Red, White & Blue | Bucky x Reader

Chapter Five

As we dash across the rooftop toward the far side of the building, a dark shadow suddenly passes over me.

"Bucky!" I warn. "Look out!"

Seeing the shadow soaring toward him, Bucky puts his arm over his head just as the shadow's owner tackles him to the ground. The stranger is muscular, his face and body covered by a mask with pointed ears and a black suit. I haul Bucky to his feet as the stranger stands, flexing his fingers to allow sharp claw-like blades to pop out.

Bucky charges, throwing a punch at the stranger, but the stranger blocks his attack and kicks him away. I rush in, punching and kicking, but he dodges my attacks as well, retaliating with attacks of his own. I duck under the slash of his sharp claws, but the stranger lands a kick to my stomach, knocking me into a nearby wall, my head smacking against it and making me feel dizzy. Bucky glances over, the concern evident on his face.

The stranger uses the distraction to his advantage, propelling himself off the wall and slashing at Bucky once more. Bucky uses his metal arm to shield his face as the stranger attacks, but the stranger tackles him to the ground, kneeling above Bucky's head. As he's about to sink his claws into Bucky's face, I surround him with energy.

"Hands off," I order, throwing the stranger aside as Bucky scrambles to his feet.

Up above, a helicopter appears, the men aboard firing their rifles at us. Bucky grabs me as we duck, attempting to shield me with his body, and I project a bubble of energy around us, keeping us safe from the bullets. A moment later, I see Sam as he soars toward the helicopter in his red and silver Falcon suit. The wings tuck in as he somersaults in the air, stomping on the tail of the helicopter and spinning it out of control.

Bucky pulls me along as we run to the edge of the roof, and I grab the fallen backpack, feeding my arms through the straps before jumping onto Bucky's back. He drops off the side of the building, landing on a lower ledge before continuing our descent to street level. As his feet hit the ground, so do mine, and I quickly glancing back to see the stranger is still in pursuit, using his claws to slide down the side of the building.

Bucky grabs my arm, pulling me down the street as the pilot regains control of the helicopter, resuming their gunfire from above.

I follow as Bucky jumps through the skylight of the underpass below, cars swerving around us as we land. We sprint through traffic, jumping and running over cars as we pass them. I hear sirens behind us, and I look back to see that we are being pursued by not only the stranger, but by Steve and the Special Forces vehicles as well.

The bright blue lights of two Special Forces vehicles suddenly appear ahead of us, cutting off our escape. Surprised, Bucky slows for a second before grabbing my arm, dragging me over the barrier to the other side of the expressway.

"We can't outrun them forever!" I shout to him, pushing myself to keep up.

"I'm on it!" Bucky shouts back.

Looking ahead, I see a motorcyclist speeding toward us. Bucky reaches out, grabbing the handlebar and spinning the motorcycle in midair, throwing the rider off. Bucky jumps on, and I climb on behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist as he propels us forward, swerving around the barrier so we are back on the right side of the road. Bucky weaves through traffic, and I look back to see the stranger perched on the hood of the car behind us. He launches himself forward, but I send a wall of energy at him, forcing him back onto the car.

Approaching another skylight, I get an idea, and I create a blue ball of energy in my hand, launching it at the ceiling as we pass. It explodes on impact, forcing our pursuers to hesitate as they try to avoid the rubble of the collapsing ceiling. I look back with a relieved smile, but the small victory is short lived as the stranger comes soaring through the rubble. His claws catch our back tire, and the motorcycle tips, throwing us to the ground. We roll and skid along the street, finally coming to a stop.

Still dazed from the crash, I look over to see the stranger climbing to his feet, preparing to attack Bucky again. However, out of nowhere, Steve appears, slamming into the stranger. I scramble up, rushing to Steve's side and putting myself between Bucky and the stranger, blue waves of energy dancing around my hands.

Special Forces vehicles close in all around us, and Steve puts his arm out, both in protection and to silently tell us not to fight. A moment later, a silver Iron Man suit flies in, landing in front of us and aiming both of his repulsor blasters in our direction.

"Stand down, now," James Rhodes, aka War Machine, orders.

Seeing that Special Forces has guns on us at every angle, Steve and I glance at each other, silently agreeing that we won't be able to fight our way out of this one. Accepting defeat, I let my powers fade away as Steve puts his shield on his back, slowing raising his hands. I look back at Bucky to see the look in his eyes, he's telling me to go, to teleport away, but I shake my head slightly, I'm not leaving him behind.

"Congratulations, Cap," Rhodes states. "You're a criminal."

The officers move in, forcing Bucky flat on his stomach as they cuff his hands behind his back. I instinctively take a step toward him, only to be stopped as more officers approach us, and I raise my hands above my head. Two of the officers move behind me and Steve, cuffing us as well.

At the same time, the stranger raises his hands, his claws retracting as he removes his mask. His curly black hair is cropped close to his head, and there is a warm glow to his dark skin. However, that warmth is missing from his mahogany-coloured eyes as he stares at us with a look of anger, grief, and determination. I recognize this man immediately, I've seen him in the news, he's Prince T'Challa of Wakanda.

"Your highness," Rhodes greets him.