The Night We Met | Steve / Bucky

fifteen - praying

1 Year Later

Lagos. The dry air, the hot sun and the locals going about their business. A place you wouldn't find the Avengers. 

A battle ensued at the Institute for Infectious Diseases situated in the center of Lagos. The Avengers - Steve, Natasha, Wanda and Sam - all battling a much larger army of men sporting gas masks, heavy vests and wielding high function weaponry. The Avengers demonstrated ideal communication and team work, something that took quite a bit of practice. 

Wanda and Sam worked together to defeat the infiltrators on the outside of the Institute while Steve battled on the inside. Wanda used her powers to withdraw toxic gases the infiltrators had disposed of within the building, and sent it up into the sky preventing harm to anyone. 

Natasha joined the fight, entering the premises on a motorcycle and easily taking out four of the men. As Natasha proceeded in her fight, the rest of the men loaded up the trucks they owned, and all climbed inside attempting their escape. 

The leader, Crossbones, made sure that no Avenger was left unharmed. He trapped Natasha in a truck with explosives and continued to fire a machine gun from the top of his own vehicle, hitting Steve on several occasions. Steve was thrown from the balconies of the Institute and landed hard outside on the ground. 

Crossbones was good and was expecting the fight that the Avengers had brought him. Crossbones and the rest of the team escaped the Institute in a heavily armored truck, heading out into the town, not caring for the civilians in their path. Their truck swayed and swerved between market stalls, trying to make a clean getaway. But Crossbones knew they weren't getting away that easily. 

The driver of the truck crashed, causing damage to the market stalls. Civilians, instead of running away, decided to try and get a good look at the action - something that would not usually be seen in their city. 

Natasha, Sam and Steve made a quick pursuit, Sam travelling through the air, Natasha on her motorbike and Steve on foot. They pushed past the gathered crowds, trying to locate Crossbones and his team. Sam spotted the team, splitting up and trying to blend in with the growing crowd. Natasha hunted down two going left, Sam took the ones on the right. 

Before Steve could decipher who is the best to hunt down, an explosive was thrown in his direction, landing on his shield. He threw his shield into the air, the explosion not harming anyone. A stiff kick landed in his back, throwing him forward. Steve burst through more structures in his path, landing hard on the dusted ground beneath him. The locals screamed, when Crossbones, who was heavily armored, marched forward toward the beloved hero. His face was covered in a mask. He was tall, strong and was more than willing to put up a fight. "There you are, you son of a bitch." He spoke, his harsh tone echoing.

"And there you are, you piece of shit."

A figure appeared behind Crossbones, kicking him in the back, propelling him forward but not enough for him to fall. Despite Steve laying on the ground in front of him, curiosity got the better of Crossbones and he turned around, coming face to face with his attacker. A figure stood in front of him, wearing heavy black cargo trousers and a black windbreaker. Their hands were gloved and they wore heavy black boots. They too sported a black mask, shielding their identity, their hair slicked back into a bun. Crossbones didn't know who his attacker was, maybe an Avenger he hadn't met - but he knew who is fight was with today. "Well," He spoke, shaking his arm activating a large metal armor - deadly. "A fight is a fight."

He approached the figure swinging his armored arm in their direction. They ducked, sweeping his legs, knocking him over on his side. Crossbones groaned with frustration, jumping back to his feet. The figure was ready for him and the pair exchanged blows. Crossbones hit his attacker with a clean hook to the jaw but his attacker would return with a push kick to the abdomen and a swift upper punch, followed by a right hook. The metal that Crossbones sported hurt. He knew his attacker was getting hurt and the fight wouldn't last much longer.