The Ghost [Marvel | Steve Rogers]

Chapter 26

Bucharest, Romania

Spring 2016

With a grimace of frustration, Steve kicked out the smashed windshield of the police SUV and slid inside, his foot on the gas almost before he had yanked the door shut after him.

This was very much not how this was supposed to have gone...

Though, he supposed he shouldn't have been surprised that the Germans—a GSG-9 Tactical Unit, if he were to guess—that had been sent after Bucky had been so close behind them. Sharon had warned them, after all, and he had known on some level the UN wouldn't waste a second when it came to the suspect of the Vienna bombing. They couldn't afford to.

Still, he had been hoping for a little more time.

Enough time to extract Bucky and get him safely back on the Quinjet.

But what he hadn't expected? The new, very obviously Enhanced player on the field. Sleek black—and bulletproof—suit, strong, lithe and wicked fast...this new guy was dangerous and he was relentless. Against the GSG-9 unit? They'd still had a chance to make a break for it. Especially with Nadine tapping into the Germans' comms from the Quinjet.

But with this new guy gunning for Bucky?

It changed the game entirely.

"They're closing in, Rogers," Nadine's voice said in his ear. "You're running out of time. You need to get Barnes and you need to get out of that Tunnel. Two minutes max and you're going to be sealed up."

"Copy," he replied, the SUV lurching around him as he floored it after Bucky, keeping a sharp eye on the dark-suited Enhanced chasing him, "You've disengaged?"

"Yeah. I lost the helicopter. You shouldn't have to worry about it for a bit. I'm circling back now." Steve breathed a sigh of relief, both that the GSG-9 team's air support wasn't a factor for the time being and that Nadine had shaken them.

Almost as soon as he, Bucky and the mystery combatant had reached street level, the helicopter—once again levelled out after Sam's interference—had opened fire on all three of them. Only to find itself going up against the Quinjet. Almost as soon as the bullets had started flying onto the street, Nadine had disengaged the jet's stealth mode and positioned it to shield them from fire. Once Steve and Barnes had made the cover of the tunnel, she'd then proceeded to draw off the chopper, darting away before—he assumed—she'd ultimately reengaged its stealth mode and disappeared.

But that only did them any good temporarily. The Quinjet might be faster than the chopper, but the soldiers flying it had to be guessing that Nadine would be heading back toward Steve and Barnes. It only gave them a small window.

His jaw tensed as he considered their remaining options...including the ones he's wanted to avoid using if at all possible. He had been hoping they might be able to jump on the Quinjet once they had Bucky and go...even after the GSG-9s and the new Enhanced had engaged them. Nadine wouldn't even have had to land. But now that the Quinjet had engaged the chopper, revealing they had it as an asset? Now that they were in the tunnel? It was one more option no longer on the table. They were fast running out of options, really.

Steve grimaced, his jaw clenching tighter still. They didn't have a choice. "We need you down here, Ryker," he finally said, his voice firm despite the apprehension suddenly twisting in his gut.

"I know," she replied softly. "I'm already on my way." Despite himself, the corner of Steve's mouth quirked, especially as he heard the faint purr of Natasha's bike through the earpiece as Nadine gunned it. Of course she'd read the situation just as he had. Not for the first time since lifting off from Vienna he was thankful she had decided coming along was worth the risk.