Chapter 26:
[Spartan POV]
[Weeks later, Police Armory, New York City]
While out on patrol, EPYON notified Karai and me of a police armory being raided by a gang of mercs. Taking a sharp turn, I grapple-line toward the waypoint. [On-site.] [Rooftop.] The HUD scans the surrounding area, marking all the mercs. To our surprise, it tags Brock Rumlow, AKA Crossbones, among them. A flash of rage runs through the two of us. For a moment, we relish the chance of payback. During HYDRA's attempted insurrection, a lot of our friends were killed. Betrayed by the very people who once fought by their side. Snakes posing as allies. They never saw the knife that would stab them in the back.
[Ground-level.] Karai and I move in to attack. Karai shoots the merc next to Rumlow with a stun-bolt. Crossbones snaps his head toward our direction, spotting us. He orders his men to kill us. Without question, the mercs train their weapons on us and open fire. We jump to cover while returning fire.
Taking a shield formation, the mercs move on our position, attempting to pin us down. From my pack, I toss a stun grenade. The electrical charge rips through the line, dropping a handful of them. From out of nowhere, Crossbones blindsided me, attacking with a jump-punch, sending me flying to a nearby container; he goes for another strike. I block the attack, grab Crossbones's arm, knee his gut, elbow his face, and hip-throw him to the ground. He jumps to his feet and takes me down with a double-leg tackle. Crossbones strikes me with a barrage of punches. "Not bad, punk, but not good enough," he hisses. I catch Romlow in an armbar.
Using the enhanced strength of the exo-suit, Crossbones effortlessly lifts me off the ground and slams me back-first to the container wall. After dealing with the remaining mercs, Karai comes rushing in, tackling Crossbones to the ground. Recovering to one knee, Crossbones strikes Karai with a right hook punch, tagging her on the jaw, then makes an escape. "You okay?" I ask Karai, recovering to a stand. "Yeah… Getting punched in the face wasn't the best highlight of my day," Karai says, wiping the blood off her lower lip. I stalk toward a marc, seize the man by the collar of his shirt, lean in close to his face, "Easy or hard, your call. Start talking. I want to know everything." The man's eyes gape wide.
[Steve Rogers POV]
[AVENGERS HQ, New York City]
[Training-area.] Wanda slams a fist toward the punching-bag. "Good, now augment the strikes with your hex powers," I tell Wanda. The girl nods and carries out the act. She channels the scarlet aura through her fist and throws a punch to the punching-bag, sending it flying. I smirk, impressed, "Nicely done, Scarlet." Wanda tips her head, "Scarlet?" I scratched the back of my head nervously, "Sorry, it just flipped out. Guess the PARAGADES are rubbing off on me." She smiles, "No, it is alright. I like it," snaps her fingers, "Scarlet Witch. That should be my code name." "Yeah, it fits you," I say, gesturing agreeingly. Abruptly, the comlink rings of an incoming call from the PARAGADES. Spartan fills me in on the details of his encounter with Rumlow. "Long story short, we know where he's going next. Lagos," Spartan divulges. "Good work. Get back to HQ," I say, ending the call. I turn to Wanda, "We got a lead on Crossbones. Gear up."
[Lagos, Nigeria]
[Apartment complex.] From inside an apartment complex, I watch as the rest of the team places themselves in position. Sam is on a rooftop in the Northside. Karai is watching from the East with a sniper rifle. Spartan's on the West. Both Nat and Wanda are on the ground within a coffee shop, watching the research lab from across the street. "What do you see?" I ask Wanda via comlink. "Two patrolmen at the front gate. One police officer on the far West," Wanda says. "Getting better at this," Nat comments to her. "Keep your eyes open. Crossbones isn't afraid to make a mess to complete his objective," I say, "We take him down today." "Got a truck coming down the street," Spartan says. "Sam, check it," I say. "Copy," Sam voices over the comlink. Sam sends out his Red-Wing drone. It flies over the truck, scanning its contents within. "Cap, the truck is carrying max weight. It's a battering ram," Sam calls out. "Move in," I shout into the comlink.
[Spartan POV]
The first truck rams right through the main gate. Two yellow trucks follow right behind it. The rear door slid open, revealing two squads of mercenaries. Leading them was Crossbones. Ten mercenaries stand guard out front while Crossbones enters the building with his strike force. Three of the mercs fire gas grenades into the building. Flying in, Sam drops Cap onto a mercenary. Mercenary-2 came around the parked truck, weapon raised. Cap kicks the side front of the truck, smacking the merc to the wall behind him. 'My turn.' Grappling down, I rush to a group of three marcs. Behind the first merc, I kick out his right leg, use him as a shield, draw my pistol, fire on the other two masked mercs, and then snap the last guy's neck. "Three down," I say. "Two down," Sam says over the comlink. Wanda lands down next to me. She uses her powers to stop a merc in his track from shooting his weapons. Lifting the merc into the air. Sam came flying low, clotheslining the guy. "That's six," Sam says. Looking at the other end of the gate, I saw Nat finishing taking down her group of mercs. Suddenly one merc came up from behind her, rifle aimed at her head. A shot was heard. The merc's head jerks to the side, falling dead to the floor. "Thanks. I owe you one," Nat says to Karai, who is on a building rooftop across from us.
Cap steps up, "Spartan, you're with me. Wanda, get the gas out of the building. Karai, give us cover." Using her powers, Wanda catapults both Steve and me into the building. Cap enters first. A merc turns, only for Cap to strike him with his shield. Seeing another merc, Cap charges at him and punches him in the gut, pulls off the gas mask, then kicks him back, sending him flying into the wall. Two mercs came into the room. Turning, I grab the merc's gun, snatch it away, punch him in the face with a right hook, kick him the balls, and then slam his head to the wall, knocking him out. Cap throws the shield to the merc behind me. Cap and I made our way deeper into the building. Walking the halls, we noted the bodies of the dead scientists.
"Damn it. We were too late," Cap whispers. "Crossbones is going to get what's coming to him, Cap," I promise. Seeing a quarantine chamber with its door broken, we realize what Crossbones got his hands on. Cap taps his comlink, "Crossbones has a biological weapon." "I got eyes on him. He's outside," Karai yells. When we get out to the balcony, I see Crossbones aiming a 50 cal. Reacting quickly, I grab Cap by the shoulder and pull him back as Crossbones fires. On our feet, we start to make a run for it. The last shot sent us flying out the window to the ground below. "Spartan, you alright?" Cap asks, kneeling next to me. "Yeah, I'm good," I say, getting back to my feet. Together, Cap and I chase down Crossbones and his gang.
[Steve Rogers POV]
[Town market.] The mercs dish the truck and split up within the busy crowd. Spartan and I race after them. On the ground lies the mercs' gear. "They dished their equipment," I say, scanning the crowd but couldn't spot the mercs, "It's a shell game now. One of them has the payload." "I have eyes on them. Two are heading south, and the other two are rabbiting east," Sam says. I motion for Spartan to seek out the mercs. He moves out. Once I'm alone, a voice calls out, "There you are!" A magnetized grenade attaches to my shield. Acting fast, I throw it into the air. High over the square, the grenade harmlessly explodes, blasting my shield back to the ground. "I've been waiting for this!" Rumlow growls, charging at me. The fight is on. Romlow forces me to turn and fight. As we exchange blows, I note Rumlow is different from before. The man was sporting some pneumatic gauntlets to enhance the power of his strikes. "Come on!" he taunts, knocking me flat and pounding me with punches, leaving me bruised and staggered. He stumps the ground as I roll away. Crossbones hits me again, forcing me up against the wall. "This is for dropping a building on my face," he sneers. A blade pops out from one of the gauntlets. He punches the blade at my head. I block the strike, back-elbow his face, and yank the gauntlet off his arm, then send Crossbones flying with a spinning-back-kick. The man crashes through a nearby table.
Rumlow gets to his knees, peeling off his mask. I stalk over to him and grab the man by the vest. He glares up at me, defiant and full of hate. "Who are you working for?" I demand. Rumlow grins, ignoring my question, "He remembered you. Your pal Bucky. Cried like a bitch before we put him in the grinder." I froze, eyes wide, guilt filling my entire being, lost in the moment. "But don't worry, you'll be joining him in oblivion," the merc voices. Suddenly, Crossbones raises his hand, revealing a deadman switch. "CAPTAIN, WATCH OUT!" Wanda yells, appearing from within the crowd. Scarlet Witch uses her psionic powers to rip Crossbones' bomb vest off the crazed merc, dispatching it skyward and away from the surrounding civilians. "Nice save," I say to the scarlet AVENGER. I turn to Romlow and knock him out with a solid right-hook-punch.
[AVENGERS HQ, New York City, USA]
[Living-area.] When we returned to AVENGER HQ, the team began to celebrate a successful mission. Despite the victory, I couldn't fully enjoy it; my mind repeatedly kept playing the mission's event. I was angry at myself because I froze. Crossbones said Bucky, and suddenly I'm a scared kid. So many innocent lives would've been killed if Wanda hadn't been there to stop that bomb blast. Feeling drained for the first time in a long time, I call it an early night.
[Drake POV]
[1 day later, Germany]
I walk through the halls of a building carrying two duffel bags over my shoulder. The target building was six blocks away from my location. Entering a room on the far west end, I place the duffel bag on the floor and open it. Inside was an array of equipment and weapons. 'A little mislead information, a few innocent deaths, point blame, push a narrative, and you got a nice recipe for violence.' Bloodshed gives way to more bloodshed. Hatred breeds more hatred. Until all the violence soaks into the land, carving rivers of blood. And no matter how many times it happens, people never learn. And I love it. Human foolishness never ceases to amaze me. From the duffle bag, I start to assemble the payload. 'Let the violence begin.'
[Spartan POV]
[Hours later, AVENGERS HQ, New York City, USA]
[Mission-room.] Cap and the rest of the team watch the news footage again. A dozen NEWS outlets are covering the story. The UN building in Vienna was bombed. 70 injured and 13 dead. The prime suspect's image is already plastered on the screen. James Buchanan Barnes, The Winter Soldier. Cap freezes on the perpetrator's image, his eyes narrowed, "These don't make any sense." "What do you mean?" Wanda asks. He turns toward the team, "The Winter Soldier's a highly skilled assassin who knows how to stay invisible. A ghost," he points to the frozen image, "He's practically posing to the camera." Sam cuts in, "You think Bucky has been set up?" Cap nods, "Yeah, I do. I've been looking for Bucky since the Triskelion incident and got nothing. I even used Stark's best tech to help me but came up with no result. Make a loud enough noise, get the word out, and involve as many eyes and ears; it's a surefire way to flush a person out of hiding." Everyone in the room couldn't argue the logic behind his reasoning. "The mission is to bring the Winter Soldier in. Alive," Cap orders.
[Steve Rogers POV]
[Bucharest, Romania]
We got a tip on Bucky's location from an anonymous call. The caller said he saw Bucky around an apartment complex in Bucharest. It's a long shot, but we decided to check it out. The team waits outside. [Apartment.] I get in the apartment with no problem and creep around. No one's home. So this is where Bucky has been hiding out. An ordinary place. Small. Little to no personal decorations. Who was Bucky now? The Winter Soldier? Bucky Barnes? Or something in between? I find a book on top of the refrigerator and open it. It's a journal. There is a black and white photo of me in my old uniform with the Howling Commandos on one of the pages. Both Peggy and Bucky were standing by my side. There are also news clip notes on the AVENGERS and other vigilantes.
"We're in position, Cap," Sam says over the comlink. "Copy," I say. Feel a presence in a room with me. Turn around to see Bucky staring at me. For a long moment, I wasn't sure what to say. I had a lot of questions. Settle on one. "Do you know me?" I ask him. "You're Steve Rogers. Captain America. The leader of the AVENGERS. I read about you," he tells me. Despite what he said, I know he was half lying. The photo in his journal told me that much. Slowly, I put the journal down on the table, "I know you're nervous, have a lot of reasons to be, but you're lying." "I wasn't in Vienna. I didn't kill those people," Bucky says. The look in his eyes tells me he's telling the truth. 'So it was a set-up.' "You need to come with me, Buck. I can help you clear your name," I say.
Spartan's voice comes through the comlink, "Cap, there's a squad of mercs converging on your location. 15 targets. BREACH! BREACH!" Two flash-grenades crash in. I quickly bat one away with my shield, and the other grenade lands by Bucky's feet. Acting fast, he kicks the flash grenade toward me, and I slam the shield over it. A split second later, a team of black-clad mercs storms into the apartment. More of them come in through the window via fast-rope. They open fire with assault rifles. I dash in front of Bucky and hold my shield up, blocking the oncoming fire. Shooting in close, I smash my shield at the closest merc, sending him falling back to a group of two. Bucky goes after the group of mercs on his right. He slams one soldier through a wall. Bucky punches his metal arm into the wooden floor, pulls out a duffle bag hidden under the floor, and then tosses it out of the balcony onto a nearby rooftop. He bolts out of the apartment. I go after him.
[Spartan POV]
[Rooftop.] From my position, I see the Winter Soldier leaping onto another building's rooftop. From the shadow, a man in a cat costume attacks him from behind. The Winter Soldier gets to his feet and goes on the attack. 'Who the fuck is that guy?' I could see Bucky wasn't aiming to kill during the fight, just slow him down or immobilize the man. The man in the catsuit manages to get the upper hand and takes down Bucky. He goes for the killing blow, but Bucky holds him off. Acting fast, I grapple over to the building, rush over, tackle the man in the catsuit off Bucky. The masked man glares at me, "Move out of the way. My quarrel is not with you, soldier." I shake my head, "No can do. This man is our prisoner. I can't let you have him." "Move. I will not ask you again," the masked man says. I get in a fighting stance, "You want him? Come and get him." Suddenly, an attack helicopter flies in and starts to open fire. I push Bucky behind cover. Rain of bullets hits the masked man, but the man's unscathed. Cap jumps onto the roof, rolls to his feet, and throws the shield toward the attack helicopter. The shield rips apart the tail. As the helicopter falls, a net of psionics energy wraps around it, bringing it safely down to street level. Wanda, with Karai, is on a nearby rooftop. Bucky makes a break for it. The Cat-man is hot on his tail, and Cap and I are behind him.
[Highway tunnel.] We all jump down into the tunnel path. Dashing past traffic, police hit the scene, siren blasting. The situation is getting chaotic. "STAND DOWN! STAND DOWN!" a cop yells over a loudspeaker. Up ahead, Karai lands down through an opening with Wanda and Falcon. She draws her sniper rifle and shoots two stun shots. One hits Bucky in the center mass; the other hit the man in the catsuit. Both fall. Bucky drops unconscious, but the other guy only drops to a knee for a moment. Shaking off the stun effect, he moves on Bucky. Coming up from behind, Cap tackles the guy to the ground. Catman jumps to his feet, ready to attack. Wanda uses her psionic powers to restrain the man. JSOC and SHIELD tactical units form up around us, weapons on Bucky. "Prisoner secure," Cap says, slapping Cuffs on Bucky. He turns to Wanda, "Let him go." Wanda breaks her hold on the mysterious masked man. The man slowly takes off his mask, revealing his face. It's T'Challa, the son of King T'Chaka. The crown king of Wakanda. "Your Highness," Cap says with a slight bow.