Once A Warrior Princess

Chapter 14~ An Old Friend

Steve's POV

"So, what exactly are you doing again?" Melody asked.

"I will explain everything once I get back," I smiled.

"And that's another thing. Why exactly am I not going?" She pushed.

"Because I don't want you getting hurt." Because you are contracted by S.H.E.I.L.D. who has been infiltrated by H.Y.R.D.A.

"Is this because of H.Y.D.R.A.?" She asked.

"How do you know about that?"

"Do you really think it was a coincidence Fury found me?" She asked, "No, he had been watching my mini-vacations to Earth. The whole political thing is a cover-up, as it turns out. Mom's working with Fury to bring H.Y.D.R.A. down. Why do you think she sent her best fighter and political influencer?"

"You are still far too important," I sighed.

"Steve, I'm immortal. Do you know how many times I've been beheaded, stabbed, shot, and been ripped apart? Too many times to count. I'm an asset. Use me."

"Fine. You, Sam, and Nat will join me on this mission. Just promise me that you'll be careful."

"As long as you promise the same thing. Now let's go. We have things to do," She said and we were off.

Timeskip

Steve's POV

"Tell me about Zola's algorithm," I said as I threw Jasper Sitwell across the roof.

"Never heard of it," He said.

"What were you doing on the Lemurian Star?" I continued, backing him up to the edge.

"I was throwing up, I get seasick," He said before smiling. "Is this little display meant to insinuate that you're gonna throw me off the roof? Because it's really not your style, Rogers."

"You're right. It's not. It's hers," I said, letting Natasha kick Sitwell off the roof.

"I'm so proud that you made a move," Nat said as we listened to Sitwell's screams as he fell.

"Not the time, Nat," Melody said, as Sam flew up with Sitwell and threw him back on the roof.

"Zola's algorithm is a program...for choosing Insight's targets!" He said, shaking.

"What targets?" Melody asked, her eyes hardening.

"You! A TV anchor in Cairo, the Undersecretary of Defense, a high school valedictorian in Iowa City. Bruce Banner, Stephen Strange, anyone who's a threat to HYDRA! Now, or in the future."

"The Future? How could it know?" I asked and Sitwell laughed.

"How could it not? The 21st century is a digital book. Zola taught HYDRA how to read it. Your bank records, medical histories, voting patterns, e-mails, phone calls, your damn SAT scores. Zola's algorithm evaluates people's past to predict their future," Sitwell explained.

"And what then?" I asked.

"Oh, my God. Pierce is gonna kill me," Sitwell muttered.

"What then?!" Melody growled, partially shifting.

"Then the Insight Helicarriers scratch people off the list. A few million at a time," He answered.

Timeskip

Melody's POV

"HYDRA doesn't like leaks," Sitwell said as Sam drove.

"So why don't you try sticking a cork in it?" Sam asked.

"Insight's launching in sixteen hours, we're cutting it a little bit close here," Nat said.

"I know. We'll use him to bypass the DNA scans and access the Helicarriers directly," Steve replied.

"What?! Are you crazy? That is a terrible, terrible idea," Sitwell said. Suddenly, someone landed on the roof of the car and pulled Sitwell out of the car and threw him into traffic. The unidentified man began shooting until Steve pulled on the brake handle, causing the man to drop into the street while another car smashed into ours, pushing us further down the street. The man jumped back on top of our car, smashed through the windscreen, and pulled out the steering wheel.

"Shit!" Sam said as Natasha started shooting at the man in the mask. I cast spell after spell at him, but he blocked them with his metal arm. God damn loophole. Sometimes, it really sucked that magic was useless against technology.

"Hang on!" Steve said, grabbing Nat and Sam and busting the door open. He jumped out with them and they slid on his shield. I jumped as well, choosing to fly instead of finding a good chunk of myself splattered on the road. H.Y.D.R.A. agents joined the man in the mas and began shooting at us and we scattered. The soldier started shooting at Natasha, but she managed to shot him in his eyemask before running off.

"Она у меня. Найди его," He said. She's mine. Find him? What the hell did that mean? But I didn't have time to worry about it, and besides, Nat was probably the most capable Human I knew; she could take care of herself. So instead I went after Steve and Sam, casting spell after spell at the agents and rendering them useless.

"Go, I got this!" Sam told us once Steve noticed Nat. I watched Nat get shot in the shoulder and the masked man almost finished her off, but Steve and I attacked him. The soldier managed to take Steve's shield and threw it at him. Steve and I were like a well-oiled machine, and soon enough we managed to get the rest of the soldier's mask off.

"Bucky?" Steve asked, eyes wide. My own eyes widened. Bucky? As in Bucky Barnes? Oh, this just got super complicated.

"Who the hell is Bucky?" Bucky asked, before going to shoot at Steve. Sam flew in at just the right time and kicked Bucky aside. Bucky took aim again but before he can shoot Natasha uses the grenade launcher Bucky dropped earlier to shoot at Bucky who vanishes in the smoke of the explosion. Sirens could be heard and we were surrounded by H.Y.R.D.A. agents being led by Rumlow.

"Drop the shield, Cap! On your knees! Get on your knees! Now! Get down! Get down!" He screamed and Steve held his hands up. "Get on your knees! Down!" He said, kicking Steve's leg and Steve kneeled. "Don't move. Put the gun down. Not here. Not here!" Rumlow said as the four of us were taken into custody.

This was really, really fucking bad. Bucky was not at all how Steve described him, Hell, he'd even tried to kill us. But really confused me was that Bucky was still alive. And I wasn't the only one confused.