WS AU - 12

Cont...

James felt slightly guilty dragging Sam into the mess but as they drove across town with Sitwell in the back he was forever grateful for the ex-Paratrooper.

 "You'll never make it," Sitwell said for the hundredth time. James glared out the window silently willing the man to be silent.

"He's got a point," Natasha said leaning forward, "We're cutting this a little close."

 James sighed, just what he needed, Natasha agreeing with the infiltration's right hand. "We'll use him to get into the Helicarriers and bypass the biometric scanners."

 "That's insane!" Sitwell sputtered.

"Why don't you put a cork in it?" Sam snapped glaring darkly through the rearview mirror.

"Okay but think, they probably already know I'm go-" Sitwell was cut off by the crash of glass and a force yanking him out of the broken back car window flinging him out into the oncoming traffic. Oh, they knew he was gone alright.

Before James really knew what happened Natasha was in his lap yanking him and Sam forward as there were three gunshots and the headrests that were attached to their seats exploded. Sam slammed on the brakes and the assassin from three nights ago flew off the roof of the car tumbling down the road.

The man with the metal arm. James felt his anger surge, this man had taken one of the greatest leaders he'd ever met out of this time. He would end him. Natasha raised her handgun and aimed true.

 The impact slammed all their heads forward and suddenly they were being pushed forward towards the killer. Sam let out a surprised sound and slammed the brakes again with no avail. He then tried to turn, jerking the steering wheel to the side as they rushed forward.

The Soldier flipped up and over the small car smashed in the cabin again and yanked the steering cleanout. They then veered sharply towards the barrier.

They were trying to drive them off the overpass, James realized, "Hold on!"

 He tightened his grip on the always trustworthy shield focused for a fraction of a moment on the strength that went with it and shoved. It took two quick jamming motions before the whole passenger’s door gave way. Then they were skidding down the road completely exposed.

When it came to a stop James rolled off Natasha and spotted Sam tucked behind a car since they had somehow lost him in the skid. Nat had her guns back and James had his shield.

The gunfire filled the air and they all dove for cover as grenades joined the ensemble of weapons being used against them. The car in front of Natasha went up in flames and James brought up the shield just in time to have the next grenade collide with it throwing him backward over the side of the overpass.

He smashed into a solid surface and blacked out. When he woke up after a few moments there was screaming and smoke. He'd crashed into a bus and there were shards of glass everywhere. James' whole body voiced its opinions of its situation as he forced himself up. He got to his feet and spotted the shield at the end of the overturned bus on the asphalt.

And that's when the rain of bullets came. James bolted for the end of the bus using his arms to cover his head as the deadly projectiles exploded glass and metal all around him. Miraculously he burst out the back window and grabbed the shield unscathed.

 The attackers who were with the Soldier focused their fire on him. James curled his whole body behind the shield as it got pummeled and thanked the Lord for the times Steve insisted that the whole squad know how to use the shield. Forcing his body up he redirected some of the bullets back at the attackers before running forward to ram the man with the automatic machine gun.

He left himself open for just a second but before the last shooter could take the shot he dropped dead from discharge from above. James looked up as a body dropped over the barrier to Sam who held the AK-47 like he'd been born with it. "Go! I got this!" Sam yelled.

James hopped off the car, shouldered the shield, and grabbed his own AK-47 from one of the fallen, pausing only to grab a handgun and a few magazines also before racing silently after the Soldier. The assault rifle would always feel more natural than the shield ever would. It wasn't too hard to find the killer, he'd left two smoking cars behind after all.

When James found him his stomach dropped. The Soldier had hit Natasha and had her pinned. James could hear her panicked breathing. He rushed forward, flipped the safety off the gun, and fired. The Soldier scrambled for cover as James laid down a wall of bullets. Natasha crawled for cover and slid under a car just as James ran out of bullets he discarded the rifle and slid out the handgun silently slinking forward.

He couldn't hear the Soldier or see him even with his advanced senses. James then heard it before it came but he miscalculated how fast the man was. Before James could even turn around a force grabbed him from behind and threw him into the street yanking the shield off. James rolled and instinctively took the shot.

The bullets pinged into the vibranium as the Soldier blocked them. Then the disc was flying towards James' head. James hit the ground as it flew past his head bounced off the car next to him and flew back to the Soldier. James rolled back to his feet feeling shaken. He hadn't seen anyone throw the shield like that since- no he couldn't go there not now he'd lose his concentration and he needed it as he tumbled away from the shield again.

The Soldier handled the iconic weapon with ease and skill making it harder for James to get a clear shot. James made a choice and ran straight at the Soldier. The killer threw the shield at James and he jumped. He landed a firm foot firmly in the center of the shield and landed hard on the Soldier. 

They landed in a tangle on the ground both struggling to free themselves. James gun skidded away. James' hand landed on the handle of a military issue knife and yanked it out as he rolled away from the Soldier flipping the grip to a comfortable one. The Soldier retaliated wrapping his hand around James' throat, crushing him into the ground. James’ vision blurred upon contact and he knew he had only moments to live if he didn't act. He lashed up with the knife cutting into the man's flesh right arm before embedding it into his bionic left one. The shock factor worked and with a swift kick and a roll James was out from under his assailant and he grabbed the shield.

The Soldier ripped the knife out and twirled it before lunging towards James' head. James parried quickly the faster the Soldier went. The man was definitely enhanced with how fast he was going. James threw himself forwards putting all his weight into a downwards thrust ramming the shield as hard as he could into the metal arm. The knife dropped but James wasn’t done. He whipped around and slammed the shield full force into the man's face sending him flying over a car.

James grabbed his handgun, shouldered the shield, and rounded the car. The Soldier was getting up obviously hurt by the impact his mask was in pieces on the ground. James took aim, his sniper training aiming true. Then the Soldier turned around. James forgot all about pulling the trigger. His world had just spiraled out of control. His hands were shaking, no longer firm in resolve. At some point, the gun clattered to the ground as he tried to comprehend what he was seeing.

 "Steve?" Bucky breathed as his world imploded looking at a man who had the face of his best friend down to the scar on his chin from the first time they had met at seven. But it couldn't be Steve. Steve had died almost a century because Bucky couldn't hold on. It couldn't be him. And it wasn't.

"Who the heck is Steve?" The Soldier ground out raising his own gun.

James stiffened realizing what was about to happen and knowing there was nothing he could do. Out of the sky Sam dove in grabbing Ste- the Soldier and throwing him away from James. James spun around to face him again still vulnerable but not caring in the least. His whole life felt like a lie. The Soldier aimed again but this time James could see the hesitation in his eyes. That was when the car next to the Soldier exploded. James looked over to find Natasha leaning in a car holding the grenade launcher from earlier.

When he looked back, the Soldier, Steve, was gone.

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