Not Afraid To Die || "To The End" series

Screw Redwing

Chris' POV

I sat with Pietro at a table in a cafe, near both Natasha and Wanda, as we watched the street for Rumlow's attack.

"All right," Steve said. "What do you see?"

"Standard beat cops," Wanda replied. "Small station. Quiet street. It's a good target."

"There's an ATM in the south corner, which means..."

"Cameras," I cut in.

"Both cross streets are one way." Pietro nodded.

"So, compromised escape routes," he said.

"Means our guy doesn't care about being seen, he isn't afraid to make a mess on the way out. You see that Range Rover halfway up the block?

"Yeah," Wanda said, "the red one?" I shrugged.

"It's cute," I muttered, making Pietro chuckle.

"It's also bulletproof," Nat said, "which means private security, which means more guns, which means more headaches for somebody. Probably us."

"You guys know I can move things with my mind, right?" Wanda asked. I smirked at Pietro, who rolled his eyes.

"Looking over your shoulder needs to become second nature."

"Anybody ever tell you you're a little paranoid?" Sam asked. I chuckled.

"Not to my face," Nat replied. "Why? Did you hear something?" I grinned.

"Well, yeah, actually-"

"Eyes on target, folks," Steve cut in. "This is the best lead we've had on Rumlow in six months. I don't want to lose him."

"If he sees us coming that won't be a problem," Sam said. "He kind of hates us." I snorted, covering it up by taking a drink of my coffee. I looked up as a garbage truck plowed through the street, making people move out of the way.

"Sam, see that garbage truck?" Steve asked. "Tag it." I looked up at the roof Sam was on as he launched his drone, Redwing, and rolled my eyes.

"Oh screw Redwing," I muttered. "All he wants is attention."

"Leave him alone, Chris!" Sam scolded playfully. "He hasn't done anything to you." I chuckled. "That truck's loaded for max weight. And the driver's armed."

"It's a battering ram," Nat said.

"Go now," Steve told us. I frowned, looking up at Pietro.

"What?" I asked.

"He's not hitting the police." Pietro and I jumped up, running off as the truck slammed into the gateway of the infectious disease lab. I sighed.

"It just had to be the infectious diseases," I muttered before kicking off one soldier and punching another in the face. I heard glass break and looked up at the windows. I could see gas starting to spread through one of the upper floors.

"Body armor," Steve said. "AR-15's. I make seven hostiles." I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, well I could've told you that." Sam flew in and up to a rooftop, spinning and using his wings to block gunfire.

"I make 5," he said. Wanda arrived and flew over the rooftop and into the courtyard, blocking fire with her powers. She took control of one soldier and lifted him upward.

"Sam!" she called. The man glided down from the rooftop, catching the soldier on one of his wings.

"Four." Sam piloted Redwing up to the windows of the building. "Rumlow's on the third floor." Steve looked at Wanda as I ran over to Pietro.

"You doing good?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Yeah?" I nodded. "Good. Keep it up." I rolled my eyes.

"You know, I've been alive for a whole five months. I think I'm good." He chuckled and shook his head before running off.

"Rumlow has a biological weapon," Steve said.

"I'm on it," Nat replied. I heard a crash, probably Nat doing something cool, and scanned the area for anyone else I could fight. My attention was drawn by an explosion coming from Nat's direction. My eyes widened, and I ran over as quickly as I could to see Nat lying on the ground to catch her breath. I helped her up off the grass and steadied her.

"You alright?" I asked. She nodded.

"Sam," Steve said. "He's in an AFV heading north." Nat ran over to her motorcycle and nodded to me. I nodded back, taking off running in that direction.

"I got four," Sam said. "They're splitting up."

"I got the two on the left," Nat said quickly. I spotted Steve in the middle of a crowd holding a vest and ran over.

"They ditched their gear," he said. "It's a shell game now. One of them has the payload." I heard a click, and the two of us looked down to see a bomb stuck to the shield. Steve quickly threw it up in the air, and the bomb detonated safely away from citizens. Steve flew forward as someone punched him in the back, and soon I flew to the side.

"There you are, you son of a bitch," Rumlow said. "I've been waiting for this!" Steve looked at me.

"Go!" he said. I nodded and ran off, finding Pietro and Wanda not far away.

"What's going on?" Wanda asked. I sighed.

"Natasha and Sam are trying to get the weapon back," I told them. "Steve's fighting Rumlow in the square." Right on time, Sam's voice came through the coms.

"He doesn't have it," he said. "I'm empty." I heard gunshots as I guided Pietro and Wanda through the crowds before Nat spoke up.

"Payload secure," she said. "Thanks, Sam."

"Don't thank me." I rolled my eyes.

"I'm...not thanking that thing."

"His name is Redwing."

"I'm still not thanking it."

"He's cute. Go ahead, pet him." I shook my head.

"N-no. He's not cute, Sam." The twins and I finally made it to Steve, just as he was standing over Rumlow.

"-and you're coming with me," Rumlow said. My eyes widened as he activated his bomb vest. Steve flinched as the armor ignited, but Wanda reacted quickly and kept the blast contained around Rumlow, who screamed in agony. She lifted him into the air before losing control, and the explosion finally blossomed, devastating entire floors of a nearby office building. I looked over at the redhead as she clamped a hand over her mouth. Pietro wrapped a comforting arm around his sister, and Steve and I stared up at the building.

"Oh my..," he muttered. "Sam...we need...Fire and Rescue...on the south side of the building." I looked over at Wanda as tears streamed down her cheeks.