AN: Thank you NocturnalRites for the beta work and for all the support! You rock and are very much appreciated!

Thank you everyone who has been reading and everyone that has left comments, favorites and alerts! I love hearing what people think.

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Chapter 17 Got it Covered

Digg parked next to Steve's truck and said goodnight. He disappeared into the back door of the foundry. Steve placed the large messenger bag in his truck and turned back to Felicity. Her car was parked around front.

"I'll walk you to your car," he told her. She looked like she was going to protest for a minute but didn't. Steve wondered if she had wanted to go with John back to work.

"How are you?" she asked him. "I know that you wanted to find your friend tonight. I'm really sorry that you didn't. Are you going to go back to looking for him now? I don't mind helping if you'll let me. Not that I will if you don't, because I promised you I wouldn't," she sighed and stopped talking. She was glad to see that her runaway dialogue got a little smile out of him.

"No, I still want you far away from HYDRA, but thank you. I don't think it would do any good anyway. Nat convinced me that if Bucky wants to be found, he will find me. I spent nearly a year looking for him and never got close. She's right. Buck doesn't want to be found."

Steve took a deep breath and tried for a calm voice. Knowing his best friend was out there, possibly hurting, was killing him. "I just have to trust that he will remember who he is and come to me." His voice was choked with emotion. Felicity laid her small hands on his arm and was rubbing circles on the back of his arm. It was soothing.

Steve leaned into her touch for a moment, allowing himself to accept the comfort she offered. "I'm glad Buck wasn't in that ship. The equipment we found was nothing I'd ever want him to experience again." She reached to link her fingers in his. The warmth of her hand in his felt good. He rubbed his thumb across the softness of fingers.

As they reached her car, she looked up at him almost shyly. "You don't have to be alone tonight, Steve," she offered, the statement making his pulse jump before she even finished it. "You can come home with …" She stopped speaking as her attention was drawn by something behind him. She pushed to his side to get a better look, her face going white with horror.

"Oh God, that's Slade," she gasp as he turned to see what she was talking about. "He's got Thea. He'll kill her!" Felicity's eyes never left the car moving down the road across from them. She was already taking her phone out and frantically relating the story to the person on the other end. He didn't know if it was John or Oliver, but no one would have the time to get to them. The car wasn't speeding away like the driver expected trouble. It was doing the speed limit, but it already had a head start on them.

Steve only hesitated for a bare second as he calculated the distance of the car. He wished for his shield, but there wasn't time to get it. Stepping forward and slamming his foot down on the manhole cover in front of him, he caught it as it bounced up and in one motion flung it, disk style, at the bottom of the car. The heavy cover was not as easy to control as his shield, but he'd had years of practice and the target was pretty large.

The disk hit the pavement at the back of the moving sports car and crashed under, sending sparks in its wake, bumping the vehicle up and taking out the rear axle. Before the car had come to a stop, Steve was at top Captain America speed. He didn't give the driver time to act against Thea in the passenger seat. He ripped open her door with such force the metal wrenched with a loud screech and the hinges ripped, leaving it barely attached. With his other hand, Steve reached into the car pulling Oliver's sister out. "Steve?" she shouted, confused. Her cry of surprise turning to a scream as she caught site of Slade Wilson standing up, gun in hand.

Spinning and pulling her into his body to protect her, Steve used his leg to cow kick the car, sending it sideways and into Wilson just as the man fired. Wilson's grunt of pain reached Steve at the same time as the bullet he'd fired. The impact of the bullet was in his side, not his head where Wilson had been aiming. It felt like it lodged in the serum-enhanced density of his muscles rather than passing through him to hit Thea.

A second shot hit him in the ribs, jerking him sideways. The burning pain told him his rib was probably cracked. As fast as the pain hit, he was pushing it to the back of his mind. Looking up, he assessed the area for options. He had to get Thea away from the madman with the gun without exposing her to fire. He couldn't turn to fight without taking a chance of her getting shot.

"Get her to safety," a rough voice behind him ordered. Steve glanced over his shoulder to see the Arrow leaping at Wilson over the car and two footing him backwards. Oliver's kick had power, but the older man still maintained his feet. Still, it was enough to stop the bullets aimed at Thea for a moment, and Steve was only too happy to take advantage of the distraction.

Thea was shaking and huddled against his chest in fear. "I'll get you to help," he told her, glad to see she wasn't fighting him. Steve easily lifted her completely off her feet and headed for the club. Felicity and Roy met him halfway with Digg behind her.

"Get into the building, take Thea," he instructed, putting the young woman on her feet and handing her to Roy. He didn't wait for an answer. He could hear her calling his name and telling him to be careful. As he turned back to the fight, he was glad to see the speed and skill that Queen was fighting with. Sara had arrived also and with her help, Oliver almost held his own for a few moments.

Slade caught Sara by the arm and threw her against the car hard enough to stun her. Oliver moved to shield her. The spinning back kick he was able to throw at Slade caught the bigger man and slipped past his guard. The impact sounded loud in the night.

"Learned a few new tricks I see, kid," Slade taunted Oliver as he recovered and aimed a vicious undercut at Arrow's head. Steve saw what was coming. When Oliver dodged the man's fists, it would put his shoulder square in the path of the short sword Wilson had produced. With the enhanced speed Wilson showed, Oliver wasn't going to be fast enough to avoid both. Putting on a burst of speed, Steve managed to pull Oliver out of the way and backhand Slade.

The ex-A.S.I.S agent didn't see him coming. The blow snapped his head around. Wilson staggered back a step and Steve followed, somersaulting as he scissored his legs in a one-two blow against the Mirakuru infused warrior. The blows set Slade on his ass for a second before he agilely flipped himself back to his feet and shook his head as if to clear it.

"Been sharing my blood freely I see, kid." Wilson growled, aiming his comment over Steve's shoulder at Oliver.

"None of your blood is running through my veins," Steve informed him, forcing Slade further back from Oliver and Sara. He felt a warmth in his side. Blood was running down the inside of his shirt and down his pants leg. He wished for his uniform. It would have held pressure against his aching rib and helped keep the blood from running so freely.

"You should speak with Oliver about what substance he used to make you so strong. I don't think he's been honest with you," Slade taunted him. "It's my blood he's used to fuel the rage in your system. You don't have any quarrel with me. You should be thanking me, boy and joining my army."

Steve's strength was waning. He was losing blood fast. If Wilson had been anyone else, he would have been able to fight him, but with the man's enhanced strength and his skill level Steve wasn't sure how much longer he could keep Wilson at bay.

Oliver had managed to climb to his feet. "You don't know anything, Slade," Oliver threw back at him as he picked up Sara's staff and swung it in an arc at Wilson. Oliver's swing wasn't as balanced as it could have been. He obviously was hurt and weaker on his right side, but the skill he showed compensating was enough to pull all of Slade's concentration on Oliver.

Good job, Oliver, Steve silently congratulated as he chose that moment to rip the damaged car door the rest of the way off of its hinges and batter it into Slade. The mercenary cried out in pain as he hit the ground and rolled.

Steve barely contained his own groan as his abused ribs made their presence known. Rib not cracked, fully broken, he decided. He lifted the door one more time and brought it down at Slade, but the man rolled out of the way, coming to his feet near Oliver. A vicious backhand from Wilson sent Arrow flying through the air to land not far from Sara. Oliver had only had time to bring his staff up. That move probably saved the vigilante's life. Had Wilson's blow actually connected with Oliver's chest it probably would have been fatal.

"When will you learn you can't beat me Oliver. You think turning a few of my people to you will make a difference? You'll soon learn you can't control anyone my blood has turned. They might kill for you or they might kill you. Your desperation is showing, kid." He was laughing, but there was blood on his mouth and a deep gash across his stomach. Wilson wasn't moving much better than Steve was.

"You're a common school house bully, Wilson," Steve informed him. "You need to walk away now." He positioned himself between the two fallen vigilantes and Slade.

"That just doesn't work for me." Slade spat. He spun at Steve, slashing his blade toward him with a speed approaching Steve's own. The trouble was that while Steve's injuries were healing, they were not healing fast enough. Wilson had gotten lucky with one of his bullets.

Steve's wounds were leaking blood and one still had the bullet lodged in it. His flesh would close and heal itself, but until it did, he'd just keep losing blood. He was starting to struggle to stay conscious and that was making him just that much slower.

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*** AN: I'm not a fighter so I'm hoping this scene came across OK. I was really nervous to finally have Steve and Slade meet and everyone fight.