attention on the two men by the open door to the warehouse. The two lifted up another set of boxes with a scary amount of ease. They maneuvered themselves outside and around the corner. Moments passed before they came back, this time with three others. A woman and four men. They began gathering up the last of the boxes, the woman using a pen to swipe something off on the clipboard she held. They treated the boxes as though they were filled with feathers. But Aubrey knew, just by looking at them, that they were filled to the brim with something heavy.
"Definitely Super Soldiers" she murmured, more to herself than anyone else. A clatter interrupted her thoughts. Gaze snapping to the other two, she saw a metal piece on the ground and lowered her stance, watching as the people by the entrance became alert.
"Lets move out" a woman's voice reverberated off of the bare surfaces as they began packing up.
"There's an eighth person, A hostage I think" Sam noted as the trucks began pulling away. Aubrey felt her heart tightened at the thought of someone being stolen away in one of those trucks. Bucky must've felt the same because he shot Aubrey a glance before taking off running. She followed behind, darting out between shelves as her wings materialized and jets powered on. Falcon was several beats behind her. The cold air made her nose tingle as her helmet slithered on and she watched Bucky latch onto the first truck, the one with the hostage inside, and break his way in.
"What's our plan here? They're obviously strong, too strong."
"They're stealing medicines, vaccines-." Bucky's voice rang through the commlinks. "-Hi"
The last part brought confusion. "Buck, talk to us, what's going on?"
"I found the hostage."
And then she watched Bucky be catapulted out of the back of the truck, he slammed into the windshield of the second one. The glass beneath him cracked and groaned as his metal arm grabbed a hold of the vehicle. A curse sounded as Aubrey pumped her wings, trying to catch up. The trucks had sped up and were now side by side. Bucky was pulled up by two other people, their faces covered by a frighteningly familiar mask. She kept her position in the air, using cloud cover to mask her form. Bucky struggled with the two men as the red haired woman, who they thought was a hostage, swung at Redwing, snapping the small drone into bits. Aubrey tilted herself dow
"I'm going to engage" she said, body arching down before straightening. Aubrey's wings tucked close to her body as she shot down like a bullet, eyes trained on the girl. She either sensed it coming or saw Aubrey in her peripheral because the girl turned a moment before Aubrey shot into her. The two barreled backwards and down, slamming into the edge of the roof. The girl bounced back up quicker than Aubrey had expected, her leg whipping out in an attempt to hit Aubrey's cheek. She dodged, returning the gesture with a punch. Pain reverberated in her back as someone else joined them on the roof of the truck. They were getting outnumbered very quickly. A man grabbed her from behind, locking her arms behind her back. Hissing under her breath, Aubrey's mind was already sending commands to the Nanos in her blood. The woman had disappeared from her sightline, replaced with a burly man. The nanos slithered back into her body as she let the men pin her to the top of the truck. A whirring sound began sounding in her ears and something red and shiny flashed in her peripheral. Her mind immediately jumped to an object that she had seen a close friend use countless times but….it couldn't be. Snapping herself out of her thoughts, Aubrey sent Nanos to where the men's hands gripped her arms. Just as they began sharpening and cutting circulation off from their hands, one was knocked away. The other flinched, snapping straight up. Taking the chance, Aubrey did a kick-up before swinging a nano-enforced leg out and catching the surprised man off guard. It connected with his torso and he flew back. Whooshing sounds played as she watched a black, unmarked helicopter drop a man beside another who had just dropped, a frighteningly familiar piece of history in his hand.
John Walker. She couldn't bear to think of him as Captain America.
Somehow, Falcon had ended up beside her. He glanced at Aubrey before meeting Walker's gaze.
"John Walker, Captain America." the words made her blood boil.
"Lemar Hoskins, looks like you guys need some help" his partner asked as Walker threw the shield at the redhead from earlier. She was catapulted back and the fight continued...With considerably better odds. Aubrey bounced her way between the black-masked people before she heard a yell from Bucky come over the comms. He'd gone between the semi's and had yet to reappear. Her chest grew tight as she slipped out of her assailant's grasp, wings flapping. A sudden pressure on her wings pulled her back down to the ground. Someone had a hold on her wing. Turning as much as she could, an uncomfortable pain radiated from her back as Aubrey's keen gaze landed on the man who had a grip on the Nanos. They morphed from a wing, growing spiky talons that stuck into his hand. The man growled in pain, jerking back enough for Aubrey to inch backward toward the edge of the vehicle. Turning, she jumped off only to be yanked back. Anger flared up as she tried to hover in the air. The man had a hold of her foot, his masked face only irritating her more.
"Seriously?" She grit out.
"Aubrey get out of there." Bucky's voice came from the commlink.
"I'm trying" the words came out a growl as she unsheathed a throwing star, jets groaning under the added weight. The star embedded itself in his arm and he howled from under the mask as she notched an arrow.
"Final warning" she knew he heard the words because he let go, falling down to the ground with a thud before recovering his wits and bolting towards the trucks. The sudden loss of weight threw her off balance and Aubrey made a rocky landing in a flower field, panting. It was an odd sight, finding Bucky and Sam laying on the ground next to each other.
"What are you doing -" pausing, she puffed a breath "- Napping?...Those….those were all super soldiers." The discovery slowly made itself known in her mind and she felt the full weight of the fact that there were now more soldiers.
"We fell, for your information." Sam shot back as he lumbered to his feet. Aubrey stuck an arm down to Bucky, he took it and she helped him up.
"Together? Wish I could've seen that."
"No you don't-" Bucky growled, brushing petals and stems off. Sam had already started walking towards what she assumed was a road. After a moment, they started, pace swift. "-Nothing broken?"
"Just bruised, and...I'm...It's" She didn't know how to say it. It didn't feel right. A lot of things didn't feel right. Walker with the Shield, more super soldiers, Buckys-
"It's offensive" his words brought her from her thoughts as she nodded. They joined Sam on the paved road and the three started walking. The silence stretched far too long, it was filled with unsaid things and uncomfortable truths. Clearing her throat, Aubrey was the first to break the silence.
"Sorry about Redwing, Sam."
"So sorry," Bucky muttered.
"Thanks Aubrey, and Bucky, sarcasm doesn't suit you.-" he opened his mouth to say more but was cut off.
"We gotta figure out where that serum is coming from."
"Buck, who was left who even knew how to make it? I helped Fury and...Tony track down most of the remaining people from Hydra...unless-"
"Unless someone found some and figured out how to replicate it." Bucky finished.
Sam made a gesture with his hand before cutting in"How in the Hell after eighty years are there eight super soldiers running around?"
The sound of a vehicle came from behind him and the three collectively turned. An army green jeep darted past them before slamming to a stop. None other than John Walker watched them from the back.
"So that didn't go as planned huh?" he started, popping open the back of the jeep as though they would just get it. Bucky had stiffened beside her and shot a fiery glance in their direction as they kept walking. The jeep began humming again as it crawled in front of them so Walker could have his conversation.
"Well, look, at least we know what we're up against now, huh? And we're pretty sure it's one of the big three, so"
"Aliens, Androids, or Wizards?" Sam looked up as Bucky sighed.
"There's no such thing as wizards.
"Alright then it's either aliens or androids" Hoskins spoke this time, he opened his mouth to say more but Aubrey cut him off.
"Super Soldiers, those guys were super soldiers."
"Super soldiers are real?" Hoskins' voice rose with each word and he uttered a curse as the three nodded.
"Wow, alright, well, then we gotta work together."
"Not happening" Aubrey and Bucky said at the same time. Walker started giving them more reasons to team and she sensed that Bucky had more to say, a few moments went buy before he interrupted Walker, eyes trained straight ahead.
"Just cause you carry the shield, doesn't mean you're Captain America." The two bickered between one another but Aubrey tuned them out. She was busy mentally checking off lists of everyone who could've handled the serum and dosed it out, or had been able to get ahold of it. She only snapped out of it when the jeep stopped and they got in.
It was twenty miles to the airport and she would've rather walked every one of them to avoid being in the same jeep with Walker and Hoskins. Deep down she knew better than to make assumptions but it wasn't right. A symbol of hope, freedom and...sacrifice...that was what the shield was to her...to others. She couldn't let go of the hurt that came with knowing it had just been passed on to the next person.