Sunrise Serenade

22

Sam flew after the helicopter again, still being shot at any time he got close. He managed to get close enough to hack into one of the hostage's phones, sending them a message to put in their earbuds. Ayla Perez, the representative from the Philippines, was the only one on board with flight experience.

Shortly after Sam sent the message, he heard the click of her answering and said, "A little birdie told me you know how to fly a helicopter." He flew parallel to the helicopter and the pilot veered towards him, causing him to yell, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" He screamed as he fell into the water.

Sam grunted and groaned as he flew up and yelled, "Whoa! Boy, you just earned this ass-whoopin'." He deployed Redwing and caught up the the chopper before speaking to Ayla once again. "Okay. What we're gonna do requires perfect timing. We're gonna count down from five. When we get to one, you're gonna grab the control. Okay?"

He sent Redwing ahead of the chopper before he heard Ayla say, "Five... Four... Three... Two..."

When Ayla got to two, Sam sped up, flying towards the chopper at full speed. When he was within a few yards, he flipped over so he was going feet first and tucked the wings into his pack. He kicked through the door and took the pilot of the side door before grabbing him. Sam, realizing if he deployed his wings, they'd both end up in the Hudson, kicked the man off so he could deploy his wings and fly back up to the chopper.

"Nice work, Ayla," Sam complimented.

---

Bucky, Bea and Phillip were still in the midst of his fight, trying to avoid being hit with the metal beam. Phillip grabbed the beam and hit the Flag Smasher, knocking him down.

The three watched as a truck crashed onto the rafters and stepped back. The truck continued slowly falling.

Bucky, Bea and Phillip looked at the heavily dented shield that had been tossed down, then looked back up at the truck.

John pulled the truck back, groaning. Flag Smashers attacked from both directions and he knocked them back, but they kept coming. He was pulled away from the truck by Karli and everyone screamed as they fell.

Creaks and clanks sounded as the truck began falling before suddenly stopping.

Sam flew back to the GRC building, struggling to push up the falling truck. Bucky pulled John up. Bucky and Phillip stood below, ready to catch the truck. He managed to push it back onto stable ground on the unfinished building.

Bucky, Phillip, Bea and John stared up and the former three smiled proudly.

The crowd below cheered and someone said, "That's the Black Falcon there. I tell you."

"Nah, that's Captain America," another man said.

Bucky and Phillip smiled with pride as they looked up at Sam. Bea grinned at her friend and saluted him.

Sam used Redwing to cut the lock on the back of the truck and some people in the crowd went to help those aboard. Before he could get down to the others, Karli threw a spike at Bucky, who caught it. Before she could do anything else, Sam threw his shield, hitting three of the Flag Smashers.

Karli took her mask off and said to Sam in an angry tone, "You of all people bought into that bullshit?"

"I'm trying something different," Sam replied. "Maybe you should do the same."

Suddenly, there were a few small explosions, shortly followed by smoke, gunfire, and people screaming.

Sam said, "This way."

John, Bea, Phillip and Bucky followed the sound of Sam's feet on gravel and they eventually cleared the smoke.

The group ran into the building and Bucky said, "Hey, Sharon. We're underground. We entered the tunnel on William. Heading south."

"Looks like they split up. Here," Sam noted, stopping.

Bucky, Bea and Phillip did as well, but John turned the corner and kept going.

---

Sam and Bea started down a tunnel, but slowed when they heard someone whistling. The whistling continued, leading them to a room in a large warehouse. They looked around the room and heard two gunshots. They ran toward the sound of the shots only to find Karli, Sharon and another man.

The man was dead and Karli, holding a gun on an injured Sharon, said, "Sam, Bea, stay back."

"So, what's next, huh?" Sam asked as he and Bea stood near Karli. "You kill ten this time, then, what, a hundred? Where does it end? Please, let me help you."

"Don't try and manipulate me," Karli retorted, turning her gun to Sharon.

"Karli, don't!" Sam tackled her to the ground and she landed next to a pile of cement blocks, then threw them at him. Sam punched and broke the blocks and dodged them. Eventually, she gave up on the cement blocks and ran up to him, trying to punch, hit or kick him. Sam blocked her punches and tried to disengage as he said, "I'm not gonna fight you! Karli..."

Karli began growing more frustrated and fought harder, doing anything she could to get him to fight back. She hit him with a metal pipe and knocked him to the ground before yelling, "Stay down!" She turned to Bea who ran towards her and knocked her down with the pipe.

"No," Sam and Bea replied as they stood.

---

Bucky, Phillip and John caught up to a couple Flag Smashers trying to escape.

""Mercy bears richer fruit than strict justice"," John said.

Bucky turned the phone. "It's a great app. Thank you."

The Flag Smasher was taken away.

John clapped Bucky's right shoulder and Phillip's left shoulder.

Bucky and Phillip said to John, "Lincoln, really?"

"Great man. Great quote," John reasoned.

"Not when you say it."

The three walked away.