Avenger Arising → Bucky Barnes [3]

10|BLACK PANTHER

Like a shadow, a muscular man clad entirely in black, pounced onto Bucky from behind, knocking him down. The man had a full face mask with pointed ears, resembling a cat. He extended his fingers and sharp claws popped out. He began to attack Bucky with sweeping kicks and slashes. Bucky fought back but his opponent kicked him into a wall. The man swiped his claws and spun gracefully, clearly trained well. Bucky narrowly avoided being slashed, holding up a metal bar to protect him.

Steve and Ally chased close behind, Steve pressing down on his earpiece. "Sam, southwest rooftop."

"Oh good, Sam's here too," Ally snapped. "Hey Birdman!"

"Lady America, always a pleasure," he greeted. "But who the hell is the other guy?"

"About to find out," Steve leaped from the balcony down onto the neighboring building as a chopper flew above. The man continued to lunge at Bucky with his claws, but Bucky grabbed his wrists. A soldier began to fire a machine gun from the chopper but the man's armor reflected the bullets.

"Sam!"

"Got him," Sam flew down and shoved the chopper off course. He swooped towards street level and grabbed Ally by her hand, taking her off the ground. "Hold tight."

Bucky broke free from his attacker and began to run. Steve followed the two and landed rolling along the ground. Gunfire from the chopper began to tear up the sidewalk. Bucky jumped down through an opening and landed in an underpass, he kept running, even through the traffic. The man and Steve drop down and continued after Bucky.

A special forces vehicle began to pursue Steve. The vehicle closed in, blue lights flashing. Steve leapt onto the vehicle and splintered the windshield. The driver stopped, Steve yanked him from the vehicle and kicked the windshield out, then starts to drive off. Bucky ran over the top of a speeding car, outpacing it. The man jumped onto the vehicle Steve was driving and Steve began to swerve from side to side, trying to throw him off. "Sam, I can't shake this guy!"

"Right behind you."

Up ahead Bucky reached a fork in the road and faced oncoming traffic. He leapt over a barrier as Steve slammed on the gas and drove through the barrier. A motorbike sped towards Bucky, almost by instinct he grabbed the handlebar and spun the bike around in mid air, throwing the rider off. Bucky got on the bike and began to ride away. Steve continued on Bucky's tail with the man in the black suit still on the van. Sam, still carrying Ally with one hand, flew into the underpass in attempt to catch up. The man leapt off the van and onto Bucky's motorbike. Bucky flung him over his head and continued down the underpass, throwing a small grenade at a bypass and brought down tons of rubble. In another attempt, the man jumps on Bucky and threw Bucky off the motorbike. Steve swerved the van through the rubble and leapt, pulling the man off of Bucky.

Armed police began to arrive and surrounded them, guns aimed. War Machine leapt down from above and raised both hands. "Stand down, now," Rhodey turned to Steve. "Congrats, Cap. You're a criminal." The police began to move in and forced Bucky to his knees. The man raised his hands and pulled off his mask revealing his face. It was T'Challa, the man whose father was just murdered. "Your highness."

"What's gonna happen to them?" Ally questioned Rhodey, a look of pure annoyance on her face that made even Rhodey pick his next words carefully.

"You're gonna have to talk to Tony about that," he explained. "Good to have you back Alchemy."

"Wish it was under different circumstances," she glared at him, being forced on her knees by a policeman. "Wouldn't you agree Rhodes?"

"Yes ma'am."

—

"So, you like cats?"

"Sam," Steve warned, still refusing to make eye contact with Ally.