By first light, the team hiked up the mountain ridge, setting their equipment on a ledge as Morita and Jones listened in on a Hydra decoding machine, Falsworth surveilling the area through his binoculars. Dugan took one point of the ledge, looking out to where the train would be coming from down below.
Christiane, Bucky and Steve looked over the snow-covered valley, the wind howling against their ears.
"Remember when we made you ride the Cyclone at Coney Island?" Bucky chuckled, his eyes still set down below.
"Yeah, and I threw up?" Steve grimaced at the memory.
"This isn't payback, is it?" Christiane looked to Steve, amusement on her face at the memory of Steve sprinting off the coaster as soon as it reached its stop.
"Now why would I do that?" Steve smiled, looking up to the zipline above them.
"We were right. Dr. Zola's on the train. Hydra dispatcher gave him permission to open up the throttle. Wherever he's going, they must need him bad." Jones moved an earpiece from his ears, talking to the team as they moved closer to him.
Steve glanced to Bucky quickly, pulling on his helmet, moving to the edge. Christiane tested the bands on her hands, knocking her arms with a clank against the vibranium cuffs before Bucky took her hand quickly into his, eyes set out onto the valley as Jones handed them each the pulleys.
"Let's get going, because they're moving like the devil." Falsworth turned over from his binoculars as the train approached a corner, speeding towards them.
Steve readied himself, grabbing the pulley's handles, "We only got about a 10-second window. You miss that window, we're bugs on a windshield."
"Mind the gap," Falsworth looked over to the team.
Dugan stood beside Steve, watching the train race closer, "Better get moving, bugs!"
"Maintenant! (Now!)" Dernier shouted as he watched Steve jump down, followed by Christiane, Bucky and Jones, flying down the valley as they landed on the train, carefully maneuvering atop the carriages before they started down a ladder into one. Jones hooked himself atop one, his gun at ready standing guard.
Steve slid open the carriage door, as Christiane and Bucky stepped in, quickly closing it behind them.
Christiane had a pistol in her hand, stalking beside Bucky as they made their way down the carriage filled with supply shelves.
Steve looked behind, before walking through the doorway into the next carriage, the door suddenly closing behind them, separating Steve to Bucky and Christiane as he watched the two of them turn around, opening fire before he heard the charge of a machine behind him, turning to fire an armored man, ducking behind a cargo box.
Bucky shot again, "Christiane, go!", keeping the man distracted as Christiane ran down the other side of the carriage, her knee up as she kicked the man, quickly disarming him of his rifle before Bucky shot down the carriage. Taking cover behind another cargo box as he shot a Hydra soldier coming on Christiane's other side.
Christiane sprinted back to Bucky, taking cover behind the boxes as he took her pistol, shooting down the carriage to another Hydra soldier.
He looked at the empty cartridge as they leaned against the wall, hands holding each other tightly while the firing continued.
"Bucky," Christiane looked out from their hiding spot, back to Bucky as they both tried to catch their breaths.
Suddenly, the door behind them slide open, Steve hiding behind it's edge as he looked to the two on the floor behind the boxes, showing a pistol to Bucky as he nodded to the side to Christiane, tossing the pistol to Bucky as Christiane and Steve ran at full force to the soldier, shield and arms up, pushing a cargo box against the man before Bucky shot him down.
"I had him on the ropes." Bucky muttered, the three of them looking to the fallen soldier.
"I know you did." Steve breathed back, a charge of a machine humming again from the doorway behind as Steve pushed Bucky and Christiane behind him, his shield up as Christiane had an arm over Bucky as an extra measure automatically.
"Get down!" Steve shouted, the blast sending them flying as it hit against the shield, blowing out the side of the carriage.
Christiane felt herself launched into the air, seeing Bucky quickly get up from the ground, reaching for the shield as he shot to the armored Hydra soldier. Her head hit against the wall as she felt darkness around her, seeping into her sight as the white blindness from the snow stung her eyes, forcing to close, a ringing sound in her ears, muteness like she was underwater, against what was happening around her.
"Bucky! Hang on! Grab my hand! No!"
Bucky glanced at Christiane quickly, picking up Steve's shield as he shot towards the soldier before being thrown by a blast, his hands grabbing for whatever he could as he hung from the side of the train.
Steve quickly came beside, "Bucky!"
He tried to climb on the hanging piece, "Hang on!" His hand went out to him, as he tried to reach out to Steve's hand, the piece of metal hanging by it's final bolts and screws before giving way, sending him falling.
He could only hear his voice screaming against the howling wind as he fell into the ravine, watching Steve's body become smaller and smaller.
In a quick instant, he closed his eyes, thinking to Christiane, feeling the rune necklace she gave him float up from gravity as he felt an impact, an explosion of blue around him as it tried to cocoon him from his body crushing against the ice.
He felt darkness, enveloping him as molecular blue streaks darted through his vision, fading to dark emptiness.
London
"Blackout is still in effect throughout the London area. Please wait for the all-clear. Your attention, please. All citizens shall remain indoors until further notice. Blackout is still in effect throughout the London area."
Christiane sat on the floor, her back against what was left of the bar's countertop, staring into the void, her eyes empty, an empty bottle of spirit next to her.
She couldn't even hear Steve's sobs, pouring himself another drink as Peggy and Anya followed the sound of the radio, looking to Christiane first as Anya tried to get her attention, Peggy standing beside him.
"Dr. Erskine said that… the serum wouldn't just affect my muscles, it would affect my cells. Create a protective system of regeneration and healing. Which means um…I can't get drunk. Did you know that?" his voice shook, looking to the glass of whiskey in front of him.
Peggy moved a fallen chair, sitting as she looked to him in concern, "Your metabolism burns four times faster than the average person. He thought it could be one of the side effects."
Steve looked to Christiane, tears stained her cheeks as she still refused to respond to Anya calling her name, brushing her hair soothingly. He looked down, guilt eating him.
"It wasn't your fault." Peggy whispered.
"Did you read the reports?" He replied, refusing to look back up.
"Yes."
"Then you know that's not true."
"You and Christiane did everything you could. Did you believe in your friend? Did you respect him?"
Steve looked up to her, his eyes changing to each word she was saying.
"Then stop blaming yourself. Allow Barnes the dignity of his choice. He damn well must have thought you were worth it. And Christiane," she turned to Christiane, still staring at the rubble, "Barnes would not have wanted you to mourn him like this. Stop blaming yourself as well."
"I'm goin' after Schmidt. I'm not gonna stop till all of Hydra is dead or captured." Steve muttered, trying to keep back his tears.
Christiane finally turned to Anya, slowly standing up as she held onto Anya's hand tightly, standing beside Steve.
Peggy looked to the two of them, "You won't be alone."
Author's Note: Bucky's rune necklace is now broken as it somewhat protected him from the fall.
Bonus points if you've noticed the cover photo for this story has slightly changed! It's a piece I drew a while back based on the whole idea of the story since the beginning, and I'll keep zooming out as we reach each stage of the story. For now, behold Christiane's vibranium arm cuffs and the engagement ring hanging on a necklace like when she was back in training.