8-1-0-9

Chpt. 4

Matias and Gigi hauled the Soldier up onto the top of the truck, wrapping their arms around his to keep him restrained. I jumped up from the c-can, breathing hard in my mask as the thought that I could finally get back at him for everything fueling my movements. I landed on the cab, seeing Karli about to take a swing at the man until she saw me. I knew she couldn't see much of my face, but the look in my eyes told her I wanted the first hit. And she backed off, turning to stare up a small drone that began firing, leaving the small bullets to tink against the c-can. By the time I had stepped in front of the Soldier and locked eyes with him, he caught a glimpse of Karli crushing the drone over her knee.

     "I always wanted to do that," he strained, looking up at me again with a pleading expression. "Gale, listen–!" My fist smashed against his perfect jaw, a thin slit forming on the corner of his lip from my extra enhanced strength. He let out a curse, touching the split skin with the tip of his tongue with half a chuckle. "I deserved that."

The whir of a thruster momentarily took my focus away from him, to see Karli getting kicked in the chest by another familiar man. Dark skinned, in a bird costume that retracted its wings once he was stable on the truck trailer. It was the same black, white and red that I could recall from all those years ago. He helped Captain America take down the helicarriers in Washington. That only begged the question, would the redhead from the highway be here too?

     "Good of you to join the fight, Sam!" The man yelled, and I silenced him with another punch to the face. At the same time, though, he kicked out Gigi's leg from beneath her and made her stumble, her grip loosening enough that he could retract his arm.

Karli threw Sam to the other truck, who was grabbed by DeeDee and Nico, and I saw Dovich climb up to join the fight. The Soldier took a swing at Matias with his free arm, and tried to throw his metal fist my way once he noticed me beginning to charge at him. I caught his hand, and he wasn't fazed like he was the first time I had done such a thing. Both Flag Smashers that were holding him went to go after Sam, leaving me to deal with the Soldier. However, I didn't account for him grabbing my wrist with his real hand, pulling me forward and past him before spinning me back around to face him.

     "Gale, I need you to listen!" He shouted over the wind, ducking when I swung my leg at his head with a growl. "Just for a minute, then I'll let you hit me as much as you want."

I snarled at him and managed to knee him in the stomach, doubling him over as he coughed. "I should've dragged your sorry ass back to Hydra," I hissed, sending a kick to his face that snapped his head back and flipped him onto his stomach from the momentum.

He got back up to his feet, setting his jaw as he craned his neck. He shook himself out and got into a fighting stance, one I remembered seeing him use as we sparred for training. "I guess I'll tell you the hard way," he muttered with a huff, and my moves became automatic like a well ingrained dance, hitting him roughly but not enough to send him to the ground yet.

     "E-Z!" I heard Karli yell, snapping my attention to her for a split second to let her know I heard her. "Get rid of him! We've got his friend." She demonstrated with a hit to Sam's gut, cackling as all his limbs were grabbed by the others and he was left vulnerable as he thrashed.

The Soldier grumbled before me, sending a kick to my chest when I had turned away again, knocking the wind out of me. I cursed in Russian, jumping to my feet to strike him again. "C'mon, 'E-Z'?" He sighed, wiping his face as he dodged my fist. "What's so wrong with 'Gale'? I thought you liked it!"

I fixed my hair when he took a step back, tightening it as I glared daggers at him. "I thought you were dead," I mumbled instead, the words leaving me before I had a chance to change what I was going to say. I hate you.