Second Chances

05

BUCHAREST

Bucky was in civvies at a fruit store. He bought some plums and spoke in Romanian. Anastasia looked over some oranges.

(assumed translation: How are they? Are they good? Give me six, thank you.)

In a black cap and casual jacket, a red sweater for her, Bucky walked along, scanning around. Across the street, they spotted a twenty-something vender at a news-stand watching them, mainly focused on Bucky. Bucky glanced away, then looked back at the vender who was still watching him. The vender ran from his kiosk. Bucky went over and picked up a paper. On the front page there was surveillance-photos of a man and the headline: 'Winter Soldier cautat pentru Bombardmentul din Viena'. Bucky glanced around tensely.

---

In his dark blue armored suit with his shield on his arm, Steve was in a small apartment. He looked around. There was a mattress with disheveled covers and various bits of cheap looking furniture. The kitchen and bedroom were in the same room. Steve found a notebook on top of the fridge. He picked it up and opened it. There were tabs of varying colors sticking out from amongst the pages.

Sam over the radio said, "Heads up, Cap. German Special Forces, approaching from the south."

"Understood," Steve replied, turning back to the notebooks again. Bucky was standing behind him.

Steve slowly turned to face him and asked, "Do you know me?"

Bucky stared at him as he answered Steve's previous question. "You're Steve. I read about you in a museum. I read about Gracie there too."

"They've set the perimeter," Sam warned.

"I know you're nervous," Steve said. "And you have plenty of reason to be. But you're lying."

"I wasn't in Vienna," Bucky stated. "I don't do that anymore."

"They're entering the building," Sam and Gracie informed.

"Well, the people who think you did are coming here now," Steve told him. "And they're not planning on taking you alive."

"That's smart," Bucky said. "Good strategy."

"They're on the roof," Sam informed. "I'm compromised."

Armed cops ran upstairs.

Steve shook his head and said, "This doesn't have end in a fight, Buck."

Outside the door, a cop readied a battering ram.

"It always ends in a fight," Bucky replied in a tired tone.

"Five seconds," Sam warned.

"You pulled me and Gracie from the river. Why?" Steve asked.

"I don't know," Bucky answered.

"Three seconds!" Sam cried.

"Yes, you do," Steve said.

"Breach! Breach! Breach!"

A grenade crashed through the window. Bucky kicked it to Steve who smothered it with his shield.

A GSG-9 Soldier yelled, "Schieß die Tür auf!"

(Shoot the door!)

The cop slammed the battering ram against the door. Bucky shielded himself with the mattress against an attack that came from the window. He blocked the door with a table as cops swung in on cables. Steve pulled the rug from under a policeman, sending him flying. Bucky slammed another policeman into the wall.