Possibility of Tomorrow - 2

 

Cont...

Istanbul was not the safest place to lay low with all the riots and political unrest in the area, but Sam supposed that that was part of the appeal for a spy, the ability to blend in. With crowds of people everywhere, it made things easy. It also made his nerves stand on end. 

They were squatting in an old abandoned office building at least ten stories above the street level so they could avoid the tear gas and fire. From up there, they could look down at the mobs alight with anger and fire. At night the smoke added a sinister spooky feel.

 The protests had been going on for a week straight. Sam wasn't sure they were ever going to end. Coughing on the fumes of gas, he kept his head down and weaved through the crowd, trying to get to the store before it closed so they would have dinner tonight. For once, he was glad Barnes was there; the muscle to shove through crowds now and then was nice. 

They finally made it out, and Sam ducked into the store to get whatever they needed. Bucky was to do a threat assessment check, make sure they weren't being followed. A few years ago, Sam would have called it overkill, now not so much. 

He finished finding everything on the list and paid. He was about to step out onto the street when suddenly Bucky was holding onto his arm, harshly pulling him with him as he speed-walked the opposite direction, "Someone's tailing us. Act natural." 

Panic hammered in Sam's chest, "Ross?"

 "I don't know. Head down, we're gonna stop in a sec, and you're gonna transfer all the groceries into your backpack, then you're going to give them the slip and head back. I'm gonna change the game on whoever they are." Bucky outlined as they merged with the crowd. 

"By yourself?" Sam asked as they stopped quickly moving items from one bag to another.

 "It'll be easier that way, less dangerous. Once you get back, you can deploy Redwing if you want." Bucky zipped the backpack he had been holding open for Sam closed, "I won't be more than an hour." With that, he turned and was swallowed by the crowd. Cursing under his breath, Sam turned and went the opposite direction of Barnes and the safe house. 

Bucky wove deeper into the crowd doubling back to get a better look at the figure he had caught a glimpse of earlier. He spotted them hidden in the shadows across the street, watching where they had gone trying to find them. They were small and lithe, dressed in dark colors, a head covering wrapped around their face leaving only their eyes for all to see. Bucky could see them watching; unfortunately, they saw him. The eyes got big, and that was all the warning Bucky got before they bolted. 

Growling under his breath, he sprinted after them. They slid over the truck and dodged elbows in the crowd before launching off the hood of a truck to a store overhang to the roof in three smooth moves. Bucky made the same distance in two. 

They were fast and knew the terrain as they jumped from rooftop to rooftop, running nonstop. He realized where they were headed when they jumped off the roof, rolling to soften the fall. They were headed to the underground train station, the train that would take them across the river to Istanbul's other side. On a train, under a river. If they made the train, he'd lose them. 

They were running through nicer but emptier neighborhoods as they zigzagged towards the train station. There was a train leaving in five minutes if they could make it. 

Bucky was gaining now, super serum kicking into full gear. He almost had them within reach when they banked a hard right. They slid down the railing to the turnstiles that guarded the stain station and launched over it. 

Bucky jumped down the three landings with a grunt. He hopped the turnstile and hurried after the black runner. The tile was slippery, and the traction was crap, but he kept up. That stunt with the railing had put some distance between them, but he was still gaining. 

They were running towards the tracks, but the train wasn't there yet; it would be in a minute. It would just be a minute too late. They looked back at Bucky closing in, eyes wide with terror, and jumped onto the tracks as the train could be heard coming into the far end of the station. 

Bucky skidded to a stop as they launched out onto the other side of the tracks. The train came whizzing in, and through the windows, Bucky could see them pulling the same chicken-with-a-train stunt on the other tracks as that train came in. Both trains opened and emptied out their passengers. The runner was gone. 

Cursing Bucky kicked an empty can so hard it flattened. Grumbling, he trudged back to the turnstiles and left the underground station. Keeping his head down, he watched his back and checked for tails all the way back to the safe house. 

The protesters had moved on down the block leaving destruction in their wake. Bucky sighed as he trudged up the stairs in the abandoned office building. Coming to the floor they were on, he pushed open the door. 

"Bucky?" Steve came over as soon as he came in, "What's wrong?" 

"We got found. We're blown." 

"Was it Ross?" Wanda asked, running her hands together nervously. 

"No, but they were good, fast and small. We need to move."

 "There's a spot down by the waterfront. Easy access; from there, we can get a boat tonight if we want. Lebanon, Syria, wherever we want." Nat suggested. 

"We'll do that then." Steve nodded, "Nat, see if you can't arrange that boat. Sam start packing up. Wanda, I want you to reach out and see if anyone is thinking about us. Bucky, eat, quick." 

With his fast metabolism, it wasn't a suggestion; it was an order. Bucky grabbed a box of protein bars and scarfed the tasteless things down. Nat was on the phone, and Steve and Sam were packing up. Wanda sat on the floor criss-cross, eyes closed a light red aura to her. He knew she was scanning minds within her reach, making sure they were safe as of now.

 "The boat is scheduled for 5am," Nat reported pocketing her phone. 

"There is no immediate danger. We are clear." Wanda said, getting up. 

"If gramps is done eating, we're ready to go," Sam muttered. Bucky glared, shoving the last bar in his mouth and grabbing one of the heavier bags. 

"Alright, let's head out. We can get across town in an hour or so. We'll pit stop in one of the abandoned buildings until we leave." Steve grabbed the other super heavy bag. They left no trace behind them as they up and left—no past, only infinite future.

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