The Beginning (Steve x Reader x Bucky)

(22) Fight of Their Lives

"Tomorrow, Hydra will stand master of the world, borne to victory on the wings of the valkyrie. Our enemies' weapons will be powerless against us. If they shoot down one plane, hundreds more shall rain fire upon them. If they cut off one head..." Johann says raising his glass. "Two more shall take its place!"

Schmidt drinks and so does his pilots. "HAIL HYDRA!" the pilots and soldiers shout. Red Skull turns and sees five hundred soldiers standing before him, who also chant, "HAIL HYDRA!"

As Johann takes in his surroundings he notices a red light blinking on the wall. He slowly turns when the alarms go off at the surface entrance.

Barbed wire top an earthen- walled compound. Hydra soldiers rush to their stations, while one looks over the wall to see Steve shooting right at him.

Steve and YN are riding on a motorcycle toward the HYDRA base. Their bike ramps off a gun emplacement, sending them the barbed wire and crashing into the compound.

The bike crushes one guard, while the wire slashes another. The guards begin open fire. Steve swerves, tossing a grenade. BOOM!

One of the guards leaves a bazooka. Steve raises his shield and sends it back to the man. Finally, a guard shoots Steve's tire sending the enhanced over the handlebars.

They get to their feet. Steve swings and YN uses her powers as dozens more guards come. Their surrounded, outnumbered, helpless.

The guards drag Steve and YN into the compound. They look up to Johann's portrait. Suddenly, Red Skull comes out of the shadows. YN and Steve try to get out of the guards grip, but it's no use.

"Arrogance may not be a uniquely American trait... but I will say you do it better than anyone else." Johann says to Steve, leaning down, his teeth gleaming in his crimson face. "There are limits to what even you can do, Captain, Agent. Or did Erskine tell you otherwise."

"He told us you were insane. That seemed like enough." Steve argues, YN nods her head.

"He resented my genius and tried to deny me what was rightfully mine. Yet he gave you everything." Schmidt pauses, almost hurt he doesn't have everything. "What made you guys so special?"

"Nothing..." Steve starts. "We're just kids from Brooklyn." YN finishes for him.

Red Skull punches Steve in the face, then YN. The guards tighten their grip on the twos arm, lifting them up to their feet. Skull continues to beat the two for awhile.

Both, YN and Steve pant, exhausted. Then, Steve smiles. "I can do this all day."

"I believe you can. But I am on a schedule." Johann adds. He takes out his luger pointing it at YN. She just rolls her eyes, "So are we."

Thunk, thunk, thunk. Red Skull turns to where the noise is coming from. He sees three specks in the distance coming straight toward the window.

Johann turns back to YN and Steve who are fighting the guards. Schmidt goes to shoot YN, but she puts a guard in front of her. The shot disintegrating the guard.

Just then, Dugan, Jones and Falsworth come through the window on zip lines. Jones lands on a desk and shoots his .30 cal.

Johann shoots as everyone fights, backing up and out the door. Falsworth cuts down a guard, taking Steve's shield back and throwing it to him. "Thanks." the Captain says. "Cheers." Falsworth responds.

Steve straps his shield back on and drags YN with him to find Schmidt.

Red Skull runs down a hallway, his boots clanking away. Steve and YN right on his tail, turning a corner. The two are met by a vicious barrage. Schmidt shoots blue blasts at the enhanced. Steve barely gets his shield up in time and YN hides around the corner.

Schmidt races past an intersecting corridor. He springs through a doorway and hits a button, the doors begin closing. Steve sees this and throws his shield, jamming it between the doors, holding it open.

Steve signals to YN it's time to run again, but a flame trooper stands in their way. The trooper raises his twin guns. Steve raises his arm, only to remember it's in the doorway.

"Shit.." YN mumbles. She steps in front of Steve and uses her energy manipulation to create a shield.

BLAM! The trooper falls, the tank in his back explodes. Peggy steps out of one of the corridors, rifle in hand. "Well, YN, that's new."

"Yeah... I didn't know I could do that. Anyways, you're late." YN complains. 

"Tell me you're not complaining." Peggy says nodding to the door with Steve's shield. "Weren't you guys about to..."

"Right." Steve mumbles, running off. YN right behind him. After some time, the two arrive at a door. Behind it a hanger looms. Suddenly, deep rumbling occurs, shaking the base.

In the doorway they see a large plane pass by. It's bigger than any plane they've ever seen. They skid into the hanger. The plane picks up speed as they chase after it.

Schmidt throttles up and presses a button. At the other end of the room a door opens, letting in the daylight.

Steve and YN still try to run after the plane, until they hear a car rev behind them. Colonel Phillips drives next to the two running soldiers. "Get in."

They jump in without the car stopping. Red Skull sees Phillips driving his car behind him. Phillips gains on the plane but not enough. Suddenly, the planes propellers spin into a blur. The plane gaining even more speed.

Phillips looks at the dashboard and sees a button labeled, "KOMPRESSOR." He pushes it. WHOOSH, the car speeds up, sending everyone back in their seats.

Steve climbs over the windshield, YN into Peggy's lap. "Hey Pegs." The girls laugh. "Hey (NN)."

"Closer!" Steve tells Colonel. Phillips floors it, the car getting closer and closer to the propellers. Steve stops just as the propellers cut off the cars hood ornament. Phillips gets to the planes large tire.

YN gets over the windshield next to Steve. "Hold it steady, Colonel." YN orders. "Wait!" Peggy shouts. Everyone turns to look at her, confused.

She grabs Steve by the neck and kisses him. When they break Steve looks at her, eyes wide. YN looks at Philips, "I'm not kissing you!" YN looks at him disgusted.

Steve and YN brace themselves on the hood. Just then, the plane bursts out of the tunnel. Phillips slams on the breaks, before the car falls off the edge. YN and Steve leap.

Steve locks his arm onto a strut, his free hand holding onto YN. The plane gains altitude. Steve looks for a way in, while YN tries not to look down. She begins slipping.

"YN HANG ON, PLEASE!" Steve yells. Just then, the landing gear groan. The wheels retract. They find themselves riding the landing gear into the flight deck.

The two look at the flight deck in awe. Steve realizes the propellers are attached to eight fighters inside the wing. Each feature a snub- nose cube bomb as it's nosecone.

Ding. A bullet ricochets off Steve's shield. They see eight pilots rushing down a ramp from a bridge. Steve does a flying spin kick and knocks out two guards. YN uses her powers and knocks out three guards.

The last three guards get closer to Steve. He throws one across the room, knocking him out. He then throws his shield at another, also knocking him out.

"That was hot." YN says to herself. Steve looks at her. YN's eyes grow wide, knowing Steve heard her. Just then, the last guard shoots YN in her thigh, reopening her previous injury.

YN looks at the guard and uses her energy to push him back into the propeller. Steve runs to her side, "That was hot." YN giggles.

Steve helps her to her feet. "Do you want to stay here? You should because your hurt, but you're stubborn so, it's up to you." YN rolls her eyes, "Let's go get this son of a bitch."

The two cautiously enter the control room. They're greeted by stillness. Steve sees the pilot seat empty. Suddenly, he hears a Hydra gun powering up. YN sees Schmidt and shields Steve from the blast. The blast hits the cockpit glass, the wind howling.

"You don't give up, do you?" Red Skull asks. "Nope." YN and Steve say in unison.

Steve charges at Red Skull, who keeps firing. Blue bolts bouncing off his shield. Steve swings, hitting the gun out of the red mans hands. Skull swings, but Steve dodges and puts him in a headlock. Johann throws Steve into a bulkhead.

Steve swings his shield, but Johann grabs it with both hands. Both Super Soldiers strain, eye to eye.

While that's going on YN looks around for a map. She can't find one. Suddenly, the plane lurches harshly.

The plane spins into a barrel roll, sending everyone to the ceiling. The men begin fighting in zero- g, while YN tries to get to the autopilot button.

After sometime she gets to it and everyone's back on the ground. The landing was rough. She gets up and sees Johann walking to Steve, luger out.

"You could have the power of the gods." he tells Steve. "And you will not admit you want it?" He stands in front of the cube housing.

YN stands in front of Steve, "I want what everyone else wants..." she trails off. "this war to end." she says, shakily.

She shoots energy at his ribs, receiving a sickening crunch. The red man stumbles back, hitting the cube console. Blue energy arcs and crackles from the now damaged machinery. The energy gauge at overload.

The cube rises out of the machine, glowing intensely. Red Skull just stares. He reaches out to touch the cube, but it burns his glove off, showing his scarred hand.

YN helps Steve to his feet. The Skull continues to stare, amazed and overcome. He's blinded by the light. Steve helps YN walk over to the controls.

The plane begins disappearing around the cube. Visions of the nine realms appear. A rainbow portal stretches past an observatory and into space. "Valhalla..." Red Skull mumbles.

The visions begin to speed up and blur. Then, the cube shakes aggressively. Johann looks at it, worriedly. "No."

Steve pulls YN behind him and puts his shield up, as energy begins shooting from the cube. "NO!" Johann yells.

Energy bounces off the cowling and hits Red Skull, vaporizing him. The cube goes nova. Then, a massive column of energy shoots toward space, growing until it reaches space. It soon fades.

YN and Steve stand, woozy. When their vision returns they see the inert cube lying on the ground. They walk over to it and YN picks it up. Suddenly, the plane begins going down causing YN to drop the cube in the hole on the floor.

Steve sits in the pilots chair. The control stick moves automatically. Steve fights with it, trying to override the plane. It doesn't work. He stares at the monitor and map of Manhattan.

Steve gets to the radio and talks into it, "Agent Carter, come in..." After a few moments Peggy's voice can be heard, "Steve? YN? Is that you? Are you okay?"

"We're fine. YN reopened her wound, though. But she says she's fine." Steve tells Peggy. "That's because I am fine." YN states limping over to Steve.

"Where's Schmidt?" Carter asks. "Dead." YN answers. 

"I wanted to say that." the blonde argues making YN shrug.

"What about the plane?" the Britain asks. "That's a little bit harder to explain." Captain responds.

"Steve, if we're gonna die, I have to tell you something. I-" the girl is cut off by Peggy. "Give me your coordinates. I'll find a landing site-"

"There isn't going to be a landing. Schmidt's locked in the navigation system." Steve cuts her off. "And there's more than enough power to reach the East Coast." he continues.

"I'll get Howard on the line. He'll know what to do." Peggy states. "We're sitting on a hundred tons of explosives. Hotwiring this things not an option." Steve looks out to the vast ocean. "We've got to put her in the water."

"But you said you couldn't steer it." the red head states. Steve looks at the controls. He spots a thick cable running from the ignition to the engine.

"I can't. But I can crash it." He yanks the cable. Blue sparks begin to fly, then all the lights die, the engine stops, the plane goes quiet.

"Steve, don't do this. We've got time. We can figure this out." Peggy silently cries. "Pegs, it's okay. We're going to see Bucky and Dr. Erskine again." YN tells her.

Steve looks at the navigation charts, "I already did it. Right now, we're in the middle of nowhere. If we wait any longer, a lot of people are going to get hurt." he pauses. "Peggy, this is our choice."

Peggy finally accepts what's about to happen. "We'll send out rescue ships. We'll find you." YN shakes her head, "Peggy, there won't be anything to find."

YN looks to Steve, "I need to tell you something before we crash." Steve nods, "Peggy, I'm sorry. Now, I need to talk to YN. Thank you for everything." he turns off the radio.

YN takes a deep breath, "Steve, I should've told you this sooner, but I'm in love with you. I have been for awhile. I didn't say anything before because I didn't want to mess up our friendship. Also, because I'm in love with Bucky too." The girl pauses, "I know you're in love with Peggy and that's okay, but I just needed to tell you this before we die."

"YN, Buck told me you were in love with me and him. He also told me to make a choice between you and Peggy. Which, I did..." he pauses. He takes her hands in his, "It's you. It always has been. I know you can't choose me or Bucky and that's okay. I just need you to know I love you."

"I love you too." she tells him leaning down to kiss him. He leans in to kiss her as well, but... "Wait, wait, wait." she wiped his mouth. He looks at her confused. "You kissed Peggy like a couple minutes ago."

He laughs. They lean in again and kiss. This kiss is slow and sweet. After a few moments, they break away. "Okay. That was good." Steve chuckles and YN smiles.

"I can't wait to see Dr. Erskine and Bucky again." YN says, tears streaming down her face. "Me too." Steve says.

With that he directs the plane down. The plane violently glides across a glacier. It falls off the edge and into an icy lake. The plane floats for a moment, then slowly sinks.