Death Where is Your Sting? - B. Barnes

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

"I said go left!"

"I came out first, I was clearing the way!"

"Aw, shit, this is Madripoor all over again. Why don't you ever listen to me, man?"

"Now's not the time, Sam!"

Once again, James Buchanan Barnes and Sam Wilson found themselves in a fight, trying to clear a warehouse full of criminals and get whatever information they could on what they were storing before they shipped it out to God-knows who.

As Bucky found himself holed up behind a shipping crate firing between volleys of bullets, Sam was in a fist fight with two men. Sam threw his shield at one, hitting him square in the chest and catapulting him into the wall behind him, dodging a kick and throwing a punch to the other's jaw. Another solid punch sent him turning tail before Sam used his foot to flip the shield up into his hands. Sam dashed to a more open area where he could open his wings. He jetted himself up to the second floor, hurling the shield at a couple more guys firing down on Bucky.

"You're welcome!" Sam yelled down before turning to deal with more incoming men.

Bucky rolled his eyes, ducking his head out between shots fired at him to get eyes on the gunmen on the first floor. He saw an opening, the closest gunman running out of ammo and pausing to reload. Buck launched himself out from behind the wall of the container and charged at the gunman, using his metal arm to deflect the bullets from another shooter. He tackled the gunman to the floor, knocking the gun and ammo from his grasp and punching him twice to knock him out. Hearing movement behind him, Bucky stood up, but his attacker was faster – and he knew who he was fighting. A chain came around Bucky's throat, pulling him hard against a container door, which swung on its hinges behind him, taking him off his feet momentarily and knocking his gun from his hand. It was enough to get Bucky out in the open, exposed to the gunfire from barely-visible assailants. One caught him across the side of his leg, which only served to make Bucky angrier. With a grunt, he yanked the chain from around his throat, his attacker coming forward with it only to be pulled face-first into Bucky's metal hand. He hit the ground hard, unconscious, and Bucky ducked behind a container – no exit in sight.

"Shit. Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"Little help here!"

"Oh, now you wanna work together, huh?"

"I could use a lift." Silence. "Sam!"

"Give me a minute, man. I'm a little busy!"

Bucky looked up the container wall, pulled his knife, and jumped, stabbing it into the container so he could hoist himself on top. He needed a better view to take out the remaining gunmen on his level. He snuck along the container towards the sound of footsteps. Peering over the edge of the container, Bucky caught sight of a gunman. Crouching, he pulled a knife from his boot, preparing to throw, when the gunman was pulled down from behind, disappearing behind a wall. Bucky heard a muffled grunt, and footsteps moving away from his position. Bucky jumped across to the next container, catching himself on the edge and pulling himself up. He paused, listening – the gunfire on his floor had stopped. He glanced over the edge of the container to find the gunman who'd been dragged away unconscious on the ground.

Bucky closed his eyes, listening for movement and picked up on three pairs of footsteps, one much lighter than the others. Suddenly, a burst of gunfire came from below, followed by a grunt of pain, and the sounds of combat. The only other person who would be fighting these guys was – Sam!

Bucky blindly jumped from the container to the floor, knife in hand ready to join the fray to defend his partner. As he landed, Bucky looked up, expecting to see Sam in the heat of battle, but instead his eyes found a woman dressed all in black, dark hair pulled into a bun at the nape of her neck. She was holding off her attacker but Bucky couldn't tell if she was armed. For a moment, Bucky was frozen in confusion and surprise. The sound of gunfire to his left, behind the woman, shook him from his shock and he sprang into action. As the woman used her momentum to swing around her assailant and out of the way of the bullets, Bucky charged, throwing his knife at the new gunman and hitting him in the shoulder. Bucky slammed into him, knocking him into the wall and unconscious, grabbing his knife back in the process. Bucky spun to face the quiet footsteps behind him, ready for a fight, knife spinning in his hand at the ready to attack.