Winter Soldier: Fade to Red

Vibranium vs. Adamantium

The steel door crunched inward and was blasted off its hinges after a quick punch from Bucky's vibranium arm and he and Nikolai were once again outside. Despite the relative ease in evading the Winter Guard and its forces, Bucky knew that their luck shouldn't be pressed. In spite of the individual talents and skills, they were still heavily outgunned. Volstok was still operational, and if he was anything like Vision then it was highly unlikely that an explosion or a collapsed street would slow him by much. Nikolai may have managed to dislocate Darkstar's shoulder, but Bucky knew they had the close quarters and the mutant's underestimation to thank for that. Granted the explosion hadn't done further harm to her, she'd be back in commission and better-prepared for the next round. Yelena could only hold back so much, and Red Guardian had yet to make an appearance. And, though Bucky understood him to be a close ally to Yelena, he understood that Russia's very own super soldier had to play his part as well.

Gunfire popped from the rooftop overhead and Bucky snatched the fallen door and hefted it up in time to deflect the bullets. He pulled Nikolai by the waist against his chest and took the opportunity to quickly shout their plans into his ear. "We're headed out of the city and to my jet," he explained. "Yelena has a vehicle waiting for us a few blocks from here."

"I still don't think it's a good idea to trust her..."

"Take my assault rifle and lay down some fire," Bucky cut him off.

Rolling his eyes, Nikolai snatched the rifle from Bucky's shoulder and spun out from behind cover to return fire. While he did so, Bucky unclipped another grenade from his belt and tossed it into the doorway they'd just emerged from. The explosion leveled the front of the building, ensuring that no one could flank them from that route. Then he spun around and threw the door up at their attackers. One of the agents was just rising to return fire when the door hit him in the chest and threw him several feet backward.

"Come on," Bucky beckoned.

The assault rifle clicked emptily and Nikolai dropped it and withdrew his handgun as he kept pace with Bucky. A paneled van screeched to a halt on the curb when they emerged from the alleyway and several occupants opened fire from the windows. Bucky pulled Nikolai to the ground and threw another grenade underneath the van, popping it up into the air in a fiery explosion.

Adrenaline surged throughout Nikolai as he got to his feet and fired at some agents who were closing in on foot. Bucky grabbed him by the arm and tugged him down a narrow side street. More sniper fire assailed them and they made use of a row of parked cars to grant them cover as they engaged in a vicious gunfight.

"Darkstar and Volstok incoming," Yelena reported in barely a whisper. "And I'm bringing a team to cut you off."

Bucky rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"What?" Nikolai asked as he reloaded his gun.

"It's just one thing after another today," Bucky groaned.

Right on cue, beams from
Volstok's eyes cut through the car and narrowly missed Nikolai's face as they struck the fire hydrant behind him with a sizzle. Water erupted around them, spewing upward in a geyser.

"How fucked am I?" Nikolai bemoaned.

"You're not fucked yet," Bucky said with a salacious smirk, eliciting an eye roll from Nikolai.

The car suddenly exploded as a blast of dark energy hit it. Bucky instinctively wrapped his arms around Nikolai and shielded him as they went flying against the building's stone.

"Okay," Bucky huffed. "Now you might be fucked."

"Do I have to do everything?" Nikolai grunted with a playful smile as he tore a small canister from his belt. "Hold your breath and close your eyes," he added before tossing the little weapon up into the air. The little canister popped open and a great burst of red mist appeared and blanketed them in a dense, obfuscating cloud. Nikolai hastily tore the little gas mask from his side pouch and put it on before snatching Bucky by the hand and pulling him away. As they ran, he withdrew another canister and deployed it as well.