Winter Soldier: Fade to Red

Flight

Alyona sat in frustrated silence, the ashes of her unsmoked cigarette threatening to fall to the floor. Wolf Spider was lost to her. The internal directive to stay near his home base had been disobeyed. And she now knew why.

"The Winter Soldier is in Moscow," her underlying reported from across her desk. "He's been spotted with Wolf Spider. And the Winter Guard is hunting them."

Alyona remained silent and thoughtful. The Winter Guard was always going to enter the fray. That was part of the plan. But Wolf Spider was supposed to execute all of the targets first. Then he would no longer be of value. But now...

"One target still remains," the underling reminded her.

"I'm aware of this," Alyona calmly explained. "We need to go into damage control. The Winter Guard still has the means to use our carefully-curated work."

"Then we simply need to take care of the last researcher ourselves. End the problem."

"As long as Wolf Spider remains, our problem does too," Alyona interrupted. "The Winter Soldier will see to that. And that means his Avengers may also become involved." Alyona tossed the dead cigarette aside and lot another. "We must return to Sokovia. And destroy the facility. Destroy every trace of the project."

"Even...the subject?"

Alyona smiled tersely. "Especially the subject."

"All of our hard work, gone," the underling bemoaned.

"Survival is what matters most. Hydra may not have the reach or influence it once enjoyed. But so long as one head remains..."

The Quinjet, though invisible in it stealth function, greeted Bucky's sight as Nikolai followed his directions through the outskirts of the town.

"I doubt it will be this easy," Wolf Spider lamented as they came upon the seemingly empty field.

"No," Bucky declared. He looked over his shoulder yet again as the sound of distant helicopter blades whipped. "But once we get on the jet, we're getting an upgrade in defense."

"One can only hope."

"Don't slow down," Bucky spoke in a calm voice as he tapped a device in his pocket. The Quinjet remained invisible but it's ramp began to descend, revealing the interior to them. Then the Quinjet began to move, gradually gaining speed. "We're going to have to time this just right," Bucky explained as the helicopters began to gain on them.

Understanding the plan, Nikolai increased his speed, his sights set solely upon the open ramp. Meanwhile, machine guns began to rain gunfire down on them. Time seemed to stand still and all noise drowned out as Nikolai focused entirely on that narrow, distant window of supposed safety. Bucky raised his arm and pivoted around in the seat, opening fire on the helicopters with his pistol.

"So close," Nikolai whispered, the exposed cabin of the Quinjet near enough that he could smell the interior and feel the air conditioning on his face.

The Quinjet slowly started to dip upward, gaining altitude.

"Punch it!" Bucky screamed.

Nikolai carried out the order and the bike hit the ramp and went flying into the Quinjet as gunfire continued to spray after them. Immediately, Bucky reached forward and gripped the handlebars with one hand while simultaneously hefting Nikolai up by his waist. Turning around, he threw the bike out of the Quinjet and hefted a grenade from his belt at it. The grenade stuck to the bike and immediately exploded in the path of the helicopters.

The ramp closed and Bucky set Nikolai down before hurrying to the controls. Nikolai caught his breath and looked down at the floor, immediately noticing the drops of blood that trailed all the way to the cockpit. "Bucky!" He cried out before racing to the cockpit where Bucky was too busy piloting the Quinjet to show concern for his wound.

"Fasten your seatbelt," the Winter Soldier commanded.

"You're wounded!" Nikolai protested.

"Just a scratch, babe," Bucky said with a wink.

Nikolai did as he was told and Bucky immediately hit top speed, pinning them both to their seats as they made a ninety degree ascension into the atmosphere. Once he was satisfied with their distance, Bucky engaged autopilot with a course set for Sokovia.

"That is not just a scratch," Nikolai argued once he was able to unbuckle himself and get up.

Bucky put a hand to his thigh and smirked. "Yeah. Definitely not a scratch."

"Where is the med kit?" Nikolai asked as he began to rummage through the jet. Bucky got up and moved into the back of the jet where he was promptly ordered to sit down.

"You're losing a lot of blood," Nikolai remarked. "Remove your pants."

Bucky cocked an eyebrow. "If I knew getting shot was the key to you making me get naked, I'd have done it earlier," he teased.

Nikolai glared at him but said nothing as he watched Bucky unfasten his belt and pants. He yanked them down, revealing a few eye-catching details.

One- Bucky had the most beautiful, muscular thighs Nikolai had ever seen.

Two- Bucky was not a fan of underwear, as evidenced by the generous manhood as it dangled there before Nikolai.

Three- his wound was spurting blood.

"Your femoral artery's been hit," Nikolai stated in a grave voice. "Bullet went straight through."

"It'll heal by the time we get to Sokovia," Bucky sighed.

"We still need to put pressure on it," Nikolai remarked as he took a cloth and pressed it against the gunshot wound. Now seated very near Bucky, he couldn't help but feel swallowed up on this moment of intimacy.

"Hey," Bucky said in a gentle voice, causing Nikolai to suddenly look into his eyes. "I'll be alright."

"I'm not worried," Nikolai quickly and defensively stated.

"You look worried," Bucky spoke in a low, sultry tone.

"I don't know how to operate your jet," Nikolai coldly replied.

"That's all?"

"That's all."

But Nikolai's hands were trembling.

"I would like, very much, to understand how my Russia's finest was bested by two men," Director Gregorov fumed. He stood before the assembled members of the Winter Guard, taking stock of them. Darkstar stood with her arm in a sling, a bitter expression on her lovely face. Red Guardian and Black Widow were silent, their faces bearing shame. Only Volstok was absent, his destroyed body being repaired by technicians.

"We underestimated them," Yelena calmly replied.

"And I overestimated you!" Gregorov shouted, slapping his palm on his desk. "Still, the final researcher has been moved to a secure location. He's safe. So the mission was not a total failure. Yet."

Doctor Petrovna lay in a crumpled heap on the floor, his neck bent at an awkward angle. His eyes, glossy and wide, reflected the scene that now took place in the room that was designated as safe. A lithe female with a severe expression was making very short work of her final target. She moved in a fury, her strikes precise and deadly until not one person was left breathing.

"Sometimes," Alyona whispered as she stood still and allowed her heart rate to decelerate. "One must tend to things oneself."

She lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply.

"And now...to Sokovia."