Code Name: Untraceable

Chapter Two: Second Sight

The next mission was quieter.

Recon. Surveillance. In and out.

At least that's what Val promised.

Ava didn't believe a word of it, of course.

They were positioned on the rooftop of an old biotech facility, watching a suspicious convoy pull up through scope lenses. Gray vans. No markings. Too clean.

"Smells like another 'unofficial' operation," Bucky muttered into his comm.

John lay on his stomach, rifle balanced on the edge of the rooftop. "Can't wait to unofficially wreck it."

"Focus," Ava snapped.

Yelena adjusted her harness. "Why are we all pretending this isn't going to end in fire?"

Bob sat a few feet back, fidgeting with the strap of his helmet. "Hey... has anyone, uh, talked about what happened on the last mission?"

The team went quiet.

"You mean the music?" Yelena asked.

"The walking arsenal that wasn't us?" John added.

Bob nodded. "She saved us. Right? We're all pretending she didn't, but she totally did."

Ava didn't answer. She was already watching the ground team move. "Incoming."

The vans opened.

Guards spilled out like ants, escorting crates that glowed faint green under the lights.

"Not weapons," Bucky muttered. "Tech. High-level."

"Stolen," Ava said. "I recognize that tag. That's Stark-adjacent."

Then all hell broke loose.

A grenade exploded behind the vans-not theirs.

Panic erupted as smoke filled the air, shots were fired in every direction, and a figure-familiar now-leapt down from the rooftop across the street like a ghost in combat boots.

Brown hair. Red streaks. Gear loaded down. Moving fast.

She flipped over the lead van, shot two guards mid-air, landed on the crate, kicked it open, and pulled something glowing from inside before disappearing in a blink.

"She's back," Yelena whispered.

"No comms. No signal. I still can't trace her," Ava growled, pulling up her tablet.

Bob leaned forward, squinting through the smoke. "She looked at me."

"What?" Bucky asked.

Bob nodded. "Just for a second. Like she recognized me."

"Yeah," John muttered. "She recognized all of us."

Yelena's voice was quiet now. "Then why does she keep running?"

The smoke cleared.

The crates were empty.

The mystery woman was gone.

Again.