Rumors and Ghosts

ix. who the hell is...

Sam was driving the group to the Triskelion and Sitwell said, "HYDRA doesn't like leaks."

"So why don't you try sticking a cork in it," Sam retorted.

"Insight's launching in sixteen hours, we're cutting it a little bit close here," Natasha warned.

"I know," Steve said. "We'll use him to bypass the DNA scans and access the Helicarriers directly."

"What?!" Sitwell cried. "Are you crazy? That is a terrible, terrible idea."

Suddenly, the Winter Soldier landed on the car roof, pulled Sitwell out through the window and threw him into the oncoming traffic, killing him, then started shooting at them until Steve pulled the brake handle, making the Winter Soldier drop down onto the street as another car smashed into their car and pushed them along. The Winter Soldier jumped back onto their car and smashed through the windscreen and pulled out the steering wheel.

"Shit!" Sam yelled as Natasha started shooting at the Winter Soldier, but the Winter Soldier jumped onto the vehicle behind them. As their car was being pulled off the road, Steve held on to the car door.

"Hang on!" Steve yelled as he broke open the door. Holding onto Natasha, Anastasia and Sam, they slid on the car door through the streets.

The Winter Soldier was joined by HYDRA agents and started shooting at them. The four scattered and ran off in different directions with the Winter Soldier shooting at Natasha, but she managed to shoot him in his eye goggle mask and ran off.

The Winter Soldier dropped to the ground and pulled his goggle off with an angry expression. After a moment, he stood.

"Она моя. Я позабочусь о ней. Найди их," the Winter Soldier said.

(She's mine. (I'll take care of her.) Find them.)

The Winter Soldier went in pursuit of Natasha as the HYDRA agents went after Steve, Anastasia and Sam who managed to fend him off as they shot at him. Steve and Anastasia then noticed the Winter Soldier in pursuit of Natasha.

"Go, I got this!" Sam told Steve and Anastasia.

The Winter Soldier thought he'd found Natasha hiding behind a car as he could hear her voice.

"I make an LZ, twenty-three hundred block of Virginia Avenue," Natasha's voice said. "Rendezvous two minutes. Taking fire above and below expressway. Civilians threatened. Repeat, civilians threatened." He rolled a bomb towards where she thought Natasha was hiding. As the bomb rolled behind the car, Natasha wasn't actually there, but a recording over her voice was being played back on a phone. "I make an LZ, twenty-three hundred block at Virginia Avenue. Rendezvous two minutes." As the bomb exploded, Natasha jumped onto the Winter Soldier's back and tried to kill him, but he threw her off. She started running off as the Winter Soldier went after her. She threw a chip that disabled the Winter Soldier's arm. The Winter Soldier glared and removed the chip. He swung his arm and it clanked.

Natasha said to the civilians as she tried to get away from the Winter Soldier, "Get out of the way! Stay out of the way!"

Anastasia ran up to Natasha and pushed her away, getting shot in the shoulder. She fell and looked around. As the Winter Soldier came up from behind to shoot her, Steve jumped in with the shield and attacked him. They fought and in the process, the Winter Soldier took the shield and threw it at them, but Steve managed to avoid being hit.

The Winter Soldier began choking him and Steve freed himself, causing his metal hand, which had made a fist, to make a dent in the pavement.

The two exchanged even punches. Whoever he was, Steve could tell he was well-trained and incredibly dangerous.

The Winter Soldier pushed Steve against a van and dragged a pocketknife along the side and he barely avoided the sharp blade. Steve grabbed the shield from the back of the van.

They came after Steve with a pocketknife and kicked at him. Steve grabbed the Winter Soldier's metal arm, but was kicked back.

Steve managed to grab his metal arm and placed a hand on his mask before flipping him over his shoulder.

The Winter Soldier rolled on the ground and his mask came off. He looked around at Steve and Anastasia, who had rejoined Steve, who was shocked.

"Bucky?" Steve and Anastasia said in a shocked tone.

How Bucky was here they didn't understand. Bucky had fallen off the train and they'd thought him long dead. That clearly wasn't true.

"Who the hell is Bucky?" the Winter Soldier asked as he looked to the side with confusion.

Bucky went to shoot at Steve and Anastasia, but before he could shoot, Sam flew in and kicked him aside. Bucky took aim again but before he could shoot, Natasha used the grenade launcher Bucky dropped earlier to shoot at Bucky who vanished in the smoke of the explosion. The four heard sirens after which they were surrounded by HYDRA agents being led by Rumlow.

"Drop the shield, Captain!" Rumlow ordered. "On your knees! Get on your knees! Now! Get down! Get down!" Steve held his hands up. "Get on your knees! Down!" He kicked Steve's legs and Steve knelt down. "Don't move." Rumlow looked at the helicopter flying above them and warned Rollins who was holding Steve at gunpoint. "Put the gun down. Not here. Not here!" Rollins lowered his gun. The HYDRA agents took Steve, Sam, Anastasia and Natasha into custody.