Decisions and Splinters - Book 5 (Civil War)

Chapter 6 - A Cat

Steve and Annabelle walked around the small apartment. There was a single bathroom, a mattress on the floor with a thin sheet and pillow, and then a tiny kitchen. The windows were covered in newspapers.

"Heads up," Sam said through the comms. "German Special Forces approaching from the south."

"Understood."
"Steve," Annabelle said quietly and he turned around to see Bucky standing there.

"Do you know me? Know either of us?"

"You're Steve. I read about you in a museum. And Annabelle. I've seen your suit in pictures, but not your face."

"They've set the perimeter," Sam reported.

"I know you're nervous and you have plenty of reason to be, but you're lying."

"I wasn't in Vienna. I don't do that anymore."

"They're entering the building."

"Well the people who think you did are coming here now and they're not planning on taking you alive."

"That's smart. Good strategy." They glanced up as they heard footsteps above them and from the stairwell.

"They're on the roof. I'm compromised."

"This doesn't have to end in a fight, Buck."

"It always ends in a fight."

"Five seconds," Sam warned.

"You pulled me from the river. Why?"

Bucky took the glove off his left hand, revealing the metal. "I don't know."

"Three seconds." Annabelle pulled up her mask.

"Yes, you do."

"Breach! Breach! Breach!" Sam yelled just as explosives came through the windows. Annabelle hit the first one back out the window and Bucky kicked the second over to Steve who put his shield over it just before it exploded. Bucky grabbed Annabelle's arm and pulled him to her as he lifted the mattress with his other arm and covered them from a shot coming through the window. Annabelle pushed the mattress off of them while Bucky grabbed the table sitting against the wall and flung it towards the door, the legs lodging into the wall. Three soldiers broke through the windows, each of them engaging one. The backdoor opened and Steve grabbed the gun from the soldier and Bucky kicked him outside.

"Buck, stop!" Steve yelled, grabbing the back of his jacket. Bucky immediately twisted so Steve had to let go. "You're gonna kill someone. He pushed Steve down to the floor before throwing his fist down, landing right next to Steve's head.

"I'm not gonna kill anyone," he told him before grabbing the hidden bag under the floorboard and tossing it out the backdoor. Annabelle turned as another soldier came through one of the windows, immediately shooting at Bucky who blocked himself with his arm. Annabelle kicked his legs out and slid the gun away before knocking him out with a punch. She turned in time to see Bucky throw Steve out the window and into one of the German soldiers. She glanced out the window to see Steve pushing himself up on the small balcony, the other soldier staying still. Bucky held his hand out, the bullets flying off of his palm and Annabelle had to duck as some of them deflected her way. She looked back up to see Bucky pick up a cinderblock and chuck it at the soldier who went flying into the bathroom.

"Ow," Annabelle cringed for him. "Door!" she yelled as she heard three shots and Bucky threw his fist through the wall, hitting one of the soldiers before kicking open the door and running through. Annabelle came out behind him, helping to get rid of the soldiers in the stairwell. The glass from the ceiling shattered as a soldier repelled through. Bucky grabbed his gun before swinging him into the wall and knocking him out. They both looked down the stairwell as more soldiers started running up. Bucky jumped onto the body still hanging from the repel line, using it to swing across and down a level, starting on taking out the guards there. Annabelle shot the hook from her staff, jumping into the center of the stairs and going down two flights to limit the soldiers that made it up to Bucky. Steve came out of Bucky's apartment and joined them. They all started making their way further down, Annabelle stopping as she saw one of the soldiers start to fall down the center of the stairs before Steve caught him.